The Emotions of God

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Is God emotional? Apparently He is. It makes sense because we are made in the image of God and we have feelings and emotions. But because of “the fall” of humanity when Adam and Eve sinned, our emotions can become distorted and work against us. It is important for us to know when our emotions are like our Father God’s emotions and when they are not.

God’s emotions reflect His perfect character, not only as loving Father but holy and just Judge. We must embrace emotions that come from the Holy Spirit and reject those that come from the kingdom of darkness.

Happy & Not-So-Happy Emotions

There are many uplifting, happy emotions and attitudes the Holy Spirit produces in us as we grow in the Lord. The most talked about are God’s love, joy and peace. Scripture tells us to dwell on happy thoughts that produce good feelings. However, there are other emotions that are not-so-happy that the Lord wants us to engage in that are the result of our compassion for others. In this post I will mention a few not-so-happy emotions God has and why. That way, we can know when to embrace an emotion and when to ask God to relieve us from it. At the root of all God’s emotions is His faithful love.

Regret

The Lord regretted that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was [deeply] grieved in His heart. Genesis 6:6 AMP

The word “regretted” in this verse is translated in other versions of the Bible as “repented” or “sorry.” God has done everything to offer His mercy, forgiveness and grace to mankind but most people reject Him. To see people choose their own way that leads to death and hell when they have been offered life and Heaven must cause God great sorrow. It is because of God’s great love that He feels this kind of sorrow. He doesn’t want anyone to perish!

How do we connect with God’s heart in this way? God doesn’t want us to live in regret of our past. He wants us to embrace His forgiveness through Jesus Christ and move forward in victory! But God does want us to be sorrowful over those who have not experienced His saving grace. As big as His love is for the world– that He would send His only Son to die for the sins of the world– that is how much he must anguish over every soul lost without Jesus. Let us pray that we can have God’s sorrow for those who have not heard the Gospel– enough so that we do everything we can to share the Gospel with them.

God’s Wrath

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Romans 1:18-20 NIV

God’s wrath, or anger, is real. But first of all, understand that when people get angry they often lose control but God never does. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is self-control. So, Christians are equipped by God to control their emotions and actions.

God’s anger is against the godlessness and wickedness of people who suppress God’s Truth. If a person is suppressing (hiding) God’s Truth, that means they know God’s Truth but they purposefully want to rebel against Him and deceive others as well. These wicked people are working with Satan against God’s love and grace. God is angry because of His great love for the people He created.

So, how can we connect with God’s heart in this way? To begin with, we can draw close to God by repenting whenever necessary so that we are in no way participating in wickedness or suppressing the Gospel of Jesus. We must hate sin and every lie that leads us and others into deception. And if there is anything we can do to shine the light of God’s Truth and love, we must not shrink back. If the wicked can suppress the Truth, we can certainly declare the Truth! Share the love of Jesus!

The Holy Spirit Grieves

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:30-32 NKJV

The Holy Spirit grieves when a believer in Christ is critical or judgmental of their brothers and sisters in Christ. We were born again by the Holy Spirit to “remain in Christ.” When God’s children follow the Holy Spirit as God has commanded us to do, the result is peace and joy in God’s Family. If we produce the bad fruit of bitterness, arguments, offense, hurt, etc, the Holy Spirit is grieved.

How can we keep from grieving the Holy Spirit? Learn to live by the Spirit no matter the cost. We are not who we were– following the ruler of the kingdom of the air. Our faith in the Blood of Jesus has set us apart and seated us in the heavenly realms with God! Hallelujah! Disunity grieves the Holy Spirit but humbly yielding before God in true submission brings unity in the Body of Christ.

Compassion, Grief and Weeping

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. NASB

The Bible says that God is near to the brokenhearted. One day the Lord will wipe all of our tears away forever but until then He puts our tears in His bottle. Jesus wept with Mary and Martha when their brother, Lazarus, died. God cares about our grief and pain!

Jesus wants us to have His compassion for others as they walk through sorrow. We cannot take their pain away, but we can pray that God will comfort them supernaturally with His powerful loving presence. As much as God wants us to rejoice in our salvation, He does not want us to ignore our own suffering or the suffering of others. On the contrary, He wants us to know His heart of compassion and allow the love of the Holy Spirit into every situation.

Embrace God’s Unusual Emotions

The enemy prowls around seeking who he can hurt. If we don’t understand who God is and who we are as His children we will become vulnerable to the enemy’s tactics. In that state of hurt, many Christians avoid having real face to face conversations with God about their feelings. They would rather be numb than bring their messy emotions to God’s Table.

Others in ignorance think that anger fueled by unforgiveness is okay– but it’s not. Anger that propels us to love others by the direction of the Holy Spirit is the only anger we should approve. We do not fight flesh and blood but demons, and we can only do that by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Renounce or Embrace?

God loves you and wants you close to His heart! Jesus understands your emotions and wants to help you navigate through them. In some cases He will ask you to renounce them and sever ties with them bringing deliverance and healing. But in other cases, He will affirm that your emotions are in line with His.

Harness Your Godly Emotions Into Action

God is angry when children are abused, when the laws of a nation promote sin and when the truth is suppressed– especially the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He has great plans to set His people in motion to bring change on this earth, but we must not shrink back. Instead, God is calling each one of us into action. If we ignore the heart of our Father, evil will multiply. But if we draw near to God in prayer and obedience, our nation and world can be blessed once again. Allow the Holy Spirit to harness His holy anger within you into action. Let God’s love always be your motivation. Now is the time. Take courage and do what He has called you to do in Jesus’ name!