By Ighomuaye Lucky. O
The general overseer and founder of God’s Greater Grace General Assembly (GGGGA) Int’l Incorporated, Benin, Rev Sunny Akenbor, has admonished christian faithful to tame and place their anger in check to avoid the pitfall of Moses.
He gave the advice while speaking on the topic: “Dealing with the enemy of divine fulfilment (Anger) during the Sunday church service in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
Speaking from the book of Exodus 3:1-12, Rev. Akenbor said Moses saw the burning bush, lived all his life in the service of God and attending to the needs of the children of Israelites and many signs and wonders were done through him.
Akenbor said God used him to carry out the 10 plagues in Egypt, led 600,000 men on foot out of the same country, besides children and a “mixed company through the Red Sea.
He pointed out that God instructed him to speak to the rock but due to his uncontrollable anger occasioned by the excessive demands of the children of Israelites, he struck it twice and this singular act of disobedient, made him to only see the Promise Land instead of entering.
“Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
“So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”
“Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
” But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”
“These were the waters of Meribah,[a] where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them”, Numbers 20:8-13
He said many believers have that short fuse (temperament) and they must deal with it decisively if they want their labour here on earth not to be in vain adding that, it took the grace of God for Moses to have gained acceptance into heaven despite his numerous works just because of anger.
“Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee”, Jude 1:9
The clergyman maintained that many homes and families have broken down as a result of their inability to control their anger stressing that, anger left unchecked can lead to serious problems that one would later regret from.
He noted that it is a human nature to be angry and as a christian, it must be put in check by walking out of the scenes or whatever that may have triggered such anger and most importantly, one should not ruminate on it for too long.
“Be angry, and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil”, Ephesians 4:26-27.
He however prayed that God Almighty should take away every spirit of anger from the lives of all christians so that the blessings God has for them will get to them and that their labour here on earth will not be in vain just because of one fit of anger.