“FROM THE PASTOR’S HEART” October 9, 2018
Good afternoon everyone,
The stress and pressure of life can become so great that it will spill over and harm and taint others and
everything that a person does. No one is exempt from this fact. We all “lose it” in some way from time to time.
Even someone as humble as Moses lost his temper with the people of Israel and said and did things he should
not have done and said.
everything that a person does. No one is exempt from this fact. We all “lose it” in some way from time to time.
Even someone as humble as Moses lost his temper with the people of Israel and said and did things he should
not have done and said.
“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the
congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring
water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” So Moses took the rod
from before the Lord as He commanded him.
And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear
now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the
rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of
the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
(Numbers 20:7-12, NKJV)
Moses lost his temper with the children of Israel and their constant strife they caused him to have in his
life. The statement has been made by some I know that, “Life would be great if it were not for other people!”
This attitude is certainly something that should be avoided in life as a child of God. God still honored His
promise of providing water for the people to drink and to give to their animals even though Moses was
disobedient. Please know that disobedience must be avoided at all costs. Faithfulness to the Lord in all things is
what God calls His people to, which is what it means to do the will of the Father as Jesus proclaimed that He
always did and still does (John 6:38, 8:29). Our fits of anger, no matter how justified we may be in them, will
cause problems with others and cause us to suffer consequences (James 1:19-20).
Anger must be dealt with in a godly manner or it will be expressed in ways that are ungodly. God
warns people not to sin in their anger and make sure that anger over an issue does not linger for extended
periods of time (Ephesians 4:25-26). It is crucial to take all emotions and submit them to Christ. No matter what
emotions are felt by a person, they cannot be trusted fully without first seeking truth from God’s Word and His
Spirit that lives within the child of God.
Being angry is not a sin. Jesus became angry as He witnessed God’s house being turned into a den of
thieves (John 2:13-17). There are going to be times when it is right for us to be angry about things that happen
in the world, but how we respond to these things must never cause us to be disobedient to God’s
commandments or to behave in a manner that is not a true reflection of His character. Letting anger have free
reign shows a lack of trust in God’s sovereignty. Therefore, God’s people can become angry but never to the
point where they behave and act in ways that are not a reflection of Christ’s character.
There are times when my own anger has come out over the pulpit which it was wrong to do and I have
had to repent of that sin. Just because we are in good company so to speak, with Moses and Paul, does not make
it right. Confession and repentance is vital so that God can forgive us of all our unrighteousness (Numbers 20:7-
12; Romans 7:14-25; 1 John 1:8-10). Are you angry today? Has someone just broke that last nerve that gave you
the strength to hold it together? Never let yourself get to that point, but as soon as something or someone
upset you turn to the Lord to help you. The Lord is faithful and will help to put everything into an eternal
perspective which will allow us to once again to genuinely love others and ourselves. Doing this shows trust in
the Lord but also love for Him over all other things as Master and Lord of your life.
Praying beyond the physical:
Father, teach me to be zealous for You and Your Word and to express it in a manner that glorifies You.
Jesus, teach me to be trusting in the Father as You are so I forfeit my will for the will of the Father.
Spirit, teach me to be dependent upon Your strength, wisdom, and guidance in all things.
Pastor Tom
