5 Ways That Anger Leads To Wrath

In the world of Spiritual Warfare, we may hear of the terms anger or wrath, but what are they when it comes to context and meaning? They both vary from one another in intensity and variation. How do you know when you're experiencing a normal emotional response versus an escalating problem that can become destructive?

What are the differences between the two?

Understanding the difference matters because anger is a human emotion, but what we do with that emotion matters.

Anger As An Emotion

Anger is not necessarily sinful.

Anger is a human emotion that can be managed. Even in the bible Jesus showed this emotion in John 2:14, where he gets angry in the market and overturns some tables. This was an example of righteous anger.

Anger can arise when we experience injustice, hurt, disappointment, betrayal, frustration, or something that we perceive to be wrong.

The bible says, "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil"(Ephesians 4:26-27). Scripture tells us not to sin while angry, but it never says "do not ever be angry!"

In other words, anger can be present without allowing it to control us.

So, instead of asking, "Am I angry?"

The better question is, "What will I do with my anger?"

When Anger Becomes Wrath

Anger can turn into wrath when it is allowed to grow, become personal, and start to move from an emotion into an uncontrolled response, or a desire to punish.

Wrath (Rage) is a deep, uncontrollable rage that can possibly lead to death and destruction. You can think of wrath as being more intense and overwhelming. In other words, it has escalated to being beyond control and can lead to sinful behaviors. It is more extreme than anger.

A helpful way to understand the progression is:

Offense leads to anger, anger leads to resentment, resentment leads to bitterness, bitterness leads to wrath, and wrath leads to destructive behavior.

5 Ways That Anger Leads to Wrath

1. Anger initially starts with an offense

Something happens that feels wrong, hurtful, or even threatening.

"What they did really hurt me."

Anger isn't necessarily sinful. (Refer back to Ephesians 4:26).

2. Anger then will often get rehearsed instead of released

The person begins repeatedly thinking about the offense, instead of processing it.

"I can't believe they did that to me."

The person keeps playing the conversation over and over in their mind, as well as the offense and what should have been said.

3. Anger turns into resentment

The offense begins to occupy their personal space.

"I will never be able to look at them in the same way ever again."

This turns into the person not just being angry, but holding on to what has happened.

4. Resentment can become bitterness

When the unresolved offense begins to influence how the person sees the offender and everyone around them then bitterness has developed.

"People always treat me this way."

The original offense can become a lens for how future interactions are interpreted.

5. Bitterness can produce wrath

Wrath is intensified anger that has moved towards hostility, retaliation, punishment, and sometimes destruction.

"They need to pay for what they did to me."

This is where anger can become dangerous because it can lead to destructive behaviors such as getting even.

Fighting the Wrong Enemy

The enemy is very crafty. He will use any and every emotion he can to get you to move toward self-destruction. He will set up circumstances and situations to get you to move out of the will of God and move you towards doing the opposite of what God intended.

Satan used me in this area a lot. I remember times of just being mad for no reason at all. And there were also times where I would go from zero to ten real quick and want to fight everyone if I was set off, which was often. I thought it was just a simple case of me being easily annoyed, but I was wrong. My actions of hitting people over the head with telephones, or chasing them down the hallway at work, or chasing them with knives had gotten out of hand. I had slipped into wrath and didn't realize that I was set up on a path to destroy myself and others.

For many years, I was fighting against someone or something. I was mad at the wrong enemy! Then it turned into me getting hit. The enemy launched his full-blown attack. All-out war! Of course, I was unprepared. He hits when we are ignorant of his devices. And most importantly, when we are ignorant of the spiritual realm. How was I to know the unseen battle I was supposed to fight in?

The bible says, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12). People weren't the real problem. I had a flesh problem. I had allowed my flesh to rule my mind and my heart. I wasn't able to practice self-control.

The enemy loved having the upper hand. Or so he thought...Just because you are unaware doesn't make you invincible to the attack. What you don't know can and without a shadow of a doubt will hurt you. He played on every emotion that he could. Why hit her physically when I can mess with her mind? The first place that he strikes.

Just make her think that she has already been defeated. Make her fight against people. Then half the battle is won. When someone told me that they saw me on the frontlines in the spirit, I didn't know what that entailed. I didn't know what I was enlisted to do, and definitely didn't know what was coming to me. True ignorance at its finest.

The Lord had to teach my hands to war (Psalm 18:34). I wish I could say that I took a course or read a book on Spiritual Warfare, but why take all the fun out of it? No! I was thrown straight into the battle. It was sink or swim for me. They say the best way to learn something is by hands-on experience. Yep, I was placed in the middle of a spiritual war zone and left to fight my way to victory.

I wish I could say that it was a quick win. It took 6 months straight. Hey...some of us are slow learners! When I finally got the memo, I was able to place the Armor of God on and rise to the occasion and take down Jericho.

I remember being mad at my friends during this battle. They were involved in the occult and witchcraft, and I didn't know it. I was blinded by the enemy. Surely they were to blame for all this chaos I was in, right?! Wrong! Instead of looking at my own sins, I pointed the blame at everyone else. Still angry as ever.

When I repented for allowing anger and wrath to control my life, I left room for the Lord to heal me and set me free from the hands of the enemy. In Spiritual Warfare, confronting sin is breaking agreement with what the enemy is doing. When we allow sin to rule our lives, it creates doors to bondage and oppression. The key is to address it in love. Then you break the enemy's hold. This closes the doors and brings freedom.

Some Examples of Anger

• Feeling frustrated when you are stood up by your date.

• Yelling at your husband when he breaks a promise to you.

• Being angry at the unfair treatment of another person.

• Raising your voice because you found out your child lied to you.

• Feeling irritated when the car next to you cuts you off.

Anger is a normal emotional response to something being unfair, unjust, wrong, or frustrating.

Some Examples of Wrath (Rage)

• Destroying your boyfriend's personal property in a fit of anger.

• Threatening your neighbor because their dog pooped in your yard.

• Seeking revenge on someone who embarrassed you instead of pursuing reconciliation.

• Chasing someone in your car and driving aggressively to teach them a lesson for cutting you off in traffic.

• So angry to the point where you can't see or think clearly.

• Punching a wall when you get into an argument with another person.

• Throwing personal objects because you can't have your way.

Wrath (Rage) is anger that is intensified to the point that you lose self-control, and it can lead to sinful or destructive behaviors.

Scripture warns against wrath because it leads to sinful behaviors. "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you" (Colossians 3:8).

When you feel anger, your emotions are saying that there is something that needs to be addressed. If those feelings are left unchecked, then it will eventually lead to wrath, which can sometimes lead to sin and destruction.

A simple distinction:

Anger says:

"What happened to me was wrong."

Resentment says:

"I can't let go of what happened."

Bitterness says:

"What happened has changed how I see you."

Wrath says:

"You are going to pay for what happened."

And that is why Ephesians 4:31 is so powerful. It says, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger...be put away from you.

Anger is the warning light; wrath is what can happen if the warning is ignored.

A key question to ask yourself: What am I doing with my anger before it becomes something stronger than the actual offense?

Spiritual Warfare Declarations for Anger and Wrath (Rage)

• I command any spirit of anger or wrath to go now in the name of Jesus.

• I renounce letting a spirit of anger or wrath control my life.

• I declare that I am healed and set free from a spirit of anger or wrath.

• I loose myself from the bondage of Satan by the power of Jesus, and I declare that I am free. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.

• I declare that I am not ruled by my emotions.

• I have self-control by the authority of Jesus Christ.

• I walk in the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.