Daily Devotional

CRUCIFY SELF AND TEMPER

February 26

hild of God, do you sometimes think that you have an uncontrollable temper. Do you get angry at times and then you are truly embarrassed afterwards? Do you repeat this too often? Are your loved ones seriously affected by this evil anger? Then it's time you took some serious action to change things in the presence of your Heavenly Father! First, admit the following on your part: "Father, you know me inside out, and you know that I hate being this way! I admit that I can be a real ‘jerk’ at times. I hurt those around me that I love the most. Help me Lord to quit playing games with this ‘loaded gun.’ I confess the sin of this evil temper, and ask you to search my heart and come to the ‘root’ of this. Am I pointing to my early life and using that as an ‘excuse’ and even given myself ‘silent permission’ to behave this way? Father, how can I excuse this behavior with a feeble reason from my past, when I can give you much more power in this to release me than I give my excuse of the past to bind me?" Child, do you see the picture? If you repent for your lame excuses and remove your self-permission to misbehave, blaming it on childhood treatment or a string of people who failed you, then you can see realistically that your Father can set you free today! The excuses have only bound you to the sin. You have been bound also by the subconscious pleasure that you get in "striking out" at whoever is convenient (wife/husband, children, others). It is time to get some serious deliverance from your bad decisions. Notice that I said, "your bad decisions." Right now, take personal responsibility for your evil actions and bad choices in giving your self-permission to be angry and strike out. When you do, you will not look elsewhere and point your finger. At that point of admitting this, your Father will release the Holy Spirit to crush the head of this Serpent. After all, it is one of the traps into which you fall that is set by the Evil One. Now, swallow your pride and ask someone who prays and walks close to God to pray with you face to face. Let them discern or discover any knowledge about this from the Holy Spirit. You will be glad you did this. If you do this on your own, you may be too gentle on yourself. Child, this problem binds you and keeps you poor in the things of God that are important to grow you up and make a man/woman of God of you.

Prayer

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Father, in the name of Jesus, I have played this "poor me" game too long. I have really hurt the ones I love. I will go to them (show them this writing if you will) and I will admit my guilt and I will pray, and seek you all the way through to true victory in Jesus until I am free. Thank you, my Lord, in Jesus’ name, amen!