Are You Accountable to God for Your Anger?

Jonah believed he had the right to be angry even as he directed it toward God. Feeling justified with anger has the potential to block any resolution while undermining a relationship. The issue is not whether anger is justifiable, but how and when it is expressed.

How does God intend for anger to be managed? The Message reads Ephesians 4:26-27 as, “Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry, but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold.”

The issue is acknowledging the presence of anger and being accountable for adapting positive, biblical methods for resolution. The first step is to admit you’re angry and then state in clear, acceptable language what you perceive to be the cause of your anger. Ask God to give you patience and self-control before you speak.

                     

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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All of this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ. ~2 Corinthians 5:17-18 New International Version  

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What Prevents Compassion from Being Felt?

An apparent lesson from Jonah is that the moment you feel justified with anger, negative consequences infiltrate your life. You may feel angry for a multitude of reasons, but even justifiable anger has consequences when allowed to linger.

Jonah felt embarrassed because his prophesy for Nineveh’s  destruction failed to occur. Anger follows embarrassment if compassion for others doesn’t exist. Jonah directed his anger toward God for causing his prophesy to fail.

Jonah was knowledgeable and intelligent but could not transition from hatred to empathy for Nineveh, who heard God’s message and repented of their sins. This did not match Jonah’s expectations, but God’s compassion triumphed over Jonah’s anger and objections. Evidently, Jonah never recovered from his anger, but God’s love and mercy will forever be victorious.

Praise God, and may he richly bless you.

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If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 

~1 Corinthians 13:1-2 New American Standard Bible 

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Is It Possible to Know God's Word, Yet Be Lacking Mercy?

Jonah clearly illustrates how anger has the power to dominate a person’s life to the point of negating God’s blessings. Jonah’s anger teaches us how it transforms into depression, creating feelings of hopelessness and despair.

Human beings were designed to be accountable for selecting what is good and healthy while discarding undesirable thoughts and behaviors. Jonah did not make this transition. His prejudice and beliefs justified anger, including Nineveh being obliterated. 

Jonah had knowledge that God was merciful and slow to anger, but he could not apply these to himself. A lesson to learn from Jonah is, a person can know God yet fail to exhibit mercy and compassion to others. This can be corrected by intentionally and deliberately submitting yourself to the transforming power of Christ Jesus.

Your heart will change as his love and mercy take possession.

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If I give away all my possession to feed the poor and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant. 

~1 Corinthians 13:3-4 New American Standard Bible 

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When Is Anger Detrimental to Yourself or Your Relationships?

An important lesson to learn from Jonah’s life is anger has the power to determine a person’s fate in terms of deprivation or accomplishments. A life filled with bitterness diminishes joy and happiness. The sad truth about anger is it can become constant. 

Jonah permitted anger to deprive him of a joyful, peaceful fellowship with God. He refused to believe compassion was more acceptable to God than hatred. Jonah erupted into anger when God did not reign down death and destruction on Nineveh.

We see in Jonah the tendency to adapt a permanent attitude of anger so that it begins feels normal. God confronted Jonah with, “Do you have the right to be angry?” God challenged Jonah’s tendency to express anger toward him. Can you be angry with a person without hating them?  Anger dissipates when you view a situation from God’s perspective. 

God bless you.                       

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[Love] is not rude, is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 

~1 Corinthians 13: 5-8 Christian Standard Bible/New International Version

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Does God Help You Make a Directional Change?

A powerful lesson to learn from Jonah, the prophet to Nineveh, is God will remain true to his nature to be loving and merciful even as it conflicts with what you thought to be right and just. Adaptability is critically linked to accountability in an ever-changing society and world.

Jonah refused to discard the prejudice he felt toward Nineveh. He refused to let God help him see that God’s mercy is designed for anyone who confesses their sins and repents. Jonah became angry when God showed kindness and compassion to Nineveh’s people.

God will help you change your attitude.

In  Psalm 18 David speaks from a heart of gratitude. “I love you, Lord, for you make me strong. You are my rock and fortress, my protector, the rock where I am safe, my shield, my powerful weapon and my place of shelter.” Permit God to give you confidence and gratitude.                   

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I appeal to you by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship, and do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you might prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 

~Romans 12:1-2 New American Standard Bible 

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How Can You Adjust to God's Plan and Purpose?

Jonah failed to understand God’s objective in saving Nineveh from destruction. Is it possible to view a situation from God’s perspective when anger has pervaded your life? Consider how anger, resentment, and bitterness block accepting God’s plan and purpose.

Anger, resentment, and bitterness create self-centeredness, which impedes accepting any alternative that God presents to us. God wanted Jonah to realize if he, Jonah, felt sorrow for a plant that died, how much more did God pity the people of Nineveh who were bound for destruction.

Jonah refused to accept that God loves all people, so a lesson from Jonah is that God designed us to be adaptable. 

Rigidity and resistance serve as barriers to experiencing the gifts of joy and peace that come from being flexible to God’s leadership so that you can serve him in an ever-changing world. May God bless you.  

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Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” 

~John 8:12 Christian Standard Bible 

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Could You Define How Your Will Differs from God's Will?

Can you describe a defining moment that changed the course of your life? For Jonah, it was facing what it means to be accountable for God’s call. A basic truth from Jonah is that God’s patience allows events to run their course until you can commit to his transforming call.

Refusing God’s call is driven by your emotional disposition, previous experiences, and prejudice. While God permits you to sidestep what could bring you unspeakable joy, he will use you to complete a task even when your attitude is in opposition to his plan and purpose.

Can you imagine what needs to happen for you to bring your free will in line with how God wants you to serve him? Consider God’s promise from Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and not your own judgement; always let God lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.” 

May God bless and keep you.                         

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Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake. I [the Lord God], am ready to make an everlasting covenant with you, to give you my unfailing mercies. 

~Isaiah 55:3 The Living Bible 

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