The Lord is Your Shepherd
October 20, 2017
1. Having a positive outlook on life – Thinking Positively
– It is important for us to have a positive outlook and mindset for our life. Joy and Happiness are choices and we should embrace every opportunity to be happy and joyful despite our experiences. We cannot control our circumstances but we can control how we think about these circumstances. If we think about victorious things and the Sovereignty of our God’s ability in our situation, we will live a victorious, happy and joy-filled life. The bible says in Proverbs 17:22 that ‘A joyful heart is a good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones’. Whatever we think about is usually magnified. If you think about success, it is likely that you will be successful. If you think about living a holy and Christian life that pleases God, your life will be a mirror of what you think. The opposite is true also. If you think that you are worthless, ugly, not good enough, don’t have what it takes, will never get out of death, will never get married etc., your life will reflect these negative thoughts. Whatever we think about, dwell on and contemplate, develops into our mindset and attitude towards life. We have a choice to think about positive and good things. God’s word encourages us to think positively about living a joy-filled and happy life. Scripture says in Philippians 4:8 ‘Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things”. When we change our thinking to respond to God’s words, our life will be a reflection of God’s glory.
2. Looking beyond Imperfections
Some of us due to negative past experiences believe the false truths of what people say as well as our own negative thinking that we are not good enough and we are not worthy to receive God’s blessing and favor. God does not see imperfections in us the way we do. In fact, God sees what we will become and understands where we are in the ‘birthing’ process because his plans are to prosper us and give us a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 says, For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’. His words give us assurance to focus on our future and our hope in God. Be encouraged today, God is on your side. You may be going through a challenging time in your life, you may have just lost a job, experiencing financial challenges, you may have received a negative health report etc. Whatever your challenge, God’s word says that all things are according to His purpose and God assures us that all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). God knows that we will experience good and bad things in life but whatever happens, we know it is for our best because it is in accordance with the purposes of God, which is always good. We should have the confidence that God will cause things to work out for our good. This is another reason why the Joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
3. Being Productive and Successful
We should not be intimidated to be productive and successful in life. If you want to start your business, purchase a new house, or start a new initiative, go after your dreams, build the courage and trust God so that you can live on purpose and maximize your potential. It cost you more to do nothing! God’s word says that you will never perish and no one can snatch you away from him because He is more powerful than anyone else (John 10:28-29). What can man do to you since you are firmly in the Father’s (God) hands? Hebrew 13:5 states “So we can confidently say, ‘the Lord is my helper, I will not fear, what can man do to me?” God wants you to be productive and successful in every area of your life because it is the Father’s (God) will that you should not lose even one of all those he has given you, but that he should raise them up at the last day (John 6:39). Knowing this should remove any fears and anxiety that you may have and give you confidence, peace, joy, and happiness to live your best life now.
