ANGER! 8

At this point I would ask you to consider the following ten questions whose purpose is to help you see the influence of anger in your life. Answer them as honestly as you can. After you have identified some places in your life where anger has a hook, then I will show you some ways to bring God forgiveness and power to bear on those points.

Do others frequently annoy you?

Do you often speak of changes others need to make?

Do you know how to laugh at yourself?

Do you commonly feel that you are the only responsible person in your family, class, or at work?

Do you frequently expect more of yourself and others than even God does?

Do you often feel that you must suppress or justify your anger?

Do you ask others not to take your criticism personally and yet have difficulty not taking criticism personally yourself?

Do you often feel that the confidence others have in you is misplaced?

Do you frequently find that in your frustration you act out (e.g. excessive eating or drinking, outbursts of rage, obsessive-compulsive behavior, extreme remorse, or become extremely rigid in your opinions)?

Do you live with a judge inside your head that is sometimes wise and discerning but often is simply stern and harsh?


If you have felt convicted by any of the questions above, what will you do? John has some wise advise for all of us. He says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). Next we will examine those words more closely.