Mensa Otabil - A Positive Posture (11/02/2025)
The Lord wants us to live our lives positively. He wants us to enjoy our lives. He wants us to have a positive attitude every day, as we face the day, or every week, as we face the week. As we’re still thinking about this year, it’s important for us to look at how to live our lives positively.
Matthew 6, verse 25: «Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you eat or what you drink, nor about your body, what you put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?» God says when you have life, you have everything because your life is better than food and your body is better than the clothing you put on. That doesn’t mean that you don’t have to have the good things in life, but we need to have perspective. We have life; we are alive, and it’s important to glorify the Lord.
The Lord Jesus Christ told us these words so that we learn to live each day appreciating the life He has given to us, appreciating the body we have, and appreciating the moments and opportunities He has provided for us. To live this positive life, we have to learn to notice the gifts of God and thank Him for them: the gift of life, the gifts of friendship, the gift of relationships, and even just the opportunity to wake up and go to a job. This is something to be thankful for, even if you’re not earning the greatest amount of money and still have debts to pay. Just to be able to work in a day is an honor and a privilege.
So, look for the good things that God has done for you. Don’t just focus on all the things that are going wrong and all the negatives in your life. Just thank God for all the positives, for all the good things that He is doing in your life.
And what do we do when we have needs? We turn them into prayer. We speak to the Lord about them; we pray about them. That’s the privilege of being a child of God: you don’t carry your burdens all by yourself and moan, groan, worry, and complain about all the difficulties you’re going through. Now, you can focus that same energy and turn it into prayer. Instead of talking to people about all your needs, talk to the Lord. And instead of complaining about all the things that you don’t have, find out God’s promises, discover what God has promised you, and pray according to His promises. So, turn your worries into prayer-positive prayer, prayers of faith, prayers of confidence, and talk to the Lord about your needs.
Then, let’s learn to look for fulfillment in the right places. Many times, we get disappointed in life because we’re looking for fulfillment either from the wrong person or the wrong thing. We go somewhere hoping that we’ll find peace. For instance, someone has financial problems, and then they turn to alcohol as an additional problem.
Now, they have to buy the alcohol, and the alcohol impairs their sense of judgment, so they' re compounding their problems. They' re not finding a solution in the right place; the solution is not in the bottle. Sometimes, someone may think, «Oh, let me start an extramarital affair; maybe I will find peace.» It doesn’t give you peace; it gives you more problems and complicates your issues. Look for fulfillment in the right place, and as a child of God, as Christians, our fulfillment is in the Lord. He is our help, He is our hope, He is our strength, and He is our guide.
So, this week, as you face the week, face it positively. Thank God for the life He has given you. Thank God for the opportunities you have. Yes, I know you have needs, but thank Him for the good things He is doing in your life and face this day and this week with the joy of the Lord and with the gladness of the Lord, because God will make a way for you this week. He will open a door for you, and what you thought could never be solved will be solved before the week is over.
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, I refuse to be worried and anxious. I step out today fully confident in Your goodness to me. In Jesus' name, Amen and Amen.»