Choosing To Not Be Offended & Angry

As I begin writing blogposts, my heart behind each one will be to highlight a subject that would help us all through some aspect of life.

This one's post is about anger.

I have far too often been confronted with people with anger issues. Unfortunately, I've watched as it effects every area of their life - relationships between spouses, relationships with children, and often can even cause of dismissal from their place of employment.

The book “Unoffendable” by Brant Hansen has been very enlightening on this subject for my own life as well as for others. The truths Hansen highlights may be against our human nature, but if practiced they become God-honoring and so very beneficial to life and relationships.

I believe there is a huge myth that your anger "is my parents fault” or "it's my nationality" or some other outside influence. If I have heard it once, I’ve heard it a hundred times - “my parents are Italian and my dad was full of anger all the time, so I can’t help it. It’s in my DNA.”
I doubt that most of you recognize this as a myth, and in reality use those excuses to act out your anger.

There's no getting around it. It’s a MYTH.

As a believer, you're a person with the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside you. You have the power to choose how you react and behave in each aspect in life - and that includes your anger.

There’s a second myth that’s really popular among Christians - “We have a right to be offended and get angry over certain things.” We throw it under the category of “righteous anger.” I mean, surely there are times we are justified in our anger….

But even that is a myth.

Not only can we choose to be unoffendable.
We should choose to be unoffendable.

As followers of Christ, we should forfeit our right to be offended, laying down our right to hold on to anger. When we do this, we’ll be making a sacrifice that’s very pleasing to God.
What makes this so difficult? It strikes at our very pride. It forces us not only to think about humility, but to actually be humble.

Brant Hanson wrote in his book:
“Forfeiting our right to anger makes us deny ourselves, and makes us others centered. When we start living this way, it changes everything. Actually, it's not even “forfeiting” a right, because the right doesn’t exist. We’re told to forgive, and that means anger has to go, whether we’ve decided our own anger is “righteous” or not."

You and I can make that choice when someone offends you. Choose not to be offended.
First, forgive them in your heart and then I suggest your reaction to be the opposite of anger - love them, say something nice, or compliment them.

Blessings,
Pastor Russ