The book of Proverbs has a lot to say about self-control especially as it relates to anger. Anger can destroy us without proper self-control. There are many stories of anger and lack of self-control showing people getting injured and killed. But as we know while it may not escalate to such extremes, it frequently damages lives and relationships.We know that anger is a powerful emotion which can be used for good or for evil. Anger isn’t always wrong. We know, for instance, that anger is something that God experiences. Did you know that the Bible speaks over a hundred times of the anger of the Lord? Yet we know that God never sins, so the Bible speaks repeatedly of His anger toward sin and disobedience. Therefore, there are times when anger is justified and righteous.The apostle Paul tells us, “In your anger do not sin” (Eph. 4:26).We see others being hurt or treated unjustly; we see people being lured into all sorts of evil; we see families torn apart by sin— these things ought to make us angry. If we don’t get angry, if we don’t weep, if we don’t care, then something is wrong deep inside us.The same verse that says, “In your anger do not sin,” adds this phrase, “Do not the let the sun go down while you are still angry” (Eph. 4:26), That is, don’t go to bed angry, even if your anger is justified, don’t keep mulling it over in your mind.What happens when you don’t deal with your anger? It settles deep in your heart, it hardens like concrete, it distorts your personality, it squeezes out your joy, produces unhappiness in every part of your life. That’s why the very next verse in Ephesians offers this warning: “Do not give the devil a foothold” (Eph. 4:27). That’s what Satan wants to do in our lives, he wants to use our anger, even our legitimate anger to get a foothold in our hearts – but we must be wise and not let it happen.This is where self-control comes into play. Proverbs 25:28 says: “A person who does not control his temper is like a city whose wall is broken down.” Walls in ancient cities were protection and security. It made it difficult to overthrow. That is why the book of Revelation describes heaven as a beautiful city surrounded by a great wall.Proverbs 29:11 says: A ...
