Negatives & Opportunity

I believe the reason negatives exist in our lives is that we need an upgrade on who God is for us in our lives (identity and perspective).  At times it can feel like negatives can come at us like a building tsunami that threatens to overwhelm us.  Bills may be piling up with not enough income, or kids seem to be constantly struggling, health issues can slow us down, marital conflicts can be wearing, job loss or job difficulties can bring frustration, and other family issues can weigh our hearts down.  We are definitely not living in the Garden of Eden.  Jesus was not kidding when He said in John 16:33, "In the world you have tribulation (trouble) but take courage; I have overcome the world."  Notice Jesus didn't say that it is all up to us to figure out how to deal with the trouble (negatives) that come at us in life in the world, He said He overcame the world.

Could it be that the negatives that are coming your way God is not shocked by and He actually has a plan for your good.  What if in the negatives is actually an invitation to know God at a whole new level, know your true identity, and see breakthrough into a new dimension of living "in Christ."  It was John Eldredge who said that we are born into a world at war with all the forces of heaven and hell clashing.  We know through Scripture that God has the victory through Jesus but live in the midst of warfare and many times this warfare comes through the negative in our lives.

The negatives in our circumstances can often lead to either a lot of self-effort to attempt to overcome them or the negatives in our own soul begin to surface.  Jesus clearly said, "I have overcome the world", which means it's not our job to attempt to do what Jesus has already accomplished.  Our role is to rest in His victory and see His victory applied to the negatives that are coming at us.  In other words a dimension of our identity is to learn how to be warriors, which is almost as important as knowing we are His beloved sons and daughters.

What if instead of seeing the tsunami of negatives coming at us and either gritting our teeth for battle in our own strength or wanting to run away, we turn to Jesus to see who He wants to be for us in this battle.  In the Old Testament many times God instructed His people to send out worshippers to lead the battle, silly in the natural to face an army with a bunch of guys playing flutes but in His Kingdom vital.  Worship is primarily the beholding and praise of who God is, not just what He can do.  It's about focus.  We will lose many of the battles in our lives, when we do not have focus on His face.  This is why several times in the New Testament we are instructed to "Rejoice in the Lord always."  God knows that seeing who He is for us releases new dimensions of intimacy, identity, and empowerment.

Overcoming in Him,
Bret