…Do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down.
—Ephesians 4:26
Anger expressed inappropriately is a problem, but so is repressed anger. Anger that is stuffed inside and not dealt with properly will eventually come out one way or another. It may show up in depression, anxiety, or any of a variety of other negative emotions—but it will come out. It can even manifest in sickness and disease. If we don't deal with our anger quickly, we will eventually either explode or implode.
The right way to express anger is to talk to God. Tell Him all about the way you feel and ask Him to help you manage the feelings properly. Talk to a professional or a mature friend if necessary, but do not pretend you're not angry when you are. That's not managing your emotions—that is ignoring them, and it is dangerous.
One thing that helps me deal properly with anger is to realize that sometimes God permits people to irritate me in order to help me grow in patience and unconditional love. None of the fruit of the Spirit develops without something to make us exercise them. Ouch! I wish I could magically have all these wonderful fruits working full force in my life without any effort on my part, but that is just not the way it works.
The offending person's bad behavior is not right, but God often uses their behavior as sandpaper in our lives, to polish our rough edges. He is more concerned about changing our character than He is about changing our circumstances.
If I get angry when someone does something to me that's wrong, is my anger any less wrong than the wrong they committed? I think not. Sometimes their wrongdoing merely exposes my weakness and I am able to repent and ask God to help me overcome it. Be determined to get something good out of every trial you face in life, and don't let the sun go down on your anger.
Trust in Him: Are you angry about anything or at anyone? If your answer is yes, begin controlling that emotion right now, deal with it properly, and trust God to deliver you from your circumstances in His timing.
Be Ready for Battle
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Ephesians 6:11–13
Late in the Second World War when it appeared that the Allied Forces were nearing victory over the Nazis, Germany launched Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein—Operation Watch on the Rhine—leading to what came to be known as the Battle of the Bulge. The German plan was to divide the Allied armies and overwhelm them one at a time. The early days of the attack caught the American and British forces completely off guard. Hundreds of thousands of German soldiers and thousands of tanks and planes rolled forward in a successful surprise attack. Though the Allies eventually were able to recover and drive the Germans back, the battle saw America’s highest casualties in the entire war, largely because of a failure to be prepared for an attack.
Until we reach Heaven, there will never be a day when we will not face spiritual warfare and attacks from the enemy. There will never be a day when we can safely venture out without putting on our armor and preparing for a fight. The devil doesn’t take holidays, and he is perfectly willing to come back day after day, month after month, and even year after year to see if he can catch us with our guard down. We have no hope of standing in victory if we enter the conflict without our armor on. The pieces of armor God has given us for spiritual battle are not academic—they are vitally necessary to our success and survival in the war we face daily.
Ephesians 6:11–13
Late in the Second World War when it appeared that the Allied Forces were nearing victory over the Nazis, Germany launched Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein—Operation Watch on the Rhine—leading to what came to be known as the Battle of the Bulge. The German plan was to divide the Allied armies and overwhelm them one at a time. The early days of the attack caught the American and British forces completely off guard. Hundreds of thousands of German soldiers and thousands of tanks and planes rolled forward in a successful surprise attack. Though the Allies eventually were able to recover and drive the Germans back, the battle saw America’s highest casualties in the entire war, largely because of a failure to be prepared for an attack.
Until we reach Heaven, there will never be a day when we will not face spiritual warfare and attacks from the enemy. There will never be a day when we can safely venture out without putting on our armor and preparing for a fight. The devil doesn’t take holidays, and he is perfectly willing to come back day after day, month after month, and even year after year to see if he can catch us with our guard down. We have no hope of standing in victory if we enter the conflict without our armor on. The pieces of armor God has given us for spiritual battle are not academic—they are vitally necessary to our success and survival in the war we face daily.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Any day in which we do not prepare for spiritual battle is likely to end in defeat.
Tell God How You Feel
by Joyce Meyer - posted March 05, 2017…Do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down.
—Ephesians 4:26
Anger expressed inappropriately is a problem, but so is repressed anger. Anger that is stuffed inside and not dealt with properly will eventually come out one way or another. It may show up in depression, anxiety, or any of a variety of other negative emotions—but it will come out. It can even manifest in sickness and disease. If we don't deal with our anger quickly, we will eventually either explode or implode.
The right way to express anger is to talk to God. Tell Him all about the way you feel and ask Him to help you manage the feelings properly. Talk to a professional or a mature friend if necessary, but do not pretend you're not angry when you are. That's not managing your emotions—that is ignoring them, and it is dangerous.
One thing that helps me deal properly with anger is to realize that sometimes God permits people to irritate me in order to help me grow in patience and unconditional love. None of the fruit of the Spirit develops without something to make us exercise them. Ouch! I wish I could magically have all these wonderful fruits working full force in my life without any effort on my part, but that is just not the way it works.
The offending person's bad behavior is not right, but God often uses their behavior as sandpaper in our lives, to polish our rough edges. He is more concerned about changing our character than He is about changing our circumstances.
If I get angry when someone does something to me that's wrong, is my anger any less wrong than the wrong they committed? I think not. Sometimes their wrongdoing merely exposes my weakness and I am able to repent and ask God to help me overcome it. Be determined to get something good out of every trial you face in life, and don't let the sun go down on your anger.
Trust in Him: Are you angry about anything or at anyone? If your answer is yes, begin controlling that emotion right now, deal with it properly, and trust God to deliver you from your circumstances in His timing.
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