Truth is, God gave us emotions as a good gift to be appreciated and employed in every aspect of our lives. He wants us to glorify him with our feelings—in fact, we can't honor and obey him without our feelings! Far from being bad and unreliable, feelings are actually central to our loving and serving God.
The Bible's Take on Emotions
First, the Bible states that any emotion (happiness, sorrow, worry) should be brought in prayer to God, as stated in Philippians 4:6-7, for bringing our concerns to God allows His peace and guidance to come to us.
Emotions are a gift because they exist to tell us something. They point out the parts of our lives that need attention. These emotional gifts can help us fix what is wrong and find fulfillment in life – if we know how to listen. Our culture often tells us that certain emotions are frowned upon and must be suppressed.
The 10 most frequent emotion words found across the Standard Works? In descending order — love, fear, desire, anger, peace, rejoice, joy, wrath, please and hate.
God speaks through impressions in our emotions.
Keep in mind that the thoughts God has towards people are always thoughts of love, grace, protection, joy, conviction (not condemnation or shame), forgiveness, mercy, comfort, etc.
God gave humans emotions to prompt us to do something. And since God says that all of the commandments hang upon loving God and loving others (Mat 22:37-39), I know that emotions help us live in healthy relationships and stay connected to God and others.
He hears our cries of unhappiness, pain, frustration, exhaustion, and fear. We can be honest with Him. His listening ear is always open to our prayers. His loving heart wants to embrace us as we cry on His shoulder.
Identify your emotions, then choose to trust what God says
Listen to your thoughts and your emotions. Then, when you notice you aren't trusting God in an area of your life, ask God to help you trust his Word. Instead of believing your emotions, choose to believe what the Bible says.
You Can bring your emotions under Christ's control: Quiet your soul. This is not always easy, but scripture says we can learn to do it with God's help – Psalm 131:2; Ephesians 4:26,27; 2 Timothy 1:7. (A tip to parents: early discipline helps a child learn emotional control.)
Emotions are not innately programmed into our brains, but, in fact, are cognitive states resulting from the gathering of information.
Where Do Emotions Come From? Emotions are influenced by a network of interconnected structures in the brain that make up what is known as the limbic system. Key structures including the hypothalamus, the hippocampus, the amygdala, and the limbic cortex play a pivotal role in emotions and behavioral responses.
Most people believe we have many emotions. However, according to Dorothy Lee, all our feeling and reactions are based on just two basic emotions – love and fear. The closer you can come to identifying your emotions as love or fear, the closer you are to determining which emotion is driving you.
The God of all comfort keeps watch over your weeping. He gathers up all your tears and puts them in his bottle (Psalm 56:8).
That's why emotions like delight (Psalm 37:4), affection (Romans 12:10), fear (Luke 12:5), anger (Psalm 37:8), joy (Psalm 5:11), etc., are so important in the Bible. They reveal what your heart loves, trusts, and fears.
God doesn't tell us to take our feelings and run far, he takes us to take our feelings and cast them far. To see them for what they are, hold them and to throw them - up. Feelings are not bad, they just need to be tended for by the master shepherd of care. Let them live - but, let God live near them.
Happiness. Of all the different types of emotions, happiness tends to be the one that people strive for the most.
Fear is among the most powerful of all emotions. And since emotions are far more powerful than thoughts, fear can overcome even the strongest parts of our intelligence.
Many people say that one of the most difficult emotions to handle is anger. Anger can weaken your ability to solve problems effectively, make good decisions, handle changes, and get along with others. Concerns about anger control are very common.
We can come to worship with any emotional state and be accepted — whether we're crying, joyful, angry, or anywhere in between. We just need to be cognizant of our tendency of letting emotions override God's promises, commands, and truth. Your feelings do not change how much God loves you.
Psalm 37:8
“Don't give in to worry or anger; it only leads to trouble.” The Good News: When you can act based on your negative emotions, you might make the wrong decisions, so take your time to calm down before doing anything.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (NIV) – Philippians 4:6-7.
The same way it is written in the Bible that GOD collects all our tears. The things which we consider as our deepest weakness and just don't feel like expressing it in front of anyone,GOD collects that and that is not the end,HE collected all the tears in HIS bottle means,he had saved it.
Sometimes when bad things happen, they empower us to act and serve. Even the Savior, our example, suffered infirmities, “that his bowels may be filled with mercy” and so that He could know “how to succor his people” (Alma 7:12). Trials can open our eyes to those who are suffering.
Joyful sorrow
Whether they result from physical pain, from emotional pain, or from an encounter with goodness and beauty, one of the gifts of tears is precisely that we pray through them. All of our tears have been taken into the divine life by Jesus, the one who has wept with us.