How To Overcome Negative Emotions

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:2.

Healthy emotions are to the soul what the senses are to the body. They reveal the way we feel about life’s circumstances.

But some people are imprisoned by negative emotions. These people do not just have a bad day, but rather, they feel as if they are trapped, as if they can not escape, and as if their very life is being choked out of them. When they wake up in the morning, they do not say, “It’s a good day, Lord.” Instead, they say, “Here comes another day.” They struggle to survive with the feeling of helplessness, hopelessness, and worthlessness.

I use the word “captive” because anger, depression, worry, stress, low self-esteem, etc., are spiritual issues that we need to be overcoming spiritually. You won’t be enslaved by your emotions when you get the spiritual module right.

Some emotional expressions can be tied to a physiological cause, such as a chemical imbalance. But most emotional expressions do not spring from physiological causes. Instead, they stem from the nature of sin. For example, you might struggle with emotions of guilt, shame, or regret because of the wrong choices. Or you may have suffered abuse, rape, betrayal, or rejection. In these cases, the emotional expression of fear, insecurity, or worry did not come from your short-coming but others.

Emotional captivity can even result from what I call “sin consciousness.” When you are always conscious of sin, it has a way of clouding the atmosphere around you and affects you regardless of whether you actively participate in it. However, someone can be free from the consciousness of sin through understanding his place in Christ.

Who his own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 1 Peter 2:24. 

Sin has been taken care of by Christ. We have no sin; our problem is sin consciousness. We can not act in sin without, first of all, being sin-conscious. Christ did not come because we sinned. He came to unite us to the Father, and for Him to actualize that mission, He has to deal with what separates us from the Father, which was the nature of sin we inherited from Adam.

Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Psalms 51:5.

Sin is the route of all sickness. Not because you sin, it’s the sinful nature we inherited from Adam. We become free from this inherited sin when we declare the Lordship of Jesus, but unfortunately, most of us do not know the effect of this declaration. So, even when they have been set free, they still leave with the consciousness of sin in their lives.

As a result of this sin consciousness, it manifests greed, social irresponsibility, injustice, racism, etc. These can lead to emotional captivity, just as secondhand smoke can lead to lung cancer. In an environment that is rife with sin, people are more likely to suffer from emotional captivity.

People who find themselves enslaved to their emotions may deny the problem exists, or they may use pills, entertainment, sex, or money to distract themselves from the real issues causing their emotional discomfort. But I want to help you discover the root behind what you are experiencing so you can start overcoming it. I want to look beyond your feelings so you can find and address the causes of your emotional captivity and begin overcoming them.

God did not create you to be imprisoned by emotional captivity. Instead, He gave you blissful life and freedom in Christ. The thief cometh not, but to steal, kill, and destroy: I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10. He has not called you to live each day in defeat. Instead, he wants you to know and trust that He cares for you as the good shepherd and that He is watching over your entire life. John 10:11 and Hebrews 13:5 affirmed that.

If you are not experiencing the abundant life, Christ freely gives, now is the time to overcome your emotional captivity. Turn to Him and ask Him to reveal the areas you have been emotionally captive. He wants to show you how to see past your sorrow, how to view your life from His standpoint.

From where you stand right now, life may look dismal. Yet from where God is seated, all is well. When we begin overcoming emotional captivity, we let go of our need to understand everything right now. We trust God to make a miracle out of what looks like a mess. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 1John 4:17.

Remember, emotions do not think; they merely respond. Emotions have to borrow thoughts to stimulate feelings from them. Therefore, whatever controls your thoughts also influences how you feel. 

For example, if you were weighed down with worry and stress because your bills had pilled up, you had been laid off from work, or something sudden happened, and you saw no way out. Your emotions would be responding to how you were thinking about your situation.

But if I bring an answer to your uncertainty. Guess what will happen; your emotions would completely change. That is because your feelings follow your thoughts. You can start overcoming emotional captivity by mastering your thinking. When you align your thoughts with God’s words, you will be set free. 

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32.

What is in your mind?

The battle to overcoming your emotional captivity is a battle for your mind. Whoever and whatever controls your mind controls your emotions and your actions. So if you are worrying, stressed out, and depressed, you are probably thinking things that are not true. That is why the apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

So we are fighting our flesh, our minds, and Satanic lies. One of Satan’s favorite strategies is to plant his thoughts in our minds, disguising them as our thoughts. Then, we accept them as accurate and begin to act on them. It is the same strategy he uses with Eve in the garden when he twisted God’s truth and enticed her to work against God.

Let me ask you this question; if Satan sends you all these sinful thoughts, why should you be blamed for thinking or acting on them? The answer is that you are responsible for what you do with those thoughts once they enter your mind. That is why the scripture we read says we are to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

When a thought enters your mind, luring you into an emotional captive of worry, doubt, anger, hate, or shame, you have two choices. You can reject the thought or adapt it and make it yours. That single act of not accepting evil thoughts makes you end the wrong way of thinking. It can not dominate or corrupt your feelings any longer.

Apostle Paul says our thoughts can lead in two directions. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6. The word “death.” Here is the opposite of life and peace. It is spiritual impoverishment; you may be alive physically, but your emotional life is ebbing away. This ebbing away leads to worry and depression because the flesh does not bring peace, joy, or purpose.

On the other hand, if you set your mind on the things of the Spirit, you have life and peace, purpose and meaning, hope and joy. When the Holy Spirit governs your thoughts, external circumstances do not dictate your responses.

So if you want to free yourself from being emotionally captive, change your thoughts. To break free from whatever is holding you hostage, reject Satan’s attempts to influence your thoughts and set your mind on God’s Words, what He says about you, and your circumstances.

For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace:  

Romans 8:6

Know who you are

The best ways to begin overcoming emotional captivity are to understand your identity in Christ, and that knowledge will free you from the act of sinning and being sin-conscious.

Worry, fear, doubt, hate, all of these and more overtake us when we do not know who we are in Christ. But, on the other hand, when we focus on the truth about our identity in Him, we enjoy new life, a life of freedom from sin.

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?  Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Romans 6:1-4.

Take a look in the mirror. That person you see was crucified, buried, and resurrected with a brand new life with Christ. When Jesus died 2000 years ago, so did you. When He was buried, you lay in the tomb with Him. When He rose, you did too. If you catch this revelation, you will be liberated for life. The victory in Christianity is in the resurrection of Christ.

You may have received Christ only a short time ago, but those events in Jesus’ life form the foundation of your spiritual identity. As a result of that, you have victory in Christ, and this is not mere preacher-talk or church rhetoric. Jesus Christ has already won. He’s seated in the place of victory at the right hand of God. (Hebrews 12:2). When eternity unfolds, Jesus won’t return to earth to fight sin again. Instead, He’ll return as the ultimate victor. Because Jesus has already won the victory over sin, you have access to this victory too. You are freed from sin and have a new identity in Christ.

We Are Overcomers

Being conscious of sin, acting sin, struggling with temptation, and a poor thought life don’t need to hold you hostage, any longer. The power to live freely comes from your association with Christ and His victory. What does it mean to be associated with Christ and His victory? Let’s pick a point from Second Corinthians 5:17 that says we are “in Christ” and a “new creation.” And Galatians 3:26-28 says we are “clothed” with Christ. It means that Jesus makes us brand new, and the righteousness of Christ Jesus completely enfolds us. Colossians 3:3 talks about how our lives are “hidden with Christ.” Just like the pregnant woman, her baby is hidden inside her womb. When something is hidden, it’s both concealed and secure.

Our brand new righteousness isn’t fleeting. It’s protected and safe. Train your mind and heart to believe that you are a new creation. Your righteousness is safe because of Christ.

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, Ephesians 1:13.

Take Note Of This: Medical Doctors tell us that many of the sicknesses we suffer in our bodies are psychosomatic, resulting from the mental or emotional stress we have put on ourselves.

Perhaps you were abused or emotionally hurt by someone you trusted. Maybe you still feel angry and hurt when you think about it. Friends, I want to encourage you to start involving Jesus. He is your answer. See the Lord holding you, gently healing your wounds. See Him restoring you, putting courage into your heart, and taking away every sense of shame and guilt.

At the cross, Jesus took on Himself the bitter sting of every one of your frustrations, hurts, and emotional pains when He wore the crown of thorns on your behalf (John 19:2). Yet, he did it so that you can be free from fears, depression, and stress.

Today, bring the Lord into every situation of stress instead of allowing it to accumulate and affect your health. Let Jesus saturate your heart and mind with His peace and rest.

Make this confession: “O Lord God, I come to You in the Name of Jesus Christ. Your Word says, “…whoever calls on your name shall be saved”. I ask Jesus to come into my heart to be the Lord of my life. I receive eternal life into my Spirit, and according to your Word, “…That if I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in my heart that God has raised Him from the dead, I will be saved,” I declare that I am saved; I am born again; I’m a child of God! I have Christ dwelling in me, and greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. I walk in the consciousness of my new life in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah!” Amen.