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We live in a world where the basic tenet is: “Tit for tat. Butter for fat. You kill my dog, I kill your cat.” Injustices that enrage us happen everyday. Being often provoked to anger and outrage can make you tired to the point where you strike back. But striking back with harsh words or blows doesn’t solve the problem. Christians are to live a life that is joyful, because “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Lost joy means lost strength, which is weakness. In a way, anger and harsh words are weapons whereby the enemy of our souls tricks us into weakness. Harsh words make anger escalate into wrath, the joy of the Lord goes out the window, and you become weak. Wrath is dangerous, because it is an emotion with murderous intent. It is one of the “works of the flesh” that the Bible warns us about in Galatians 5:20. Millions of men and women have lost their lives due to “crimes of passion” fueled by wrath – a major cause of domestic violence and abuse, which costs the US economy billions of dollars annually. The word for today is #wrath. Avoid it.
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 NIV
If someone speaks harshly to you today, refuse to respond in kind. Instead, pray. Ask the Lord to give you a gentle answer that turns away wrath.
Until next time: “Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.”
Your friend in Christ, Verneda
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Additional Reading
Works of the Flesh Part 7: Wrath
