The 911 Handbook
Study Guide Answers
Lesson 22/Chapter 20
When You Are Angry: The Danger of Anger
Answers are written in italics
Although anger is not necessarily sinful, it can quickly turn into sin if we don’t control it.
Guideline #1: Anger becomes sin when it rises quickly.
Read James 1:19-20.
How can being quick to hear help us become slow to anger?
Anger is often caused by a breakdown in communication. Learning to listen to others will help improve communication and cut off conflict before it happens.
How can being slow to speak help us become slow to anger?
We must exercise self-control in order to be slow to speak, which helps to control anger. Thinking before we speak can keep us from getting into an argument. Speaking slowly will keep us from reacting quickly with an outburst of anger.
Guideline #2: Anger becomes sin when it is directed at sinners instead of sin.
Using the illustration of the doctor operating on the patient, explain why it is important to make a distinction between the sin and the sinner.
The doctor loves the patient but hates the tumor. We can love people, but not like what they do. If we don't keep the two separated, we will start hating the person instead of the sin.
Guideline #3: Anger becomes sin when it is out of control.
Read Prov. 16:32.
Explain how this passage was demonstrated through the life of Alexander the Great.
Alexander the Great was able to conquer the world, but unable to conquer his own spirit. He killed his best friend in an outburst of anger.
How might we do the same thing today?
When we let anger get out of control, we can hurt those closest to us and later regret it. We can "kill" people through attacking them with our angry words and deeds.
Guideline #4: Anger becomes sin when it is not accompanied with grief.
Although Jesus was angry with the Pharisees, He was also grieved in His heart. Explain why it is necessary to balance anger with grief.
Grief brings reluctance to the anger. It wishes it didn't have to get angry, which helps to temper the anger.
Guideline #5: Anger becomes sin when it is not resolved quickly.
Read Eph. 4:26.
Why is it so important to resolve our anger before the day is over?
When we hold on to anger for more than one day, it is planted in the soil of our hearts as a seed of unforgiveness. The anger will then sprout into a root of bitterness, which will continue to grow until it eats up all the love in our hearts.
How to Handle Your Anger
First, Admit you have an anger problem.
If we don't admit to having a problem with anger, what will we do?
We will blame others for making us angry and continue to vent hostility toward them.
Why is admitting we have a problem the first step to curing it?
Anger is an internal problem. Admitting there is a problem opens us to look inwardly rather than blaming others for our out-of-control temper.
Second, Identify the cause of your anger.
What do we need to do to identify the cause of our anger?
We must trace the problem back to its root or origin, which will help us discover the issue that must be resolved.
Third, Accept the things you can’t change.
What does it mean to "accept" the things you can't change?
Many events in our past can't be altered no matter how much we may wish we could change them. We must acknowledge the fact that we can't do anything to change the outcome, so we must let go and get on with life. If we don't accept the things we can't change, we will live in frustration and increased anger.
Fourth, Remove your anger.
Read Eph. 4:31-32. How can removing anger be compared to taking garbage to the trash receptacle?
1. We must make a decision to remove it from us.
2. Like garbage, we don't want it back.
What is the primary lesson from Dr. Kane's surgery?
We can't wait for someone else to remove our anger from us. We must perform "surgery" upon ourselves to remove it.
How is forgiveness an important part in removing our anger?
Forgiveness frees us to remove our feelings of anger, and removing our anger allows God to heal our wounds from the past.