Anger is an emotion that can easily destroy love. Only a fool will allow anger to control him and it is best to not be angry at all.
Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, For anger resides in the bosom of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:9
A person who is slow to get angry is greater than the mighty. He who rules his spirit shows more power than he who captures a city.
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city. Proverbs 16:32
Love is not easily angered because love and understanding sees the need in the other person rather than the desire in one’s own self to get angry.
He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly. Proverbs 14:29
The angry person does not realize that once they are over their anger the damage has been done in the spirit of the other ones who have seen it. Anger destroys intimacy in a marriage and a family because it puts fear in the one who is vulnerable. A wife is vulnerable to her husband and children are vulnerable to parents. Fear keeps the vulnerable one from opening up.
A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, And it is his glory to overlook a transgression. Proverbs 19:11
It is a wise and discreet person who is slow to anger. It is a loving person who overlooks mistakes and shortcomings in others. It is love that covers a multitude of sins.
Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. I Peter 4:8
A wise person is slow to anger and a prudent person conceals dishonor. A loving person is one who conceals dishonor in someone else. They will not seek to exalt themselves at the expense of someone else.
A fool’s anger is known at once, But a prudent man conceals dishonor. Proverbs 12:16
Anger pours gas on a potentially explosive situation whereas love pours water on a fire. A wise and loving person will learn to turn away from anger.
Scorners set a city aflame, But wise men turn away anger. Proverbs 29:8
Anger and wrath are related and so is fretting. Fretting is another word for being anxious and when we are anxious then it leads to evildoing. Doing evil is usually taking things into our own hands to deal with a situation and the outcome will not be good.
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.
Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
But the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity. Psalm 37:7-11
The opposite of anger is to trust in the Lord, rest in Him and wait for Him. We can only do that if we know Him and know His love. If you do get angry with someone and say or do something that is not right then go to the person and ask their forgiveness for what you have done.
He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. Proverbs 28:13
Don’t try to conceal your angry response by excusing or justifying what you have done or blaming someone else by saying they caused your anger. Maybe what they did was wrong but it does not excuse our response if it is not right. If we confess our sins to one another and forsake them then we will find compassion. Ask for prayer from another who has struggled and seen victory. All of us can relate to being angry but it does not justify us being that way.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. James 5:16
My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. James 5:19,20
It is the soul of the angry person who dies when they get angry and say and do things that they regret. We need each other to help us in our struggles when we stray from the truth of God’s ways. Ask the Lord to help you find an older Christian who will pray for you and who you can talk with and confess your sins to so that they can turn you back to the Lord and His truth.
Instructions To A Young Life 