Ephesians 4:26-27

“If you are angry, don’t sin by nursing your grudge. Don’t let the sun go down with you still angry—get over it quickly; for when you are angry, you give a mighty foothold to the devil.”

Anger is an emotion I have battled with and still do at times. I can bet there are many like me who get irate for simple things.

I use to walk around with a chip on my shoulder for so long (although now it is pretty much non-existent better yet, properly managed) and one that I have yet to make sense of, I have arrived at the conclusion that my anger is a habit rather than anything else. It is very easy to get upset at nothing and I fall into this trap, because that is what it is. I realized I was very insensitive and intolerant in a selective way, which makes no sense. I would be nice to some but horrible to others. I would be nice in the morning but horrible in the evening. Get my point?

But of course being a child of God who is renewed in mind and spirit I had to find ways of controlling my emotions albeit not being able to get rid of it.

The verse did not tell us to not be angry, but, to get over it quickly so we do not give a foothold to the devil. Anger is an emotion we may not get rid of completely however we can practice control. The bible also tells us in Proverbs 25:28 that “a man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls”…..open to any and everything. We might not be able to not lose control and our aim is not to get rid of the anger, but we can exercise self control so we are always secure; not giving an opening to the devil to enter our lives. Anger can be good in that it can point us to changes we may need to effect in our lives, so once again, we do not want to get rid of it but we want to be able to exercise control.

Here are 7 Ways I got control of my anger. 

• Recognize the anger – If you are not aware of something then you cannot affect it.
• Understand the anger and the “why” so that you can make adjustment as needed.
• Get calm – slow the pace of your heart, get control, this is best for your health.
• Allow these words to sink in – “it’s not worth it”.
• Decide to “let the anger go” or be practical about it, what do “I” need to change, this comes with maturity.
• Create an anger affirmation by repeating words or singing a song – do whatever it takes to reduce the feeling of frustration or anxiety.
• Ensure you get adequate rest – I discovered that lack of proper rest affected my interaction with some persons.

I encourage all of us to get control, that is our aim as anger as I said before can be a good thing but it needs to be managed. Anger can facilitate much needed change and growth in our lives but we need to be able to handle ourselves in a mature christian-like way. One that fosters love and self-control within us irrespective of what we are faced with.