Extinguishing the Flaming Arrow of Anger

for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
James 1:20 NASB

Anger is an area of my life that occasionally causes me issues. "Hot-tempered and high-strung" is the phrase that described the earthly Sallee Bonham for the first 33 years of my life.

Over the last twenty-three years, my desire to rid myself of anger has sent me to my knees in prayer many times. Slowly, but surely my anger has been removed by writing to find the source of the anger, by immersing myself in scripture about anger, AND by the grace of God at work in my daily life. 

Writing about my anger is a sure way to reveal the cause. Usually, I find I have a resentment and/or fear that is affecting the following:

1. My security - fear
2. My self-esteem - upset with myself/ not being "good enough"  - fear
3. A personal relationship/pride - fear

I have to be very honest with myself when I am looking at the cause of my anger. However, I want to live an anger free life. Did you see a pattern in my list? It is all about me. Yep, I have grabbed onto my life again and am not trusting GOD and Jesus to take care of EVERYTHING! (sigh) Now it is time to give my life back to Jesus because my heart's desire is to be closer and closer to Jesus.  I do not want to be an angry Christian! 
It is time to pray this prayer:

Jesus, I am yours! I am giving all of myself to you, good and bad. I am asking you to now remove from me every single imperfection of character that makes me less useful to you. Give me the strength to stay in your will, to do your will, and to be your servant. Amen!

To stop the flaming arrow of the Enemy, I pick up my sword of the spirit (my study bible) and look up anger. Reading through the list of scriptures, I turn to each chapter and read each verse in context. However, I did not feel that sense of "this is it", until I read what James had written in James 1:19-27. 

 "19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 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.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

 Righteousness and anger do not belong together. It is time for me to curl up at Jesus' feet and to look intently into the perfect law (the Bible). I am going to win this spiritual skirmish with the Enemy by relying on the Word of God and trusting Jesus to take care of everything!

Ephesians 6:12

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places

Ephesians 6:16

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.