April 2020 Bible Study Series Surviving Seasons of Uncertainty

Part 3: Staying Positive

Synopsis of Bible Study April 8, 2020

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III, D.Min.

Proverbs 17:22 NKJV – “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.”

How you view this season has lot to do with how you go through it. Some people, all they see is the negative. You can’t be a person that is always being feed negativism.

I.            OTIMISSIM VS. PESSIMISM

1. Optimist- This is a person who tends to be hopeful and confident about the future or the success of something. A person who believes that good must ultimately prevail over evil.
   1. They see things from a hope perspective
2. Pessimist- A person who tends to see the worst aspect of things or believes that the worst will happen. Believes that evil will always prevail over the good.
   1. They see the glass half empty while the optimist sees the glass half full.
3. An optimist understands that life can be a bumpy road, but at least it is leading somewhere. They learn from mistakes and are not afraid to fail again – Harvey Mackay
4. Happiness comes when we stop complaining about the troubles we have and offer thanks for all the troubles we don’t have – Anonymous
5. Darrin Donnelly states in his book Relentless Optimism, “The people who succeed aren’t the ones who avoid failure; they’re the ones who learn how to respond to failure with optimism”
6. There has to be an effort to be intentional. You have to stay positive in this season. It is about perspective.

II.            STAYING POSITIVE IS ABOUT PERSPECTIVE

1. We all have blind spots that come from our own thinking. Blind spots make us think this is not what God would have us to think.
2. You can’t have a perspective that is too hot or too cold. You have to be a thermostat. A thermostat perspective can change environments.
3. 3 parts of perspective
   1. Thoughts – Often how I think can be controlled by a particular thing or particular space.
   2. Feelings – How I feel can be measured by what I am going through. What I do can have an affect on how I feel.
   3. Actions – Actions can be about how I see life. You can make yourself sick or act a certain way based off of your perspective.

III.            WHAT IS IT THAT INFORMS YOUR PERSPECTIVE?

Philippians 4:8 (NKJV) ⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. – Whatever you find positive, let you mind meditate on that. Don’t focus on things that are negative, because it can be toxic to your destiny.

What are the effects of our perspective?

1. ENVIRONMENT
   Psalm 1 :1-6 (NKJV) 1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ^[a]ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; ² But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he ^[b]meditates day and night. ³ He shall be like a tree Planted by the ^[c]rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. ⁴ The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. ⁵ Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. ⁶ For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish. – Have you ever thought that the people you hang around, can affect your environment? Hang around someone long enough, you will end up believing what they believe. This is why it is important to be around positive people.
2. Your environment can be conducive to your mindset and change your perspective.
3. EXPOSURE
4. It is about getting out of your environment. – Some people in your life can’t handle what God is going to do in and through you.
5. Vision is all about your exposure. If you don’t go beyond your zip code, then your vision is affected. You can’t be it, if you don’t see it.

Genesis 12:1-2 NIV – “1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”

1. EXPERIENCE
2. This is about reflecting on what you have seen God do.

Psalm 37:25 NIV – “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”- David said he’s been around and his experience tells him that God is going to pull you through.

2. You see people that don’t worry, and you wonder why. It is because they have seen God work things out before.

IV.            HOW TO PREVENT NEGATIVE ENERGY

Ever woke up feeling good and one phone call takes it all out of you? You have to prevent negative energy from being around you.

You have to:

1. Control Your Boundaries – You got to learn to block some things and to delete some things. Keep your mind away from toxicity. This means control allowing negative energy in your space.
2. In this season, you don’t have the luxury of carrying all that you are carrying and then take on others luggage too.

1. Watch What You Take In
2. Watch your eye gate and ear gate. Be careful what you allow to come into your spirit.

Psalm 101:3 NIV – “I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it.”- You can’t see all this negative stuff all day and it not affect you. You can’t let this stuff attach to you.

2. Watch what you hear.

Mark 4:24-25 NIV – 24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”- We often miss that. Take head of what you hear.

1. Some people are messy and we just sit and listen to all that they have to say. You can’t always be reading, watching, or hearing negative info.
2. Ask yourself, are you allowing more negative to pour into you than you allow God’ word?

1. Watch What You Put Out
2. What you put out is often what you put your mouth to do. When you do this, you are creating an atmosphere around you.
3. Proverbs 18:20 NIV – “From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.”- Why do you attach to negative energy? It is because deep down, you may be
4. We take our garbage to garbage can. Ask yourself then, why do people feel comfortable bringing garbage to you?

V.            SIGNS OF A NEGATIVE PERSON

1. They always find the bad in the good. These people will find bad in everything.
2. Their negativity will drain your energy. Relationships pour into you. You don’t need something pouring into that is draining you.
3. They find ways and reasons to under achieve. They’re always looking for the easy way out.
4. They refuse to grow personally. Negative people are stuck in the same place. They get mad at you for progressing.
5. They always play the victim.
6. They worry about everything.
7. They love the word “but”. I love your house, but…

VI.            HOW TO MOVE FROM NEGATIVE TO POSITIVE

1. Have an attitude to gratitude

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV) ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1. You have to practice gratitude. If you focus on the bad things, you never see the good things.
2. Focus on what God is doing for you and not what is happening to you
3. Write down everything that you appreciate God for, so that you don’t let your situation drive you crazy.
4. God has done more for you than what’s happening to you.
5. Spend more time being aware of your countenance. Look like what you believe. Smile more.
6. Your posture matters.

Proverbs 15:13 (NKJV) ¹³ A merry heart makes a cheerful ^[a]countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. – When you have a merciful heart, it changes your countenance.

1. We see the present as present

Psalm 118:24 (NKJV) ²⁴ This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. – We don’t know what tomorrow will hold, but we know who holds tomorrow.

VII.            HAVE THE MATURITY TO ENCOURAGE YOURSELF

1. Jeremiah
   Jeremiah 20:9 NIV – “But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.”
2. Jeremiah didn’t want to do it another day. He was done. Jeremiah matured to the point that the word called him back to himself.
3. Job
4. Job had to encourage himself. Job went through one thing after the next. He kept getting bad news one after another.

Job 1:20-22 NIV – “20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” 22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”-Job matured to the place that he reverted back to what he always knew.

2. Job worshipped God

Job 13:15 NIV – “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.” – They may call him crazy, but Job made up in his mind to trust God.

1. David
2. David had to trust God. Saul tried to kill David, and David had to learn something about being optimistic.

Psalm 23:4 NIV – “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”- You not in the valley by yourself

2. We have divine partnership this makes up our optimism. When we trust things like this, great things happen.
3. To come back from Zig Lag and see that all had been destroyed, family had been kidnapped, and people have turned against you, this is hard. Know that no matter what, you will recover

1 Samuel 30:6 (NKJV) ⁶ Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was ^[a]grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.  – David had a spirit of optimism. David asked God what to do. God told him to get up and go back. You shall recover all.

Conclusion:

Say to yourself, “I shall recover all”. The way you will survive this season is you have to stay positive. Let nothing separate you from the love of Jesus Christ.

In all of the bad news, know that He is the good news!