Anger

DEVOTION
EPHESIANS
ANGER
Eph 4:26-28
26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
NIV
Alright, this is simply not fair. How am I supposed to not sin when I get angry? This statement is surely a repeat of the forth Psalm;
Ps 4:4
In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.
NIV
I would imagine there are many things which go on in my daily life I could become angry over. I can’t think of anything right off, but I am sure I get angry over something. Maybe it is the way I behave. Maybe I get angry with myself because I behave in a manner God would not be pleased with. The Greek word used here is a verb which also implies not to become exasperated. Is that the truth here? Do I get exasperated more than actually angry? Would that be a better description of my feelings? No, I think I do have anger from time to time. I think it is over me more than over other people. I get angry that I cannot get it right all the time. I get upset with my own behavior, my own responses to others. I really do not think I actually get angry with other people, not even on the highway. Now do I have ill feelings toward others, maybe at times I get a little bent out of shape, but I don’t think that is anger. No, I have to believe this verse is speaking to the condition of my heart toward myself. That at the end of the day, when I put my head on my pillow, I have to be at peace with God regarding the condition of my own soul, my own spirit and be silent. When I fail him I surely am angry with my own self. But I cannot allow that kind of feeling to fester within and give the devil this foothold. I cannot have anything separate me from my Lord at the end of the day. I know I should settle these things at the moment they occur, but I think there are times I forget and then at bedtime, I am reminded of my failures and I need to seek God’s forgiveness, be still and know he is God, and ultimately be at peace with him before I doze off to slumber land. If I don’t then a foothold has been established. Thank you Lord for your gentle ways.