{"id":1182,"date":"2011-05-02T08:07:43","date_gmt":"2011-05-02T15:07:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biblicalcounselinginsights.com\/blog\/?page_id=1182"},"modified":"2011-10-19T12:10:00","modified_gmt":"2011-10-19T19:10:00","slug":"5-steps-to-overcome-anger","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/biblicalcounselinginsights.com\/attitudes-and-behaviors\/anger-vs-forgiveness\/5-steps-to-overcome-anger\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Steps to Overcome Anger"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you struggling with anger or an anger-related behavior? We have outlined a five-step process to help you change and heal in this area of your life. Take all the time you need with each of the steps below.<\/p>\n<h2>Step 1: Adopt a Correct View of God<\/h2>\n<p>Almost certainly, a distorted perception of God\u2019s nature lies at the core of your problem with anger. We do not know exactly what that is for you. But quite possibly you are overemphasizing the wrath of God while underemphasizing His faithful love. Consider these key truths about God\u2019s nature.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>God offers forgiveness, reconciliation, and eternity instead of condemnation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The LORD passed in front of Moses, calling out, \u201cYahweh! The LORD! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.\u201d (Exodus 34:6)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>God is merciful and expects us to extend His mercy to others.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when He judges you. (James 2:13)<\/p>\n<p>Search the Scriptures for everything you can find about God\u2019s love, mercy, and forgiveness. Allow what you find out about Him begin to change the way you think about God and about yourself as God\u2019s child.<\/p>\n<h2>Step 2: Revise Your False Beliefs<\/h2>\n<p>You may be an angry person because you have developed some mistaken ideas about yourself and other people as well as how to get along in life. Do you believe that? Well, ask yourself these questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Do you believe you are justified in your anger?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs. (Proverbs 19:11)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Do you believe that your anger is uncontrollable?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Don\u2019t sin by letting anger control you. Don\u2019t let the sun go down while you are still angry. (Ephesians 4:26)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Do you believe that anger is a useful tool in life?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness. (Proverbs 14:29)<\/p>\n<p>Along with those suggested here, there are many more false beliefs that can keep you a slave to anger. Seek clues in Scripture for ways that your ideas have gone off track, contributing to your anger problem. Ask the Holy Spirit to use biblical truth to change your conscious and unconscious beliefs so that you are living in truth and not falsehood. He will do it!<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/biblicalcounselinginsights.com\/attitudes-and-behaviors\/anger-vs-forgiveness\/5-steps-to-overcome-anger\/2\/\">Continue to next page<\/a><\/em><br \/>\n<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Step 3: Repent of Your Sin<\/h2>\n<p>Are you ready to admit that you are angry and to give it up? In what particular ways (rage, violence, revenge, and so on) do you express your anger? Identify your anger and \u201cown\u201d it.<\/p>\n<p>When you are ready, ask God to forgive you for your anger. You can pray the following prayer (or another like it in your own words). Insert the word for your particular anger problem in the blank spaces.<\/p>\n<p>God, I am an angry person, especially in the area of __________. And I know that is sinful. I am sorry for how the flames of my anger have singed others, and especially I am sorry for how I have grieved You. Please forgive me for my anger now. Cleanse me completely from the sin of __________ so that it is gone from my life. And furthermore, give me the power never to return to my angry ways again. I want to be like Jesus, merciful and kind. In His name I pray, amen.<\/p>\n<p>If you have harmed others with your sin, apologize to them. Seek reconciliation and offer restitution where appropriate.<\/p>\n<h2>Step 4: Defend against Spiritual Attacks<\/h2>\n<p>The enemies of your soul\u2014the world, the flesh, and the Devil\u2014do not like it when you repent of your anger. They will stir up your anger again if you let them. Get ready to defend yourself against these enemies.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In the world\u2019s value system, anger is considered good. The world would tell us that anger confers power. But you can overcome this false system if you hold fast to God\u2019s values, which tell us that those who control their anger have the real spiritual power.<\/li>\n<li>Anger can feel good. Our flesh, or sinful nature, urges us to get that good feeling back by letting ourselves be filled with rage again. So when you feel that kind of desire rising within you, remind yourself that the flesh is dead and you do not have to satisfy its desires. Turn to the Spirit to help you want what God wants for you: a forgiving spirit.<\/li>\n<li>Satan will use your sense of personal rights and your selfishness to goad you into angry outbursts and attitudes. Put on the armor of God to resist the Devil\u2019s schemes. Above all, put on the \u201cshoes of peace\u201d (Ephesians 6:15), which enable you to move around in harmony with all your Christian brothers and sisters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Are you ready to be in control of your anger, instead of its being in control of you? The battle has begun and will not be over soon. So the time is now to stand strong in the strength of Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to supernaturally equip you to defeat the enemies of your soul.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/biblicalcounselinginsights.com\/attitudes-and-behaviors\/anger-vs-forgiveness\/5-steps-to-overcome-anger\/3\/\">Continue to next page<\/a><\/em><br \/>\n<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Step 5: Flee Temptation<\/h2>\n<p>Many of us find that our anger has certain triggers. Walking through a minefield, you have a much better chance of survival if you know where the danger is and learn to avoid it.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Focus<\/strong> on your relationship with God.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Cultivate your relationship with God through the spiritual disciplines of prayer and meditation. Learn to hear God\u2019s voice so that His whisper of peace will sound louder in your ears than the cry of temptation to lash out in anger.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Latch<\/strong> on to God\u2019s promises.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Search Scripture for verses and stories that emphasize the danger of anger and the value of forgiveness. Memorize Scriptures that can help you in times of temptation. One relevant scriptural passage is the parable of the unforgiving servant. Read it in Matthew 18:21\u201335.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Establish<\/strong> safeguards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Take specific steps to avoid whatever triggers your anger. Consider these examples:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; If you want to get revenge against somebody, do something good for that person in secret.<br \/>\n&#8211; If you have a tongue that is quick with a harsh retort, learn to quickly ask the Holy Spirit for help before saying anything in a potentially explosive situation.<br \/>\n&#8211; Ask a trusted Christian friend to hold you accountable in your commitment to not get angry.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Expect<\/strong> victory.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As a believer, you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. He will help you put a clamp on your anger before it can do any damage. Believe that you can go from being an angry person to being a person of forgiveness.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/biblicalcounselinginsights.com\/attitudes-and-behaviors\/anger-vs-forgiveness\/\">Return to Anger vs. Forgiveness<\/a><\/em><br \/>\n<!-- Google Code for Completed Article Conversion Page --><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.googleadservices.com\/pagead\/conversion\/1066729745\/imp.gif?label=mvu3CKOQ1wIQkYLU_AM&amp;guid=ON&amp;script=0\"\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you struggling with anger or an anger-related behavior? We have outlined a five-step process to help you change and heal in this area of your life. Take all the time you need with each of the steps below. Step 1: Adopt a Correct View of God Almost certainly, a distorted perception of God\u2019s nature [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":1174,"menu_order":15,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/biblicalcounselinginsights.com\/author\/ddunn\/","display_name":"ddunn"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 11 years ago","modified":"Updated 10 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 2, 2011","modified":"Updated on October 19, 2011"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 2, 2011 8:07 am","modified":"Updated on October 19, 2011 12:10 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","featured_img":false,"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalcounselinginsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1182"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalcounselinginsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalcounselinginsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalcounselinginsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalcounselinginsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalcounselinginsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1182\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalcounselinginsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalcounselinginsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}