Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

In this passage, Christ likens unjust anger to that of murder. Christ reveals to us the higher standard of God in how God is not just looking at our actions but how HE is also judging us according to our thoughts. It is easy to say that you have never murdered anyone and thus you must be a good person. However, if you have simply been angry at someone, and which of us could honestly say we are perfect in never having been angry at anyone, then Christ says that we are in danger of the judgment.

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. No matter how good we think we are, we all have failed in this regards by being angry at someone unjustly. The sin of anger is no different than murder, they are both sins and the result of sin is a separation from God and eternity in hell if Christ’s blood does not first cover your sins.

It is easy to think that because you have not committed any of the real big sins that you are a good person. However, just because you think that way, it does not mean that is the way that God thinks. It is important to understand what God thinks of sin because HE is the Judge and it is our sin that separates us from our God.

Your anger against a family member, a boss, or whomever is still a sin in the eyes of God. Remember, that God sees our sins and HE will judge us. In a court of law, we have different judgments for different crimes; a person who took a candy bar probably will not go to jail while a person who took a life may face the death penalty. However, regardless of whether you took a candy bar or a life, you are considered a law breaker.

With God’s judgment, the same is true. If you break any of HIS laws, you are a law breaker and the result of sin is death. Even if you confess your sins, God still may cause you to suffer the consequence of your actions. Just as you cannot take back words spoken in anger, once you make certain choices, you may have to suffer consequences for those words. If a young woman allows herself to be seduced by a man who takes her virginity, just because she seeks God’s forgiveness, she cannot undue the fact that she is no longer a virgin. Furthermore, if she became pregnant as a result of her sin, just because she asks God to forgive her, the life that is inside her does not reverse itself to become sperm and egg again.

If we desire to become heavenly minded while here on this earth, then we need to understand that we serve a Holy God. We cannot afford to think like the world and expect God to be pleased with us. Rather than filling our lives with the vain philosophies of man, we should spend our time understanding our Holy God and living our lives in a manner that is pleasing to HIM.

By diligently adding temperance to our lives, we can abstain from the vain philosophies of this world. By exercising self-control, we can focus our attention upon the ways of God and how HE expects us to live our lives. By putting the things of God first, we cannot be deceived by this world. We understand that according to how we sow, so shall we reap. If we truly understand the higher standard that God has for us, we will not allow ourselves to sin against God by doing things that others do not think is wrong but which we know that in the eyes of God is sin.

Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Christ commanded us that any of us who are angry with our brother is guilty of murder. This is the higher standard that Christ lived by. God desires that we be perfect just like his Son was perfect. In order to avoid being angry with those whom God has placed in your life, you need to greatly restrain your mind and emotions.

People naturally will do things that causes you anguish. You have a choice, either you can hold a grudge against that individual or you can learn to forgive them and move on with your life. In the eyes of the world, Jesus had every right to be angry with those who crucified HIM and placed HIM upon the cross. Nonetheless, Jesus chose to forgive them. In the eyes of the world, Stephen had every right to be angry at those who rejected the teaching of scripture and chose to stone him to death. Nonetheless, Stephen was Christ like and he forgave those who did him wrong.

In this passage we are commanded to not allow the sun to go down upon our angry. That means that if we are angry at someone, before we go to bed, we need to get right with God and get right with the one who we are angry at. It is not easy to relinquish your right to be angry at someone for something that they have done to you, but this is what God desires you to do.

If you allow anger to dwell in your life for very long, it will destroy you. You can quickly become destroyed by your anger and will do things that will further destroy you. Ahab was angry at Elijah because Elijah had prayed that it would not rain. Rather than listening to the words of Elijah and do something about his wrong actions, Ahab chose to go after Elijah.

It did not matter how long Ahab sought to destroy Elijah, God was protecting him and Ahab was simply wasting his time pursuing Elijah. Ahab and the nation of Israel suffered three and a half years without rain because Ahab was chasing Elijah rather than dealing with the root of the problem. Had Ahab chosen to deal with his sin, God probably would have stopped the drought and allowed the nation of Israel to prosper once again.

If you do not take care of your anger, it will destroy you. After David sinned by committing adultery with Bath-sheba and killing her husband, Nathan confronted him about his sin. When David heard the story of a man who had one lamb that was stolen by a man who had great flocks, David reacted in anger and demanded that this rich man be required to pay four times. Four of David’s sons ended up having an untimely death.

David had reacted in anger to the story presented by Nathan. David did not realize that he was the man who had stolen that which belonged to another. Because David responded in anger, he ended up pronouncing judgment upon his own family.

Anger occurs when you have not yielded your rights to God. If you have refused to trust God and allow HIM to direct your paths, you can be quickly angry that God has not directed your steps the way you think that HE should have directed them.

Instead of focusing upon your rights and what you think is fair and just, you need to yield your rights and trust that God knows what is best. By trusting in God when evil occurs in your life, you allow God to add temperance to your life and give yourself the ability to move on with your life to see what God does with you.

Genesis 30:2 And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?

Two wrongs never equal a right. Rachel was wrong in envying the blessings that God had given her older sister Leah. However, just because Rachel had a wrong attitude, that did not justify Jacob’s response to Rachel.

Jacob and Rachel were married and in the eyes of God they were one. By getting angry at Rachel, Jacob was not only demonstrating a lack of love and understanding for the situation that Rachel found herself in, but also because there is an oneness in the relationship, he was destroying that oneness and thus destroying himself.

When a party vents their anger against their spouse, they are attacking God and the relationship that HE created. When one commits murder, they are committing a crime against God’s creation. They are destroying that which God brought into existence. Christ taught us that when we become angry at our brother, it is the same as murder. Thus when a husband and wife become angry at one another, spiritually, it is the same as if they took out a knife and started slashing their partner; there will be major repercussions.

Rachel desired to give Jacob children; this is a good thing. Rather than trying to comfort his wife, Jacob instead chose to lash out at his wife. A problem had arisen in his marriage and Jacob’s love for Rachel was being tried and this was the time for Jacob to turn to God for help. Instead of joining together in prayer and turning their problems over to God, Jacob chose to make his wife the enemy and attacked her with his words.

If you truly believe that God knows everything, then when trials arise in your marriage, this is the time when you should join together in prayer and seek HIS perfect plan. We are told that were two or more are gathered in HIS name, HE is there. A husband and wife thus have the advantage of instantly praying together knowing that God hears them.

In 1 Peter 3:7, we are taught that husbands need to dwell with their wives according to knowledge giving honor to the wife as unto a weaker vessel lest your prayers be hindered. By becoming angry at his wife, Jacob is illustrating the opposite behavior that God desires to be demonstrated between husbands and wives. Jacob was thinking only about himself and had totally forgotten to meet the needs of Rachel.

Anger is often the result of someone thinking that God owes them something. When they do not receive that which they think they deserve, rather than being content, their desire turns into anger and they lash out at those around them. Anger is a sign that one is not exercising temperance in one’s life and that one is seeking their own way rather than pursuing the things of God. When you are exercising temperance in your life, it is easy to say no to the lusts of the world and be content with what God has given you so that you have no reason to become angry.

When you lash out in anger at someone, it is time to stop and examine your life. Is there something in your life that you have not relinquished to God? As long as you are maintaining control of some aspect of your life, you will do great damage to yourself and those around you with your anger. It is hard to be a person who loves God with all your heart and loves your neighbor as yourself as long as you are insisting that life must treat you fairly.

Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

In this passage, Jesus is laying out a higher standard for Christians. The Ten Commandments state that one should not kill. Jesus likens anger to that of killing. Jesus is making clear that God is not only concerned with your actions, but also with your thoughts. Before, the Jews could only sin by committing wrong acts. Now, Jesus is showing us the perfect law and the perfect law states that sin begins in the heart.

If you desire to add knowledge of the ways of God, the Sermon on the Mount is an important passage to study. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ commands us how we are to live our lives. Many of the teachings of Jesus in this passage are counter-intuitive. Nonetheless, if you desire to live a life pleasing to the Lord, then you must carefully study and apply the teachings of Christ so that God can be glorified through your life.

Most people will agree that killing another human being is wrong. Cain was the first man who committed the sin of murder. We know that God placed a mark on Cain protecting Cain from the vengeance of others. At this time, God was the ultimate judge and he did not allow man to sit in judgment of another man. After the flood, God told Noah in Genesis 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

After the flood, God established the civil government to punish those who had committed murder. The law that God gave to Noah was further clarified in the law that God gave to Moses. In the 10 Commandments, God made it clear that Thou shalt not kill. God also made a place of refuge for those who had accidentally killed where they could be safe from the judgment of the next of kin.

Christ is now revealing to us the higher standards of the ways of God. God will judge our thoughts. The simple act of getting angry without cause in the eyes of God is the same as murder. Jesus revealed to us that there is a place for righteous anger when HE cleared the temple of the money changers. However, you must remember that you are not perfect like Jesus was and thus, any time you start getting angry, you better be concerned that you are not endangering yourself to the wrath of God.

You will never be able to fully understand who God is. You are a sinful man and God is Holy and pure with no beginning and no end. Nonetheless, you can understand the standard by which God will judge you. If you do not live according to the perfect standard of God, you have sinned and you must confess your sins and accept the blood of Jesus to cover your sins.

If you murdered someone, you know you have sinned and that would be a sin that you know you would need to confess. However, it is sometimes hard to remember every time you have been angry at someone else. That is one reason why Jesus told us to not let the sun go down on our wrath. This means that we must take the time each night to confess our sins of anger with God so that we keep a short list of sins with God. By coming before God daily to ask God to forgive us, we almost eliminate the chance of forgetting about a sin that needs to be confessed. If you desire to live your life according to the perfect standard of God, then you must control your anger.

Jonah 4:9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.

Jonah did not want to preach in Nineveh because he was afraid that the people of Nineveh would repent and that God would be merciful and forgive them. God needed to show Jonah the lack of love in his heart for the people so God created a gourd that gave Jonah shade. God then sent a worm that destroyed the gourd. Jonah was more upset that a plant was destroyed by a worm then that an entire city was about to be destroyed. Jonah wanted to see the destruction of his enemies.

It is easy to gain a Jonah complex where we become more concerned about our own lives that we become angry when things do not go our way. God does not want us to become angry over every small thing that crops up in our life; instead we are to learn to maintain a proper attitude towards HIM. Just because someone does us evil, it does not mean that we have the right to allow our anger to get the best of us.

In 1 Corinthians 13:5, we learn that love is not easily provoked. When we learn to demonstrate love one to another, it is our love that will help the world see the light of God. If we are more concerned about judgment that we become angry at God’s mercy, we are demonstrating a lack of love. Jesus told us the second greatest commandment was to love your neighbor as yourself. Jonah was easily provoked when God destroyed a plant and Jonah’s lack of love was quickly revealed. Is your anger a clue to your lack of love.

Proverbs 6:17 and hands that shed innocent blood,

In this passage, we see a list of seven abominations unto the Lord. The third item in the list of abominations is murder. It is an abomination unto the Lord for man to kill another man. Scripture tells us that God made us in his own image. When mankind kills another, he is rejecting God. Not only is the murderer rejecting God, but they are also proclaiming that they know better then God who should live and who should not.

When Cain killed his brother Abel, God came and judged Cain for his actions. Cain recognized that the judgment of the Lord was too great and he cried out for mercy. God did show Cain some mercy, but it does not mean that Cain escaped the judgment. While Cain may not have been immediately killed, the curse of Cain was that Cain would be a vagabond and that the land would no longer yield forth its strength unto Cain.

David was a man after the heart of God, yet after David realized that his sin with Bath-sheba resulted in a child, David had Uriah killed. God sent Nathan to David to pronounce judgment upon David. Nathan told David a story about a man with sheep and David stated that the man who took the sheep when he had so much should pay four times. David pronounced his own judgment and four of his sons were killed. David had committed an abomination unto the Lord and while the Lord showed mercy to David, David still had to experience the judgment of God.

The killing of innocent blood is an abomination unto the Lord. Every day throughout the world, many people lose their life because someone makes a decision that they are not worthy to live. Who made the murderer God that they are allowed to choose who lives and who dies.

Every day women choose to kill their own babies via the process of abortion. These babies are human life made in the image of God, yet for the sake of choice, the mother decides whether or not the child will live. In Leviticus 18:21 God tells the people that thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, either shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. The word seed in this passage not only means children that are living right now, but also future children who are not yet born.

It is important to understand that it is God who creates life and that this little human life is made in the image of God. It is an abomination unto the Lord to take innocent life and life is not any more innocent than the unborn child who has not yet sinned.

You may argue that since you are not a murderer that this passage has very little importance to your life. However, you must remember the words of Jesus where he likened a man who is angry at his brother with a murderer. Remember that it was anger at God for not accepting his sacrifice that eventually drove Cain to murder his own brother. Anger is a dangerous thing that you must make sure that you control.

As a child of God, you have a responsibility to understand what the will of God is for your life. This means that you must take the time to study the scriptures and obtain the knowledge of God. Learning what God likes and does not like should be a daily part of your life so that your life can be pleasing to God.

Psalms 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

David tried to bring the Ark of God into Jerusalem using a cart pulled by oxen. David knew the law of God said that the Ark was to be carried by the priests but for some reason, David thought he could move the Ark by a cart just as the Philistines had done many years before. The anger of the Lord was severe and the result was the death of Uzzah. However, we learn shortly thereafter that God blessed the house of Obededom who kept the Ark because David was afraid of the Lord.

Because the Ark was in Obededom’s house, the Lord blessed him and all that he had. Obededom was not afraid of having the presence of God in his house and God rewarded him in such a way that David saw and understood that God was with Obededom.

David did not finish the job of bringing the Ark of God into Jerusalem because of the judgment of God. However, after a period of time, God brought great joy into David’s life as he was able to bring the Ark into Jerusalem. Because David now sought to bring the Ark into Jerusalem God’s way, he saw the blessing of the Lord upon his life.

There is a time and a place to weep for the consequences of your sin. However, if you repent of your sins, while God will judge you for your sins, you can be assured that God has forgiven you and will give you the grace necessary to turn from your wicked ways and to live your life free from the bondage of your sin. God is willing to give you great joy as you put HIM first in your life.

God’s anger will be upon you as you continue to dwell in your sin. The longer you allow sin to bind you, the longer you will remain in the wrath of the Lord. David’s life is an excellent example of how God is willing to give you a new life after sin. Even after the death of David’s first son born by Bath-sheba, God allowed Bath-sheba to bear a son that latter became king of Israel. The wrath of God for David committing adultery was turned into the joy of God as Solomon became king and asked God for wisdom.

What do you want to experience, God’s favor or God’s wrath? Because you desire the favor of the Lord, you need to learn to dwell in HIS presence. You cannot make room in your life for small compromises that God must judge you for. Take the time to seek God’s face. Take the time to put God first in your life. As you seek God’s presence, HE will be able to bring great joy into your life.

If you do not put the things of God first in your life, then the temptations to sin will be great. It is as you put God first in your life that you find the strength to overcome the wicked one. The more you dwell upon the things of the world, the easier it is for the world to cause you to sin and bring the anger of God down upon your life.

Add virtue to your life and learn to dwell upon the things of God. Allow the favor of God to be on your life as HE is able to reward your faithfulness. Yes, you will go through times of testing as Job did, but because God is with you in the midst of the storm, you will experience HIS joy as you see HIS mighty hand direct you. By putting God first in your life, HE will be able to reward you beyond your wildest comprehension.

Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told you that you are not in danger of judgment just because you murdered someone. Instead, Jesus laid out the higher law that you will be judged for every thought and feeling. People can see and judge your actions, but God is faithful and HE will judge your thoughts and feelings.

Because God is going to judge you for your thoughts and feelings, it is important to not only change the outward manifestations of your life but to also make a change to your thoughts and feelings. Virtue is what happens in your life when you decide to change your thoughts and feelings to be thinking on those things that are pleasing to God.

People can do the right thing for the wrong reasons. There are millions of people who do not commit a murder during their life. However, while the civil government may never punish them for violating both the laws of nature and the laws of man, it does not mean that that the individual is pure in the sight of God. There are many reasons why a person will never commit a murder. Whatever the reason is, it does not mean that his or her thoughts and feelings are right before God.

It does not matter if you claim to accept the gift of salvation or are the world’s worst sinner, everyone will be judged for every thought, feeling and deed. People in the world understand that if they commit murder here on this earth, they face a high probability that they will be caught and severely punished. However, people do not fully comprehend how God is going to punish them for eternity for their thoughts and feelings that they had on this earth. Nonetheless, those who do take Jesus at HIS’ word, understand that they must change and that change can only be found by adding virtue to your life.

Of your own will you probably can restrain yourself for an entire lifetime not to commit a single murder. However, there is probably not a single person who can live their entire life without being angry with another person at least once. You must realize that it is impossible on your own accord to live up to the standards that God has set for HIS’ creation. In order to desire virtue to be added to your life, you must first understand its significance for your spiritual walk. Once you understand your need for God’s virtue, then you will be willing to change your thinking and feelings so that you can live a life that is pleasing unto your Maker.

Until you understand the significance of adding virtue to your life, it sounds like an impossible task that is not worth putting out the effort that would be required. With God, nothing is impossible. If you understand how adding virtue to your life will help you fulfill God’s purpose for your life, then you can be like Solomon who asked God for wisdom and received it, not because Solomon was such a great guy but because he illustrated to God how he would use wisdom for God’s glory. Adding virtue is no different. God will give you the good things that you ask for. You must first understand what you are asking for in order to receive virtue that will change your life.

Judges 20:26-27 Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the Lord, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. And the children of Israel enquired of the Lord, for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

The nation of Israel had just heard of the wickedness of the men of Gibeah that was from the tribe of Benjamin. The men of Gibeah were perverse and were willing to commit lewd acts on both men and women who traveled through their town. As a result of their perverseness, they killed a woman. When the rest of the nation heard this, they gathered together and they demanded that Benjamin hand over the men from the city of Gibeah. The tribe of Benjamin refused and the children of Israel cried out to God for direction. The children of Israel were not going to battle against their own kind absent having clear instruction from God.

The children of Israel understood the seriousness of the issue before them and as such, they were not quick to make a decision but instead took the time to pray about it. They understood that there was wickedness in the land that needed to be destroyed. However, they were not going to administer their punishment absent the Lord’s direction. They took the time to hear God and ensure that they did not punish Benjamin out of anger.

The nation of Israel was angry, but they ensured that they did not let their anger control their actions. Instead, they wisely waited and sought the Lord to ensure that their direction was controlled of God and not by passion.

The Lord desires to direct your steps. HE allows you to experience certain things so that you can serve HIM by taking care of it here on this earth. You must allow the Lord to direct your steps. If you allow yourself to be controlled by anger, then Satan will be able to control your actions and you may do more damage then good. You cannot afford to allow yourself to be controlled by passion and anger. Instead, you must use passion and anger to cause yourself to go before God and seek direction.

If the nation of Israel would have attacked immediately, they still may have won and they still would have done the will of God. Nonetheless, by attacking in anger, their attitude would have shown. In addition, the nation of Israel would have constantly been wondering if they had done the Lord’s will in almost utterly destroying a whole tribe. Great dissension would most likely exist between Israel and Benjamin had Israel attacked in anger. However, because they sought the Lord’s will, after Israel corrected Benjamin, Israel was in the position to help Benjamin restore itself.

There is no such thing as a small decision with God. Every decision that you make should not be rash but should be made fully understanding the will of God for your life. Rarely is there a decision that you must make that you must make when your passions are enflamed. Jesus set an example for you when HE saw the wickedness in the temple of the Lord and HE came back the next day to cleanse the temple. You understand that God desires to lead you and guide you in the way you should go. By faith you will take the time to seek HIS will for your life and ensure that you do not simply react to circumstances around you but that you seek HIS will and you obey HIS voice.