Proverbs 29: 22 An
angry man stirs up strife, and a furious man abounds in transgression.
Proverbs
29: 22. Before Cain killed his brother
Abel, God confronted Cain about the danger of surrendering to his “anger
issues.”
So the
Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If
you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at
the door. And its desire is for
you, but you should rule over it.” (Genesis 4: 6)
The
Apostle Paul, a bachelor whose writings about submission have been fodder for
many a his & her argument over the years, admonished men to reject the
image of the perpetually angry husband.
Husbands,
love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. (Colossians
3: 19)
The
Apostle Peter, Jesus’ best friend, warned against being perpetually angry and
refusing to understand the other person, especially when you have the power to
dominate the other person in a relationship.
Peter said that this kind of relational meanness is so abominable that
God won’t even listen to you while you practice it.
Husbands,
likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to
the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your
prayers may not be hindered. (1 Peter 3:7)
Jesus
Himself taught that unchecked “anger issues” put you in spiritual danger from
the judgment of God.
But I
say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in
danger of the judgment. (Matthew 5: 22)
You
can get mad without actually sinning (Ephesians
4: 26), but if you carry that anger and bitterness from day to day, to day,
to day---- you’re walking into dangerous and prohibited spiritual territory.
That
evil, ugly, chip-on-the-shoulder-so-big-you-can’t-walk-straight attitude you
project all the doggone time? Let it go.
Maybe
it did all start because someone did you wrong.
Maybe you started acting this way because everybody around you was mean
and angry. Maybe this is your defense
mechanism, a way you’ve learned to cope so that you don’t get hurt again. Maybe so.
But
that’s not all it is anymore.
Perpetual
anger, nurtured bitterness, grudges hoarded and held over time melt into a
weight on your soul that draws sin to you and from you.
Haven’t
you noticed how people can be in a room happy and at ease with one another
until one certain other person arrives. The
moment that person enters the room the entire mood gets darker. The weight of one person’s bitterness and
anger can be a black hole that sucks up all the joy and ejects streams of
strife in its wake.
Your
anger doesn’t protect you from drama. It
contributes to the drama. Your bitterness
does not make you immune to haters. It
makes you susceptible to sin. (Proverbs
22: 10)
Don’t
just manage your anger; relinquish it.
Don’t
just learn to live at peace with you bitterness. Learn to live without it.
---Anderson
T. Graves II is a writer, community organizer and
consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.
Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Hall
Memorial CME Church in Montgomery, Alabama.
To hear sermons, read devotions, and learn more
about the ministry at Hall Memorial CME Church, visit www.hallmemorialcme@blogspotcom.
If you enjoy our work, please help support our work
in the community. Send a donation of any amount by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116
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