Negativity

The topic at my church this week was "Negativity". Again, I was so surprised and enlightened by the sermon Brandon gave. I have 2 pages of notes that I took - I knew I had to post it on here. I hope you gain some wonderful pointers just like I did. Brandon, our pastor, opened with Philippians 2:14-15.

"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe."

Brandon went on to say that our world is full of brokenness and its own struggles so why would we want to bring even more negativity into the world. The reason why we do it? Because it is natural to be negative and we really must focus hard on it to let go on the negativeness. Also, it is important to remember just because negativity is natural, it is NOT a part of your BEST life. A perfect example of this is in Numbers 13-14 - the story inside is when Moses is leading the Israelites thru the wilderness to the Promised Land. He sent 12 men on a recon mission to see the "Promised Land" and report back to them what the "Land of Milk and Honey" God promised them looks like.

Upon returning, the scouts reported that the land was inhabited by powerful, large people, even some descendants of Anak. They all started to complain and in Numbers 14:3, they say "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?" All the people saw was the negative - they did not even stop to think that God had a plan for them there and to trust in Him. God has a purpose for each of us but we tend to only see the obstacles. The bottom line is - Negativity robs you of the deep, inner happiness and the life that God has in store for you.

We all must try to remember that our happiness does NOT depend on our circumstances....circumstances will NEVER be perfect, ever. God is NOT neutral to our negativity - He hears all, He sees all - if you want an example of someone who had a real reason to complain, it was Jesus. Jesus was born with a death wish, every day of His life he was getting one step closer to his death on the cross but He did not complain. He prayed. So how do we overcome negativity?

Psalm 143:4-5 says "So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart withing me is dismayed. I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done."

We first need to wash our MINDS with the word of God and begin to train our minds to see what God says. And then we must wash OURSELVES with the works of God. Pray to God for those obstacles but also give thanks to Him for all that He has done in our life so far. And then we will have the power for today and the hope for tomorrow.



This was an incredible message for me. Brandon really allowed me to see what my negativity does. Just like I wouldn't want to be Miss "Debbie Downer" to my spouse at the end of the day, why would I want to be that way to God? I will be praying hard to continue to improve in this area of my life. This past Friday morning, I had to take DH back to the hospital where he was diagnosed with another kidney stone. Instead of us focusing on the negative aspect of this, we are trying to see the things in which to be thankful - that this stone is 2 mm SMALLER than the last one, it is only 1 mm so there is a very good chance it will be passed on its own. One thing at a time and one prayer at a time....I hope each and every one of you have a blessed week!

(picture borrowed from The Flower Expert)