Recap:
Guilt: Change out the narrative
The person who is forgiven the most loves the most
My past may remind me, it will not define me.
My past will lead me to worship
Envy: Run Your Race
My point of reference is myself last year
Look for eternal meaning around you
How do you deal with your anger?
Stuffer
Hinter
Silent burner
Exploder
Anger is a signal light for injustice
Righteous Anger
Eph. 4:26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry
Self-focused Anger
James 1:19-20 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
Self-focused anger is destructive
James 3:13-16 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
Humility is the key to harmony
James 4:1-2 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.
Our desires are the source of our anger
I have something inside of me that will hurt other people in order to get what I want
James 4:4, 6 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God… But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
Selfish Anger: There is something I want that I’m not getting
Phil. 2:2-8 Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing (emptied himself) by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!
Jesus emptied himself of his rights to fair
Jesus was treated unfairly by humans
So we could be treated unfairly by God
So we wouldn’t hold onto fairness as our right
What is driving the heat of my emotion not getting what I want
Positional authority
Self-focused Anger is when you don’t get what you want
Prov. 19:11 A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense
James 4:2 You do not have because you do not ask God
Ask God for what you want
Not about stuffing it down, hinting, silence, or exploding
But giving it to God
Anger is not getting what you want, so pray for what you want