Do you have any tips on how I can control my anger? I can put the lid on it for a while, but then something happens and I blow up. I know this isn't right, but I don't know what to do about it. — R.Q.

The key to dealing with our anger is to turn it over to God. As long as we try to conquer it on our own we will never be completely successful, but with God's help we won't only suppress our anger, but God will replace it with His love.

We usually get angry because we aren't getting our own way. People frustrate us, or circumstances keep us from doing what we want to do, or we lack something (such as money) that we think we need to reach our goals—and we get angry as a result. But whatever the problem, the deeper issue is within ourselves. The Bible says, "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?" (James 4:1).

This is why you need God's help, for only He can change our hearts and deal with our wrong attitudes and desires. Commit your life—including your anger—to Christ. Ask Him to forgive your sins, and to come into your life and begin to change you from within. By a simple prayer of faith you can give your life to Christ right now.

Then ask Him to help you deal with your anger. When you sense yourself getting angry, turn to God and ask Him to take it away. When others upset you, pray for them and ask God to help you love them the way He does. When circumstances bother you, ask God to help you accept them. It may not happen overnight, but with God's help your anger can be overcome.