Dealing With Anger And Bitterness
"Get Rid Of All Bitterness, Rage And Anger, Brawling And Slander, Along With Every Form Of Malice. Be Kind And Compassionate To One Another, Forgiving Eachother, Just As In Christ God Forgave You."Ephesians 4:31,32
Anger--O--Meter
1. Someone Tells You You`re Ugly.
2. Someone tells You You`re Worthless.
3. Someone Curses You Or Your Family Or Any Loved One.
4. A Friend Breaks A Promise.
5. A Friend Talks About You Behind Your Back.
6. Your Boyfriend/Girlfriend Dumps You.
7. Your Good Friend Back Stabbs You.
8. Your Friends Seem To Be Ignoring You.
9. Someone You Trusted With Some Seriously Personal Information Spreads It Around.
10. Someone Cuts You Off While Your Driveing.
We Get Angry About Alot Of Things.
Ephesians 4:26,27 Says: "Don`t Give The Devil A Foothold."
Not Dealing With Anger Will Give The Devil A Foothold In Our Lives.
If We Don`t Deal With Anger, It Turns Into Bitterness.
EXAMPLE
When We Eat, Food Gets Trapped Between Our Teeth. Sometimes That Food Cant Be Brushed Out. If That Food Is Left There, It Brings Bacteria That Releases A Destructive Acid. If We Don`t Remove The Bacteria Produceing Particles By Flossing Regulary, Our Gums Will Rot And Stop Supplying Nourishment To Our Teeth And Our Teeth Will Eventually Fall Out!
Anger And Bitterness Are Just Like That. Everyday We Encounter People, Problems And Issues That Stick In Our Mind. If We leave It Alone It Will Tur Into Bacteria That Will Release The Acid Of Bitterness In Our Lives And Ultimately Destroy Our Joy!
I. Admit To Anger.
A. When You`re Mad, Admit To It.
B. Being Mad Is Normal---The Problem Is What You Do With It.
C. Choose To Deal With It.
D. Choose To Not Let It Stagnate Or Fester.
II. Get A Grip
A. Proverbs 29:11: "A Fool Gives Full Vent To His Anger, But A Wise Man Keeps Himself Under Control."
B. When Your Angry, Ask Yourself The Big Three:
1. What Am I Angry About?
2. Why Am I So Angry?
3. What Do I Need To Do About It? (WWJD, What Whould Jesus Do?)
III. Keep Short Accounts
A. Ephesians 4:26 "Don`t Sin...Don`t Let The Sun Go Down While You Are Still Angry."
B. We Need To Keep Short Accounts. When Something Happends, Deal With It ASAP:
1. Go To The Person You Are Mad At.
2. Speak With Gentleness (Proverbs 15:1 Says: A Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath,)
3. Go To Talk And Listen, Not To Blow Up (James 1:19 Says: So Then, My Beloved Brethren, Let Every Man Be Swift To Hear, Slow To Speak, Slow To Wrath: For The Wrath Of Man Does Not Produce The Righteousness Of God.)
C. Issues May Seem Insignificant, But So Does That Small Leftover Piece Of Big Mac Between Your Teeth Until It Becomes Decayed.lol
IV. Forgive
A. Read Ephesians 4:31,32: Forgiveness Is The Key! (Esphesians 4:31,32 Says: Let All Bitterness, Wrath, Anger, Clamor, And Evil Speaking Be Put Away From You, With All Malice And Be Kind To One Another, Tenderhearted, Forgiveing One Another Even As God In Christ Forgave You.)
B. We Need To Forgive Completely, Regardless Of The Other Person`s Actions Or Responce.
C. Lack Of Forgiveness Only Leads To Bitterness; It Consumes And Destroys.
V. Let It Go
A. Part Of Forgiveness Is letting Go Of The Need For Revenge Or To Punish The One Who Hurt You. If Not, We Don`t Fully Forgive.
B. Letting It Go Means Lettng The Person Who Hurt You Off The Hook (Proverbs 12:16 Says: The Wicked Covet The Catch Of Evil Men, But The Root Of Righteousness Yields Fruit.)
The Big Idea: Anger And Bitterness Are Emotions That Will Consume And Ultimately Destroy Your Life If Not Properly Dealt With.
Dont Let Anger Fester; It Only Proudces Bitterness.
1. When Was The Last Time You Got Really Mad What Happend Did It Get Resolved?
2. What Are Some Ways People React When They Get Mad Over A Situation?
3. What Do You Think Ephesians 4:26 Means?
4. How Do You Deal With Madness? Is It Hard To? Why Or Why Not?
How Do You Tend To Deal With It When Someones Mad At You?
5. How Do Anger & Bitterness Destroy Someone?
6. What is Something You Heard Today That makes Sence In Dealing With Anger And Bitterness?
What Will You Do With This new information?