Is God Controlling us?
This week’s post is meant to help us prepare to move out of the way and allow God to sanctify us. It is our prayer that you will be edified and equipped. We also ask that you share with others, tweet, repost, email to your friends, or just tell someone about them. Enjoy the read!
Read & Meditate
James 1:20: “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”.
Read & Meditate
Biblically, all anger is not necessarily considered wrong. However, in most cases, what a person feels is “righteous anger” is simply his or her way to justify sin. As such, we need to be equipped to address sinful anger in a way that honors God and brings repentant change within our hearts. Did we see the equation represented in the passage from James? First take note, second quick to listen, third slow to speak and then anger is slow in us. We see James, the brother Jesus, offering us options of how to treat our anger. We have a focus on our training and equipping while we are on earth and addressing anger is a primary way we sin. No excuses Church! Anger not expressed on thought of the same way God would is sure tell sign that He is not our Lord or King.
If we struggle with Anger, it is a tell sign that God is not controlling our life? Anger is conceptualized as an amoral emotion that simply builds up inside a person. We have to take responsibility for our own emotions by confessing the emotions that do not support God’s redemptive nature. We may have heard at one time or another, the phrase, “You make me so angry.” Implying that the cause of our anger is external and has a cause and effective relationship. This is not a biblical view and we are to do everything to train ourselves to fight anger, matter of fact to get rid of it the apostle Paul writes! If we use this statement or follow this belief pattern, it ultimately exhibits a refusal to own up to our responsibility over our own attitude, thinking, and behavior. If this is not addressed, then ultimately the cure for our anger resides in the offender changing, leaving us hopeless and forcing us to accept a very dismal conclusion: “If the other person doesn’t change, we cannot change.” Fortunately for us, the Bible’s views on anger and its origin very differently from our traditional view. As such, it may be helpful to consider the words of Jesus at this point. Jesus said in Mark 7:20-23, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Respond and Implement
1) Do you agree that unrighteous anger is sinful?
2) What is one thing you are going to do to address your angry thoughts?
Grace and Peace Be With You