Let me preface this by saying, it would be best to read PART ONE before reading this.
In my last blog, I was angry. If there is one thing that I’ve struggled with in my life, I will be the first to admit, it’s being passionate and responding emotionally. While some see this as a detriment to someone’s personality…and in some ways, it can be. But I also do not believe that it is always wrong. I’ve heard in the past year (Especially) that if you’re angry, its a sin. But we forget, that even Jesus, whom we are to strive to be, got angry. And it was always at the people who claimed to be God Fearing people. Here are a few examples…
Mark 3:5 ~ "He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.”
John 2:13-17 ~ When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
Matthew 16:23 ~ "Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Yes, I wrote my last blog in anger. But the more I pray about it, the more I realize that anger, if done in a godly way, is not always a bad thing. The Bible tells us to get angry! If we can’t be angry for the things that anger the Lord, where do the lines of tolerance start and stop? We can love, we can be Jesus, but we don’t have to tolerate sin. And we certainly MUST not justify sin. As my sweet sister last night said, it all comes down to the Cross. The Cross happened in order for sin to be obliterated. So that we could spend eternity with the Lord. And honestly, I feel like we’ve spit in His face and take advantage of His blood sacrifice…because we’re either inconvenienced, suffering, indignant, or -insert any other selfish motive here-.
For example, by this point, I’d say that half of the 600+ people who’ve read the last blog (at least), came up with excuses as to why I was wrong. And I picked the topics of abortion, physician assisted suicide, because they are hot topics. People form “opinions” on these things based on how they *feel*…and not what the bible says. What the God-breathed, God-inspired, Bible says. They’re not guidelines we should maybe follow…they are commandments.
Now hear me, I’m not saying that we as believers are supposed to be rule based and legalistic. What I am saying is that we are called to be broken hearted for what breaks God’s heart. And our hearts are hardened. We view it as “non-Christ-like” to disagree with what a majority of culture tells us. The images painted across the screens of TV’s, billboards, and our computer screens have made us complacent.
We’ve lost the God of the Bible.
We’ve ignored what He’s said…because what He’s said is uncomfortable.
It makes us freaks.
We have God on our side…until we begin feeling emotionally uncomfortable, then we throw our hands over our ears and ignore what He has to say.
We’ve taken the God of the Universe and “changed Him”…but only our perception of Him.
And guys, it breaks His heart.
We need to be like Moses…who was angry in Exodus 32, because his people had pretty much given God the middle finger by making a golden calf to worship. He was angry. He was pissed. Because it was wrong.
We need to be like David, who was angry about Goliath…and the blasphemy he spat at him. And who was angry with Nathan and the story of the injustice of the Rich man stealing the poor mans lamb.
We need to be like Paul. Who was angry all the time about the complacency he saw in believers! For the false teachings he saw in Galatia. Just read Galatians…it’s white hot with anger…towards a church that bent God’s word to how they wanted it to be, and were flat out hypocrites.
Now here is the kicker, and the hard part. Anger isn’t inherently sinful, but it can quickly turn into just that. I saw a quote that said :
“God’s anger is legal anger. It is wrath based upon men’s violation of God’s law, and it is anger which is lawfully expressed. The Old Testament Law not only revealed that conduct which was unacceptable to God, making Him angry, but what the consequences of God’s anger would be. Godly anger is not vigilante justice, it is legal justice. Those who hate abortion but express their anger in the burning of abortion clinics (and thereby endangering other lives) are not expressing their anger legally.”
So, kicking my soapbox aside, I will mention that I, myself, am of course, not perfect. At all. In fact, I’m far from. I screw up all.the.time. In fact, I chose "Sex before marriage" as a topic in my last blog, because its a sin that I really struggle with, y'all. I'm guilty. Sinful. And struggle saying out loud that I was wrong. And the 600+ people who have read this are probably asking why I have a right to say anything when I’m not perfect either. You have half of that right. If you’re waiting for a perfect person to tell you that you need to check our heart, it’s going to be a long wait. And heres the deal, I can’t change you. My desire is to “open your eyes”, but only the Holy Spirit can do that work. But I don’t want to sit by and say that as a believer, “You’re entitled to your own opinions” if they contradict what the bible says. I believe, I will have failed you as your sister in Christ. Please, when it comes to the hard topics, if we as the light of the world are no different than the world, what makes us bright enough to cast out the darkness?
The Enemy is cunning. If he can shut our mouths, or even get us to believe in the ways of this world enough to speak up about it, he is winning. Your soul may not be destined for hell (because of the forgiveness the Cross gave us), but what life are you speaking to the people around you? If they see you are no different, what is there for them to want? We’re supposed to be so passionate, that we stand up for what we believe in, and speak it in love to our non-believing friends, family, and loved ones. Not spew hate and steamroll believers who stand for truth and make mountains out of molehills.
What makes you different? We don’t need to conform to be an example. We need to stand out. To get angry with luke-warm faith, in ourselves, and in others. We need to call each other up, and out into greatness, in love.
It’s not okay to justify your sin.
And it’s okay to be angry when you see it happen.
So get angry.
With yourself.
With this generation.
With this world.
Then strive to do something about it.
