Spiritual Warfare Series — Devotional #6
Unchecked Anger
This week, we continue to answer the following question:
How does God’s enemy come after His people and His leaders with the sole purpose of distracting, disrupting, and derailing them from being involved in God's great mission?
As we survey Pauline literature, we will discover fourteen tactical strategies the enemy uses to attack God’s people—along with specific antidotes to address each issue. (See the introduction to this series for an overview of the topic.)
“An angry leader is a scared leader, or a hurt leader, or a frustrated leader—but most of all, they are a vulnerable leader.”
— Gary Rohrmayer
Tactic 6: Unchecked Anger
Text: Ephesians 4:25–27
“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ‘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.”
Problem:
“Satan can use anger in life to gain inroads into life and eventually control that life through the anger.”
— J. Robert Clinton
Antidote:
“Get help if anger controls you. This may require inner healing. Also, recognize the benefits of anger.”
— J. Robert Clinton
Reflective Questions
What are the triggers of anger that easily beset you?
Hurts or offenses?
Fear or worry?
Frustrations or misunderstandings?
What does James say man’s anger produces? (James 1:20)
What are the ways you naturally express anger?
Do you silently stuff those feelings?
Do you explosively express them?
What can the church do to better protect itself from the enemy’s grip in this area?
List the qualifications of elders and deacons that speak to the issue of emotional maturity in:
1 Timothy 3:1–11
Titus 1:5–9
When is righteous anger warranted, and how should it be expressed?
Prayer
Father in Heaven, grant us wisdom to understand the triggers of anger that so easily beset our souls, that distract from Your mission, and hinder Your church. Teach us how to appropriately express our anger in ways that lead to emotional health and relational intimacy.
Father, help us to be humble enough to seek help when we are under the enemy’s grip and stuck in our anger. Teach us to keep short accounts and to speak the truth in love. Keep our hearts soft in Your grace, not hardened by anger.
Grant us the grace to rid ourselves of all bitterness, rage, and anger, along with brawling, slander, and every form of malice. Empower us to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave us.
In the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.
