BIBLE TOPICS

Hate & Anger

Hate and anger aren't always bad emotions to have — God hates sin and Jesus was angry with abusive religious leaders. But if we're honest, our hate and anger are usually motivated by selfish pride and fear.

Day One: Anger
Handling anger is an important life skill. Christian counselors report that 50 percent of people who come in for counseling have problems dealing with anger. Anger can shatter communication and tear apart relationships, and it ruins both the joy and health of many...
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Day Two: Being Vexed
The word vex means "to disturb, trouble, or provoke." To be vexed is to be frustrated, annoyed, or exasperated. A vexed person feels some serious irritation. To vex someone is to drive him from patience to impatience or to harass or goad her to the limit of endurance...
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Day Three: Controlling your Temper
Many people struggle with a quick or fiery temper. Although society often encourages people to express themselves and not hold back, God’s Word teaches that giving in to one’s temper is a sin...
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For more, see "Dealing with mean people — what does the Bible say?"

Day Four: Hate
Biblically speaking, there are positive and negative aspects to hatred. It is acceptable to hate those things that God hates; indeed, this is very much a proof of a right standing with God. "Let those who love the Lord hate evil"...
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For more, see "What is the definition of enmity?"

Day Five: Grudges
We all have reasons to hold grudges. People wrong us. Situations hurt us. Even God does not always do what we think He should do, so we get angry. We hold offenses against those who have wronged us, and often against God who we think should have done things differently...
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Day Six: Revenge
The Bible has a great deal to say about revenge. Both the Hebrew and Greek words translated "vengeance," "revenge," and "avenge" have as their root meaning the idea of punishment. This is crucial in understanding why God reserves for Himself the right to avenge...
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Image Credit: Andrew; "glare"; Creative Commons