While we walk down the path of being a follower of Jesus, we are soon to find ourselves angry, frustrated, or irritated. Sometimes we come across mild annoyances that make us irritated, such as making a ridiculous and unneeded statement that made us look foolish. However, many times we find ourselves overflowing with anger from our constant failures or sinful thoughts. When we fall short of what we know is right as a follower of Jesus, this can create a strong feeling of anger or frustration.

By reading Ecclesiastes 7:9, which states "Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools." we learn about Jesus's view on anger and frustration. But what should we do about our anger? Are we sinning or being disgraceful to Jesus when we become angry?

Let's look at Ephesians 26-27, which states:

"In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."
(Ephesians 26-27)

Through this verse, we can understand that it is okay to be angry. Anger is a natural part of life and will always be an emotion we feel. However, we should not let the anger we feel develop into sinful actions. For example, when we are mad at a sibling or a friend, we should not swear at them or shout how much we hate them. These actions do not glorify Jesus and do not show love for others.

In addition, we must not let our anger be manipulated by the devil. He will try to turn us away from Jesus and use our anger to cloud our judgement. No matter how frustrated we may be, we must not let our anger lead to negative outcomes for us or for our relationship with Jesus.

So how do we manage and control ourselves when we become frustrated? Let's reread a part from the verses I mentioned before. When we read the statement. "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry" this tells us that we should not simply ignore and forget about our anger. Doing so prevents problems from being solved and can weaken our relationship with Jesus. When we don't overcome our anger, it often comes back quickly and torments us. It may cause us to divert our attention to our problems and failures, leaving Jesus out of the picture. We must focus on letting go of our anger and preventing it from overcoming us, which leads to sin and harm.

The counter to the anger we feel is Jesus's presence. When we look at our failures/shortcomings and become frustrated, we should seek Jesus above anything else. We should focus our minds on receiving messages from Jesus and remember that He is always with us. Jesus loves when you speak about your frustrations with Him, since it shows that you trust Him enough to seek His help before anything else. Don't bottle up your anger and hide it from Jesus, since He knows at all times what you feel. Instead, trust in Jesus to raise you above your anger and frustration. Jesus wants to talk with you and knows complete how you feel, so talking with Him always brings an end to your frustrations.

How do I know this? Simply by experience. This week has been an incredibly challenging week, bringing to me anger and impatience. These emotions did not make me feel happy and made me feel that I was worthless to Jesus. To counter these relationship damaging emotions, I decided to be alone and speak with Jesus. I spoke continuously to Jesus, stating how I felt and how difficult my problems were. I wrote poetry to Jesus explaining my emotions and outlooks on the situation I was in.

After my endless torrent of words, Jesus was willing to guide and build me back up. His words impacted my way of thinking and showed me the positives of the situation I was in. Around an hour after this incredible conversation, I received a notification from one of my favorite YouTubers. They had posted a new video and I quickly opened the app to watch it. The video was about their true feelings and problems they were facing, and it shocked me. I could relate to many of the feelings of that person, and I knew the video was a lesson from Jesus.

When Jesus sees your trust and reliance on Him, He works to the unlimited extent of his ability to guide and assist you. Jesus knows that anger is a natural emotion that people have. Since Jesus knows this and is still willing to guide you, please remember to trust Him when you feel angry or frustrated. Don't be afraid of punishment for your emotions, since you will not find it. Instead, open your heart to Jesus and talk with Him. Jesus is willing to talk and listen to you, so shout, cry, and talk with Jesus, since He knows how you feel and how to help you.

I think I'll start putting these in bold, haha.
If you learned a lot from this lesson, please share it with those around you. They may need your knowledge of this lesson. Comment if you have any questions about this lesson or if you would like to suggest a topic. Thank you for reading and know that Jesus is always with you!