Few things negatively impact our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being more than anger. Anger manifests itself through, destructive behavior, emotional outbursts, and our speech. The physical effects of anger include tightness in your chest, an increased and rapid heartbeat or heart palpitations, increased blood pressure, headaches, fatigue, and a churning feeling in your stomach. Mentally and emotionally anger results in irritability, frustration, anxiety, rage, stress, feeling overwhelmed, guilt, outrage, wrath, hostility, the inability to relax, resentfulness towards others and feelings of humiliation.

Notice none of the nineteen things I just mentioned result in any positive outcomes. Anger takes a huge toll on us. Perhaps the most evident and prevalent manifestation of anger comes from the venomous words that spews forth from our hearts through our mouths. Proverbs 29:11 says, “A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.” Another proverb says, “And do you know a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than him. “

If you’ve been on the giving or receiving end of anger, you are keenly aware of the damage to your own well-being and the well-being of others. Many use the excuse “I just needed to get that off of my chest, or “I needed to give them a piece of my mind” only to come back later to deeply regret their words and the damage caused. Countless lives have been left in shambles because of the wrath of others. Relationships have been ruined, trust broken, causing division, dissention, depression, discouragement and deep disappointment.

To better understand the physical, mental, and emotional results of anger we must first recognize the root cause of anger at the spiritual level. The spiritual root cause of anger is a result of suppressed truth, immoral living, and rejection of God’s will for our lives. It signals something is broken that needs fixing. If we look a bit further, we see that underneath the anger we want our way, we want to control others, we want our rights, we want to control God. And when we don’t get our way, we all too often lash out in anger.

Think of all the benefits to our health, spiritual well-being and our relationship with God and others if we can release and get rid of the anger in our lives. Exchanging anger for forgiveness and submitting to God’s Word and will rather than insisting on our way and seeking to constantly control God, our lives, and others are some good steps to take. What does God say about the spirit of anger? In Ecclesiastes 7:9 we read “Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools. And in James chapter 1:19-20 it says “So then let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

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