Don’t follow your heart, follow God. The siren song of our silly culture says anger is pure, but it isn’t. It’s deceptive. Psychologists tell us it isn’t even a primary emotion but a secondary one, rising from a mix of other feelings like fear and frustration, yet we tend to trust it as a guide to our behavior.

God says, “Don’t.” He knows our rage is a road to nowhere. The Bible says, “In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent” (Psalm 4:4).

In other words, keep your rage to yourself, and examine (“search”) your heart to discover the root of it. This is opposite our pop culture, which says anger should be vented. God says it should be defused and discarded before it explodes and hurts someone.

Some will cite Jesus’ rare angry outbursts as justification for their own, but be careful — He’s much wiser than we are. So let us humble ourselves instead, remembering that, “Man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires,” (James 1:20), and trust what it whispers less than what He says.

Maybe you’ve been nursing your rage. God the Father invites you to wise up. He says, “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Eph 4:26-27) I’ll see you on Sunday. Be true!