Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life. Ephesians 4:26 (Message Bible)
I have been living in the United States since 1998. Each year I am watching Americans become angrier at life and at each other. The toxic poison of identity politics has only thrown more “fuel” on a fire that is already engulfing much of America. Sadly the prevailing “culture of anger” is not isolated to the United States of America. Europe, Australia and Africa are dealing with the same ravaging flames. It behooves us to mine the precious and timeless Word of God for solutions against this menacing evil that has claimed many relationships and destroyed so many lives. If you are struggling with anger or are married to an anger-driven spouse, then this article is for you!
Ephesians 4:26 in my opinion is one of the most powerful treatise of both the “emotion” and “problem of anger.” The first part of the verse starts out this way…“Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—” In its first embassy this passage of scripture recognizes “Anger” as a healthy God-given emotion within a very limited scope. Within this very limited scope, “anger” can be a vehicle or force for good. It can also be a clear demonstration of “love.” God forbid, but if your teenage daughter came home and told you she had been raped or was pregnant out of wedlock, would you not be angry? Wouldn’t you be angry with the sexual predator? Justifiably so! However, if your daughter told you all the above and you acted calm and unemotional at such horrific news, wouldn’t your daughter rightfully conclude that you do not love her? This is why parents who allow their children to get away with murder in the “name of love” are fooling themselves. Love that never gets angry at wrong is not love but “neglectful surrender!” Before I address the second aspect of Ephesians 4:26 the “problem of anger,” I want you to read an excerpt from a very interesting article on the relationship between “prolonged anger” and the “liver” by Irene Ross.
The liver gets easily clogged; especially these days with so much processed and chemicalized food, pollution and so many environmental toxins. You need to feed and nourish it to keep it functioning optimally. If you’re constantly ill-tempered or anxious, you’re said to have an angry liver. The liver is often referred to as the “seat of anger.”
Many Chinese and Ayurvedic medical practitioners equate chronic anger to poor liver function. In fact, there are numerous examples, based on Chinese research, says the National Institutes of Health. Talk about a vicious cycle. If you’re angry, you aren’t happy. If you aren’t happy, you probably won’t feel much like meditating, praying, thinking positively, practicing gratitude or performing little acts of kindness — all things to help get you out of that low vibration! by Irene Ross (Huffington Post)
The second section of this article will now focus on the “problem of anger.” In addressing the problem of anger I will analyze the remaining parts of Ephesians 4:26.
“ —But don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.”
- —But don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. The first thing the bible tells us about the problem of anger is that we cannot allow our “anger” to morph into a deep-seated desire to exact “revenge.” Revenge involves the concocting of a premeditated plan to cause as much pain on who we perceive to be the source of our pain instead of allowing God to deal with the situation. Forgiving our enemies is a sure antidote to the desire for vengeance.
- And don’t stay angry. The second thing the bible tells us about the problem of anger is that we cannot allow our “anger” to “seamier and linger for more than 12 hours!” The scripture shows us that God has placed a restraining order on how long we allowed to be angry! The expression “don’t let the Sun go down on your wrath or anger” suggests that God has given us 12 hours of grace under which we can be “angry” before this powerful emotion turns toxic! Irene Ross’s article demonstrates that prolonger anger is very toxic to the well being of our liver, which is the organ in the body that bears the brunt of any emotions of anger.
- Don’t go to bed angry. The third thing the bible tells us about the problem of anger is that we cannot allow ourselves to go to bed “angry!” Going to bed angry is like sleeping with a poisonous cobra or rattlesnake and expecting not to be bit by this untamed creature. In our marriage, my wife and I refuse to go to bed angry at each other! Once, I was foolish enough to violate this divine restraining order and I was miserable the whole night. I actually woke up angrier than when I went to sleep. That’s when I got the revelation! “Anger” grows faster and poisons your whole system each time you take this “snake” to bed with you!
- Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life. The final thing the bible tells us about the problem of anger is that prolonged “anger” quickly turns into a ‘legal foothold” for the devil, before the Courts of Heaven! Satan uses unresolved anger as legal foothold to place “liens” against our God given destiny. How many people’s destinies are on “lockdown” in the Courts of Heaven because they walk around with unresolved anger in their heart towards all sorts of people and situations? STOP BEING ANGRY, NOW!!!
Heavenly Father, thank you that when the Lord Jesus died and shed His blood for me on the Cross, He made it possible for me to live a life FREE from ANGER. I come before your Supreme Court and ask you to issue a divine restraining order against plots and ploys of Satan to cause me to live in anger. I choose to forgive every human being who has been the source of my anger, In Jesus name, I pray! Amen
3 Replies to “Living in Peace in an Angry Culture!”
Bernard Dithoriso LejageLove
I love my Pastor ,Prophet , Dr Francis Myles in Jesus mighty name and Amen, thanks.
Supriya Vigy
Dear Pastor Dr Francis Myles.
i live in Qatar ,the middle east ,we used to partner with you and send seed to your ministry regularly for some time ,Then in 2022 we were not able to send as the bank here was not allowing ,and not only your ministry but many others also. The bank said VISA has blacklisted these ngos .But Praise Our LORD ,God has made a way .My son is studying in ORU in TULSA since August 2024.So he is able to sow seed from there. We are reviving our giving to you from this month thru our son Othniel Vigy. We have been so blessed by your ministry. FROM JUMPING BLOODLINES TO THE FOUR WINDS TEACHING.
THANK YOU Dr Myles.
Sibongile ntuli
Thank you Dr Myles about this clip of how to be delivered to anger, Dr Myles please pray for my daughter Nomsa she gave her friend cv,the friend promised her that in her company they are looking for people, my daughter needs job desperately because his boss is ill treating her badly, she went to many interviews nothing is happening please pray for her for the favor she went to the doctor because of stress and anxiety 🙏