WHY ARE YOU ANGRY?

Whoa!  I'm not angry!  I'm a Christian!  It's only righteous indignation!  I'm just unhappy!  It's not my fault if life upsets me!  I haven't sinned ... I didn't cause this ... it's unfair!  


Unknowingly ....  unknowingly ... anger is at the root of many of our undesirable emotions ... stealing our one opportunity at living as a happy person on this earth!

If I told you that you (we) are sinning (this hurts me, too) you might throw the nearest heavy object, aiming for my head!  We DO NOT like to be told that we are sinning!  In fact, we do not want to come face-to-face with even one fault in us.  Most of us have our salvation down 'so pat' that a minute tinge of threat to that salvation sends us into a tailspin.   Our defense mechanism kicks in and we could tear a lion in half with our bear hands while claiming to be Christ-like.  

This is an excerpt from Laurita's comment to a devotion about 'sin' ...

A friend reminded me yesterday about a prayer group that had invited me to come share my experience in recovering from all the illness and debility in my life, which was my testimony. I had agreed, and had started out walking them through the steps that I had taken to get to my freedom. Well, we made it through the understanding that healing is for today, and that it is a consequence of the restoration of relationships. We talked about accusation and how to recognize it and how it opens the door to the rest of it. We made it through a discussion on bitterness, which is the chronic state of unforgiveness, and got all the way to the point in the Lord’s Prayer where it talks about forgiving others as a precondition to us being forgiven by God, and the whole thing came apart. I mean, the whole room rose up. When I asked what the problem was, almost all of them, protested that they felt that their salvation was being challenged; and they all went into fear. No matter how I approached it, they could not deal with it. If their salvation was going to be conditional upon their ability to forgive, then they didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t get invited back.

Note an important sentence: "... almost all of them protested that they felt that their salvation was being challenged and they all went into fear...they could not deal with it...they didn't want to hear it."

If you find yourself unhappy, frustrated, and even angry (although we don't want to admit that it's anger...we'd rather say: frustrated)  there could be a lot of different things happening below the surface and that's what you really need to figure out.

We usually put our reaction/response on automatic pilot. Usually, when something happens (however insignificant it is) the first emotion felt is anger so we just go with it and don't really think about it. By taking the time to understand where the anger really comes from will be eye opening. You'll learn so much about yourself and you may start to let some things go.

Here is another 'real people' comment to the same devotion.  This one is from Marsha:

One day about 20 years ago I shocked myself at how angry I’d gotten when I was cut off in traffic. I’d never done that before! “Wow.” I asked, “Why did I react like that?! I’m shocked.” As was often the case it was about 2 weeks later while driving down the same busy street coming upon a line of traffic I clearly heard (as though not a moment had passed between my question two weeks ago and now), “Because you feel held back.” Whoa. It was like a curtain had been pulled back from the hallway between my heart and mind and light came in. That is EXACTLY how I feel in the deepest part of me – I was in total awe. I’d like to say that ended the days of my road rage but it did not….I DID try harder..remembering my truth but if the perfect storm came together so did I. Years past with victories and defeats. Gradually, over time I began to accept HIS ACCEPTANCE of me – I began learning how much it meant to Him for my life to be fulfilling and purposeful and how much He really loved me….each of us as individuals. One day…certainly after a length of time that I should have now conquered that anger at silly drivers…one poor unsuspecting soul crossed the line. Without a thought I glared over at him and shook my head at “his stupidity”. In an instant, without a second in between He asked very simply, “Why do you keep bowing to that idol?” WHAAAAT?!! I know EXACTLY how a balloon feels when all the air is let out-humbled doesn’t even begin to cover it. “I’m bowing to an idol?!” Suddenly it was all very clear…that thing I must have considered too important to let go of...had become a god…and each time I had given in to the anger I was worshipping that idol. The reality set me free.

An overworked mom who was also caring for nieces once said to me:  "I only have one life to live and it ought to be better than this."  She was right!  

Life offers opportunities to react/respond in the natural - with emotions, words, and thoughts that are harmful.  How can we NOT become angry at the smallest things said or done?  

Skip Moen's devotion:

...ultimately the goal is to identify those basic steps that lead me to sinful actions so that I can avoid the steps before I get to the unstoppable end. Perhaps instead of fighting to exhaustion those unstoppable ends I would be better served by examining what happened before I was no longer able to control the outcome. Each time I do this, I back up until at last I see the path before it even becomes a choice—and I choose another way.   The key to righteous behavior is to divert the causal connections before they reach the explosive edge.

"Why are you angry?"  If you answer something like, "I'm so angry because my friend didn't do what I told him to" you're not digging deep enough. The other person is just a trigger for your emotion.  

Jesus Christ came to give life and that abundantly.  You only have one life to live and it ought to be better than this!  Start digging ... clean out the cause of your anger ... it's buried somewhere in your spirit.  

Pray this scripture:

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

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IS HELL A REAL PLACE?

A few days ago a member of my group, End Time News, entered this question in the comment section of a post: 

Is Hell a place or the absence of Heaven? 

Just like there isn't cold only the absence of heat 

and no darkness only the absence of light.

This is a honest question.  One I could not easily dismiss.  Perhaps you or others you know ... have asked the same question.  

Hell is not just an issue, or a topic, it is a place.  A very real place.  Jesus spoke about hell more than heaven.  Yet, it's a subject we are reluctant to discuss.  This explains it well: "There are those who claim to be preachers who don’t ever talk about hell, wouldn’t talk about hell, avoid it at all costs, when the truth of the matter is, it ought to be the first thing that we talk about when we talk about the gospel. This is about salvation from hell.” 

I.  HELL IS REAL

It is a real place, prepared by God for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). Hell is a reality and it is a place where unrepentant people go at death.

Hell is a place to avoid. Mark 9: 43, 45, 47 plainly says that if your hand, your eye, or your foot offends you - then cut them off...because it's better to enter life halt or maimed, rather than having both hands, two feet or even two eyes and be cast into everlasting fire.

Matthew 10:28 - And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

II. HELL'S LOCATION

Isaiah 14:9 "Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming:  it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; ..."

"So far as we can tell from Scripture, the present hell is somewhere in the heart of the earth itself.  It is also called "the pit" (Isaiah 14:9; 15; Ezekiel 32:18-21 and the 'the abyss' (Rev. 9:2) ..   The great 'pit' [hell] would only need to be about 100 miles or less in diameter to contain, with much room to spare, all the people who have ever lived, assuming their 'spiritual' bodies are the same size as their physical bodies."  (Henry M. Morris, The Bible Has the Answer, p. 220)

III. HELL'S ENVIRONMENT

It's a place of outer darkness - a place of torment - a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth - a place of loneliness, a place without the presence of God.

It's a place of everlasting fire, punishment, and chains.  It's a place of eternal damnation and judgment.  The remorse, pain, sorrow, and shame will be overwhelming.  You will cry out, but no one will answer.

It's a place where there is no hope and there is no way of escape.  

IV.  HELL'S INHABITANTS

Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels - but - it is a place where  unbelievers will spend eternity ... without God.  God does not send His Children there.  He has no children in hell.  Those in hell made the choice to reject Him as Father.  

John 3:36 " He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."

V.  HOW TO ESCAPE HELL

Acts 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.... 

Romans 10:9 -That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Acts 22:16 - And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

John 3:16-17 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.   

Dr. Rawlings, a devout atheist, wrote a book entitled, Beyond Death's Door. In 1977 he was resuscitating a man, terrified and screaming - descending into the flames of hell:

"Each time he regained heartbeat and respiration, the patient screamed, "I am in hell!" He was terrified and pleaded with me to help him. I was scared to death. . . Then I noticed a genuinely alarmed look on his face. He had a terrified look worse than the expression seen in death! This patient had a grotesque grimace expressing sheer horror! His pupils were dilated, and he was perspiring and trembling — he looked as if his hair was "on end."
Then still another strange thing happened. He said,"Don't you understand? I am in hell. . . Don't let me go back to hell!" . . .the man was serious, and it finally occurred to me that he was indeed in trouble. He was in a panic like I had never seen before."

(Maurice Rawlings, Beyond Death's Door,
(Thomas Nelson Inc., 1979) p. 3).

The answer to your question is YES, there is a Hell.  It does exist.  You don't want to go there.  

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

I pray you will give your heart to Jesus Christ today.  He is faithful and just to forgive us for our sins.  Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in glory with the Father - and He's coming back again to receive us unto Himself.  When the trumpet sounds we will be raptured....we are going HOME.  And it will be soon.

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