Anger is so often a negative force in our world. Children abused, battered women, humiliated men, gangs fights, murder, war, all because someone loses their temper.

But, it doesn’t have to be bad. Anger can be used in positive ways. Protection against legitimate threats, rescuing from foolishness, a call to live for truth. When Jesus drove the people out of the temple, I don’t think he was pleasant to be around.

Our humanity gets in the way so much. We want our truth, our stuff, we want, we want, we want.

One of my favorite (insert sarcasm) things to hear is, “well, there’s nothing you can do about it.”  Oh, and my other favorite, “it is what it is.”  A passive acceptance of what should be changed, an apathetic outlook that takes what the world gives and rolls over and dies.

I hate when I see it, especially in me.

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭37-39‬ NIV)”

When the apostle Paul penned these words, they were not idle, religious rhetoric .  He said it so that, as we faced life’s insurmountable problems, we would know that there is more to us than meets the eye.  Because of the love of Jesus inside us, the Holy Spirit inside us, the power of prayer inside us, there is nothing we can’t conquer.

Sometimes, we have to get mad.  We have to say, “enough!”  We have to determine that, even if it kills us (and make no mistake, satan wants you dead), we will not quit, we will take our eyes off of our own pain and fight for those we love, we will believe God and trust Him fully.  We have to raise our hands in worship even when nothing inside us wants to or even feels capable.

We can always kick a little…