“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm." Psalm 37:8 (NKJV).
Easily said. Not so easily done. How do I get past my feelings of anger and chewing on the things that make me angry?
In this verse, the action words provide a set of directions:
1. "Cease." It is virtually impossible to stop anger once you allow it to grow. If it builds up, you will blow up. Stop it before it gets out of hand.
2. "Forsake." Forsake implies that the use of anger has become a belief system. It is no longer an impulsive action, but the one who is wielding the anger believes that it makes a positive difference—perhaps he even believes that it is the only thing that will work in the situation.
3. "Do not fret." Someone who frets is chewing on the anger inside but not acting on it. Generally, there is some sort of fear motivating the person to stay passive. Yet he is meditating on what he would like to do or see happen to the one he is fretting over. y thing that will work in the situation.
Anger is closely tied to a desire to exercise power. In Psalm 37:8, the three verbs clearly show a person wanting to exercise force over another person. We tend to believe that our anger is more effective than waiting on the intervention of God.
The next verse spells out the truth: “For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.” Psalm 37:9 (NKJV)
Waiting is a word anger does not like. Those struggling with anger want to see an exercise of power NOW. Do you believe in your anger's power or God's power?
It may seem like the evildoer is getting away with things, but that is only an illusion. Are you meditating on how to carry out your anger or on what God says about the wicked and their outcomes?
When the bad guys seem to win... shift the self-talk & change the narrative.
Meditate on God’s Word and His character. Believe in His power. Speak to yourself and the enemy.
Instead of speaking, acting, or meditating on anger, speak out loud to yourself., affirming the truth of God's word, “My job is to wait. God’s job is to judge! Devil, you are a liar. The wicked will not prosper for long. He will not get by with what he is doing. I will be blessed by waiting on God and depending on Him.”
If you do, you can defeat the tendency toward anger, even to the point where you stop fretting. As the verse indicates, “Why should you harm yourself?”
How to do good when the bad guys seem to win?
Heart Change U offers has a whole toolkit to encourage and support you in the walk toward Heart Change. Check it out:
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Heart Change U is an online training platform for Christian counselors, church elders, pastors, and those who seek to help influence others in healing and growing in His image. Developed through more than 15 years of helping addicts and alcoholics heal at a spiritual level from the wounds that cause their addictions, these proven tools and approaches are intended to equip you to walk with others through the Heart Change process in order to become the men and women of God He is calling them to be.
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If you or someone you love is caught in the stronghold of addiction, there is hope in Christ! Reach out to The Omega Project.
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