Warriors Arise: January 17, 2023
Ephesians 4:26-27 (NKJV) “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.
How can we be angry and not sin? Did you know anger is not sin? Anger is an emotion. God created us with emotions. He also gives us the ability to manage our emotions. For instance, we are to be able to celebrate when we have a win, achieved a goal, or accomplished a task that took effort. God likes to celebrate. While He sent Moses down to Egypt to get His people, He prepared a celebration for their arrival back at the mountain. Freedom from bondage is a reason to celebrate. God celebrated so extravagantly that it made the Children of Israel afraid of Him. The flashes of lighting, the booming thunder, and resounding trumpets scared the people. Did God sin because He celebrated what He did? Is He being prideful? Is He leading His children to sin because He is celebrating that they had the courage to paint the lamb's blood on their doorpost and leave when they were released by Pharaoh?
We can also find Scripture to support God being angry. Is He wrong to be angry? Did He sin in His anger? Since God is righteous and cannot sin, then His anger could not have been sin. Since God doesn't sin when He is angry, how can we be angry be without sin?
Just like celebrating can lead to sin, because we become self-consumed and full of boastful pride, so can anger when it is out of control. We shouldn't stop celebrating in fear of being boastful or overcome with pride. We should celebrate and give credit to all who were a part of the win. We should celebrate others when they have accomplished major achievements. We should be able to participate in the celebration and not be judged for participating or receiving the recognition. When we are talking about anger, it becomes sin when we do not take our anger before the Lord or refuse to allow the Spirit to guide us through it. Anger becomes a sin when our response is out of control.
When I refer to being out-of-control, I am referring to when discipline becomes a beating and words become pointed at personal character or spewing accusations that are not true as if they were. A beating is when someone in anger inflicts pain upon another, to release their personal anger. That is physical abuse. In anger, words can be spoken that were never intended to be said. Sometimes the person saying them can't remember what they said, because their mind was consumed with anger. It is as if they were temporarily insane.
As Christians, we can yield to anger and allow it to overtake us. We always have a choice. We can allow the situation or the person to push our buttons or we can be in control of our response. We are the gatekeepers. We make the decision to release the pressure of our anger before God or inflicting unnecessary pain or demoralizing words upon another.
I have been in situations or around people who could light me up as quick as they could light a match. God taught me that I had a choice. I could continue to burn or I could blow it out.
In college, I made a reminder on construction paper and hung on my wall: Meekness is backing down from a fight I know I could win. That was powerful insight that helped me disengage from being provoked in a situation that wasn't going to turn out well. God taught me that some people are not going to see that they are wrong. No matter if I had proof, their mind was already made up. There wasn't anything I could say or do; they were going to believe what they had decided without the facts from me. Even if I were to prove them wrong, what would I accomplish? Some things are best left for the Holy Spirit to reveal. I prayed they would listen to Him just as I prayed where I had believed something that wasn't true for the Holy Spirit to speak to me.
In studying the Scripture, I have picked up the belief that two Christians should not argue. No one has lived our life. No one can truly understand another's life or what has caused them to make the decisions they have made. Christians should be able to share their understanding and encourage one another to press into the Lord for further understanding. Yes, there can be correction, when needed but arguing is pointless. Arguing means someone is lording over another, saying they are superior; deep within they think they know the person better than the person knows themself. There is no need to get angry when another doesn't have the same understanding. We pray for revelation to come from the Father. Each one has a choice to receive what Holy Spirit is saying. When someone is overtaken by anger, their words strike at the person's character, and go beyond the truth, until lies are spewed forth like vomit. Even though the other person isn't the one sick, the vomit hit them. They are going to have to shower and have their clothes washed to get rid of the putrid smell. God is the only one who can wash us clean of the angry words of vomit spewed upon us.
David was angry. He even became angry at the Lord's actions but he did not allow his anger to overtake him. He did not forsake God.
2 Samuel 6:6-10 (NKJV) And when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. 8 And David became angry because of the Lord's outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place Perez Uzzah to this day.
9 David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” 10 So David would not move the ark of the Lord with him into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.
David didn't reject God because of what He did to Uzzah. David was angry at God; but he did not allow his anger to cause him to sin. He didn't curse God. He didn't reject God. He feared God. He had to take a step back and make sure he was proceeding as God wanted.
If he had sinned in his anger, he might have gone up to the oxen and caused the oxen to overturn the cart and let the ark crash to the ground.
If he had sinned in his anger, he might have left the oxen, cart and ark right where Uzzah had died so God would be reminded of what He had done.
If he had sinned in his anger, he might have returned to Jerusalem and pouted.
If he had sinned in his anger, he might have rejected God and led the nation of Israel without Him.
But David didn't sin in his anger. He took the ark to Obed-Edom's, then returned to Jerusalem. He needed time to seek the Lord about what went wrong. He needed to verify what God wanted. While the nation watched his response, he did not sin in his anger.
Father, I come before You and repent for the times I was angry with You. I didn't agree with Your decision. I was devastated You would allow it to happen. I was angry You didn't prevent it from happening. Thank You for letting me come to You and share my frustration, anger, disappointment and hurt. I am thankful You can handle my emotions. I am thankful You allow me to release all of it in the protection of Your love. I am thankful You speak to me. You never have to explain Yourself, but through Your love I yield to Your decision. Thank You for Your love that dissipates the anger and restores trust. Thank You for never giving up on me in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
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