April 14, 2026

"Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself." Psalm76,10 NKJ

"God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power and love and self control." 2Timothy1,7 NJB  

"Be angry but do not sin." Ephesians4,26

"The dragon [Satan] was angry with the woman [the faithful of God]" Revelation12,17

"Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute..." Acts7,52 NIV [Stephen facing martyrdom]

"Never worry about anything but tell God all your desires of every kind in prayer and pettition shot through with graititude, and the peace of God which is beyond all understanding will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Finally, let your minds be filled with everything that is true, everything that is honorable, everything that is upright and pure, everything that we love and admire..." Philippians4,6-9 NJB  

A Guarded Heart Overcomes Free Floating Anger 
Susan Forbes Hanson is the very capable DJ Fridays at 6-9am on University of Hartford Community Radio. I like to listen to mostly Christian like KLOVE and WHIS Middletown, but non commercial community radio too. WESU has quite a range of creative content. Why listen to Community radio? Because this type of free form radio seems like the last free speech medium that is not totally formatted for the endless repetition of trying to sell something. It's sort of like guys and gals who want to design their own road bike for themselves- and then have it built and then buy something they really want.

She opens her show iconically and ironically with a clever and humorous and catchy wake up song "Free Floating Anxiety." This is by Nancy White from her 2002 "Sticker On Fruit" Album, on Borealis Records. (It's on Spotify if you want a good listen or you could tune in to 91.3 FM at 6am Fridays.) 

There is a whole lot of free floating anxiety in our modern world.

Even worse perhaps than free floating anxiety- is a whole lot of free floating anger in it. Driving- especially on the highways- there's free floating speeders crossing lanes. And on all roads- could we get a blinker now and then- like knowing which a huge vehicle is going is sort of very important to know, even more so if you are on a bike. 

Free floating anger- like free floating anxiety- can get into almost everything these days- waking up, commuting, talk radio, cable "news", family life, relationships, disciplining kids, budgeting, taxes, mendacious politics, churches, hearts and minds.

If We Let It
If we let it.

One of the reasons why I perceive anger is worse in our modern era (it's not just social media and talk radio) is that so much of marketing- for decades now- has taught us to seek and gain an individualistic niche consumer lifestyle. Marketing does all it can to find out what exactly what our individual consumer lifestyle niche, and then sells us that to the max.

So since each of us really sort of likes being good consumers in the good old USA, it seems that it would follow that our culture and world should also fit our individualistic consumer lifestyle. 

But as if we didn't really already know, we in the good old USA in 2026 are a very diverse lot. Even married couples are diverse. When two people have spent 20-30-40 years learning to buy only for themselves- it is a whole different ballgame learning to have a married sense of finances. Sounds easy, but is it?

Have you noticed that when we leave our individualistic consumer cocoon, we are sometimes gobsmacked to find out that there are 350 million other people in our culture and nation who have their own particular niche preferences and consumer lifestyles. And guess what- they have their own politics and cultural values and sub cultures, and interests and all the rest. This is understandable in our pluralistic- freedom loving society- that so many people call home. 

And having 350 million people each with an atomized and targeted marketing profile, private consumer Idahos might sound OK. But having 350 million individual senses of culture, nationhood, politics, religion, lifestyles and racial justice to name just a few- might be contributing to some of that free floating anxiety and anger out there- given our real human desire and need for a broader sense of community that can actually get big and important things done based on basic shared values, a shared culture and actual consensus. (And by the way politically well heeled uber pols trying to give each and all of us more or less exactly we want has created a 39 trillion dollar deficit- which is a growing nightmare.)  

I am going to preach a bit today about anger from both a practical bible approach so we Christians (and others too) don't get sucked into the modern overly individualistic and selfish vortex of free floating anger.    

Depression Is Sometimes Anger Turned Against Ourselves
I am not a psychologist- but I have been serving folks long enough to know that we humans turn anger in primarily two directions- inward at themselves, and outward at other people and things. Mental health professionals will all tell us that having a social circle- of family and friends- and perhaps even good neighbors- is helpful for our mental health. Having folks with whom "we can shoot the breeze," to 'pegar la hebra," amongst whom we can be oursleves, and speak our peace without being judged or hated is really valuble for our mental health.

We have all seen by now perhaps as well that depression is often related to anger. Generally speaking when men get angry they externalize it (and too often- this means taking it our on somebody else.)

Women are diagnosed with depression almost twice as often as men. Women tend to internalize anger. cf https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4478054/

And depression often comes when anger- which might even be righteous- turns against ourselves.

A US based Gallup panel- an ongoing poll- from 2015 to 2025 tells us that 10.5% of adults in 2015 said they were depressed or currently being treated for depression. And in 2025 18.3% said this. In 2023 this stat reached almost 19%. https://news.gallup.com/poll/694199/u.s.-depression-rate-remains-historically-high.aspx 

Similarly, "In 2024, Gallup surveys in 144 countries and territories showed that more people worldwide are experiencing negative emotions than a decade ago, when global unhappiness began to rise: 39% of adults said they worried a lot the previous day, 37% said they felt stressed, 26% reported feeling sadness, and 22% reported experiencing anger." https://news.gallup.com/poll/695963/tracking-world-emotional-health.aspx 

So anger is on the rise and so is depression in the US- and in all the world.

When people get angry they may not have the social circles, and or family or good neighbors, or the skills for more mature coping mechanisms, let alone Christian forgiveness skills- and thus end up directing the anger at themselves or others as a habit.

But forgiveness is a law and one of the great blessings in Christianity: "Unless you forgive others, your heavenly father won't forgive you." Matthew6,15
It's also good decision- and a good deed- and many people and Jesus have already forgiven us- and besides it wards off anger very well.

We are also commanded as bible believers to "love our neighbors as we love ourselves." Mark12,31; Matthew22,39 So, as people who love neighbors and themselves, we must not only take responsibility for unrighteous anger, but then again paradoxically we must also right away continue to love and forgive ourselves- to escape the potential depession trap when anger turns against oneself and or others.

La Envidia Te Mata- Envy Like Anger Kills YOU
You know how some folks put sayings or "dichos" on the windshields of their trucks? I recently saw one that said "La Envidia [envy] te mata [kills you]."  Envy is the hatred and or unrighteous anger at the goodness you see in others. Jesus was killed out of the envious hatred and lying and gossip of the most powerful people of his day. Matthew27,18

But watch out- there should be no payback from the former envier- when now he or she has gained something enviable. Just say "Thank you Jesus! Or, thanks God for the good thing or quality you gave me. May I use whatever good I possess to your glory!"    

Anger Is A Bad Motivator That Runs Out Of Gas
Anger and envy not only kill our souls, they are really poor- and mean- motivators too.

Have you seen this? There are people who seem to have to work themselves into an angry lather to get anything done. Money doesn't motivate them. Truth, goodness, love- nothing like that. Anger does. They seemingly have to harness a certain amount of anger, even get mad at somebody- or something- to even cut the grass, or clean the dishes, or angrily blame someone else before they will get up to speed and get something done.

And then they might say in a tone "if you want a job done right you, have to do it yourself." Sounds like more free floating anger to me.

Sometimes even what seems like a good deed is sort of an angry deed, because its self righteous or self important. These deeds are not much good deeds, but to be seen by others, which can also be an angry need to make others pay attention to them.

We all like a few signs in public places to tell you what's what and the norms of a given place and situation. But there are people who might want to put signs everywhere rather than let the good neighbor policy- and some common sense- have any say. What's even better than signs is that in a place where people are awake and know what to do without a sort of angry condescending sign always telling them what to do.

In my third year in the seminary the Rector- who was a Franciscan monk preached about anger. He did not cotton to much preaching- but he made a very telling point about anger as the motivation for religious service, pastoring and the priesthood. 

And the point was that anger can only take you so far in any type of faith service. You will burnout if your motivation is filled with too much anger and too little grace. As a newbie and an outsider to religion I was overlooking the fact that religious service and ministry is still a job, an occupation. And as in any job various motivations- way less less perfect than the full grace of God- can get into it. This happens in life- and the Rector knew it. So he wisely warned us.

Anger can be used to motivate self and manipulate and control others. And people in all walks of life and in leadership or other positions can- and will use it- to their own selfish advantage. Yet we Christians have the best fuel for our motivational fire- the endless and bountiful ever flowing grace of God.

That doesn't mean we don't get tired or in need of rest- would that it did! But it does mean we draw our ministry strength from motivations that are from God- who is Spirit- living in us.

We also gain motivation by diligent study of the Word. Both the Spirit of God and knowing scripture quicken and motivate our ministerial hands and feet. "Study to show yourself approved" is also like saying 'study to get your gospel feet moving.'

Righteous Anger Of Jesus 
Truth be told- there are also times when righteous and Spirit filled people get worked up, get a little angry.

The proximate cause of Jesus getting crucified was that he got righteously angry- and overturned the money changers tables. The money changers were apparently charging too much to change foreign money into the required Hebrew shekel so the people could buy their required sacrifices. So he angrily says "You are turning my Father's House [where His Spirit was meant to live]- into a den of thieves." John2,16 

This was righteous anger from the high priest and prophet Jesus! (Jesus also called his religious enemies harsh names in righteous anger. Matthew12,34-35 and John 8,44) 

When a kid in school finally stands up to the class bully- this is righteous anger- a good thing. Jesus stood up to the Temple money changer bullies, and thus to the High Priest administration of the Temple, and to the Roman local big wig Pilate. But his primary motivation in his redemptive witness and prophetic service was not anger of any kind, but the Holy Ghost food, the internal motivator, the Spiritual bread of life, that He supremely had access to.

Jesus' Obedient 'Complete-The-Mission' Motivation Of John4  
Us men are ocassionally- if not often- motivated by food. But Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman clearly proves that Jesus had even better motivations than hunger and food.

In John 4 Jesus talks with a Samaritan woman, apparently at some length in Sychar. He has walked 30 miles from Judea (John4,3-6) to Sychar in Samaria. He stops about noon, and of course he wants water at the well where she is working.

And he talks at length to her and in depth (five husbands!)

And his disciples urged him to eat something- wisely like before he passes out! But at John 4,32 he replies "I have food to to eat that you know nothing about. Then the disciples said to each other, 'Could someone have brought him food'?' " NIV

Verse 34 reveals his proper zealous motivation: "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don't you you have a saying 'It's still four months until harvest'?' I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest."

So he's walked thirty miles, told the Samaritan woman everything about herself, convinced her that he is the messiah- and she's evangelizing already.  Pretty productive- and all this before he had his lunch. This perfect unselfish missionary feat on his way back to Galillee from Judea reveals his perfect motivation- to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his saving work!

To do the perfect will of the Father and finish his gospel work- to be perfectly obedient for the salvation of all regardless of physical hunger and fatigue. 

Tempted To Anger We Guard Our Heart Above All Things
When I was preparing this sermon, I was trying to find a really good list of how to defuse potentially angry situations. Lists can be effective in preaching. But I saw that all the lists about anger were short on scripture's more comprehensive root-it-out approach.

I am all for anything that makes sermons more understandable (and still sticks to what the Word says), but it's a subject about which we need to go a little deeper than lists of dos and don'ts.

So I am going to string a few scriptures together, so we perhaps can discover together the wise principles that the bible is giving us about anger- and thus we will be better prepared if and when it tempts or strikes.      

Proverbs29,11: "A fool gives full vent to his anger." There's a time when a fuller discussion of issues- with people we know- and who know us- well. But in most other discussions if anger starts to take over- get back to the issues on the table that day. And if that doesn't calm the situation- perhaps you could revisit the matter another time.

As Psalm37,8 says "Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil." Rather than make anger a bad habit, make refraining from it a good habit by learning again and again, and deciding again and again, to say "no" to it. 

We also learn from Proverbs22,24-25 to avoid angry people. This is more important than some of us might have realized. I suppose many of of us have experienced environments and situations in life- where we can easily predict whether good or bad emotions were on the way. 

So first we learn to trust this human ability and put what we already know into practice by realizing there are all sorts of social and workplace and family and street situations etc where it's ok and right and wise to avoid angry people:

"Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot tempered man. Lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul."

This last part is interesting- we learn the ways of the people we associate with and hang out with. And that means if we don't distance oursleves from an angry person- we are likely going to learn anger from them.

So the bible is telling us to watch out! This is not the kind of motivation we want to learn- and then use.

This scripture also suggests that the hot tempered person has been known to be that way for a long time. So he or she is likely already a pro at it while you- thank God- may not be.

So we best keep a distance good boundaries- because if we copy the angry person- we being newbies at anger- will likely make a real mess of it, and thus set a snare for oursleves, and end up in some sort of trouble. 

Likewise, it's ok to want to earn good money and advance in life- but hanging out with greedy people- who seem be always angry for- and about- more money- is not going to advance our lives and may ruin us by making us greedy and angry too.

Ephesians4,26 says it's OK to be righteously angry, but whether righteously or not- none of us has the right to be angry for long: "Be angry but do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger." This latter part about the sun is a well known phrase but sometimes we know the phrase better than the point. And the point is there has to be a timely cut off time for a faithful person's anger- "do not let the sun go down on your anger."

We might not be able to forgive someone before we go to sleep, but we must not take anger so lightly that we don't deal with it in a timely way.

And because anger often causes hard feelings and confusion amongst everybody- especially for kids- it is certainly up to the adult in the room- preferably the person who was angry- to make amends and aplogise for the upset that anger causes children- and those who are more sensitive and less stout hearted.

This is just good common Christian care, and it teaches people, especially young people, that while anger happens- and is sometimes righteous- it must be dealt with quickly- and resolved peacefully- so that the peace and love of Jesus is maintained- and our biblical faith can take root and grow and be healthy.  

There are a lot of scriptures specifically about anger- God knew it is was- and will be- a mother lode of evil and demonic possession.

What all these specific scriptures point us to now is two cohesive scriptures that we can take to our prescious faith bank from this sermon.

Two Cohesive Scriptures Sum Up our Ability To Control Anger
Proverbs2,2 First sum up scripture:
"Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding." NASB  That is, have an ear for wise and Godly knowledge and lean into understanding. I have a friend who has the outstanding supernatural gift of understanding. And she has a great heart- and she prays for people with this patient an loving heart- anyone who asks- and in so doing she inclines her heart- all her spiritual faculties- to understand the what and the why of a person's need. And then speaks to that what and why to move them along in faith and hope and love. 

So many of us in ministry- or any walk of life- seem to want to rush to making things smooth, and acceptable or presentable (and thus efficient and money making ASAP). But this word of God is not saying hurry up but approach your whole life to understanding to the wisdom of understanding what's going on around you- not rush in and try to micromanage everything before you even know what's really going on. That's what we humans try to do when we are acting in the flesh rather than the Spirit of God.

"Incline your heart to understanding" is a totally valid priority in handling so many situations, especially difficult ones in life. If we are seeking wise understanding and getting it there won't be much room for anger. 

My friend gets a wise insight of understanding quickly or over time- it depends on the situation and her experience with the person. And then she has something lifegiving to say. She listens for wise knowledge- then she understands- and then she speaks. And she lets you know her understanding. She doesn't lean on her own understanding, but on the understanding of the Spirit and the Word which God gives her- in his own time. This gift isn't the more practical fix-it gift of discernment- more common with men- which we are required to use in deliverance, but it's a similar knowledge type gift. She has the gift of wisely and faithfully understanding an issue in a person's life and faith and then the ability to speak to it and into it- and thus the ability to bring God's supernatural love and understanding into the person's life- in such a way that- she and God with God's grace-encourage, heal and strengthen the person to go forward in a way more confident faith.

Max Lucado- to my mind- has the greatest gift of supernatural pastoral understanding that I have heard. And the fact is his knowlegeable pastoral and ministerial and Spiritual insights about the gospel are super rich in biblical wisdom and faith counsel- so they ring true. And also especially important for this sermon is the exemplary fact that he shares this gift so generously and with an always hopeful and constructive and emotionally even keeled and joyous upbuilding tone.

It's as if Max Lucado Holy Spirit informed heart is always and habitually inclined to supernatural understanding- to the exclusion of any lesser negative emotions or motivations. And then he just breathes all this wisdom and understanding out. Praise Jesus-and God the father of all mercies- for Max Lucado's example of ministerial excellence and Godly pitch perfect temperment!

Moreover, supernatural understanding frees us all to serve well- rather letting any lesser emotions get in the way.      

Proverbs4,23 our second sum up scripture:
"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it [it is the well spring of life]." In the Hebrew biblical anthropology, the study of how we humans should operate, the heart is the organizational seat of our minds, thoughts, understanding, our bodies, and all our actions, the seat of our souls and spirits, and the principal "place" where God's Holy Spirit and His Word live and work on us. The heart is also the treasure chest of our memories, aspirations, and emotions, and the seat of our will and our love, and our decision making, and our virtues such as humility and obedience to God.

So the Word tells us to guard our hearts- protect them from evil entering- and also from all the Spiritual good therein from exiting. This will keep our hearts pure and Spirit filled and flowing outward and inward with all that is good- and thus protected.

What this world and the devil want to do- on the other hand- is 'get our goat'- pull any remaining proud strings or narcissistic trap doors or overweening sins in our hearts- so all the Spiritual good that's in it gets ruined.

Satan wants to replace all the good inside our hearts with all the evil that flows from His wicked anger. He is always super angry at the mother zion Kingdom bound church- always angry at gospel leaders and prayer warriors. And his fallen angels- and those still fallen humans who work for the darkside- also are super angry at all God's redeemed people. See Revelation12,17 above.

The only way this replacement of all the good in our hearts for the infilling of evil can happen is if we let let down the guard of our hearts, and start living for sin, and in sin, like the sin of defiling anger. This can only happenn if we stop living according to the Spirit and the Word. 

Only unrepentant sin can stop the flow of God's spirit into us, and drain our Holy Ghost of its saving oil.

Hebrews12 speaks of falling short of the [continuing] grace of God- by anger, by not being at peace with others, thus not having God's Spirit of holiness in us anymore, because we have lost it and our personal faith.

As Hebrews12,14-15 says "Pursue peace [not anger] with all people, and holiness, without which no one will ever see the Lord: working carefully lest anyone fall short fo the grace of God- lest any any root of bitterness [anger, unforgiveness, hatred, envy etc- that kills the soul and the life of God in us] spring up causing trouble and by this many become defiled ... like Esau who sold his birthright."  

Esau had a birthright and sold it for a plate of beans, to satisfy his belly. He lost iy by selling it because he despised the holy excellencies and promises of God, for the love of the things of the world.  So he suffered the bitter anger of being the unchosen son, of being  the base and lesser person, the unrepentant and lax mess up- whose bitter sin of unrepentance ruined his birthright to inherit the Kingdom of God:

"Let there be no man or woman of you, no clan or tribe, whose heart turns away from tahweh your God today, to go and serve the gods of the nations. Among you let there be no root that bears poison or wormwood. 18 If after hearing this imprecation, anyone  blessing himself should say in his heart, 'I shall do well enough, if I follow the dictates of my heart; much water drives away thirst' Yahweh will not pardon him." Deuteronomy29,17-18 NJB  

Likewise the bitter unrepentance of the angry person who sells out to the world the devil and the flesh- and sells out the most precious salvation blessing of Jesus' atonoing work on the cross- and by so doing ruins his birthright of the salvation as an eternal child of Jesus, our Lord, Savior and king.  

Anger Tempts People To Wrath Which Is God's Exclusive Jurisdiction  
"Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord." Romans12,19 NIV

"All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” 1Samuel17,47 NIV 

So when it comes to crossing the threshold from anger to wrath- we know that wrath pertains to judgement- and the Lord is the ultimate judge- so we leave it to him. 

Conclusion: Spirit of power and love and self control wins over anger
When we are talking about anger we Christians know that we have the Holy Spirit living in us. We might get angry- even righteously angry- but we do not sin- for we have the spirit of a sound mind and self control. "God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power and love and self control." 2Timothy1,7 NJB  

Thus, we also reject allowing any root of bitterness to take root, and if one does, we are to seek out deliverance from it in Jesus' NAME.

And we choose to agree with God's Word that tells us to deal with anger- and its effects- in a timely way.

And we reject any anger that spills over onto unjust acting upon this bad emotion. We seek discernment and understanding- first- and in all situations- and seek the wisdom of the whole of scripture and lean not on our own understanding but on God's revealed Word and Spirit that forms the basis of our understanding and knowledge and decision making.

By so doing, we guard are hearts and minds- and our like precious faith- and our risen Jesus in us- the Hope of glory! 

In sum, when dealing with anger, we follow the whole word of God- and the righteous Spirit of God- and we leave room for the peaceful and just and righteous Spirit of the Lord to act, and to judge, and to recompense, to repay us for all wrong done against us. Romans12,19

Shalom.

May all be saved in the mighty Name of Jesus!

Br. Tobin