“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 3:8-11
In our
scripture reading for today we find that, Christians are called to put aside "anger, wrath, malice, slander, and
abusive speech." The command
is clear, but the process of achieving and maintaining freedom from anger may
seem confusing and overwhelming.
The
first step is to recognize anger in your heart. This may seem unnecessary to
those who readily express their feelings, but for those who have buried their
anger deep within, an extended time of soul-searching before the Lord will be
necessary. Although hidden, the cancer
of resentment has been growing and slowly infesting the heart. This growth of anger has caused people to
miss out on God’s plans and purpose for their life.
The sharp
sword of God's Word needs to be allowed to do some surgery so that anger can be
cut off, “For the word of God powerful,
and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and
spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
The
next step is to confess unrighteous anger as sin and then begin to deal with it
immediately. Because anger is often a response to hurt, care must be taken not
to excuse or defend it in the name of justice. According to Frank and Ida Mae Hammond,
authors of Pigs in the Parlor, anger is linked to demon groupings of
bitterness, resentment, hatred, unforgiveness, violence temper, retaliation and
murder, and is associated with perfection, pride, vanity ego frustration,
criticism, irritability, and intolerance; all which may need to be dealt with
in deliverance. Although someone may have sinned against you,
holding onto anger in response is also a sin.
Scripture tells us to overcome
evil with good, not to repay it, “Repay
no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil
with good” (Romans 12:17, 21).
Management
of an irate lifestyle is not optional; anger must be put aside. We can not
expect to live in the new nature Christ has created for us while retaining our
"right" to be angry and hold grudges.
God's
solution to an anger problem is a new Christ-like personality which He has
created for us. Our responsibility is to put it on and seek deliverance when
necessary. He invites us to cooperate with Him in this
process of transformation. With each
step of obedience, the peace of Christ will increase and anger will diminish.
Prayer—Father I ask You to help me deal
with anger immediately when it comes.
Lord will you please help me to walk in your meekness, gentleness, and
kindness? Father I receive by faith all
of Your capabilities in dealing with anger when it arises in m life, in Jesus
Name. Amen.
