Watchtower Study, Week of March 9-15, 2026, How to Overcome Negative Feelings, Underlined Answers.

Watchtower Study, March 9-15, 2026, How to Overcome Negative Feelings, Underlined Answers.

Yellow: Direct Response

Light Yellow: Additional Response

Celeste: Additional Points

“How wretched I am!” (ROM. 7:24).

1, 2. How did the apostle Paul sometimes feel, and why might we be able to identify with him? (Romans 7:21-24).

What image do we have of the apostle Paul? Perhaps we see him as a courageous missionary, a skilled teacher, or a writer of many books of the Bible. And indeed, Paul was all of those things. But he was also a man of intense emotions. And, like many of us, he sometimes had to fight against negative feelings.

2 (Read Romans 7:21-24). In his Letter to the Romans, Paul expressed some feelings that we can probably relate to. Although he was a faithful Christian, he had an internal struggle between his sincere desire to do God's will and his imperfect inclination to do bad things. In addition, he sometimes felt bad when he remembered his past and felt frustrated because he had a problem that wasn't getting better.

3. What will we see in this article? (See also the “Main Idea”).

3 Although Pablo had that struggle, he did not let himself be defeated by negative feelings. In this article we will see why the apostle sometimes felt “unhappy”, what helped him deal with negative feelings and what we can do to win the battle too.

REASONS WHY PABLO HAD NEGATIVE FEELINGS

4. What is one of the reasons why Pablo had negative feelings?

4 The things he did in the past. Before becoming a Christian, Paul—or Saul, as he was then known—did things he later regretted. For example, he condoned the murder of Stephen. (Hebrews 7:58; 8:1). And he also fiercely persecuted many Christians (Neh. 8:3; 26:9-11).

5. How did Pablo feel when he remembered his past?

5 After becoming a Christian, the apostle Paul sometimes felt guilty when he looked back on his past. And it's possible that those feelings intensified over the years. For example, in his first letter to the Christians in Corinth, around the year 55, he wrote: “I am not worthy to be called an apostle, for I persecuted the congregation of God.” (1 Cor. 15:9). About five years later, in his Letter to the Ephesians, he said that he considered himself “lower than the least of all the saints.” (Ephesians 3:8). And, in one of the letters he wrote to Timothy, he admitted that before becoming a Christian he “was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent.” (1 Tim. 1:13). Can we imagine how Paul must have felt when he visited the congregations and met some of the Christians he had persecuted or their relatives?

6. What else caused Paul suffering? (See also the footnote.)

6 A bone in the meat. Paul wrote that there was something that caused him great pain, and he compared it to “a thorn in the flesh.”  (2 Cor. 12:7). She didn't explain whether it was a physical, emotional, or other kind of problem. However, her words suggest that it was something that caused her a great deal of suffering.

7. How did Paul's imperfections make him feel? (Romans 7:18, 19).

7. Its imperfections. Pablo struggled with the negative aspects of his personality (Romans 7:18, 19). Although he wanted to do the right thing, his imperfect nature pulled him in another direction. He put all his effort into improving, but he recognized that it was a constant battle. (1 Cor. 9:27). He must have felt very frustrated when his flaws reared their heads again.

WHAT HELPED PABLO DEAL WITH NEGATIVE FEELINGS

8. What did Paul most likely do to fight against his imperfections?

8 As seen in his letters, Paul reflected on how the Spirit of God could help him and other Christians fight against evil tendencies and overcome them. (Rom. 8:13; Gal. 5:16, 17) On many occasions he spoke about the desires and practices that Christians should avoid in order to please Jehovah (Gal. 5:19-21, 26). He surely meditated on his own imperfections, sought guidance in the Scriptures, and thought of specific steps to make changes. We have no doubt that he applied to his own life the advice he gave to others.

9, 10. What helped Paul to fight against negative feelings? (Ephesians 1:7; see also the picture.)

9 Although Paul sometimes became discouraged, there were many things that helped him not to lose his joy. For example, he felt happy when he heard the good things his fellow travelers told him about the congregations. (2 Cor. 7:6, 7). He also found joy in having good friends. (2 Tim. 1:4). And it made him happy to know that he had Jehovah's approval and could serve him “with a clean conscience.” (2 Tim. 1:3). Even while imprisoned in Rome, he told the Christians: “Rejoice always in the Lord.” (Philippians 4:4). Isn't that not what someone consumed by negative feelings would say? When a negative thought assailed him, Paul immediately tried to change his mindset and focus on positive ideas.

10 Something else that helped Paul to fight against negative feelings was meditating on the ransom and seeing it as a gift that Jehovah had given him. (Gal. 2:20; read Ephesians 1:7). Thus he became convinced that, thanks to Jesus’ sacrifice, Jehovah had forgiven his sins and would continue to do so (Rom. 7:24, 25). Despite his past mistakes and imperfections, Paul was able to serve God with joy. (Heb. 9:12-14).

ILLUSTRATION

Series of images: 1. The apostle Paul meditating. 2. He recalls an occasion years earlier when he ordered a guard to forcibly remove a Christian from his home. 3. He meditates on how Jesus died on a torture stake.

Although Paul sometimes felt guilty when he remembered his past, meditating on the rescue was of great help to him. (See paragraphs 9 and 10.)

11. Why does Paul's example encourage us?

11 Like Paul, we may feel a constant struggle within ourselves, whether to control our thoughts, actions, or words. And we may even say, “How wretched I am!” A sister in her early twenties named Eliza relates: “It’s very encouraging to think of Paul’s example. It comforts me to know that I’m not the only one who feels this way. It’s another reminder that Jehovah is aware of the difficulties his servants face.” Let's see now what we can do to have a clear conscience and not lose our joy, just like Paul, even though we sometimes have negative feelings.

WHAT WILL HELP US IN OUR FIGHT

12. How does maintaining a good program of spiritual activities help us in our fight against negative feelings?

12 Maintain a good program of spiritual activities. Developing and maintaining good spiritual habits helps us focus on the positive. In a physical sense, when we eat well, exercise regularly, and get enough rest, we generally feel better. Well, something similar happens in a spiritual sense. When we read the Bible every day, preach, prepare for meetings, attend them, and discuss them, we feel very good. If we stay spiritually active, it will be easier to keep negative thoughts at bay. (Rom. 12:11, 12).

13, 14. How has maintaining a good program of spiritual activities helped some brothers?

Let's consider the example of John, who was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer when he was 39 years old. At first, he had many negative feelings. He said, "It seemed unfair to get sick at my age." He and his wife also had a three-year-old child. What helped him not to be overcome by his negative emotions? He explained, “Despite the exhaustion, I made sure we faithfully followed our schedule of spiritual activities. Sometimes it was difficult, but we always went to the meetings and preached, and we had family worship.” He added: “Once the initial shock of the news passes, the strength Jehovah gives us and the love he has for us calm the negative thoughts. Jehovah can give strength to all of us. I know this firsthand.”

 14 Eliza, mentioned in paragraph 11, says: “Whenever I go to the meetings and do my personal study, I become more and more convinced that Jehovah listens to me and loves me very much. That makes me happy.” AND Nolan, a circuit overseer in Africa, explains what helps him and his wife, Diane: “We strive to maintain our program of spiritual activities even when we are discouraged. Jehovah always makes sure to show us that he is helping us to have the right attitude. We try to remember that Jehovah will help and bless us. We don’t know how he will do it, but we are sure that he will.”

15. Explain with an example what else we might need to do to overcome negative feelings.

15 To overcome negative feelings, it may not be enough to do everything we have seen so far; we may have to do something more. Let's take an example. Imagine we have a backache. Walking every day might help a little, but for the pain to disappear, we may need to do more, such as researching the issue or even consulting a doctor. Similarly, to deal with negative feelings, we may need to look for information in the Bible and our publications, and even consult a mature brother. Let's look at some additional steps we can take.

16. What will help us to see why we have negative thoughts? (Psalm 139:1-4, 23, 24).

16 Ask Jehovah to help us understand what we need. King David knew that Jehovah knew him very well, so he asked Jehovah to help him discover why he had “distressing thoughts” (read Psalm 139:1-4, 23, 24). We too can ask Jehovah to help us see why we have negative thoughts and how to get rid of them. In addition, it's good to ask ourselves questions like these: "What is really worrying me? Is there a trigger that always awakens negative thoughts in me? Do I dwell on those thoughts instead of rejecting them?"

17. What topics should we include in our personal study? (See also the image).

17 Adapt our personal study to our needs. From time to time, we might be able to analyze some aspects of Jehovah's personality. For example, the apostle Paul found it very helpful to meditate on Jehovah's ransom and forgiveness. Why don't we do the same? In our language we have tools such as the Study Guide for Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watch Tower Publications Index to investigate topics such as God's mercy, forgiveness and loyal love. Let's make a list of articles that we find useful, keep it handy, and study them whenever a negative thought strikes. Also, let's look for a practical application for each article in our lives. (Phil. 4:8).

ILLUSTRATION

A young brother is doing his personal Bible study with a tablet and a notebook, and he is writing something down in the Bible.

Let's study topics that will help us get rid of negative thoughts. (See paragraph 17).

18. What study projects have some brothers found helpful?

18 Eliza, mentioned earlier, decided to do a study project on Job. She says: “I really identify with Job. He suffered trial after trial. And, even though he didn’t know why he was suffering, he never stopped relying on Jehovah, not even in his worst moments.” (Job 42:1-6). Diane, mentioned in paragraph 14, says: “My husband and I are studying the book Draw Close to Jehovah together. We are so grateful that Jehovah molds us as if we were clay in the hands of a potter. When we feel discouraged by our shortcomings, we try to imagine Jehovah teaching us and shaping us to become better people. That draws us closer to him” (Isa. 64:8).

WE CAN WIN IN OUR FIGHT

19. How will we feel sometimes, but what can we be sure of?

19 Even if we have a good program of spiritual activities and personal study tailored to our needs, there will be days when we feel discouraged or unhappy, as Paul said. However, with Jehovah's help, those negative thoughts and feelings will not control us. And we can be sure that there will be many more good days than bad, because we know that we have Jehovah's friendship and we can serve him with a clean conscience.

20. What do we want to continue doing?

20 Let us continue to do our best not to be overcome by negative feelings we may have because of our past, our problems, or our imperfections. Jehovah will help us to keep them in check. (Psalm 143:10). And we long for the day when this struggle will be a thing of the past. In the new world, we will wake up every day without any anxious thoughts—happy to be serving our loving God, Jehovah!

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

For what reasons did the apostle Paul sometimes feel "unhappy"?

The apostle Paul sometimes felt “unhappy” because, on occasion, he felt guilty when he remembered the things he had done in the past, and it is possible that those feelings became more intense as the years went by.

Paul wrote that there was something causing him great pain, comparing it to “a thorn in the flesh.” Although he didn't explain whether it was a physical, emotional, or other kind of problem, his words suggest that it was something that caused him immense suffering.

He also struggled with his imperfections. Pablo had a constant battle with the negative aspects of his personality. Although he wanted to do the right thing, his imperfect nature sometimes pulled him in another direction.

What helped Paul maintain his joy despite his negative feelings?

Paul was helped to maintain his joy, despite his negative feelings, by hearing the good things his traveling companions told him about the congregations. He was also happy to have good friends. In addition, it made him happy to know that he had Jehovah’s approval and that he could serve him “with a clean conscience.” Even when he was imprisoned in Rome, he told the Christians: “Always rejoice because of the Lord.”

What can we do to fight negative feelings?

To combat negative feelings, we can maintain a good program of spiritual activities and ask Jehovah to help us understand what we need.

Like King David, we too can ask Jehovah to help us see why we have negative thoughts and how to get rid of them.

Furthermore, we can tailor our personal study to our needs. From time to time, we could analyze certain aspects of Jehovah’s personality, just as meditating on Jehovah’s ransom and forgiveness was of great help to the apostle Paul.