Preacher: Pastor Elie Hamuli
In today’s world, people are often encouraged to define themselves by their feelings, embracing the mindset of “I feel, therefore I am.” This approach leads individuals to live according to their emotions rather than their true identity. However, feelings are merely a reflection of our thoughts and can be misleading, especially in a world marred by brokenness, where negative emotions prevail.
According to God’s Word, feelings serve as signals, indicating a need, but should not dictate our identity. Satan’s tactic is to deceive us into believing that our emotions define us, while our true identity is found in Christ, not in fleeting feelings.
The fall of creation has caused our emotions to often veer toward the negative. As John 3:19 and Romans 1:21 explain, fallen humanity is naturally drawn to darkness rather than light, reflecting our inclination toward sinful and destructive thoughts and emotions. These feelings reveal our need for a Savior, highlighting our inability to heal this brokenness on our own.
Christ’s death and resurrection provide a way out of this cycle. He empowers us to overcome the flesh and redeem our minds through the Holy Spirit. By recognizing negative feelings as signals of a deeper need for God’s grace, we can walk in the Spirit and have dominion over our bodies and minds.
In the Garden of Eden, Satan targeted man’s mind, introducing doubt and deception. This illustrates the enemy’s strategy: planting deceptive thoughts that lead to negative feelings and actions. The Bible urges believers to take every thought captive to Christ’s obedience (2 Corinthians 10:1-5), emphasizing the importance of discerning and confronting harmful thoughts.
When we dwell on these thoughts without discernment, we risk allowing them to shape our identity and actions. Romans 12:2 encourages us to renew our thinking and resist conforming to the world’s patterns. Deliverance comes when our minds are captured by Christ’s obedience.
True transformation begins with a shift in focus—from self to Christ. Until we grasp that our identity is rooted in Christ’s finished work, not our efforts, emotions, or circumstances, we will struggle with deceived thinking. Romans 5:19 reminds us that we are made righteous through Christ’s obedience, freeing us from guilt and shame.
As we focus on Jesus and His finished work of the cross, a genuine love for Christ grows within us, and we become worshippers.
