Liar Liar, Pants on Fire

"So each of you must get rid of your lying.  Speak the truth to your neighbor.  We are all part of one body.  Scripture says, "When you are angry, do not sin."  Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.  Don't give the devil a chance."  - Ephesians 4:25-27

When (not if, but when) I am angry, I don't want to sin.  What is one very common way that I sin when I'm angry?  -Denying that I am angry, through first lying about being angry to myself and believing I am "above" getting angry, then lying to others and God out of successfully deceiving myself first.

The way I can get rid of my anger is by admitting I am angry.  It is not sinful to be angry.  It is however, sinful and therefore spiritually, emotionally and physically unhealthy and pernicious to lie about being angry, to myself and others.  When I deny that I am angry, I am lying to myself and others out of fear which is stemming from a lie, that says: "I am my feelings."  When I lie to myself, it doesn't take long to successfully deceive myself, and this gives the devil a chance to exploit me with my permission.

A good bedtime ritual is to practice self-examination and see if there are any lies I'm telling myself about my feelings, including especially when it comes to anger.  Denied anger will backfire.  It may not set my pants on fire, but I will get burned somehow.

Am I angry?  If so, tell myself the truth about it.  This is a form of "spiritual fire prevention".  It prevents me from giving the devil a chance to operate in my life with my passive yet complicit consent.  Instead, I am acknowledging the truth, which is necessary for being set free.

"Then you will know the truth.  And the truth will set you free."
- John 8:32