Guide to Goodness

Winning the Spiritual Battle of Envy and Anger with Kindness and Forgiveness

Last Sunday, we looked at the role pride plays in keeping us from living the good life and how humility is the cure for this dis-ease.   Today we look at the next two deadly sins, envy and anger and their cure, kindness, and forgiveness.  Envy and anger have a symbiotic relationship, as they create conflict within us and with others.  Where one is present, usually the other is there if we peel back the layers of our emotions.

Emotions can be tricky, but it is helpful to remind ourselves that they can be a good thing if we have awareness and use them as a tool to question what is really going on.  When we are in conflict, we often get stuck in thoughts of how difficult a person or situation is making us feel.  This is counterproductive because if we focus on the other person, we are not getting closer to resolving the issue.  By looking at our part in the situation, we can create a shift and work through our reactions and emotions towards a positive outcome. 

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Guide to Goodness

Winning the Spiritual Battle

Having completed our study on the gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit, we will spend the next few weeks on a topic our culture says doesn’t exist – sin.  It is an unpopular word because we subscribe to an “if it feels good, do it” philosophy.  Because we don’t talk openly and often about sin, we are less aware of what it is and how destructive it is to us living our best life.   Sin is death.  Sin keeps us from living in the Spirit, accepting our gifts, and bearing good fruit.

God hates death. He is a God of life and of resurrection.  

Continue reading “Winning the Spiritual Battle”