What does it mean to brew wrath in your heart?
The sin of wrath is a fit of very strong anger or an uncontrolled hatred towards another person.
Other words for wrath: Rage, Fury, Outrage, Indignation, Vexation, Hot Temper, Short fuse
Examples of Wrath:
• Road Rage
• Screaming, shouting and telling someone what you really think of them by putting them down.
• Child or spousal abuse
• An offended person decides to resort to physical violence rather than calming discussing and dealing with the situation or walking away. (Seeing red)
What can wrath lead to?
• Murder
• Jail/Prison
• Other people fearing the person with the issue of wrath
• A poor Christian example, leading people away from God based on their actions not modeling Christlike behavior.
• No friends/ Uninvited to gatherings because people are afraid the person cannot control themselves.
• Poor reputation
• Loss of job.
• Loss of family
Bible verses regarding the sin of wrath:
Proverbs 29:11 – Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.
Proverbs 15:1 – A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:18 – A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.
Proverbs 22:24 – Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered.
Psalm37:8-9 – Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret, it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
Ephesians 6:4 – In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.
Proverbs 14:17 – A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated.
Colossians 3:8 – but now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips.
Takeaway:
The difference between wrath and Godly anger is that wrath comes from a selfish nature. We are flawed by sin, therefore, our anger does not come from the same place that Godly anger comes from. When we have an issue of wrath, it is an indication that we feel something has happened that is unfair against us or someone close to us and we feel they deserve to be punished for making us feel the way they have. Wrath comes from a feeling of selfishness and revenge. The anger is hair-triggered and violent in nature. This also comes from a place of pride in the heart. When a person has an issue with wrath, they are not making sound decisions. It is not well thought out anger. Since God looks at the heart, we would be very wise to stop and look at what the root cause of the anger is. Is this coming from us feeling as though someone didn’t react to us the way we thought they should? Or that they reacted to us in a way we felt they should not have? Or we didn’t get something we thought we deserved? Did we stop to think about where the other person was coming from? Maybe the other person was in the wrong themselves but does the bible not clearly state Romans 12:19 – Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord”.
Why is it important to allow the Lord to take revenge rather than us handle it ourselves when we feel we have been wronged? It all comes down to the place in which the wrath or anger is coming from. God knows our hearts inside and out and God knows what we need. His wrath is calculated, just, well thought out and God never does or allows anything without an ultimate purpose behind it. We can be assured that God will handle everything appropriately. If we try to handle conflict when we are enraged, we will not be solving anything except blowing off steam. What we are left with after the dust comes off are ruin and broken relationships.
Why is wrath a sin? God knows what is best for us as I said before. The reason there is a line drawn at sin is to give us boundaries. We as humans need boundaries so that we do not completely destroy ourselves.
Questions to ponder:
• Can you identify a time or times where you have allowed wrath to brew in your heart and acted on it?
• Can you identify a situation/s where wrath cost you a relationship, your freedom, your witness as a Christian?
• Has God dealt with you or revealed an issue of
Rage/wrath in your life? If so, what did you take away from it?
Dear heavenly father, I have an anger issue that I know is wrong. I need you to help me learn how to control it and how to give it over to you once and for all. I do not want to live a life where I miss out on opportunities to point people to you because I have a real issue with how to respond to offenses or injustices. Please work in my heart and help me to see people the way you do. In Jesus’ name Amen!
Collective Circle Gathering 