"The entrance of thy words giveth light (Psalm 119:130)."
Getting Rid of Anger (Part 1)
This is Part One of a series on how to break free of anger footholds. Scriptures follow:
"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice." {Ephesians 4:31NIV}
"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." {Matthew 5:44 NIV}
I once attended a sermon by a generally outstanding pastor. He was, at the time, also a prominent conservative politician who was on the Board of the Grossmont Union High School District. I will never forget it.
This pastor clearly was Spirit-filled. Everyone could see that he was at peace. The last I heard he had left San Diego to join a national ministry based in Washington D.C.
He told a story of having received a phone call, out of the blue, from another Christian who had been unable to forgive him for something that had happened in the past. That Christian was still struggling with unforgiveness and was trying to break free. The pastor didn't even know what the issue was about until he asked.
The pastor smiled broadly, with a look of incredulity on his face, as he addressed the congregation. Then he said something like this: "You don't go up to somebody, out of the blue, and then say 'I'm upset about so and so.' You deal with that with God. I find it difficult to hate someone I am praying for."
It is true that praying for your enemies will help you to forgive them.
What the pastor didn't understand is that some people, due to their backgrounds, find it much more difficult to forgive than others.
The Bible has much more to offer than most Christians realize in terms of enabling you to break free of unforgiveness directly. It's important to know what these things are.
I believe this individual could have broken free, without ever having had to contact his former pastor, if he had known how to take advantage of the bible's full potential.
God will always provide you with a way to forgive and break free (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Assuming the pastor responded graciously, as I suspect he did, the person's problem would have been resolved.
However, this person, as a last resort, could have resolved the issue with his former pastor simpler and easier by simply writing him a letter.
More information is available later in this series and also in my article entitled How to Forgive.
A link to Part 2 is below.
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