Say It Isn’t So

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor be put away from you along with all malice. - Ephesians 4:31 (NASB)

When I was a young mother, I fully committed my heart to the Lord. I recall inviting Christ to be Lord of my life, and I didn’t feel any different, at that moment of realization, the Lord showed me that I had anger and rage in my heart from some things in my past. I asked the Lord to take the anger and rage from me, and in my case, I could feel a heaviness leave my body and I was then filled with peace and joy.

Many more challenges would face me in my Christian walk, and I can honestly say I have never taken back, rage and anger as buddies. However, God has shown me that there is a difference between carrying around the bitterness toward someone or something which led to my anger and being angry over the things that make God angry. (John 16:33; James 1:20; Ephesians 4:26).

To learn this lesson, God kept placing an individual in my path that caused harm to me. This individual misrepresented me, blamed me, and never heard my side of the story. I didn’t know what to do with myself other than imagine conversations I’d have with this person, or using humor by admitting “God is real because I didn’t do something I shouldn’t as they walked in front of my car.” It’s hard to admit I thought this, but God is real and so were my “Say it isn’t so” thoughts and emotions I battled.

The struggle is real, but we must see through God’s eyes how damaging the above behaviors and emotions are for us. I confessed my anguish over this situation to the Lord regarding my brewing anger which was destructive. There was nothing more I could do, because I tried with this person to seek restoration.

God was kind to me, He was tender-hearted, and He forgave me when I was being all the above at certain points in my life and He says, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Verse 32

It’s no fun when others hurt us and yet they carry a distorted view of us and maybe we carry one of them, maybe they deserve wrath; in which God says, “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. - Romans 12:17-19

Heavenly Father, thank You that You show love through Your example. You know that harm comes when we harbor these emotions (Psalm 38:18). You tell us to guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23). May we open the door of our heart to You as You show us what is hidden within. Let Your light shine on us as You use us to reflect Jesus in the dark places. (Mark 4:22;1 John 1:6-7) Help us to release others into Your hands, to do with as You will.

This devotion by author, Terrie Miles, is exclusively and solely shared with permission to New Beginnings Church. Any unauthorized printed reproduction, sharing or use of this material is prohibited.