The speaker welcomes everyone and emphasizes the importance of leaving changed by the Holy Spirit's presence.

Introduction and Prayer

The speaker introduces godly emotions and shares a personal story about media manipulation, highlighting the need to guard our feelings.

Discussion on Godly Emotions and Media Influence

The speaker stresses the importance of focusing on God's truth to combat negativity and explores characteristics of godly emotions like joy and peace.

Focusing on God's Truth

Encouragement to find joy in God despite circumstances, with reassurance that believers will triumph through Christ, emphasizing God's emotional nature.

Joy in Adversity and Trials

Exploration of Jesus' emotional expression and God's joy over His people, advocating for vibrant worship and emotional clarity in the church.

Understanding God's Joyful Nature

Discussion on the grief of the Holy Spirit due to sin, concluding with the importance of embracing godly emotions and living in joy and victory.

Grieving the Holy Spirit and Conclusion on Emotions

Encouragement to seek the comfort of the Holy Spirit during uncertain times, emphasizing the role of scriptures and resisting anxiety.

Comfort and Strength from the Holy Spirit

Joy is highlighted as a powerful emotion that strengthens believers, with a call to celebrate joyfully as a sign of victory and triumph in God's kingdom.

The Power of Joy in Life and Church

The speaker concludes with an invitation to embrace joy and God's goodness, encouraging a joyful life as a fruit of the Spirit.

Conclusion and Invitation to Embrace Joy

# Embracing Godly Emotions: A Journey of Faith

## Introduction

Hallelujah! Are you ready to continue enjoying God's presence this morning? As we gather together, let's trust that the Holy Spirit is orchestrating our time here. Our goal is to leave this place transformed and uplifted.

## The Power of Godly Emotions

Today, we delve into the topic of **godly emotions**. It's crucial to understand how emotions play a role in our spiritual lives and how they can be influenced by external factors.

### A Personal Reflection

I want to share a personal story about my daughter, Kyra, who recently took on a side job at a news station in Pensacola, Florida. While working there, she overheard meteorologists discussing an impending hurricane. They were instructed to use alarming language to boost ratings, even though the storm would not directly impact their area. This incident highlights how the media can manipulate emotions for profit, creating unnecessary fear and anxiety.

- **Key Takeaway**: We must guard our emotions and focus on God's truth rather than the negativity around us.

## The Importance of Focusing on God

As Christians, we are called to focus on God's promises rather than the chaos of the world.

- **Philippians 4:6-7** reminds us to be anxious for nothing and to present our requests to God with thanksgiving. 
- **Habakkuk** teaches us to rejoice in the Lord, even when circumstances seem dire.

### God’s Assurance

God is aware of the challenges we face, and He has already provided a way for us to overcome them.

- **Remember**: God wins in the end, and through Him, we are victors.

## Understanding Godly Emotions

Many people perceive God as stoic and serious, but the Bible presents a different picture.

### Examples of Godly Emotions

1. **Joy in Jesus**: In **Luke 10:21**, Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit, displaying His joy physically by jumping and leaping.
2. **God's Delight**: In **Zephaniah 3:17**, we learn that God rejoices over us with joy, demonstrating a vibrant and active emotion.
3. **The Holy Spirit's Grief**: In **Ephesians 4:30**, we see that the Holy Spirit can be grieved by our actions, reflecting a deep emotional connection.

### The Nature of God

God is not distant; He is deeply involved in our lives and emotions.

- **God's love** is personal and intimate, and He desires for us to experience joy, peace, and comfort in our relationship with Him.

## The Comfort of the Holy Spirit

In these uncertain times, the Holy Spirit offers us comfort. 

- **Acts 9:31** speaks of the comfort of the Holy Ghost, which can bring peace and reassurance amid chaos. 
- **Romans 15:4** reminds us that the Scriptures are written for our learning, providing patience and comfort that lead to hope.

### The Role of the Holy Spirit and Scriptures

1. **The Holy Spirit**: He is our Comforter, the one who comes alongside us to provide strength and reassurance.
2. **The Scriptures**: As we immerse ourselves in God's Word, the Holy Spirit quickens verses to us, imparting the comfort we need.

### Resisting Anxiety

- We are encouraged not to be anxious but to support each other with the Word of God.
- Remember: When we submit to God and resist the devil, he will flee from us in terror (James 4:7).

## Cultivating Godly Emotions

To cultivate godly emotions, we must:

- Focus on God's Word.
- Speak life and truth into our situations.
- Allow the Holy Spirit to guide our emotions.

### The Power of Joy

Joy is an incredibly powerful force that cannot be taken from us. 

- **The joy of the Lord is our strength** (Nehemiah 8:10). Without joy, we become vulnerable to the enemy's attacks.
- Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, always present within us if we let it flourish.

### Celebrating Joy

- We can make a joyful noise unto the Lord, as encouraged in **Psalms 100**. 
- Remember, there is no penalty for excessive celebration in God's kingdom!

## Conclusion

As we navigate our spiritual journey, let us remember:

- **What we focus on, we empower**. 
- Embrace joy, peace, and the comfort that comes from the Holy Spirit.
- Godly emotions are a vital part of our faith, reflecting our relationship with Him.

Let us rejoice in the Lord and allow His joy to fill our hearts! Amen!

"Transform Your Spirit: Embrace Godly Emotions Today!"

- Speaker expresses joy and readiness to enjoy God.
- Emphasizes the importance of the Holy Spirit in transforming lives.
- Discusses the influence of worldly emotions infiltrating the church.
- Shares a personal story about media manipulation during a hurricane forecast.
- Encourages guarding emotions and focusing on God's truth.
- Highlights the need for godly emotions over negative influences.
- Reminds that God is in control and believers should not worry.
- References the book of Habakkuk, emphasizing joy and faith amidst adversity.

- The speaker reflects on the story of the Israelites in Egypt, emphasizing that they were spared from plagues.
- Believers are not appointed to God's wrath because Jesus has already taken judgment upon Himself.
- Encourages faith and assurance of victory in Jesus, despite potential challenges.
- Discusses the emotional nature of God, contrasting traditional stoic views with scriptural evidence of God's joy.
- Highlights Luke 10:21, where Jesus rejoices with exuberance, showcasing a different portrayal of His emotions.
- Mentions Zephaniah 3:17, describing God's overwhelming joy and the physical expression of that joy.
- Advocates for expressing godly emotions in worship, contrasting it with the reserved behavior often seen in churches.
- Emphasizes that believers should embrace joy and emotional expressions of faith.

- The speaker reflects on childhood fears and misconceptions about God after being saved.
- They describe a moment of embarrassment when they accidentally cursed in front of a pastor, leading to feelings of shame and fear of judgment from God.
- The speaker emphasizes that God's true nature is loving and joyful, contrasting with their earlier beliefs.
- They discuss the importance of recognizing and sanctifying one's emotions, advocating for joy during intercession and prayer.
- The Greek term for "grieve" in relation to the Holy Spirit is explained, highlighting the intimate relationship between God and believers.
- The speaker encourages focusing on God's love and grace rather than shortcomings, promoting godly emotions like grief that lead to repentance.
- They stress the significance of reading and speaking the Word of God to cultivate positive emotions and faith.
- The message concludes with a call for comfort from the Holy Spirit during uncertain times, referencing Acts 9:31.

- The Holy Spirit provides comfort regardless of external circumstances.
- Scriptures and the Holy Spirit are key sources of comfort and hope.
- Christians should not be anxious; instead, they should encourage each other with the Word.
- The devil is not stronger than God; submission to God causes the devil to flee.
- Joy, a powerful and unspeakable emotion, is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and essential for strength.
- Joy should be present in all aspects of life, serving as a spiritual force and a demonstration of Christ's triumph.
- Believing in God brings joy, and excessive celebration is encouraged in the kingdom of God.
- The joy of the Lord reflects the joy found in heaven and is part of believers' inheritance.

- Speaker expresses joy and readiness to enjoy God.
- Importance of the Holy Spirit in transforming lives emphasized.
- Discusses worldly emotions infiltrating the church.
- Shares a personal story about media manipulation.
- Encourages guarding emotions and focusing on God's truth.
- Highlights need for godly emotions over negative influences.
- Reminds that God is in control; believers should not worry.
- References Habakkuk, emphasizing joy and faith amidst adversity.
- Reflects on Israelites in Egypt, emphasizing protection from plagues.
- Believers are spared from God's wrath due to Jesus' sacrifice.
- Encourages faith and assurance of victory in Jesus.
- Contrasts traditional views of God with scriptural evidence of His joy.
- Mentions Luke 10:21 and Zephaniah 3:17 to illustrate God's joy.
- Advocates for expressing godly emotions in worship.
- Reflects on childhood fears and misconceptions about God.
- Emphasizes God's loving and joyful nature.
- Discusses the importance of recognizing and sanctifying emotions.
- Encourages focus on God's love and grace.
- Stresses significance of reading and speaking the Word of God.
- Concludes with a call for comfort from the Holy Spirit.
- Holy Spirit provides comfort regardless of circumstances.
- Scriptures and the Holy Spirit are key sources of comfort.
- Christians should not be anxious and should encourage each other.
- Submission to God causes the devil to flee.
- Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and essential for strength.
- Joy should be present in all aspects of life.
- Believing in God brings joy and celebration is encouraged.
- The joy of the Lord reflects heavenly joy and is part of believers' inheritance.

Are you ready to continue to enjoy God this morning?

And I'm just getting up here and that's okay.

In fact, if I need to shorten my message a little, I can say more in less time.

But let's just trust that the Holy Spirit is orchestrating what's going on this morning, amen.

And let's just believe that we leave this place different than we came.

In fact, if we left right now, we'd leave different than we came, amen.

I thank you so much, Deb, for what you had to say.

And the whole teddy bear thing, I'm sort of hooking up with it.

But I really like the Holy Spirit thing about how he heals us.

I'm sorry to have to say that, but is there anybody like me who never had a teddy bear?

I did have a little pet rabbit, maybe a stuffed rabbit, maybe that counts, I don't know.

But thank God for the Holy Spirit, you know?

He will make us whole any way He wants to.

I want to talk this morning about in fact let's just pray.

Father in Jesus name I pray for this word I thank you Lord God that is coming into our hearts strongly and powerfully and that you're bringing us from glory to glory, Lord God.

And Lord, your word is working in us mightily, both to will and to do of your good pleasure.

And Lord God, we thank you that our path is like the light of dawn, and shining brighter and brighter to the full day, according to Proverbs chapter 4, verse 18.

This morning I want to talk to you about godly emotions.

Can I just share with you, it seemed like times have changed a little bit?

And I think 1 of the reasons why times have changed in the body of Christ is because we've allowed, if I may say so, be so bold as to say so, some of the world's emotions to get into the church.

And so what is godly emotion and how important is emotion and how important is godly emotion?

Because you know, there's so many forces out there that are trying to manipulate us and you don't know what to believe sometimes And what not to believe but we do know that we believe the word of God.

And so we do have a solid rock to stand on.

I was sort of interesting, I'm going to sort of mention this.

My daughter, her name is Kyra, wonderful daughter, I love my daughter, love my son.

And she decided to get this little side gig going on, side hustle going on to make some spare cash in the evening.

So she's working at a news TV station in the evenings, just doing cleanup for 3 hours a night.

And she's got another business going on too.

And anyway, at this news station, she's working.

And they're talking about the hurricane that's coming in.

It hasn't come yet, but it's going to come.

And so they're talking about, and they're using all these trigger words like disaster, catastrophic flooding, terrible winds, get ready for the worst.

And she's listening to these guys talk on live on TV these newscasters and these what do you call them the newscast or the the weather people meteorologists thank you and so afterwards she just sat down and talked with them for a minute after the news was done.

They said, it's going to be that bad, huh?

They said, no, headquarters just told us to say that so we'd get ratings.

They said the storm is going to come over to Panama City about 90 miles east of us, but we were told we couldn't say that.

I'm not going to tell you which of the alphabet soup news that was, but my point is don't believe everything you hear because It's about money, it's about ratings, it's about them filling their pockets, it's about them manipulating people's emotions, amen?

And something has happened in the body, and I don't like it.

And I'm going to fight against it in Jesus' name with the word of God, amen?

Because the Lord says that the spirit of joy is supposed to be in the body of Christ, the spirit of peace is supposed to be in the body of Christ, and it's just like it is in heaven is the way it's supposed to be here.

And there's a lot of good stuff going on in heaven, amen?

And so there needs to be a lot of good stuff going on in heaven.

a lot of good stuff going on in our lives.

And so I listen to these people and they listen to they're online and they're on this station and that station listening to all these stories from these people, which may be true and may not be true, and they're all wound up, and, you know, they talk about the problem, and then they're talking about the problem for 45 minutes, and then at the last, you know, they're Christians, so the last 10 seconds, they say, but God is able.

Well, the fact of the matter is what you focus on, you empower.

And so the more we focus on the negative, the more we're going to empower the negative.

Now, I'm not saying that we should stick our heads in the sand, amen?

I'm saying God's truth is important and we need to acknowledge the truth of God and the Word of God in our lives and allow it to produce godly emotions in our lives.

Because the television ain't going to produce godly emotions in our lives.

How many sort of notice that to be the case.

Some people think that God is a very stoic and serious being, and Therefore, if we are to be godly or effective for the kingdom of God, we must be serious, somber, emotionally restrained, and dignified.

Some people think that, well, in the church you've got to be dignified, and if you're a Christian you're going to be dignified, and you've got to be, you know, hold a certain standard of decorum, and as you can see, hold a certain dress code.

That's the part that I sort of messed up on.

But you know, I just believe that God isn't concerned about a lot of those things.

He's concerned about His word, and His Word dwelling in us richly and the fruit of the Spirit operating in our lives and the gifts of the Spirit operating in our lives, amen, and the power of God operating in our lives and the healing power of God operating in our lives, amen, and the kingdom of God coming in the kingdom of earth through us in Jesus' name.

And so godly emotions, that's what we're talking about.

And then there are some Christians who know it's good to have joy and display happiness, but their emotions are weighed down by the negative things they see around them.

So many of these statistics and so many of these things we see on TV are designed to grab our emotions and twist our emotions.

And so I want to say let's allow the Word of God to form our emotions.

And so, but it's sort of, you know, if all we're listening to is how can we be happy when 60 million babies have been aborted in America?

Or when weather calamities and hurricanes and wildfires and climate change and the possibility of a huge asteroid colliding with the earth are 1 of the dozens of other negative events and calamities and terrible things that are happening in the earth.

And, you know, a lot of believers are just so focused on that they forgot who's on the throne.

Who knew all this stuff was gonna happen millions or thousands of years, however long ago it was gonna happen, and had the answer ahead of time for us?

And so the Bible says, be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God and he won't do it.

It says he's not strong enough to handle your problems.

No, it says that He will take care of us.

He is the author and finisher of our faith.

And in case you haven't noticed, God wins in the end and He is the victor and we are in Him and therefore we are the victors.

And so we have nothing to worry about in Christ.

The more I think about that, the more happy I get because I just soon not worry about anything.

I just think about when worry starts coming away, I say, no, no, no, no, no, no, I'm not going to let that happen in my life.

I've said it before, and I may say it again, but you know if you read the book of Habakkuk, sort of an interesting Old Testament book, the prophet Habakkuk is talking to God and he's saying, God, when are you going to set things right?

Why there's racial injustice, and then there's financial injustice, and then there's political injustice, and then there's national injustice, and there's all these things going wrong.

But at the end of that, he says, in spite of all these things that are going wrong, he says the fig tree will not blossom and there will be no cattle in the stalls and there will be no sheep in the fields and there will be nothing.

He says, I'm going to rejoice in the Lord my God.

And there's a reason why we rejoice when things don't look that good is because joy brings the power of God into the situation.

Joy, the sacrifice of praise and the sacrifice of joy brings things into God's perfect plan.

And then he said, the just are going to live by faith.

You might remember the story in the book of Exodus, when the children of Israel, when all those plagues were hit in Egypt, what happened to the children of Israel during that time?

We are not appointed unto the judgment of God because the judgment of God has already come against Jesus on the cross, and the price has already been paid, and God has good plans for us, for the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn.

And I'm not gonna say that we won't be attacked.

And so we can fight the good fight of faith.

And there's a reason why it's the good fight of faith.

And so I would say to you, be anxious for nothing and allow the...

Bring your way to get you all excited and full of anxiety, full of fear, and full of trepidation.

And some people, they think, well, you know, God is not very emotional.

I take issue with that, and I'm going to take some verses, and we're going to see what are godly emotions.

What kind of emotions does God display in the real world?

And if he really, according to the scriptures, is a solemn, emotionally distant and disengaged, Is he really that way?

Let's take a look at Luke chapter 10 verse 21.

I'm just going to talk about a very small part this time of that verse.

It says, in that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit.

Another translation says, in that hour Jesus gloried in the Holy Spirit.

Another translation says, and it's more than that, it says, filled with joy by the Holy Spirit.

Now, you know, a lot of traditional people, they'll read this and they sort of, you know, they'll just say, well, the Holy Spirit, you know, it was the Spirit of joy.

You ever notice how a lot of times religious people, they talk in a minor key?

I remember when I was a kid, I was watching the story of Jesus on film, you know, it was black and white.

And you know the way he talked, he had the aura, he had the light around his head.

And they made it all seem religious and they all talked in British.

They all talked in with a British accent and they talked like this and they talked calm and they talked quietly and they talked.

It did not display the true nature of Jesus Christ.

Number 1, Jesus didn't have a British accent.

But there was more different, you know, it's sort of like anybody ever seen my favorite all-time comedy show Nacho Libre.

I think there's spiritual lessons you can learn from Nacho Libre.

I'll let you know when I find out what they are.

But I remember the father was talking to the kids in the orphanage, and he stood up, and he had this real humble look on his face.

He was all drooped over, and he said, Orphans rejoice.

I just laughed, because that's how people present God and godliness, amen.

Well, let's just take a look at this verse in Luke chapter 10 and really what is it really saying?

The Greek indicates something much different about Jesus' emotions.

Now there are 2 Greek words for joy and we're talking about Luke chapter 10 verse 21 it says in that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit.

The first word is Strong's word, Greek word, kairo.

That means to be cheerful, calmly, happy, and well off.

But there is another Greek word for joy and rejoicing.

And what that means, and that's the word that was used in this verse, to jump for joy, gush, leap, and spring up.

Can you see Jesus jumping for joy, leaping, and springing up?

Because that's exactly what the scripture said he was doing.

He was so full of joy in the Holy Spirit that he demonstrated that joy physically and he jumped for joy.

There's reasons because the greater 1 lives in us, not the lower 1.

And greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world.

And when we die, we're just going to go on and be in a better place yet amen and so the glory of God is upon us and the glory of God came on Jesus he got excited and he leaped for joy he jumped for joy he demonstrated his faith He wasn't like that priest on Nacho Libre.

And so I just wanted to let you see that verse.

The Holy Spirit expresses godly emotions.

I wanna share with you another scripture and another example of godly emotions.

Zephaniah chapter 3 verse 17 says this, are you ready?

Zephaniah 317, somebody know what I'm doing.

It says this, the Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty.

He will rest in his love and he will joy over thee with singing.

And so the definition of he will rejoice, it says he will be bright, cheerful, and make mirth.

And then the definition of he will joy over thee, the original Hebrew says, a violent emotion of joy causing spinning, causing spinning.

God will rejoice over us with so much joy that it's

a violent emotion of joy causing spinning, causing spinning.

it's a violent emotion of joy causing spinning.

Can you imagine what that must look like?

I think it's a little bit more action packed than most churches are around here, amen?

But why don't we just say, praise God, we're going to praise him, we're going to demonstrate to him.

You know, you go to a football game, you go to a Notre Dame football game, what kind of antics do you see?

What kind of activities do they engage in?

And it's about something that is so much less important and so much less full of joy than the Holy Spirit in us.

Christ is in us, and the glory, the manifest presence of God is in us.

And we have every reason to demonstrate that victory in Jesus' name.

And we have every reason to be emotional about it and allow the Holy Spirit to be emotional through us.

Because there is such a thing as godly emotions.

And I'm sharing with you that right now, what they look like.

So we're talking about what the Bible says about godly emotions.

So I'm gonna share with you the Ken Burns translation.

Now it may not be very accurate but it's pretty close.

Concerning Zephaniah chapter 3 verse 17 it says, the Lord thy God in the midst of thee is a mighty champion, a mighty champion.

He will be bright and cheerful and make mirth with joy.

Or on the other hand, he will display a violent emotion of joy causing spinning.

So the joy and the emotions of God is multifaceted.

And you may say, well, Pastor Ken, you know, I mean, the Bible talks about godly sorrow.

Yes, it does talk about godly sorrow in 2 Corinthians 7.

But if you read that, it's in verse 10, you'll find out that that verse is talking about somebody who's not saved and having godly sorrow unto repentance.

And if you want to pull that up we'll see that, and getting saved, amen?

And so if you're already saved there's no reason for godly sorrow, there's every reason in the world for godly joy, amen?

We are commanded to be full of it, of that joy, amen?

There is a different picture of who God is.

And maybe you were brought up to believe.

I remember when I was a little kid, you ever seen that family Bible on the coffee table?

And that family Bible has a picture of Jesus on it.

And it has a list of all your ancestors going back, you know, 200 years or whatever in the back of the Bible.

And you're walking by the Bible, and some of them, Jesus has holographic eyes, so it's no matter where you walk, he's looking at you.

And then, you know, I always just sort of thought that God was somber, you know, because when I went to church, when it was praise time, about as demonstrative as people got was, praise the Lord.

Well, you know, I mean, you respond more than that, you know, watching a TV commercial or, you know, And so anyway, the pastor came 1 time.

The pastor came to visit our house when I was a little kid.

I don't know, I was about 8 or 9 years old.

I had just gotten saved, but it didn't matter.

You know, when you first get saved, The devil always reminds you of all the sins you've done wrong and how, you know, impure you are.

I mean, I'm sure I did a bunch of terrible things by the time I was 8 years old.

And then worse than that, I was about to leave, you know, go out into the woods or something, but my mom says, oh, Ken, she says, come and meet the pastor.

And I was so scared, you know, because I thought, he represents God.

You know, who knows what kind of an idiot I acted like.

I was so scared that I was going to do something wrong.

My mom goes, she said something unapproving.

And I had this feeling or this, I would say, this demonic impression that God is not full of joy, that God doesn't love me, that He's there to judge me, and that church is a place to be somber, amen, and not a place to be alive.

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