Page Suggestions: Victory Over Anger, Bible Facts

The Eight Anchors of Anger

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Even though there are times in marriage when our conflicts can be the result of legitimate issues that we need to discuss and resolve, there are also times when our emotions are the result of SPIRITUAL MANIPULATION AND HARASSMENT. In those times, the ONLY ANSWER IS TO TAKE AUTHORITY OVER DEMONIC FORCES THROUGH PRAYER, AS WE BIND THEIR ACTIVITY BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE NAME AND BLOOD OF JESUS! Without being challenged, it is possible for satanic forces to produce deep feelings of anger and resentment through nothing more than imagination and irritated emotions. We must learn to be sensitive to this and to quickly take authority over them.

6) The Anchor of Unrealistic and Selfish Thinking

Surely you've seen children when they don't get their way. Unfortunately, the same is true for many adults. Something I've noticed about chronically angry people is that they are almost always people with unrealistic and selfish expectations. They make failure inevitable. Life is brutal to those who are selfish and unrealistic.

In order to free ourselves from unnecessary anger, we need to evaluate how selfish and unrealistic our thinking may be in every major area of life. We should be honest with ourselves as to our motives and ideals.

A spirit of servanthood is the opposite of selfishness. A servant is one who serves others regardless of the circumstances. Expecting problems and pitfalls, this person puts a high expectation on himself to serve the Lord and a low expectation on others to reciprocate. Consequently, this person is poised for success. If life becomes disappointing, he is prepared. If life turns out well, he is blessed. Because a servant holds these unselfish attitudes, he simply will not react with anger and hostility. Instead, poise and sound character are his anchors. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be?

7) The Anchor of Stress

Stress is an epidemic in America. Trying to have it all and be it all, we have it more and enjoy less than any generation in the history of the world. Stress robs us of health, RELATIONAL BONDING, and JOY. It also causes DEEP EMOTIONAL DISTRESS. It causes our nerves to be frayed, and it sets us up for frustration and anger. The point is that stress causes our emotions to be much more sensitive and volatile than when we aren't under stress. It will rob us of joy in life as it also sets us up for emotional outbursts.

We need to take inventory of our lives and remove unnecessary responsibilities and energy-consumers from our schedules that crowd us and put us under undue pressure. This can be accomplished by making a list of our true priorities and protecting those priorities from other things that are further down on the list. THE TOP OF OUR LIST SHOULD ALWAYS INCLUDE GOD AND OUR FAMILIES. With these priorities protected and schedule overload removed, we should be able to live with the greatest degree of satisfaction and the least amount of frustration.

8) The Anchor of Lack of Spiritual Enablement

In his letter to the church at Galatia, Paul exhorted them to WALK IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT and not by the natural inclination of their flesh. Paul knew from personal experience that none of us has the power to walk in the love and character of Christ without the power of the Holy Spirit flowing through his life. According to Paul, we are able to tell when we are walking in the flesh or in the Spirit by the fruits of our behavior.

When we are exhibiting behavior such as "...hatred, contentions and outbursts of wrath..." we can know that we are walking in our FLESH and not according to God's Spirit. However, we can also know that we are walking in the power of the Holy Spirit when we are walking in "...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control..."

When we find ourselves becoming angry, we need to ask ourselves whether we are relying on our own strength or on the power of the Holy Spirit. When we are relying on the Holy Spirit's power and allowing Him to fill our lives, we will see immediate fruit. The opposite is also true. Anger produces a spiritual barrenness that cripples our relationship with man and God.

The Holy Spirit enables us as we admit our need for Him daily in prayer and invite Him into our lives. His ministry continues as we submit to Him each area of pain and conflict that we encounter daily and ask His wisdom and power. The people who live with this type of submission to the Holy Spirit and reliance upon Him walk in the incredible emotional stability and enduement only God can bring. Those who don't must rely on their own emotional ability and disposition to get them through life. The result is emotional INstability and weakness.

As you learn to detect and disarm anger in your life, you will also learn to live in the peace that only Jesus Christ can bring. Remember, anger is inevitable for all of us. We will experience it many times throughout our lives. The decision of how it effects us is ours. If we will deal with it properly and promptly, anger will have no ability to bind us to our past or to destroy our hopes of a happy future. This is my hope for you. I pray you will overcome every obstacle of anger as you find God's grace for your future.