Six Ways To Prevent Destructive Anger
There are at least six ways to prevent disctructive anger. Anger is an emotion which is God-given. To try to eradicate anger is to put aside a real gift which God has entrusted to us. Anger left to itself can become unhealthy and destructive. Anger in this realm needs some prevention. Here are six:
Prevention #1: Biblical Teaching. Scripture has a lot of information concerning anger. In the church we have been more prone to dismiss all anger as a sin, rather than share in a clear, practical, and relevant way about anger. We are focused on providing relevant information on dealing with anger so we can all come to more health in our emotional lives.
Prevention #2: Avoid Situations And People That Arouse Your Anger. We do not overcome obstacles by hiding from them. Often we avoid because it is unpleasant or we want to be peacemakers. Wisdom often demands that we face frustrating situations directly and difficult people squarely. However, having said this, there are times—Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time for everything—when it is better to stay away from situations and people who will likely arouse unnecessary anger in you.
Prevention #3: Build Self-Esteem. Anger is much less likely to become destructive in our lives when we are not plagued with constant feelings of self-doubt—that cancerous feeling that we do not count for anything. When believers have a realistic picture of themselves as people of value, there is less inclination to become angry. Feed your self-image with Scriptural theology—namely that Christ died for your sins—that in itself makes you valuable to him and thus to others.
Prevention #4: Refrain From Constant Meditation. When you are angry and you go through your day constantly meditating on your anger, it will surely increase. If you are unfortunate enough to have others who are meditating on their anger around you all day, you will begin to pick up their anger as well. The outcome: a whole mind-set of negativism and bitterness that grows deeper as you grow older. This kind of thinking is destructive to your personality.
Prevention #5: Learn To Control. Into every life will come disagreement and conflict. Without conflict there is no growth. However, we do not have to let conflict become combat. We can be confrontive and tell others how we feel, what we think, and what we want. We can learn as believers to speak gently and in love. Learning to speak honestly and effectively will reduce destructive anger.
Prevention #6: Be Controlled By The Spirit. Uncontrolled anger is one of the listed deeds of the flesh. Uncontrolled anger is an attitude of this present evil age (Galatians 5). The opposite attitude is self-control, a fruit of the Spirit. Remember, fruit grows and becomes ripe. Self-control is actually being controlled by the Spirit. Committing our lives on a daily basis to the control of the Spirit goes a long way in becoming a mature believer and preventing destructive anger.
