Be Angry and Do Not Sin By Gina Sewell
Gina Sewell is a mom and grandma who lives in the Dallas, Texas area, where she enjoys cooking and spending time with her family. She loves to write about Jesus and encourage others. Gina shares her journey on her website: http://www.ginabartonsewell.wordpress.com
I don’t know about you, but I have been known to lose my temper from time to time. I feel bad about it, ask for forgiveness, and attempt to move on from it, but what does God really think about this type of behavior? Is it sinful to get angry with someone? After all, we are called to love others as they are our brothers and sisters in Christ, right? Ephesians 4:26-27 (ESV) says, “Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil.” I believe what God is telling us in these scriptures is that it is not so much whether we get mad at someone, it’s how we handle that anger, because dwelling on anger will bring about sin. Proverbs 19:11 (ESV) tells us, “good sense makes one slow to anger,” and Proverbs 15:18 (ESV) says “ A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, while he who is slow to anger quiets contention.” I think it is human nature to get mad. We all have had someone do things that upset us or that we do not agree with. Even Jesus got angry in Matthew, Chapter 21, when he entered the temple courts, drove everyone out, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of those selling doves. He was angry for what was being done inside the temple.
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Although it is natural to find yourself angry at times, staying in that anger is dangerous. When we don’t resolve an issue quickly, it will begin to eat us up inside, stress us out, and grow into something that the devil will use to his advantage. I know that I have allowed my anger and my emotions to take control of in my life. Therefore, we must learn to resolve issues before they become a field day for Satan. “My dear brothers and sisters take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” (James 1:19-20 NIV) Father God, please help me control my anger. I ask that the Holy Spirit help heal my heart and guide me in the right decisions and emotions so that I give no opportunity to the devil. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
