Does Your Anger Rule You?

I was thinking today that anger can be a driving force in our attitude, health, and even the way we think about other situations in our life.

I'm a redhead and I'll be the first to tell you, that yes, it's true, redheads have a quick and fiery temper. Does this give me an excuse and a way out for me to be quick to anger? No.

Proverbs 14:17 says, "He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly..." I have found this verse to be true on more than one occasion, I must confess.

Does this mean it is wrong to become angry? No. But sometimes the flesh kicks into overdrive and we let it take over. It's OK to be angry, but......

Ephesians 4:26, "Be ye angry and SIN NOT; let not the sun go down upon thy wrath." When we neglect to put this verse into practice, the devil has a foot in the door of our life. Verse 27 says, "Neither give place to the devil." People get under my skin........and fast. I have no tolerance for ingorant people. I don't have the patience of the Lord and I have NEVER been told I have the patience of Job! And I certainly do not pray for patience because I know what will follow. I do, however, pray that the Lord will give me inner peace and help me to love those that get under my skin. And I'll say truly, that just praying for it doesn't make that change. I really have to work on it. LOL I found this little poem and thought how true this was of how I feel. It is comical but befitting.....

To live above with saints

we love,

O that will be glory!

To live below with saints we know,

Now, that's a different story!

If you don't want anger to rule over you, verse 31 of Ephesians 4 tells us exactly how to avoid that happening. "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice;"

How should we react to someone who angers us?? Vs. 32, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for christ's sake hath forgiven you."

Anger comes from many sources and most of the time it will be from our own family. Why? Because the devil hates family. He hates our physical families and our spiritual families. He'll pit sibling against sibling, spouse against spouse, child against parent and Brothers and Sisters in Christ against each other in the church.

Ephesians 5:1&2B "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love..."

And remember: Nothing will cook your goose faster than a red hot temper.