Bible Verses to Help You Control Your Anger

Sometimes our anger gets the best of us, so how can we use Scripture to get our anger under control.

Normal Emotions

At one time or another, we all get angry, so it’s perfectly normal to get angry about things. The reasons are endless. It might be because something didn’t go our way at work, or a friend disappointed us or hurt us by saying or doing something that we didn’t like. It could be that your partner did something you felt wasn’t right, or even your kids were misbehaving, but at the end of the day, there’s no use hiding it. We all get angry, and besides, it’s a God-given emotion. The important thing about anger is to know when we’re beginning to angry so we can learn how to control it, and avoid hurting our relationships with those around us.

Help from the Word

There are countless Bible verses that we can turn to when we feel anger, and these verses can help us navigate our emotions and get them under control. As soon as we begin to feel our anger rising, we need to pray for the power to over it. Proverbs 16:32 tells us, “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” This means that you can have God’s power and achieve amazing things, but the best approach in difficult situations is to always have patience, especially when dealing with difficult people. If we ever hope to accomplish great tasks, we need to be able to better control of our emotions. Controlling one’s anger is not possible without being humble, patient, and calm when we’re under pressure, but we need a little help (Phil 4:13). Jesus tells us through John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” That means, apart from Him, we can do nothing. If we really want to handle situations well and without anger, we have to be connected to the Vine, which means being connected to Him. When we’re apart from the Vine, that’s when the fruit begins to go bad.

The Bible can help us navigate our emotions and get them under control.

Forgiveness

In the moments when we feel anger and other negative emotions taking over, we need to recognize it and take a step back. Confess our emotions to ourselves, to God, and go back to Jesus. We have to ask for His help, His forgiveness, and we need to pray for our deliverance also to allow Him to change us through and through. The important thing is staying attached to the Vine and allowing ourselves to be helped by Him. I truly believe that if each and every one of us does this, not only will we have a character that will please God and bring Him glory, but we’re also going to be able to conquer our anger more often.

Helpful Scriptures

I’ve found many other Bible verses that can help us get the anger we feel under control each and every time.

Romans 12:21 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

James 1:19-20 “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

Ephesians 4:26-27 “And don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Proverbs 29:11 “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.”

Proverbs 14:29 “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.”

Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Conquering Anger

“Be ye angry, and sin not. Let not the sun go down on your wrath” (Eph 4:26).

All of these verses can be extremely helpful to us in our attempts to conquer the anger we sometimes feel. Although this is written for those who experience occasional short bursts of anger throughout the day in the course of their daily lives, I also have advice for people who find themselves always angry. If you’re a person who gets angry often, constantly lashes out your loved ones, cursing or insulting others, lacking in forgiveness, thinking negative thoughts, fighting verbally or physically with others, and generally acting in ways that deep inside you also know are displeasing to God, it is time to confess this sin and repent of it. You cannot continue to let these emotions run unchecked and unsettled. Not only will this displease God, but you’ll miss out on a fruitful, happy, and effective life. In the end, it’s simply not worth it. Let go of it now… all of the dark, angry, and tormented thoughts. Let negative people go. Don’t plant seeds of bitterness in your life because they’ll take root and grow. Instead, let yourself be free by repenting and allowing God to make your mind, heart, and voice pure today and every day (Rom 12:1-2). Learn from Him how you can respond to obstacles and negativity in your life with love, peace, patience, joy, faith, self-control, humility, and more. All of this is possible for you, or anyone, when you accept His Word and His Spirit.

Conclusion

To wrap this up, I do want to acknowledge that we get angry sometimes – it’s perfectly natural or normal for all of us to feel this way, but hopefully this post has given you some helpful suggestions on how to keep your anger under control and stop it from damaging your life. Listen to the Apostle Paul’s advice: “Be ye angry, and sin not. Let not the sun go down on your wrath” (Eph 4:26).

Here is some related reading for you: How Do I Deal With My Anger?

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Ellie Coverdale is a spiritual writer at Essay roo. She loves sharing her life experiences and insights with her readers, and is always available to chat about problems you might be having in your life and coming up with spiritual solutions.

Tagged as: Anger, Angry, Temper