Freedom From Destructive Anger

Anger! What man hasn't fallen victim to his own inability to manage anger wisely? Anger poorly handled destroys the health of men. Some have actually died from a fit of rage. Many have died due to anger rashly expressed. While that - thankfullly -  isn't the fate of many or even most men, anger is still a thief and destroyer. Poorly handled anger upsets promising careers, ruins relationships between businessmen and their clients, and  has cost more than one sales person a good commision. And that is all before a man returns home to his wife and children who often endure the pent up rage which he has neither the ability or courage to properly express at work. Wives pack up and leave, children are emotionally wounded, sometimes beyond total recovery, and all because we as men are sometimes unable, or unwilling to deal honestly and humbly with the anger which wells up and boils over. And what man who professes to follow after Christ hasn't wondered at least once if his anger has destroyed opportunities he's hoped for to share the reasons for the hope which otherwise lives within him. 

OK, so we get it, we all understand and agree that anger poorly managed will destroy.  But knowing a fact and having believing there is a way to avoid this destruction are two seperate things. I know cancer is a killer. But I may not be able to prevent its insidious effects on my own healthy life.  Is that the case with anger? Can we know it as a destroyer yet also know we are helpless under its rule?

Let's take a careful look at some Scriptural principles that can help us to understand and wisely manage the anger each of us is prone toward. Let's see if there aren't some things we can discover which - if applied - will help us move from anger that destroys to anger which - when properly harnessed - can be a blessing.