Let all…

Ephesians 4:31 NKJV — Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

“Let all …”

And His Word is clear, there’s no room for any.

None, nothing, not even a little bit, because He knows what is best and bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking are not.

Because bitterness is simply choosing not to forgive, holding someone accountable for wrong.

Wrath and anger are close cousins.

The Greek word wrath here means fierceness, indignation, wrath, while this Greek word for anger means anger, indignation, vengeance, wrath.

James 1:20 NKJV — for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Ecclesiastes 7:9 NKJV — Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools.

Clamor and evil speaking seem to be occurring at a startlingly rate, anyone can observe it’s not godly.

Proverbs 29:22 NKJV — An angry man stirs up strife, And a furious man abounds in transgression.

Proverbs 10:18 KJV — He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.

Instead of these things we are to put on different behaviors, ones that spring forth from a heart forgiven by and surrendered to Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 4:32 NKJV — And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Kindness and tenderhearted, priceless gifts to be given and to receive.

Luke 6:35 KJV — But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

Matthew 6:14 KJV — For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

Following Jesus means forgiveness.

Acts 4:12 NKJV — “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

For none gave more to forgive than He.

Hebrews 10:10 NKJV — By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Learning to walk in forgiveness is always an opportunity to trust God in everything and to grow, to stretch, to see life and others from His perspective.

Ephesians 5:1-2 NKJV — Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for these verses. Lord, I want to live a life of sacrifice unto You. I want my life to be pleasing before You, please help me to learn how, each day. Please help me to walk with You in all things. Lord, help me to understand Your truth and to hide it in my heart. Lord, show me my errors that I might repent and turn away from the things which would ensnare me. Lord, thank You for guiding me and loving me. Thank You for Your faithfulness, Your mercy, and Your grace. Amen.

True peace

It’s not a destination,

here on Earth.

It’s a way of life.

True peace is

not going to be legislation,

it’s a gift from God.

It’s a fruit from a life

surrendered.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
John 14:27 NKJV

From Jesus’s own words,

we see that true peace is a gift,

but we can not walk in it

through anything the world offers,

nor while we are being snared

by the enemy in worry or fear.

“Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.”
Psalms 34:14 NKJV

“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret— it only causes harm…But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”
Psalms 37:8,11 NKJV

True peace is a place we reach when we choose the Lord over ourselves.

Anger is a secondary emotion.

It always covers another.

Hurt, sadness, grief, embarrassment and many more can be found underneath anger.

To put off anger we must deal with what lies beneath.

Often those other emotions are tied to how we view ourselves and our views of others.

When we totally surrender our lives to Christ,

He can deal with the affects of sin.

Bitterness, envy, strife, selfishness, are all byproducts of sin and lead to all kinds of death.

Death to relationships, death to joy, death to compassion and empathy, death to communion with God.

Jesus loves us and He physically died and rose again to free us from both sin and death.

But He won’t turn you into a robot.

Someone who has no mind or choice of their own.

Instead He reaches out His hand and offers.

He offers to remove the ugly and replace it with good,

but it’s up to the individual.

Will you surrender your will to His?

Will you choose to let Him underneath the walls of protection inside your own heart?

Will you forgive those who have harmed you,

even if that one is you?

If we choose to surrender,

then we are choosing peace.

True peace,

from the only place it can be found.

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.”
II Thessalonians 3:16 NKJV

A little “anger” anyone?

This isn’t what we eat every day.

Looking at the variety of foods served was a great picture of what the Lord has been speaking with me about.

As I walk through a typical day I place things out for my family.

Smiles
Hugs
Advice
Prayer
Correction
Taxi services
Maid services
Love…

But I noticed over the weekend that a dish I wasn’t intending to serve appeared.

Anger

First it was the “running late” excuse.

Then the “I am tired of the mess” excuse.

After those I served anger with a side of “I don’t know why but I’m cranky” along with a helping of “leave me alone for a while”.

It was the last serving of anger which caused me to stop and think about the anger.

Long ago the Lord showed me anger is not to be used as a tool against others.

Instead it is a signal light which is warning us of something.

Anger can be warning of sin or dangerous behavior in those around.

Anger can be the warning of hurt that has corroded into bitterness.

Anger can be the mask for unresolved sin in my own heart, something I am blind to in myself but very conscious of in others.

An hour of prayer helped.

The Lord showed me that in this case I was serving anger to those around me because I was scared about 2 circumstances in our lives,

(I still am working on trust.)

and I was feeling sorry for myself in regards to a different circumstance.

Uhg!

I repented.

And the Lord said to me,
” The problem is sweetheart, you can not see how I am using this for your good.”

Too true!

So before I head out the door this morning I am renewed.

Not because I have the answers.
Not because my circumstances have changed.

Because I can serve my family the dishes we love best and replace”anger” with “joy”.