"To Get to the Treasure We Must Excavate the Pain"

"BE YE ANGRY (provoked; aroused), and SIN NOT (miss the mark; leave the path of right and do wrong): let not the sun go down upon your wrath (indignation)". Ephesians 4:26 KJV (Capitals are mine for emphasis)

ANGER WHICH IS NOT PROPERLY CHANNELED BECOMES EXTREMELY DESTRUCTIVE

Behind all anger there is pain. A person who suffers from issues of unresolved anger finds that it turns into bitterness, as he lashes out at those closest to him. Anger which is not dealt with causes an individual to always be "on edge", like an active volcano waiting to erupt at any moment. Due to an unhealed hurt, any little thing can trigger a negative reaction. Anger which is not properly channeled becomes extremely destructive, damaging one's self-esteem, as well as releasing toxic emotions on everyone with whom he has a close association.

WE CAN MAKE ANGER WORK FOR US

Conversely, we can make anger work for us. Buried deep within each of us is a treasure. It is a talent or ability which has shown up in our personality from time to time, but has never fully emerged, or been completely developed. To reach it and release it, we must "excavate the pain" which surrounds it, and that which prevents it from being everything it was intended to be.

WE NEED TO "PROVOKE OURSELVES" TO REACH A HIGHER LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT AND LIVING

Constructive anger says, "I know I can be more than I am now. I realize that I have not reached my full potential. I am angry because I have allowed my pain to stop me from being all that God has decreed that I should be". As the Scripture says, "You can be angry, and you will not be guilty of sin". We need to "provoke ourselves" to reach a higher level of achievement and living. Self-satisfaction, and just doing enough to get by are our enemies.

AS WE DIG DEEP WITHIN, WE WILL SEE HOW THE PAIN OF REJECTION HAS CORRODED OVER THE GOLDEN TREASURE WHICH IS WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED

It is alright to get upset with ourselves as long as we keep it within proper boundaries, and do not do anything foolish. As we dig deep within, we will see how the pain of rejection has corroded over the golden treasure which is waiting to be discovered. We must confront this pain specifically, looking at its source. If we ignore it, it will not go away, but will tunnel underground, and find a place to lodge in our spirit, becoming "an invisible barrier" to our progress and success in life.

WE CANNOT STAY ANGRY AND EXPECT GOD'S BEST

We must not allow anger to become a stronghold within us. We cannot stay angry and expect God's best. It does not work that way. After we have "employed anger as our servant" to bring us to a better way of living, we have to let it go. We "cannot let the sun go down on our wrath and indignation". To hold on to anger when we go to bed at night will disrupt our sleep and rest. It will cause us to "hook up" with all kinds of spirits which wander around in the darkness of the universe looking for openings to find a new home, in order to disturb and torment another human being.

ANYTHING OR ANYONE WHO MASTERS YOU, OTHER THAN THE HOLY SPIRIT, MAKES YOU THEIR SLAVE

So, remember, make anger work for you. Do not let it control you, but you control it. Anything or anyone who masters you, other than the Holy Spirit, makes you their slave. You become subject to its whims, and the ups and downs of an emotional roller-coaster. Use anger in positive and constructive ways. Let it "provoke you to good works". Find the treasure, which can only be discovered if you dig through the layers of negative anger. It is waiting for you to "get sick and tired of being sick and tired", and to possess that which is already yours. God has given it to you by placing it within you, but it is up to you to use it to its full benefit