In Your Anger, Do Not Sin - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - May 6, 2025
“In your anger, do not sin.” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry; do not give the devil a foothold.” Ephesians 4:26-27
There was a recent conversation at home with a relative. What started as a pleasant exchange quickly turned into conflict. When my husband and I set out to have a challenging conversation about matters relating to her final stages of life, she quickly became defensive. What started as a conversation regarding who is responsible for practical matters upon her death turned into name-calling and a verbal attack. As the exchange continued, I quickly felt anger rising inside of me. Although the other person's anger was not directed toward me, I was having difficulty relating to how this was my loved one's reaction. Soon, we left the kitchen table upset and needing space.
Anger was an appropriate emotion at the time, but I found myself brooding and dwelling on the exchange. I couldn't sleep that night thinking about how she was wrong and how we were right. Days turned into weeks, which turned into months. Soon, what was a simple emotion turned into an opportunity for Satan to get hold of my mind and heart.
Taking a friend's help, we wrote a letter to this loved one expressing how much we loved and cared for her and how much we needed to have a conversation like that to know how to honor her last wishes. We communicated how much we loved her and wanted to bless her. The letter did not yield the desired results, but we knew it was the best way to eliminate the anger from becoming a foothold in our lives.
Analyze the situations with people with whom you are angry. Anger may not always be easy to identify, as it may not always be the same emotion. Perhaps you are feeling down, depressed, or sad about something, but can't quite identify what it is. This could be anger masked as something else. It is essential to get in touch with your emotions, regulate them, process them appropriately, and then do what is right to make sure that Satan does not get a foothold in your walk with God.
Although it is impossible to live at peace with every person in our lives, we must do our best to ensure this. Emotions like anger, fear, etc., can be significant and challenging. However, with the trusted help of friends and wise counsel, we can get rid of the sins that so easily entangle us, including big emotions like anger or fear.
In what ways can you eliminate anger in your life? Has Satan got a foothold in your life simply because the anger went unprocessed? Take the needed time and space to process those feelings. You may be angry about something you have every right to be angry about. However, having an emotion does not mean it must wreak havoc on your spiritual life.
Your emotional and spiritual life are enmeshed. As you seek to process your feelings, you may find a hindrance that prohibits you from living a deep, intimate relationship with God that you desire. Once you process those feelings, you may be able to go deeper in your walk with the Lord. Emotions can be good and healthy when processed appropriately. Feeling the appropriate emotion in the moment can be cathartic and help you deal with the pain and trauma those events caused. However, when those emotions remain long after the event has ceased, it may be time to do a heart check. Analyze your heart, process your feelings, and eliminate anything that entangles you. When you do this, you may go deeper in your spiritual life than you ever expected.
Let's pray:
Father, let us process our big emotions with you. Help us identify which situations and people make us angry, fearful, sad, etc. Help us restore those broken relationships and mend fences where necessary. If possible, help us break ties with those whose toxic behaviors will hinder our walk with God. Let us be people who don't fear our emotions but process them appropriately. Amen.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Nastia11
Related Resource: Instead of Doing More This Summer, Maybe You Need to Do Less
If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.
Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.
Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.
I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
