Welcome to the For the Gospel podcast. My name is Kosti Hinn and I have the pleasure of being your host. For the Gospel is all about providing sound doctrine for everyday people. And on today's episode, I want to look at what the Bible says about emotions and feelings. We've been looking at what the Bible says about certain things. We started with gender and sexuality last week. In the weeks ahead, we're going to touch on some more topics that the Bible speaks to and can help us better understand. And on today's episode, I want to dig into emotions and feelings and help you put together a biblical framework for how to deal with, channel, and manage your emotions. I think what you'll find in a lot of conversations about emotions and feelings is that people like to get psychological. But we often miss what is biological, certainly what is biblical, but what is biological is this God has created our bodies to manage and to feel and even process emotions. His word is not silent on what to do with emotions. This could be grief, this could be anger, this could be fear, sorrow, this could be any range of emotions that we experience in life. The Bible is not silent. But in the world we live in, a world filled with scientific research, which can be helpful, and psychologists trying to analyze and scrutinize aspects of human behavior, we can sometimes forget that in all of the discoveries man is making, the Bible discovers these things first and presents them to us first. All truth is God's truth, and the origin of all truth is God. And so you don't need to look out everywhere for ways to process your emotions, and you don't need to wonder in insecurity, what should I do, and what chemicals are firing, and how do I process this? As there's gonna be some secret sauce to fixing the way you feel. The Bible has everything you need to understand feelings, emotions, and what to do with them. To get you thinking about this, I want you to listen to how scientific researchers and psychologists talk about emotions and link them to behavior. Then I want to offer some clarifying commentary on what you're about to hear. The clip's about two minutes long, so listen closely and then see if you can hear the truths that you may have heard already from God and his word. This is from the Scentis Brain Animation series.
SPEAKER_00Those strong feelings we experience throughout life. Our emotions are the driving force behind many of our behaviors, helpful and unhelpful. Just where do our emotions come from? Our brain is wired to look for threats or rewards. If one is detected, the feeling region of the brain alerts us through the release of chemical messages. Emotions are the effect of these chemical messages traveling from our brain through the body. When our brain detects a potential threat, our brain releases the stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, which prepare us for a fight or flight response. When we detect or experience something rewarding, such as someone doing something nice for you, our brain releases dopamine, oxytocin, or serotonin. These are the chemicals that make us feel good and motivate us to continue on the task or behavior. In these instances, the feeling region of the brain kicks in before the thinking part. Sometimes the reactions of the feeling brain are so strong that it dominates our behaviors, and we're unable to think rationally in the moment. Our emotions hijack our brain. While many of our emotional responses happen subconsciously, our thinking can influence our emotions, and sometimes this can be unhelpful. Just thinking about something threatening can trigger an emotional response. This is where we can manage our emotions with conscious thinking. Our emotions play a powerful role in the way we experience the world. Understanding and regulating our emotions through our thoughts and behaviors can help us take greater control of our brain and achieve our goals.
SPEAKER_01You know what I'm thinking after hearing that? That the Bible is the leading voice on truth, and that psychology and science follow behind it, backing what the Bible says when it comes to emotions and feelings, because the Bible's true. What did you catch in there? That feelings can dictate our actions. But what you know can dictate your feelings and your actions. What's the point? Well, the Bible helps us filter our feelings. We can overcome emotions, we can overcome the range of chemicals and hormones that are firing in our bodies. They don't have to take over all of our actions, we don't have to react and fly off the handle. We don't have to chase the wind. We don't have to make foolish and hasty decisions. We can, by the power of God and the power of his word, not have to chase down every loose end and go down rabbit holes on YouTube to figure out life's answers to the way we're feeling. No. We go to God's word and realize the more I know my God, the more his word permeates my mind and is oozing out of my pores, if you will, the more that my feelings and my emotions will begin to bow to my mind. We've talked about this on past episodes. I don't need to rehash it, but if you've never heard us talk about spiritual warfare before, you should go back and listen to an episode we did on the battle for the mind and realize that what you think is so important when it comes to processing what you feel. And this is a big topic because we are full of hormones, if you will. We're full of feelings of like and dislike. We get our feelings hurt by each other. We feel good because other people do things for us. We fear threats, we get excited about our passions, we decide to do something or not do something based on whether or not we feel like doing it. And so the reality for every Christian, no matter how old you are or what life stage you're in, is that your feelings can make or break you. You can get sucked into drama or you can live with conviction. Feelings are going to happen. They either control you or you control them. So let's look at some truths that the Bible offers us and shows us, even illustratively, about emotions and feelings. The first truth I want you to understand is that you are, as a Christian, called to live by faith and not by feelings. Second Corinthians 5, 6 through 9 says this, so we are always of good courage, Paul says. We know that while we're at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith and not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, he repeats it again, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. Do you know what Paul was talking about in that passage? He's talking about death. Out of your body means you're in glory with the Lord if you're a believer. But also not being in glory means you're still here on planet Earth, as salt and as light as a believer. What does he say twice? We're of good courage. We know the truth. We live by faith, not by sight. We don't go with what our eyes are telling us and what our feelings are feeling. We go with what our mind knows. This is where we get that famous phrase, I live by faith and not by sight. Well, it's fascinating that Paul on the topic of death goes directly for that because Christians throughout the New Testament would be seeing a lot of death, seeing a lot of trouble, seeing a lot of challenges, and here comes Paul with the audacity to say that the church can be of good courage when it comes to death. While most people fear death, a Christian can be fearless in death. We live by faith in what we don't see, not by fear in what we do see. Our feelings bow to our faith. Proverbs three, five and six says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding in all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. I think of Genesis twelve when God tells Abraham, you know, go over there to the land that I'm going to show you. And basically, in paraphrase, I'll tell you the rest when you get there, Abraham. Do you think Abraham felt scared? Do you think he felt emotions? You think his family and those following him were nervous, felt fear, confusion? Sure, if they were humans, they would have wondered and maybe even questioned. He was a human. But what did he do? He went not knowing where he was going. The author of Hebrews says that's credited to him. That is an incredible act of faith. His faith trumped his feelings. He knew that God had directed him, so he chose to obey God over his feelings. That's how a believer is called to live. Now, maybe you don't have God showing up in your tent telling you to go different places and appearing or speaking audibly to you, but we have his word, and his word directs us, and we can know how to live. We can know where to go, we can know his will, and then no matter what we're feeling, do it. So you are called to live by faith, not by feelings. Here's another truth, though, that I want to highlight. For a Christian, your feelings can be helpful. Don't hear what I'm not saying in this episode. I am not saying anything about your feelings don't matter at all, you can't have them, or they're not even helpful, and turning into some rationalistic, cold-hearted, shallow, mean pastor. No, no, no. Your feelings can be helpful. Feelings can help us experience certain emotions, if you will, that point us to Christ. I want to highlight this for you. Isaiah six, verses one to five, a situation where Isaiah, no doubt, felt feelings. He says in that year, King Uzziah died, and I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim, each had six wings, with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to the other and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory, and the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke, and I said, Woe is me, for I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts. Christian, your feelings can be helpful when you look upon Christ, when you see his glory, when you read his word, and you are awestruck at who he is and who you are, and who he is and who I am, we together, like Isaiah, experience a moment where we feel guilt, we feel the weight of our sin, we even feel ashamed at the way that we have been living, speaking, thinking, and you know what? Those feelings can be very good. I heard one pastor say once, let guilt do its thing and then be gone. In other words, you don't want guilt to linger too long and feel guilt and shame when you've already repented. But isn't it so good and helpful when you feel guilt for the weight of your sin? Like those who received Peter's words in the book of Acts, when he looked at them and said, Men of Jerusalem, you crucified him. You did it, and people were pierced to the heart. They felt the weight, they felt the guilt, they felt the feelings and the emotions that God wants us to feel when we come to a realization of our sin. In that we can be helped so greatly when we see all that God is. We want to feel the weight of who we are, and then we can feel emotions and experience grace and forgiveness and mercy, which leads to joy and laughter and gratitude. As we think, wow, I know where I was heading, and now I know what he's done in me and for me, and now what he's doing through me. When you say that, you begin to feel a whole nother range of emotions, motivation and excitement, joy. And so your feelings can be helpful. At the same time, your feelings can be harmful. Another key truth I want to highlight for you Jeremiah 17 9, the heart is deceitful above all else. It's desperately sick, who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart and test the mind to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds. Oh, aren't we a fickle bunch? We're sour than we're sweet, we're twisted than tender, we're hard than we're humble, we're loving and then we're lying, wretched hearts within us, who can trust our heart. Remember what Paul said in the book of Romans, wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? Who can know the heart is really what Jeremiah is saying. Only God. Most certainly not you, most certainly not me. I was preaching to a group of middle schoolers recently and explaining to them the brevity of life and the importance of following after Christ. And I was highlighting some lies that this world will tell them, and I picked one that I knew would resonate with them, the lie that the world says, and it's follow your heart. Follow your heart. You know, Taylor Swift, the Kardashians or whoever always telling people, follow your heart, just believe in yourself. Well, God's word tells us to forget that idea. Don't follow your heart. Your heart is deceitful. Don't trust your heart. Your heart will lie to you. We need to grow up and realize that Disney lied to us. You can't just believe in yourself. You can't just dream it into existence. You aren't gonna get first place just because you feel like you should. You're not gonna kiss the frog and turn him into a prince. Don't trust your heart. Not all your dreams will come true. Could you imagine right now, church, telling our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan, just follow your heart, just believe in yourself. Everything's gonna be okay. As they hide in caves, in homes, in the hills, everywhere, from people trying to kill them for being Christians. And as others go out, and while some are rightfully hiding and nurturing the underground church, there are others who God has called to go out and stand and speak the truth and die a martyr's death. Could you imagine telling them, follow your heart, dream big? The only way that any of us would ever be able to do that biblically is if our heart was compelling us to obey Christ's commands, yes and amen. And if dreaming big meant going out like Paul and like Stephen and like the apostles and like Christ, then church, yes, let's dream big. But you and I both understand that the way the world is defining following your heart has nothing to do with following Christ. Your feelings can be harmful, they can lie to you. Another few key points here. Your feelings must be controlled. Romans 6 12, Paul says, Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body to make you obey its passions. You don't obey your feelings, your feelings obey you. Some might say your feelings aren't sinful, they're just neutral unless you do something about them, and then that's sinful. But understand that sin often starts with a feeling, a lust, a desire, a passion, a wanting, and then as the book of James describes, that springs forth into action through temptation, and we start wanting that sin and we do that sin, but it already bred in the heart. This is why Jesus said it was possible to commit adultery in the heart without ever sleeping with a woman who isn't your wife, in Matthew 5, 27 to 28. And the excuse we often come up with, and you'll hear, is I can't control how I feel. It's just how I feel. Well, that's going to be lazy at best, and at worse, it might even be evidence that we're not living the Christian life, we're really following after ourself. Why would I say something so strong and seemingly harsh? Well, because the Bible says in Galatians 5 22 that self-control is evidence of the Holy Spirit's fruit and work in your life. So if you are not seeing patterns of self-control, God's word would compel you to assess your spiritual condition. I'm not judging you. No one else is judging you. The word is a mirror. And as you look in the mirror, and I, along with you, look in that mirror, do we see self-control? If we don't, and we're giving into the passions of the flesh, I think we do well to ask bigger questions because 1 Corinthians 10 13 says that God always provides us a way of escape so we can endure temptation. And so your feelings must be controlled. Proverbs has some wisdom on this. Proverbs 16 32 says, Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. That's a benefit right there. There are blessings and benefits in life to keeping our feelings under control. Proverbs twelve sixteen says, The vexation of a fool is known all at once, but the prudent ignores an insult. Prudent people, which are wise, discerning, discretion, filled believers, are very careful to react to every insult that they experience. Sometimes you need to be quick on your feet with actions and words, but reacting quickly with an attitude is often linked to immaturity. If you come off harsh, hasty with your words, that is the habit of a fool. And so, yes, there are many times in your life and throughout your day where you're gonna need to be quick to the trigger with decisions and with responses to people. If you're a leader, you're gonna constantly be guiding others. However, one thing we don't want to be hasty with is bowing to our emotions. Another truth that I want you to understand is what you know can direct how you feel. That's why we're doing an episode on this. So you can get the knowledge of God into your mind and that begins to direct your feelings. You're gonna feel angry, you're gonna feel hurt, you're gonna feel sad, but what you know directs where those feelings go. Will you become bitter? Will you lash out against others? Will you seek revenge? Will you hide your pain? Or will you give your anxiety to God? Will you count it all joy because God's growing you through trial, like James 1, 2 through 4 says? Will you hope in the God of heaven? This is why spiritual warfare in the mind is so important. And so let me give you some key takeaways, some action items that you can put into practice even now when it comes to the knowledge of God and directing your feelings. Number one, cast every anxiety on God. Do not hold on to anxiety, don't stew on it, don't brew on it, don't vent about it, take it to the Lord. First Peter 5 7 says, Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. Anxiety, worry, nervousness, fear, depression over your station in life. All of that is not yours to carry. It goes to Jesus. And some of us are going to fight this fight our entire life, seeing only small and gradual improvements, but the process never changes. As we're being sanctified day by day, we give anxiety to the Lord. Number two, put anger in its place. Don't just stop at your anxieties. Give anger to the Lord. There is certainly a righteous anger that Jesus exhibited in the temple that day when he turned over the tables and cracked the whip on the money changers, reminding us that we can be angry over certain things, righteous things, but we don't want to be angry about everything. Ephesians 4, 26 and 27 reminds us that we are to be both angry at our sin and against sin, and also to give all anger to the Lord. I've heard two excellent interpretations on Ephesians 4, 26 and 27, which says, be angry and do not sin. Don't let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil. Some commentators and scholars will say it's be angry, don't sin, meaning be angry, stop sinning. Be angry at your sin. Don't let the sun go down on your anger. Deal with your sin, give no opportunity to the devil. It's a great interpretation and a very accurate one, in my opinion. Uh exegetically, you can get there. I've heard other interpretations by scholars and commentators who also provide a very excellent argument, in my opinion, and it's pretty clear exegetically, too. Be angry yet do not sin. In other words, you can have a righteous anger. And at the end of the day, before your head hits the pillow, before you call it a day, don't stew and brew on it, but give it to the Lord. Because the devil begins to work in our lives through our anger when we hold on to it. So you can be angry in the right way for the right things, but don't sin and don't hold on to that anger. And so either one of those interpretations does one clear thing for us. It shows us that we are to put anger in its place. Number three, take triumph in the trials. James 1, 2 through 4, I mentioned it already briefly, says, Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet various trials, for you know the testing of your faith produces steadfastness or endurance. Let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. And notice it doesn't say you got to be excited about hard times. You're gonna be sad, hurt, frustrated, and crying out to God. But ultimately, what informs how you're going to feel in the end? Well, the Bible. All feelings are filtered through a biblical perspective. The Christian perspective says this is painful, but God will bring purpose through my pain. And that's not a Stephen Furtick prosperity gospel fortune cookie one-liner. It is a simple truth. And here's what I mean: His purpose is to bring himself glory. So even in your pain, he can and will bring himself glory. So you and I can rest assured, no matter what we're going through, God is going to bring about purpose through this. And it will all bring him glory, and it'll be his definition of glory and his definition of Romans 8 28 good, and so I can trust him. The last thing that I want to leave you with is when it comes to emotions, receive peace because you pray. Be a praying Christian, not just to go through the motions of prayer and put it on the checklist and check it off, but truly receive the peace that comes when you pray. Philippians 4, 6 and 7 says, Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus. It's so straightforward. Isaiah 26, verse 3 says, You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts you. One of the things we do so little of when it comes to managing our emotions and feelings is pray. Maybe it's because we think, well, God can't handle this, or maybe it's because we think, well, I need to let some of this out and burn off some steam. I think sometimes we just get so heated we forget to pray. But remember, he's the one who created you. He is the one who has given you a prescription for dealing with your feelings, your emotions, your hurts, your pains, all of it. And so go to him with all you've got and receive what only he can give. That is peace. My prayers, this episode has helped you gain a better understanding for processing and handling your emotions and feelings, and uh that the Bible passages and Bible storylines that have been referenced give you a clear picture that God cares and God has already given you everything you need to deal with your emotions and your feelings. Thank you all for being with us today on the For the Gospel podcast. To register for our upcoming conference on dating and courtship in Southern California, go to forthegospel.org and click conferences in the navigation menu. I can't wait to see you all there. For free video teachings, go to our YouTube channel and be sure to check out our weekly videos and gospel resources for sharing the hope of Jesus Christ on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter. We'll be back next Monday with another episode. Keep on living for the gospel.