It is difficult for human beings to always maintain a positive attitude. Our God-given negative emotions arise when we are neglecting some aspect in our life either physically, mentally, spiritually, or emotionally. When we meet these needs, it is easier to experience a positive attitude.
God’s Word encourages us to rejoice always, regardless of negative or positive circumstances (Philippians 4:4). This can only occur if we delight in the Lord, and keep our mind centered on Him. Spending time in His presence within us through prayer, or even in companionable silence will allow us a more positive lifestyle.
We find our delight in enjoying a unity with the Trinity of God that does not depend on what we are experiencing at the moment. His joy is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10), and His will is our delight (Psalm 37:4, 40:8). We find our peace in the shadow of His wings (Psalm 36:7, 91:4). He knows us better than we know our self, and He delights in blessing His children (Genesis 49:25; Psalm 112:1).
He brings a calming influence in all our storms (Mark 4:35-41), joy in spite of grief, strength in our weakness, wisdom to know when to act and when to wait on Him, and courage to face the issues that life throws at us. The more intense our pain is, the more we rely on Him to deliver us (Philippians 4:6-7).
Rejoicing in the Lord brings peace to our soul, lightens our trials, and encourages us to look for the seed for a miracle that God plants in every negative circumstance that we face. When He answers our prayers and delivers us from negative issues, our faith in His faithfulness grows.
Then, in future times of trials, we remember how He provided for us. This helps us to trust Him to care for us now and always. We praise Him with gratitude in our heart for His intervention, deliverance, and supply. Joy fills our heart and praises to God fill our soul and effect our attitude and our thoughts (Psalm 71:8-9).
Prayer:
Father God, thank You that we have no need to feel anxious about any situations that we face, because You walk through them with us and in us. Teach us that trying to control life is as futile as attempting to squeeze toothpaste back into the tube. When we come to the place of total surrender to Your will and care for us, then we enjoy a lifestyle of praise and peace.
Your love and provision for us are constant, and we can live with hope rather than hopelessness, joy rather than grief, faith rather than fear, and peace rather than anxiety and turmoil. Remind us that when we walk by the direction of Your Holy Spirit within us, we do not fulfill the lusts of our flesh, but we enjoy His fruit filling our soul and His peace that exceeds our human ability to control the events in our life (Galatians 5:15-25).
Thoughts for the Day:
When we learn to count our blessings from the Lord, our soul is filled with inexpressible joy that is hard to contain. It spills out in praises to God and in a testimony that we can share with anyone who is interested enough to listen to the blessings on which He showers us day in and day out.
