Don't make me angry!

It seems ages since I've put anything on here! Last night when I was praying I was reminded of the following verse...

Ephesians 4:26..."In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry"

It started me thinkig...Anger isn't necessarily a bad thing, it is right to have emotions. A friend of mine, when we pray, often asks God to stir us up and lay on our hearts the things that are on His. That could mean giving us a heart for the lost/broken, a touch for the untouchable, or anger at injustice and suffering. Anger itself isn't a sin - only how we deal with it.

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:1-10)

Something I've been struggling with recently has been the concept of the fulness of Gods grace and redemption...that when He forgives He means it, and that when He heals it's no bodge job. I know I've been forgiven for things I've done and that I don't hold anything against people who have hurt me - yet sometimes I still feel a guilt for my wrongdoings and anger at things I have suffered. I shouldn't, because Gods forgiveness and healing is infinite. But problems come when that anger leads to sin - particularly bitterness - towards myself or others.

I know these "attacks" of anger are the work of the enemy, and so does Paul - he goes on to say "do not give the devil a foothold" (v27). Nicky Gumbel recently quoted in a sermon..."do not give the devil a foothold because a foothold leads to a stronghold, which leads to a stranglehold"

The "in your anger do not sin" bit in Ephesians 4 is quoted from Psalm 4:4..."In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your heart and be silent" - so I do! David, when writing this Psalm, had his head screwed on...he knew that a good time to be still, sort his life out and get straight with God was when he went to bed. When I go to bed everything that has happened during the day, everything that's due to happen the next day...its all forgotten, leaving the perfect time to clear my mind of everything and spend some quality time with God to put things right and ensure that I don't let the sun go down while I'm still angry.