Emotions can be a very strong force to reckon with. They can be wonderful servants, but they can also be tyrannical taskmasters. If you allow your emotions to run your life, you will make it easier for Satan to gain an advantage. This why it is important to yield to Holy Spirit and make your emotions bow before Him. Moreover, it’s critical to allow them to be healed, so they are less apt to take over at inappropriate times. Emotions can skew perceptions when they’re in charge. This must never be underestimated; otherwise, you may find yourself saying or doing something you will regret later. Let’s examine a couple in relation to this principle: anger and wrath.
Ephesians 4:26-27 Be angry and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity (see also Psalm 37:8).
To be clear, anger and wrath are not evil or bad in themselves. God Himself has been angry and displayed wrath, and we are made in His image. However, neither of these are the result of selfishness, unlike the flesh driven variety. Things like injustice and unrighteousness cause Him to become angry. In fact, He has no desire for anyone to experience His wrath. Even His anger is filtered through love and holiness. For example, it angers Him to see one person mistreat another. When orphans and widows are mistreated, He becomes very angry. That anger is for the sake of others.
Could unbridled anger and wrath be a symptom of arrogance? “How dare he do that to me!” That is self-centered, don’t you think? On the other hand, anger may stand up for those less capable of defending themselves, which is an entirely different thing. When feeling anger starting to burn, it would be a good time to ask why it’s happening. Long burning anger can lead to wrath which is the sudden burst of rage or explosion. By the way, “venting” can be a form of wrath. The more you vent, the more you will vent. Where in the Bible does it say that’s okay? Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. The way to calm things is found in verse 32: Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Try being kind and angry at the same time. When you forgive someone, the anger they may have “caused” you subsides. Yes, quotations were used for a reason. You decide what makes you angry; not the perpetrator. Spiritual warfare as it were, has more to do with staying spiritual than it does fighting.
Romans 12:17-21 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
By yielding to Holy Spirit, emotions fall in line. Look at the attributes of the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23. Your emotions can actually become tools for building relationships and proper expressions of worship unto God. Speaking the truth out of anger as an expression of the flesh has no place in the disciple of Jesus Christ. Truth apart from love is not truth. It may have factual statements, but what is the intent behind the words? If they are to truly edify another, you find love involved. When it’s to belittle or even destroy, it absolutely is void of truth. God is love and that means His every Word is truth!
One other misuse of anger is manipulation. Using anger to get your way is ungodly. In one sense, it’s an attempt to force someone to do something against his or her will. Some also use it to silence those who might be in disagreement, especially if it escalates into an argument. It makes it rather obvious that either one or both parties involved are unteachable. Have you read anywhere in the Bible where Jesus uses anger to have His way? Are we not called to be Christ-like?
Finally, anger and wrath may be symptoms of something deeper going on in someone’s life. It might be a hurt or a fear underneath the surface. Anger and wrath give a sense of power over them. Because some love to feel powerful, anger and wrath are their drugs of choice. Others have simply made anger and wrath their friends. Do understand that in this context, they are not your friends!
