“In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. —Ephesians 4:26-27
What did we take away from this?
Most likely, if you’re angry, you were wronged. You have a story. You have a RIGHT to be angry. Yes, you DO have a right to be angry, but do you really want to be? You may say, “You don’t understand what they did.” You’re right, I don’t. But you should understand what YOU are doing.
What’s the longest you have ever been angry with someone or about something? How did that affect you and those around you?
The devil’s foothold:
Anger gives power to your past to ruin your present and rob your future.
So what should we do?
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. —Ephesians 4:31
What does this passage say to do with Anger? Get rid of it!
What does it mean to get rid of something?
We cannot allow anger to stay for a moment. We can’t let it find a resting place in our heart. We cannot undo or magically make what was taken from us reappear, but we are in control of what we allow to sit and ferment in our heart! Get rid of it! The longer you carry anger from one instance or time of life into the next, the easier it is for us to lose sight of the original source of our hurt.
But how do we do that?
Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another … —Ephesians 4:32
What does Paul say to do instead of being angry?
Why do you think he says to be kind and tenderhearted?
“Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.” —C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
…forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. —Ephesians 4:32
The way to be rid of anger is to FORGIVE.
Remember all enemies of the heart are caused by a relational debt that was created. Somebody owes somebody something. The only way for a debt to be satisfied is for it to be paid back or for it to be forgiven. If anger in you is the result of a debt that is owed you, forgiveness is simply CANCELING the debt.
Getting Healing, wholeness, freedom is better than getting paid back!
…just as God through Christ has forgiven you. —Ephesians 4:32
How does it tell us to forgive others?
What qualifications did God put on forgiving you? Was there a repayment requirement?
Was there a timeline?
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. —Colossians 2:13
God knew that we couldn’t pay back what we had done, so he just canceled the debt! He forgave it! He closed the account! If God can close the account on us, we can close the account on others.
They can’t pay you back, you can’t get the time back or your childhood, or the job, or …….. You can’t unsee or unfeel what you felt when they did or said they did. It can’t be paid back, but it can be forgiven.
When you forgive, you remove the evil foothold in you, you get rid of the anger, you get free.
Forgiveness is the ONLY WAY to break the power of anger!
Identify who wronged you. So important .. some of you are just angry and you don’t even know why .. it’s important that you stop holding the wrong people accountable
Determine what they owe .. specifically … What did they REALLY take?
Cancel the debt .. decide they don’t owe you any more (and don’t tell them .. most of the time they don’t even know what they’ve done)
Close the account .. don’t go back and reopen it over and over // when the feelings come back .. don’t start having the imaginary conversations or even ignore the pain .. restate your decision .. i have forgiven them .. ask God For help
Prayer
Name:, I forgive you for