PRISON MINISTRY - ANGER
Dealing with anger is one of the biggest problems inmates face (Anger at family, self, God and the system)
It is okay for us to experience anger, but it is what we do with our anger that is at the issue.
There is anger, which is not sinful, but even this must not be allowed to stay and grow inside of us. If we let it, we give Satan a foothold in our lives. Read Ephesians 4: 26-27. We are to deal with our anger as quickly as possible.
What is the source of your anger? Only when you find the source of your anger, can you effectively deal with this emotion. ANGER IS ALMOST ALWAYS HURT FIRST. This hurt makes us feel vulnerable, so rather than experience the hurt, we become angry because it is a powerful, controlling, and self-protective emotion. It shuts down communication. Learning to express the hurt often leads to resolution of the issue, while expressing anger tends to spoil much chance of resolving it.
When you are angry, give yourself time to cool off. Then ask yourself these questions - How was I hurt? Why can't I just explain the hurt? Is a need of mine not being met? Perhaps my anger was misdirected? What would I like to see changed? Only you can answer to these questions.
One way of getting rid of anger is to forgive those who have hurt us. Read Matthew 6:12 - Powerful scripture isn't it? Being able to forgive is to return to the cross and first see the huge debt that we owed, but were forgiven. Read Matthew 18: 21-35, and Colossians 3:13.
The following scriptures from God's Word talks about anger -
1. Psalm 37:8 ________________________________________________________________
2. Proverbs 14:17 and Ecclesiastes 7:9 _____________________________________________
3. Proverbs 19: 11 _____________________________________________________________
4. Proverbs 29: 22 _____________________________________________________________
5. Proverbs 16:32 ______________________________________________________________
6. Proverbs 4:7 ________________________________________________________________
7. James 1:5 ___________________________________________________________________
8. James 1:20 __________________________________________________________________
9. Proverbs 29:11 _______________________________________________________________
10. Proverbs 30: 33 _______________________________________________________________
11. Proverbs 22: 24-25 _____________________________________________________________
12. Psalm 118: 6 and Romans 8:31 ____________________________________________________
13. James 1:19 _____________________________________________________________________
Only fools are controlled by anger and wise men show patience and restraint. Which do you want to be?
I have heard that a person in prison must fight to gain respect. How can you effectively deal with fighting and still do what God wants? Read Romans 12: 18 and Matthew 5: 9.
ANGER AT GOD - Have you ever been angry at God? We walk around pretending that we are not mad at God since this is the Christian thing to do. Anger will not go away if we pretend it's not there. If we are angry and unforgiving, this gets in the way of our relationship with God. - for example - if we are mad at someone, we don't talk to them. We might even do something to get back at them because they have hurt us. We do this without thinking and we even do it to God.
Anger gets in the way of our relationships with others because the anger is always under the surface, affecting our behavior. Some of these behaviors could be defensiveness, irritability, suspiciousness, rebelliousness, depression and withdrawal. So, even though we're not angry with friends, we can act like it.
Anger at God also affects our attitudes about other authority figures and rebellion is often the result. The anger we feel toward god is usually because we got hurt badly in some relationship, were extremely disappointed, experienced the loss of someone very close to us, or we were abused in some terrible way. Why would God let these things happen? Did He betray us or abandon us when it was most important for Him to be there? What you need to know is that God already knows how angry you are. You can't hide it from Him. He knows your every thought, your words, your going out and coming in. He knows you better than you even know yourself. Read Psalm 139. You have to realize that God is big enough to handle your anger. He wants you to come and tell Him how you feel, to confess to Him. For right now it is your job to just tell Him how hurt and betrayed you feel. Pour your heart out to Him. He understands why you are angry.
King David felt ignored, betrayed and abandoned. What did he do? He went right to the source and asked God. Read Psalm 13: 1-2, Psalm 35: 17, and Psalm 90: 13. Think about the emotions behind David's questions. He wasn't just asking to get information. I think he was angry and hurt and scared. Sound familiar? Just like God's response to David, His response to your confession will be grace and mercy. Read 1 John 1:9. We may have to confess over and over. David certainly did. Emotions like anger and fear and hurt are powerful and deep. Read Romans 2:4. Repentance is turning from a negative behavior to a positive one. The anger will go. If you look at the prayers of David, he begins with anger, impatience, and fear, but he ends each one with exaltation to God. He could not have done this if he was still angry at God.
God's ways are not the same as our ways, and God's sense of time is different from ours. Read Psalm 73. Here David tells how he envied the arrogant and was confused by the reality that evil people were prospering. Once David entered in to God's presence - read Psalm 73: 17 - he understood the destiny of the arrogant and evil people of his day. This understanding can be yours if you will only spend time with God telling Him of your feelings of disappointment and anger and hurt.
ANGER AT SELF - You are a child of the King. Christ died for you. You are going to spend eternity in the presence of God. You are loved by God. Read Romans 8: 38-39.
You can be angry at something you have done, but you cannot be angry with yourself. The Bible tells us to handle our anger as quickly as possible. Read Philippians 4:7.
ANGER AT FAMILY - You are to honor your parents and to take care of your wife and children. You were born into a larger and sometimes even more loving family when you were born again. Maybe your earthly family cannot forgive you, but God commands your spiritual family to, and the more mature ones will. Whatever happens, you will want to ask God to help you forgive your family.
To be free from the bad feelings caused by anger and hate, make things right where you can, ask forgiveness when necessary, and forgive others of any wrongdoing in the past. Don't let hate rob you of the joy God promises to His children.