In Anger & Stress Management God’s Way, Dr. Wayne Mack has written a concise book of practical guidelines to give the reader clear, biblical direction on how God wants His children to respond to the inevitable stresses of life we encounter in this fallen world—by responding as truth-practicing and hope-filled overcomers. The handling of this difficult subject matter is made personable with anecdotes and illustrations reflecting hope and spiritual growth to be gained from biblically addressing anger and stress.
The first two chapters contrast two different types of anger—sinful anger and righteous anger. Sinful anger is always destructive, whereas righteous anger is constructive. Believers are commanded to get rid of sinful anger (Ephesians 4:31). Dr. Mack says, “Our anger is always sinful when it is caused by our selfishness” (16). Yet, he also confirms, “Controlling anger is usually a lifelong struggle” (25). In addition to selfishness, other manifestations of sinful anger highlighted include when anger is: jealous; allowed to control us; the dominant feature of our lives; accompanied by brooding or fretting; keeping a running record of mistreatments; pretending untruthfully that we are not angry, and; returning evil for evil by attacking people.
A key characteristic of selfish anger is when an individual believes his or her “rights” have been violated, and a helpful list of commonly perceived “rights” is provided. Dr. Mack reminds readers that all that we have, including our perceived “rights,” belong to God because we were purchased with a price and are no longer our own (Proverbs 24:1; Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 6:19). We are therefore to trust God both to know what we need and to provide it (Philippians 4:19).
To learn how to be both good and angry simultaneously, Dr. Mack gives three helpful points to consider in chapter three, and in chapter four, he outlines six sets of questions to ask oneself that can make a difference in one’s success. The three aspects to deal with anger God’s way include: dealing with problems on a regular, daily basis (Ephesians 4:26); understanding that we can control/restrain expressions of anger (Proverbs 16:32), and; examining the reasons for the anger (James 4:1-3).
There are only two ways to deal with anger as Dr. Mack points out—God’s way or man’s way. He states, “What does not come naturally is dealing with our anger in a God-honoring way” (41). An offense can be overlooked (1 Peter 4:8; Proverbs 19:11) if it is not a “fire issue” that would destroy or cause serious damage, and confronting an issue is done only when the person acts in a manner that is clearly forbidden in Scripture in explicit commands or principles, but not about matters inferred from Scripture or mere preference issues.
Chapters five and six answer the question of where stress comes from and points out the consequences of stress. Stress can be a forewarning to prevent repetitive mistakes and can motivate one to make wise choices. Dr. Mack asks, “The real question is, how can we overcome the stressors of life before they overcome us?” (75). He answers saying, “First…we should be aware of the different kinds of stressors we are most apt to experience” (88). He defines typical stressors as various kinds of trials (James 1:2), dissatisfaction over our limitations and deficiencies, which is heightened by comparing ourselves with others, and from other people. Regarding unbiblical responses to stressors to be aware of, Dr. Mack includes debilitating fear, worry, anxiety, bitterness, anger, resentment, depression, discouragement, envy, jealousy, annoyance, irritability, impatience, denial, and pretense. Consequences of such responses include poor relationships with people, lack of spiritual growth, lack of spiritual usefulness, hindered occupational and educational achievements, and physical problems.
Dr. Mack does not leave the reader in a hopeless situation because there is great hope in managing stress God’s way. Toward that end, Dr. Mack has a two-part biblical plan to overcome stress in chapters seven and eight. In chapter seven, part 1 of the way of escape, Dr. Mack discusses two overcoming factors—seeing everything in light of the sovereignty of God and deliberately choosing to give God thanks in the midst of everything and for everything.
Chapter eight finishes with four additional overcoming factors in part 2 of the way of escape. These final four overcoming factors include: seeking to discover God’s purposes for each stressful situation; the boomerang (or sowing and reaping) principle that says that people tend to relate to us as a mirror of what they see in our lives; the James 1:2-5 attitude (perseverance or steadfastness); seeking to discover what God wants you to do; seeking to discover why you put yourself in unnecessarily stressful situations.
Dr. Mack concludes the book with God-honoring advice about handling a violation of “rights.” He says, “Turning your rights over to God doesn’t mean you must become a doormat… It does mean that you seek to do what you do in a Biblical, God-honoring fashion; for Biblical, God-honoring reasons; out of Biblical God-honoring motives. It does mean after you have done all your can legitimately do, you leave the results with God and believe that He will bring to pass what is right and good for you” (135-136).
I highly recommend Dr. Wayne Mack’s Anger and Stress Management God’s Way for all Christ-followers, but it is a must-have for pastors and biblical counselors to use in ministry. Thought provoking application questions within each of the eight chapters encourage the reader to evaluate his or her own life and to respond in light of the biblical truths presented.
