Righteous Anger
Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath
As a Christian, we walk a road that was never promised to be full of rainbows and butterflies. We were never promised that while on this earth, things would only get better. God has it already mapped out yet we fall victim to sin like our own brethren. But, what about those times when the enemy speaks against our God? What about the atheist who tramples God in our presence? What about the truth you told, as you were instructed to do, which caused you backlash? That righteous anger that comes out when glorifying God is the goal can suck the very life out of a well meaning lover of Christ.
We don’t always expect it when a lion crosses our path and causes the fight to come out. We don’t expect it when the enemy tackles us to the ground and leaves us beaten. We are not Jesus Christ and we cannot see ahead. The result is sometimes a very righteous anger.
Christians will fight Christians. They’ll fight agnostic, atheist and any unbelievers who use an opportunity to sprinkle the conversation with a vile word about our Lord and Savior. Many times, the Christian will feel the guilt that reveals the shame of their anger. After all, we are taught that anger is bad, aren’t we?
When Jesus walked the earth, He was not above anger. He turned the tables when He saw what they were doing, making a marketplace out of a Holy place. He may have been angry when He told the apostles to stay on the watch, and they fell asleep. He was angry at the demons who possessed the people and led them to disbelief and sin. He was angry, as was Yahweh of the Old Testament, at unrighteous actions and wickedness of people who were already given guidelines, promises, commandments and warnings.
Jesus rebuked the the demons, as He did the money changers in the temple who were selling goods. While Jesus showed many emotions in the bible, anger was one that equaled a state of mind that was righteous, and that called for all things Holy to take place in His sight. No one could reprimand Jesus for His righteous anger, as no one was above His humanity in honor to God.
The bible says to put away anger. While we can easily provoked, anger is not one of the fruitages of God’s Spirit that we should ever hope for. There are times though, when it is warranted, and God knows the intenions of our hearts. If we act out in anger in obedience to His Word, then we should be safely in a right state with God. However, when that anger turns quickly to sin, or forms evil thoughts of any kind in our minds, (ie: an eye for an eye) then we must ask for deliverance from this state of mind, which may be provoked by the enemy.
What are you to ask for in prayer?
All fruitages of God’s Spirit are the opposite of anger. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness and self control are all things which we should ask our Father in heaven to deliver to us through His Holy Spirit. If you stop and ask yourself, “Which one of these 9 things do I feel on a daily basis,” and you can only come up with one or two things, then it is advisable that you put a concentrated effort into requesting the Holy Spirit to act quickly, lest you be led into further temptation.
When we are faced with righteous anger, we should confess it to our Lord, dot the i’s and cross the t’s, explaining to our Creator why we felt these things, and ask Him to show us mercy and correct our actions if we were, or are wrong. If it is a heart change that we require and the Lord sees this, He will deliver unto us that very heart change when and how He pleases, provided we show remorse for what may have been a sin in His sight. However, we should never carry the sin of spiritual pride, denouncing anyone who crosses our path who walks in sin. We must remember that all sin and fall short. No one is above God’s punishment.
Let your anger not lead you to sin. Rather, let your knowledge of God and His love for you lead you to a heart of joy, peace, goodness and Christian humility.