Tag Archives: Ephesians

The Sneaky Sin of Annoyance

Are you often annoyed? Recently I found myself discontent with my job, and as I dug deeper, I realized that I was working from a place of annoyance. I started my day anticipating annoyance, I became annoyed, then brought my annoyance home with me. 

Annoyance is often swept under the rug as a “little sin”. It’s not in the sin lists in 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, and Colossians, so it must not be a big deal, right? Everyone gets annoyed. We’re human. We live in a broken world. It’s part of the deal. 

Yet as followers of Jesus, we must submit every part of our hearts to Christ. 

To annoy is to disturb or bother a person in a way that displeases, troubles, or slightly irritates (dictionary.com). You know the feeling. We stiffen our shoulders, furrow our brows, and bend our mouths in a frown. Our hearts grumble and groan in irritation, even if we manage to govern our body language.

What do we do when that bubble of annoyance rises in response to the day-to-day issues? 

Sin has Roots 

With my job, I was annoyed by the disruption of my schedule and the unpredictability that arose out of it. My annoyance was rooted in pride. I want to be in control, I’m not, so I’m annoyed. 

With behaviors like annoyance, it’s helpful to examine what the reaction is rooted in and where that particular sin is leading. 

Where would my job annoyance lead? I would descend into anger, discontentedness, and harshness towards others as I try to control and order my world according to my desires. 

If you are habitually annoyed about something or someone, take a moment to contemplate not just the source, but what sin your annoyance is rooted in and where it’s leading you. Sin always drags you deeper into the darkness. When you allow “small” sins to flourish, your flesh will take it one, two, or three steps further than you ever intended. 

Kill your Sin 

We must never be content with our pet sins. Christ died for our sins, yet we sometimes we pick and choose which ones we want to crucify and submit to his lordship. 

God wants us to walk in righteousness in all things. We won’t be perfect this side of eternity, but this is a battle we must fight as believers. “Be killing sin or it will be killing you” (John Owen). 

Let’s be honest. “I’m annoyed” is a more acceptable way of saying “I’m mildly angry”. Anger can be righteous (Scripture tells us that both God and Jesus were angry at times), but our anger is rarely righteous. Our anger is most often rooted in pride and selfishness. 

Scripture has a lot to say about anger. Wisdom literature is rife with examples of anger leading to sin and strife (Prov. 14:29, 29:22, Ecc. 7:9). 

Paul instructs is in Ephesians: 

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

Eph. 4:26-27

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Ephesians 4:31

James also speaks to us about anger: 

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

James 1:19-20

Annoyance also leads us to grumbling and complaining. Paul says in Phil. 2:14-15: 

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. 

Recalibrate your Response

When annoyance comes (and it will), consider these practical steps:

  • Take deep breath to calm your body.
  • Think through the sin-root of your annoyance and where it will lead. 
  • Confess sin (unbelief, pride, selfishness, etc). 
  • If you follow Jesus, remember God’s promise that you are forgiven in Christ. If you don’t have a relationship with God through Jesus, check this out.
  • Choose a scripture to memorize and meditate on to set your mind on Christ instead of yourself. 
  • Share with accountability partner(s) for prayer and support. 

Don’t let sneaky sins trip you and tear you down from the joy-filled, righteous life Christ purchased for you on the cross. Walk in freedom. 

Idol Factory

Tophet_Carthage.2
I stepped into a wooded area, flanked by ancient ruins. Sunlight dappled through the trees on the rubble, but I was far from restful. The quiet weighed eerily on me. The dirt path sloped gently downward, as if coaxing me down. At the bottom were several caves carved out of the rocky hillside. Shoebox size stone boxes littered the ground, stacked carelessly. These were the coffins of children sacrificed to an idol.

I stood in the ruins of a temple of Tanit, a Phonecian and Punic goddess of war and fertility, consort of Baal. I knelt beside a small stone box and ran my hand along the edges, heavy with grief. Around 20,000 urns containing the remains of children under the age of two years were deposited between 400 BC and 200 BC, continuing until the early years of Christianity. This idol thirsted for the blood of children.

If you’ve read the Old Testament, you know that God’s people have idol issues. From erecting the golden calf after coming out of Egypt, to habitually worshipping the fertility gods of Baal and Ashtoreth, God’s people turned from the great “I AM” to false gods far too easily and often. It’s no surprise then that this was the first of the ten commandments that God gave Israel:

“You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:2.

Yet humanity consistently shaped and worshipped stone and wood. These were gods they could see, touch, and manipulate. They didn’t want a God to tell them what to do. They wanted gods they could control. In the end, they themselves were their own god.

Sound familiar?

We are all idolators

If you asked me if I worshipped idols, I’d respond with an emphatic “No!”. However, if you could see my heart like God does, you’d discover that my heart itself is an idol factory. I can even make good things an idol. Food? Yep! Feelings. Check! Body image. Umhm. The list goes on. Jeremiah explains why:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9

What does 21st century idolatry look like? Paul has the answer.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. Colossians 3:5-6

For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Ephesians 5:5

Idolatry is covetousness (Col. 3:5), yearning to possess something. Anything that we desire, love, or enjoy more than God is an idol. Like all sin, it is not something to be made light of. The penalty is the wrath of a perfectly holy and just God…eventually in the form of eternal torment in the lake of fire (Rev. 21:8). Like the desperate, deceived men and women who sacrificed their children to Tanit, idolatry is a way that leads to death (Prov. 14:12).

What are your desires? What do you yearn for? Where does your mind go when you’re stressed out for relief? What are you willing to spend your precious time and money on?

Take a moment to pray and ask God to reveal idols in your heart, or things that could possibly become idols. We must remain vigilant, sisters! When I was single, I desired to be married, but God hadn’t provided a husband. Every time someone said “You’re next!” or “You’ll be such a good wife” the Holy Spirit nudged my heart to remind me to put my hope in God, not marriage. If there’s something like this in your heart, share it with your accountability partner(s) so they can spur you on and help guard you against your own wayward heart.

Diagnose your yearning

When you look at your desires, do some diagnostics.

  • Don’t trust your heart (see Jeremiah 17:9).  While self-reflection has its place, don’t land there. Our hearts are hard-wired to rationalize and justify our desires, not to pursue God.
  • Scour the Word. Read to understand what God has to say about your desire. It may be a sinful desire (adultery, revenge, impurity, etc). Repent, confess, and turn! It may be a good desire (marriage, children, ministry opportunity, etc) that God is waiting to give you, or may never give you. Obtaining a good desire in the wrong way is also idolatry (adultery, impurity, etc). Ask God to search your heart, try your thoughts, and lead you in the way that is everlasting (Ps. 139:23-24).
  • Confess and take heart. Over and over in the Old Testament God forgave his faithless people and kept his covenant with them. We walk under a new covenant, one paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection frees you from slavery from sin and idols of the the world and your heart. Submit your desires to him and ask him to transform them into his.

God is truly worthy of being our greatest and strongest desire! When we find our value, identity, and hope in him, he will overwhelm all our earthly desires. In the words of the old hymn,

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.”

Turn your Eyes upon Jesus – Helen H. Lemmel

Resources:

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/discerning-idolatry-in-desire