There’s a lot of anger swirling around at the moment. Our government has shut down and we are about to hit the debt ceiling again. Real people are not getting paid and have either been furloughed or are working for free. The legislative branch and the executive branch of our government are acting like a bunch of kids in different gangs (picture Spanky and Alfalfa from Our Gang not the Hell’s Angels). Every time I turn on the news, or check Facebook or the internet the volume has been turned up. Americans are angry and we have a right to be.
Anger is a God-given emotion and there is nothing wrong with it in its place. There’s something called righteous anger and that’s the type of anger that we feel when we or someone we care about, have been lied to or stolen from or mistreated. This is the anger that most of us are feeling right now and while it may be justified, we really need to be careful. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:26-27, “And don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.”
Uhoh, that verse mentioned the devil. Modern Christians don’t like to talk about Satan much which is unfortunate because the silence has allowed him to run wild. When I Googled “Satan in the Bible,” 183 verses appeared. That’s an awful lot of writing in the scripture for us to ignore it. I think there may be a misconception about Satan among Christians. We are saved; we are believers; so Satan is no longer a threat to us. Therein lies the rub. I heard Joyce Meyer once say that Satan knows that he can’t win the Christian soul, so he doesn’t try for it. He wreaks havoc among Christians by distracting them from doing what they are called to do.
This really spoke to me. Satan has been called the great deceiver. Do you remember what he said to Eve in the garden? He asked Eve, “Did God really say…?” He made her question God’s command. He is referred to in the scripture as a thief, a liar and the deceiver of the whole world. What does this have to do with anger? While there is nothing wrong with anger in itself; when we become consumed with it, it controls us. Once it controls us, it can lead to hate which is the opposite of the fruit of the spirit, love. When we allow ourselves to be controlled by anger, we open our hearts up to the darkness and deceit that come from our enemy. We begin to demonize the person or people that we are angry with and not the act. We can find ourselves on a slippery slope.
So what can we do? Are we not allowed to be angry with our leaders who we feel are not representing us properly? Of course we are allowed to be angry, but what do we do with it? First, we need to pray for our leaders on both sides. Pray that God will convict them to do the right thing. Pray that they will turn their hearts to God and do his will. Pray this prayer often, not just once. Then write a letter to your congressman or send an e-mail. Sign petitions if you feel lead to do so. But after we have prayed, after we have done what we can, we need to “let go and let God” and turn down the rhetoric and get back to doing the good work we have been called to do.
In other words, we need to put our eyes back on Christ and away from the evils of this world. “Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” Romans 12:21. I realize that this is much easier said than done, but I really think we need to try because there’s no way anything good can come out of all of this anger and hate that is swirling around. Let’s remember that God is in control and that he has a plan. Let’s start praying about this. Will you join me?
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
