It is hard to admit how “off” we get when we are angry. One reason is because we often get angry for right reasons or legitimate causes. We must start Step 2 by admitting that a legitimate trigger is only the first test of righteous anger.

Below are seven test questions for righteous anger taken from David Powlison’s article (bold text only) “Anger Part 1: Understanding Anger” from The Journal of Biblical Counseling (Fall 1995). The journaling tool provided in Step 3 will include these seven tests, but only use the words in parenthesis to reference each test. Your goal here is only to understand each test, so you can use them later to evaluate your anger.

1.    Do you get angry about the right things? (Right Trigger)

2.    Do you express anger in the right way? (Right Response)

3.    How long does your anger last? (Duration)

4.    How controlled is your anger? (Controlled)

5.    What motivates your anger? (Motive)

6.    Is your anger “primed and ready” to respond? (Primed)

7.    What is the effect of your anger? (Effect)

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