by Dr. Paul Chappell

"Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul."

Proverbs 22:24-25

Allowing your emotions to control your actions will lead to danger.

Walt Frazier is a well-known name in basketball history. The 6'4" 200 lb guard was a prized member of the New York Knicks' only championship-winning teams (1970 & 1973). His ability to see the court as a whole and find the open man, frustrated many opponents, and earned him over five thousand career steals to go along with his over fifteen thousand career points. Over his lifetime, Frazier has won two NBA Championships, selected four times to the All-NBA First Team, selected twice to the All-NBA Second Team, played in seven NBA All-Star games, has been the NBA All-Star MVP once (1975), selected to the All-NBA Defensive First Team seven times, and has set a New York Knicks record for assists (4,791). On top of that, the Knicks retired his #10 and he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987. All-around, Frazier was one of the greatest players to play the game.

But more than his on-court accomplishments, Frazier was a leader in New York. His teammates knew they could count on him for advice and direction. He was known as an mild-mannered person and handled difficult situations wisely. This character trait was seen when, during a Knicks-Bullets playoff game years ago, a Bullet player approached Frazier from behind and punched him in the face. The referees obviously blew their whistle for a foul, but called the foul on Frazier. Fans were irate. The Knicks' coach was beside himself. But Frazier calmly accepted the penalty and, rather than showing anger, used his frustration to score seven straight baskets and won the game for the Knicks.

Releasing anger and allowing it to rule you hurts you more than anyone else. Frazier realized the futility of getting upset over the call, and responded correctly to the injustice. Often we can ignore anger in life because it isn't always shown as a massive blow up. As author Jay Adams once said: "Anger may be handled wrongly in either one of two ways: blowing up and clamming up."

Let's look at six attributes of anger outlined in Ephesians 4:31: "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice."

Bitterness. While forgiveness can be given with the lips, if bitterness is still felt in the heart, anger is still present. You cannot completely release anger unless you empty your heart of any bitter feelings toward the wrong-doer.

Wrath. The word wrath in Ephesians 4 is the word for passion or anger. Have you ever seen someone become so angry they just seem to give off a vibe of anger? You don't like being around them, everything they say is negative, and their whole outlook on life is twisted. Wrath can corrode the heart before it is seen outwardly.

Anger. Anger in this verse refers to a violent emotion. Many people allow their emotions to overtake them when wronged and seem to act without thinking. The quote has been said many times, but never forget that "anger is one letter short of danger." Allowing your emotions to control your actions will lead to danger.

Clamour. Clamor has to do with complaining and crying out about injustices. Do you find yourself complaining about injustices? A constant complaining shows a deep-rooted anger at a person or a situation.

Evil speaking. Often people can say they aren't upset or angry about a situation, yet they slander the person who wronged them. Anger is seen in repeated slander and backbiting against a person.

All malice. Often anger can rear its head through malice, or the desire to malign someone's name out of spite. Spiteful feelings against a person and treating someone poorly after "forgiving" them shows that anger is still present.

Anger is such a dangerous trait to possess. Some people believe they can control their anger or blow up during a situation then everything will return to normal, but the side effects of anger hurt everyone involved.

If you have a problem with anger or with any of these six symptoms of anger, ask God to help you control your emotions. Daily seek God's guidance and look to Him for a way to practice temperance. Remember James 1:19-20, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God."

Daily Bible Reading
Psalms 20-22 | Acts 21:1-17