Lee McDowell Christian
Ministries LMCM
Nacogdoches,
Texas Gal. 2:20 KJV
Thoughts
on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 51
Michael’s book is
available through:
Abiding Life
Ministries International
Littleton, Colorado
(303) 972-0859 almi@abidinglife.com
Anger and Addiction
Cease from anger,
and forsake wrath; do not fret, {it leads} only to evildoing. --Psalm 37:8
Over the years I have noticed a strong correlation between anger and addiction.
Addicted people appear to
be angry about their past, their present, their loss of control, the
relationships in their lives, and life in general. I have also noticed that many addicted people are very
soft and sensitive people, and that would make the events that surround
them more painful. It would appear that as life spirals out of control, they
get angry, do not know what to do with the anger, and deaden it with a
sedative, be it pornography, drugs, alcohol, food, overwork, slander, fantasy,
obsessive thinking, reading, and the list goes on to include anything that gets
their minds off the situation, quiets the nervousness within, and eases the
awareness that life is not going well and they cannot fix it. I remember the
story of the drunk Irishman who, being asked why he was drunk, responded, “It
is the quickest way out of Ireland that I know!” However, addiction has its downside.
First, by not facing
the situation straight on, but avoiding it by using a sedative, the addict
remains emotionally thwarted, a perpetual adolescent. Second, creativity is stifled. A recent survey
revealed that depressed people are 70% more realistic about what is happening.
The non-depressed, in optimism, are ignorant of how bad things really are. The
point is, when a situation comes, the depressed are the first to see it. If
they refuse the sedative, they will be the first with a solution because of
creativity! Third,
addiction leads to condemnation, which leads to self-hatred, which leads to
more addictive behavior and more condemnation in an endless cycle. Fourth, there is the
deception that addictive people have lost their free will. Fifth, addiction makes
problems multiply. There is the out-of-control situation, then the addiction,
and finally the results of addiction. One problem can easily become three or four,
and all of this is the consequence of anger that needs to be addressed.
Anger, mentioned 266 times in the Bible, is the fall of many and the
cause of untold suffering and impulsive destructive behaviors. The person free from anger is a
giant. Proverbs
16:32, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his
spirit, than he who captures a city.” One controlled by anger will need to be rescued over and
over again from addiction. Proverbs 19:19, “A man of great anger shall
bear the penalty, for if you rescue {him,} you will only have to do it again.”
Ecclesiastes 5:17, “Throughout his life {he} also eats in darkness with great
vexation, sickness and anger.” The bottom line is something every addict knows, that “the anger of man
does not achieve the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). So, what do we
do with anger? Ephesians 4:26, “BE ANGRY, AND {YET} DO NOT SIN; do not let the
sun go down on your anger.” Also, Ephesians 4:31, “Let all bitterness and wrath
and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”
Easier said than done until we consider the alternative.
How easy is it to be angry? What is the cost of anger? First, we need to get a God!
We must be done with acting as though we have no God, with the tiredness and
anger that accompany playing God. If we have a God, we must let Him be God. It
helps to define clearly what are His responsibilities and what are ours. It is
His responsibility to cause all things to work together for good, provide
daily, keep us from temptation, and comfort His own. Second, when a situation comes from the past or
present, simply say amen and yield to Him! In saying amen, we are not saying
that nothing matters. What we are saying is that we are giving our situation to
God and refusing to carry it any longer. Third, stop trusting the addiction. We cannot play
any more mind games that allow us to be in a place where we mysteriously
“fall.” Fourth, we need
to confess that our “chooser” is not broken. Fifth, when the draw to the addiction comes, we call
on the Lord for deliverance. “Jesus, fill in me the need I hope this addiction
will meet!” Sixth, be
honest. If we like the addiction, we need to tell Him. If we do not plan on
leaving it, tell Him. If we love it more than Him, tell Him. And then tell Him
it is His. Watch what He will do. He is not dead, of that we can be certain.
Michael answers three big questions in this day’s writing: (1) What causes “anger”? (2) What are the consequences of
“addiction”? (3) How do we rid
ourselves of “anger and addiction”?
I have found something interesting through almost 30 years of pastoring: when emotions are involved, we need God’s
healing of the damaged or encapturing emotions.
Oftentimes folks have gone through the motions of dealing with issues
biblically, but are not free due to the emotional hooks that hold them
captive. Yet God will free the captive
of emotions just as readily as the captive of actions.
It could be that more Christians have some anger they are not aware of,
and the resulting addictions that they think are just “sins that easily beset
them.” Then there are other emotions
they are not connecting with their anger.
Just a thought. After all, ANGER
is an emotion.
Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point Green
– IT, Incredible Truth
Red – GP, Greatest Promises
Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches Pink
– PV, Priceless Victory
Lee McDowell Christian Ministries
P. O. Box 633244 Nacogdoches, Tx 75963 936-559-5696