WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
NOVEMBER 27, 2021
TOPIC: GOD DOESN’T GET ANGRY FOREVER
BY T. O. BANSO
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever” (Psalm 103:8-9 New King James Version).
When Paul got to Athens, it didn’t take him a long time to notice that the city was given to idol worship. This provoked his spirit and he went into the synagogue where he reasoned with the Jews and Gentile worshipers. He also reasoned with those in the marketplace daily.
Paul preached to the people Jesus and the resurrection. When certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him, they were interested in finding out about his new teaching. Therefore, they brought him to the Areopagus where the Athenians and the foreigners there spent their time in nothing else but to tell or hear some new thing.
When Paul began to address the gathering, he said that he perceived that in all things they were very religious. “For as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:23 New King James Version).
There are still people like that today who are worshipping the One they don’t know. I’m not talking about those worshipping idols but those who worship the living God. They are ignorant of many things about Him.
The Bible tells us so much about the living God for us to relate to Him, fellowship with Him, and worship Him in Spirit and truth. We need to know the living God. We need to know what God says about Himself in the Bible and what the Bible says about Him. We need to know the character and attributes of God and emulate Him as His children.
There are many attributes of God but the one I want to focus on in this message is that God is not angry forever. “The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever” (Psalm 103:8-9 New King James Version).
This scripture mentions some of the attributes of God which are interconnected. He is merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy, and will not always strive with us. However, when He gets angry, He will not keep His anger forever. It is important to know this attribute of God.
The reason is not to abuse this attribute but to appreciate His love for His children. Because God loves His children, He disciplines or corrects them. His anger is not condemnatory but corrective. For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives (Hebrews 12:6). But God will not keep His anger forever once His children repent. One could see this in God’s dealings with the children of Israel. Because of the death of Jesus on the cross for the forgiveness of man’s sins, God does not deal with His children the way He deals with the unbelievers.
God gets angry at sin and His warning always precedes His punishment. People and nations are destroyed and sinners will go to hell not because God is angry and cannot be appeased. But because people refuse to repent and accept God’s way of saving them. “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36 New King James Version).
The anger of God will continue as long as sinners continue in their transgression against God. “Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’” (Ezekiel 33:11 New King James Version)
Also, 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (New King James Version).
When David told the prophet Nathan that he had sinned as regards the adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah, he told him immediately that God had forgiven him (2 Samuel 12:13). As evil as King Ahab of Israel was, after he had heard the prophecy of judgment from the prophet Elijah concerning the wicked murder of Naboth and the possession of his vineyard, he humbled himself before God. God called Elijah’s attention to this and said He would not bring the calamity on Ahab’s house in his days but in the days of his son (1 Kings 21:20-24, 27-29).
God is not angry forever. But he is looking for genuine repentance. He is a forgiving God. Whatever the nature of your sin, God will forgive you if you genuinely repent and return to Him. His anger does not last forever. “’And yet for all this [Israel’s spiritual adultery] her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,’ says the LORD” (Jeremiah 3:10 New King James Version).
The writer of Psalm 85 says, “Restore us, O God of our salvation, and cause Your anger toward us to cease. Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?” (Verses 4-5 New King James Version). The answer is No. It is not in the character of God to be angry forever.
Hear what the prophet Jeremiah says: “Then the LORD said to me, ‘Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the LORD; ‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the LORD; ‘I will not remain angry forever” (Jeremiah 3:11-12 New King James Version).
God also told the prophet Isaiah that He would not always be angry (Isaiah 57:16). David says His anger is but for a moment, His favour is for life (Psalm 30:5a). Similarly, the prophet Micah says, “Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18-19 New King James Version).
God is a just judge, and He is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11). But He is a forgiving God. The real problem is not the anger of God but the lack of repentance of the sinner. God does not keep His anger forever. “Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7 New King James Version).
No matter the nature of your sins, don’t run away from God; run to Him. He will abundantly pardon. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18). God may be angry with you but His anger does not last forever. Don’t minimize your sin; no sin is too small to take anyone to hell. He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy (Proverbs 28:13). If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
God forgives. He doesn’t get angry forever. But don’t abuse this. God said Israel was a brazen prostitute. “Yet you say to me, ‘Father, you have been my guide since my youth. Surely you won’t be angry forever! Surely you can forget about it!’ So you talk, but you keep on doing all the evil you can” (Jeremiah 3:4-5 New Living Translation).
The wrath of God, the righteous judgment of God, will, on the Day of Judgment, come upon unbelievers who die in their sins. This is eternal punishment. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans1:18 New King James Version). God is love but He is also the God of justice.
In hell, their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:44, 46, 48). Whoever does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36b). Such a person will remain under God’s wrath. However, those who believe in Jesus Christ have been delivered from the wrath to come (1Thessalonians 1:10).
God doesn’t get angry forever. Repent. Return to Him and abide in Him.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Father, I repent of my sins and ask for Your forgiveness. I will not do what will arouse your anger against me in Jesus’ name. Father, have mercy on our nation; forgive us our sins. You will not get angry forever; be merciful unto us and let your anger cease. Holy Spirit, convict the world of sin so that they will escape the wrath to come.
(For over 600 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
