Polluted by Anger

Take just a moment and think about the old saying “It’s easier said than done.” After some thought, one thing comes to my mind: I think that’s the point. If whatever it is was easy, there would be no reward in the success of it. The Lord tells us to go spread His word and serve the people of this world. He especially tells us to look after orphans and widows. We might say yes, okay I’ll start talking about God tomorrow, but more often than not, that tomorrow never comes. One quality of God that amazes me are the simple ways He tells us to become more righteous. He gives us three tips: be quick to listen, be slow to speak, and be slow to anger. In a world of so many competing people, it’s quite difficult to listen and to hold your tongue. Time’s ticking and everyone must get their ideas or stories out on the table. But that’s not right. If we are constantly trying to be the first or the loudest, we will miss out on so many of God’s plans. We will never hear that small voice that is the Holy Spirit guiding and directing us. Likewise, He says be slow to anger. Now that’s a hard one. Anger seeps in each of us waiting to come to the surface. Nonetheless, it makes since; oftentimes people do and say things they regret when they act in anger. That’s the devil working in you. Ephesians 4:26-27 says “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” God goes on to explain why we should not be angry, “for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires” (James 1:20). Plain and simple, we aren’t living the life God wants for us if we are living in anger. His solution, get rid of all moral filth, do what His word says, and keep a rein on your tongue.


This world is full of evil and immorality. Those who partake in it make it look so inviting. In fact, they are probably better persuaders that most Christians. They surround you and before you know it you fail; fall into the temptation of whatever they are promoting. You have deceived yourself in claiming to be religious. How do you stop this from happening? “…keep oneself from being polluted by the world” –James 1:27b. What an amazingly crafted line. The world is indeed polluted, overrun with filth, and God knows that. He knew that the world in general would turn away from Him, but He’s telling you to not give in. Don’t let yourself be filled with all the garbage the world throws at you. Instead be strong in your faith, stand up for your beliefs, and surround yourself with others that will lift you up rather than break you down. Remain pure and clean by actively being in His word and seeking His will.

Be the turtle, slow in anger. Be the bomb shelter, keeping the world of sin out.

Will You Stand?

It's amazing to see how many different ways God works in people's lives especially when you go to any type of Christian retreat. This past weekend at Windy Gap, I saw God in the kids I served. At every meal they were smiling and thankful for the food I brought. A few years ago as a camper, I don't remember being half as appreciative towards the work crew staff as these kids were to me. Secondly, I truly saw the Lord working in me. Signing up for work crew, I knew I would be getting little sleep, but I did not realize that "little" meant practically none. Now if you know me, you know that I need a lot of sleep, otherwise I'm grumpy and easily annoyed. However, solely by the blessings of God, I was not mentally worn down until the ride home, Sunday afternoon. Third and last, I saw God working through all the staff. There was a large group of extremely diverse people there that weekend and we were working tediously in constrained areas. The best thing about it was the lack of complaints and the joy we all found in each other’s company.

On that Saturday morning, I read a verse that really spoke to my heart; Isaiah 7:9b, "...If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." I think this applies to my life right not because I plan to be a YoungLife leader next year; however, this speaks to all Christians especially those who are in direct leadership roles. We are told to imitate Christ so that others will see his love through us. Unfortunately the world we live in is overrun with sin and we are tempted each and every day, but God offers help. His word. This is where the verse comes in; if we are continually in His word and talking to Him through prayer, we will grow stronger in our faith. In addition, surround yourself with people that will automatically make you grow. These are how you learn to stand firm. If you do not have this background of knowledge and support, you will be unprepared to face the world; you will not stand at all. On the reverse, if you aren't standing, then how could you give support to someone else who has just heard the good news? Being faithfully dependent on God is key to success on this earth.

Coming back to my story, the fact that I witnessed so many God-sightings after reading that verse reinforced to me just how much God was working in the hearts of the people at camp. It also clarified how important it is that I stand firm and bring all my troubles to Him.

You have two choices, either stand firm or don't stand at all. Personally, I'd rather not end up broken on the floor.