Anger Management by Andrew Wommack
Every person deals with anger. There is no escaping it. But are we dealing with our anger the way God’s Word instructs us to? There is a type of anger that is godly, but even the more common, ungodly anger is very misunderstood. It’s not people and circumstances that make us angry. In this teaching, Andrew shares truths from God’s Word on the subject of anger that are as rare as gold. An ungodly anger is the social norm today. Psychology’s diagnosis of the cause and treatment for anger is totally off-base. God’s Word tells us all we need to know to manage our anger in a godly way.
Harnessing Your Emotions by Andrew Wommack
We all have emotions, but do they rule us or do we rule them? Psychologists and Christians alike agree that actions are the result of inner thoughts and feelings, emotions. But that is where the agreement ends. The Word says that sin is conceived in our emotions. If that is true, then the Word must also give us a way to harness our emotions. Andrew’s teaching will present you with a new perspective on emotions.
Links:
http://www.awmi.net/extra/audio/1044
http://www.awmi.net/extra/audio/1005
Anger Management (original article by By Andrew Wommack)Have you ever been mad at God? Certainly, everyone has had anger rise up against a person. And there are a lot of people who are angry with themselves. Anger is a problem all of us have to deal with. Many people come from backgrounds where strife was just normal. Our culture is so full of envy and strife that it’s become part of life. We don’t realize how deadly it is. But realize it or not, strife will kill you. Listen to what James had to say about envy and strife:
“For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” (James 3:16)
Think about what this verse is saying for a moment. Envy and strife bring EVERY evil work. That is quite a revelation! You could be giving tithes and offerings and trusting God in the area of your finances, but if you’re living in strife, you are opening the door to poverty. You could be trying to take care of your body and meditating on healing scriptures, yet envy and strife will negate all of that and bring sickness and disease. No one who is trusting God for victory in any area of their life can ignore dealing with anger and expect to succeed. It’s that important.
This doesn’t mean we are supposed to be emotionless or totally passive people. There is a proper use of anger. If we don’t understand this and try to completely do away with anger, we will not succeed, and we will become passive in a way that allows Satan to run over us. There is a godly purpose for anger.
GODLY ANGER
Think of this: Every person on the planet has a temper. Why do you
think that is? Do you think the devil created anger? No way! Satan never
created anything. He doesn’t have the power to create. All he does is
pervert the godly things God created.It’s God who gave us the capacity to get angry. Anger has a godly function. But with most of us, it’s been perverted. We don’t need to get delivered of a temper; we need to learn how to manage that anger and direct it the way God intended — not toward people, but toward the devil and evil.
There is a well-known passage of Scripture that talks about a positive use of anger. Yet this passage is most often interpreted in a way that loses the true intent of what Paul was saying. Ephesians 4:26-27 says,
“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil”.
This is usually interpreted as, “God knows you are only human, and you will sometimes get angry. That just happens. But it doesn’t become sin unless you let it persist. So make sure you confess and forsake your anger every night before you go to bed.”
There is no doubt that getting over anger quickly has great benefit. Confessing and forsaking anger before you go to bed every night is a good thing to do. But that is not what this verse is teaching. It’s nearly the opposite.
Paul is saying there is a godly anger that is not sin. God gives us a command to get angry with a righteous anger. Then he says, “Let not the sun go down on your wrath”. What happens when the sun goes down? Typically we stop working. The day winds down, and we rest and go to sleep. Paul is saying, “Don’t let this godly anger ever stop working. Keep it awake. Stir it up and keep it active!” Then verse 27 continues, “Neither give place to the devil”. If we don’t keep a godly anger active within us, we are giving place to the devil. What a revelation!
There is a righteous use of anger. Not understanding this has rendered many Christians so passive, they don’t get mad at the evil in this world. Therefore, Satan is having a free shot at everything we hold dear and holy. Our society is under attack, and our righteous anger that God has given us as a weapon is kept in its sheath and not used. This needs to change.
Look at what the Word of God has to say about a right use of anger:
“Ye that love the LORD, hate evil”. (Psalm 97:10)
“The fear of the LORD [is] to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate”. (Prov. 8:13)
“The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom”. (Psalm 111:10)
“The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge”. (Prov. 1:7)
“Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good”. (Rom. 12:9)
These are just a few of the scriptures that speak of a righteous use of hate and anger. Look again at Proverbs 8:13: “Pride and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward [literally, perverse] mouth, do I hate”. Do we really hate those things? We should, but Christians as a whole do not hate evil. We don’t like evil, but few would argue that we literally hate these things. Some Christians don’t believe that we are supposed to hate anything, but that’s not what God’s Word says.
Jesus was sinless, but He had hate and anger. In John 2:14-17, which took place at the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, and then in Mark 11:15-17, which took place the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry, Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple. He didn’t approach them meekly and say, “Guys, I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt any of you, but I have to do this to obey my Father.” NO! He made a whip and beat the people and animals and turned over their tables. He was mad.
Where were the temple guards? I’m sure they were there, but Jesus was in a holy rage that paralyzed them from action. It’s certain that Jesus never sinned, but it’s also certain that He got very angry to the point of action. Therefore, there is a righteous anger. We need to discover the righteous use of anger and channel all of our aggression in the proper way. So, there is a right place for anger. But what about the wrong use of anger? All of us have to deal with getting mad at people. How do we overcome our unforgiveness and anger toward people?
UNGODLY ANGER
Have you ever prayed that the Lord would remove someone from your
life who makes you angry? Have you ever prayed that your circumstances
would change so that you would be delivered from those things that make
you mad? If you have, you are not alone. But it’s not what others do to
you that makes you angry. You will never be able to remove all
aggravating things and people from your path. That’s unrealistic. Satan
has more than enough people under his control to keep an endless parade
of annoying people coming across your path.You can’t always change circumstances, and you don’t have the authority to change others. But you can change what’s on the inside of you that makes you angry. That’s right. Our anger comes from the inside, not the outside. I know most people don’t like that. At first, it’s comforting to think that it’s what someone else did that made you angry, but that’s not true. If what other people do makes you angry, then you will always be angry because there will always be someone that treats you wrong. That makes you a victim and not a victor.
Accepting responsibility for your ungodly anger puts you in the driver’s seat. You only have total authority over yourself. You are the only one that you can really change. If you are trying to remove all the people and things that make you mad from your path, you will never win. But if you deal with the things inside you that cause your anger, you will never lose, regardless of what others do. That’s the example that Jesus gave us. He was able to look at the very ones who crucified and mocked Him and say,
“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”. (Luke 23:34)
Jesus not only suffered more than any of us ever have, He suffered more unjustly than we have. As God, He could have come off the cross at any time and wiped all of His accusers out. Yet He humbled Himself and even forgave His enemies. Some people think, “Well that was Jesus. I’m certainly not Jesus.” But Jesus wasn’t the only one who forgave those who wronged him. Stephen acted just like Jesus in Acts 7:60. As he was being stoned to death, he knelt down and cried with a loud voice,
“Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep”.
Paul commanded us to do the same thing in Ephesians 4:32:
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you”.
Not only are we supposed to resist anger, but we are commanded to forgive those who trespass against us. We can’t control others, but we can control what’s inside of us that makes us angry. The key is found in Proverbs 13:10:
“Only by pride cometh contention”.
It’s not what others do to us that makes us angry; it’s the pride inside of us that causes us to get mad. I know that’s not what most people believe, but that’s what God’s Word says. This verse doesn’t say that pride is one of the major reasons for anger — it’s the only reason. What a statement!
I ministered this in Pueblo, Colorado, many years ago, and a man came up to me after the meeting and said, “I’ve got a lot of problems, but pride isn’t one of them. If anything, I have such low self-esteem that I hate myself. Yet I have a lot of anger. I just don’t understand how my pride is the source of my anger.” What this man was missing was a proper definition of pride.
Many people think of pride only as arrogance. But that’s only one manifestation of pride. Timidity and shyness are extreme manifestations of pride. Pride, at it’s core, is simply self-centeredness or selfishness.Timid and shy people are extremely self-centered people. I know this to be true because I was an introvert. I couldn’t look at people in the face and talk to them. I was so consumed with me that I was always thinking, “What are they going to think of me? Am I going to make a mistake and look foolish?” That self-centeredness made me shy.
If you have a testimony about what the Lord has done for you that could help someone, yet you would be timid about getting on radio or television and sharing it because everyone would be looking at you, then you have some pride issues that haven’t been settled. You may not be called to broadcast on radio or television the way I am, but we are all called to, “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” (1 Pet. 3:15)
So, pride is not only thinking we are better than others; pride can be thinking we are worse than others or just being self-conscious. It doesn’t matter if self is always exalting itself or if it’s debasing itself. It’s all self-centeredness, which is pride. Like it or not, understand it or not, pride is the source of all of our anger. As we deal with our own self-love, anger toward others will be defused. The only reason we are so easily offended is because we love ourselves so much. As we die to ourselves, we will be able to love others the way that Jesus did.
I have a lot more to share on this than what I was able to put into this article. I have a teaching entitled Anger Management. This is a three-part album that deals with truths I’ve never heard anyone else teach. I’m sure others teach this, but it’s certainly not common. The first teaching, entitled “Godly Anger,” will show you the proper use of anger. This is necessary in resisting Satan and his evil. The second teaching, entitled “Ungodly Anger’s Source,” will explain how self-love is the root of all of our ungodly anger. This is a must for anyone who struggles with a temper (all of us). The third teaching is entitled “Anger Toward God, Others, and Self.”
http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/anger_management
Harnessing Your Emotions (original article by By Andrew Wommack)
The Bible teaches us that our thoughts are the determining factor which controls our actions. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Romans 8:6 says, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Notice that carnal mindedness doesn’t just tend toward death — it is death!
No one can consistently perform differently than the way they think; therefore, we cannot change our actions without changing our thinking. It’s not just what we think about that needs changing, but we must change our thinking process. Our emotions are linked directly to how we think.
All people have a perception, or image, on the inside of them of what they are like. This image is not necessarily based on facts but on feelings. One negative experience can distort a person’s perception of themself for a lifetime.
For instance, some people who are beautiful may think of themselves as ugly or undesirable because of unkind words spoken to them as a child. Some who achieve great success still see themselves as failures, which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
To a degree, psychology has correctly diagnosed this problem. Psychologists use terminology such as “self-esteem” or “identity” in relating these truths; however, today’s secular wisdom is totally inadequate to help a person change the inner self image.
First, most people shift the blame for bad self-esteem, or self-image, to someone else. It has become popular to blame others for every negative thing in our lives. People often say, “I came from a dysfunctional family,” “My problems came because I’m part of a minority group,” “It’s that woman you gave me” (Gen. 3:12). Other people are not our problem!
All of us have had negative experiences. The choice is ours whether we become bitter or better as a result of them. For every person who can claim some dysfunctional behavior because of a traumatic experience in their life, there are others who have had similar or worse things happen to them, yet they overcame their circumstances. Why? Because problems do not dictate failure; we have a choice.
Deuteronomy 30:19 says, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” God Almighty gave us a choice. God doesn’t make the choice for us, and Satan can’t make it for us. We have the privilege and responsibility to choose blessing or cursing.
Placing the blame on others is denying the real problem, and it will prevent finding a solution. If other people are my problem, I’m in trouble because God did not give me the ability to control other people. The devil will always send someone across my path who knows how to hit my hot button.
If the problem is within me, then there is hope because through Christ, I can change. This is freedom. Regardless of what others do, I can prosper through Christ.
After psychology tries to place the blame for your problems on someone else, they try to bolster your self-esteem by having you focus on the positive things in your self and minimize the negative attributes. That’s not what the Bible teaches. Jesus said, “For without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).
“Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34). Paul said, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are” (1 Cor. 1:27-28).
The Bible teaches that there must be an end to self-esteem before true service can begin. Christians should not try and store up the feeble positive attributes of their personalities. That is like trying to stop the bleeding from an amputated arm with a Band-Aid; it won’t work for long.
Regardless of how successful or talented we are in ourselves, we will eventually fail. If nothing else, we will get older someday and will not be as productive as before. If our self-esteem is rooted in our accomplishments, then it will ultimately fail. All the security we have found in ourselves will then come crashing down around us.
The Christian should have Christ-esteem. Just like the Apostle Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).
The secret to victorious Christian living is not found in self-improvement but in self-denial so that Christ can live through us.
This does not mean that God wants us to have a bad self-image. It just depends upon which self we are talking about. You see, every born-again believer has become a new person in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). (Eph. 4:22-24).
The old man is corrupt and, at his best, is incapable of living the Christian life. This is the self that most people try to patch up and feel good about. Give it up! We have to die to this old self life with all its good and bad, and find a new identity in Christ.
The new man is exactly as Jesus is (1 Cor. 6:17)! That’s right. We are a totally brand-new person in Christ. We have everything that Jesus has, in our spirits (1 John 4:17). We have a totally new identity in Christ. Why then would we want to fix up our old selves instead of just living in our new selves?
If we let the new man dominate us, we’ll walk in power and victory in every area of our lives.
How can you tell if your thoughts and emotions are coming from the new, born-again self or the old carnal self? God’s Word is the key. Jesus says in John 6:63, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Any thought or emotion that agrees with what God’s Word says about you is from your new man. Any thought or emotion that violates God’s Word is from your old man or the devil.
If you are angry at someone, you’re in the flesh (old man). Just repent and get back in the spirit (new man) where you have love, joy, and peace (Gal. 5:22). If you are afraid, you’re in the flesh, “for God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). Instead of going to God and asking Him to remove the fear, just step out of the flesh and into the spirit where there is no fear (1 John 4:18).
This is so simple you have to have someone help you misunderstand it. The problem is that we have had a lot of help misunderstanding these simple, biblical truths, but we have a solution.
http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/harnessing_emotions
watch here: http://www.awmi.net/tv/2004/week19
Andrew’s Book – Spirit, Soul & Body
This book contains the foundational revelation to everything Andrew teaches. It’s a must-read for every believer.
This book contains the foundational revelation to everything Andrew teaches. It’s a must-read for every believer.
Book Description
Have you ever asked yourself what changed when you were “born again”?
You look in the mirror and see the same reflection – your body hasn’t
changed. You find yourself acting the same and yielding to those same
old temptations – that didn’t seem to change either. So you wonder, Has anything really changed?
