James 1:19-25 "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has learned, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does."
After a few quick searches, the health risks or conditions associated with inproperly managed anger is staggering: Headaches, digestion issues, insomnia, anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, eczema, heart attacks, stroke, and even cancer. The problem is that anger was intended to trigger our "fight or flight" reaction, therefore the body starts producing the chemicals the body needs to react. While these chemicals are necessary in certain instances, they are not meant to be constantly present.
So what is James saying to us? We are to be slow to anger and our anger does not serve God's purpose. We are to submit to God's law and study it, not just acknowledge it, but to apply it. If we look closely at Jesus' instructions, we are not to hold on to unforgiveness, we are to forgive as we have been forgiven and so that we can be forgiven (Mark 11:25).
In order to forgive we must let go of our anger, we must lay it at His feet. Take a few minutes to search your heart, ask God to reveal any unresolved anger you have and let it go. Do not let unresolved anger steal your joy and peace - it will not only deteriorate your physical self, it can keep you from experiencing all of God's mercy, grace, and forgiveness.
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