Improving as a Christian

But now ye also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth (Colossians 3:8).

Paul is not talking to unbelievers here. He is talking to the Christians in Colosse. They had already made changes in their lives, giving up a lifestyle of lusts and licentiousness. Now, Paul admonishes them to give up other traits that hinder them.

Anger is hard to give up. It becomes a habitual reaction to certain triggers, and once released, it becomes more frequent. However, Christians don't have to try to change alone. We have the Holy Spirit to guide us. We have His power and strength at our fingertips when we work within God's will, and getting rid of the anger that takes control of our lives is certainly what our Lord wants.

Wrath and malice have become all too common in this time of political polarization and strong opinions. However, no matter how strongly we disagree with others, we have no right to wish them harm. The Bible is very clear that doing so is a sin. We need to expunge wrath and malice from our lives, along with filthy language, profanity, and taking God's name in vain. If we profess to be Christians, we should act like it and be a good testimony for our faith. 

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