god is my anger manager

God is My Anger Manager

A self-study course on anger

• Easy to use self-study format

• Adaptable to any Bible translation

• Numerous Scripture quotations

• Chapter tests and a final exam

Prison Ministry Committee

A ministry of WELS Congregational Ministry

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod

Copyright © 2010

Prison Ministry Committee

A ministry of WELS Congregational Ministry

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod

2929 North Mayfair Road

Milwaukee, WI 53222

All Scripture in this booklet is quoted from Holy BibleCopyright © 2003 by International Bible Society.

Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Some black and white illustrations are the work of Glenn

Myers. Rights to Glenn Myers’ illustrations reserved by

Northwestern Publishing House.

Booklet #18

First Printing 2010

Getting Started ..............................................................1

Chapter 1:

God Can Handle My Anger .....................................3

Chapter 2:

Anger is a Gift From God .......................................10

Chapter 3:

Take Your Time.......................................................17

Chapter 4:

God Says, “Tell Me About It.” .................................24

Chapter 5:

Is It Time For Action? .............................................32

Chapter 6:

What About the Messes I’ve Made? ......................41

Chapter 7:

Review! Plan! Pray! Go Forward!...........................49

Answers to Chapter Tests ............................................56

Final Test .....................................................................57

TABLE OF CONTENTS

In this book you will learn about anger. Anger is an

emotion that we have. Because we are sinners, we

often get angry and act in ways that hurt other people

or even ourselves. God is the One Who can help us

control our anger.

After each set of questions, and after each chapter

quiz, you will see a page number where you can find

the correct answers to those questions. Check each of

your answers and correct them if necessary.

At the end of the book is a final test. Before you take

the test, go back and review the chapter quizzes.

When you complete the final test, you can either turn

it in to the person who gave you this book or mail it to

the address found on the chapter test. Someone will

check the test and return it to you.

May God help you as you learn more about anger.

May He bless your study!

GETTING STARTED

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A few years ago I (the writer of this book) wastrying to help a woman work through some of herproblems. I told her, “You sound like you’re angry.That’s okay, because you have a lot to be angryabout.”

She told me, “No: I can’tlet myself be angry. I’mscared of what my angermight do.”

You have to understand,this was a very thin andfragile looking woman;she looked like a strong

wind might knock her over. I asked her, “What areyou afraid might happen if you let yourself getangry?”

This little woman told me, “There was one timewhen I was in an institution and I started thinkingabout all the bad things that had happened to me,and I started getting really mad and I startedscreaming and yelling and breaking things. Icaused a lot of damage. It took four strong men tohold me down.”

That woman knew about the power of anger, and itscared her. How about you? Is that what you thinkof when you think about anger: its power to hurtand destroy? Maybe your anger caused some of

Chapter OneGOD CAN HANDLE MY ANGER

your legal problems. Maybe you have people youcare about who no longer want anything to do withyou because of your anger. Maybe you’ve lost jobsbecause of your anger. Maybe you find yourselftrying to use drugs or alcohol to help you deal withyour anger, and that’s when things get really out ofcontrol.

Your anger might have made some messes in yourlife. But you don’t have to be afraid of anger. Itdoesn’t have to ruin your life. The Bible says, “Sinwill not be your master. Law does not rule you.God’s grace has set you free” (Romans 6:14).God’s love for you is powerful enough to heal anymesses your anger might have made. And God’slove for you is powerful enough to keep your angerfrom becoming sinful.

No matter what you’ve done in your anger, Jesuspaid for it when he died on thecross. In God’s eyes, you arefree from blame and shame.You might have prison time toserve or money to repaybecause of things you’ve donewhen you were angry, but asfar as God is concerned yourdebt is all paid. Every time yousee a cross you can rememberthat: “Jesus died for me, so my

debt is paid. I’m forgiven. God isn’t holding my sinagainst me.”

1. Anger has _________ that can ruinrelationships, get you fired, and get you in legaltrouble.

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2. Sometimes people use __________ or__________ to deal with their anger, and that’swhen things can get really out of control.

3. God’s ___________ for you is more powerfulthan the power of anger.

4. When Jesus died for you on the cross, your_________ was paid as far as God isconcerned.

Check your answers on page 7.

You have nothing to be afraid of when you comeface to face with God, since Jesus is your Savior.But do you have something to be afraid of in themeanwhile, because you still have a lot of anger inyou? Understand this: Anger is not a bad thing! It’spart of the whole package of emotions God builtinto you, the same as happiness and sadness andfear and curiosity and all the other emotions youhave. Anger itself isn’t the problem; the problem isabout you letting your anger run the show, insteadof having Jesus manage your life. In the Bible theapostle Paul says, “I will not be controlled byanything” (1 Corinthians 6:12). If you’ve let youranger control your life you’ve seen how it can gofrom simple anger to things like:

- Out-of-control rage

- Feeling sorry for yourself

- Thinking resentful thoughts all the time

- Becoming a bitter person no one wants to be

around

- Getting high to make the feeling go away

- Thinking that you have a right to mistreat

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other people, since other people have

mistreated you

All of that can happen when you’re angry, but itdoesn’t have to. The Bible says, “When you areangry, do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26). When you’reliving with Jesus, you can be angry when there’ssomething to be angry about, and still not sin.Jesus has the power to forgive you. He has thepower to save you, and he has the power to beyour life’s manager.

5. Anger is an __________ God has blessed youwith, along with happiness, sadness, fear,curiosity, etc.

6. 1 Corinthians 6:12 says, “I will not be___________ by anything”, and that includesanger.

7. According to Ephesians 4:26 you can be angryand still not ________.


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Chapter One Summary

We’ve all seen how anger has power, and a lot of

times we’ve seen the power of anger ruin things in

our lives. But the Bible says that God’s love for you

is more powerful than the power of your anger. The

Bible says that when Jesus died for you on the

cross he paid off your debt for harm you’ve caused

when your anger got out of control, so you can be

sure God forgives you and accepts you.

Anger isn’t really the problem; anger is one of theemotions God gives you as a valuable gift. Theproblem with anger comes from letting angercontrol you, instead of having God be in control ofyour anger. God doesn’t want to take your angeraway; He wants to work with you so that you don’tsin when you’re angry.

Answers to questions within Chapter One:

1. power; 2. drugs, alcohol; 3. love; 4. debt; 5. emotion;

6. controlled; 7. sin.

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Chapter One Quiz

Circle the word or phrase that best completes the

sentence.

1. Anger is a very _________ emotion.

A. powerful

B. sinful

C. useless

D. tame

2. God’s love is ________________________.

A. not powerful enough to make up for the

wrongs you’ve done.

B. only for people who deserve it.

C. more powerful than the power of your anger.

D. nice, but you still have to take control of your

problems.

3. When Jesus died for you on the cross he

________________________.

A. paid your debt completely and made your

forgiveness a sure thing.

B. did part of the work of saving you; now you

have to do the rest.

C. paid only for the sins you committed by

accident.

D. left you with the job of getting God to love

you and accept you.

True or false: Circle the best answer

4. Out-of-control anger can lead to lost jobs,

broken relationships, and legal troubles.

True False

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5. Alcohol or marijuana can be a real help in

getting your anger under control.

True False

6. When simple anger goes out of control it can

turn you into a resentful, bitter person.

True False

7. Anger is actually a gift from God.

True False

8. Being angry is always sinful.

True False


If you have a copy of the Ten Commandments, or ifyou just want to open a Bible to Exodus 20:1-17,look for the commandment that says, “Thou shalt

not be angry.” Are youhaving trouble finding it?Of course you are: thereis no suchcommandment. Goddoesn’t command you

not to get angry; in fact,He’s the one who gave you the

emotion of anger. And the Bible says, “Every goodand perfect gift is from God” (James 1:17). Anger isone of those gifts.

So what’s so good about anger? Start with the factthat God Himself gets angry. You don’t have to looktoo far in the Bible without finding examples of Godbeing angry at people being cruel to other people,or being angry at unfair laws and unjust rulers, orbeing angry at people’s hypocrisy and lies. Whenyou get angry at injustice and evil, you havesomething in common with God.

There are more blessings in the gift of anger, too.When you feel anger, that tips you off: Something’swrong here. Something doesn’t seem fair,somebody’s cheating you or mistreating you,somebody’s doing something they have no right todo, and it’s getting you angry. If it weren’t for yourfeeling of anger, you might not have noticed.

Chapter Two

ANGER IS A GIFT FROM GOD

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And anger gives you energy. Think of whathappens in your body when you get angry: youbreathe harder, your heart pumps harder, youmight even find yourself trembling—not from fear,but from the urge to take action. And that’s thepoint: you may have to take some kind of actionwhen an injustice is happening, and God put anemotion in us that prepares our bodies for action.

And anger helps you set boundaries. People whohave a hard time getting angry end up havingpeople walk all over them. If you’re able to getangry at being treated unfairly it helps you to standup and say, “I’m not going to let you treat me thisway.” God gives the gift of anger to help keep yousafe from people who don’t respect you and whotake advantage of you.

1. When you get angry with injustice and evil, youhave something in common with _______.

2. The feelings that go along with being angryhelp tip you off that something is _______.

3. The emotion of anger gives your body_________ in case you have to take action.

4. Anger helps you set ____________ whenpeople treat you disrespectfully.


So how did your anger make such big messes inyour life if it’s such a good thing? Your anger isn’tthe problem; the problem is the one who’smanaging your anger. Maybe you were lettingdrugs or alcohol manage your anger. Maybe you

were trying to manage your anger yourself. Maybeyou were just letting anger itself be in charge. Whatyou need to do with the gift of anger, just like withany gift from God, is to give it right back to Himand say, “Thanks; now will you please take chargeof this gift?”

Look at what the apostle Paul says in the book ofRomans to all of us who trust in Jesus as ourSavior:

Our sinful nature no longer controls the waywe live. The Holy Spirit now controls theway we live. Don’t live under the control ofyour sinful nature. If you do, you will thinkabout what your sinful nature wants. Liveunder the control of the Holy Spirit. If youdo, you will think about what the Spiritwants. The way a sinful person thinks leadsto death. But the mind controlled by theSpirit brings life and peace. The sinful mindis at war with God. It does not obey God’slaw. It can’t. Those who are controlled bytheir sinful nature can’t please God. But yoursinful nature does not control you. The HolySpirit controls you. The Spirit of God lives inyou (Romans 8:4-9).

God makes a promise to you: He will make sureyour anger is helpful, not harmful, when you quittrying to manage it yourself and you let Him beyour anger manager. He doesn’t just give you rulesto guide your anger, He gives you Himself tomanage your anger.

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Our life with God doesn’t start once we die and goto heaven; it starts here and now, with God livinghere with us and in us. That means He’s here, rightinside you, to take charge of things when you getinto situations where you get angry. So instead ofpraying that God would take your anger away, oreven praying that God would give you strength tocontrol your anger, try praying something like,“God, You’re here, You’re real, and You’re incharge. Help me to believe this and to watch forYou in action here.”

None of us are very good at this at first; don’t worryabout it. God will keep patiently working with youas you let go of control and learn to trust that He’shere and He’s doing what He promised to do: beLord of your life, including the parts of your life thatget you angry.

5. Instead of trying to get our anger under ourcontrol, we need to let __________ take chargeof it.

6. In Romans 8 the Bible tells everyone whobelieves in Jesus that “the __________ of_______ lives in you.”

7. God doesn’t just give you _________ to guideyour anger, He gives you _________ tomanage your anger.

8. God is patient with us as we learn to let go of__________ and as we learn to ________ Himwith our lives.


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Answers to questions within Chapter Two:

1. God; 2. wrong; 3. energy; 4. boundaries; 5. God; 6. Spirit, God;

7. rules, himself; 8. control, trust.

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Chapter Two Summary

God gave us anger, and it’s a valuable gift. Whenwe get angry about evil and unfairness, we havesomething in common with God: He gets angryabout those things, too. Our anger signals us thatsomething’s wrong. Our anger gives us energy totake action when something’s wrong. And ouranger helps us to set boundaries when people tryto take advantage of us and disrespect us.

Like any good gift from God, anger needs to behanded right back to God so He can be in chargeof it. The Bible tells us that God doesn’t just live faraway in heaven; He’s come to live in everyone whobelieves in Jesus. So He’s right here to be incharge whenever you feel yourself start to getangry. And He’ll work with us patiently as we learnto let go of control and to trust Him with everythingin our lives, including our anger.

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Chapter Two Quiz

True or false: circle the answer1. We get angry because we’re sinful.

True False

2. God never gets angry.True False

3. When we pay attention to our angry feelings,they may point out what’s wrong.True False

4. Anger gives our bodies energy in case we needto take action.True False

5. If we’re strong and sincere we can do a goodjob of managing our own anger.True False

Circle the word or phrase that best completes thesentence.6. Our life with God starts

___________________________.A. once we get to heaven.B. when Jesus comes back to earth.C. here and now.D. once we’ve gotten all sin out of our lives.

7. The Bible says that God the Holy Spirit_______________________________.A. lives in everyone who believes in Jesus.B. only lives in pastors and other religiousleaders.C. only comes to people who have a goodattitude and live right.D. is in heaven, not on earth.

8. When the Holy Spirit is managing your anger,your anger will _________________.A. disappear.B. instantly turn into happiness.C. be punished.D. become helpful, not harmful.


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A big problem a lot of us have isthat we’re in a big hurry to getthings finished and done. Thatcan lead to real trouble withanger: when something is wrongand you get angry about it, youget in such a hurry to make itright that you don’t take time totalk to God about the situationand about how you feel.

Here’s something the Bible says about taking yourtime when you’re angry:

My dear brothers and sisters, pay attention towhat I say. Everyone should be quick to listen.But they should be slow to speak. They shouldbe slow to get angry. A man’s anger doesn’tproduce the kind of life God wants. (James1:19-20)

And anytime you go off and act on your angerbefore you bring God in on it, it’s just “man’sanger”, and it’s going to make a bad situationworse.

What’s your hurry? You know God is aware of thesituation you’re angry about, and He has thewisdom and the power to make things right. Sowhy not slow down and take the situation to himfirst?

Chapter Three

TAKE YOUR TIME

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Veterans of addiction recovery have come up withan easy-to-remember way to help slow yourselfdown when something has gotten you angry: it’scalled “The Three A’s”. And the three A’s are:

AwarenessAcceptanceAction

That simply means that 1) you become aware thatsomething’s not right, and that you’re angry aboutit, 2) you accept the fact that this situation is realityright now, and you accept the fact that you’reangry about it, and 3) then you decide what actionyou’re going to take about the situation.

A lot of our problems comefrom hurrying right from #1—awareness—straight to #3—action—before taking time toaccept the reality of thesituation. Maybe you canthink of times when youbecame aware of somethingsomeone was doing that gotyou angry, and before youknew it words were comingout of your mouth or yourfists were flying. Maybe

afterward you felt bad about what you’d done, butyou told yourself (and anyone else who’d listen), “Icouldn’t help it! He made me so mad!”

In those situations you went right from anger toaction: no time to think, no time to pray. If anythoughts went through your mind, they were

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probably something like, “This ain’t right! And it’sup to me to do something about it, and I’m going todo it right now!” That’s what the Bible is talkingabout in James 1:20 when it says “A man’s angerdoesn’t produce the kind of life God wants.” Youdidn’t take time to bring God in on the situation,and so you were left with just “a man’s anger.”

1. In James 1:19-20 the Bible says to be quick to__________, slow to _____________ and slowto get ______________.

2. “The Three A’s” are: ____________,_______________, and _______________.

3. A lot of our problems with anger happen whenwe hurry right from _____________ to____________ without taking time to_____________ the reality of the situation.

4. When we’re angry we need to slow down andbring _________ in on the situation.


If you’re going to handle these situations differently,you’re going to have to start accepting the thingsthat get you angry. That doesn’t mean sayingyou’re okay with the situation, that you don’t care ifit stays the way it is, or that you’re not going to dosomething about it. Accepting the situation meansstopping to think: This is real. It’s really happening.Maybe it shouldn’t be happening, but it is. And I’mangry about it.”

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That’s important: accept the fact that you’re angry.Sometimes people make the mistake of thinkingthey should never be angry, that being angry is asin, that a true Christian never gets angry. Thenthey get in a hurry to make their anger go away:they’ll lie to themselves and say, “I’m not reallyangry,” or they’ll pretend that whatever they’re madabout doesn’t really matter, or (worst of all) they’lltry to make the anger go away by shamingthemselves (telling themselves things like, “Whatkind of Christian are you? Why can’t you justforgive and forget?”).

Here’s where it’s so important to slow down andbring God into the process. Because the God ofthe Bible—the Lord who loves you and died on thecross for you—accepts you completely, just theway you are. You don’t have to fix yourself so Godwill accept you. You’re already acceptable becauseof God’s love for you and the sacrifice Jesus madefor you. And right now the real you—the you thatGod loves and accepts—is angry. Take the time tolet that sink in when you get angry.

5. Accepting the things that make you angrydoesn’t mean you’re _______ with the situation,that you don’t _________ if it stays the way itis, or that you’re not going to ____ somethingabout it.

6. Accepting the things that make you angrymeans stopping to think: This is _______.

7. You’re probably not going to accept the fact thatyou’re angry if you make the mistake ofbelieving that anger is a ________.

Answers to questions within Chapter Three:

1. listen, speak, angry; 2. Awareness, Acceptance, Action;

3. awareness, action, accept; 4. God; 5. okay, care, do; 6. real;

7. sin; 8. angry.

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8. God loves and accepts the real you, includingthe times when the real you is ________.


Chapter Three SummaryA lot of the trouble we get in when we’re angrycomes from the fact that we’re in a big hurry tochange whatever we’re angry about. We fail to taketime to bring God in on the situation. Instead ofgoing through “The Three A’s”—Awareness,Acceptance, Action—we jump from awarenessstraight to action.

When we accept the things that make us angry itmeans we’re taking time to understand that thesituation is real, and that we’re angry about it. Itdoesn’t mean that we don’t care about the situationand that we’re okay if it stays the same. It helps ifwe believe that God accepts us, just as we are,right in the middle of our anger: we don’t have toget rid of our anger for God to accept us, becauseHe already loves and accepts us and died to saveus.

Chapter Three Quiz

True or false: Circle the best answer1. When something makes you angry, it’s

important that you take action to change thatsituation right away.True False

2. When you accept a situation that makes youangry it means you’re never going to doanything to change the situation.True False

3. A lot of our problems with anger come from nottaking time to talk to God about what’s makingus angry.True False

4. A true Christian is always able to get rid of hisanger right away.True False

Circle the word or phrase that best completes thesentence.5. When I accept the fact that I’m angry it means

______________________________.A. I’m admitting that my anger is sinful.B. I believe that God accepts me just the way Iam, with my anger.C. I’m going to go ahead and do whatever myanger tells me to do.D. I need to get rid of my anger quickly.

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6. I can take my time when I’m angry because________________________________.A. everything’s really just fine and I have noright to be angry.B. there’s probably nothing I can do about itanyway.C. the longer I pretend I’m not angry, the lessangry I’ll really be.D. God knows about the situation and He hasthe power to change things.

7. The second of “Three A’s”, and the one weoften skip, is ______________________.A. Attitude.B. Acceptance.C. Ability.D. Approval.

8. When I accept my situation and my anger I’mable to ________________________.A. talk to God about it.B. stop being angry and start being happy.C. repent for my sinful anger.D. give up wanting things to change.


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Since you knowthat God lovesyou andaccepts you justas you are, youknow that youdon’t have tomake youranger go awaybefore you cantalk to God. You

can pray right in the middle of your anger. In fact,that’s the best way to really work through youranger and figure out what you want to do: consultwith God about it. King David knew all about that,and in the Bible’s book of Psalms he wrote allabout that.

In Psalm 4:3-4 David wrote, “The Lord will hear mewhen I call out to Him. When you are angry, do notsin. When you are in bed, look deep down insideyou and be silent.” He knew that God is saying,“Are you angry about something? Tell Me about it.”So do what David did, “look deep down inside you”when you’re angry. What do you find out aboutyour anger?

You could start by asking, “Who am I angry with?”

Maybe you’re angry about what another person

has done; you might be feeling the same anger

David was feeling when he wrote in Psalm 35:

Chapter Four

GOD SAYS, “TELL ME ABOUT IT.”

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Mean people come forward to give witness

against me.

They ask me things I don’t know anything

about.

They pay me back with evil, even though I

was good to them.

They leave me without hope. (verses 11-12)

When David was feeling that kind of anger with

people, he told God exactly what he was feeling.

He even told God exactly what he’d like God to do

to the people who had done him wrong:

They set a trap for me without any reason.

Without any reason they dug a pit to catch

me.

So let them be destroyed without warning.

Let the trap they set for me catch them.

Let them fall into the pit and be destroyed.

(verses 7-8)

David felt safe telling God what he was feelingabout those people. He knew God wouldn’t rejecthim for what he was feeling. And he knew Godwould do what was right, even if it wasn’t exactlywhat David wanted Him to do. And he knew that ashe told God about his anger God would help himsort out what he really wanted and what he reallyneeded to do.

1. I don’t have to make my _________ go awaybefore I talk to God.

2. I can look deep down inside myself when I’mangry and tell ________ about it.

3. When people have wronged me I can tell Godexactly how I __________ about those people,and even what I wish He would ______ tothose people.

4. God won’t ___________ me for what I’m feelingwhen I’m angry at people.


Maybe the person you’re most angry with is

yourself. David wrote about a time when he felt

that way about himself in Psalm 38:

Because of my sin, I’m not healthy.

My guilt has become too much for me.

It is a load too heavy to carry.

My wounds are ugly. They stink.

I’ve been foolish. I have sinned…

I am about to fall.

My pain never leaves me.

I admit that I have done wrong.

I am troubled by my sin. (verses 3-5, 17-18)

If David had just shut up about how he was feeling,he would have gone on living in the hellish world ofself-hatred. But David had gotten in the healthyhabit of telling God about everything that wasgoing on in his life. So when he was angry andashamed with himself, he talked to God about that,too. He knew God wouldn’t hate him, and that Godwould help him get away from self-hatred. Davidknew that God would help him to see himself theway God saw him: with forgiveness and love andacceptance.

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But what if the person you’re

angry with is God himself? That’s

something a lot of people are

afraid to admit. But that anger

hits almost everybody sooner or

later. You’ve probably felt it.

Maybe someone you love died

after you’d prayed and begged

God to let that person live.

Maybe somebody harmed you or

your family and it looked like God was just going to

ignore it. If that’s ever happened to you, you’ve

probably gotten angry with God. David knew that

feeling, and David admitted his anger right to God

in Psalm 13:

Lord, how long must I wait? Will You forget

me forever?

How long will You turn your face away from

me?

How long must I struggle with my thoughts?

How long must my heart be sad day after

day?

How long will my enemies keep winning the

battle over me? (verses 1-2)

A lot of people are afraid to talk that way to God,but David wasn’t, and you don’t have to be, either.For one thing, God already knows what you’rethinking, so what’s the difference if you come rightout and tell Him? And, more importantly, Davidknew that God loved and accepted him completely,just as he was, no matter what. That meant that hewas sure God would still love and accept him evenwhen he was angry with God. (And look what God

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did with David’s angry words: He put them into theBible so everyone could read them!)

God is always open to hearing from you, no matterwhat you’re angry about. And God provides youwith people you can talk to. Try to figure out whothe people are whom you can trust, and startasking for their help in sorting out your anger. Asyou talk it out, maybe you’ll see that you don’t haveto be so angry. Or maybe you’ll see that you’reperfectly right to be angry, and that there’ssomething you can do about it. Either way, God issaying to you, “Are you angry about something?Tell Me about it.”

5. When I’m angry with myself but I don’t talkabout it, it can turn into self-___________.

6. When I talk to God about how I’m angry withmyself, I know He’ll help me look at myself theway He does: with ________ and____________ and ______________.

7. I don’t have to be afraid of being honest withGod, even when it’s really __________ I’mangry with.

8. God already knows what I’m _____________,so why not tell Him?

9. God listens to me, and God provides me with_____________ who will listen to me.


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Answers to questions within Chapter Four:

1. anger; 2. God; 3. feel, do; 4. reject; 5. hatred; 6. forgiveness,

love, acceptance; 7. God; 8. feeling; 9. people.

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Chapter Four Summary

You have a standing invitation from God to talk to

Him whenever you’re angry; He promises not to

shame you or reject you for what you’re feeling,

and He promises to help you sort out your feelings.

If you’re angry about the way people are treating

you, you can tell God exactly how you feel. He’ll

listen and help you figure out what you really want

in this situation. If the person you’re most angry

with is yourself, He’ll help you get rid of any shame

and self-hatred so you can figure out what you

really need to do. If the one you’re most angry with

is God, you don’t have to be afraid to tell Him; He

already knows, and He’d like to hear you admit it.

He promises not to reject you when you tell Him

the truth about how you feel.

Chapter Four Quiz

Check the things that God invites you to do when

you’re angry.

1. ____ Talk to Him about it

2. ____ Tell Him when you’re actually angry with

Him

3. ____ Feel ashamed of yourself for being angry

4. ____ Expect His help in sorting out the situation

5. ____ Stop hating yourself

True or false? Circle the answer.

6. I need to settle my anger down before I pray to

God.

True False

7. If I don’t feel forgiving toward the people I’m

angry with, I can talk to God about it and expect

His help.

True False

8. It’s good to have the same habit David had: of

telling God about everything that’s going on in

my life.

True False

9. Because I’m such a sinner, I really should hate

myself.

True False

10.God will reject me if I’m angry with Him.

True False

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Fill in the blank.

11. I need to find people I can ________ and ask

them for _________ in sorting out my anger.

12. I’m safe in telling God exactly what I feel,

because God promises to _______ and

____________ and _____________ me.

13.When I tell God what I’d like Him to do to

people I’m angry with, I know He’ll do what is

__________ even if it isn’t exactly what I

__________ Him to do.

14.When I’m angry with myself, talking to God

about it can keep it from turning into self-

__________.


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The ability to getangry is a gift Godgave you, and partof that gift is theenergy that comesfrom anger. Maybeyou had a situationwhere you weretrying to fixsomething and

there was a bolt or some other part that justwouldn’t move, and you finally got so frustratedand angry that you yelled and got red in the faceand gave it one final try, and that little boost fromyour anger was all it took to make the part comeloose. If something is wrong, and you’re the personto help make it right, the energy of anger can helpget you moving.

When you look at taking action when you’re angry,this is where you want to be in touch with God andHis unconditional love. A wise man once said, “Ifyou can’t do it in love, don’t do it.” So how are yougoing to act in love toward someone when you’rereally mad at that person? Look at what the apostleJohn said: “We love because he first loved us”(1 John 4:19). The only way to truly be a lovingperson, even when you’re angry, is to be changedby the love Jesus showed you. He loved you whenyou weren’t lovable. He forgave you when you did

Chapter Five

IS IT TIME FOR ACTION?

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things that were unforgiveable. He accepted youwhen you were unacceptable. The Bible says,“Here is how God has shown His love for us. Whilewe were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans5:8).

Maybe you’re really angry with something anotherperson is doing, and you’re going to have to dosomething to try to stop that person; but don’tjudge that person! You need to take time toremember: a) that there are probably people outthere who are just as angry with you about thingsyou’ve done to them, so you’re the wrong personto be the judge of whoever you’re angry with; andb) that person you’re angry with is someone Jesusloved enough to die for. God loves and forgivesyou, and God loves and forgives the person you’reangry with. So again, don’t judge the person; justfocus your anger on the harm that person’s actionsare causing, and see if there’s anything you can doabout that.

1. Anger is God’s gift to me, to give me_________ to help get me moving.

2. The Bible says, in Romans 5:8, that “while wewere still ___________, Christ ______ for us.”

3. When I’m trying to figure out what to do aboutsomeone I’m angry with, it’s important not to_________ that person.


The Bible tells of some times when Jesus gotangry. One of those times was in Matthew 17.

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Jesus had been away for a little while, and whenhe got back with his followers he found a lot ofconfusion and unhappiness. There was a boy witha demon in him; the boy’s father had brought himto Jesus’ followers to get rid of the demon, butJesus’ followers were doing everything wrong andadding to the confusion. Jesus was frustrated andangry with finding this situation: He said, “Youunbelieving and evil people! How long do I have tostay with you? How long do I have to put up withyou?” (verse 17)

But then Jesus put that anger to work. He didn’tdirect it at his followers; He directed it at thedemon in the boy. In verses 17-18 it says thatJesus said, “Bring the boy here to me.” And then itgoes on to say, “Jesus ordered the demon to leavethe boy, and it came out of him. He was healed atthat very moment.” Later on, Jesus and hisfollowers talked about the problem and theyworked it out; the strong frustration and angerJesus had been feeling didn’t get in the way,because he’d already directed that energy againstthe demon.

4. In Matthew 17 the Bible tells of a time Jesus felt_________ and __________ with a situation hefound.

5. Jesus put the energy of his anger to__________ by directing it against the________ instead of his followers.


When God is calling your attention to somethingthat gets you angry, then it’s time to ask: What

does God want me to do with all this angryenergy?

First of all, don’toverlook theobvious: God wantsyou to pray about it!Tell God what’swrong and what’smaking you angry.That may be as far

as you need to go. Don’t bypass this action whenyou’re angry! Pray for the people who are beingharmed, and pray for whoever is causing the harm!

Don’t forget to find people you trust and talk aboutyour anger with them. You might be thinking it’stime to take action; what do they think? The Biblesays, “Plans fail without good advice. But theysucceed when there are many advisers” (Proverbs15:22). God has blessed you with a few wisepeople you can talk with; make use of thatblessing!

Try to find out what constructive action God mightwant you to do with your angry energy. There wasa time when I (the author of this study) was tryingto visit someone in prison, and I was told that therewere some new rules for visitation. The new ruleswere pointless, and just made it harder for me todo my job. I got really angry. But I had some timeto pray about it, and God helped me turn my angerover to Him. So I went in for my visit; I was stillreally angry about the ridiculous new rules, but withGod in charge of my anger I didn’t go off and do

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anything that would get me in trouble. And thenwhen I got back from that visit I got on the phoneand started calling people who might be able to dosomething about those new rules. Before longenough people protested the new rules that theprison administration got rid of them and went backto the old rules. My anger ended up beingconstructive, not destructive. That’s what canhappen when you let God be in charge of youranger!

And then there’s thehardest job of all whenyou’re angry withsomeone: forgiveness.The easy thing to dowhen you’re angry withsomeone is to want thatperson to be harmed orruined, and with the extra energy you get fromanger it’s easier to do something to make thatharm or ruin happen. But God is in the forgivenessbusiness. And He’s calling us to join Him in thefamily business. Forgiveness might be the very lastthing you want to do with the person you’re angrywith; but it may help to keep this in mind:

- Forgiving someone doesn’t mean that whatthey did is okay (it isn’t!)

- Forgiving someone doesn’t mean you have totrust that person or want to be around thatperson (why would you?)

- Forgiving someone probably won’t make youranger go away (you have a lot to be angryabout!)

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What forgiveness does mean is that you look atthat person you’re angry with and you seesomeone God loves and values, and someoneJesus died for. And you want that person’s harmfulactions to stop, but you don’t want that person tobe rejected by God. Forgiveness is a God-sizedjob, so call on God to put forgiveness into yourheart!

6. The first and most obvious thing to do when I’mangry is to __________ for the people beingharmed and for the people causing the harm.

7. When I’m angry I need to ask for God’s help sothat my angry energy is used for something____________, not _______________.

8. The thing I need God’s help the most with is thetask of ______________ someone I’m angrywith.

9. I may still be angry with people and not trustthem when I _____________ them.


Answers to questions within Chapter Five:

1. energy; 2. sinners, died; 3. judge; 4. angry, frustrated; 5. work,

demon; 6. pray; 7. constructive, destructive; 8. forgiving;

9. forgive.

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Chapter Five Summary

One of the blessings of God’s gift of anger is that itgives you energy to do something about thesituation that’s getting you angry. It’s important touse that energy in loving ways: remembering thatGod loves you with all of your messes, and that Heloves the person you’re angry with.

Jesus himself got angry, and he used the energy ofhis anger in ways that helped people, instead ofharming them. With Jesus’ help, you can put yourangry energy to work on praying about thesituation, doing something constructive about thesituation that makes you angry, and even in thehard work of forgiving the person you are angrywith.

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Chapter Five Quiz

Fill in the blank.1. Anger gives me ___________ to act, and I

need to act in love.

2. The Bible says in 1 John 4:19, “We _________because He first ____________ us.”

3. I’m not wrong to be angry with people who arecausing harm, but I don’t have the right to__________ them.

4. I need to focus my anger on the person’s_____________ and not on the person.

True or false? Circle the answer.5. Because Jesus didn’t sin, he never got angry or

frustrated.True False

6. When I find myself getting angry, I need to findout what God wants me to do with my angryenergy.True False

7. Sometimes all God wants me to do when I’mangry is pray about the situation.True False

8. When God is in charge of my anger, I’ll be ableto use its energy to help people, not harm them.True False

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9. Forgiveness is a simple matter of forgettinganything bad happened.True False

Check all the things that are true aboutforgiveness.10.____ If I’ve forgiven someone I have to trust

that person again.

11. ____ Forgiveness makes all my angerdisappear.

12.____ Forgiveness means I want good things tohappen for the person I forgive.

13.____ Forgiveness means I’m completely okaywith the situation.

14.____ Forgiveness is a God-sized job.

15.____ I believe God loves and values the personI’m forgiving.


You probably didn’t pick this book up because youthought anger might be a problem in your life someday; you probably picked it up because anger has

already become aproblem. You’veprobably seen howyour anger has thepower to makeyour familymembers feelmiserable, todestroyfriendships, to

cause alcoholic relapses, or to turn violent. Maybeyou’re living with the unhappy results of youranger’s destructive power right now. Now what?

First of all, believe what it says in the Bible: “Theblood of Jesus, His Son, makes us pure from allsin” (1 John 1:7). No matter how badly you’vemessed up in your anger, Jesus took away the guiltwhen he died on the cross. Don’t keep trying tocarry your guilt around anymore; Jesus paid for itwith his blood, so it’s not yours to hold onto. Trustthe power of Jesus’ blood!

Maybe you’ve been holding onto your guilt andpunishing yourself because you’re afraid you’llmess up all over again if you don’t keep punishingyourself. But here’s what the Bible says about thatkind of plan to stop sinning:

Chapter Six

WHAT ABOUT THE MESSES I’VE MADE?

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It is true that those rules seem wise.Because of them, people give themselvesover to their own kind of worship. Theypretend they aren’t proud. They treat theirbodies very badly. But rules like that don’thelp. They don’t stop people from chasingafter sinful pleasures (Colossians 2:23).

So don’t try to get your anger under control byshaming yourself and punishing yourself. Instead,believe Jesus when he says he forgives you andloves you, and when he says he’ll give you a newheart and a new attitude.

1. 1 John 1:7 says, “The blood of Jesus, His Son,makes us pure from _______ _______.

2. My guilt doesn’t belong to me any more; itbelongs to ___________ since he paid for it.

3. ____________ myself and _____________myself doesn’t help control my sinful behaviors.

4. Jesus promises to _________ me and____________ me, and to give me a new_____________ and a new ______________.


A new heart and a new attitude—what the Biblecalls “repentance”—isn’t a matter of you trying hardnot to live wrong. It’s a gift God gives. God theHoly Spirit lives in every person who trusts inJesus, and the Holy Spirit gives you the ability torepent. Here’s what the Bible says about how Godworks changes in you:

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So from now on we don’t look at anyone theway the world does. At one time we lookedat Christ in that way. But we don’t anymore.Anyone who believes in Christ is a newcreation. The old is gone! The new hascome! (2 Corinthians 5:16-17)

Maybe you used tolook at people and onlysee how angry theymade you. But God willhelp you see more thanthat in people. God willhelp you see them theway He sees them. The

things that get you angry are real, and God knowsthat; He also knows that those are people Jesusdied for and that He wants in His family forever.The Holy Spirit will help your thinking and yourattitude toward other people to get right whenyou’re angry. Trust Him, pray to Him, and watch forthis to happen!

But we’re talking about harm that’s alreadyhappened because of your anger. Is there anythingyou can do about that? One thing you might beable to do is to make amends. The Bible says,“Give to everyone what you owe” (Romans 13:7). Ifyou’ve brought harm into someone’s life becauseyour anger was out of control, and you can dosomething about that harm, then that’s what youowe that person. That’s your amends.

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Here are some things that making amends is NOT:

- Asking the person you harmed to forgive you

- Getting in touch with someone who doesn’twant to hear from you

- Trying to explain or justify or excuse what youdid to harm that person

- Getting something off your chest to make youfeel better

If you’ve harmed someone in your anger, it’s noneof your business whether that person chooses tolike you or forgive you or believe you again. That’sbetween that person and God. Your business, inmaking amends, may include…

- Admitting to that person that you were wrong(if that person wants to hear from you; he maynot, and you need to respect that)

- Trying to repay any loss that other person mayhave suffered because of you (money,reputation, etc.)

- Being willing to accept any anger andunforgiveness that the person you harmed mayhave toward you

- Praying and talking with people you trustabout what else you may owe the peopleyou’ve harmed

Expect that you will have fewer and fewer amendsto make as time goes on, though, because you cancount on God to keep His promise to be Lord over

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your anger. That doesn’t mean your anger will goaway. It means that God will work with you so thatyour anger is healthy and not harmful. Trust Godwith your anger!

King David prayed, “God, createa pure heart in me. Give me anew spirit that is faithful to You.”Pray, like David, for that kind ofheart and spirit. Even when yourheart and spirit are angry, prayfor God’s gift of purity andfaithfulness in your anger.Anything that Jesus is in chargeof is going to turn out all right;and that includes your anger.

5. God changes the way I _________ at peopleI’m angry with, so I can also see them aspeople Jesus ____________ for.

6. Making ____________ means doing somethingabout the harm I’ve wrongfully done to anotherperson.

7. If the person I’ve harmed is still angry andunforgiving toward me, I need to ________ that.

8. If I’ve brought loss into somebody’s life becauseof the wrong I’ve done I need to try to_________ that.

9. As I learn to let God be in charge of my anger itwill become __________ and not____________.


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Answers to questions within Chapter Six:

1. all sin; 2. Jesus; 3. shaming, punishing; 4. forgives, loves,

heart, attitude; 5. look, died; 6. amends; 7. accept; 8. repay;

9. healthy, harmful.

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Chapter Six Summary

You’ve probably caused some pain and loss foryourself and other people because your angerwent out of control. Jesus completely took care ofyour guilt when he died for you. Shaming andpunishing yourself for your sins won’t help keepyou from sinning in the future; instead, you need totrust God to forgive you and to give you a newheart and a new attitude—what the Bible calls“repentance”. God will help you to look the way Hedoes at the people you’re angry: with love andacceptance and forgiveness.

When you look back at the damage you’ve done inother people’s lives because of your anger you cannow find out what amends you need to maketoward those people. That doesn’t mean trying tomake yourself feel better about the harm you’vedone, it means trying to say or to do somethingthat will repay or repair the loss you’ve causedsomeone else. As you learn to let God be incharge of your anger, though, you’ll have fewerand fewer amends to make, as God makes youranger healthy and not harmful.

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Chapter Six Quiz

True or false? Circle the answer1. Jesus died for all of my sin.

True False

2. If I punish and shame myself enough, I’m notgoing to mess up again.True False

3. My guilt doesn’t belong to me anymore, sinceJesus paid for it with his blood.True False

4. Repentance is gift the Holy Spirit gives.True False

Circle the word or phrase that best completes thesentence.5. When I look at the people I’m angry with, God

will help me to see them as people__________________________.A. who need to be punished.B. who haven’t really done anything for me tobe angry about.C. whom Jesus loves and died for.D. who need to be taught a lesson.

6. If somebody is suffering because of somethingI’ve done wrong, I need to ________________.A. punish myself.B. explain to that person that I’m not really bad.C. move on with my life.D. make amends to that person.

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7. Making amends to someone I’ve harmedmeans trying to________________.A. repair or repay the loss I’ve caused.B. get that person to tell me he forgives me.C. explain to that person why I did what I did.D. get something off my chest.

8. As I learn to let God be in charge of my anger Ican expect ____________________.A. that my anger will become healthy and notharmful.B. no real change until I get to heaven.C. to never be angry again.D. that God will punish me for being angry.

9. I can pray that God would give me_______________________ in my anger.A. punishmentB. purity and faithfulness to HimC. shameD. rejection


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Chapter Seven

REVIEW! PLAN! PRAY! GO FORWARD!

REVIEW!The Bible tells us that God is angry at sinners.However, God’s anger is not an emotion, becauseGod does not have emotions as we do. God’sanger is part of His justice, where God threatens topunish those who disobey Him. The Bible tells usthat God does not sin. For this reason, we can beassured that God always uses His anger in theright way. At the same time, the Bible also tells usthat God loves us and sent Jesus, His Son, to saveall people from their sins. It is because of Jesusthat God has forgiven all the sins of all people.

The Bible also tells us that Jesus displayed anger.Jesus was God and man in one person. As a man,Jesus had all the emotions that we do. Yet, he didnot sin. The Pharisees in the synagogue whereJesus was speaking had refused to say whether itwas right for Jesus to heal a man on the SabbathDay (Mark 3:5). They knew that this was the rightthing for Jesus to do, but they refused to admit it.Jesus was angry with them because of theirunbelief. The Pharisees were angry with Jesusbecause he had showed them their lack of love, sothey went out and planned how they could killJesus. However, Jesus did not plot to harm thePharisees. Instead, he planned to die on the crossto pay for their sins. Jesus controlled his anger sohe did not sin.

Anger is an emotion that we have. Because we aresinners, we often get angry and act in ways thathurt other people or even ourselves. God is theonly One Who can enable us to control our angerand to act in ways that are loving and kind. Let usreview what the Bible tells us about how God canenable us to manage our anger.

First of all, we need to recognize that God hasevery right to be angry with us. He tells us that weare to be perfect in all we say, do, and think. Godhas the right to do this, as He is the God Whomade us. We are accountable to Him. God isserious about His commandments. One act ofdisobedience would bring us under God’scondemnation, for one, sin makes us imperfect.Further, none of us can even come close tocommitting just one sin. We cannot even begin tocount all the times we have sinned against God.God has every right to be angry with us and topunish us for our sins.

However, God does not want to punish us. He stillloves us, so He sent Jesus to save us from oursins. Jesus kept all of God’s commandments forus. He always loved others with a perfect love. Henever used his anger to hurt people or to get evenwith people. Jesus also paid the price for our sins.As Jesus hung on the cross, God punished him forthe sins of the whole world. Jesus suffered for allthe sins we did, for the times we have used ouranger to hurt people or to get even with people.Jesus suffered the punishment of hell for us. Godaccepted Jesus’ payment for the sins of all people.

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Jesus died, but he rose again from the dead.Through faith in Jesus, we have the forgiveness hewon for all people as our very own. After this life,everyone who believes in Jesus will live with himforever in heaven.

How will this enable God to control our anger?When people do or say things which hurt us andmake us angry, we can remember the love whichGod has shown to us. Instead of giving us what wedeserved, He forgave us all of our sins for Jesus’sake. Because God has forgiven all of our sins, wecan find the strength to forgive and to do good toothers. We will do this as a way of saying “thankyou, Jesus” for all you have done for me.

Let us review several important truths.1. Because we are sinners, we often get

________ and act in ways that hurt otherpeople or even ourselves.

2. God has every __________ to be angry withus.

3. God still loves us, so He sent _________ tosave us from our sins.

4. Through __________ in Jesus, we have theforgiveness he won for all people as our veryown.

5. Because God has forgiven all of our sins, wecan find the strength to _______ and to dogood to others.


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PLAN!When you leave prison, there are a number ofpractical matters you will have to take care of asyou get on with your life. Pray that God will guideyou and give you strength to do what will be bestfor living your life as a Christian. The following is alist of things that you will want to do when you getout.

1. Pray for and look for a WELS church whereyou will hear the good news about Jesus.You can call the number on the back of thebook to get help with finding a WELS church.

2. Pray for and make Christian friends who willencourage you, will listen to yourfrustrations, and will offer you good advice.You will also want to avoid contact with your oldfriends who helped you to get into trouble. Stayaway from anyone who wants to lead you awayfrom Jesus.

3. Ask God to help you avoid having sex withanyone but your husband or wife. Say “No!”to tempting invitations from old boyfriends orgirlfriends. Sex is a gift Jesus gives husbandsand wives in marriage. People who want you tohave sex outside of marriage are trying to leadyou away from Jesus.

4. Ask God to strengthen your faith. Spend timeevery day with Jesus. Read a portion of theBible every day, especially in the morning. Talkto Jesus in prayer every day. Thank Him forsaving you from your sins. Thank Him for all the

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blessings He gives you. Ask Him for help inyour life. Ask Him for strength to remain faithfulto Him. Reading the Bible and learning aboutGod’s love for you will strengthen you so youcan remain close to Him. Jesus will give youthe power to overcome any addiction that mightbe controlling you. Examples: alcohol, sex,gambling, drugs, money, pornography. Hesometimes gives you help through recoverygroups, which give you ideas, warnings andencouragement to overcome your addiction.

5. Pray for and look for a job where you canearn an honest living. It is better to baggroceries in a supermarket out of love for Jesusthan to get lots of money dishonestly. Moneysoon disappears. Jesus is with us now and willbe with us forever.

6. Ask God to help you show respect to policeofficers, sheriff’s deputies, and parole orprobation officers. Jesus has given thesepeople to you to help you and to hold youresponsible if you return to law-breakingbehavior.

Ask God to help you stay calm in all situations.Uncontrolled anger is sinful and will get you intotrouble again. Remember that Jesus is always withyou to take care of you and to help you stay calm.In all of your dealings with people, tell the truth.Telling lies is sinful. If speaking the truth revealssome of your shortcomings, ask people to beunderstanding.

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PRAY!As you plan for the time you will be free, you mayfind the following prayer helpful:

Lord, I confess that You have every right to beangry with me. I have sinned against You byusing my anger to hurt other people. I have failedto love others as You have loved me. Forgive mefor all the times I have sinned against You andagainst others. I believe that You have forgivenme because of Jesus. I trust that, through faith inYou, I have Your promise that You will take me toheaven to be with You forever. When others dothings to hurt me or do things which make meangry, help me to remember Your great love forme. By Your love for me, help me to love others,to forgive them, and to do good to them. Help meto overcome anger with love, for Jesus’ sake.Amen.

GO FORWARD!Your sinful use of anger probably got you intotrouble in the first place. How can you do anybetter in controlling anger when you get out intothe free world again? Remember that God is withyou. He loves you. He has forgiven all of your sins.His love for us changes our hearts. We can look atother people and love them, even when they hurtus. Jesus prayed for those who were crucifying himon the cross. He loved these people and died topay for their sins. We all have hurt Jesus with oursins. Yet, he also suffered to pay for our sins.When you feel yourself getting angry with others,remember all that Jesus did for you. Ask him tosend his Holy Spirit to give you the strength to say

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“no” to angry desires to get even with people. Askhim to help you love others as God has loved you.Remember that God loves you. He wants you tosucceed. He will give you the strength to live inlove for others.

Let us review several important points.6. How can you do any better in __________

anger when you get out into the free worldagain?

7. Remember that _______ has forgiven all ofyour sins.

8. When you feel yourself getting ________ withothers, remember all that Jesus did for you.

9. Ask Jesus to send his Holy Spirit to give youthe strength to say ______ to angry desires toget even with people.

10.He will give you the strength to live in _______for others.


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Chapter One: (pages 8-9)

1. A; 2. C; 3. A; 4. True; 5. False; 6. True; 7. True; 8. False.

Chapter Two: (pages 15-16)

1. False; 2. False; 3. True; 4. True; 5. False; 6. C; 7. A; 8. D.

Chapter Three: (pages 22-23)

1. False; 2. False; 3. True; 4. False; 5. B; 6. D; 7. B; 8. A.

Chapter Four: (pages 30-31)

1,2,4 and 5 should be checked; 6. False; 7. True; 8. True;

9. False; 10. False; 11. trust; 12. love, forgive, accept;

13. right, want; 14 .hatred.

Chapter Five: (pages 39-40)

1. energy; 2. love, loved; 3. judge; 4. actions; 5. False;

6. True; 7. True; 8. True; 9. False; 12, 14, and 15 should be

checked.

Chapter Six: (pages 47-48)

1. True; 2. False; 3. True; 4. True; 5. C; 6. D; 7. A; 8. A; 9. B.

Chapter Seven: (pages 51 and 55)

1. angry; 2. right; 3. Jesus; 4. faith; 5. forgive; 6. controlling;

7. God; 8. angry; 9. “no”; 10. love.

ANSWERS TO THE CHAPTER TESTS

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Congratulations! You have completed your study of

God is My Anger Manager. Go back through the

book and review any mistakes you made in the

chapter tests. Also review the goals from each

chapter. When you are confident you know all the

goals, you are ready to take the Final Test.

Complete the Final Test without looking at the

book. When you are finished, give the test to the

person who gave you this book or mail it to the

address on the test. Someone will check it for you

and send it back to you with a certificate. You may

also ask for more Bible study books in this series.

If you’re ready, remove the test from the book and

put the book away. Take the test without opening

the book.

FINAL TEST

PLACE

STAMP

HERE

FINAL TEST

RE

MO

VE

AN

D M

AIL

UP

ON

CO

MP

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TIO

N O

F T

ES

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WELS Special Ministries

P.O. Box 452

New Ulm, MN 56073

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GOD IS MY ANGER MANAGERFINAL TEST

Please PRINT the following information so we cansend your certificate to you as soon as possible.

NAME: ___________________________

ID # _____________________________

ADDRESS:

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

Please give us your comments on this course

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

True or false? Circle the answer

1. The ability to get angry is a gift from God.

True False

2. Anger is a very powerful emotion.

True False

3. When anger is out of control it can damage my

family, my career, my finances, and a lot of

other things.

True False

4. When Jesus died for me, he took care of all the

shame and guilt of my out-of-control anger.

True False

5. It’s possible, with God’s help, to be angry

without sinning.

True False

6. Check off all the things that can happen when

anger controls your life

A. ___ Rage

B. ___ Feeling better after getting it out of my

system

C. ___ Becoming a bitter person no one wants

to be around

D. ___ Feeling resentful all the time

E. ___ Good mental health

F. ___ Feeling sorry for myself

G. ___ Getting high to make my anger go away

God is My Anger Manager 61

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Circle the word or phrase that best completes

the sentence

7. When I get angry about unfairness and evil, I

__________________________.

A. have something in common with God.

B. need to repent.

C. am sinning.

D. should be ashamed of myself.

8. Anger can give me ________________ to help

me take action when something is wrong.

A. wisdom

B. nothing

C. energy

D. patience

9. God gives me _________ to manage my anger.

A. fear

B. the Holy Spirit

C. nothing

D. advice

10.The “Three A’s” of dealing with things that make

me angry are: Awareness, ______, and Action.

A. Acceptance

B. Aggravation

C. Avoidance

D. Apathy

11. In James 1:19-20 the Bible says that I need to

_______________ when I start getting angry.

A. repent

B. take a pill


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C. slow down

D. punish myself

12.Accepting the situation I’m angry about means

______________________.

A. saying it’s okay.

B. stopping to think: “This is real.”

C. promising never to do anything about it.

D. believing nothing is really wrong.

13.Whenever I’m angry, and no matter who I’m

angry with, God invites me to _____________.

A. tell Him about it.

B. repent.

C. stop being angry.

D. try to be happy.

14. I’m safe talking to God about my anger

because _______________________.

A. He can’t really hear me.

B. He has promised to love me and accept me

no matter what I’m feeling.

C. He’s far away in heaven.

D. He doesn’t really care.

15.The only time I can’t talk to God about my

anger is _____________________.

A. when I’m angry with God.

B. when I can’t settle down.

C. when I’d really like to hurt someone.

D. never; there is no such time.


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Fill in the blank.

16.When a wrong has been done, I need to focus

my anger on the ______________ and not on

the person.

17.The Bible says that Jesus felt ___________

when he saw harm and unfairness.

18.Sometimes when I’m angry about harm and

unfairness God simply wants me to

________________ about it.

19. If I’m angry about a situation and I think I need

to do something about it, I need to find people I

trust and _______________ with them about it.

20.When I’m angry at someone who has harmed

me, one of the hardest, but most helpful, things

I need to do is to ______________ that person.

21.My guilt for the wrongs I’ve done in my anger

now belongs to ___________ because He paid

for it when He died for me.

22.Shaming myself and hating myself won’t help

me get my ___________ under control.

23.When I know I’ve harmed someone in my anger

I can _________ __________ to Him.

24.As I learn to let God be in charge He will make

my _____________ healthy and not harmful.


Special MinistriesA ministry of WELS Congregational Ministry2929 North Mayfair RoadMilwaukee, Wisconsin 53222-4398

For additional information,

or to order more courses write to:

WELS Special Ministries

P. O. Box 452

New Ulm, MN 56073

When you are released,

to find your closest WELS Lutheran Church,

please call

(507) 354-3130

god is my anger manager

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