Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. (3 John 1:11)
We all need to blow off steam every once in a while. The direction of that vent determines whether or not what we are doing conforms to commands given us by our Father in Heaven. Even Jesus got angry, so we take our cue from Him.
In the early 1970's, Christians took to bombing abortion clinics. They were appalled by the new law allowing for the abortion of children, who were considered "not human". They killed doctors, nurses, workers, and patients (some of whom were not even being seen in the facilities for an abortion). They destroyed property. The defense of many was that "God told them to do it".
When our anger at certain things or even people causes us to commit acts of violence (or other devious acts) we are in the path of evil. We have succumbed to Satan's power, not the power of God. Our God is a loving, forgiving God - He is judge, jury and executioner alone! He doesn't need our help. As one who has been on the other side of that fence, I am grateful that the Lord allowed me the opportunity to come to Him. I was afforded the opportunity to ask for and receive forgiveness. Not all are that fortunate. I was granted a pardon for my actions. I was given new life through Jesus.
I knew "of" God - I did not know God. I do my very best to walk the path of good, not of evil. I stumble and I fall (as do many of you) more often than I'd like to admit. I sin each and every day. I ask for forgiveness each and every day. The sins of my past are forgiven, but that doesn't mean that they don't occasionally rear their ugly heads. They often haunt my dreams and continue on in the early moments of my day. I can become angry at myself and others all before placing my feet on the floor. All I can do at that point is hand it over to the Lord and ask that He take the guilt and anger from my heart and keep the enemy at arms length.
Continuing to do what the Lord asks of us, to follow His will for us and live a life that is pleasing to Him is not an easy venture. Often we want to walk away. We sometimes fail to see the promises through the dust that swirls around us. They are there - even when we cannot see them or focus on them. The horrors that befall us in our dreams are the demons of our past that still want to lay claim to our souls. They want us to continue to walk in the darkness that once surround us. We walk in the light! We are not moved by the stirring of the enemy. We are protected and lifted out of that dust by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is who dwells deep within us. He is where our strength to continue on in the midst of adversity originates. Continue to follow that which is good - continue to follow Jesus!
