Stay Positive

It’s so important to be positive at all times - the lives of so many in our world depend on it. Creating a positive environment, not a negative one, is the only way to return the positive results I’m sure we all seek. We need to be willing to watch the way we view the world, to watch the way we speak and interact with the world in which we live. Negativity destroys our ability to view the world in a positive light, as it alters the perspective through which we view it.

A motto I want to live by in 2012 is “say no to negativity.” because if you can do that you’ll experience a much more positive year.

I believe negativity to be the single most destructive force in society today. But here’s the problem - sometimes unfortunately, we the church, are not exempt from this reality.

As Christians “our product” is the Good News. Yet at times we misrepresent this amazing message of life by frustration, carrying hurt and unforgiveness, sometimes misunderstanding, we struggle to believe.

We call ourselves believers but our attitude and demeanour or dementia as I like to call it, causes us to forget to demonstrate that we are BELIEVERS, people who actually represent the nature of the message we say we confess. Our lives should be defined more by what we believe in than what we DON’T believe in.

The problem is our attitude will leech out and affect everything else in our world…in other words you can’t say you love “that person” when you hate ”that person”. Your lack of love “there” will affect your ability to love “here” Lack of belief “here” affects your ability to believe “there”.

It’s important that you “fine-tune” the environment that surrounds you because a positive outcome can never be produced from a negative outlook. The two will never flow from the same source. James 3: 9 .. We cannot with the same tongue praise God, and with it then curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing and this should not be so. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

What’s happening at work is about what’s happening in you. If you have a bad day at work, bad reactions can often leech out at home. If you have a difficult relationship with one partner that ends badly, sometimes those same dynamics can follow you into the next relationship. We say things like "care factor zero" and so zero is exactly what we get back. The Bible says “Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath”. Have you ever had a curry or a marinated meal and had left overs? After sitting in the fridge overnight sometimes the left overs can taste stronger the next day. Negativity, hurt and pain are a little the same. Time may not in fact heal all wounds as the statement suggests, it may in fact make them stronger. Sometimes we feel we have the right to harbor negativity and we use justifications like…if you knew what I’m going through you’d understand why I’m feeling so hurt. Or, one of my personal favorites, sometimes we call it realism - “being real” - and it’s just an excuse, not for being “real” but being “real nasty.”

Or when we are negative we can sometimes come to terms with it, then include it as part of our identity and say, it’s just the way I am. Don’t define yourself by a season you're going through or the season could in fact define you. If you’re going through hell don’t stop! If life throws you a curved ball, don’t catch it. Here’s what happens, like the curry, it intensifies the longer we hold on to it. If we don’t get rid of it, it will be stronger the next day, month, year. Here’s what you do with rubbish, you take out the trash. Ever seen one of those houses where for years no one has ever removed any rubbish and now the inhabitants are living in squalour and filth. If we don’t deal with negativity it remains in us rotting away and creating a toxic environment that eventually poisons us. Don’t expect favor and and don’t expect blessing if you constantly view life though the lens of negativity.

This is the objective view of God, even sin now (since Jesus) is seen through the perfect sinless and sacrificial life of Jesus Christ, so when God looks at sin He views it through the positive perspective of Jesus. His view of humanity with all its failure, fault and inconsistency is that none should perish - a motto used in the movie, “The Guardian”. In this movie, the life-saving force would rescue distressed boats trapped in mountainous seas. Nothing would deter them, even at the expense of their own lives, they refused to see the conditions, the huge winds and gigantic waves. All they saw was the lives they were about to save. Great things are achieved only when we refuse to look at the negative and focus on the possibilities. It’s all about perspective, what you refuse to look at. So believing is “NOT SEEING.” Faith is the evidence of things we “CAN’T SEE.” God states in His word that, I will do over and above what you imagine or “EVEN SEE.” Then this “EYE HAS NOT SEEN,” ear has not heard what God has prepared for those who love Him……

You’ve got to see past what you see with your eyes, what you feel with your emotions what you hear with your ears. All great things come from this ability to see what cant be seen, to believe what is unbelievable…to know what is unknowable. Peter only attempted to walk on water because he looked past the negative data. When he refused to consider what he believed he could not do, preferring to believe what Jesus said he could do, then he could walk on water.
But the moment he returns to looking at what’s happing around him, to see the situation through the view finder of the natural, the wind and waves, he immediately sank. That’s why much of the great things achieved actually occur in the closet first. Away from public scrutiny, away from the distractions, things that seek to steal your attention.
Spiritually often we are preconditioned to think .. I’ll believe it when I see it. If we make the mistake of doing this, we cut off faith, disable belief and anything positive doesn’t stand a chance.
Jesus pointed to very few people having qualities He could promote as Godly. Strong faith or belief was one of them….
A woman who argued with Him for a miracle, a centurion soldier who believed all Jesus had to do was speak a word for his servant to be healed.
A woman who washed His feet out of complete thankfulness, without one thought for the fact she shouldn’t have even been there. Yet in Luke 7:50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” In contrast Simon could not see past the prostitute to see the saint. Sometimes we live in the world (we see)… Jabez changed his perspective refusing to see himself as a pain any longer but blessed. We live in a trashy world so often only because we refuse to take the trash OUT, we refuse to “SAY NO TO NEGATIVITY” Jesus only came to give life, the devil only comes to bring death. Don’t live in that negative world, don’t even walk down that street or live at that address.

Negativity is like a little grain of sand that gets into a bearing joint and slowly grinds away at all that works until it no longer does.
Negativity is a little like cancer, it produces rapidly after its own like at a rate healthy cells can't, eventually killing all that is healthy if not removed totally. Here’s the real problem with negative words: they will travel far more extensively than you ever intended them to. Prov 26:2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse (negative words) will not come to rest. Send out negativity it will never find rest it will flutter around trying to find a place to roost but never will. They will flutter back to haunt you for years. But in contrast Prov says…A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Jaybez believed….he said NO to negativity, in the midst of adversity rejection and humiliation he remained positive.
“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. You will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word you have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Jeremiah 42:16 Says "the sword you fear will overtake you, the famine you dread will follow you" Negativity will not rest till it tracks you down and overtakes you.

No matter what you SEE of the circumstances, the point is no matter what they show Stay positive, say No to negativity.
There’s a guy named Nick Vujicic who was born with No legs and no arms, he tours the world preaching a positive message that is inspiring. His motto says it all, No legs No arms No Worries.
Stay positive.