But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, Colossians 3:8-10 (NKJV)
We have been looking at a series of devotionals about communication. We have looked at how critical it is to have good communication if we are to have good healthy relationships, both with the Lord, and others as well.
We have learned that when we are not communicating with the Lord, it will hinder our Christian walk. And as a result, it will greatly affect our relationships with everyone else in our life. Many marriages, partnerships and friendships have been destroyed simply by poor communication.
In todays devotional, I would like to look at something that can, and will, hinder us in our communication with God and with others in our life; and that is Unrighteous Anger. Unlike a righteous anger where we are angry at sin (See John 2), unrighteous anger is where we are angry with the person instead of the sin. We are told in Colossians 3:8 to put off this type of anger.
The greek word for this rendering of Put off is Apotithemi pronounced (ap-ot-eeth-ay-mee), and it means to put away (literally or figuratively), or to cast off, or to lay apart (aside, down). In other words, let it go! Get rid of it!
When we get angry with others, we tend to show it in our emotions and our actions. We might raise our voices in an aggressive tone as we assert our opinions, ideas or concerns. This will generally cause the people that we are speaking with to feel fear and respond in a similar way, or they will simply become angry themselves and begin to become aggressive and unwilling to sharing their opinion in a calm and constructive way.
If left unresolved, we will begin to build a wall between those were angry with and ourselves. As this pattern continues the wall will be such that there will be no communicating anymore. Anger hinders communication with our spouse, family, co-workers, friends, and especially with the Lord. Jesus speaks very firmly of anger in Matthew 5:22.
But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! Matthew 5:22 (NLT)
The devil loves to tempt us to be angry with our spouses, and with others because he knows that he can cause us to be divided, and he knows that our prayers will be hindered (1 Peter 3:7).
We are told not to go to bed with anger. Were to resolve any issues we have with others that were angry with; otherwise it will give a foothold to the devil in our lives (Eph 4:26, 27) by causing a bitter root to spring up within us (Heb 12:15).
And dont sin by letting anger control you. Dont let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. Ephesians 4:26-27 (NLT)
Anger is a powerful emotion and it can do serious damage to our lives, both physically and spiritually. The effects of unrighteous anger are so far reaching that it is one of the most powerful forces that we can generate in our human bodies, and it will greatly affect what we do, or dont do. Unrighteous anger is sin, and therefore it disrupts our prayers unto the Lord. It is like our prayers are bouncing off the roof and theyre going no further.
We are told in Scripture that the Lords hand is not so short that He cannot save us, nor is His ear so heavy that He cannot hear our prayers for help.
Behold, the LORDS hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. Isaiah 59:1-2 (NKJV)
Hey Christian, I want to encourage you today to put off, or get rid of any anger that you might have towards someone else. Dont let Satan trip you up and take away your prayers from being heard. There is nothing worth this. Forgiving others, and letting go of anger is not contingent on them, it is up to you alone, regardless of how they receive your peace offering.
If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Romans 12:18 (NKJV)
God is our defender, and He knows the score. He is the one who allowed whatever happened to you in the first place, and He has a perfect plan for it, and that person; let Him defend you, and work in that persons life as well.
STUDY QUESTION: What can we learn about unrighteous anger by reading the verses of scripture contained within this devotional?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Is there someone who you are angry with?
APPLICATION: Forgive them and allow God to work through you, and on them. Dont let anger cloud your communication with the Lord or with others.
No comments:
Post a Comment