100 Days to Freedom from Anger: Daily Devotional

Day 1

Quit It!

Stop being angry! Turn from your rage!

Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm.

Psalm 37:8 NLT

If it were only so easy to not be angry. Usually, that requires everything in your life to cooperate in the way you expect and for the people in your life to be agreeable to your demands. That sounds a bit much when you say it out loud, but in your mind that is pretty much what is expected.

Anger is a reaction to a circumstance that is unexpected. It is an expression of our internal pain, fear, sorrow, anxiety, weakness, and many other emotions. Anger gives the illusion of control or power in a situation in which we don’t feel we have either.

Think about the last time you lost your temper. What was happening? Was the circumstance something you had either control or power over? Were you surprised by your expression of anger—like it was a bit over the top? When you start seeing the negative impact of your anger, you can take the opportunity to replace the reaction with positive and helpful responses.

The idea that you should never be angry is not realistic. You cannot quit anger—rather, you can stop the force that unhealthy anger can create in your life.

How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.

Marcus Aurelius

A wise man looks for everything inside of himself; a madman seeks for everything in others.

Confucius

We all have negative urges, but we don’t have to act out those urges.

Fred Rogers

For Further Reflection

James 1:14–25; Psalm 37:3–13; Colossians 3:1–11

Today’s Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me as I seek to understand the anger within me. Reveal what I need to heal and what needs to be removed. I need your help to resolve this and to use my life for your will. Thank you for your grace! Amen.

Day 2

Anger Management

People with understanding control their anger;

a hot temper shows great foolishness.

Proverbs 14:29 NLT

You may have heard the phrase anger management before. The phrase is somewhat of a misnomer, because the goal is not simply managing anger when the feelings arise but dealing with what is creating the anger. That is where control comes in.

Many people think that the idea that we have control in our lives is an illusion. However, you do control many things in your life. For example, you probably aren’t lashing out at your boss or your pastor (hopefully!). We can stop rage almost instantly depending on the target. We might lash out at the driver in the next lane, and then pull into the church parking lot with a smile on our face.

Scripture indicates that the evidence of great foolishness is a hot temper. Learning to control anger isn’t about suppressing the emotion, which can actually fuel the flames. Understanding what drives your anger is the key to controlling your anger. There are ways to express anger without creating more problems. Understanding where the emotional reaction is coming from can also provide insight to a solution.

Remember, the goal isn’t to manage anger; it is to understand and control what drives the powerful emotion, using it for good. After all, does anyone want to be viewed as a fool?

Hot heads and cold hearts never solved anything.

Billy Graham

Do not say, I cannot help having a bad temper. Friend, you must help it. Pray to God to help you overcome it at once, for either you must kill it, or it will kill you. You cannot carry a bad temper into heaven.

Charles Spurgeon

Make no mistake: Satan’s specialty is psychological warfare. If he can turn us on God (It’s not fair!) or turn us on others (It’s their fault!) or turn us on ourselves (I’m so stupid!), we won’t turn on him. If we keep fighting within ourselves and losing our own inner battles, we’ll never have the strength to stand up and fight our true enemy.

Beth Moore

For Further Reflection

Ephesians 4:29–32; Romans 12:17–21;

James 1:19–21

Today’s Prayer

Lord Jesus, I want to grow in understanding and wisdom so I can serve you and be the person you created me to be. Through the power of your Holy Spirit working in me, help me have self-control and to not be governed by anger. In your name I pray, Amen.

Day 3

Anger Rules

And don’t sin by letting anger control you.

Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,

for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

Ephesians 4:26–27 NLT

Do you ever feel out of control in your anger? As though a force within compels you to unleash whatever feeling is suppressed? That’s because anger does, in fact, come from within. You might feel like anger stems from something that happened or a person who pushed your buttons, yet it’s something much deeper.

Consider this object lesson: If a person holds a glass of milk and their arm gets bumped, why does the milk come out of the glass? The typical answer is because their arm got bumped. But milk comes out of the glass because that is what was in the glass. What comes out of us when we’re bumped is what is inside us.

Comedian Phyllis Diller wrote in her 1966 book Phyllis Diller’s Housekeeping Hints, Never go to bed angry. Stay up and fight. Although we might find the quote humorous, it is not the best advice, because when anger is the driving force, rational thinking is greatly diminished.

If anger is ruling your life, discover where it is rooted. You may not realize how many times the sun has set on your anger because you stuffed it down inside of you. Begin to explore—maybe through journaling—how you feel when you are angry. It could be working with a counselor to unpack what has been stored. Clear up what is inside and begin to experience life where peace rules.

We may not be able to prevent other people from being our enemies, but we can prevent ourselves from being enemies toward others.

Warren Wiersbe

Holding anger and angry thoughts doesn’t allow love to grow in your heart. If you don’t have love in your heart or mind, your actions will not come from a place of compassion or kindness.

Winnie Anderson

Whatever is making you so angry, it’s time for you to give it to God and get over it.

Joyce Meyer

For Further Reflection

Colossians 3:15; Psalm 51:7–12; Ecclesiastes 7:9

Today’s Prayer

Lord, you know me better than I know myself. Clean my heart and mind of the things that are not of you. Forgive me, heal me and make me whole. Thank you for your grace and mercy at work in my life. Amen.

Day 4

Free from Anger

In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.

1 Timothy 2:8

If you are a follower of Jesus, worship is part of your life—and it isn’t just reserved for a church building. Worship can take place in your car as you listen to a song that touches your soul, or it can be out in nature taking in the beauty. True worship that is focused on God is a powerful experience!

Apostle Paul, the writer of 1 Timothy, emphasized how worship can be interrupted by anger and controversy. Even in the early church period, worship had distractions! Nowadays, so many things fight for our attention, including our own thoughts and feelings, making true, focused worship a challenge.

It’s difficult to pray when angry. Anger consumes us as we replay what happened, rehearse what we will do or say, and obsess over the wrong that occurred. When we have been offended, wronged, or hurt, anger is expected. What we do with the anger is so very important. Anger turned inward can imprison us. To resolve anger, we must understand and express it.

Freedom in worship is experienced when we surrender the injustices, wounds, and offenses we have experienced to Jesus. As we allow the Lord to provide healing, we begin to have a deeper relationship with him, one that is free from anger and free to worship.

When we are in touch with God’s joy and peace in us, then we become whole and holy persons. Like living torches, we radiate the light and heat of God’s compassionate love.

Mark Yaconelli

As a Christian, you can enjoy life because your conscience is clear. You can enjoy life because you are secure within God’s love.

Rick Warren

Even if people have disappointed you or circumstances have not turned out as you had hoped or prayed, know that God is with you, cares for you, and loves you. He is working all these things together for your good right at this very moment.

Christine Caine

For Further Reflection

Mark 11:22–25; 1 Peter 5:6–10; Psalm 71:19–24

Today’s Prayer

Thank you, Lord for the freedom you provide! Help me to release the bitterness, pain, and resentment to you. Begin your healing work so that I may worship you only. Amen.

Day 5

Grace and Mercy

They refused to obey and did not remember the miracles you had done for them. Instead, they became stubborn

and appointed a leader to take them back to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious

and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in

unfailing love. You did not abandon them.

Nehemiah 9:17

Anger can create a type of amnesia, where we forget that we have made mistakes and require patience from others. When we’re quick to react in anger, we fail to recall times we’ve received latitude and grace from others for our imperfections. We become stubborn and refuse to listen to reason and more importantly, truth.

Self-awareness can help us remember our own weaknesses. As we work to understand what is driving the anger and resentment, we can strive to be more mindful and present. When someone doesn’t meet our expectations, we can address the issue, not attack the person. When circumstances don’t go the way we want, we can choose not to let disappointment cause us to react negatively. We can choose not to live in a reactive state of mind.

Even in situations in which anger is justified, if we don’t work on healing the wound, bitterness will creep in, keeping us stuck in the past, forgetting that we have a present and a future of hope.

Anger creates difficulties in relationships, feeds bitterness, and allows shame to take over our lives. But God is full of grace and mercy, forgiveness, and love for us. We can begin today to resolve the anger that has been dominating our lives. God doesn’t want us to live one more day driven by

the things that once enslaved us.

Anger and bitterness are two noticeable signs of being focused on self and not trusting God’s sovereignty in your life. When you believe that God causes all things to work together for good to those who belong to him and love him, you can respond to trials with joy instead of anger or bitterness.

John C. Broger

Feelings are indicators, not dictators. They can indicate where your heart is in the moment, but that doesn’t mean they have the right to dictate your behavior and boss you around. You are more than the sum total of your feelings and perfectly capable of that little gift … called self-control.

Lysa TerKeurst

For Further Reflection

Micah 7:7–10, 18; Psalm 86:1–7; Psalm 145:8

Today’s Prayer

Father God, today I ask forgiveness for the times that anger has driven me to be harsh and bitter. Help me as I forgive others and learn to have patience with this imperfect world trusting that you are in control. Amen.

Day 6

Family Tradition

The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even

children in the third and fourth generations.

Numbers 14:18

What was your home like when you were growing up? Was it a peaceful home where everyone was loving and kind to one another? Or was it more like a war zone where you were making sure to stay out of target range and careful not to set off a land mine? Family life can be challenging when someone in the home is angry and reactive.

Many times, people’s views of God are shaped by family experiences. If you had an angry parent, it could influence the way you approach God, thinking he also is angry and short tempered. Many times, these family influences have been generations in the making. Without realizing there was a problem with the relationships in the family, people carry the behavior patterns to the next generation.

Think about your current home life and family. Is the atmosphere similar to the one you grew up in? And if so, is that a good thing? You can make changes to create a home and family that reflects the nature of God—slow to anger, filled with unfailing love, and forgiving.

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