Page 54 - Biblical Counseling I Textbook

Study Section 9: Practical Applications to Common Problems

9.1 Connect

Do you ever get angry at someone? I do. When I am driving my car down the street, and someone
cuts me off or turns in from of me suddenly, I tend to get upset. It is at that moment that I wish my
car had a machine gun in it like fighter airplanes do. I wouldn’t want to kill anyone, but sure would
like to blow their tires out as a result of their rudeness.

Anger can be a real problem for many of us. Have you ever thought about why we get angry? Anger can make
our lives miserable and obviously effects everyone around us. The Bible says in Proverbs 22:24-25, “Do
not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man, or you may learn his ways
and entangle yourself in a snare.…” Evidently anger can be passed on to others.

Today we would like to study the topic of anger. Why? Because as a counselor, you will find many people who
are outwardly angry or who take their anger and bury it deep into their hearts. Either way, it will surface in
destructive ways. So, we had better learn what anger is and how to avoid it. Let’s learn together….

9.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to define anger and explain reasons for it cropping up in our lives.

2. The student should be able to explain how to help someone who is dealing with fear.

9.3 Practical Applications to Common Problems

Using Jeremiah 17:5-8 as an example of how to use Scripture to help address problems

Helping those dealing with anger

What is anger?
“Anger is a passionate emotional response to a perceived evil that would cross us or hinder us from something
good.” Richard Baxter

“Our anger is our whole-personed active response of negative moral judgment against perceived evil.” Robert
Jones

Anger is an Active response which is something we do. By whole-personed we mean that anger involves our
entire being. Response against something means a reaction to some provocation. Anger involves:

• Negative moral judgment – a pronouncement that something is wrong

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