I got one of those "revelation moments" recently. I was in a service and someone was speaking about some experience important to them. They paused and you could see in their face a telltale rush of emotion was passing over them. You could also tell they were fighting against "losing it." Very quickly, they pushed it down and continued.
End of story? I don't think so.
As the person moved on with relating their experience, I got my revelation, because a similar wave of emotion has swept over me many times. I have discovered that these moments are clues we should be looking for. Here are my thoughts about this sensation:
When I think back to when Holy Spirit has spoken to me powerfully, I realize he often does so through my emotions. When I was first saved it was an emotional experience. When I was sanctified it was an emotional experience. When I was called to be an officer in The Army it was an emotional experience. I could go one here for quite a while, but you get my drift- Holy Spirit can and does speak through our emotions.
If this is true then we need to carefully examine our emotional "outbursts" to discern whether it is God speaking or not. If not, I say: "Push it down" if you like. If it IS God speaking, why in the world would you want to quash him? Perhaps "quench" him would evoke a more powerful response? You following me?
I believe many of these emotional waves that come over us (especially in worship) are Holy Spirit trying to get through to us about something. I "Push them down" at my spiritual peril!
Emotion, then, can be God manifesting himself IN us.
I have come to know God's presence and I desire more of it! Therefore, when he gives me even the faintest scent of himself, I perk up and take notice; I look for what he is doing and what he is trying to say in that moment.
David told his son Solomon, "God is found by those who seek him" (1 Chronicles 28:9). If we are seeking God, we must not ignore or hold back the ways he chooses to make himself known to us. Rather, we should be looking for those little clues he gives that tell us he is near.
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10 comments:
are you talking about crying that kind of emotion? cuz i personally don't like to cry....so does that mean when i feel like crying i shud just do it or press on and be strong?
I'm so emotional all the time. . i try to push negative ones down, (but they have a bad habit of coming back up) i savour the positive ones. It makes sense that God's presence can be felt by our emotions. . He made them for us so sure He can be present in them!
I cry easily and often. . bah! sometimes i get frustrated cuz i'm a bit too emotional!!!
Hey Dad,
I appreciate that word on speaking from a place of emotion. It's such a twist from the enemy that you have to maintain a position of composure when testifying, preaching, teaching, praying, etc. The deal is that people are avoiding transparency. It's too bad, really, because when God comes on you whether in passion, or joy or tears, or righteous anger and even straight up boldness, He wants His heart to leak through - that's why we're the plain old weakened jar of clay - so that when HE says to, we brim over with His glory and all can see, and none will be able to ignore. When I come before the church (body of Christ) and am righteously transparent, regardless of my personal level of comfort, or how foolish or vulnerable I feel, it is Kingdom Advance - because letting God speak through me as He sees fit will effect the maximum impact on those to whom I am speaking, and my emotional boldness will provoke a response - If I cry first, is it not then for you to cry? If I am stirred to anger and indignation, aren't you roused as well? If I cannot contain the joy of the Lord, are you not rolled by a wave of laughter and glee also?
But if I pause, 'compose' myself and move on, who is moved?
Anon- yeah, when I think about it, I guess I was mostly talking about "crying." However, God can use a variety of positive emotions in a similar way. Joy, tears, love, etc are "positive;" fear, anger, jealosy would be "negative."
Whether you let the tears flow or not is not as important as realizing God is near and trying to do something. We should take that cue and look for God at that time. Many people push it down, get embarrassed and do anything but look for God's presence.
Kathryn- Exactly right! God made our emotions. Partly because he wanted to "get thru" to us by using them. When we ignore that, we often miss his moving in our midst.
I wouldn't bee to hard on yourself for being too emotional. I'd rather be more emotional than dead!
Ruhani (my wrighteous adopted daughter!)- I so love the way you think! I am more touched by people who cry through a testimony than those who push it down. I can share in their emotion if they display it.
Why are we so calloused in this area? Why do I even need to blog such "advise?"
We often choose comfort and ease rather than choosing to allow God to move through our emotion.
Bottling up emotion leads to all sorts of problems...I'd much rather be a person who could weep with the weaping and rejoice with the rejoicing.
There are times when I have playing in the band when I have to stop because the wave of emotions are so strong that I simply can't play any longer. I have even at times been so swept up by what we are playing that tears of joy well up and I just listen. The Holy Spirit certainly does it through these emotions.
But it's painful to feel like you're the only one in those emotions. I think people push them down because they're tired of opening up to people who don't seem to be able to share with them the extent of their pain, or joy, or whatever. Sometimes you open yourself up emotionally, only to feel wrecked and naked and alone on the other side.
One of my life goals is to be "transparent." That means I want people to see right through me; what they see is what they get; who I am. No playing games, no trying to figure out if what I said is what I mean.
We've got to be that way. There really is no other option if we expect to be true to ourselves and honest with others.
Yes, it will hurt us sometimes, but that's the price it costs.
You know, the turtle never gets anywhere unless he sticks his neck out!
I long ago stopped burying those emotions. It never did me any good. It has been said that it runs in the family.
I can remember during the days that I spent away from the Lord when I wish I could feel more emotions. I sometimes longed for the days when the love of the Lord would well up inside me but non came.
It wasn't until I returned that my real emotions returned.
Hope that made sence!
Shouldn't we deal with the negative emotions rather than squelch them? There are days that I wonder why I am where I am. There are days when I question my calling. A great deal of the time though, at least for me, those doubts and fears come from not spending time with the Lord as I should. When I bring them to the Lord it does seem that they flee as quickly as they came.
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