An Angry Spirit

Proverbs 22:24 (KJV) Says, "Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go; "  Ecclesiastes 7:9 (KJV) Says, "Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools." Ephesians 4:26-27 (KJV) Says, "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.  Ephesians 4:29-32 (KJV) Says, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

In the above scripture taken from the book of Proverbs, God makes it clear that we are not to be keep company with people who have an angry spirit, and he goes so far as to call anyone who harbors anger a fool. God understands that we get angry, but there is a huge difference in getting angry, and having an angry spirit. We all get angry, but most of us do not harbor anger, and develop an angry spirit. In the scripture taken from the book of Ephesians, God tells us that we are not to go to bed angry, and that if we do we are opening a door for the devil. God tells us that we are to speak good things being a good witness of grace unto those who hear us. We are told to put away bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, malice, and evil speaking. We are to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us. How much did and does God forgive you for, when you ask him?

Anger is a very destructive emotion. Anger breeds anger, and it is a trait that you can pass on from generation to generation. It has negative effects on your health both emotionally, and physically. God knows that we get angry, and it is recorded in the Bible that God himself has been angry at times. There is good anger and bad anger, however, and it is important that we understand the difference. Good anger is manifested at the right time, for the right reason, and expressed in the right manner.

Bad anger is misdirected, usually aimed at loved ones, and is expressed by screaming, yelling, and, or throwing a fit. It is built up anger that the person has denied having, and or has failed to deal with. It is more than likely caused by something in their past. Everyone could look back on their past, and find a reason to be angry, store that anger up, go through life miserable, and take it out on others, but thanks be to God most of us don't. Those with an angry spirit tend to feel that whatever caused their anger is justification for their behavior, and will use it as an excuse to behave the way they do. These people are full of frustration, emptiness, loneliness, insecurity, and they are critical of others because they don't feel good about themselves. They belittle someone in an attempt to bring them down to where they are because they desire to control them. By repeatedly abusing someone physically, mentally or both they gain control over that person. The amazing thing is they can control their anger in front of the right people, for instance their boss, their pastor, their friends, yet behind closed doors at home, with the those who love them the most, they somehow fail to practice that same self- control. People with an angry spirit lack love, kindness, gentleness, peace, joy, and have poor self-esteem. Harboring an angry spirit is ungodly, and it is a path to self-destruction.

If you are living with an angry spirit, you have two choices. You can continue in it and be  miserable for the rest of your life, or you can identify the source of it, admit it, and heal from it. Learn to pause before responding, when you feel anger rising within you. Find something that you enjoy doing, and focus on that when you feel yourself becoming angry. Most importantly take it to God in prayer, ask for His help through the Holy Spirit that lives within you. Ask Him to help you put away your angry spirit for good. The Bible tells us that with God all things are possible. If you're angry I urge you to take the issue to God, lay down your anger, bitterness, low self-esteem, loneliness, emptiness, misery, frustration, and insecurity, and pick up the love, kindness, joy, divine peace, and contentment that God wants you to have.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.