July 22 -- So WHY is Anger so Important -- Szczecin

I hope you also are having a very good day.  I awoke fairly early this morning and came to my iPad with the intent of writing to you.  Alas, as I settled into the chair, my body began to mumble about not having enough sleep.  When I leaned back to consider this I began to drift away.  So, not wanting to be defeated, I joined in agreement with my body and went back to bed.  After a couple more hours of sleep, three cups of coffee, and a fascinating set of conversations with Holy Spirit; here I am back to write to you.  You get to read the revised version of what I wanted to say as modified by Holy Spirit and a bit more rest.

Last evening was a wonderful time.  Two long time friends, a married couple from here in Szczecin, came to have dinner with me.  (In case you wondered, yes I can cook a little bit.).  As we chatted the wife, a teacher in the Poland school system, told me she was angry because the school system is destroying the lives of so many of the children entrusted to its care.  I said that I could empathize with her anger; but, the anger of man cannot work the righteousness of God.  I went on to point out she and her good friend (both prophetesses of God) were in a position as teachers in the system to speak the living Words of God into the lives of those young people. This will empower the young ones to make choices to follow the encouragement of God rather than the destruction of the school system.  We, the Body of Christ, are not empowered or authorized to tear down the World's system.  What we are empowered to do is to tear down the works of satan in the lives of individual people who will come and put their trust in Jesus.

The husband and I also chatted about the many things God is doing in him and his life to prepare him for, and expand his vision of, the apostolic ministry he will walk out in the future.  He is such a power house of spiritual insight.  I hope I am around to see some of the awesome ministry he will walk out in service to the Bride of Christ.

As I have been thinking about you this morning, I have also been chewing on that line from James 1:20.  "The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God."  {I have copied the Bible references below for you.}  Perhaps you remember that a few weeks ago, on June 29, I wrote to you about anger.  Then I discussed the root cause of anger and how you might be healed from your anger.  As you might expect, many times when I talk with people who are caught in the anger trap, they quote to me the verse from Ephesians 4:26 where Paul seems to command us to be angry.  But somehow those two ideas just did not seem to fit together in my mind so I went back to look at what the Greek words say and how they would have been understood.

When I looked at Ephesians 4, I discovered that the two words translated "anger" in verse 26 are two different words. Neither of them were likely to be understood the way we understand the word anger today.  The first "Be angry ... " means something much more like the English phrase "Have impulses ... ".  Paul's idea here was one of empathy.  Like, 'of course you have impulses to do some unwise things but do not sin.'  Indeed the Greek word is the root from which we get the English word "orgy", the ultimate indulgence in people following their own impulses.  The second word translated "anger" is a word that refers to our emotional irritation.  Paul here is saying, we need to get our peace back and not go to bed upset by the impulses that we struggled with during the day.

So then Holy Spirit took me to another word.  In James 1, we are warned that our temptation and sin result from our lusts.  Now for much of my life I thought that lust was a reference to intense sexual desires.  But, Holy Spirit asked me to look this word up this morning.  To my surprise I discovered a word that describes the whirlwind of emotions (including anger) that gets us so upset.  It is this whirlwind of emotions (any emotions -- anger, rage, sexual passion, intense greed, injured pride, etc.) the whirlwind sucks us into temptation and sin.  It is in this context that James warns us in verse 20 to slow down.  Be slow to allow these impulses to develop because the impulses of man do not produce the righteousness of God.

King David in Psalm 37 elaborates upon these concepts.  He says we need to stop being upset and fretting about the things evil people do.  Instead, he tells us to allow God to give us desires by taking the time to delight ourselves in Him.  As we receive these God given desires; as we commit them to Him; he will bring them to pass.  He goes on to encourage us to take a patient longer term view of life because in the end the evil doers will get what is coming to them and the righteous, patient, ones will receive the fruit of God's graciousness.

So, I also urge you:  Slow down your emotional reactions.  You are deeply loved by God.  Receive and abide in His PEACE.  Do not let your impulses cause you to act before you think.  Hear Holy Spirit about your path.  And when you do get irritated, take time before you go to bed to let God give you a patient long term perspective so you do not remain irritated.  Own your peace it belongs to you.  Then you will be able to deeply trust Papa God and let Him fulfill the deep desires He has put in your heart.

With much love, I remain,

His, thus Yours,

  Stuart

Ephesians 4: 26 (NASB)

BE angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.

Psalm 37: 1 - 9 (NASB)

Do not fret because of evildoers,

Be not envious toward wrongdoers.

For they will wither quickly like the grass

And fade like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord and do good;

Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord;

And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light

And your judgment as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

Cease from anger and forsake wrath;

Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.

For evildoers will be cut off,

But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.

James 1: 12 - 20 (NASB)

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.