Pure Emotion
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While leading a Pure Purpose women’s group, I was captivated by the emotions women experience. Emotions are certainly not always positive, but the passion behind them convicted me to explore the emotions of God. After all, we’re created in his image. Yet so many of the emotions we experience entangle us. We feel like puppets responding to and making decisions based on our emotions. We excuse erratic behavior because of our emotions. We also enjoy life because of emotions. We passionately serve out of emotions. As I consult with women in ministry around the world, I hear the emotions pouring through their words. I see emotions dancing and weeping in their eyes as I speak at conferences. I sit across the table in a coffee shop and listen to pain, joy, fear, and anxiety. Women feel, and we feel with passion. Pure Emotion is a journey. In the pages that follow, I trust you will meet God wherever you are. He’ll encourage you, and he’ll challenge you to question some assumptions you make about your own and his emotions. He’ll reveal himself to you so you can declare the truth of his character, his emotions, and his purpose for you. I’m thrilled to take these next steps by your side. Each week, we’ll begin with a Starter Session. If you’re meeting with other women for this study, you’ll experience the Starter Session together. If you’re studying on your own, you’ll find it to be an enriching personal experience. For study groups, questions and experiences marked with an asterisk (*) can be discussed in small groups. Additional tips are included in Tips for Group Facilitators. Following each Starter Session are five Make It Personal sessions for you to work through on your own. While each week is not identical, all weeks have at least three personal study sessions and two additional sessions, including Planting Seeds of Truth and, beginning Week Three, Emotional Check-Up. We’ll dig into, reflect upon, and live out God’s Word. Pure Emotion has been a roller-coaster journey for me. As God will so often do, he’s blessed me with firsthand experiences as I’ve studied and written. It hasn’t been a comfortable journey, but it’s been beyond worthwhile. I’m closing the last page closer to him. I’m more familiar and vulnerable with God, and my life is richer and faith is deeper because of the journey. I may not know your name or your specific life circumstance, but I’ve prayed for you every step of the way, and I continue to trust God will bless you as you open up your heart, soul and mind to him along the journey of Pure Emotion. Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect. Romans 12:2
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Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect. (Romans 12:2)
Emotions saturate Scripture. God is an emotional God—not in the same way we talk about an emotional person. But God is certainly aware of the runaway emotions we’re referring to when we put a negative spin on emotions. We can’t escape God’s presence. That means he sees and hears alongside us, including our (often messy) emotions. And if we let him, God will replace those untruthful messages we’ve learned about emotions along the journey of life with the truthful messages reflecting his character, will, and commands.
God didn’t mess up his design of you.
He created you in his image. He has a plan for your life. He even knew what mistakes you’d make throughout your life, and he still loves you and wants nothing more than to be in an ever-deepening relationship with you. He will pursue you—whether you’re not following him and need to make that decision or you’re following him marginally or you’re passionate about him. He designed you for more, and he will pursue you, tapping you on the shoulder, whispering in your ear, and knocking on the door of your heart so that your daily life—including your decisions, attitudes, and yes, emotions—is impacted in the purity of who he created you to be and the everyday messiness of living on Earth.
If your emotions aren’t reflecting the character of God … well, you’re probably distorting something and need to get back on track. That’s what this journey is about: growing closer to God, getting to know him better, and committing to reflecting him more and more on a daily basis.
Pure Emotion will dig into, reflect upon, and live out God’s Word.
Chapters include:
Week One: The Emotional Experience
Week Two: What’s a Pure Emotion?
Week Three: Fear
Week Four: Jealousy
Week Five: Anger
Week Six: Anxiety and Peace
Week Seven: Frustration
Week Eight: Guilt and Shame
Week Nine: Joy
Week Ten: Living Emotionally Pure
About the Author
Susan Lawrence is passionate about encouraging and equipping women. She has coordinated women’s ministries for many years and has worked as a consultant with several international women's ministries and denominations, creating resources, providing training, and encouraging leaders. She’s thrilled when she gets to connect with women at conferences, retreats, and other events, pouring into them in the myriad of their emotions.
Susan began writing Pure Emotion while leading a group of women through Pure Purpose, her first Bible study. As she experienced the passion and intensity of women’s emotions, she was stirred to explore God’s emotions and then encourage and equip women to do the same.
When she’s not writing and speaking, Susan enjoys life in central Illinois, taking long walks on country roads and baking dozens of chocolate-chip cookies. She and her husband have been married over twenty years and have raised two wonderful daughters.
Be sure to connect with Susan personally. She’d love to hear your story!
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