Anger. Not being angry, but anger, rage, wrath, vengeance. This is the root of murder. Here are three stages of anger that I covered in a previous blog post and are found in Colossians 3:
- anger - hate only creates more hate. Anger feeds lusts and desires.
- rage - once enacted, it is hard to turn off or control. Don't go there! Peace never emerges from the aftermath of rage. Let peace rule your heart!
- malice - is a deliberate attempt to harm others (even when others are being good to you). Malice is a relationship destroyer and there is an evil influence behind it - Beware of the wiles of Satan!
Here is where Jesus is drawing our attention. Anger takes away the reins we have on our emotional control. Sin rapidly rears its head in us when we are controlled by our anger. This anger is what puts us in line for eternal judgment dished out by God. God who is slow to anger (meaning He has control) teaches us that being angry is not a sin – it is the way we handle our anger that leads us into sin.
Anger can quickly build into rage. Jesus says that to insult our brother (other Christians, close relatives, and even friends) is means for being brought into court. Don’t believe me – why do we have Peoples Court and Divorce Court and Judge Judy and Judge What’s His Name shows? What feeds shows like Jerry Springer and other mongrel shows? When we are angered enough to allow rage to build up, our insults can have devastating results on those our rage is focused upon – just look at how bullies destroy the self-worth of those they bully.
The problem with rage does not stop there. Rage leads to malice. This is the same as calling someone a fool. Why? Malice is a deliberate attempt to harm others. People with malice have no part in God, and they can quickly move into a posture of murder. Left unchecked and unrepentant those who reach this stage of anger are closing in on an eternity in hell.
A person who has an anger problem needs to show forgiveness to receive forgiveness. God will not forgive an unrepentant heart. Many people spend more time asking for God to get their enemies and less time asking God to change their own hearts towards those they call enemy. Those with anger issues will pay the price if they will not deal with their problems.
Anger doesn’t have to lead to a showdown in court. Anger should be dealt with immediately:
"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV)
The devil will use every tool against you. If you do not deal with an issue you have with someone else, Satan will use it against you everyday of your life. Finally, the devil will present his evidence against you before God in the final judgment.
Don’t let the devil control your buttons! Get hold of your life. Learn to live with forgiveness. Find help from others to keep Satan from having ammunition against you. Trust in the love of Jesus and show it. Do not become as guilty as a murderer. God loves you too much to leave you in that condition.
I know from personal experiences what anger can do to relationships. I had anger against a former employer that used to keep me up at nights. My anger festered until one day I realized how much it controlled me and harmed the way I built relationships with others. When I dealt with it, my life changed.
Dealing with someone who you are angry with is worth the effort. They may not forgive, but God will. Then again, they may surprise you. You will never know if you carry retribution in your heart. Deal with your anger and stop it from destroying the relationships with those around you. Slippery slopes do have an end; you just have to choose how you will get off.
- Have you noticed an anger problem in your life? What are you going to do to fix it?
- Do you need to repair a broken relationship? How quickly can you do it?
- Are you willing to be a person of forgiveness? Or will rage and malice dominate your life?
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