Satan’s Strategy for Your Life #13: Holding On To Anger
“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”—Ephesians 4:26-27
Anger is a human emotion. We all get angry at some time or another. And there is nothing wrong with anger, provided we are not consumed by it or let it give way to sin. Jesus got angry (John 2:13-17), but He didn’t sin. Anger, while a natural emotion, if never dealt with, allows the devil to have a foothold in your life. Whenever we hold onto our anger for more than 24-hours, we are opening ourselves up to the demonic. Satan wants nothing more for us to hold on to our anger, nurture it, and allow it to take root and grow up into bitterness and hate.
Anger is a little bit like chicken in the trash. When we throw it in the trashcan in the kitchen, it’s okay, but if we leave it overnight, it starts to stink up the whole house. Whenever we hold on to our anger, rather than taking it out and putting it in the garbage cans, we are opening up our entire spiritual house to stink.
That’s why it is essential for the servant of God to continually assess their anger. We should ask ourselves questions like: what is it that made me angry? Did I hurt anyone with words that I can’t take back? Did I hurt my spouse? What about my kids? Co-workers? Friends? What is it that set me off? Sometimes our anger comes out in stressful situations when you are running late and trying to find a parking spot in the middle of the city with the kids shouting in the back, and you aren’t quite sure where you’re going. It is moments like that when we are especially prone to get angry and erupt all over everyone in the car. For myself, I know that I need to be careful on certain days after stressful situations, or when I haven’t got enough sleep, exercise, or haven’t been eating properly. Whenever I feel myself starting to reach my boiling point, I need to stop and assess the situation. Once we realize the situation we are in, we can better deal with our anger and prevent it from hurting those around us.
The important thing for us to remember about our anger is that it’s okay to get angry once in a while. But if we find ourselves constantly angry with those around us, we must ask ourselves, why? It may be that we have chosen to hold on to our anger and have given Satan a foothold into our life. If so, then we need to confess our anger to the Lord and then repent of it. And once we do, we should ask a loving brother or sister in Christ to help keep us accountable for our anger so that we may not continue hurting those around us. Remember, once we submit to God, the devil must flee (James 4:7). Remember, as we struggle to break free from the anger and bitterness that has engulfed our soul, God will give us victory! Claim the promise in 1 John 5:4-5, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” Amen.
Anger is a human emotion. We all get angry at some time or another. And there is nothing wrong with anger, provided we are not consumed by it or let it give way to sin. Jesus got angry (John 2:13-17), but He didn’t sin. Anger, while a natural emotion, if never dealt with, allows the devil to have a foothold in your life. Whenever we hold onto our anger for more than 24-hours, we are opening ourselves up to the demonic. Satan wants nothing more for us to hold on to our anger, nurture it, and allow it to take root and grow up into bitterness and hate.
Anger is a little bit like chicken in the trash. When we throw it in the trashcan in the kitchen, it’s okay, but if we leave it overnight, it starts to stink up the whole house. Whenever we hold on to our anger, rather than taking it out and putting it in the garbage cans, we are opening up our entire spiritual house to stink.
That’s why it is essential for the servant of God to continually assess their anger. We should ask ourselves questions like: what is it that made me angry? Did I hurt anyone with words that I can’t take back? Did I hurt my spouse? What about my kids? Co-workers? Friends? What is it that set me off? Sometimes our anger comes out in stressful situations when you are running late and trying to find a parking spot in the middle of the city with the kids shouting in the back, and you aren’t quite sure where you’re going. It is moments like that when we are especially prone to get angry and erupt all over everyone in the car. For myself, I know that I need to be careful on certain days after stressful situations, or when I haven’t got enough sleep, exercise, or haven’t been eating properly. Whenever I feel myself starting to reach my boiling point, I need to stop and assess the situation. Once we realize the situation we are in, we can better deal with our anger and prevent it from hurting those around us.
The important thing for us to remember about our anger is that it’s okay to get angry once in a while. But if we find ourselves constantly angry with those around us, we must ask ourselves, why? It may be that we have chosen to hold on to our anger and have given Satan a foothold into our life. If so, then we need to confess our anger to the Lord and then repent of it. And once we do, we should ask a loving brother or sister in Christ to help keep us accountable for our anger so that we may not continue hurting those around us. Remember, once we submit to God, the devil must flee (James 4:7). Remember, as we struggle to break free from the anger and bitterness that has engulfed our soul, God will give us victory! Claim the promise in 1 John 5:4-5, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” Amen.
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