“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”

~ Ephesians 4:26-27

This article has two parts. First, a number of Bible verses, to help us know how God wants us to behave. Second, some practical tips on how to follow God’s will for us.

Bible Verses about Anger

1. You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:17-18)
2. Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.(James 1:19)
3. Be still before the Lord snd wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! (Psalm 37:7)
4. The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult. (Proverbs 12:16)
5. A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)
6. Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense. (Proverbs 19:11)
7. Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare. (Proverbs 22:24-25)
8. A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. (Proverbs 29:11)
9. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)
10. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful. (1 Corinthians 13:4-5)
11. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
12. I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3) Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)
13. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. (Colossians 3:8)
14. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, (2 Timothy 2:23–25)
15. Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.(James 1:19)
16. “I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.” (Matthew 5:22)
17. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you . . . .”

How to Deal with Anger

Anger is an emotion and, as such, can arise outside our human control. And what is more, we like it! It feels good. We feel justified when we feel angry. We often nurse our anger, by rehearsing the events in our mind and telling ourselves why we were right and they were wrong, and how they should be punished and we should be vindicated. Perhaps we think of something we wish we had done or said. Perhaps we plan revenge.

I am not going to tell you anger and revenge are wrong. God has already done that. Just read through the first part of this article!

How often have you found yourself in this position? Somebody says something downright rude to you — or maybe it's not even directed to you, maybe somebody just says something that you think is hateful, or destructive.

Or, somebody ridicules something you said or an idea you believe. “Christians are all racist, sexist judgmental hypocrites who believe in the tooth fairy.” How's that? Or, somebody does something that offends you. Your neighbor comes into your yard and cuts off a tree limb you love. Your boss does something really stupid that you warned him not to do. Your spouse throws away your favorite shirt or doesn't clean up a mess he made, again.

And there you are, seething over it. You are lying in bed and you can't stop thinking about it. We’ve all been there.

Forgiveness is not a natural instinct, generally. It is one of those “contrary to nature commandments” given to us by Christ. And when we are really cut to the heart, someone’s sin against us can stay with us our entire lives. It poisons us. It burns like a tiny piece of hellfire in our heart, never extinguished, never ceasing to give us pain, for that is exactly what hatred is: hell on earth. Not in the figurative sense, either: in the literal sense. Born of the fall, issued by Satan, condemning us to eternal torment.

And when we realize this, we can remember the one person who can save us from hell, Jesus Christ the Righteous. His call to forgiveness is not a call to benefit those who do evil to us; Christ will judge them. It is not a call to promote lies, for we may always speak the truth. It is a call for us to find the peace and comfort that can only come from the Kingdom of Heaven. If anger keeps us awake, it is a call to forgiveness, for anger is one sin we need not continue to suffer from during our life.

Prayer is the answer. If anger keeps you awake, pray long, pray deep, pray the impossible. Pray for the person who offended you, and not the easy prayer that “they may see the error of their ways.” Do not pray to change them; pray to change yourself. Pray for them to be rich, successful, and famous if that is what it takes for you to see through your anger. Love them. Your anger will not leave — you will not cast Satan out of your heart — until you love the person who offended you as God loves them.

Sleep well, my friend. Accept your own forgiveness, forgive others their trespasses, and leave it to God to judge the sins of others.

Prayer to be Free of Anger

Lord Christ, you taught us that anger with our brethren is a violation of your law, that it condemns us just as murder condemns us. Let me see clearly that anger is moral filth, as your servant James taught us. And yet, anger arises in my mind. [Pause to remember occasions when you have been angry recently.] I repent my anger, and ask that I be forgiven for this sin, by my faith in you.

Holy Spirit, be with me now and help me to recognize my anger instead of denying it. Teach me to forgive each and every act that makes me angry. Where I have been directly offended, grant me the spirit of forgiveness; where I have become angry over things I have seen other people do or heard them say, imbue me with such a powerful sense of acceptance that my anger will disappear. Let me remember always, Holy God, that I am not in charge of the world; You are. Give me total faith that you know what you are doing.

I pray not to live with suppressed anger, nor to deceive myself by denying my anger when I have merely suppressed it, but let it be utterly abolished within me. Grant me to live in love and peace, as my Savior did and taught us to do. Let my anger be crucified, I pray in your name, Lord Christ,