Daily Devotional For Monday, September 8, 2025

Good morning Southside and hope your weekend was a good one. Anger is something everyone experiences, even God. Psychologists have identified, believe it or not, 24 different types of anger. Here are a few of them: assertive anger, passive-aggressive anger, volatile anger, silent anger, passive anger, destructive anger, self-abusive anger and righteous anger. Anger — we all experience it. It is not that we experience it, it is what we do with it. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:26-27, “And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, (27) for anger gives a foothold to the devil”(NLT). 

The Greek New Testament word for “anger” is [ὀργίζω, orgizo]. You probably have seen the abuse or misuse of anger. If you look around, it seems the world is a living time-bomb waiting to explode. Anger causes divorces. Anger causes a church to split. Anger causes people to leave a church. Anger causes children in abusive homes or with absentee fathers to resort to illegal substances to cope with their anger.

Uncontrolled anger is similar to a volcano that erupts, spewing hot lava everywhere causing damage to the environment and even taking lives. You might know some people you could nickname as “Mt Vesuvius.” The Bible says there is an anger called “righteous anger.” We see this when Jesus cleansed the Temple. We see this when Jesus lashed out at His disciples for trying to keep children from HIm. The Bible never tells us not to get angry, only to vent it in the right way. Anger requires a lot of energy and this is why we should reserve for things that violate God’s Word and God’s Will. 

Have you ever lost your cool or lost your temper? Have you ever in an argument said things and/or did things you later regretted? Nearly everyone has. The Bible says in Proverbs 29:11, “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back” (ESV). Ever seen a 2-year-old throw a temper tantrum? Some may laugh about it but it really is not funny. Ever seen a 20-year-old or 50-year-old throw a temper tantrum? In my lifetime, we have a new term: road rage. Many people have been injured and even killed due to someone blowing their top because of road rage. This is why Ecclesiastes 7:9 says this: “Don't be quick to fly off the handle. Anger boomerangs. You can spot a fool by the lumps on his head” (MSG). The New Living Translation puts Ecclesiastes 7:9 this way, “Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool.”

Today, it seems that many people are living in an anger incubator. There are widespread and multiple protests of anger in the streets of America today and it seems there is really nothing we are not angry about today. Benjamin Franklin said this, “Whatever begins in anger, ends in shame.” This is why the Bible in both the Old and New Testament commands us to resolve our anger, if it is against someone by sunset. We see this in Deuteronomy 24:13, Deuteronomy 24:15. Anger that is allowed to simmer over time will give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27). This is why Ephesians 4:26 commands not to let our anger go down while still angry. It’s hard to sleep when you are angry. 

The truth is this: anger is not a sin. Anger is a God-given emotion. Anger can be a signal that something is wrong and needs to be fixed such as some injustice. In the Bible, Jesus got angry. When it comes to anger, here are some questions to ask yourself:

1. Has there been a mistreatment? Before you unload on your spouse, or friend, neighbor or co-worker, or church member, are you convicted about your own sin and how you have contributed to it? Jesus talked about this in Matthew 18:15-17..
2. Are you offended or hurt? For example, in an argument with your spouse or child or whoever, did they open up an old wound? Is your pride wounded? Do you feel ashamed? This is why when we are angry, we must remember Colossians 3:12-13.
3. Are you fearful? There might be some insecurity or you feel threatened. If this is the case, do what Psalm 53:6 says. If you feel unsafe, seek help immediately.
4. Do you feel you are caught in a loop? You’ve been down this road before many times with this person: your spouse, your child, and etc…. then seek godly and biblical counseling. Sometimes it may seem like the same “bat time, same bat channel.”

There are numerous studies that report how unresolved anger can affect one’s health. Anger releases “stress hormones” into our body. Too much anger or prolonged anger, these “stress hormones” can weaken the body’s immune system and these “stress hormones” destroy neurons in the brain. Anger causes us to have a “fight” or “flight” response. Anger causes the blood vessels to constrict and can increase blood pressure, which can cause a heart attack. 

God’s Word gives us ways to deal with our anger. 

1. First, strive to control your anger. Look at Proverbs 29:11, “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly” (ESV). This is not telling us to suppress our anger, but control how and if we vent it or express it. When you control your anger, you keep it in its limit. If not, anger is contagious. It is like a virus that infects you and everyone else around you.
2. Second, re-evaluate your anger. Look at James 1:19-20, “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. (20) Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires' (NLT). Many times that person is not intentionally trying to hurt you, but is speaking or acting from their own biases or hurt. If it was intentional, ask yourself: “Why am I angry? What is the real reason? How I am about to respond, will this honor Jesus Christ or shame my testimony/“ This means you have to understand your anger.
3. Third, find a constructive way to release your anger. Colossians 3:8 says this: “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth” (NKJV). One of the best ways to do this is to vent your anger on a neutral, godly third person so that no one is harmed. 

If we do not follow God’s Word with our anger, we will say something or do something we will later regret. When I was a youth pastor, I had a Bible study on anger. 

To illustrate this, let me share something my wife, Audrey had often used with students when she taught in the public schools. She took her tube of toothpaste out of her purse and asked a student to squeeze some out on a paper towel. Then she asked the child to wipe up that toothpaste and then put it all back into the tube. They couldn’t do it. You can’t do it. The more you try, the messier it gets. 

In the same way, when you lose your temper and say something or do something in anger that is a sin, you can’t take it back. You can say, “I am sorry. Will you please forgive me?” But repeated use of this line can appear as nothing more than insincerity and lies. When you blow your top and “emotional lava” spews everywhere, everyone, including yourself gets burned.

We have to be careful with our anger because Jesus taught us in the Sermon On The Mount that our anger can lead to murder in our heart. Look at Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:21-22. Murder and adultery start in the heart before it is acted out in our lives, behavior and actions. 

Assignment: To help you with this, here are some anger assessments you can use to evaluate your own anger: Anger Assessment #1, Anger Assessment #2 and the 3rd one is by Dr. James Dobson and Focus On The Family – Focus On The Family Anger Assessment Tool. If you never evaluate your anger, it will always control you rather than you controlling it. Take one of these assessments rather than let your anger show you to be a fool.

Verses To Meditate On: Proverbs 22:24-25, “Do not be a friend of one who has a bad temper, and never keep company with a hothead, 25or you will learn his ways and set a trap for yourself” (GWT).

Prayer to Pray: “Dear Jesus, there are times I get angry, sometimes really angry. And when I do, sometimes my thoughts or words or deeds are not godly. Jesus, help me to model You. Help me to control my anger. Help me to re-evaluate my anger. Help me to find a healthy and constructive way to vent my anger. Jesus, I do not want to sin with my anger nor do I want to infect others with my anger or cause them to sin. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside! -- Pastor Kelly