Anger as a root to bigger problems

"You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. Matthew 5:21-26 (NRSV)

Part of the Sermon on the Mount [from which these verses come] include 6 sections in which Jesus tries to correct some misunderstandings of Old Testment laws. This is the first of those six. According to the Expostitor's Commentary, Jesus in these six sections is showing the true direction of what the law was to point to originally [p. 147]. This would make sense because murder comes from hatred and anger. Murder is the symptom while anger is the root.

I've been thinking about roots the last few years. While most Christians I know would never murder anyone [myself included], what about these roots of anger, hatred, greed, etc. that lie in so many of us? Do we feed these roots or do we give them to God asking for him to forgive and heal us of these roots? To be sure, there are times when anger is justified. But it is what we do with that anger that is important. There are healthy ways to deal with anger: work for a peaceful resolution to the issue, ask God to intervene in the situation,  stand up on behalf of those who can't for themselves, pray for the other person/situation, express in prayer how you feel asking God to heal your anger or find a healthy way to vent about your anger such as in a journal or to a trusted friend. There are unhealthy ways: allowing the anger to fester until it overtakes one's life, leading to hateful actions such as put downs, cut downs, verbal abuse [what the word Raca signifies - it means 'imbecile, fool, blockhead' [p. 149], rage, holding grudges, seeking revenge, wishing a curse on them instead of God's blessing, gossip, back bite, slander. And even when one has enough self-control not to do any of these actions, anger that still controls [especially if it is internalized, which is what powerless people often do when faced with a situation that angers them] can cause depression, self-hate, high blood pressure and other mental if not physical health issues.

As stated earlier I can't think of any Christians I know of who would commit homicide, but I do know of plenty who think nothing of hating another person, using verbal abuse, gossiping, talking behind one's back, hold grudges, and seek revenge. I also see Christians who don't know how to what to do with their anger so it becomes internalized into depressed, obsession, self-hate, addictions or other health issues such as high blood pressure.

For those in this situation, ask God to help you deal with the anger appropriately. Since there are many reasons for anger, a simple devotional can't cover all the issues but God can. Pray everyday or more about your anger and what to do with it. Pray for healing of the cause for the anger. It may take some time for healing to come but it will if you let God help you. Doing so will bring healing to you, your relationships around you and your witness as a Christian. Getting rid of the anger in your heart will allow God's grace and joy to abundantly flow in your heart and flow out to others bringing to them healing, grace and joy.

"Lord, if you will, you can make me clean."

Luke 5: 12 - 16
12	While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and besought him, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean."
13	And he stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately the leprosy left him.
14	And he charged him to tell no one; but "go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to the people."
15	But so much the more the report went abroad concerning him; and great multitudes gathered to hear and to be healed of their infirmities.
16	But he withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.

"Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." This has been my prayer for healing for several years now. I have prayed this concerning chronic migraines for over a decade. I have done this along with regularly asking my pastor or any pastor to anoint me for healing. Over time I have been assured of God's healing and can already see a lot of progress.

This kind of regular praying comes from a desperate heart. Mine is not the only one desperate. The people in verse 15 were desperate as well so much so that they followed Jesus where ever he went. They wanted to hear him as well as be healed by him. The more desperate one is for God, the more one will do whatever it takes to be closer to him. A former pastor told about when his daughter was on the way to the hospital. As he was desperately praying for her, God told him to always remember this sense of desperation because that is how God wanted him to approach God. This attitude of desperation is what Matthew 5 refers to as "poor in spirit." These are people who have the attitude that says "I know that all that I have comes from God". This attitude is what helps to grow and deepen the relationship with God. The good news is that this attitude is blessed by God because he "rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6)." One of the many rewards of earnestly seeking him is the reasurance of his presence. It can also be some sort of healing, spiritual growth, or seeing God in a new, fresh way.