Be Angry Do not Sin

Recently, I have been talking more and more about not letting things build up inside. Do not let the devil get a foothold in our lives by dwelling on grudges or things that keep us angry.   Paul reminds us that we are “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 ESV). There is some great wisdom in this. It is okay to be angry. Lets be honest, there are thing out there that upset us. Sometimes it is people who are rude, or have offended us. Sometimes people who hurt us or anger us, have no realization that they are doing it. 

So how does one be angry without sinning? First, one must make sure that they put their anger in context, is it with cause or without? If someone has caused the issue, confront them, but do not seek retaliation. Confront them calmly, and clearly. Tell them what hurt and why. Sometimes, one need to realize that the anger, is more imagined then needed. I have been married for a while now, and there are times where I can get so upset over the littlest thing. I have learned that most of the time, it is not what my spouse did that made me angry, but how I dwelt on it that made me angry. I am often reminded of what John Eldredge talked about in Wild at Heart, there are times when I go from angry to wanting a divorce, and realize that the devil is at work.

I find it sad, when I hear about brothers who have not spoken in years because of an offense that occurred in the past. I find it even more unsettling when I talked to one of brothers, and they said they cannot even remember what the original cause was. They have just been holding on to the grudge. My own family has that, my aunts and uncles are divided almost like two separate families because they took sides on a grudge that started twenty years ago. 

I know that I could easily fall into the trap of letting issues build up to where I sin. I know that I must keep myself rooted in God’s word, and prayer. I ask you though, are you in sin because of a grudge, do you need to let go of something. Perhaps you have wronged someone and need to make amends. I earnestly urge you to remember to be angry but do not sin. Do not let the devil get a foothold in your life.