Don't Let Anger Control You

Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Anger is a part of all of our lives. What we do with our anger is the issue. Some of us are easily angered and others are slow to anger. Some are hot tempered, others cool cats. You know which one you are! Before we go any further, let's establish something: anger isn't necessarily sinful. In fact, the scriptures tell us that God has anger against unrighteousness. 
“But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭1:18‬ ‭NLT‬‬ 
Jesus displayed righteous anger. “Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables.” ‭‭John‬ ‭2:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬
The people had turned the House of God into a place of merchandise when it was a place of worship. 
Would you be angry if someone took over your house and turned it into a drug lab? Of course you would! 
I can hear some of you saying "but we're not God"! That's true. We do have a problem. We are depraved creatures that are prone to unrighteousness. However, anger can be an emotion, that with the control of the Holy Spirit, motivate us to acts of righteousness. Yes, in our flesh, we get provoked and often allow our emotions to drive the vehicle of our lives. What we must do is submit to the person and presence of the Holy Spirit and yield our feelings to His will. When we do this, we act according to God's righteousness. 
“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:16-24‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Here are a few scriptures to chew on today:
“Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent. Interlude”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭4:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37:8‬ ‭NLT
“People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭14:29‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭15:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“A hot-tempered person starts fights; a cool-tempered person stops them.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭15:18‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:32‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19:11‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭29:11‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:26-27‬ ‭NLT‬‬