The Consequences Of Anger

Scripture: Proverbs 19:11

Anger affects our lives physically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. It also influences our performance in completing tasks or fulfilling our work responsibilities. Anger is never entirely self-contained. It always has consequences that touch those around us. More important, anger has an impact on God.

Anger & Your Health 

More and more, scientific and medical researchers are finding that a significant number of serious diseases—including some of the most deadly—are chronic in nature, related to our lifestyle choices, and linked to the way we think or process our emotions. Anger certainly is one of the negative emotions that has been linked to a wide variety of ailments.

God didn’t create the human body to accommodate long-term anger. The medical profession currently puts high cholesterol, smoking, and anger on equal footing when it comes to their destructive influence. Anger has both immediate and lasting effects.

When a person becomes angry, his heart beats faster, blood pressure rises, and hands begin to sweat. These natural responses occur immediately and require no thought or intention.  Muscles tense and digestion is hindered. The face turns red and the person tends to speak in a louder than normal voice. All these are outcomes that God created as part of our fight-or-flight response to danger or a threat.

In addition, the body produces a surge of adrenaline to deal with crisis. This allows the person to have greater strength to fight or run away as fast as possible. But adrenaline can be both friend and foe.

When anger is suppressed, the body continues to produce adrenaline in small quantities to address the perceived danger that the mind and heart indicate is present. Over time, this drip-drip-drip of adrenaline and other hormones within the human body is extremely detrimental. It produces a state of internal stress—a little like trying to drive with one foot on the gas pedal and the other on the brake. The long-term effects include ulcers, heart ailments, strokes, arthritis, and depression. Every system and organ in the body is affected in a negative way.

Rather than own up to anger, people tend to attribute negative physical symptoms to stress. They’re either not aware or refuse to acknowledge that anger is to blame. A doctor once said to me, “It seems a third of my patients are on stomach meds, a third are on pain meds, and the rest are on tranquilizers. And most of them wouldn’t need any of them if they’d deal with the emotional issues in their lives.”

A few months ago, a man came forward at the end of a church service. He was bent over and used a cane. He’d heard me talk about the negative physical effects of anger and said, “Dr. Stanley, the doctors have told me that my stroke was caused by anger. I’m in the shape I am today because of anger. Tell people that anger can do to them what it did to me.” 

No issue and no amount of anger is worth holding on to if it destroys your health (Prov. 19:11).

Scripture: Proverbs 15:18

Anger & Your Attitudes & Behaviors

You can’t hide anger. It doesn’t take long for a sensitive, astute person to recognize it in another. There’s something in the flashing of the eyes, the clenching of the jaw, the edgy tone in the voice. As much as a person attempts to hide it, anger will reveal itself. At times, the words an angry person speaks—even if dripping with kindness—give the person away.

Those who study human behavior have noted a number of characteristics in angry people:

• Tardiness — They tend to be tardy in an attempt to control a situation or draw attention to themselves in order to express anger.
• Obstructive Behavior in Groups — They fail to cooperate to the point they are truly disagreeable. These people object to every idea, proposition, and solution suggested with an air of disdain. 
• Cynicism — They find fault in every person or situation.
• Jabbing Jokes — They tell embarrassing stories with the intent of hurting the subject of the joke.
• Disrupting Conversations — They feel a deep need to interject their opinion, even if it’s off topic.
• Sloppy Job Performance — They’re often resentful to the point they no longer care about doing a good job. They’re not motivated to give their best effort.
• Loss of Enthusiasm — Deep down, they don’t want to be happy. This very often translates into a down-in-the-mouth attitude. The angry person may withdraw from social settings or turn down invitations to public events. The angry person would rather brood than laugh.
• Depression — What begins as a self-imposed lack of enthusiasm can end up as full-blown depression. Angry people often slide into periods of deep discouragement and despair, in part because they hate the fact no one seems to take their anger as seriously as they do.
• Procrastination — The angry person has little desire to start new things that require focus or creativity.
• Eating Disorders — Angry people can overeat, under eat, or over exercise. They frequently find themselves facing obesity, anorexia, or bulimia.
• Sexual Dysfunction — Many people have problems in their sexual lives because they’re angry. When a person is angry and wants sex, what that person is doing is expressing anger to someone else through an act. Sex without love is just an act. Animals do that. It’s damaging and can destroy a life and marriage. That’s how powerful and deceptive anger is. But when genuine, godly, intimate love is present, it’s a whole different story.

Commit to dealing with your anger immediately and in godly ways so that it doesn’t affect the attitudes you hold and the way you treat others.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:26

Anger & Your Sleep

Angry people are generally incapable of experiencing deep inner peace. Even if their anger is aimed at just one person or situation, it will spill into other areas. It can’t be compartmentalized. Anger will taint every aspect of one’s life. 

This is clearly evident when it comes to getting proper rest. Your body rejuvenates itself during sleep—old cells are replaced by new ones, hormone levels are rebalanced, and tissues are cleansed of toxins. The mind is also renewed. Sleep has benefits too numerous to mention here.

But anger can disrupt sleep patterns and can keep people from getting the full night’s rest they need. Is someone keeping you awake at night because of his or her insulting remarks or critical comments? Are you facing a situation that has you so frustrated you can’t seem to let it go? Do you find yourself tossing and turning over what someone did or said?

The deception is that when you finally fall asleep, you may think your anger has been fully dealt with and is, therefore, gone. But that isn’t the case. Your anger hasn’t disappeared. It’s simply moved into your subconscious where it will simmer and brew. Your anger will surface again. It’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when.

The Bible tells us clearly, “Do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Eph. 4:26). In other words, don’t go to bed angry. Get rid of any anger before you fall asleep. What you feed your mind is processed all night long in a way that either contributes to or detracts from your well-being.

If you fall asleep with your last thoughts being ones of joy and thanksgiving, peace in your relationship with God, and enthusiasm for the coming day, then you’re likely to sleep well and awaken refreshed, energetic, and ready to take on the challenges ahead. If your last thoughts before falling asleep are ones marked by bitterness, revenge, hatred, and anger, you’re most likely going to have a fitful night’s sleep and awaken feeling worn out, lethargic, and with little motivating energy to deal with the day ahead.

For years I’ve encouraged people to pray and read the Bible—especially the Psalms —as the last two things they do before going to bed at night. Reading Scripture and talking to God are the two best sleep aids I know.

Reading the Bible fills us with positive and eternal truth. It makes us aware of the fact that God is, has been, and always will be in control of every aspect of our lives. When that knowledge becomes part of our thinking night after night, it creates a deep sense of confidence. Life’s minor problems don’t have much impact, and the major ones can be taken in stride. We’ll see every challenge and opportunity in the context of God’s eternal will, plan, and purpose for our lives—and each situation and circumstance can be seen in the context of the heavenly Father’s abiding love and awesome grace.

Scripture: Proverbs 15:18

Anger & Your Perspective

Angry people often put up a shield against those who have hurt or upset them. They may even go out of their way to avoid them entirely. Still others are reluctant to accept invitations or receive affection from people who have made them angry.

Do any of these actions describe how you deal with people you are angry with? Even if you don’t think you’re hurting yourself by doing one or more of the things listed above, you are. If you shield yourself from one person, it’s likely you will shield yourself from everyone. Those who harbor intense anger toward another person who has hurt or rejected them often make strong statements such as: “I will never trust anyone again in that area of my life” or “I’m going to protect myself and not get close to another person as long as I live.” Anger has an isolating effect and will interfere with your ability to form close, lasting, and intimate relationships.

Few people enjoy associating with angry people. The vast majority of us will choose a peaceful, joyful person over a dark, brooding one. This holds true for nearly all relationships, whether they are personal or professional, intimate or casual. As a result, angry people are increasingly alone and not included, invited, or involved. This isolating effect makes many angry people even angrier! They resent being rejected and seek to justify or express their anger all the more. The net result is an empty life. Over time, the angry person finds himself or herself intensely lonely.

It is in these situations that we must remember to not hold on to our anger or hold others accountable for something someone else did to us, no matter how deep the hurt or injury. Allowing God to heal our hurts and guarding against any bitterness that may result keeps us from allowing anger to taint our view of others and our perspective of the world around us.

Scriptures: Proverbs 23:7, Romans 12:2

Anger & Your Thoughts

Long-lasting anger changes the way a person thinks. It invariably becomes part of one’s thought processes. We’ve all seen it happen or experienced it personally. When we’re angry with someone, we often find it difficult to stay focused. We struggle to come up with creative ideas and at times find ourselves unable to maintain a high level of output. When we’re angry with someone or at something, we often find our thoughts wandering off task to what we could’ve said or done differently.

An ancient Jewish proverb reads: “Anger deprives a sage of his wisdom, a prophet of his vision.” I have no doubt as to the truth of this statement. Anger produces a double mind. A person’s concentration can linger on his or her anger and the incidents that gave rise to it, even as they attempt to focus on the work and responsibilities of any given day. Very little mental energy is left for creativity, innovation, or processing information in the light of God’s Word. In short, anger weakens our ability to have a clear, inspired vision for our lives.

Whether we realize it or not, the mind is the control tower of life. Whatever happens in our day-to-day lives begins in our minds, with our thoughts. All of our decisions are made there. The truth is, wherever we are today is the result of what we’ve been thinking all these years. The Bible says that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Prov. 23:7).  

What we think about is really what controls us. We tend to forget this, but it’s true. In our anger, we must remember that while we can’t control everyone else or all of our circumstances, we can control how we think about and respond to it.

So how do we control our thoughts? Ask yourself the following questions when you find yourself angry at a particular person or situation:

• Where will this thought lead me?
• Will this thought get me where I want to go or need to be?
• Is this thought scripturally acceptable?
• Will this thought build me or the person I’m angry with up or tear us down?
• Could I share this thought with someone else?
• Where did this thought originate?
• Do I feel any guilt thinking this thought?
• Does this thought fit who I am as a follower of Christ?

Because we have the Holy Spirit and His power living within us, we can control what we think and how we respond in any given situation. Commit today to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2). 

Scripture: Ephesians 4:31-32

Anger & Your Relationships

Anger always affects your relationships, especially with those who matter most to you. The greater your anger, the greater the potential for long-lasting negative impact. It simply isn’t possible to work in harmony with another person, set goals, or accomplish anything if one or both people in a relationship harbor anger. A marriage will suffer greatly if it’s present. Anger disrupts family life and interferes with parent-child relationships. A work group will not be as productive or creative if one or more members is angry. A church will not minister effectively if it’s filled with angry people.

A man argued with me one day, saying, “My anger doesn’t hurt anyone. If they get hurt, it’s because they choose to be hurt. If they don’t want to hear my angry words, they can walk away.”

That isn’t really a valid argument. No one can totally tune out another person’s tirade. You may choose not to take to heart the other person’s anger. But you cannot avoid having to deal with it in some way. Outbursts of anger cause everyone within range to feel some degree of emotional pain, whether it’s intended or not. 

Anger is an extremely powerful emotion. It can destroy lives, tear relationships apart, and ruin a believer’s witness. The apostle Paul understood the negative potential of resentment, and he offered this advice on how to deal with it: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31-32).

When we’re in the middle of tense situations, Paul’s recommendations may seem unrealistic and impractical. But unless we apply his advice, we could easily face the devastating consequences of uncontrolled anger. 

We have a choice. We can let our anger control us—which means we opt to suffer the consequences. Or we can release this debilitating emotion by not allowing it to gain the upper hand in our lives, affecting our relationships along the way.

Prayerfully ask the Father to help you identify causes of anger in your life, and bring each of them before Him. Trust that He will empower you to overcome these sources of strife. Read Ephesians 4:31-32 once more, and let the truth of God’s Word empower and strengthen you.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:30

The Impact of Anger on God

Can a person’s anger affect God? Most definitely.

Through the years, I’ve become increasingly amazed at how many people believe that God has no emotions and that their behavior does not prompt an emotional response in Him. The truth is that what we say and do causes God to rejoice or to grieve. And bad anger does not please our heavenly Father. So the Bible warns us, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (Eph. 4:30).

Anger hinders the work He has called us to do. It is a roadblock to experiencing God’s love, faith, hope, joy, and peace in our lives. The witness of a constantly angry person who identifies Jesus Christ as Savior tends to fall on deaf ears. Any message of the Father’s lovingkindness tends to be viewed with suspicion. And our anger can hinder the work God desires to do in the life of another person.

Finally, anger will hinder God’s blessings in our lives. Sin separates us from the Father and prevents us from receiving His best. Anger can upset us to the point where we fail to perceive God’s blessings and, in consequence, fail to receive them.

As you can see from the devotions in this reading plan, your anger is no laughing matter. Refuse to make light of it. Don’t allow others to laugh about their short fuse. Take anger seriously.

Resist any attempts to dismiss or trivialize the impact of anger. The effects of anger can be devastating in terms of physical, emotional, and spiritual pain and suffering.

Health, happiness, prosperity, and purpose are all negatively affected by anger. Always remember that if you want a better future, you must learn to deal with it—once and for all.