In the Bible, God addresses many specific arenas of a Christian’s life, and He speaks clearly about the type of conduct that He expects from His children. Our heavenly Father does not permit us to respond angrily in any of the following circumstances:

1.      Our enemies: When we are tempted to give in to angry outbursts toward our enemies we must remember God’s command to do kind deeds for those people who persecute us. We should look for ways to meet our enemies’ needs and we are to demonstrate God’s unconditional love toward them.

2.      Civil authorities: We ought to obey them and give to them their due, unless their demands contradict God’s Word. Such a demand would force us to sin, which we cannot do. Then we must obey the Lord, rather than man and we must beseech God for the grace to bear whatever consequences our authorities may require us to face.

3.      Unreasonable employer: God’s Word commands us to submit to an employer, except when doing so would cause us to disobey Scripture. It is never appropriate for a Christian to speak angrily or disloyally about his supervisor, regardless of how harsh or unfair he or she may be.

4.      Trials and difficult circumstances: We must trust God and be content. Our job is to cooperate with God and to respond joyfully as He develops Christ-like character in our lives.

5.      Fellow Believers who are caught in sin: We are to speak the truth in love to them, with the goal of restoring them. God explains that we should rebuke them gently and not regard them as outcasts. We ought to plead with them to repent and in a loving spirit, hold them accountable.

6.      Parents: Children must honor their parents as they honor the Lord. As long as parents are in biblical authority over children, children should respect and obey them in a manner that pleases God. It is sinful and disrespectful for children to express angry attitudes toward parents.

7.      Unjust treatment: We find favor with God when we bear up under unjust treatment and patiently endure it without angrily murmuring or complaining.

8.      Our children: God warns us not to provoke our children to wrath. Parents must resist the temptation to rebuke them angrily when they disobey. Instead, parents should nurture and train them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

9.      Husbands and wives: Marriage partners are to submit to one another and to love each other in a consistently biblical manner. We often take the liberty to express anger and hostility toward our spouse. We punish one another by pouting and withdrawing our affection from each other. We should repent of such sinfully destructive behavior. We ought to take very soberly God’s command in Ephesians 4, not to let the sun go down on our wrath.

10.  Biblically qualified church leaders: We should obey them and trust their wisdom. If we esteem them highly in love, as Scripture commands, we do not rail against them or act unbecomingly toward them when we disagree with their leadership or their judgment. Instead we pray earnestly for them as they lead us spiritually.

Dr. Don Dunlap, a pioneer in the placement of Pastoral Counselors in the offices of Christian physicians, has conducted over twenty thousand appointments during his ministerial career. His counseling practice includes adults, children and families in crisis. Dr. Dunlap is committed to facilitating a network of telephone counselors. His goal is to provide help for the many people unable to meet face to face with a competent Bible-based counselor. For a complete library of Dr. Dunlap’s articles, indexed by topic, go to Family Counseling Ministries. You may also make a telephone appointment for personal counseling by clicking on Family Counseling Ministries. Family Counseling Ministries is a Christianity.com ministry Partner.

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