“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 4:7
Can you imagine how Adam and Eve felt once they got booted out of the garden by God? (Genesis 3:23-24) Life has been hard ever since, and sinful humans have seemingly been complaining the whole time.
Then, I read the book of Genesis and marveled at Joseph. Wow. He wasn’t just abandoned by his brothers – he was sold into slavery by them. Those who bought Joseph took him to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. (v. 37:21-36) As if that wasn’t enough – Potiphar’s wife had a desire for Joseph, and when he wouldn’t cave to her wants, had Joseph falsely accused of raping her and thrown into prison for “a while,” when then he helped Pharoah’s chief cupbearer. The cupbearer had promised to talk to Pharoah on Joseph’s behalf – but immediately forgot all about him for 2 years! (Gen 39 – 41:1) If anyone had reason to be negative and complain…Joseph was it, wasn’t he? Instead, what does he say to his brothers once they are reunited?
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to perform what’s now being done, the saving of many lives.” – Genesis 50:20
How did he stay so positive all those years? He trusted God.
The Power of Positive Thinking
Negativity seems too often to be a part of human nature. Enough in order that a book, “The Power of Positive Thinking”, by Norman Vincent Peale hit the perfect seller list for an incredible a few years. Yet the general human attitude didn’t change. In fact, so-called self-help books outsell every other genre of book – except the Bible. Self-help tapes, courses, etc., could seem to assist for a short while, but we fall right back into it, don’t we?
Like children, we complain when things don’t go “our way”; we protest about “our rights”; we complain about politics and the economy. Even the weather, it seems. We moan about how hard life is – and it’s.
It is roughly comprehensible for many who have no idea Christ to be negative. After all, this world is all the things to them – they don’t have anything else to stay up for. When all is claimed and done, they only have the chaos and misery of this world. But we do must wonder how a believer’s attitude can remain negative. To achieve this must mean we aren’t seeing this from God’s perspective. When we, too, take part with complaining and lust for this life – aren’t we reacting the identical way unbelievers do?
Unfortunately, believers are very often just as guilty of allowing negativity and grumbling to dominate their lives as those that have no idea God. Do you remember within the book of Exodus, after the Israelites had watched God part the Red Sea and destroy their enemies with a crash of a wave? (Exodus 14) Only two short weeks later, they were complaining to Moses and his brother:
“The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all of the food we wanted, but you’ve gotten brought us out into this desert to starve this complete assembly to death.” – Exodus 16:3
What Can We Learn about Positivity from Jesus?
As parents, we frequently let our kids endure discipline and difficult decisions we must make, knowing it’s best for them in the long term. They may not see it on the time – but normally do once they turn into parents. “My mom was so right!” We allow them to struggle to learn something so simple as tying their shoes because it can eventually be for his or her profit.
Isn’t that how God is with us?
I actually consider that because the fall, this life has not been easy. God didn’t promise us a life on Easy-peasy Street. We have been destined for trials—for struggles. But we’d like to maintain our eyes on Jesus.
To be honest, sometimes I actually wonder how Jesus did it. Knowing what was coming – what he was here for – why on the earth didn’t he simply throw up his hands and hand over? Where was the negativity that individuals like us display day by day? His life was one in all constant conflict with the Pharisees and “teachers of the law” – knowing they were out to kill him. He could have remained in hiding – staying in Nazareth to avoid the difficulty. Instead, he remained positive – teaching, healing, and raising people after they died. Yes, the state of the world did sometimes hurt him, but he knew what the longer term held.
Jesus did, in truth, warn us about what awaits us on this world:
“I even have told you these items, in order that in me you could have peace. In this world you’ll have trouble. But take heart! I even have overcome the world.” – John 16:33
And there it’s—“Take heart! I even have overcome the world.” Our continued connection to our Lord is actually the key to overcoming the negativity of this life. Remaining in him can and can deliver us from the callous cares of the world.
How will we stay connected with someone we love on this life? Through spending time with them, after all. It’s no different for us with Christ.
How Can We Stay Connected to Each Other?
Prayer was essential to Jesus’s time here on earth – connecting him to his Father. Jesus prayed recurrently – often withdrawing to lonely places to hope. (Luke 5:16) He prayed at crucial times of his life – before selecting his twelve disciples, he spent the night on a mountainside praying to God (Luke 6:12). Jesus prayed when he was baptized by John (Luke 3:21-22). He prayed before feeding the 5000 (Luke 9:16) and the 4000 (Matthew 15:36). Jesus prayed at his transfiguration (Luke 9:29), and he prayed when he called Lazarus out of the tomb (John 11:38-44). And, after all, within the garden of Gethsemane, just before he was arrested and crucified, Jesus prayed, “Father, please take this cup from me…but above all, let your might be done.” (paraphrase, Matthew 26:39-44) But, because it appears to be for us so often – God’s answer was “no.”
If the Son of God found it obligatory to remain connected to the Father through prayer, how rather more should we try this? Prayer isn’t nearly going to him when we’d like something – but recurrently. All the time. When we’d like something, yes – but once we just need to spend time with him. Or get something off our chest. Or just thank him for our blessings. Or possibly…just listen.
This is how we learn to trust, and trust will help keep us positive. We will learn who we’re. We will learn that we are able to count on his guarantees—even when sometimes things don’t go quite as we ask or pray. Even if the reply is not any. We will learn that His Spirit will guide us in the best way we must always go. In those quiet moments, we learn that what we see and feel here is temporary and that we are able to trust in what we don’t see.
“Therefore, since we’re surrounded by such an incredible cloud of witnesses, allow us to throw off all the things that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And allow us to run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of religion. For the enjoyment set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the correct hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:1-2
Think of it this manner – Peter didn’t sink until he took his focus off Jesus and as a substitute checked out the storm raging around him. (Matthew 14:22-31)
Matthew tells of the story we all know so well, when Jesus walked on the water toward the disciples. They feared it was a ghost until Jesus told them to “Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then Peter, perhaps not believing, told Jesus, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to return to you on the water.” at this point, Jesus simply said, “Come.” Peter stepped out – walked on the water toward Jesus, after which began to sink when he checked out the wind and the waves. Crying out as he began to sink, “Lord, save me!” Jesus reached out his hand and caught Peter, then said: Oh, you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (v. 31)
Why did he doubt, indeed?
What Does Prayer Have to Do with Positivity?
We need look no further for a positive attitude than Paul. My goodness:
“I even have worked much harder, been in prison more often, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death repeatedly. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I used to be beaten with rods, once I used to be pelted with stones, thrice I used to be shipwrecked, I spent an evening and a day within the open sea, I even have been always on the move. I even have been in peril from rivers, in peril from bandits, in peril from my fellow Jews, in peril from Gentiles; in peril in the town, in peril within the country, in peril at sea; and in peril from false believers. I even have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I even have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I even have been cold and naked.” – 2 Corinthians 11:23b-27
And this description didn’t even include the shipwreck in Acts 27. Yet, with all of this, Paul teaches us about anxiety. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul reassures them:
“Rejoice within the Lord at all times. I’ll say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:4-7
In every situation. And in all circumstances.
“Rejoice at all times, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for that is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1Thessalonians 5:16-18
Not for all circumstances but moderately in all circumstances. God’s will for us in Christ Jesus.
Are we starting to acknowledge a pattern here?
James tells us that each good and excellent gift is from God above (James 1:17). If we truly desire to alter our attitude and a more positive outlook, we’d like rather more than the “Power of Positive Thinking.” True change will start and end with our relationship with Christ Jesus. His Holy Spirit holds the important thing to changing one’s life – not our thoughts or our own efforts. He begins the method as we yield to the Spirit, and we’re transformed. Rather than psychobabble, or any sort of self-help, self-generated power – we must depend on that which God has already given us. His Holy Spirit.
Let me ask you this: when you knew, I mean really knew, that Jesus was living right by your side – walking with you in any respect times, every minute – how positive would your attitude be then? Wouldn’t you already know that you simply’d be secure in all things, and he would let nothing befall you that wasn’t his will? Or – would you are taking your eyes off Jesus, as Peter did? The thing is – Jesus is with us. His Spirit lives inside us.
Through that Spirit, we are able to trust in all things, maintain a positive outlook on all things, and know he’s with us—knowing “we now have the mind of Christ.”
“The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such an individual will not be subject to merely human judgments, for ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord in order to instruct him?’ But we now have the mind of Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 2:15-16
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