Date: 29 March 2021
Title: The Sin of Unbridled Anger
Writer: Richard YW Yeoh

Verse: Matthew 5:22 (ESV) ”But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘you fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

The Bible is replete with exhortations and advice on the sin of anger. Indeed, in every book there are many verses cautioning us on the dangers of uncontrolled anger.

Then as now, we are reminded not to sin in our anger, to not let the sun go down on our anger and to not grieve the Holy Spirit. For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore, be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. We are reminded to put away anger, wrath, malice, slander and obscene talk.

Why is anger given prominence in God’s Word? It is a fact that uncontrolled anger gives rise to dire consequences. We read daily of how people who are consumed by anger commit serious crimes – from road rage, murders, to abuse, torture and killing, even within the confines of the family home. Habitual and excessive anger in the home poisons the whole family atmosphere and is a form of generational curse as children learn this conduct from parents and repeat the same in their own adult lives resulting in generations of quarrelsome families, robbed of the joys of family life intended for us by the Lord.

Every one of us has experienced anger at some point in our lives but anger must not take over our thoughts and actions and cause us to lose control. Being aware is the first step towards being victorious over this weakness with God’s help.

Feelings of anger is not the real sin – it’s what we do and how we manage our anger that is the issue. Many a time, habitual anger has root causes in early life (e.g. childhood abuse or harsh treatment) that needs to be resolved through counselling, therapy and prayer.

We need to daily pray for patience and understanding in our relationship with others and not be quick to judge or lash out at others. Anger often stems from a misplaced sense of superiority, righteousness, or pride.

Within the family, let’s resolve to be more patient and understanding. As the late American Management guru Steve Covey teaches, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood”.

Practical home applications that I practise include:

• Never scold or nag at anyone at meal times. Gatherings at the dining table should be a time to bond and not be associated with anger and strife.
• Where disciplining is required, do so in love, never in anger. This includes not shouting at or hitting anyone or speaking in harsh tones.
• When we have wronged or hurt someone with our anger, be quick to apologize and show love to restore the breach. Be mindful that harsh words spoken in anger can cut like a knife and hurt loved ones for a long time.

Finally, I would strongly recommend that we all embrace and display the fruit of the Spirit namely, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control and commit all our relationships to the guidance of the Lord.

Prayer: Our Father in Heaven. May your peace fill our hearts and displace all feelings of anger and resentment within us. Give us a Spirit of patience and understanding. Look upon us and cause Your face to shine upon us. Help us to forgive those who have hurt us in their anger and forgive us for sinning in our anger.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

每日灵粮
星期一，2021年3月29日
标题：肆无忌惮的愤怒之罪
讲员：杨勇伟弟兄
翻译：郑振隆弟兄

经节：马太福音5:22 “只是我告诉你们：凡向弟兄动怒的，难免受审判。凡骂弟兄是拉加的，难免公会的审断；凡骂弟兄是魔利的，难免地狱的火。”

圣经充满了对愤怒之罪的劝诫和忠告。事实上，每卷书中都有许多经文告诫我们，不加控制的愤怒的危险。

那时，就像现在一样，我们被提醒生气却不要犯罪，不可含怒到日落，也不要叫圣灵担忧；因为人的怒气并不成就神的义。因此，要快快地听，慢慢地说，慢慢地动怒。我们被提醒要放下怒气、愤怒、恶意、诽谤和淫秽言论。

为什么在上帝的话语中，愤怒被放在突出位置？失控的愤怒会导致可怕的后果，这是事实。我们每天都阅读到被愤怒吞噬的人是如何犯下严重的罪行 – 从公路暴怒、谋杀，到虐待、折磨和杀戮，甚至在家庭中。家庭中习惯性和过度的愤怒毒化了整个家庭气氛，是一种代代相传的诅咒，因为孩子们从父母那里学到了这种行为，并在自己的成年生活中重复这种行为，导致了代代争吵的家庭，剥夺了上帝原本打算赐给我们的家庭生活的乐趣。

我们每个人在生活中的某个时候都经历过愤怒，但不能让愤怒掌控我们的思想和行为，使我们失去控制。意识到这点便是在上帝的帮助下战胜这一弱点的第一步。

愤怒的感觉并不是真正的罪过，问题在于我们做了什么，以及我们如何管理我们的愤怒。很多时候，习惯性愤怒在早年生活中有根源(例如童年虐待或严厉对待)，需要通过咨询、治疗和祈祷来解决。

在与他人的关系中，我们需要每天祈求耐心和谅解，不要急于批判或抨击他人。愤怒往往源于错位的优越感、正义感或自豪感。

在家庭中，让我们下定决心要更加耐心和理解。正如已故美国管理学大师史蒂夫·科维(Steve Covey)所教导的那样，“先寻求理解，然后才寻求被理解”。

我实践的实用家庭应用程序包括：

• 切勿在进餐时责骂或唠叨任何人。餐桌上的相聚应该是一个联结的时间，而不是与愤怒和纷争联系在一起。
• 当需要管教时，以爱为准，切勿发怒。这包括不要对任何人大喊大叫或殴打，也不要用刺耳的语气说话。
• 当我们因愤怒而冤枉或伤害了别人时，要迅速道歉，并表现出爱来修复破口。请记住，愤怒时说的刻薄的话会像刀子一样锋利，伤害亲人很长一段时间。

最后，我极力建议大家拥抱并展示圣灵的果子，即仁爱、喜乐、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信实、温柔和节制，并把我们所有的关系都交由主来引导。

祷告：我们的天父，愿祢的平安充满我们的心，消除我们心中所有的愤怒和怨恨；赐给我们耐心和理解的精神。求祢顾念我们，使祢的脸光照我们。帮助我们愿谅那些因愤怒而伤害我们的人，并赦免我们因愤怒所犯的罪。
奉耶稣的名，阿们