[This is my second post of three in my “Vintage Wednesday” series on “Getting Ticked Without Sinning,” re-written/updated from a blogpost back in March of 2011.]

Last week I shared a story of losing my cool in an airport back when I was single, stressed, and dealing with culture shock. I had to repent of my incorrect handling of anger.

Ephesians 4:26-27 gives us some directives on managing our anger. “In your anger do not sin,” Paul says. “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

First, note that the Greek word for anger here is actually a command. Anger is an emotion that must be felt—not suppressed or denied. We're ordered to be angry. In fact, anger is a negative emotion one keenly feels when perceiving that an act of injustice has occurred.

So not all anger is bad. It's evidence, you might say, that we've been made in God's image. Something within us cries out for the world to be made right.

Next, Paul points out; do not sin in your anger. “Go ahead—be mad,” he writes, “but when you're ticked off, remember that sinning is off limits!”

Our problem is not anger; rather, it's the sinful ways we tend to respond to it. Expressing anger in immature, selfish, and hurtful ways is always sin. If we don't properly deal with our anger it can destroy both us and others. Buried anger eventually leads a person into pits of depression. Concealed anger eventually leaks out and poisons relationships, much like toxic waste that seeps into the water table.

Last of all, deal with your anger quickly—before the sun sets! The longer you wait the harder it is to resolve an issue. Going to bed angry makes your anger behave like cement; it hardens during the night. Holding on to anger also builds a wall of resentment between relationships. One person wisely said, “Do not erect a shrine to your anger in your heart. If you do, the devil will appoint himself its priest.”

So how do you deal with your anger? Do you tend to own it and get over it or do you tend to excuse it or suppress it? Be brave, leave a comment. Share your strategies for overcoming anger; your coping mechanisms, or a story of redemption despite a negative experience. (Next week I'll wrap up this series with some tips on overcoming our anger/negative emotion)