Has Your Faith Been Detoured By An Angel of Light? Part 10: Anger

2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

2Co 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

 

We are told in Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

So it is important to note that one can be angry and not sin, IF the anger is dealt with properly.

Anger is a sin when we allow the emotion to take full control and become unbridled, wreaking havoc on ourselves internally, spiritually or outwardly on those around us.

We can become angry for hundreds of reasons, but when we hold onto it or it turns destructive, it becomes sin.  It is called walking in the flesh and not in the Spirit. We who are saved and sealed by the Holy Spirit should walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.

Gal_5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Gal_5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Eph_1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Eph_4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

So, you say Jesus was angry in the temple when He overturned the tables and drove the money changers out of the temple with a whip. So, you reason that it is okay that you too are angry with injustice and show your own wrath to the world. However, it is important to remember that Jesus is GOD, the Second Person of the Trinity, the fullness of the Godhead bodily, the Creator of the universe. ALL things were created by Him and for Him.  It is His RIGHTEOUS anger. The wrath of God, His wrath THAT one day those in rebellion, who refused Christ and what He did on the cross for them will know.

Col_2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

Col 1:16  For by him (Jesus Christ) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Rom_1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Do not let an angel of light or one of his transformed ministers detour your faith through the emotion of unbridled, undealt with anger.  GOD will deal with the unrighteous who held the truth in unrighteousness.

WE are to walk in the Spirit, which means we deal with our anger in a different way than the world does.  It does not mean we ignore it or stuff it away, it means we DEAL with it in the proper way, which means we do not give a place for the devil, by letting an uncontrolled emotion lead us into sin and away from the peace found in Christ.

Remember this verse…now read the second part!

Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Eph 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.

Living in our anger, holding onto our anger, speaking in anger, acting in anger gives place to the devil!

We are not to yield to the temptations and promptings of the devil! God tells us instead:

Eph_4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Anger is to be put AWAY from us.  Holding onto anger brings bitterness and evil speaking.

Anger is of the flesh.

Anger comes for a lot of reasons. It can be because we have been wronged, or perceived we have been wronged. It can be a built up resentment for the behaviour of a friend, a stranger, or someone simply having a different view on “whatever” than we hold! Anger can also make people feel powerful within themselves and conversely anger can come from feeling less than another.  It is always personal and it is usually selfish.

Col_3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

Anger is draining and can be discouraging. Anger can provoke others to anger. It can also when unbridled, be very discouraging to others, especially children.

Col_3:21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The way a believer is to deal with anger is to put OFF our OLD man and put ON our NEW man…which is NOT something we gin up within ourselves, it is not trying to be a better me…it is knowing that anger belongs to our old man, NOT our crucified self. That we NOW live in Christ, in the body of Christ.  He lives in us and we live in Him.  We put on the new man which IS CHRIST, who is our actual life now. It is a reckoning by faith! Faith in Christ! We have to KNOW this in order to do this and no longer serve sin!

Rom 6:6 KNOWING (caps are mine) this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Our life is now not our own, but Christs. Anger and wrath have no place for us. We do not focus on what others are doing, or have done to us, or are saying, or have said about us…on and on for whatever makes one angry, for our focus is not on what is going on in this world, but our focus is on Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

1Co_2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

 

Please do not be detoured by an angel of light or one of his transformed ministers who may teach you it is okay to walk in your anger as long as it is righteous, that there is such a thing as men having a righteous anger.  It is false.

Rom_3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

When you KNOW you are crucified with Christ, and it is Christ who lives in you…you begin to live by the faith of the Son of God:

Gal_2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

It is important to remember we can CERTAINLY experience the emotion of anger! However, we need to deal with it, not nurture it or dwell in it. Instead, we put on our new man who is Christ, and begin to walk in the Spirit so that we do not act as if our anger is righteous.  It is not.

Anger steals love. Anger steals joy. Anger steals peace. Anger is NOT longsuffering. Anger is NOT about gentleness. Anger does NOT engender goodness.  Anger does NOT grow your faith.  Anger does NOT promote meekness. Anger does NOT bring temperance.

Anger is NOT a fruit of the Spirit.

Gal_5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

We want to live in all goodness and righteousness and truth…which means in Christ!

Eph_5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

When we put on Christ and then the following is true of us!

Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

My dear sisters….

Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

What if someone is angry with you unjustly? There is just no sense in letting your own anger be stirred up, and becoming embroiled in an argument.  It is better to give a soft answer:

Pro_15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

There are so many things about anger…and the answers are in the Word of God.

I write this study because this is an issue that affects everyone’s lives, including my own. While we learn these things, we should put them into practice. The practice of continually reckoning that our life is now in Christ.  We have become a new creature in Him.  Let us live the life He has so graciously given us. A resurrected life!

Col 3:1-4 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.