Hey guys, Have you ever heard someone say these words:
Just be positive. Now, if it's meant
in the context of "believe in God - His promises - His timing - His plan and purpose
for your life" - instead of unbelief - not trusting God - then I fully agree.
But most people are, when they say this, they don't mean it in this context.
And that is the problem. They think being positive means
they have the power to think and speak what they want into existence and change reality.
But what if God doesn't want to change your situation?
And you wanted to change because of your sinful flesh?
Because you're living through your soul level - just your own
thoughts - your emotions - and your own will?
You want this to happen and you're using your faith to try and make it happen.
You can't do that. You need to walk through the Spirit.
Sometimes God might allow things in your life to teach you endurance, to grow your faith.
To teach you that you can trust Him no matter what happens, to live by faith and not by sight.
[James 1: 2 -4 ]
It doesn't say here you hope or wish or anything - it says you KNOW
You see, here God doesn't ask us to trick ourselves,
to believe that things are great, when they are not.
He didn't want us to divorce ourselves from reality, from the truth.
Instead, He is asking us to trust God's process, to put our faith in
His ability to sharpen and strengthen us through adversity, not to think positive.
The term "think positive" when we look at scripture -
It's not in the Bible. But Bible verses telling
us that we need to trust God in the middle of our hardships - now that
is everywhere. You see, James was asking us to
widen our perspective. To look at the big picture.
Of course, we need to focus on the problem, the crisis at hand.
You know, not ignore it. Because that is dealing with the truth.
But here's the thing. It's more important
to expect the amazing things that God is going to do in and through the hardships.
To ask, alright God, here I am. This thing just happened.
Now how do You want me to handle this? What do You want me to learn from this?
You need to trust that God knows you as a person. He knows what He wants you to do for Him.
And sometimes we are not ready to handle what He has planned for us.
So He needs to put us through certain things so that we can grow and change to become more.
Grow more into our identity in Christ. So that we can finally do what He wants us to do.
I've seen this so many times in my own life and I can fully tell you
that I agree 100 percent with Romans 8 verse 28:
[Romans 8:28]
Not YOUR purpose, His purpose.
A lot of people - they just want to live this life through the soul level.
They claim to be Christians but they live through the soul level.
They want things to happen in their life. They think they know the best and they just
move and they kind of use their faith in God. And say, God make this happen.
I speak this into existence and they just want to move forward in this kind of, you know.
It is actually just so sad. Then you are missing God's plan,
His purpose for your life. You haven't learned to pick up
your cross and to follow Jesus. To sacrifice the self life.
To let the Holy Spirit now guide you with peace and discernment.
To just walk forward. Everything you do - now
must be done through the spirit of God. Your own emotions - your will for your life -
everything - now needs to follow the Holy Spirit. Do you understand?
As children of God - as new creations - we don't just think positive now about life and try and
hope things will work out the way it should. No.
We don't believe in things - strange things like luck - we believe in God's blessing in our lives.
We believe that if we act within His will - obey His word - put Him first in everything that we do
- then everything will work out the way it should. We don't think positive thoughts like the
rest of the world. We live in reality.
In truth. And in the Spirit.
We live by unshakable faith in boldness. We look to Christ.
[Habakkuk 2:4]
[Galatians 2:20]
You see, living in faith is not you live walking in the darkness,
hoping things will work out the way it should. That's how unbelievers live their lives,
in uncertainty, being lost. Because that is what unbelievers are doing.
They are lost. They're living in darkness.
But we live in the light, by faith, according to God's plan for our lives.
We don't follow our own plan. We follow God's perfect plan,
meaning if we have a problem, we take it to God in prayer.
He tells us how to deal with it and then we act according to His word.
And we know not wonder - we KNOW - it will work out according to God's will.
According to His promises. God already gave us the Logos - the
word which we can read - to see how we should live our lives, right, according to what
values - principles - what we need to obey. That's the Logos right?
Jesus is also the Word. The Logos.
But then, we also need to live by the Rhema word. This means that if there are things that you
are uncertain about, that are not clear in scripture, for example, who you should marry.
It doesn't say in the Bible that you should marry John.
But you pray about it and that's how God leads you through the Rhema word.
And he says OK marry John, or no no no don't do this.
This will be a mistake.
You see, you pray to God - you get His word - and then you act according to that word.
Moses did not free the Israelites because he hoped it would work out.
He followed God's word every step of the way. The Israelites did not walk around the walls
of Jericho with Joshua thinking positively that it would fall.
They knew it would because God told them to. Gideon did not choose 300 warriors to fight
against the entire Midianite army and said just be positive, men, and we'll win.
He did it because God told him to and he acted according to God's word knowing victory is theirs.
Everywhere you look in scripture God speaks first. If you're uncertain about something,
you pray to God about it. He speaks and then you act according to His word.
A lot of people today, especially prosperity churches, they turn it the other way around.
They speak and they want God to jump. No.
We don't think positive and speak things into reality.
And then - then God just needs to jump and grant our wishes.
He is God. We are lowly humans,
and we obey Him through the Spirit. He doesn't obey us through the Spirit.
It is His Spirit that is in us, so if you are uncertain about something in your life,
especially big things like your career, or who you should marry, or if you should move
to another country - those things - you need to take to God in prayer and let Him guide you.
And then when He tells you what to do, you act on His word.
And then you know, man, I'm looking forward because I'm walking within the will of God and
everything is going to work out the way it should. Even if it doesn't look that way,
you still know it is going to work out because this is what He said.
And He's going to use this negative thing - the way the world looks at
it as negative - is not actually negative. But God is going to use this together with
all the good things - the negative and the good - as people see it together - for good.
To those who live according to God's purpose who love Him who put Him first in everything they do.
So I'll say this again - if you are uncertain
ask Him. Break through prayer.
[Matthew 7:7]
You see, you basically said three times keep on asking God.
Ask - seek - knock. It shows that you really want to connect with God.
You don't just give a quick prayer and then you just move on.
You pray and pray and pray until God answers you, even if it takes a day, a week, a month, a year.
It took me a few years for God to answer me about what I should do with my life.
Trust in His timing, because His timing is perfect.
[Matthew 7:8-11]
A lot of people are not patient today,
especially in the time we live, right? Because you want quick fixes, quick answers.
We have Google. Great, let's go search.
Alright, this is the place. Alright, what does this mean ah Google.
So everything is fast but you can't live that way with God.
You don't ask God to just hop on your train and He needs to just do whatever
you want when you want it. You need to wait on God.
Breakthrough prayer is not a quick just shout out prayer.
And then you expect God to answer you right away. Sometimes He can
but you need to let the Holy Spirit guide you in prayer - in patience - make specific time.
Go to your room, close that door, go on your knees and cry out to God in the Spirit.
Maybe even fast to show him that you're serious about what you're praying about.
He will answer you when the time is right. And when you are ready to handle His direction.
God says:
[Isaiah 55:8-9]
[Romans 12:12]
And just so you know, when the Bible talks about hope, like this verse, hope is not to be
understood in the way that people use it today. That you hope something will happen,
like just be positive. This hope is secure.
It is grounded in the truth of scripture. In God's promises.
It is a knowing that you are looking forward to God's promises becoming a reality in your life.
[Romans 8:25]
You see, we know it will come. But we wait for it with patience.
[Isaiah 40:31]
Now, if you're still a young Christian and you want to know how does God speak to us,
then watch this video here. And I'll see you there.
And always remember, that God loves you,
and I love you, too. Bye.