A Christian Guide to Handling Anger: 3 Biblical Strategies for Finding Peace in the Midst of War.

Before He left this earth, Jesus promised that His disciples would have trouble. He also promised that we could have peace in Him because He has overcome the world (John 16:33).

As Christians, we have a lot to be angry about: this world is full of evil and injustice. However, we also tend to have a hard time admitting that we are angry. Instead, we try to stuff it down or minimize it with words like, "irritated", "frustrated" and, "annoyed". Unfortunately, attempting to prevent sin by denying our anger, actually causes us to sin by lying to ourselves and others. And when left to fester, anger often leads to further sins of bitterness, reactivity, and unforgiveness, thus giving the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27). Being in the midst of a spiritual battle, the last thing we want to do is give our enemy an opportunity to advance!

The key to handling our anger in a way that honors God and furthers His Kingdom is found in one simple word: confession.

Strategy #1 - Confess the Truth

In order to maintain our peace in the midst of all that is wrong in the world, we must first acknowledge that we are angry. By being honest with ourselves and the Lord, we give Him the opportunity to speak into our anger and use it for good. In fact, God encourages and rewards this kind of brutal honesty. King David expressed his anger and desire for vengance throughout the Psalms, and he was called, "a man after God's own heart." Job was given a double blessing after challenging his own unfair treatment.

Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. – Psalm 62:8

God wants us to be honest with Him. So go ahead, tell God how you really feel. Yell, scream, punch a pillow if you have to. He can handle it! And He won't be surprised. God already knows what we think and feel, even better than we do! He doesn't punish us for our honesty. Rather, He heals and purifies us through it, often using our expressions of anger to reveal the hidden fears and grief that lie underneath. By acknowledging our true feelings and giving them to Jesus, we give Him the opportunity to transform our anger, and us, into powerful expressions of His love and justice.

Strategy #2 - Repent from Sin

Along with confession, we need to repent. But this does not mean repenting from our anger. Anger is not a sin; it is simply an emotion (read more about that here), but it can definitely lead to sin. Sin means missing the mark. Anger is a powerful response to wrong, accompanied by the desire to make things right. The problem is that the actions we instinctively want to take are rarely Christ-like, and therefore end up off target.

Repentance means to turn from doing things our way to doing things God's way.

Even if we are angry for the right reasons, our anger is often tainted by our own pride and ignorance. God calls us to surrender our desires for revenge and worldly justice, and to trust Him for our ultimate defense and protection. We must lay our anger at His feet and let go of the desire for control. This means turning towards our God and saying, "Your will be done." Though challenging, this turning is essential for finding true peace, and allows our response to be right on target.

Strategy #3 - Respond in Love

Trusting God does not mean we are passive. Anger comes as a call to action, but we must submit our actions to the Lord and recognize that His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). He sees and knows things that we cannot possibly see and know. And His justice is met with eternity in mind.

Personally, choosing my response to anger is the most difficult strategy for me of the three. Probably because it cannot be done well without the other two. I usually have to go back to confesssing and surrendering my ungodly desires several times before I can clearly sense from the Lord what my response should be.

On some things, God is clear. Scripture tells us to speak kindly and watch our mouth (James 1:26), to remain humble (Ephesians 4:2), to pray for and forgive those who hurt us (Matthew 5:44), and to act in a manner consistent with Love. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) All of this takes a lifetime to learn and requires the power of the Holy Spirit to do. (A study of Ephesians 4:29-32 is a great place to start.)

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up... And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God... 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. – Eph. 4:29-32

In other areas, such as when and how to speak up, when to be silent, how to minister to the wounded or whether we should fight the system, we are dependent on the guidance of the Holy Spirit and must use His discernment.

We may be in a war, but the real battle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). A Christian response will always be qualitatively different than a wordly one.

If we choose to pray when we are angry, bravely admitting our anger, selflessly surrendering the outcomes, and obediently following His guidance in our actions, then He will purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), direct our steps (Proverbs 3:5-6), and give us His perfect peace (Philippians 4:6-7). We can walk in His new way of Love, even when we're angry. May God grant you the courage to embody His peace in the midst of your battle today.