Anger, fury, rage: open wide and say “attack me, I have no peace”.

Proverbs 25:28
Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.

The self leads us to all sorts of bad things – self will, self centered being the main ones, but self important, self righteous, follow closely behind. Self. Me. When it gets bad enough, me me me me me me me. We get blinded by self and begin looking for how we can serve our self. As we fail to get what me me me me want, we get angry. As we are denied more and more, we get angrier and angrier , turing to fury and in some cases, even rage. We are right to drink and drug, watch porn, cheat others to get what we want. We’ll fight for that right. Some anger is defensive. Our walls have cracks (or gaping holes). We are wounded, in pain with festering, infected, oozing history that has never been healed. We want to protect ourselves from the salt thrown at us and like a porcupine we extend our barbs and dare anyone to come close.

In anger, we are defenseless against Satan. In fury we invite him in. In rage he is firmly rooted.

Drinking, drugging become addictions. Porn also becomes an addiction and supports the worst kind of human degradation, slavery and trafficking. The quest for more leads to more for self, and less for others. Self leads to self abuse, self glorification when Satan is in the house. This is how he wants it, this is his plan.

Anger, fury, rage. Nothing good comes out of it because Satan comes into it. Just as addictions, slavery, and accumulation are self centered, Christ centered is not. Christ centered is the opposite.

“12… do you understand what I have done for you?” He asked them. 13″You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is the messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17Now that you know these things you will be blessed if you do them.” John, ch. 13

Where do we find peace from a place orbiting around self? We don’t. We find it when we decide to put ourselves in orbit around Christ, to let the Holy Spirit be our guide, to follow the teachings of Christ. The Holy Spirit can heal our soul, can cure us of addiction, accumulation, wounds. The healing power of God, the restorative power of God, is amazing. 25 years of drinking and drugging were halted in one night – the only time I’ve heard God speak and He said “put it down, you don’t need it”. He put on my heart that I need Him, and it took me another 10 years to get that through my thick skull, through the armor of self.

Self-control isn’t about self ultimately. Self-control comes from allowing God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit to heal you, to change you, to repair the holes, the wounds, the desires that the self wants to feed and defend.

Today we celebrate a death ride on a donkey. The ultimate display of self control, He rode to His death for us. Do we remain ungrateful for this? Do we remain unrepentant? Do we remain in orbit around our self? Or do we choose another center of our universe: Christ and the promises He made?

Control yourself by giving up control to Christ. Enjoy the peace of Christ in your soul.