"In your anger do not sin : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." (Ephesians 4:26-27 NIV).

To feel anger is no more a sin than it is to feel pain. Anger is merely an emotional response to a perceived injustice. Anger is also disguised as feeling hurt, cheated or frustrated. The danger with anger, however, is that it more often leads to destructive behavior than righteous actions. Anger commonly prompts VERBAL ABUSE (threatening, bullying, name calling); EMOTIONAL ABUSE (attempting to assert power over another by withholding love and communication, inspiring fear or guilt) or outright VIOLENCE.

When anger is not properly dealt with, it is stored in a mental reservoir of resentment. There it easily seethes into bitterness and erupts as rage. The devil can reinforce negative feelings and use the angry person as his instrument to stand against the purposes of God. He can poison our self-esteem, fill us with bitterness, cripple us with regret, and cause the backlog of our feelings to infect our attitudes and creep into every crevice of our conversations. The slightest irritation can trigger violence and rage.

Because anger is an emotional response to a 'perceived' reality surrounding a matter of justice, it is important that our central reference point in all conflicts, disputes, hurts, and frustrations be the Cross of Christ. It is at the Cross where we see a just and holy God dealing with the wrong-doings of the entire human race. Under His holy law we are all justly pronounced guilty. We are all given our rightful sentence of death. But due to a marvelous transaction in which He steps into history to take the place of the condemned sinner, all who avail themselves to this gift, receive His full pardon and grace. "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God" (1Peter 3:18).

Anger must be defused with the forgiveness that we find at Calvary. Augustine said, "Forgive every bad man's injustice, lest there be two bad men." Only because God has a very real solution for injustice, can we get rid of anger. The Apostle Paul writes: "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32).

1. RECOGNIZE THAT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT WE DO WITH OUR ANGER. Too often our energy is absorbed in our attempts to PUT A LID ON our anger rather than our attempts TO GET RID OF our anger. You may not be able to control such factors as WHEN you feel anger, or HOW MUCH anger you feel. But you can control HOW LONG anger lasts by trusting in God's justice and resolving to take righteous actions rather than unrighteous ones.
2. WHEN ANGER EMERGES ASK YOURSELF, "WHAT RIGHTEOUS ACTION DO I NEED TO TAKE?" "Do I pursue conflict resolution (according to Matthew 5:23; 18:15)? Do I ask for forgiveness? Do I pursue healing and social justice in a positive way? Do I need to get a better perspective on this situation? Is this issue worth arguing about? Do I need to show more patience and forbearance? Do I need to release forgiveness?"
3. ACKNOWLEDGE ANGER WHEN YOU BECOME AWARE OF IT.
4. RENOUNCE THE RIGHT TO VENT THE ANGER. Venting anger only increases the emotional intensity and volatility of anger. Expressing it is not the same thing as getting rid of it.
5. BECOME ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS. Make an agreement, formal or informal, with those who know of your anger problem: "I will not attack. You need not defend."

Anger promotes sins of hatred, self-righteous judging, maligning and complaining. An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins. (Proverbs 29:22). In the Bible, anger is associated with foolishness. (See Ecclesiastes 7:9).

Apply this heaven-sent wisdom today. Don't let the sun go down on your anger. Get rid of it by applying these 'honest-to-God' solutions.