Be careful with your anger

Ephesians 4:26-27 In your anger do not sin; do not let the sun go down while you’re still angry.  Do not give the devil a foothold.

In everything that we do, we are to act in a way that brings glory to God.  From behavior at work to what we read and watch on television, they are all an examples of ways to bring glory to God.  The scripture above has a very profound message.  Yes, you are allowed to be angry.  Jesus got angry when he saw the Pharisees being snobby heretics towards people and even when he saw the money changers in the temple.  He even went as far as  making a whip and lashing it out at the money changers in the temple, turning over their tables, and pouring out their money jars (John 2:13-17)  Talk about some righteous anger!  I am not saying it is ok in every instance to start breaking stuff when you get mad.  However what I am saying is that when you get mad, use your anger to fuel righteousness.  Adrenaline is a very powerful tool when used properly.  It can be used to your benefit or your destruction.  If you see someone being bullied, use your anger to stand up to that bully and help out the person that is in need of some assistance.  Speak up when you hear of injustice and you are given the opportunity.  If you sit by and let it all build up inside of you, you will eventually become all the things that have made you so angry.  That is where the thing about the sun going down comes in to play.  This is a BIG deal when you are married.  The longer you stay mad at someone, the more you damage yourself.  Your anger manifests physically.  Then the next time that you see them, you cant stand to look at them.  You cant even stand to be around them.    That is where the last statement in that scripture comes in.  God has set a hedge of protection around all of us. It protects us quite a bit from many things, most of all the devil.  1 Peter 5 states that the devil is a roaming lion seeking who he can devour.  If there is a small hole in your hedge, then he has a....wait for it....FOOTHOLD to climb the wall of protection that God has around us.  Once that happens, we are in for a fight.  That topic is discussed in a different entry (See post: Divine Warfare).  So be careful the way that you behave when you are angry.  Furthermore, your tongue can be the biggest wrecking ball creating that hold for the devil.    I will leave you with this statement:  Proverbs 18:6-7 "A fool’s lips enter into contention, And his mouth calls for blows. A fool’s mouth is his destruction, And his lips are the snare of his soul."