I\u2019ll admit it. If someone (or something) pushes just the right button, my last nerve might snap. It could turn into a full-blown, steam-letting moment. It isn\u2019t exactly Hallmark material. I try to keep it together, but sometimes, the \u201cflesh\u201d shows up before the \u201cfruit of the Spirit.\u201d Argh!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thankfully, Paul the Apostle offers some guidance for me \u2013 for us — \u201cstill-being-sanctified\u201d types. He wrote, \u201cBe angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil.\u201d (Ephesians 4:26\u201327).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s be honest — anger itself isn\u2019t the problem. Even Jesus flipped tables! The issue is what we do with our anger. Today\u2019s headlines and newsreels are full of people throwing tantrums, bricks, and fists AND yelling like an \u201cAngry Bird\u201d. It\u2019s safe to say the world could use a good therapist and a giant dose of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Proverbs 6:16\u201319 lists things the Lord hates — and it\u2019s basically a highlight reel of our nightly news. Lying tongues, wicked schemes, stirring up division. That\u2019s not righteous anger. That\u2019s chaos. And my dear friends, that\u2019s not who we\u2019re called to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, anger has a purpose. It can move us to act for justice, to pray deeply, and to speak truth — but only when it\u2019s laced with grace and not driven by rage. Unchecked anger destroys marriages, friendships, and credibility. But, controlled, surrendered anger? That\u2019s what can spark change!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s the deal: I want to live in peace. Not just \u201cholding-my-breath-until-it\u2019s-over\u201d peace, but the kind Jesus gives — the kind that calms storms on the outside AND inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, I do heart checkups. I ask God to calm me before I comment, to guide me before I complain, and to help me forgive before bitterness hits a home run in my soul!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Psalm 37:8 says, \u201cRefrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret — it leads only to evil.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Want peace? Then we need to invite God into our frustrations. Let Him teach us to breathe before reacting, to pray before posting, and to forgive before exploding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And maybe — just maybe — next time our nerves get poked, we\u2019ll be the peacemakers instead of the table flippers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019ll admit it. If someone (or something) pushes just the right button, my last nerve might snap. It could turn into a full-blown, steam-letting moment. It isn\u2019t exactly Hallmark material. I try to keep it together, but sometimes, the \u201cflesh\u201d shows up before the \u201cfruit of the Spirit.\u201d Argh! Thankfully, Paul the Apostle offers some…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22578,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2670,17643,32249,1210,3652,1769,1392,32251,40,32248,44,4081,32250,32254,205,32253,32252],"class_list":["post-22577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-anger","tag-angry","tag-be-angry-and-do-not-sin","tag-blog","tag-chaos","tag-christian","tag-facebook","tag-heart-checkup","tag-inspiration","tag-last-nerve","tag-peace","tag-peacemaker","tag-proverbs-616-19","tag-psalm-378","tag-purpose","tag-refrain-from-anger","tag-table-flipper"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22577"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22577\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22580,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22577\/revisions\/22580"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}