All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice.
Ephesians 4:31 HCSB

Many years ago an MRI revealed a microadenoma on my pituitary gland. This is a very small, benign tumor. It could have been there since birth, who knows. Once it was discovered, my neurologist insisted on annual MRIs. He said that should it grow it could cause some serious issues. He said if any growth was detected, it would have to be removed immediately. I am happy to say that it never grew and when I went last year for my annual MRI, it was gone. Praise God! The awesome thing is that I had never prayed for God to remove it. But, I’m claustrophobic and even though I use an open MRI, the last one was very trying for me. I prayed to God to give me peace to get through these MRIs, but instead he removed the tumor thus removing the need for the MRIs.

Anger and bitterness can  be like a tumor. If we allow it to remain inside of us, it will grow. It can become toxic and cause a great deal of damage. The devil can use our anger as a tool to cause us to sin. Paul warns the Ephesians in chapter 4, verse 26 to not sin in their anger. You see anger is a natural emotion but we have to quickly deal with it before it causes us to sin. The Bible says that anger and bitterness should be removed.

When we become angry and bitter we have two choices. We can let it fester and grow and cause us to sin or we can ask God to remove it. I have never been able to remove anger and bitterness on my own. They get deep into my heart and gain a spiritual foothold. I have always had to ask God to remove them. He is the surgeon that has to cut them out for me. There have been times when the root of anger and bitterness has grown in so deeply that I have had to pray several times a day for God to remove them.

You could also choose to hold on to this bitterness and anger. Let’s say that you take ownership of it and you want to keep it. The Bible tells us to remove it and let it go. If you decide to keep it, you are going against God’s word. Interestingly enough, I find that most of the times that I have become angry and bitter it is in situations over which I have no control. Let’s face it, if we can control the situation, we do what makes us happy, right? It’s only when someone else is in control and they fail to do what we think they should do that we become angry. In these situations my anger has only made it worse. When I am angry at the one in control and I express that anger in ways that are inappropriate, it just causes more trouble for me. It doesn’t cause a problem for the one with whom I am angry. Amazing how that works isn’t it? Our anger is toxic for us. Our bitterness is self-destructive. No good can come from it. This is why the Bible tells us to get rid of it. Give it over to God. He will gladly take care of it for you.

If you are holding on to anger and bitterness, it’s like having a tumor. If the doctor tells you he can remove it and you will be fine or you can keep it and it will cause some serious health issues, that seems like a no-brainer doesn’t it? But yet many people hold on to anger. I know. I used to be one of those people. I can never recall a time when holding on to anger benefitted me in any way. The person I was angry with didn’t care. They had done what they intended to do and moved on. If they had cared about my feelings they wouldn’t have done it in the first place. The only person suffering was me.

I thank God for the removal of my microadenoma. I also thank Him for removing anger and bitterness each and every time I ask Him to do so. I have learned that carrying that around just weighs me down. It is a tool that the devil uses to distract me from doing what God has called me to do.

Let go of anger and bitterness. The only person you hurt by holding on to it is yourself. Just like a surgeon removing a growth or a tumor, God can remove your anger and bitterness before it causes you any further problems. Just ask and He will be glad to take care of it.

Have a great day!