Anger - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) February 8, 2022

Have you thought about anger and how it stalls our progress as children of God growing in faith and faithfulness?

The Bible gives several stern warnings about anger and it's impact in our lives:

Ecclesiastes 7:9 - Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

Proverbs 12:16 - Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.

Proverbs 14:17 - A quick-tempered person does foolish things, and the one who devises evil schemes is hated.

There's a trend here. Anger is equated with foolishness. It is therefore our responsibility as individuals who claim to be children of God to set our anger aside. We are to do as is stated in James 1:19-20 - My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

And that's the issue, God wants us to walk and live righteous lives. We can't do that without getting control of our emotions, anger being one of them. We are to be godly, conscious of His desires and expectations as we take our steps each day. Apostle Paul's advise to the people in the church of Colossae remains poignant for us today. Colossians 3:8 - But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Notice anger is the first thing he tells them to get rid of?

God wants to honor us with answered prayers, uncountable blessings, and most importantly, eternal life in Heaven, but "honor is not fitting for a fool," according to Proverbs 26:1. So how about the next time you are angered by someone, take a breath and commit to ignoring what they did to vex your spirit. After all, we are cautioned in Proverbs 19:11 - A person's wisdom yields patience; it is to one's glory to overlook an offense.

Seems like a tall order but God wouldn't tell us to do these tough things if He didn't know we were capable. Yes, we will slip up from time to time, and when that happens learn from the situation, think of the steps you can apply to not fall for that trap again, apologize to God, and put a plan into action that forces satan to be more innovative in order for its evil schemes to succeed. Eventually, it will realize - as it did with Job - that it's return on investment for bothering your life is zero, and will move on from that issue.

Consider Ephesians 4:26 - “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. Consider the Royal Law to love one another and how that conflicts with being angry. Remember, though we do silly things and sin, God isn't angry with His children. The Bible has shown God angry - the perversion and sin in Sodom & Gomorrah provoked God's anger (Genesis 19) is an example. If you are still breathing, despite your sin, realize that God loves you and continues to want the best for you. You now have to want that best for yourself and take steps to receive it from the Lord.

May the Lord help each of us to shed the spirit of unrighteous anger from our lives. May He grant us success in living righteously before Him so we receive the honor He has reserved for us, IJMN, Amen.

Please join me at 12 Noon EST for Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others). And if you are interested, you can also read about a related topic - how Idle Words can limit our access to blessings.