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God-Designed Emotions

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God-Designed Emotions: Understanding and Harnessing the Power of Our Feelings

The human experience cannot be fully understood without considering one’s emotional life. They can propel us to do extraordinary things or direct us down roads that lead to regret and destruction. As Christians, we recognize that God has designed humans with the capacity for emotions, yet because of sin, our feelings often deceive us and distract us from God and from doing His will. Also, we acknowledge that we must exercise good stewardship over our feelings. In this article, we will discuss God-designed emotions – Learn about the eight basic observations of emotions and how we can harness their power to love God and others.

Case in point

Jane is a brand-new Christian struggling to cope with overwhelming feelings. Because she believes that negative emotions such as anger and frustration are inherently sinful, she harbors feelings of guilt whenever she experiences them. Because she is afraid to share these feelings with God, she instead tries to repress them, which results in feelings of alienation and confusion.

Observations: God-designed Emotions:

  1. Because of God’s design, every person across all cultures experiences the full range of human emotions. Emotions are not the result of the fall; rather, God created them as an essential component of the human experience. They have always been with us.
  2. Emotions are multifaceted and involve every aspect of our being. Our emotions are not confined to our heads; rather, they permeate every aspect of our beings, including our bodies, and have a significant bearing on how we act.
  3. Some of the most selfless and positive actions we take are driven by our emotions. Emotions are the driving force behind our love for others, compassion toward others, and desire for justice.
  4. Emotions can also be the driving force behind some of the most regrettable and damaging behaviors we engage in. Anger, envy, and fear are all emotions that can result in undesirable outcomes.
  5. In and of themselves, feelings are not inherently evil. The experience of negative emotions is not in and of itself a sin; what is important is how we choose to react to them.
  6. Sin has a way of warping human feelings in many cases. The fall has had an impact on all facets of our being, including the feelings that we experience. This so-called “amygdala hijacking” can cause us to act rashly and then regret our actions almost immediately.
  7. We have hope for change. God has redeemed us from the curse of sin and given us the power to transform our emotions through the gospel. He has done this so that we may glorify him.
  8. The most important steps in reclaiming and gaining control of our emotions are to first bring them to God with a heart of humility, faith, and prayer; second, examine them in the light of God’s truth; and third, pray to God for the grace, wisdom, and power we need to harness the power of our emotions to love God and others.


Explanation: God-designed Emotions:

Our feelings are not only a component of who we are; they are also an essential component of the connections we have with other people and with God. It is of the utmost importance to have a firm grasp on the fact that emotions were created by God and are not in and of themselves evil. The fall has had an effect on our feelings, causing us to experience negative feelings such as anger, envy, and fear. Nevertheless, the gospel gives us hope that things will get better. We are able to take our feelings to God, consider them in the context of His truth, and ask for the grace, wisdom, and strength necessary to funnel the power of those feelings into loving both God and other people.

Reflection Questions:

  • Which of these feelings do you have the most difficulty managing, and how have you dealt with them in the past?
  • How can you approach God with humility, faith, and prayer in order to bring your feelings to him?
  • Examining your feelings in light of the truth that God has revealed to us can help us learn how to better control our impulses, but how exactly does this work?
  • How can you improve your relationship with God and the people around you by learning to control the power of your emotions?

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