Emotions Recognition

WEEK 1: RECOGNITION — “Name It”

Primary Passage:

Psalm 139:1–4, 23–24

Supplement: Genesis 3:7–10

Intro:

Introduce series of emotions (Faith over Feelings). We all have emotions. We can feel happy, excited, sad, angry, concerned, jealous, confused, and many more emotions that we at times do not know what to do with. It can lead down many roads when we try to handle them on our own. God however does know how to handle our emotions. He wants us to recognize our emotions, face the reality of our emotions, and then redeem our emotions and surrender all of it to Him.

Transition into Recognize.

Who has been recognized for something before? (Sports, academic, musically, theatrically, etc).

Have any of you ever recognized something or someone that is in our lives?

We all have areas that we recognize in our lives. We recognize our achievements, your family, your friends, and everything that brings you joy. When something good happens in your life or in the lives of those that you know and love, you are usually quick to recognize that because it’s good and exciting.

We treat our emotions the same way. Whenever we feel a great way emotionally, we are quick to tell someone. When we are feeling excited, we are eager to recognize it and tell those around us about our excitement.

Share the Pretzel Day example from The Office. There are definitely times in our lives where we recognize the emotions that make us feel good about ourselves. However, whenever a negative emotion comes upon us, We feel the urge to quickly do whatever we can to not recognize those emotions. Often times, we do things to ignore these emotions, we do things to hide these emotions, and we do things that let those emotions reign over us. No matter what emotion that we want to recognize or the emotion that we don’t recognize; they have something in common: When we try to handle emotions on our own, we tend to let our emotions control how we go about our lives.

Example: Who’s ever been tired before? Whenever I get tired, I tend to ignore the filter in my mind and say things that might reveal my grumpy side. That’s just one example of many many examples of how we often allow our emotions to control us.

So, the question that we need to ask tonight is What does God want us to do about our emotions? As we go through areas of Scripture tonight, we will be able to answer that question, as well as find some truths on how God is involved with our emotions.

Psalm 139:1–4 “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.”

So in this passage, we see David contemplating about how God knows him inside and out. It brings us to our first point.

He Knows?

It’s no secret to us that God knows everything about everything and everyone. Our feelings come to be no different God has created us in a way that he understands how we feel at all times. Even before we say something or feel something, He knows about it. Now, some might be wondering if that is the case, then why do we say things at times that doesn’t align with God. The answer is simple. We are not perfect on our own. When we try to do things on our own in order to deal with how we are feeling, it pushes us in our own agendas, which puts us at risk of going away from God, However, if we invite God into helping us deal with our feelings, then we can understand Him more and how he wants us to deal with them.

Attempting to do that on a daily basis is far more challenging than taking the easy route.

Share someone making you mad example. Sibling example

If we are not careful, personal situations like that will encourage us to feel and act without thinking about how we can allow God to help us recognize those emotions. Thankfully God gives us even more comfort to remind us to recognize our emotions and take our emotions to Him.

Psalm 139:23–24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

So in any way that we feel, God reveals to us through David’s prayer that we can invite God to examine our thoughts and our emotions. He doesn’t want us to go and waste our emotions. We have the insurance right here. However we still choose to do something out of all of this.

2. We Hide

Who here has done something that they weren’t supposed to do? We hide when that happens. Share the driveway example and how I was feeling

When it comes to our emotions, we will hide from them as a response.

Who has been embarrassed before? Do we constantly bring up those times, no we do not. When we are jealous or concerned about something, we tend to hide and not bring up those times. This nature goes all the way back to Adam and Eve when they messed up for the first time.

Genesis 3:7–10 “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.””

Due to the way that sin personally affected Adam and Eve, they realized that they were vulnerable. They hid from God because of the things that they were feeling. Whenever we feel a certain way, we too try to hide our feelings from everyone, including God. Often times, when those who are in our inner circles ask us how we are feeling, even if we are going through all of these emotions, what do we answer them with to avoid the subject.

“I’m fine” “I’m good” “I’m doing alright” and so many more.

We don’t want to reveal our feelings for many reasons, and while we don’t have to go up and tell the whole entire world exactly what we are feeling, we make a habit of including God in that category as well.

What does God want us to do instead of hiding from our emotions.

3. We acknowledge

In order for us to truly surrender our emotions to Him, we have to acknowledge that the emotions that we feel are actually present. It’s not sinful to be mad, it’s not sinful to be sad. It’s how you respond to those emotions when it comes down to it. That becomes more likely, especially when we shove it deep down within us. Here’s a true fact, we can’t process what we pretend doesn’t exist. We have to accept that in order to acknowledge our emotions.

Once we acknowledge our emotions, then we can invite God so that He can help us deal with them the way He wants us to. It’s never any intention of God for us to be consumed by the emotions daily. He knows about all of them and He wants to help. We just need to invite Him.

As we wrap up, here’s a bit of comfort. Jesus knows how we feel. He felt a lot of things and he went through so many things just so we can have a way to let God in to help with our emotions. We just need to recognize it.

Main Idea:

You can’t surrender what you won’t acknowledge. God already knows your emotions—He wants you to recognize them honestly.

Key Teaching Movement:

Students often either:

Ignore emotions

Hide emotions

Let emotions control them

But Scripture teaches us to bring emotions to God first.

Points:

1. God already knows what you feel

Psalm 139 — God searches, knows, understands

You’re not informing God—you’re inviting Him

2. We tend to hide instead of reveal

Genesis 3 — Adam and Eve felt shame → they hid

First emotional response to sin = concealment

3. Naming your emotions is the first step to healing

David constantly names emotions (fear, anger, sadness)

You can’t process what you pretend doesn’t exist

Application:

Give students a “feelings vocabulary” moment (expand beyond “fine,” “mad,” “sad”)

Practice prayer: “God, I feel ___ because ___”