Allowing God to Be Involved (Anger vs. Holy Spirit)

Galatians 5:17

For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

I am writing this week’s column from a serious place of conviction, for I gave into the flesh just hours before putting my thoughts on paper. It actually turned out to be a learning experience, as I needed to be reminded that the flesh is weak and selfish, but the Spirit is strong, loving and selfless. The situation wasn’t about choosing my battle, as far as an argument, but how my husband’s actions pissed me off.

I knew from the moment he began to express himself about something that was troubling him, that I was going to lose it, and every inch of my being was SCREAMING not to go there, just LET IT GO! Well, I tried and I tried, but I went there. We exchanged a few words about each of our viewpoints, and I was annoyed by how he viewed the situation (he was equally annoyed by mine). I just could not believe that he honestly felt the way that he did about this particular incident. So therefore, it caused me to become very angry about something that was petty. I’m pretty sure that my husband would agree about the pettiness, however; at the time he was passionate about his point.

I was in a tug of war between the Holy Spirit and the flesh. Deep within, there was a calmness wanting to push through and take over to keep me at peace. There was also a feeling of “oh no” I’m going to be angry and stay that way! This tug of war continued for a couple of hours. During this time, it dawned on me that I didn’t want to carry around the anger, it didn’t feel good, and it was senseless! Although I had become aware of this, it was still challenging to let it go, so I prayed and asked God to help me release my anger.

Galatians 5:17 says: “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” To summarize this: Paul describes the two forces conflicting within us-the Holy Spirit and the sinful nature (our evil desires of inclinations that stem from our bodies). Paul is not saying that these forces are equal-the Holy Spirit is infinitely stronger. But if we rely on our own wisdom, we will make wrong choices. If we try to follow the Spirit by our own human effort, we will fail. Our only way to freedom from our evil desires is through the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

So often, we choose to become angry, and we even take things a step further by choosing to stay that way. It is not good for you, your spouse, or your marriage because it causes conflict, not harmony. Before you make the decision to become angry, invite God in by way of the Holy Spirit, for you can’t go at this alone. By doing this, you are opening the door to better understand what your spouse is trying to communicate with you about his thoughts and feelings. You are also allowing God to participate in the marriage just as you vowed to do.

*Scripture quotations and summary are taken from the Life Application Study Bible (NIV).

Find the jewel in you, see the gem in him!

Treazure