An All-Consuming Fire

​The past two weeks have been a challenge for me. I have been super angry and have adequately sinned in that anger. Many thanks to all those who prayed and checked in on me. Totally appreciated. Now that I have slowly calmed down, I have come to notice something about the power of anger and why God warns us to a) not sin, b) not let the sun go down on it, and c) not give place to the devil in it [Ephesians 4: 26 – 27].
Let’s start from the beginning. I will say, what I experienced wasn’t the typical type of anger. Realistically, we face small irritations every day. But we get over them and move on quickly. I’m talking about when you leave your phone in the house and must run back to get it or when you are leaving the house a little later than normal or better yet, when you sleep on the couch and your back hurts in the morning. All irritations that impact your mood, but after a few breaths, you can laugh and enjoy life again. In these instances, we control the parameters of how we will move forward with our day and what needs to be done. Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy.  
Unfortunately, what I experienced was wrath, a more explosive anger. One fully justified by the treatment I received from others. I had been deceived. Betrayed if you will. Something I couldn’t control. And in all that anger, I fed the worst sides of me. Neither my words nor thoughts were kind or filtered with love. I totally grieved the Holy Spirit. I flat out sinned.
That boiling hot anger prevented me from being able to communicate effectively. It sucked the joy and life out of me, my husband, my home, and anyone who came around me for an entire week. Imagine how consuming that is! You can’t sleep in peace. You can’t think with peace. You can’t even foster relationships. That is why God doesn’t want us to sleep with anger – it’s a consuming fire. It takes and never gives. It dries the bones. The bones become brittle and weak. And you are exacerbated. Then the devil comes along appearing as strength in your weakness. So, your weakness is used as a catalyst to do the devil’s bidding.
Scary how that works, right! Anger is an all-consuming fire that has decimated lives for generations. I mean, have you heard about the Hatfields and the McCoys! Souls are lost because anger is allowed to fester and take residence. Our hearts, minds, and bodies are not built to hold it. Love is the only thing that strengthens us. If we do everything in love, we can overcome the most difficult situations – even if we are justified in the anger it caused.
As I slowly come out of my festered anger, I am continually strengthened by the love surrounding me. Else, I probably would’ve been in jail. Instead, my bones and muscles ache from the stress. I am forever grateful for love, for forgiveness, for joy, for peace, for grace, and mercy. With much prayer, God’s love will be the only thing that ever consumes me!
"I’m living somewhere between ‘Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice’ (Ephesians 4:31), and ‘I will cuss you out and pray forgiveness, deliverance, and salvation when I’m done’ (Christian Thug Code 22).”