DO not let the sun set on your anger! There is holy anger, and there is evil anger which is uncontrolled and leads to sin.
When Jesus whipped merchants out of the temple, it was a demonstration of holy anger. He was using anger to cleanse the temple of defilement and that was a good thing.
The Bible says, “So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.” John 2:15. (NIV).
However, Moses in the Old Testament, exhibited uncontrolled anger and it cost him dearly.
“When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.
And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.” Exodus 32:19. (NIV).
He also struck the rock in anger at Meribah, even after God had directed him to “speak to” it when the Israelites complained of thirst in the wilderness.
“So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him.
He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”
Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff.” Numbers 20:11. (NIV).
Unholy anger
Satan can use unholy anger to manifest many things in our lives. You may miss getting to heaven because of anger! Anger as an emotion, must not lead us to sin. Managing it is possible by the help of the Holy Spirit.
Click on this link Bring these four under self-control to read a related post on managing anger.
Moses’ anger problem
Moses had an anger problem as seen in the three instances in his life, but where did it come from?
This curse of anger prevented him from fulfilling his purpose which was to bring the Israelites into the Promised Land.
It came from his forefather Levi. It was a spoken curse. A curse can be programmed and one may find himself or herself doing what the curse is programmed to do.
Click on this link to read a related post on how curses-including anger, can be passed on through the lineage.
Deuteronomy 3:23-26 …But the Lord was angry with me and would not listen to me and the Lord said to me, ‘Enough speak to me no longer about this matter.’ (NIV).
Angry people often have a background of rejection in their lives. People who have experienced rejection or abandonment in early life stages may have a spirit of anger and will need deliverance.
Moses himself had a background of abandonment, idolatry and a generational curse operating in his life. His rejection came from the time his mother left him.
She was not the primary caregiver. The time he was left in the water already caused separation from the natural mother.
The mother would nurse him, but Moses was left with the Princess of Egypt. He may have thought his mother did not love him. He was also born at the wrong time when boy-children were being killed.
People must have treated him differently and he may have experienced rejection (eye colour/physical features). His wife rejected him and went back to live with her father.
Anytime a spouse leaves, it causes rejection, the children feel rejected and abandoned. We later see Moses alone in the wilderness, and he blames himself for all that has happened.
Most of us have been taught to see biblical giants like Moses as people without weaknesses or flaws!
An abandoned child feels a deep sense of betrayal and may blame themselves for what they are going through.
Controlling spirit
Since demons do not operate alone ( they operate in gangs) anger, which is the controlling spirit in this case, will also manifest other lesser spirits like resentment, hatred, cruelty, sadism, destruction, violence, unforgiveness, temper, retaliation, bitterness and murder.
It may also come with insecurities, distrust, strife, contention, argument and quarrelling.
The angry party will manifest rebellion, stubbornness, anti-submissiveness, control, domination ,nervousness, fear of disapproval which may lead to other coping mechanism like drugs and alcohol dependency for escape.
Family feuds, domestic violence, suicides and even murders are a result of anger that has not been controlled or managed or channeled positively.
If there is self-control in anger it is not a sin and will not allow Satan to have a foothold.
Anger is a natural emotion to something that has rubbed us the wrong way. However, what you do with your anger is what drives you to positive or negative action.
Take for instance, the holy anger demonstrated in correcting a child.
When we give anger room, Satan is able to send in his evil spirits, especially when we fail to resolve the source of our anger and it develops into a ‘gangrene.’
Exercise self control in anger
It is important to control our anger. It is why Ephesians 4:26-27 says, “ In you anger do not sin and do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” (NIV).
To exercise self-control in anger we need to do the following:
- Acknowledge it– Come to terms with anger and confess if it is making you sin
- 2. Deal with issues of unforgiveness- Pray for the person who has angered you, you will love them. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:31-32, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.”
- Pray about it: Allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you and reveal to you how you can overcome it .Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit if the spirit is love, joy peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against these there is no law.”
- Be intentional about it-Prayerfully ask the Holy spirit to manifest Himself through self control in your personal life Philippians 2:13, “For it is God who works in you to will and act in order to fulfil His good purposes.”
- Have an accountability partner– Have someone with whom you can relate, have them check on you.
