What does it take to really gripe you, to get you worked up to where you are no longer in complete control of your emotions? For some, nothing more than being honked at can set them off, while others seem to be able to take most everything life throws their way without getting too upset.

Anger can be a very effective deterrent against an intruder, or it can become a corrosive cancer, eating away at one’s insides. Though we all handle anger differently, we all are prone to its dangerous effects.

Which one of us has never regretted words spoken during an outburst of anger? Regardless of the level of remorse, once said, they can never be taken back. More damage has been done by heated words than by loaded weapons. More wars have been waged because of angry words, than those from invasions.

God spoke to the subject through the apostle Paul in…

Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Interestingly, the Lord acknowledged that there is an anger that is not sinful. Jesus Himself welled up in anger at the condition He found the Temple. He single-handedly cast out the carnal money changers. When angrily confronting the Pharisees, Jesus found many colorful ways to characterize their sinful behaviors.

Jesus, of course, never sinned; so, when He got angry it was for righteous causes. In comparison, we can rarely justify our outbursts of anger. We can’t look back and truthfully say that we behaved like Jesus; we simply allowed our flesh to take over and let our emotions fly out of control.

Anger can be extremely destructive, both to the target of the anger, and the deliverer. Anger can destroy relationships and put one in dangerous situations, like angrily driving to burn off steam.

Our passage does not forbid anger, it just qualifies it. There may be times we need to get angry; perhaps to defend ourselves or someone else. There may be times where anger is the God-ordained emotion for the moment. However, it must be carefully handled and controlled by the Holy Spirit.

The Lord provides for us a very wise bit of counsel. He said, ‘let not the sun go down upon your wrath.’ Too many times relationships that could have been salvaged if they would have just worked things out right away, end in failure because they let the day fade without resolution. A day goes by, and then another, just being pushed aside and allowed to fester.

We must learn to handle anger with great care; our lives, and those around us may depend upon it.