I said to myself, “I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me.” But as I stood there in silence- not even speaking of good things- the turmoil within me grew worse. The more I thought about it, the hotter I got, igniting a fire of words. – Psalms 39: 1-3
Many of us are familiar with Ephesians 4: 26: “Be angry, but sin not.”
It indicates that anger in itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, it’s a human emotion.
It’s natural for us to get angry when we feel attacked or disrespected.
And to be fully transparent, I still feel a wave of anger every time certain people from my past cross my mind.
But unchecked anger is dangerously sinful because it turns us into seething time bombs.
Eventually, the anger will turn into rage and we will go off, sinning against those around us.
So what do we do when we can’t let go of our anger?
Well, we should start by meditating on the words of David in Psalm 39: 4:
Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered- how fleeting my life is.
In the grand scheme of things, how others choose to behave is not worth losing sight of our purpose and why God put us here.
It’s not worth it to nurse hurt feelings when we know that God has promised us eternal salvation for our devotion to Christ.
And then we should remember that any offense against us is really an attack on God and His command to love everyone.
We’re just bystanders who get struck from time to time by stray bullets that were intended for God.
So the next time someone says or does something that triggers anger, try to take the “fly on the wall” approach.
Imagine the person walking straight up to God in all of His infinite glory, and spitting at Him in contempt.
That image alone should take our anger down about 10 notches.
When we become angry, we must not simply hold our tongues, but extinguish the fire inside by realizing that:
1) Life is short and anger drives us away from our purpose.
2) The offense against us is really an offense against God, and
3) God sees everything and will vindicate us in the appropriate season.
So let’s do our best to replace our anger with the truth and assurance of God’s beautiful word.
Be blessed,
Alexia
Prayer: God, someone hurt me and I’m having a hard time letting it go. Lord, help me to get rid of my anger. And help me to be slow to take offense if someone treats me in an unloving way. Give me a heart that forgives and prays for those who hurt me. Purify my heart so that I may worship you in truth. In Jesus Name, I pray, Amen.
I am so thankful that God gave me the ability to control my anger. It wasn’t in my own strength, but His. I have always been a nice person, but if I felt wronged I would get so angry. I turned into a completely different person and scared people. That’s not my nature of character. I had to realize the offense wasn’t about me, but also that people have deep rooted issues within themselves that they need to correct. Thank God that He gives us a peace that surpasses all understanding.
I also realized that when I got angry my body would secrete hormones that weren’t good for me. Causing my blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing to be increased. If I wanted to take care of my temple I had to make sure to keep those things under control. That’s why He gives us self control as a fruit of the spirit. Our God is such a blessing to us!