Proverbs 29:22 

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

A “man of wrath” is not simply a person who gets angry. All of us get angry. A “man of wrath” is controlled by anger. You know the type. They are constantly railing about something. The government. The educational system. Their business partners. The neighbors. How someone treated them at a particular restaurant. On and on and on…. 

The man (or woman) of wrath is unwilling to keep their anger internalized. They are on a mission to get you riled up as well. Like a cook stirring a big pot of soup, the angry person stirs up your emotions until they boil. After talking to an angry person, 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 a person of wrath, you start saying, “Yeah! That makes me angry too!” An angry person commits many sins. One of them is stoking the emotional fires in others.

So…stay away from a “man of wrath.” Do not become friends with them (Prov. 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 angry alone…and that just might be what God uses to get their attention.

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 recognize our sin, repent of it, and live controlled by your Spirit instead of anger. In Jesus’ name. Amen.