Devotion

Release Yourself From Negativity
by Natasha Munson

"And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt." Genesis 19:17-18,26

People have a greater ability to make excuses than to make decisions. It is easier to negate responsibility and avoid confrontation. It is easier to look at an obstacle rather than to remain focused on the goal. It is more natural for most people to complain about their life than it is for them to make a change.

A minister visited my church a few weeks ago. He told a story of a woman coming to him and complaining. It seemed as if she was barely pausing to take a breath. She told the minister that nothing was going right in her life. She just didn't know what to do. All she could say was, "I'm suffering."

The minister who was very tired, after just giving the sermon, looked at her and replied, "You're not suffering enough."

To say the woman was devastated is an understatement. Her mouth dropped and she stared at him as if he were an alien. The minister noticed her reaction but when asked how he could say such a thing he replied again, "You're not suffering enough." Realizing that he didn't want the woman to pass out, he said, "Imagine you picked up a very hot pot with your bare hands. Do you hold onto it and say it's not that hot? I can hold it. Do you keep holding it so that you can see how much pain you can withstand? No, if the pot was too hot you would put it down immediately. But you are allowing your problems to be like that pot. You're trying to be strong by holding onto something that you shouldn't be holding onto anyway. If you had suffered enough you would let all these problems go now."

We all tend to be that woman at times in our lives. We hold onto people and situations that are detrimental to our well-being. We justify things. We make excuses. We limit ourselves from living a life of happiness because we are afraid to make changes. We are afraid to live a life we love.

There are many people that don't want to love life. They like being a part of the majority that struggles. They enjoy having 'friendships' that allow them to remain stagnant. They enjoy having jobs that have nothing to do with their purpose or the power of their spirit. They enjoy having a spouse or lover that they cannot stand or relate to. Oh yes, they enjoy it. Because if they didn't enjoy these painful things they would do like Lot and keep stepping. 

You would never be tempted to look back on a past that is painful and paint it as pretty. You wouldn't try to find the few good memories in a relationship that overall just took you to levels you never thought you would go to. You wouldn't be in pain if you really wanted to love life. You would be free.

Assume that God wants to give you everything you need. Assume that there are angels waiting to guide you towards your best life. Believe that God is willing to give you the love and life you have only dreamed about. Understand that God has a bigger dream for you than you have for yourself.

Now, here's the test. In front of you is a life you will love and cherish. Behind you is the painful past of unfulfilling jobs and relationships. Imagine on this day that God says to you - eliminate all the negative in your life, walk towards me, and I will give you your souls desire. But you cannot look back. You cannot glorify that which is not meant to be glorified. 

Can you eliminate the negative elements in your life and walk with God towards a life you love? Will you look back?