"Let Your Light Shine"

How do you control your anger when you get angry? What makes you angry? How do you calm yourself down?  19  "Understand this my  dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.   20  Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires." (James 1:19-20) (NLT). When someone causes you to be angry it is God using them to shape your character just like sandpaper. Sandpaper is used to polish surfaces. God uses the people he brings into our lives to take off our rough edges and smooth us. Sometimes we just have to overlook the behaviour of those who make us angry, annoyed and frustrated and show them mercy instead of insulting them back or getting even. The Bible says, 38  " You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'  39  But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also."  (Matthew 5:...

What does it mean to forgive? 14 "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you". (Matthew 6: 14) (NIV) .  Forgiveness grows and develops when you meditate on God's word and encounter Him. Forgiving someone is not about considering what they have done and contemplating whether it deserves forgiveness.  In the Lord's prayer, it says 'Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass/sin against us'. It can be difficult to forgive those who sin against us, for example, those who hurt you verbally, physically or emotionally; and the natural way, the worldly way, is to be angry or get revenge for these types of hurt done against you. But that is totally not correct. The Bible says, 19 " Do not take revenge,  my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”   says the Lord". (Romans 12: 19) (NIV). The Bible says,  1 3  " Make all...