Day: January 20, 2015
TRYING THE SPIRITS: DEALING WITH ANGER Self Righteous Indignation vs. Righteous Indignation
TRYING THE SPIRITS: DEALING WITH ANGER
Self Righteous Indignation
vs.
Righteous Indignation
We know that anger is almost near unavoidable but when is it okay or is it?
When dealing with religion and not love, we greet many attitudes and often among believers via unrighteous anger, we may sometimes fall from grace. Another proverb of the bible further illustrates a variation in answering folly (foolishness).
We, as believers, are to “deal with others according to knowledge” and are forewarned that we are “always at battle with spirits and told to try the spirits by the spirits to see if they be of God” (Para, KJV).
Non-believers are somewhat accustomed to fall-outs or bouts of anger, bickering, bellyaching, and bellowing out at one another; but when we see Christians or believers do this, it immediately becomes questionable.
“Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit”
(Proverbs 26:4-5 KJV).
“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing, which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth
(Ephesians 4:26-2 KJV).
Why?
We feel that Christians are somehow exempt from getting angry or on the happenstance, at least they should be, right. Wrong. Christians deal with anger daily just as anyone else would. However, it is oftentimes frowned upon by others and gives off a sense or hint even, of hypocrisy. We are spiritual beings in a temporal vessel of flesh and although our good is oftentimes willing to do the right thing, our bad sometimes hinder us. This too, is an ordering of the steps of life (living in faith every day), of which God is guiding us into His truth of Peace, an otherwise overwhelming and unsurpassing calm.
Indignation…
Is defined in the thesaurus as “Anger, crossness, ire, offense and/or Righteous anger…” (Thesaurus: English (U.S.), n.d.).
Biblically, these descriptions are synonymous with spite, that is to say ill will, unkindness, or malice and thus sinful in nature.
Self-righteous…
Identified and defined via Dictionary.com, as an adjective, self-righteous is “confident of one’s own righteousness, especially when smugly moralistic and intolerant of the opinions and behavior of others” (Dictionary.com Unabridged, n.d.).
The biblical canon gives instruction that we must heed to “avoid sin when angry” (Para, KJV).
Considering God first in all things and then considering the definitive above along with the delineations or characterizations given, it is clear as to how easily one may fall from grace into sin via anger. The bigger question is that of a moral persuasion, affiliation, or influence. Morality and ethics deal with the honorable things such as things that are upright, noble or “good” (spiritual). As Christians, we should therefore think more laudably, considering God prior to our responses although we sometimes do not. This is one of the very reasons if any that I pray repentance daily. It is because it is very easy to be caught off guard in the midst of hurt, and or anger. Before I or we even know it, we have blurted out unvirtuous things, sometimes damning others and at other times killing, stealing and destroying various types of relationships.
Anger is a vessel of the spirit form of chaos (tohu 8414 \/, a demonic energy) which feeds on turmoil, confusion, disorder, mess and /or madness, hint anger. Anger troubles the living waters, which flow freely from the beloved via a mixing of emotions –see balal H 1101 & turbazó G 5182. We then become as “Martha anxious and troubled on all sides” (Para KJV). Ergo, allowing access to the spirit of confusion, creating perplexity of spirit. This causes one to become disquieted such as insulting, and sometimes denigrating towards others, unawares but not often. You see as believers we are supposed to stir up the gifts of God and by faith, we know and understand that every gift of the Lord is good and perfect. Yet, via unrighteous anger, we allow energies to stir up of confusion and we know the author of confusion, as believers. The enemy always has a device in setup, towards the causality of us becoming frustrated in our faith walk, ergo a disgrace, hint a fall from grace or imposing imperfection.
[–see also H 8397 tebel, H 3998 mebukah, H 4103. Mehumah, G 4797 sugcheó or sugchunnó, G 2617. Kataischuno]
The passage below is a fine example of how the enemy uses us (Israel), as in attempting possession via fleshly upsets all the time to stir up confusion and disturb our faith (hearing from God).
“Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of anything that is lent upon usury: Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that thou sets thine hand to in the land whither thou goes to possess it” (Deuteronomy 23:19-20 KJV).
More In the Word Scriptural References
Proverbs 22:7; 26:4-5 & 28:8 | Deuteronomy 23:19-20 | Luke 10:41 | Isaiah 10:1-34; 22:5 & 28:16 | Micah 7:4 | 1 Timothy 2:9 | Malachi 3:1-18 | Judges 19:21 | Luke 13:17 | Acts 2:44-45 | 2 Corinthians 7:14 & 9:4 | 1 Peter 2:6 & 3:7-16 | Ezekiel 18:8 & 22:12 | Romans 5:5 & 10:2 |Leviticus 25: 36-37 | Psalm 21:6; 24:2 & 118:116 | Romans 9:33 & 10:11 |
H 5392, H 8397, H 3998 & H 4103 | G 5182, G 4797 & G 2617
◊In Thought Quotes for Today
Plenteous things, people, situations, and/or occurrences can become a catalyst to frustration, it is human. However, the truth in erring is that when we fall to these occasions via anger away from the grace of God. Initially, we need to learn via the spiritual discernment that we have fallen that is and begin a cleansing process by the trying of the spirits to make certain they are of God, perfecting peace. Next, we need to embrace humility to rebuke, renounce, bind, and cast the unclean energies away. Finally, if we put and keep on the things of the elect of God, we have the good and perfect gift of forgiveness, love, and gentleness to be the bigger person (PEACE) in frustrating and angry times. So deal with everyone according to the knowledge of God, in that above all we operate in love and not via ill intentions whether direct or indirect. Kick anger to ground, refuse to frown and pray when matters try to keep us down, remember God is present and Jesus is us is always around.
~the Messenger
“But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil”
(Luke 6:35 KJV)
[Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. For Moses describes the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness, which is of faith, speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead. But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved] (Romans 10:1-13 KJV).
Works Cited
All scriptural references come from the Holy Bible King James Version unless otherwise noted.
Number references are from the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance accessed via http://biblehub.com/strongs.htm
Indignation. (Thesaurus: English U.S., n.d.) accessed via MS Word Document Review Task Pane
Self-righteous. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved January 19, 2015, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/self-righteous
