An application follow up from Wednesday

Changing the Heart of Anger

Imagine that on your way to school there is a brick wall that is in the middle of the road. You don’t know how it got there, but it is blocking the entrance to the school so that you cannot get in. This brick wall is preventing you from learning and growing. It’s preventing you from hanging with your friends and eating the delicious cafeteria food.

Sometimes this can be a picture of what is in our heart. The brick wall being anger is preventing us from learning and growing. The brick wall is preventing us from seeing God’s will for our life. The brick wall is preventing us from even seeing the consequences of our anger.

How do we tear down this brick wall and change our heart of anger?

First examine your own desires. Do you desire to be first, to have everything go your way, and have everyone like you? Are you willing to sin in order to get it or do you sin when it doesn’t happen? These are sinful selfish desires. If you don’t get what you want, you become angry or bitter.

Second, If you have anger or bitterness in your heart, you will act angry or bitter. These actions WILL reveal themselves. They will show through by you snubbing someone who was mean to you, lashing out at your parents or siblings, or even just saying something mean to someone else. Your heart of anger will show through.

To changer your heart of anger, your desires must change. The brick wall of anger must be removed so that you can desire God’s will.

First, desire for God to be pleased with your thoughts. When you constantly focus on God, it is hard to focus on selfishness. When you are concerned with what God wants from you, you will be less concerned with not getting your way. Desire for others to get what they want. Whether it’s time on the computer or watching a TV show or allowing your sibling to drive, put others first. If your truly, really, 100% want your siblings to have what they want, then when you don’t get what you want and they do, you won’t be angry. Allow me to illustrate.

Let’s say that your parents decide to give either you or your brother $50 for no reason. You can’t split it. If you desire only what is best for you, you will be angry if your brother gets the money. This shows selfishness. You will complain that they are not fair. They should give you money too. If you desire for your sibling to have $50, then if your bro gets the money you will be happy for him and not angry. Do you see that your anger is hinging on what you desire. Selfish desires lead to anger, but unselfish desires lead to happiness and joy.

James 4:1-3 spells out exactly why we get into conflicts and show our anger.

“What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

The heart of anger lies in selfish, lustful, envious desires. Take some time to check your desires when you get angry.

Remember that you can always go to YT’s Biblical Answers on Anger to find more verses on anger.