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Is anger controlling you?

What is happening in people’s hearts today? So many people are getting angry and upset for the smallest of things. You can clearly see this in the morning and afternoon commute. The other day a car passed on my left side and the driver gave me “the finger” and then drove away very quickly. Meanwhile, I don’t even know what I did to merit “the finger.” Road rage has become commonplace today. It seems that the whole nation is angry about something. Psalm 37: 8 (CJB) says: “Stop being angry, put aside rage, and don’t be upset — it leads to evil.” The interesting thing about anger is that usually, people usually lash out at others, when the source of their anger is someone or something completely different. Your co-laborer might lash out at you, yet it might be that he or she had an argument at home. Your child might be angry, and might not want to talk with you, yet, it might be because of something that happened at school. In any case, it is so important that we learn to harness our “anger.” Uncontrolled anger can lead us to sin. It can destroy relationships. It can land us in jail. While anger is normal, the Apostle Paul instructs us to “be angry and do not sin.” This means that we can control our anger. Use anger constructively to propel you to do things that you really need to do, but do not allow anger to control you. Like David said: “It leads to evil.”

Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,

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Stop with the excuses already!

Since Adam, excuses have existed. Excuses are a natural reaction to being caught in a lie or failure, or not wanting to accept responsibility. Adam told God this famous statement: “Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Genesis 3:12). Adam refused to take responsibility for Eve’s actions, yet God had clearly told him not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The problem with the habit of making excuses is that they keep you from the very actions and mindset that will propel you to great accomplishment and effective influence. It will keep you stunted emotionally, socially, and even in business.  People do not respect those who are always utilizing excuses to not take care of their responsibilities. Most will simply “blame-shift” so that the perception will seem to be that it’s not their fault. It’s always someone else’s fault. Think about this: Adam made excuses instead of embracing his responsibility, thus he allowed sin to enter his life. So now his legacy is known as the man who helped to release sin onto mankind. Conversely, the Lord Jesus accepted responsibility for mankind, thus His legacy is that He loved us so much that He died for us, and made a way for us to be delivered from sin and death. One is unrighteous; the other is righteous. One refused his responsibility; the other accepted responsibility. One made excuses; the other refused to make excuses and did what was needed to redeem mankind. Adam’s name is infamous because of his refusal to accept responsibility; Jesus’ name is great and is the name above all names. So, what’s your excuse?

Ecclesiastes 5:6 “Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?”