Love (agape) is the way to recover and move forward from a bad situation. Forgiving frees and lets us move from the captivity and poison of unforgiveness. We don’t want to be in chains to a life God never intended us to live. We don’t want to live with abuse, broken trust, betrayal, divorce, and everything evil experienced in between.
We must ASK for Christ’s help if we are truly Christ followers. We must ask for Christ’s help knowing that is the only help to move us forward from pain, guilt, and anger. Christ is faithful and NEVER leaves you or forsakes you. He uses all positives and negatives for His glory. Trust Him!
If we don’t ASK, we cannot receive. Each of us must choose to turn our life over to Him and live by His authority. We can stand up and recover from loss. The hardest part to receive His help is to simply let go! With much love and prayer His Spirit takes over the chain of hurt and pain… He will faithfully break all chains of our past actions.
We must focus on God’s word – and in God’s time and God’s way, if we let go of struggle and allow Christ’s help – He can change and overcome anger whether to or from life, family, and even ourselves.
Colossians 3:8, 12-13 (ESV) tells us, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander and obscene talk from your mouth! …Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must forgive.” Anger and bitterness are two noticeable signs of focusing on the self. We must continue to ask Christ’s help to focus on what Father God wants and bring His sovereign reign and rule in our life. Do you believe what Romans 8:28 says – that God works all things together for good to those who belong to Him and love Him? Can we learn to respond to trials with joy instead of anger or bitterness?
Thomas A. Kepis said, “Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.” Yet, Joyce Meyers asked, “Is all anger sin?” She responded, “NO! Do you recall that God Himself has righteous anger against sin, injustice, rebellion, and pettiness?”
We know anger sometimes serves a useful purpose. We are going to experience adverse feelings at times. And Christ can help us if we ASK Him to provide the spiritual fruit of self-control. Being tempted is not sin. Still, we must learn and practice resisting the temptation (self-control) and not give in to hateful attitudes and words.
Scripture tells us our God is slow to anger. Holy Spirit, help us to quiet ourselves. We serve a triune (three person) God! Merciful Creator, transform our hearts to be filled with YOUR goodness! Holy Spirit, help us surrender our all to God through Christ, and trust Him completely.
We can become an example to family and friends and within our community and church. God receives all honor and glory as we meditate on and share His Word and as we keep on praying and caring and showing others how to live as God wants.
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