Don’t Let Anger Cause You to Sin

Anger is an emotion that everyone has. Even babies exhibit anger. It is natural and we were created with this emotion and all other natural emotions because we come from God- even God gets angry. Usually, anger is viewed in a negative manner because people who exhibit the emotion at a given time, usually don’t know how to temper their anger. They show the anger, ragingly reveal their anger verbally, and then also add fuel by acting out their anger. It really is okay to be angry at someone and because of bad happenings. You are allowed to have internal anger and instead of suppressing it, you should express your anger in a healthy manner. I don’t want to get too detailed with the healthy ways of expressing anger. Just know there is a right way and a wrong way to do so. At the end of the day and when it’s all said and done, even if your anger was expressed negatively towards someone, humble yourself and apologize for whatever it is that now may have caused them to get angry- now two or more individuals are angry and there is no resolve. “Let not the sun go down on your wrath.”

But acting out in the wrong manner and going to bed with a troubled and disheveled spirit profits you nothing. One wrong outburst or act done in anger will more than likely cause the offender to regret something that can never be undone.

A perfect example is found in Genesis 34. A story that could’ve, would’ve, should’ve turned out beautiful, became a horrific end. A man named Shechem was very indeed interested in Dinah, Jacob’s and Leah’s daughter. He violated and defiled her, but fell in love with her. Shechem knew that by sleeping with Dinah, that she would be considered his wife. Now, I can’t say whether or not he initially had good intentions and I want to believe that he did have noble intentions but was afraid to ask Jacob for Dinah’s hand in marriage because these were two different nationalities with very different customs, but I can only think of the various reasons he went about dealing with Dinah in this manner. The story does not include Dinah’s thoughts or wishes of the matter. Did she also love and want marriage? Did she herself feel she was violated and wanted nothing to do with Shechem?

Shechem and his father wanted to make peace treaties between their nation and the Isrealites and even humbled themselves into circumcision. Shechem offered a gift and dowry amount based on the choosing of Jacob but whether Dinah wanted the marriage or not, her brothers, Levi and Simeon took it upon themselves to act vengeance upon Shechem and his people (Hivites). The question is asked, were they justified due to the fact their sister was violated? Well, they were justified in anger, but not for the sin they allowed their anger to cause. Their vengeance also was stemmed in pride, which helped them justify mass murder.

Jacob was gravely disappointed with their actions and knew that this had made a rift between the nation of Isreal and other nations who could have provided peaceful interactions and forms of alliances. Later, Jacob reveals what Simeon’s and Levi’s anger caused.

Genesis 49: 5-7:

Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations; O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall; cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

Temper your anger.

He Searches the Heart and Tries the Mind

The Lord desires that we strive to live a life to please Him. There are many examples where the Lord tested His people to see what was in their hearts. Many times, He sent His spirit to keep us from sinning against Him. The Hebrews were tested in the wilderness and another great example is found in Genesis regarding Abraham, Sarah, and king Abimelech. Because Abraham was afraid that foreigners would take Sarah as their wife and kill him, he and Sarah acted as brother and sister to prevent this from happening.

Genesis 20:2-6:

And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah; but God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife; but Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this; and God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.”

It is beautiful knowledge to know that the Lord loves us so much that He moves our heart not to go against Him. One thing is for certain, no one goes without scrutiny, search, and testing.

Jeremiah 17:10

I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”

1 Chronicles 28:9

And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.”

And every child of light should echo:

Search me, O God, and know my heart:try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

Faith Without Works…

By Grace Are We Saved, but We Still Have WORK to Do

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). This is a great verse to revel in when you inevitably began to get within your darker emotions and feelings and began to burden yourself with whether or not you are doing enough through righteous living and good deeds. Now, one should strive to genuinely do these things but should not mistake this as being enough to gain salvation. Through maturity, knowledge and understanding, one will learn that the gift of eternal life and salvation is worth working towards; worth living for.

That same knowledge, understanding, and maturity will point out that one does not receive grace because of who they are or solely based on the good acts they continuously do, but just because of grace by itself and what grace means. Grace is not earned but is always freely given. We have the power and ability to give genuine grace to others and the Most High through Christ gives us grace on the daily. The difference is that a person’s grace may run out due to principles, error, and emotions, but the Most High’s grace remains constant- as long as you have breath to witness the grace.

Although grace is freely given and one does not have to work for grace, there is such thing as praying for grace. On top of this, one should not believe that just because grace is provided that they do not have to produce anything at all. No. One still has to put in work and vehemently work towards the kingdom as all that we do should be for the Lord and the kingdom.

So one should not sit and twiddle thumbs thinking they can leisurely or passively let life go by. You still have to show the Lord you are always down for Him as He is for you. You still have to use all that He has given you- talents, gifts, abilities, blessings, and your entire life itself to do service towards the kingdom. We must work and build for the Lord on the foundation that has already been laid for us.

Accordingly, 1 Corinthians 3:9-15 states:

For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building;

According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon; but let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon;

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Christ;

Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is;

If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward;

If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

So, by grace are we saved, but we still have WORK to do!!

 

The Law of Attraction vs. “As a Man Thinks;” The Most High’s Wisdom vs. Wordly Wisdom

New Wine Into New Wineskins

Just because God is doing a new thing in your life and you are building on new ground does not mean the start will be a bed of roses- you cannot put new wine into old wine bottles.

There is new foundation to be built because you cannot build on old foundation; it must be on new, solid ground so that the foundation and structure is everlasting. This means that things (you and all areas of your life) will have to be broken up and shaken up in order to make the end result a sure thing.

No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse; and no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles” (Mark 2:21-22).

God promises us in His Word that He will strengthen, stablish, and settle us
(1 Peter 5:10) and that He knows our end from our beginning; having an expected end for us (Jeremiah 29:11).

He intends to give us a beautiful, new path with great promise, but the building of that new path and the process it takes to get there will be bittersweet.

VALIDATE, APPRECIATE, and ACCEPT YOURSELF-ENCOURAGE YOURSELF IN THE LORD

VALIDATE, APPRECIATE, and ACCEPT YOURSELF

Whose Report Do You Believe?

Listen to the Still Small Voice