Good Morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! Lots of sunshine already this morning, even though the air feels a little cool. Very pleasant for people who work outdoors..
Speaking of outdoors, I saw the big gator lounging on the bank of the lake yesterday. He had turned around, so his nose was facing the water. Do you suppose this is where the expression "lounge lizard" came from? :o) Anyway, as I drove further, I saw a car on the wrong side of the street, and saw the driver was looking at a large soft shell turtle right at the edge of the drive. Then, as I rounded the curve, another soft shell was on the grass, waiting for a chance to cross. For some reason they were on the move! I saw one egret in a tree overlooking the water, and a couple ibis below it, pecking along the water. It was a beautiful place to be! God is good!
From the devotional Quiet Moments with God:
"Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath." Ephesians 4:26 KJV
One of the most controversial events in America occurred when Bernard Goetz had had enough and decided he wasn't going to take it any more. He did what many people have wanted to do--he fought back and pulled a gun when he was attacked on the subway.
Goetz's action received an outpouring of support. He touched a nerve in people who have simply had enough of other people threatening their lives. Criticism comes, however, when we allow guns in the hands of angry, violent people. As Christians, anger can be a terrible enemy.
The beginnings of anger almost go unnoticed: petty irritations, ordinary frustrations, minor aggravations--things we experience daily. Then these small things start adding up. Pressures build and turn into rage. Without relief, pent-up anger can turn violent, with devastating consequences.
How do we keep our passions from becoming uncontrolled anger? How do we defuse the anger that makes us want to retaliate?....
There are several things we can do to take control of our anger before it takes control of us:
1. Yell at God first! He already knows you're upset.
2. Ask God to give you understanding about the situation, to show you the root of your anger, if that's the case.
3. Turn the situation over to God. Forgive those who have hurt you, and let Him deal with them. Turn His power loose in the circumstances.
4. Don't do anything without having complete inner peace from His Spirit.
Then you can sleep easily at night, knowing God can turn anything around to work for your good.
CONTROL YOURSELF! ANGER IS ONLY ONE LETTER SHORT OF DANGER!
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I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs, Amaryllis
