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Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Today, we will study two more symptoms of a carnal fleshly lifestyle. As usual we will take a look at some of the original Greek text.
Wrath – thumos (thoo-mos’): fierceness
The dictionary meaning for fierceness is vehement hostility and unrestrained violence. A brutally harsh bully.
It may seem that a nice Christian Mother couldn’t possibly manifest these behaviors. That assumption would be wrong. Very wrong. Just because you are a Christian doesn’t mean you don’t have issues with sin. However, you should always be in a growing process. You should actively be seeking guidance and pastoral counseling as well as diving into the Word and seeking the face of God.
That being said there are many Christian women that have violent tempers. You may be a woman like myself who likes to slam doors and things around when your angry. You may be a Mother who is too harsh with your children and instead of spanking them in love you beat them in anger. You may be a woman that gets violent with your husband. Yes, there are many women who do.
No matter how mild or extreme your violent anger is, it is wrong. You are sinning. Anger itself is not sin. What turns anger into sin is when we yell, swear, or get violent in any way. Our husbands are to be respected not bullied by a controlling and domineering wife. Our children deserve better. Much better. Every time we lose control and blow up we are setting them up for failure in their own lives. That is totally not fair. Why should they suffer for our baggage? I wrote an article called, A Mother’s Battle. It deals with the subject of righteous anger, sinful anger, where it comes from, and how to prevent the outbursts from ever occurring. If you or someone you know is dealing with anger this may be helpful.
If you know that you are someone who leans more on the extreme side, and you are afraid you may hurt your children, you MUST get help immediately. God loves you and wants to heal you from the inside out. He is not angry with you. He wants you to repent and seek help. I suggest Christian counseling. The world deals with problems without God. Christian counselors are not only going to help you in a medical way, but help heal you spiritually too.
Strife – erethizo (er-eth-id’-zo) or eritheia (er-ith-i’-ah): to stimulate to anger, provoke, contention
The key word here is provoke. We should never provoke our children to the point of anger. It’s one thing if they have a chore to do or are being grounded for something, and they get angry. It is quite another if we tease, pick on, verbally abuse them, or treat them badly. They will grow up filled with rage.
Our children are not our emotional punching bags. Verbal abuse can be equally if not more damaging to them than physical abuse. Words are extremely powerful. They leave scars that may never fully go away. I know this because I still hear the abusive words of my Mother ringing in my head from time to time. There is nothing more painful to a child than for them to think they are unloved, unimportant, stupid, worthless, ugly, or unable to live up to their Mother and Father’s expectations.
The same article I mentioned above may be helpful to you as well. Here is the link again: A Mother’s Battle.
Sinful anger is an extremely destructive force. No matter how mild you “think” your anger problem might be, it is destructive. As Christian Mothers we must model right behavior for our children. Every time we use our anger in a hurtful way we are being very selfish. We are putting our own disappointments, feelings, and hurts before the needs of our precious gifts from God. We are accountable before Him to train them up in His love and His ways.
Let’s Pray,
Daddy God, Please help me with my anger. Help me to not sin when I am angry. Show me when my anger is sinful and selfish. Help me not to harm my children. And please forgive me for any physical or emotional harm I have ever caused them. I also ask that any harmful memories or hurtful words I have ever said be completely erased from their little minds forever. Thank You for making all things new and every day a new beginning. I want my life to model You and Your Love. I will live my life as a testimony to Your loving ways. And finally, Lord, when I even begin to step out into the flesh zone please convict me strongly. Thank You my Precious Lord. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.
In His Love and Service,
Lara 
Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved
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