You probably would have heard of the ‘half-empty/half-full’ concept or perspective on life. If you have not, it is all about perspective. When you put water in a glass cup but don’t fill it up, what are you actually seeing? Are you seeing the cup as half-empty or as half-full? A positive person will most likely tilt towards the cup being half-full, while someone who sees otherwise will say it’s half-empty. Both answers are actually correct; it’s just the mentality that differs.
It’s the same concept that birthed statements like “When life throws lemons at you, make lemonade,” “Turn your obstacles into stepping stones,” and “There is a silver lining in every dark cloud.” These statements are geared towards promoting one thing: a positive mentality.
Being positive is one of the best ways to have a great life. Life can throw sizeable bizarre stones at you, leaving you so clueless about the steps to take, but positivity helps you take the first step. Just like David in the Bible, when faced with the giant Goliath, he was positive that he could defeat him and did so gloriously. You might want to say that, oh! David was strong, having fought through several fierce obstacles. Yes, he was, but you must also understand that he would not have been able to if he did not have a positive mind and believed he could do it.
Once your thoughts are aligned positively, everything around you aligns.
Before I go further, let’s get to know what it means to be positive naturally and in the scriptures. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, it means to be “happy or hopeful or giving a cause for happiness or hope,” while in the scriptures, it says, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” Proverbs 17:22 (KJV).
That scripture simply means staying positive must start from your mind because it keeps you strengthened in life. Positive thoughts bring a lot of good into one’s life, while negative thoughts bring harm. The Bible puts it this way in Proverbs 23:7 (KJV): “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
There were times in my life when all I thought about were negative things or doing those negative things to myself; it became so extreme that bad things began to follow me, to the point that I was tagged a failure by someone close to me, but then I had to realise from the Word of God that God has better things in store for me, and to enjoy them, I had to start by changing the way I think.
I started thinking good things about myself, really seeing who I am from what the Lord says about me in the Bible, I started declaring it, and I started acting on it. Then things began to change, as it is said in Matt 8:13, “…as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee…”
This doesn’t mean we can get anything we want by just thinking good thoughts; we also have to speak in agreement with God’s plans and will for us, then take practical steps.
Here are a few tips you can apply towards positive thinking:
1. Dwell on the Word of God daily.
This will help you to know and understand His truths, His ways, your inheritance in Him and His plans for your life. This gives you so much confidence in Him and puts your mind at peace.
2. Reflect on the truths, plans, and inheritance you have seen in the scriptures.
Just as you will always want to taste that delicious food you like when you make it, it should be the same with the scriptures.
3. Declare the truths you have gotten from the Word.
Doing this makes your trust in God strong and resolute because you know He is always there for you.
Finally, take a cue from Bible characters such as Abraham, who had a positive mindset and absolute trust in God, leading to him receiving his long-awaited desire. The Lord is set to bring good out of every situation you are in today, so “trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass”. Psalms 37:5 (KJV).