Why are You So Angry? Could it Be that You Need to Change Your Perspective on the Things that You Choose to Entertain in Your Thought Life?

I was reading in the book of Jonah the other day in the last chapter of Jonah about how angry Jonah was. God is so sweet he doesn’t leave us when we get all emotion and want to go our own way. You all know the story how Jonah was upset because God wanted to send him to preach to a group of people that Jonah wanted destroyed.

Jonah, ran away, but through circumstance, God brought him right back to the place he told him to go in the first place. So, Jonah went to the town and gave the people the warning God had told him to give which went something like if you don’t repent within such and such a time, God will destroy your city.

Jonah was so angry that he camped outside of the city to see what would happen to it. He was hoping to see the judgment of God on the people. God was merciful to Jonah in his anger and caused some type of a plant to grow above Jonah’s head to provide him with shade from the sun, and Jonah enjoyed that.

However, God caused that plant to wither and die, and Jonah in anger says to God, “I’m so angry, I could die.” To which God responds, do you have a right to be angry over the plant that I caused to spring up and to die overnight, yet you are not concerned at all about these people who don’t know there left hand from their right hand? (Jonah 4:9-11)”

God was attempting to change Jonah’s perspective. Of course, he had a right to be angry because of the evil things that the people of that city had done, but he did not have a right to stay angry to the point of wishing upon them God’s judgment when God had been seeking for mercy.

Ultimately, the people repented and the city was spared. How many of us have been angry at people who have hurt us, and it seemed as if they just got away with it. We carried the anger so to the point of wanting to see God’s judgment or some type of retribution toward that person.

We can be angry for a season, but we should not sin. When that anger leads to bitterness, unforgiveness, and wrong thinking; then it becomes sin.

I know a young lady who dated a few guys, and the few guys that she dated we’re never right. They we’re never up to standard. She dated men who we’re unsaved who weren’t up to standard. She then dated a man who was saved, and he was not up to standard. She began to harbor anger within herself saying screw all these guys none of them are any good.

Her anger moved from being angry, to bitterness, to unbelief. She went from hoping to one day meet a godly man who would compliment her to, believing that their aren’t any good men out there, which is a position of failure. That is where Satan wants to take us to a position of failure where we will forfeit our own blessings in Christ because of our anger, but we can  like Jonah get together with God and be real with God telling him, “I’m so angry I could just die,” God will then assist us in the things that we need to do to renew our minds and to get rid of the anger through changing our perspective of things. The young lady who was very angry began to be reminded by God of Philippians 4:8 which says:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

The young lady has made a decision not to entertain any negative thought dealing with men or relationships. She instead has decided to entertain what God’s word says instead. She is no longer angry, and has set herself up to receive the blessing of God.