As I have observed both today’s church scene leadership scene I have a sense that we are led more by how we feel than what is true from Scripture. Simply put our emotions are running the show. Even in worship it can be all about how the music/lyrics make me feel (the experience) than how they make be think or act. I’m not saying emotions are bad but they should not be calling the shots in our lives and work. Brad Jenkins (pastor at Anthem Church in Tulsa) does an excellent job in today’s post helping us keep Jesus in the driver’s seat in our lives and work.
Guest Post by Brad Jenkins
You probably can’t get through a single day without encountering the challenge.
You wake up anxious about a meeting. You feel irritated by traffic. You’re disappointed by a friend’s response. You’re overwhelmed by the news. You’re excited about the weekend. You’re sad about something you can’t quite name.
And somewhere in the back of your mind, you might wonder: Am I supposed to feel this way? Is it okay to be angry? Should I just choose joy? What do I do with all of these emotions?
As Christians, we sometimes think that only joy is acceptable, and other emotions like anger or sadness are wrong. We’ve bought into a kind of spiritual stoicism that says mature believers should be above their feelings—always peaceful, positive, praising.
But I believe that emotions are part of what it means to be human. And more than that—they’re part of what it means to be made in the image of a God who feels.
JESUS FELT EVERYTHING
Jesus was deeply emotive. He experienced the full range of human emotions:
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Joy: He celebrated at weddings, rejoiced when His disciples understood truth, and looked forward to the joy set before Him.
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Sadness: The shortest verse in the Bible is simply, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35).
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Anger: He overturned tables in the temple when He saw people being exploited.
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Fear: In the Garden of Gethsemane, He was “deeply distressed and troubled” and asked the Father if there was another way.
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Disgust: He called out hypocrisy and religious pretense with visceral language.
Jesus experienced the full range of human emotions because He was fully human.
“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (John 1:14).
Jesus felt everything you’ve felt.
When you come to Him in prayer, you’re not talking to a detached deity who doesn’t understand what it’s like to be overwhelmed, disappointed, or afraid. You’re talking to One who knows exactly what it’s like to be human—someone who understands you completely.
This should radically change how we think about our emotional lives.
THE GIFT AND THE CHALLENGE
Let’s talk about both sides of this reality.
The Gift of Emotions
Let’s start with God: God feels—and because we’re made in His image, so do we.
Emotions are a gift from a feeling God. They alert us, connect us, and color our lives. Imagine life without them—it would be flat, mechanical, lifeless.
Emotions make life rich and interesting. They help us know when something is wrong. They bond us to other people. They move us to action. They help us appreciate beauty. They’re part of what separates us from machines.
They are part of what it means to be human.
The Challenge of Emotions
Emotions are good, and God-given, but … complicated.
Here are two challenges that we face when wrestling with our emotions:
Challenge #1: Ignoring Our Emotions – This leads to emptiness and great harm. When we suppress emotions, they don’t disappear—they go underground and cause damage we can’t see. We become numb, disconnected, unable to experience the full range of what God created us to feel.
Challenge #2: Obeying Our Emotions – This leads to chaos and destruction. Our emotions minus God’s wisdom can lead to a selfish and destructive life. If we do whatever we feel like doing in the moment, we wreck our lives and hurt the people around us.
We can’t ignore our emotions, but we also can’t just obey them. What do we do?
THE DASHBOARD AND THE STEERING WHEEL
Here’s an image that’s been helpful for me: Think about sitting in your car. You see two things—a steering wheel and a dashboard with all the gauges: speedometer, fuel gauge, temperature gauge, warning lights.
Your emotions are like the dashboard on your car. The lights tell you what’s going on under the hood—but they don’t steer the car. Your steering wheel sets direction; your dashboard gives information.
The truth: your emotions are an incredible dashboard, but a terrible steering wheel.
Emotions make wonderful gauges, but terrible guides.
I don’t want to ignore my dashboard lights. The “check engine” light is an important indicator! If I ignore it, I might end up stranded on the side of the road.
But I also don’t want anger to take complete control of the car, do I? I can’t just hand the steering wheel over to how I’m feeling in the moment—that would be like letting my six-year-old drive.
Instead of handing over the steering wheel, I simply ask: Why are you blinking? What’s wrong? Do I need to pull over? Or am I humming along just fine?
The emotion is giving me information. My job is to pay attention to it, understand what it’s telling me, and then decide how to respond—not just react.
OUR WONDERFUL COUNSELOR
This is where God comes in. The Bible describes God with a beautiful name: Wonderful Counselor.
Isaiah prophesied: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given… and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, saying, “It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you… and when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:7, 13).
What am I supposed to do with my emotions?
God is our Wonderful Counselor.
We are invited to bring our emotions to Him. He can help us understand our feelings. He will counsel us through them. And He will speak truth where we are believing or feeling lies.
This is radically different from both ignoring emotions and obeying them. It’s a third way: acknowledging them and bringing them to God.
WHAT THIS ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE
So how does this work in real life?
Let’s say you wake up feeling anxious. Instead of ignoring it (“I shouldn’t feel this way”) or obeying it (spiraling into worry and making fear-based decisions), you acknowledge it: “I’m feeling anxious right now.”
Then you bring it to God: “Lord, I’m feeling anxious about this meeting today. What’s this anxiety telling me? Do I need to prepare better? Am I believing something that isn’t true? Are You asking me to trust You with something I can’t control?”
You let the emotion be information on your dashboard, but you let God have the steering wheel.
Or maybe you’re feeling deeply sad. Instead of stuffing it down or letting it paralyze you, you bring it to Jesus: “I’m really sad right now. I don’t even fully know why. But I know You wept too. Sit with me in this. Help me understand what’s going on in my heart.”
The emotion isn’t wrong. It’s part of being human. But you don’t let it drive the car.
THE DANGER OF EMOTIONAL CHRISTIANITY
Here’s something we need to be honest about: Much of modern Christianity has become dangerously emotional.
We’ve elevated feelings to the level of truth. “God told me…” often just means “I felt strongly about…” We make major life decisions based on what “feels right” rather than what Scripture says. We judge our spiritual health by how we feel during worship rather than by whether we’re actually obeying God.
This is the danger of letting emotions have the steering wheel.
Truth must inform feelings, not the other way around.
Yes, bring your emotions to God. Yes, pay attention to what they’re telling you. But always, always let Scripture and the Holy Spirit interpret your emotions rather than letting your emotions interpret Scripture.
Your feelings are real, but they’re not always reliable. They need the wisdom of God to make sense of them.
MAKING IT PERSONAL
So, let me ask: Which challenge do you struggle with more?
Do you tend to ignore your emotions? Are you someone who has learned to stuff everything down, to “be strong,” to never admit when you’re struggling? If so, you need to learn to pay attention to your dashboard. God gave you emotions for a reason. Start noticing them. Start naming them. Start bringing them to God.
Or do you tend to obey your emotions? Are you someone who does whatever you feel like doing? Who makes decisions based on what feels right in the moment? Who lets your mood determine your behavior? If so, you need to take your hands off the steering wheel and give it to Jesus. Your emotions are valuable information, but they’re terrible drivers.
Most of us lean one way or the other. Which one are you?
JESUS SHOULD HAVE THE STEERING WHEEL
Here’s what I want you to hear: Every feeling should lead you toward Jesus, not away from Him.
Every feeling should be felt and taken straight to Jesus and to Scripture.
Jesus should have the steering wheel and your control panel. He wants to help you understand what you’re feeling and why. He wants to speak truth into your emotions. He wants to guide you through them to wisdom and health.
How do you do this practically?
Talk with Jesus. Don’t just talk about your emotions—talk to Jesus about them. Be honest. Be specific. Ask Him what they mean.
Spend time with Jesus. You can’t hear from a Counselor you never sit with. Make space for silence, for listening, for simply being in His presence.
Read His Word. Scripture will often speak directly to what you’re feeling. The Psalms especially give language for the full range of human emotion—and they model bringing all of it to God.
Sit with His people. We weren’t meant to process our emotions alone. We need the wisdom and perspective of other believers who can help us see clearly.
Let the Wonderful Counselor show you how to live, think, and feel.
TAKE ACTION
This week, do this one thing:
Pick one recurring emotion you’re experiencing and bring it to Jesus as your Wonderful Counselor.
Don’t ignore it. Don’t just obey it. Acknowledge it. Name it specifically. Then sit with Jesus and ask Him: “What is this emotion telling me? Where are You in this? What truth do I need to hear? What do You want me to do with this?”
Write down what you sense Him saying. Share it with one trusted friend and ask them to help you discern whether you’re hearing God’s voice or just your own emotions.
That’s it. Not ignoring. Not obeying. Just learning to let Jesus counsel you through your emotions rather than letting your emotions control you.
Remember: Feel your emotions but follow Jesus. He has felt everything you’ve felt, and He’s the only one who should have the steering wheel.
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