Even When

"Anger causes us to do on our own strength what is best laid at Jesus' feet."

HAVING BEEN SET FREE of the rules of the Law, the church continually slipped back into its practices, which peeved Paul to no end. The entirety of the Law had been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jesus wrote it so that He could be the perfect sacrifice of it, remove the curse caused by its ordinances, and buy men back from sin and death. With His salvation, no man needed to use self-effort to better themselves or accomplish what could only be done in the Spirit. Instead, the children of God were to walk by faith.

We are to walk by faith. The Holy Spirit is within us to guide us through the ups-and-downs of life, with the wisdom of God, instead of our human thinking. He is the power over all of our struggles. Jesus provided the Way. The Holy Spirit does the work. We trust Him implicitly. This means, often, turning away from our thinking, because we can get into serious error making decisions on our own. Our seemingly petty, everyday things are better when considered through Him.

Our emotions get us into trouble, and anger is the biggest cause. Anger causes us to do on our own strength what is best laid at Jesus’ feet. He is a joyful Prince of Peace. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of love, joy, and peace which grows in our hearts and displays in our words and actions. But anger focuses on ourselves. It is intensely selfish, overriding what we know God has told us about how we are acting, and justifying itself by any means. “But she said.” “But he did.” We either avoid the Word of God to pursue its selfishness or we bend it to fit.

“Be ye angry, and sin not” is not an excuse to be angry. Because anger causes sin. “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath” is not a reason to be angry all day and only dismiss it at sundown. We are told, “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. (James 3:16)” The primary reason for envy is anger. The primary reason for strife is anger. Jealousy comes from anger. Bitterness comes from anger. Criticism and complaining come from anger.

Anger is the devil’s primary … scratch that … only mood. He is perpetually angry. He isn’t simply trying to make you angry. He is angry and delights in anything that makes humankind angry. He will butter up one roll and burn the other one. The burnt roll is then angry that its neighbor has any butter left.

“But what about Jesus? He got angry,” you say. Sigh. Yeah, let’s deal with this. A) Next time you see the Son of God, you ask Him about his anger issues. B) You won’t do that.

Does God get angry? Well, chuh. At sin, which usually comes from our reckless anger. Now, before you twist that into a knot. God’s anger comes from His holiness. He cannot sin. He is not tempted by evil (James 1:13). He hates the devil (reason why He defeated Him). He IS love (1 John 4:8). He sent Jesus for our sake in the greatest act of love that will ever be. But persistent willful unrepented sin makes Him angry. Jesus sets the example.

When Jesus entered the temple and turned over the tables of the moneychangers, He gave His reason for it. “My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves (Matthew 21:13).” They weren’t praying but selling overpriced goods and stealing from those who entered instead of blessing them. The temple and all that was in it represented Him and the act He’d come to do. The presence of the world in it was willful sin. In short, they knew better. He who wrote the Law that they were supposed to be upholding, felt the anger of the Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit is really sensitive. When the Pharisees said Jesus was casting out devils by the power of the devil, Jesus warned them to not accuse the Spirit of this offense. A kingdom divided will fall, and the Holy Spirit is never, ever divided on the truth of sin and evil. The apostle Paul seconded this, years later. Men’s deluded actions, thumbing their nose at the things of God, can spiritually crucify the Son of God all over again, and this sin cannot be forgiven in the eyes of the Holy Spirit. When a man or woman treats Jesus like Judas did, this is betrayal.

At the same time, the Holy Spirit is also really sensitive. He’s the gentlest, softest, kindest Papa, who adores everything about you.

Which side do you want to be on? That’s really the question we have to ask ourselves. Because anger in the flesh and the mind destroys us. It tears apart relationships. We have been given the same love Jesus had so that we can desire forgiveness just as much as He did. Anger breaks apart. Forgiveness heals. Anger ruins futures. Because the first thing to flap when we’re angry is our mouth. And our words contain great power. This is a spiritual principle. You confessed your salvation, and Jesus and the Holy Spirit came to live inside you.

We will have whatsoever we say, so what are we speaking? What are we writing? Social media is not an allowable place to vent our anger. We cannot be less a child of God there than we are in person. I have seen this far too often in book reviews, by example – Christians criticizing other Christians. Christians criticizing those who need Christ. And justifying it with morality. Anger only produces more anger. Any conviction of sin and incorrect doctrine is the Holy Spirit’s job, not ours. We are told to pray, and prayer gives Him the impetus to work.

When you feel anger coming, head it off at the pass. Don’t go there. When that complaint arises because “she has no idea what she just said,” pray for her and say nothing. When all you have to say is hateful and condemning, you are not being like Christ. He never condemns anyone. God will never tell you to explode, not in private, not in public. He is patient and longsuffering, forgiving us again and again, more than seventy-times-seven. He sets our example. Jesus sets our example, that even when He was hated and mocked, even when hanging on the cross, being jeered at, He forgave. In the face of the darkest parts of men, He felt love, not anger. And so should we.

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” (Luke 23:34)

“Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

Image by Prawny from Pixabay


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com