The World is Negative

Posted at Medium

 

The World is Negative

Have you ever noticed? We truly live not only in a world filled with ungodliness, but there are so many negatives; it’s unreal how many negative things there are around us right now. If you have noticed this then some of you are you paying attention.

Things have really become negative in the last 8 years for America and longer for the rest of the world. Negative and ungodly influences have been prevalent. People have spent more money on the world, themselves and technology than they have on their families, their church, helping strangers, relationships. Is there any hope for the world’s future; well, there just isn’t for the world at large- but we don’t have to be part of the world.

We have twisted name calling perverse gov’t candidates (there are no lessor of two evils- they’re all evil); come to mention it….we have had a perverse gov’t if you can call it gov’t for over 100 years- perverse people, false ministers on television, fallen Christians, reprobates, liars, our own military working for foreign gov’t’s,… add in the mix, false flag operations, gov’t funded terrorism, gun grabbing politicians (who fear us), forced poison vaccines, controlled release of pestilence, sickness, loss of jobs, marital issues-the list goes on and on and as you can imagine, over time if left untreated, these things and more worldly pressures, can steal the love and joy from your life.

How do we keep our focus? How do we stay positive?

In Matthew 24:12, Jesus said this: “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” He said this would be a characteristic of the end times. Jesus was saying that the negative things going on around us — not necessarily in us — would cause the love of many to grow cold.

The word “waxed” used in that verse is really significant. Used in its context in language; it goes back to the way candles are made. A wick is dipped into hot wax and then taken out and allowed to cool for a few seconds, leaving a thin layer of wax. The process is repeated hundreds of times until the wick is buried deep within the wax, hence….being “waxed.”

The same is true with the heart. If we take our eyes off Jesus and focus on the evil of this world and our problems, then, little by little, the layers of negativity harden around our hearts (waxed), and the love for God and others “waxes” cold.

So, how do we stay positive (over come) in a negative world? Let me start by using this verse from Joshua 1:9:

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

Here, the Lord was speaking to Joshua, who was taking over for Moses — a hard act to follow to say the least. He told Joshua to be strong and of good courage and not to be afraid or dismayed. These are opposing forces. If you are afraid and dismayed, then you are not strong and of good courage. They counteract each other. So, you’ve got to do two things and resist two things.

The word dismay means “to fill with dread or apprehension; daunt” (American Heritage Dictionary [AHD]). Can you say you have fought apprehension (“to anticipate with anxiety,” [AHD]) about the future? Have the problems facing you, your nation or the world seemed daunting (intimidating or discouraging [AHD])? well if that’s true, then you have been dismayed.

Ya know, the Lord doesn’t automatically do these things for us— He flows through us. If we get discouraged or dismayed, we stop that power flowing. It says in Ephesians 3:20,

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”

The phrase “according to” means in proportion to or to the degree of the power that is working in you. God flows through people. If you become discouraged, you stop the flow of God’s power.

Another example. In 1 Samuel, we read about the terrible situation that David was facing. His father-in-law, Saul, was trying to kill him. He had been running for his life every day for 13 years. His possessions had been burned, his wives and all of the wives and children of his men had been taken, and his own men wanted to stone him. Not a great environment eh? But, it says in 1 Samuel 30:6,

“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.”

Things looked pretty bad for David. He was in a situation where everything in the natural said “Be discouraged and dismayed,” but David encouraged himself in the Lord.

Things look bad for some of us too! So….

Do you know how he did it? He took God’s Word and began to encourage himself, and it was only a matter of hours until all God had promised him came to pass and he became king. Amazing! After all that, and he became king! If he had given in at that last minute, he would have lost it all!

There are lot of people today who stand for a period of time and then quit. It’s like there are limits on how long they are willing to or going to believe God. You might be thinking, “Well, how long am I supposed to stand?” The answer is simple. You stand on the Word of God (KJV) and His promises until you’re encouraged and it works.

It does work; it might take you 1 minute…it might even take you 15 years, but don’t quit! You’ll get there- you just need to get encouraged.

Peter is a good example of what happens when we take our eyes off Jesus and His Word. Matthew 14:28–30 says,

“And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.”

As soon as Peter got his eyes off Jesus and looked at the stormy sea, he began to sink. Think about that for a minute — he couldn’t have walked on the water if the sea had been perfectly calm. All that really happened was his focus changed. Instead of focusing on the promise of Jesus — His command to come — Peter focused on the circumstances, what was Peter thinking about when he looked away from the Lord? Maybe a realization that he was actually on the surface of the water; possibly in disbelief that something like that could happen- Nevertheless, when he looked away from Jesus, he began to sink. He looked away from the proper perspective.

If you can maintain your focus on Jesus and His Word in the midst of a storm(problem, issues and cares of your life), you can walk on the water of circumstance-above only and not beneath. When your boss tells you you’re being laid off, or your spouse says they’re leaving, you can still stay positive and even smile. It will take a deliberate effort, but it is absolutely crucial.

We all need to recognize that satan is using evil….negative things/people/events of this world to discourage you, even if they are not your personal problems or affecting you personally. You can get discouraged watching politics, reading the newspaper, and listening to the news. If you don’t resist this, it will cause you to be discouraged and dismayed, and worst of all, your love for God to grow cold (Matt. 24:12).

God’s Word says in Isaiah 26:3 that the Lord will “keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed” upon Him because he trusts in Him. Our peace is linked directly to what we think about day to day. We are plugged into this world like no group of Christians has ever been (Mt. 24:21) — reading, listening, and watching the same ungodliness as the world and then wondering why we get the same results. It’s simple — garbage in, garbage out.

Unless you have a deliberate plan to encourage yourself in the Lord, you aren’t going to be encouraged. It’s not normal to be encouraged; it’s normal to be discouraged. It’s abnormal to be strong and of good courage, but it is certainly doable. God’s Word tells us exactly how to do it.

Looking again at the state of the world, the mention of climate and weather issues and manipulation, Europe falling apart or at least changing and not for the better, immigrants from all countries moving in next door leaving their problems and bringing them to our doorsteps, perverse rulers and laws being made to protect evils and abominations, murders, wars, our own soldiers dying for false reasons and secret agendas- the list goes on and on. If there was ever a time for encouragement it’s now!!!!!

We are not alone. Even if we make our bed in hell, the Lord, He is with us (Ps.139:8). The world is here, it’s negative….God is here also, and He is positive and so much on our side- we cannot lose!