We said this series is all about becoming emotionally healthy so we can keep growing spiritually following Jesus. We're using Psalm 139 as a reminder of God's incredible design of YOU. His attention and awareness of you.

Quote: (Peter Scazzero - book: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality)
"You can not grow to be spiritually mature, if you remain emotionally immature”…emotional maturity and spiritual maturity are not the same thing, but they are each others’ ceiling.

Tonight, we look into the emotion of anger. Anger is an emotion that we all experience from time to time. It's not a sin to get angry - but what you do with it and how you navigate it is everything. Are you a SPEWER or a STUFFER? We can be helpful or hurtful as we deal with our anger. #choosewisely

We all know that: Anger is often at the root of relational discord and dysfunction. Anger can be the source of so many issues in our lives if we don’t handle and manage it in healthy ways. *Anger has a way of getting us sideways quickly if we don’t deal with it well. Now, the Bible doesn’t say we shouldn’t get angry…it says we shouldn’t sin in the midst of anger.

Jesus was upset at people being taken advantage of and the Temple being turned into something that was hindering people from connecting with God, not helping them. Anger can be an active response to injustice, passionate reaction to something that is just not right. Anger toward injustice is an appropriate – even a God-like response.

Righteous anger can also find its expression in appropriate discipline – as parents, that’s what we’re called to do: discipline that leads to life and wisdom for our kids and their good. The Lord disciplines us as well at times… *(read more: Hebrews 12:4-11)

The 1st time anger shows up in the Bible is the story in Genesis 4 – the story of Cain and Abel. Isn’t it interesting that the first display of anger in human history happened at home, or, at least, between family members—in this case, two brothers. Why is that we often get the maddest at the people we are closest to—family and friends?

Anger itself is not sinful; it’s a signal that something is wrong.
*It’s what we do with that anger that determines whether it’s sinful or not.
Anger presents us with an opportunity to do right or wrong. What we do with our anger can be HELPFUL or HURTFUL. Sinful anger is a hurtful and misdirected display of passion.

Jesus is challenging us to take anger seriously. He's saying: don’t let anger get control of you…and you begin to hurt people. Most of us are not likely to commit murder when things don’t go our way. But there are many ways to hurt people—physically, emotionally, etc.

NOTE:
Anger unchecked can quickly lead to abuse, especially in the home. Abuse is defined as “one person in an connected/intimate relationship trying to dominate or control another.” Abuse isn’t always physical. When we yell, swear, threaten, throw things, or punch walls in an attempt to intimidate or control someone, that’s abuse—even if there isn’t any physical violence.
If that’s going on in your home, it’s wrong, it’s sinful and it needs to stop.
We can help if you need it. I’m a firm believer in counseling and how God can use it to bring healing. I believe healthy people seek out counsel and I think unhealthy people hide.

We often are deceived to believe that if we get angry – things will get done.
But anger doesn’t produce like we think it will. It more often than not, produces long lasting scars more than life-giving stories. *remember: God gave you 2 ears, 1 mouth – a ratio that he designed on purpose.
Be quick to listen.
Be slow to speak.
Be slow to become angry.

Bottom Line:
Anger must have an appropriate shelf life.
= 'Let it stop by for a visit, but never rent it a room in your heart.'

*FOSTER kindness/compassion/forgiveness as markers of your life – as Jesus modeled to us.

NEED PRAYER? ....we've got some of our prayer team and pastors available following service to pray with you. Or you can text the word "prayer" to our phone number: #520-300-9001 to submit your prayer request to our prayer team to partner with you.