Proverbs 29:22
A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.

An angry man is not a person who gets angry—all of us get angry—but he is controlled by anger. You know the type. He is always railing about something—the government, the educational system, his business partner, his neighbor, how someone treated him at a certain restaurant, and on and on and on….

The angry man is not content with keeping his outrage to himself. He is on a mission to get you riled up, too. Like a cook stirring a big pot of soup, the angry person stirs up your emotions. After talking to someone who is angry, you have angry episodes about situations you weren’t involved in, people you don’t even know, and issues you haven’t even thought about. When you hang around an angry person, you start saying, “Yeah! That makes me angry, too!” One given to ire commits many sins, which includes stoking the emotional fires in other people.

So…stay away from an angry person. Do not become friends with them (Proverbs 22:24). They will harm you, not help you. They will tear you down, not build you up. They will stir up your emotions. They will lead you into sin. Leave them alone in their anger. They hate being furious alone…and that just might be what God uses to get their attention.

Dear Father, give us the strength and courage to let angry people stew alone. Give us the discernment to not become friends with them. And Father, if we are an angry person, help us to recognize our sin, repent of it, and live controlled by your Spirit instead of anger. In Jesus’ name. Amen.