Published on March 18th, 2009 | Articles, Guest Posts

This guest post comes to us from Graham Cooke at Graham Cooke Ministries.

Optimism or Discouragement?

Graham Cooke

God is not interested in simply helping people to a destination. He is acutely concerned with how we get there, and wants to be with us on that journey. In Luke 24, Jesus wasn’t walking with His disciples in order to get to Emmaus; He was walking with them because He enjoyed their company and wanted to share the Good News of His resurrection. When we ask God to do something quick, He usually says no. Most of us want our problems resolved overnight so that life can go back to normal. God simply does not work that way. He wants to walk the trail with us, giving us wisdom, revelation and His presence.

On this journey, we have a choice: optimism or discouragement. We choose positivity using our will, and negativity through malaise or laziness. Discouragement creeps up on us, and we often fall into it before we even realize what is happening. We must choose to be happy.

Even when things are not going well, we can still be positive. It is better to say, “I’m quietly hopeful,” than it is to say, “I’m really down right now.” This is more than a change in language; it is a change in outlook. I live in quiet hope. My goal is to always live in faith, and what helps me to be good at that is the innate cheerfulness of the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual warriors must be resilient, able to withstand any shock that comes our way. Rest is the best shock absorber on earth. When things go poorly, we need to quickly recover and reposition ourselves in God. Sometimes I think that sin may not be so much about us falling down as it is about us refusing to get up. Resiliency occurs in a heart that has seen God and knows His nature. Our testimony of who Jesus is for us, together with the evidence of what Jesus has done for us, will always overcome (Revelation 12:11) in any circumstances. It is the partnership of both those certainties that fills our heart with fearlessness.

Resiliency is established as we reposition our will so that our mind is influenced by our spirit, and not by our circumstances. When we accomplish this, our mind uses our mouth to praise, confess, and declare God’s greatness.

We each have a choice: will we magnify the Lord, or will we magnify the situation that is currently bothering us? Magnifying God is the antidote to a negative mindset. It turns a setback into a comeback. To live in the spirit, and to reveal our inner being, our whole person must be in agreement. Faith is demonstrated by our entire person – spirit, soul, and body. With mental agreement and emotional submission, the action of our will agrees with the focus of the spirit and comes into alignment with who God is and what He wants to do.

The instant this happens, breakthrough begins.

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