Thursday, September 25, 2008

God works in mysterious ways

So as you all may know I have been very angry with God about the whole situation with Ashly and Denny. I have only talked to God about it once and will again when I'm ready. But I find it funny-that today I open up my daily devotional and this is what I get...

(Wow, I'm always reminded how God works in mysterious ways-he speaks to us in many different ways)

How to Deal with Your Anger
by Rick Warren


If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day. Don’t give the Devil a chance. Ephesians 4:26-27 (GNT)

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Conflict happens. There’s no avoiding it, and so there’s no avoiding anger in your life.

In fact, ignoring or denying your anger will simply make things worse. When conflict comes up, deal with it head on and quickly. Don’t let it fester. It’s a big mistake to think, “Let’s ignore it and hope it will go away.”

The Bible teaches, in Ephesians 4:26-27 (GNT), “If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day. Don't give the Devil a chance.”

Some people are surprised by this verse; they ask, “Is it ever right for a Christian to get angry?” Yes.

How do I know it’s all right for a Christian to get angry? Well, let me ask you this: Did Jesus ever get angry? Yes!

Did Jesus ever sin? No. Evidently there are times when anger is appropriate.

In Ephesians, we’re told, “If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin.” This implies there is an anger that leads you into sin, but there’s also an anger that doesn’t lead you into sin. There’s a right way to get angry and there’s a wrong way to get angry.

How do you know the difference?

The wrong kind of anger is anger that is not resolved quickly. It’s becoming angry, and then just staying angry all day and then the next day and the next. The Phillips translation of this Ephesians verse says, “Never go to bed angry.”

That will keep a few of us up sometimes! If you said, “In our marriage, we’ll never go to bed angry,” you might resolve problems a little more quickly.

Anger that is not dealt with turns into resentment and then into bitterness. Bitterness is always sin. Resentment is always sin. Those emotions are always wrong.

The Bible says to deal with anger quickly. Don’t let it hang on. Resolve conflict as quickly as possible.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

God always seems to meet us RIGHT where we are, RIGHT when we need him. That allows me to rest more in him, even when I don't understand his ways. Love you, friend.