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The first thing to remember is that emotional freedom does not mean never experiencing negative emotions. It means not being imprisoned by the negative emotions. Jesus did not promise the perfection of eternity in this life. He actually said this life would get harder as a Christian. We are not freed from evil. We are freed from the power of evil. Evil will continue to be all around us in this world. The Prince of the air is still allowed his dominion. Our lives will continue to be experienced in the shell of this broken clay flesh. Evil/sin is still here and will be. The POWER of sin and evil is what we are freed from.
What this means for emotional freedom is that, while we will still experience temporary depression at times, seemingly chronic anger, times of apathy, or even sleepless anxiety, we are not under the power of our emotions to control our lives. Just like the psalmists, we can experience those emotions, actually use them for positive process in our lives, and then turn the thinking behind those emotions toward God for hope and restoration. It is hard work, but we can find freedom through Christ as we are, "...transformed by the renewing of our minds."
Anyone who has ever experienced deep, raw emotions (including myself), knows this is not as easy as reading that last sentence. Our emotions are incredibly powerful parts of who we are. While they can bring us to the very lowest points of despair that ultimately end a hurting life, they can also drive us to accomplish the most extraordinary feats of human achievement. The difference between a life experiencing emotional freedom in Christ and one that is not, is ultimately Christ. You cannot escape this truth. It is the first lesson of Scripture regarding the nature of man after the fall. Outside of the freedom given us in Christ, we are a slave to our pride and our passions. Good things may come out of our experience, but that is not an indication of freedom. The indicator of freedom, as with anything else in life, is whether that thing controls you or you control it. If you cannot control it, it controls you. There is no middle ground.
But just because you have Christ, does not mean you experience emotional freedom? There are many Christians today who are sealed by God's Spirit, and have eternity to look forward to, yet do not have control over their emotions. Their emotions still control their lives in an ebb and flow of experiences. Is it just because I am not a faithful enough Christian? Is it because I am not a good enough Christian?
HOW DOES A CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE THE EMOTIONAL FREEDOM THAT JESUS INTENDED?
PSALM 6 and PSALM 13 give us significant illustrations of the powerful affect of emotions in the life of a faithful disciple. Psalm 6 is unique in that it is completely devoid of an assertion of innocence or a cry for vengeance. It is a desperation from a man who is completely depressed to the point of his "soul" being in anguish and his "bones are in agony". This is guilt and suffering. There is no one to blame. there is no way to escape the regret, the shame, the intrusive memories of self-inadequacy and worthlessness.
In Psalm 13, the Psalmist, King David, "a man after God's own heart", is experiencing what any truly faithful believer will face at some point in this life - aloneness. This is a desperate aloneness. The world remains wicked, men are wicked (or at least without the hope and direction of God), and we experience growing pains. There are times when, no matter what, God will seem distant and absent. This is almost unbearable for the child of God who has put all their trust and hope in God. But God recognizes that, "hope deferred for too long makes a heart sick" (Proverbs 13:12). Two different circumstances, one apparently self-directed shame, and the other despair of loneliness. Can you relate to either of those? I can. Many times. There have been many times when I uttered the same as both of these psalmists, "How long Lord?".
Silence.
Do you see what happens at the end? Their is a recognition of the price of sin, if it is involved, and there is true contrition (6), and there is a remembrance that God's promise of grace is dependent on His name, not on my performance, feeling, or situation in life. God promised by His own name that He would bless His people (Genesis 22 and Hebrews 6). His own name.
The second aspect is the declaration of trust in God's 'chesed', His unfailing, unending, unchanging love. God sees us and moves for us because of who He is. But in the midst of our emotional prisons, when that thought isn't enough, we do have one comfort, in Christ, to hang on to: the unfailing, unchanging love (nature) of God. God will not leave us or forsake us. We may feel alone, that is a part of life. So is regret. So are all the other emotions and experiences we have not talked about. But God is also a part of the Christian life, and this is paramount - HE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART and REAL part of our life. This is the hard part, but it's the truest part. In the midst of all of the hard ache, God is there and He is real. He will not cease to be, and He will not cease to be there. HE has a plan and it WILL COME TO PASS. I hope that helps. There is freedom. If you need help finding it (many do, that is okay) seek it out. We're told to. God Bless!
With you for His glory,
