Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – October 10, 2015
Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape. 1 Samuel 19:10
Process anger, or it will control your attitude and your actions. Anger is a self-fulfilling prophecy of destruction, as it destroys peace and quiet and ravishes relationships. Anger is acidic; it eats away at your credibility, your health, and eventually your ability to function successfully in life. Anger is an ugly emotion, as it easily embarrasses itself, and humiliates others for sport. It has a way of expressing itself at the most inappropriate times. For example, one outburst of anger can turn a pleasant family drive to church into one full of fear and intimidation.
Work environments build walls of distrust due to seething, unresolved anger. Relationships never get beyond the surface because of the fear of anger’s rejection. No one wants to be around an angry person. The Bible even says, “Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy” (Proverbs 27:4).
Where does anger come from? There are probably a variety of sources. One is the result of not being loved and/or not loving. When a heart is perpetually unloved, it has a void that is first influenced by—and then filled with—anger. On the contrary, a heart full of love has no room for anger. Love melts anger the way the sun melts a milk chocolate bar at the beach. Cold anger is no match for the warm flames of love.
Love responds with understanding, instead of seeking to argue or defend itself. Love learns to forgive instead of storing up resentment in someone who has been deeply disappointed. Love moves on instead of seething in the stew of what should have happened. Love matures over mistakes made, while anger whines in immaturity.
Furthermore, anger incubates in a hurting heart. A heart raw with emotion is a candidate for anger. Suffering may be hurting your heart and you can’t take it anymore. Your heart is crushed and wrung out by pain. You are extremely vulnerable to the influence of anger, so let the compassion of Christ heal your heart. Invite the Lord to love you, and process your pain in prayer. Listen intently to the Lord, for He really does care. He loves you right in the middle of your mess. Invite the love of Jesus to do surgery on your soul. After the Almighty has loved you, let others love you. Love is salve for your soul, as you need the love and prayers of people to help you process your anger.
Moreover, you may be the brunt of another’s angry outbursts, but do not take their anger personally. See that person as Jesus does, and extend forgiveness. Anger may be the defense mechanism another uses to keep you at bay. But kill him or her with kindness instead. Initiate forgiveness seven times seventy, and pray for this person to be loved by God and by you. Anger is an ugly mask, so unveil it with acceptance. Anger is not our excuse to fight or flee—but to forgive and accept.
The Bible says, “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control” (Proverbs 29:11).
Prayer: Heavenly Father, give me the grace to forgive fast in the face of angry people.
Application: What hot button of mine needs healing and not an angry reaction?
Post/Tweet this today: Anger is not our excuse to fight or flee—but to forgive and accept. #wisdomhunters #processanger
Worship Resource: 3 minute video- Hillsong United: Nothing But the Blood
Taken from Boyd’s most popular book a 365 day devotional Seeking Daily the Heart of God. Order today!
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Comments are closed.
Boyd – for you to write this in the perspective you did, is a slap in the face of those who have & are, suffering from domestic violence; for them anger is an excuse to fight & flee. You can’t help but take that kind of anger personally. Forgiveness can only come AFTER you protect yourself from such anger.
Dear Jan,
Thank you for taking the time to write to us with your perspective and thought provoking comments dealing with anger after reading “Process Anger”.
We are thankful for your sincere and heartfelt words. Oftentimes, I feel like when one in our “Wisdom Hunter’s family” writes from this personal perspective, it is also meant to be seen by others that may be hurting. So, thank you, Jan.
From the eyes of someone dealing with domestic violence (or has a loved one in the midst of a violent relationship), I can understand where some of the statements on anger can be misunderstood. Jan, please know that Boyd never meant to come across as advocating for those dealing with domestic violence to not seek help and/or flee the situation. As a Godly husband and father of four precious daughters, Boyd has spent a lifetime protecting, loving and seeking God’s wisdom for these women and others.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. If you would like to discuss this further, please email me at gwynne@wisdomhunters.com. We are thankful that you are a fellow wisdom hunter. Jan, as I prayed about your comments and dug into the Word, I found some verses that helped me with some questions. Also, I found some good websites (faith-based) that provided some help. Let me pass them along to you or whoever needs to see this in our WH family.
Blessings to you,
Gwynne
http://www.hiddenhurt.com
http://www.familyshelterservice.org
http://www.domesticviolence-help.org
“The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior!
He is the God that avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,
who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from violent men you rescued me.”
Psalm 18:48
Other verses:
Psalm 11:5
Zephariah 1:9
Psalm 37:9
Malachi 2: 16-17
Ephesians 4:31