Starve the Flesh

“In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Do not let unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…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. Eph 4:26, 29-32

This is one of the toughest things we are called to accomplish. Anytime our emotions are involved it seems that this passage is thrown out of the window. We walk around armed with past experiences, past wounds and future fears as the heat of life is turned up through our circumstances. We become little teapots heating up needing a place for the whistle to blow, feeling justified in our words and actions.

There are several essentials that are absolutes in this passage. The first is that our anger is not a sin but our response could lead to sinful actions. The most important aspect of unconfessed anger is that is leaves an open door for Satan to waltz in and lead the dance. Another aspect is the result that comes from our sinful response to anger. Our negative emotions turned into words or actions grieve the Spirit of God. There was nothing more heart wrenching for me than to know that I had caused sadness or grief to my parents through my actions when I was a little girl. To grieve God’s spirit is to choose satisfying our flesh over the Spirit of God. “On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’ Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you...The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” John 6:60-63.

God knows we are unable to handle uncontrolled emotions on our own so He placed within us a heating element that keeps the temperature from rising. His own Spirit dwells within our hearts so that we can apply Luke 1:37 to every situation. “For nothing is impossible with God.”