Nehemiah 8:10 ‘Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’

DAILY READING; 1 Peter 2; Jeremiah 33-34; Psalm 135

IN May 16 1894, Baltimore’s baseball team, named the Baltimore Orioles came to Boston to play a routine game with Boston’s baseball team. But what happened that day was not at all routine.
One of the team members of the Baltimore Orioles, John McGraw got in a fight with a member of Boston’s team.
As anger flared and emotions overflowed, the quarrel spread to other team members. Soon both teams were battling and the warfare spread from the field to their fans on the stands.
As the fans fought among themselves, the conflict went from bad to worse. Some of the fans set the stands on fire. The fire spread and the entire ballpark burned to the ground. That was not all, the fire spread to nearby houses and burned 170 other buildings in Boston.
This was a great loss to the people of Boston and the memories of that event were so bitter that years later it stopped the two teams from playing each other in the 1904 World Series which is the annual championship of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada.
The teams’ inability to overcome their anger and resentment led to loss of the financial gains and opportunities that could have come from playing together.

Today, many people can trace the losses in their life to the result of unbridled anger. Indeed many great destinies have been crippled and opportunities lost, due to inability to overcome offences.

Jesus said ‘Offenses will definitely come [Luke 17:1]. Offences occur because people are different and will often act contrary to expectations. However, how you react to offences is up to you.
As believers, we can overcome the trap of anger and other negative emotions by mortifying the flesh through the help of the Holy Spirit. [Romans 8:13].
No matter the occasional heat and provocation the enemy tries to bring through people, determine to keep your flesh under control. Ask the Holy Spirit for the wisdom to overcome the enemy’s baits of offences. Don’t give in to strive. Do not be a cheap victim of emotional traps.
One of the ways to curtail anger is to walk away if you sense yourself getting provoked. The time of anger is never the right time to say or do anything. Walking away is not a sign of weakness but of wisdom.

In Genesis 26; Isaac dug wells and the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with him, claiming it was theirs. He walked away and dug another well, they still came and quarreled with him. When Isaac refused to be provoked and maintained his focus, God blessed him and he came to his ‘Rehoboth’, where the Lord made room for him and he was fruitful in the land.
Dr. David Oyedepo said as a young believer he used to suffer from blinding bouts of anger until the day he read Ecclesiastes 7:9, which said that anger resides in the bosom of fools.
Since he didn’t want to be a fool, he made a decision to forgive people even before they wronged him. This attitude put an end to his anger problem.
It does not mean you are never to get angry. However, Ephesians 4:26 says, “Be ye angry and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath”
One of the ways to shield your heart from offences is to be filled with the Word. God’s Word produces joy in our hearts which neutralizes the bitterness of offences.
A believer who is filled with the joy of the Lord will find it hard to get offended no matter the level of provocation.
Therefore, if you are in a home, office or any environment where anger is an issue, you can deal with the situation by constantly releasing praise and joy into that atmosphere.
Don’t forget that there’s a demonic spirit behind negative emotions such as violent anger. The spiritual force of joy creates a divine atmosphere that makes it impossible for these negative spirits to operate.
As you surround yourself with praise, certainly the joy of the Lord will be your strength and give you divine immunity from the effects of negative emotions.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to always fill my heart with Your Word so that Your joy can be my strength. By Your grace I shall overcome every attempt of the enemy to create losses in my life and continue to arise victorious over every challenging situation in Jesus Name.

QUOTE
When God places His hand upon a man in life nothing can come against him, this is because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. WORDBITE 222