While there is such a thing as righteous indignation, times when we ought to be angry, ungodly anger is sin and gives the Devil a foothold in our heart and life. Even like a beachhead must first be secured by an army invading by sea, before a land can be conquered, even so the Devil must have some space from which to conduct his assaults. When we deny him that “place” or “foothold, ” he cannot overcome us.
Pent up anger is an explosion waiting to happen. Sooner or later, the pent up frustration will explode, either in our own life or into the life of someone else. Jesus taught us to forgive and to reconcile (Matthew 18). Anger must be dealt with. Otherwise, the devil will use it to abuse us as well as others in our lives. Don’t give him a foothold in your life. If you give him an inch (2.54 cm), he’ll take a mile (1.61 km)!
And we pray:
O Lord of our hearts, let not anger lead us to sin. Let it not create a foothold for the Devil in us. Let us not go to sleep at night without such anger being already quenched and dealt with. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of darkness that rule this fallen world; let not our anger be focused on men but against our true enemies: the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Amen.