When You Become Angry Don't Forget This.

Eph 4:26 - BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,   NASU
Mark 3:4-5 - And He said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?" But they kept silent. 5 After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. NASU 

• Being Angry Isn't A Sin 

The apostle Paul said, "Be angry and yet do not sin..." (The reason it is in all capital letters above is this is a direct quote from the Psalms 4:4)
Jesus, according to Mark, was angry with the Pharisees attitude in regard to healing on the Sabbath. Jesus was there to heal people and it didn't matter to Him if the healing took place on the Sabbath or not. The way I have said it for years is like this: "It is never wrong to do what is right."
What mattered to Jesus was a good deed was done and this glorified God. 

• What About Your Anger? 

If you are angry my question to you would be "What is the source of your anger? Are you like me an angry when you hear of idiots walking into schools or churches and kill people for no reason? I know this sure infuriates me. 
I believe this to be a very important issue. You must identify what causes you to become angry.
Many people have called Jesus' anger "righteous indignation". I have no problem with anyone calling His anger that.
The question for us is "Could our anger be called righteous indignation"? 

• What Is It That Has Us Upset Or Angry? 

Candace Lightner's 13 year old daughter, Cari, was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Fair Oaks, California in May 1980. Candace used her "anger" to organize a group of people we know today as Mothers Against Drunk Driving or MADD.
Driving laws in our country have been changed because Candace used her anger in a positive way.
The apostle Paul said, we can be angry we just can't allow our anger to lead us into sinning. Candace allowed her anger to be used in a positive way.
So maybe you have been cheated or robbed in some way as Candace was robbed of years with her daughter. It is okay to be angry but don't allow your anger to become sin. 

• Learn How To Ventilate Properly 

Years ago when I was doing counseling I would tell people they needed to learn how to ventilate their feelings. You will either do one of two things with your feelings. You will either ventilate or suppress them. The choice is yours.
The best solution is learning how to ventilate properly.
Let's say you are driving and the person driving the car in front of you is going to slow according to you. How are you going to ventilate what you are feeling?
You can get closer and do what they call "riding their bumper" or when you get an opportunity to pass you cut back in real close to them to let them know you don't appreciate how they are driving.
OR
You could think and say to yourself is God trying to slow me down to save me from a serious accident up ahead?
One passenger who was supposed to be on ValuJet Flight 592 from Miami to Atlanta where all 110 people on board were killed. He said, he was yelling and screaming at all the cars that were in front of him for not driving "fast enough" according to him.
He said the realization of the crash hit him hard as he stood in the airport and heard the report of the crash of ValuJet Flight 592. All those cars that were in his way were now the reason he was still alive.
James 1:19-20 - But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. NASU 

• Conclusion 

According to James we are to be slow to anger and then Paul says, if you are going to become angry don't allow your anger to lead you to sinning.
I hope you have an anger free week, but if you don't then be angry but don't sin. 
Think On These:
"Anger" is one letter short of danger.
For every minute you are angry, you lose 60 seconds of happiness.
Striking while the iron is hot maybe okay, but don't strike while the head is hot.
Stay Pumped,
Gary A. Serago
Minister of God's Word
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