Overcoming Negative Circumstances

"Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens.  Don’t turn away from me, or I will die.  Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you.  Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you." -Ps 143:7 & 8

Sometimes life is hard.  When we go through difficult seasons, we may question God's presence, His goodness, His love for us, or the dreams He placed within us.  "Why on earth would this happen to me, God, if You are loving and just!?" we may ask.

However, this is exactly the posture the enemy wants us to have.  Whenever bad things happen, as they did to Job, the enemy wants to get in the middle and tell us God doesn't love us, He doesn't care about us, and He doesn't have a plan for our lives. He wants us to turn against our God.  These statements are a complete and total lie!

But, how do we get to the truth, when all our circumstances point to the negative?  It may be that we have never known anything besides the negativity that surrounds us. 

First, we need to get in the word, to read what God says about us and our situation.  We need to pray, even if we don't feel like it.  We need to worship, to praise God in spite of whatever is going on - in His word it says that praise is the antidote for heaviness.  (Is 6:13) We need to get around encouraging people.  And most of all we need to believe - to have faith that in spite of any difficulty, our God is still victorious.  We have to realize that we live in a fallen world, and that God does not want us to go through negative things, but He will use them for our good. (Romans 8:28)

Are you going through something negative right now?  Stay in faith, let God be your hope, and even if things don't change immediately stay in faith that God will do what He promised. The answer may not come at the time we expect, but it doesn't change the fact that God loves us, and sent His son to die for us, so that we could live in heaven, eternally with Him.

Having a Positive Attitude

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." -James 1:2-4

You know, in life its pretty safe to say, people don't tend to enjoy being around negative people. There is enough negativity out in the world, coming from the news, our workplaces, and perhaps even our own families. The reality is people enjoy being around people who help them feel better, to look at the positive side of a situation, and who have an "anything is possible" attitude.

The apostle James had this kind of perspective: "...consider it an opportunity for great joy..."

Of course, there are plenty of instances where being overly happy or joyful is not appropriate, such as the death of a loved one or a very trying situation. But, this does not mean we cannot be positive and at the same time empathize with someone's situation. When we're going through something hard, it's good to have good, positive people around who understand.

Winston Churchill said, "Attitude is a little thing that makes a BIG difference." (my emphasis)

Do you need to have a more positive attitude? If you're not sure, ask the people around you if you need to be more positive. One person can either buoy up or drag down an entire team, depending on their attitude.