THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing the praises of Your name, O Most High.

My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before You. For You have upheld my right and my cause, sitting enthroned as the righteous judge. You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name for ever and ever. Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies, You have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished.

The Lord reigns forever; He has established His throne for judgment. He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know Your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.

Sing the praises of the Lord, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what He has done. For He who avenges blood remembers; He does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.

Lord, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death, that I may declare your praises in the gates of Daughter Zion, and there rejoice in your salvation.

The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden. The Lord is known by His acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the nations that forget God. But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph; let the nations be judged in Your presence. Strike them with terror, Lord; let the nations know they are only mortal.

Psalm 9

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What is your attitude as you enter each day? Do you get excited about being blessed with another opportunity to live life? Do you awake with a sense of dread about what the day might bring? Do you rise with a sense of indifference about the new day? After all, it’s just another one, right?

One thing is for sure. We have a choice about our attitudes.

As we look at the 9th Psalm, David gives us a perfect way to approach each and every day, no matter our circumstances. And through his words, we can learn about the power of positive thinking.

Let’s look at the keys to a great attitude and how we should approach each day we’re given. David wrote,    

“I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing the praises of Your name, O Most High.”

In his words, we find four primary things we are to do every day in order to have the right life attitude.

1. Give thanks to the Lord with all our heart.

I’ve always said that the most powerful words in the English language after the words “I love you” are the words “thank you”. There’s something special about a person who has a consistent and persistent attitude of gratitude. And when we think about the matter of giving thanks, there is no one more deserving than the Lord, the One who has given us everything we know to include the very lives we have.

So as we start each day, we should begin with an attitude of thanksgiving to the Lord and express our appreciation with all our heart just as He gives all of His heart to us in love.

2. Tell of all the Lord’s wonderful deeds.

I have always felt that one of the most powerful ways to minister to others is through testimony. God blesses us so very much and we should never hesitate to tell everyone about His goodness, grace, mercy, and love. Indeed, the Lord has done so much for you and me, providing for us, protecting us, guiding us, and, yes, even correcting us when needed. All are for our good and we should not waste any time we have to speak about the awesome God that He is – and to tell everyone about His wonderful deeds.

3. Be glad and rejoice.

I have always been saddened when I see a person always carrying a bad attitude about life. They seem to always be angry about something, never ceasing to complain about anything to anyone who will listen. Maybe you know a few people like this.

Friends, did God bless us with life to begrudge it? Or did He bless us with life so that we might rejoice in that blessing, glad that He has given us each day to breath and live and love and learn?

I was taught a long time ago to count my blessings and when I finished, to start counting again. It’s interesting that when you do this, you can’t help but be glad and rejoice over the Lord’s provision and providence, adopting that attitude of thanksgiving with all of your heart. And when you adopt this mindset each day, you will be the person who is always expressing joy through the way you live, no matter what your circumstances. And you will find that people will want to know how you can be the way you are, allowing you the perfect opportunity to tell of all the Lord’s wonderful deeds.

Do you see how this all interconnects? It also adds up to result in the fourth primary component of a healthy, positive life attitude.

4. Sing the praises of the Lord Most High.

For a spirit of thanksgiving, a spirit of gladness, and a spirit of rejoicing leads us to a spirit of praise unto the Lord that will have us singing of our admiration for Him, an admiration and adoration that He warrants and deserves. 

In the end translation, the Lord is so good, in times of plenty and times of want. David goes on to remind us He protects us from those who would want to do us harm and provides refuge for those who are oppressed and in trouble. He never forsakes those who seek Him and does not ignore the cries of the afflicted. He never forgets the needy and always provides hope for the afflicted. It’s little wonder that when Paul was in prison and unsure whether he would survive his ordeal, he was able to write these words:

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13

Paul learned the secret to being content, no matter what he was going through and he shared the secret with us. For Paul learned that no matter what life might bring, he could make it, not through his strength but through the strength the Lord gave him, the strength through which he could persevere and endure. He gave thanks to the Lord with all his heart, told others about the Lord’s wonderful deeds, was glad and rejoiced in all the Lord did for him, and never ceased to sing praises about the Lord he served.

The apostle Paul, like David, discovered the power of positive thinking and thanks be to God they shared their experience with us so we too could choose to be like them. My prayer is that you and I will do just that.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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