A picture of God’s anger and a good example for us is Psalm 30 5, "For His anger is but for a moment. His favor is for life: Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." Psalm 37:7, 8 shows us the choice we have. First to "rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him." Then we are to "Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret--it only causes harm." Psalm 4:4, "Be angry, and do not sin..." The footnotes from the Spirit-Filled Life Bible say: |
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Psalm 103:8 says, "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy." Proverbs 15:18; 16:32; and 145:8 all speak of being "slow to anger." Psalm 78:38, "But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath" Because of God’s compassion (love), He forgave and did not destroy. He turned His anger away (His choice) and didn’t stir up all His wrath (fury, poison, rage, hot displeasure). Some specific instructions we are given in the Word can be found in: Proverbs 15:1, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Ephesians 4:31,32 "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." The Greek word for anger here is orge and means anger or temper (I found this interesting). In Colossians 3:8 we are instructed to "put off" anger, among other things. Pastor Hayford has done teachings based on the Ephesians passage entitled, "Seven Steps to Success -- Parts 1, 2, and 3" (Part 2 specifically deals with anger). |
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Resources: 1.) "Seven Steps To Success - Part 1" 2.) "Seven Steps To Success - Part 2" 3.) "Seven Steps To Success - Part 3" 4.) The Spirit-Filled Life Bible [Checkout] |
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