This is a continuation
of yesterday’s devotion. I realize that
many books have been written on this subject.
Many people are in therapy for anger.
Christian people. Anger is a
secondary emotion, meaning why we get angry is because there is something at
the root – working behind the scenes – and a life situation serves as a
catalyst for our anger to rise up.
I also realize that people
can find verses in the Bible that would suggest that anger is “OK”, it is not
sin. But anger is like a loaded pistol. The gun can go off by accident or can be used for harm intentionally. It can be indiscriminate, hurting the innocent
as well as the guilty. Anger can be so
dominant that the easiest thing is to yield to it and not resist. My point is that accepting anger – even rage,
is not consistent with your new life in Christ.
Most people are not
looking for opportunities to be angry … Those opportunites come suddenly upon
us, like an ambush, with ferocity. Then
it is over – the smoke clears – the causalities lie wounded all around. And we say to ourselves “It’s not a sin to be
angry.” In an effort to justify the harm we have done. So what to do.
First – understand,
and accept, that Anger is not a fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5: 19-21) “The
acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry
and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish
ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the
like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not
inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:22-23) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” These
verses contrast the differences between your life in the flesh and your life
submitted to the Spirit of God – the Spirit that is in you (1 Corinthians
6:19) “Do you not know
that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have
received from God? You are not your own” How can we reconcile anger and the damage it does with our new nature
and the fruit that it bears? I’ll answer that.
We can’t!
Second – Have
you ever heard or said “You make me so angry!”?
No one can “make” you angry. But
they can provide the opportunity for you to express anger. Everything is going fine then the ambush is
sprung and you find yourself in the “kill zone”. In ambush-eze, the kill zone is the place
where most all of the fire power is directed.
Anyone in that area when the ambush starts is a gonner. The only way to not be a gonner is to do what
makes no sense at the time, face the firing and charge it – fighting your way through
it. It is your only hope of survival. In
this case, the best defense is a good offense! When you are getting angry, you need
to recognize it immediately and deal with it spiritually. Like salvation – you can’t succeed by trying
harder. You need to attack with the
sword of the Lord. The ambush is within –
it’s not the circumstance that gave rise to the anger.
Third – The best
thing to do is to avoid the ambush altogether.
To see the signs of danger and go another way. That requires discernment which comes from
the Spirit which requires the discipline of seeking God and hiding the Word in
your heart (Psalm 119:11) I recall
an a time at ROTC advance camp at Fort Bragg, N.C. It was my turn to lead the platoon during a
training exercise in the woods. I was
leading the platoon on the most secure route and not necessarily on the fastest
route to our objective. That meant that
we cut across difficult terrain. I
reached our objective without incident.
Afterwards, I was told that there had been an ambush set up at an
intersection along the road that I had bypassed waiting for us. Thing is we never showed up.
You must be
sensitive to the signs of an anger ambush and avoid them. We choose how we respond to life – in the
power of our flesh or in the power of the Spirit of God. Your success will depend upon your training
and preparation. Most Christians lack an
enthusiasm for spiritual growth and maturity.
They are content with keeping a firm grasp on their ticket to heaven and
talking about how much they love the Lord – around other Christians. But when faced with the withering fire of a
deadly ambush – they falter and fail.
Perhaps you are
thinking that avoiding anger is impossible.
It is not any more impossible that the Son of God dying for your sin and
you receiving eternal life. If God can
do that, why would you think that your problem with anger is bigger than that? You
need to deal with the root of the problem.
Paul talks about this in Romans 7:21-25 (read it) You don’t need
to try harder – you need to Faith harder. CHARLEY
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