Victim Or Victor?

February 21

"...let every man be swift to hear,
slow to speak, slow to wrath;
for the wrath of man does not
produce the righteousness of God."
James 1:19-20

Anger is a natural human emotion, but it's one of the most powerful tools that Satan can use against us. Never try to change a situation when you're angry, it can only produce the opposite of what you want. Instead, bring it to the Lord. Pour your heart out to him, bring all the details to him, all your feelings, vent it out before him.

Is it ok to bring angry, hateful feelings to the Lord? Of course! You won't shock him, nor surprise him.

"Be angry, and do not sin,
do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
nor give place to the devil."
Ephesians 4:26-27

"...nor give place to the devil."

And that's the point. If in anger you sin, you're opening an entry for the devil and he'll be only too happy to take advantage of it. Through your anger he can produce all kinds of evil. Instead, give place ...to the Lord.

We are all born in a fallen human nature that makes us totally self-centered, and that also describes the person who hurt you. That person is just a pawn of the devil being used to work all the evil he can through him/her (Ephesians 6:12). Understanding that - reveals to you that it is Satan, not the person he's working through, who hurt you.

When you take your trouble to the Lord, he will help you through it. You will receive strength not your own, strength to walk through the problem as a victor, not a victim. Then the peace that surpasses all understanding will come to you and you will rejoice in what the Lord our God can accomplish in a surrendered heart.