Have you ever met someone who seems to be determined to live in misery their whole life? They receive a good thing, and instead of praising the Lord for it, they immediately begin to imagine what trouble could come next.
I’ve noticed there are people who live lives full of constant trouble and dissatisfaction. They see the bad in everything. They are usually very suspicious people, and they are generally miserable to be around. I’ve never quite understood it, but scripture mentions it and this tells me that people like this have always been around.
For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil. Proverbs 15:15-16
Despondent means: in low spirits from loss of hope or courage.
That’s pretty revealing. It takes courage to believe in God’s goodness. It takes courage to stop waiting for “the other shoe to drop” and simply live a life of joy. Courage has many forms, and this is one of them. Believing God. Receiving His blessings. Even finding the joy and lesson in difficult times takes courage. This is the childlike faith lifestyle. We do far better when we decide to trust God like children. When we trust Him, we can receive His blessings with joy, not apprehension. It’s a much better way to live.
Yes, what I’ve learned is that much of our lives is simply a matter of attitude.
We decide what kind of life we will lead. Do you want to have success and live a full life? Then do it! Successful people have one thing separating them from others, they have determined that their lives will be a success. When I decide I’m going to be successful, then I look for evidence of success all around me and when I find some, I build upon it.
We truly do build the lives we choose.
You’ve heard the saying, “My mind is made up”. This is true. We make up our minds to forge ahead successfully or to remain encumbered by past mistakes and difficulties. We make up our minds to see lessons in our failures rather than allowing them to dictate further failure into our life. We decide.
I guarantee if you were to observe a handful of successful people and a handful of destitute people, the thing you would find is that attitude was a crucial element in both outcomes.
We can decide to be defeated. We can decide to fight another day.
Which do you choose?
Today is a great day to realign with the victory of the Lord. God never loses. When we walk in His presence we can be assured of victory, one way or another. Take stock of your attitude and then ask God to align you with His heart for your life. I promise you won’t regret it.
365 Days in the Presence 