BOUND UP BY ANGER
Daphne Powell
Today's Scripture: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” Ephesians 4:26, ESV
Theme: Don’t let anger control you; set boundaries for it.
WALLS
It is so easy to get mad and shut off the world. We can let anger consume us, then control us. But Jesus forgave us for our sins (Ephesians 1:7). When we forgive others, we let go of anger. When you instead set up a wall as an unhealthy boundary, you not only shut people out, but you shut yourself in. Jesus was our example; He got angry at injustice, but He did not sin. He loved all and did not judge. When we grow easy to anger, we must look into ourselves to see why. Sometimes we cannot self-diagnose the problem, but God can. Spend more time in His Word, pray, and ask Him to reveal and heal those broken places.
FENCE WITH A GATE
The Bible tells us to put away anger. Does this mean that we will never get angry? Does this mean that people won’t make us mad? No, what learning to forgive does is allow us to set boundaries that don’t close us in. Even though we get mad, it doesn’t mean we have to hide. When we forgive others, we allow God to work in our own hearts and use us to restore others. Forgiving others allows us to let people in; it allows us to venture out. It allows us to control our anger and not let anger control us.
OPEN FIELD
What does peace look like? What does peace feel like? I believe it feels like an open field, where we can see people the way the Lord sees them. Where we forgive people the way the Lord forgives us. Where our love for others outweighs the anger we have for others. Boundaries are necessary for some occasions but if we stay in His Word and obey His will, we will let the anger in our lives fade away. There is a lot of freedom in tearing down walls and fences.
Make It Personal: When my brother passed, I was angry, and I mean MAD! There was no one person to blame, but I remained angry. I couldn’t understand why and honestly, I really didn’t want to understand why. But as I continued to go to church, read God's Word, continue in Bible Study, I realized that the anger was consuming me and affecting how I treated others. I had set up a wall to protect myself and my hurts...and I had shut myself in. I prayed for peace, I cried for peace. One day, I walked outside into an open field. I just let the anger go. And that is my prayer for you: that you find the peace the Lord wants for you and not to be consumed with anger.
Pray: Lord, thank You for walking with me as my Father. Thank You for understanding my pain and anger. Help me, by Your Spirit, to forgive and walk free. Amen.
Read: Psalm 103:10-12; Hebrews 10:17-18; Luke 17:3-4; Colossians 3:8
Weekly Memory Verse: "Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32, NLT