"Show Off!"—Lessons in Humility

In this Biblical Thinking UPGRADE, Dawn writes about the subtle but destructive problem of pride.

As a high school freshman attending a school on a Naval base in Keflavik, Iceland, my family had the unique opportunity to live off-base in a quonset hut. We loved it, but it was terribly tight living quarters! We joked that we could touch all the walls at the same time—not exactly true, but funny.

One day, I put one hand on a kitchen counter, and another on a nearby dining chair, and swayed my legs back and forth in an exaggerated swing. I imagined I was an Olympic gymnast on the parallel bars.

"Hey, look at me!" I yelled to my family. "I'm going for the gold!" (I was such a show off at that age, always wanting attention.)

Suddenly, my hand slipped from the counter and I crashed to the hard floor.

My rear end hurt, but the embarrassment was far worse. My normally reserved dad could not stop laughing!

And oh, how my dad loved to share that story with others, sometimes adding, "Pride goes before a fall, right, Dawn?"

The actual scripture he quoted is Proverbs 16:18: "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." But I like the way The Message states it:

"First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall."

That pretty much sums up my freshman year in high school. Big ego. I thought I was "all that."

Sinful pride is all about Me, Myself, and I. It crowds out God and others.

Over the years, the Lord used a number of other embarrassing circumstances to teach me humility.

• Once I fell off a big trampoline at the base gym, showing off in front of a bunch of sailors.
• Another time I cracked my head on an icy pond while playing "Crack the Whip" on ice skates. Looking at my "admirers," I didn't notice the big rock in my icy path.

Years later, God saved me from myself and brought me into His family, and I learned that terrible pride was the cause of Satan's big downfall when he was cast from Heaven (symbolically described in Isaiah 14:12-14).

I also read about many biblical characters who were sinfully proud:

• Nebuchadnezzar was a proud pagan king (Daniel 4:28-35).
• Haman was proud in his hatred of Queen Esther and the Jews (Esther 5:11).
• Uzziah was a good king, but he fell with religious pride (2 Chronicles 26:16-19).
• The proud Pharisee was rebuked for his superiority attitude (Luke 18:11-13).
• Jesus exposed the proud Jewish "teachers of the law" (Mark 12:38-40).
• And the Laodicean Church struggled with spiritual pride (Revelation 3:14-17).

Signs You Might Be a Sinfully Proud Person

The Hebrew word for pride is zadown, which means insolence and arrogance. The Greek word is alazoneia, which means empty, bragging, and insolent.

In any language, pride is not a pretty picture!

There are both blatant and subtle signs of pride—and clearly, Christians can be proud people!

Here are just a few ways Christ-followers exhibit this sin.

1. Bragging
2. Acting superior
3. Perfectionism
4. Entitlement
5. Playing the "Martyr"
6. Fault-finding
7. A Harsh Spirit
8. Superficiality
9. Defensiveness
10. Presumption before God
11. Being desperate for attention
12. Neglecting others

The Bible says arrogance, or pride, is a sin within our heart that defiles us (Mark 7:21-23). In pride, a wicked person does not seek God—in fact, there is no room for God! (Psalm 10:3-4).

I've often asked God to help me love the things He loves, and hate the things He hates. Clearly, God DETESTS the "proud of heart" (Proverbs 16:5).

How to Avoid the Sin of Pride

1. Learn Humility

First, we have to acknowledge that pride is sin and that we desperately need to learn humility.

We need to arm ourselves with truth about pride and humility, such as:

"Pride of life" is worldly; it does not come from God (1 John 2:16-17).

Pride brings disgrace, but humility brings wisdom (Proverbs 11:2).

Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor (Proverbs 29:23).

God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).

God will humble those who exalt themselves (Matthew 23:12).

Choose humility, and God will lift you up at the right time (1 Peter 5:6).

2. Boast Only of the Lord

We need to stop boasting about ourselves and cultivate a healthy, sin-free way to boast!

Paul said, "may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ...." (Galatians 6:14a). And he practiced the right kind of boasting: "Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God" (Romans 15:17).

In 1 Corinthians 1:31, Paul says we should "boast in the Lord" too.

Note: This is not sinful boasting. It actually means boasting OF the Lord.

This kind of boasting has nothing to do with trusting in worldly possessions—the "chariots and horses" of our day (Psalm 20:7); and it's not about speaking blessings into existence (as some preachers like to say).

So what are we suposed to boast about?

• We can boast of God's attributes.
• And we can boast of what God has done, is doing, or will do for us.

In these things, we can boast of Him "all day long" (Psalm 44:8).

In 1 Corinthians 1:31, Paul was actually quoting from Jeremiah:

Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight," declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:24).

The truth is, in ourselves we have no reason to act "puffed up" or superior. We have nothing that we did not receive from God (1 Corinthians 4:7).

We cannot even boast about our salvation, because it is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9), and God chose us for His own purposes (1 Corinthians 1:26-30)—not because of anything good He saw in us.

All glory must go to God alone.

God told Isaiah, I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other (Isaiah 42:8a).

That's especially hard for people who minister on platforms and stages to remember, right? It's too easy to steal His glory. Preachers, teachers, and others in ministry must never forget we are to do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

3. Serve Others in Humility

Whereas pride can lead to fault-finding, the humbe person will attend to the log in his own eye instead of nit-picking about the speck in a fellow-believer's eye (Luke 6:42).

Prideful thinking can keep us from humble serving!

 When we serve others, we get our eyes off ourselves. But first, we need to get our eyes on Jesus to see what He sees!

Jesus was humble (Philippians 2:5-11), and when we see through our Savior's eyes, we will begin to value people above ourselves, and we we will notice ways we can help and serve them (Philippians 2:3; Mark 10:45)—just like Jesus did!

Humility was one of the characteristics emphasized in the early church, because the Apostles knew  humility would lead to loving service. Peter exhorted believers to love others, be compassionate, and be humble (1 Peter 3:8). Paul encouraged Christians to "with all humility and gentleness," bear with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2).

When we learn humility, we will be better prepared to serve God and others.

God doesn't want us to show off—unless we are showing HIM off to the world. As some have said, "Make God famous!"

Can you say with the Psalmist, "My soul will make its boast in the Lord; the humble will hear it and rejoice" (Psalm 34:2)? Which of the three ways to avoid the sin of pride would be most helpful in your life?

Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Today, is a speaker and author, and the creator the blog, Upgrade with Dawn. She is a contracted researcher/reviewer for women's teacher and revivalist, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth at Revive Our Hearts, and is a regular columnist at Crosswalk.com. She and her husband Bob live in sunny Southern California, and Dawn has traveled with Him in Pacesetter Global Outreach. They have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Chad Madden at Unsplash.

'Squirrel Distractions'—During Prayer

In this Prayer UPGRADE, Dawn writes about her experiences with distractions—which bother her most when she's praying!

Some of the funniest dog humor is about "squirrel distractions." Perhaps you've seen some of the funny memes about a dog that is one minute intently obeying his master... and then the next minute is bounding off after a scampering squirrel.

I've been easily distracted like that since early childhood. In elementary school, my wind wandered off all the time. Teachers scolded me, and I had to learn how to keep my mind on a tight leash.

As I got into high school, I tried to understand whether God made my random, easily distracted brain this way—or if my crazy brain circuitry is one way my body is affected by The Fall (Genesis 3).

Regardless, I know the Lord understands my struggle.

By the time I got to college, I was still highly distracted. In classes, I wrote everything down, just to survive.

I once challenged a professor who had placed a question on a test. He misquoted what he said in class.  The test did not align with what he actually said, so everyone answered the question wrong. When questioned about that, my professor was adamant that the class must not have heard him correctly.

But I (not so humbly) proved him wrong with my copious class notes—much to my classmates' delight.

I continued to write countless lists and take notes—becoming a "detail person"—to get through college and then, motherhood.

I think I'm a lot like the awkward disciple Matthew in the hit series, The Chosen. And yet—look how Jesus used him!

Whether at work or play, I live by lists, and lots and lots of note-taking.

In church, I've always taken detailed notes so I won't be distracted by the pretty lady's hairdo in the row across from me, or the man tapping his knuckles on the pew.

But my greatest frustration spiritually—the thing that breaks my heart about my walk with God—is that I get sooooo distracted in PRAYER.

I believe Satan delights in this. He loves it when I'm praying, and suddenly I'm thinking about groceries I need to buy, or other lesser things.

There are so many untamed quirrels running around in my brain.

But over time, I've found a few simple solutions that help. I wondered if they might also help others—those who are easily distracted in prayer, or simply those who'd like to focus more.

There are all kinds of ways to pray. Some are short bursts, like Peter's "Lord, save me!" when he was walking on the water and began to sink (Matthew 14:30). But most of us would like to have extended prayer times, and it's important to be attentive.

Four Ways to Be More Attentive in Prayer

1. Seek Out Quiet.

That means, turn off the TV and other noisy distractions.

For me, it even means turning off Christian music, because even though music might be conducive to prayer for others, I end up taking way too long listening and singing instead of praying. Sometimes I give up the prayer time altogether. (Everyone is different in regard to that.)

When I shut out as many sound distractions as I can, I'm better able to focus on talking to God. I have to tell all the noisy squirrels, "BE STILL!"

"Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10a). "Be still before the LORD...." (Psalm 37:7a).

Begin to be still by asking the Holy Spirit to calm your mind and prepare your heart. Focus on the second part of Psalm 46:10—"know that I am God."

3. Remember You're in a Conversation.

Sometimes when I'm distracted, I feel like I'm praying AT God rather than conversing WITH Him.

Prayer is simply talking with God.

Prayer for prayer's sake accomplishes little or nothing. But prayer as a means to talk to God and draw closer to Him accomplishes much! Prayer is more about the attitude of the heart than the words we pray.

Most of the time, we might close our eyes to prevent distractions. But sometimes I have kept my eyes open and looked at a "picture of Jesus" or even an empty chair so I can better visualize being in God's presence.

What helps me is to pray aloud. It's much easier to catch myself getting off track when I hear the prayer rather than "thinking" it.

R. A. Torrey said,

"If we would pray aright, the first thing we should do is to see to it that we really get an audience with God, that we really get into His very presence. ...

"we should have the definite consciousness that we are talking to God, and should believe that He is listening and is going to grant the thing that we ask of Him."

We need to be convinced that prayer is the most important conversation in our day. He will meet us when we call on Him.

"The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth" (Psalm 145:18).

3. Write As You Pray.

Have you ever noticed that when you write something down, you hone in on what is important?

When I write, I focus better.

I often write down my actual prayer to God. (Usually, I use paper. But I've been known to "write" the words on my hand with a finger, or on my table as I pray.)

Some call this "journaling" our prayers. Writing helps us remember all God has done and is able to do. I simply find it a way to focus and "cast" all my concerns on Him (1 Peter 5:7).

4. Pray God's Attributes.

When all else fails, I pause and start thanking God for His marvelous attributes.

As I said, I'm a list person; and the discipline of listing God's attributes (His love, mercy, goodness, wisdom, power, etc.) helps me remember who He is—remember Who I am talking to.

Then I key off those attibutes.

For example:

• God is wise, so I can ask Him to help me make a medical decision.
• God is merciful, so I can come to Him and confess a besetting sin.
• God is sovereign, so I can intentionally commit to trust Him regarding a difficulty in my life.

God reveals His many attributes in scripture, so I need to study who He is in the Word of God. (It's helpful to think about the names of God too.)

As I get further along in my prayer, I can expand to a prayer list or gratitude list, or things God speaks to me about that I want to research later.

But I need to be careful. Sometimes even simple prayer requests can send me down rabbit holes of distraction. I might jump from a prayer request ... to a memory ... to any number of things.

TIP: Jot down one or two words about the distracting thought and get back to praying!

5. End the Conversation.

I've been known (too often) to simply trail off in my conversation with God and start something else. One day I thought about how that might look if I did that to a human.

It's SAD... and RUDE!

I decided I want to end each conversation well. I tell the Lord how much I love Him, and recommit to obeying Him throughout the day.

Just as I would with a good friend, I've even said, "I'll talk with you again later!"

Be Intentional

I know that many of the things I've mentioned as "distractions" are not wrong in and of themselves—and they may not distract you at all. The point is, we need to be intentional about our focus on prayer.

Sometimes I do listen to Christian music or pull out a hymnal and meditate on the words of great hymns. Or I read Christian books as a launching pad to understanding more about God's will and ways. There are so many positive activities with spiritual purpose that can be incorporated into a devotional time that includes extended prayer.

But this I know:  I always need to CARE enough about prayer to PREPARE.

Or else my prayer time might go something like this: 

"Dear Father God ... oh, wait ... squirrel!"

What are some of the ways you prepare to focus on talking to God? What tends to distract you most?

Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Today, and the creator this blog, Upgrade with Dawn. She is a contracted researcher/reviewer for Revive Our Hearts, and writes wiki-type posts as a regular columnist at Crosswalk.com. She and her husband Bob live in sunny Southern California, and Dawn has traveled with Him in Pacesetter Global Outreach. They have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe.

What Was 'Finished' at the Cross?

As I pondered the meaning of Good Friday, a phrase stuck in my mind—“It is finished!”

Jesus said those words—found only in the Gospel of John (19:30)—as He hung, battered and bloody, on the cross.

When I was younger, I thought those words meant, “I’m finished … I’m dying.” But Jesus didn’t say, “I’m finished.” He said, “IT is finished.”

What was IT? What was finished?

I thought of at least five things that were finished.

1. The sufferings of Jesus on earth were finally over.

In His obedience to the Father’s will (John 5:30; 6:38), Jesus suffered on the cross. It brought not only terrible pain, but also “separation” from God for our sake (Matthew 27:46). The holy Father could not look on His Son as He bore our sins.

But Jesus’ pain was finally over.

His “chastisement” on the cross brought us peace (Isaiah 53:5). The Father “crushed” Jesus for our sake (Isaiah 53:10-11).

Throughout His ministry He sought and taught the lost (Luke 19:10). He lived a sinless, righteous life (1 Peter 2:22). And Jesus said He had “finished the work” God gave Him to do on earth (John 17:4).

Jesus left no doubt why He hung on that Roman cross, and when He cried out, it was a final shout of victory.

Done. Accomplished. No unfinished business.

2. The debt of sin was cancelled for those who believe.

There is no more sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:1-18). When Jesus said, tetelestai—“It is finished”—He signaled to the Jews the end of temple sacrifices, because His work on the cross was the ultimate fulfillment of all the Jewish sacrificial system foreshadowed (Hebrews 9:12, 26).

Tetelestai is an accounting term. It means “paid in FULL.” It’s a Greek word, perfect tense, that speaks of an action completed in the past, but with results that continue into the present and future.

Jesus died for us "while we were still sinners" (Romans 5:8-9). The debt we owed God because of our sinful rebellion against Him (Romans 8:7)—rebellion that rightfully incurred His wrath—was wiped away.

Completely.

Forever.

Because God is holy and just, He had to respond to sin with punishment. Yet He also loves sinners and desired reconciliation.

It’s been said that the cross of Christ was the place where God's wrath and love met. When Jesus died for us, it saved us from the wrath of God.

Jon Bloom wrote,

“The death of Christ was real, and it was really terrible. He was an object of wrath.”

Jesus knew His mission (Luke 9:22; John 12:27), and He suffered the Father’s wrath—for us. At the cross, God could redeem mankind without compromising His character. And His mercy and grace were lavished upon us.

We must never forget all that Jesus suffered. And why.

2. The bondage to guilt was broken.

Our Lord’s death was the payment for our forgiveness. His righteous life and substitutionary death satisfied the Father.

We don’t need to beat ourselves up over past sins. We can come to God and confess our sins—admit them to God—but know they are “under the blood.”

They are forgiven! Totally! Never to be brought up again.

The Father looks at the sacrifice His Son made for us, and He is satisfied.

I love these words from the Getty song, “In Christ Alone”—

"Till on that cross as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied;

For ev’ry sin on Him was laid—Here in the death of Christ I live.”

We may feel our sins are too great, but the truth is, no sin is too great for His mercy. Feelings of shame and guilt may try to creep back into our mind to condemn us, but we are forgiven. We are no longer condemned (Romans 8:1).

(Friend—If you struggle with joy-robbing guilty feelings, look in the mirror and say, “Jesus died for my sins and I am forgiven. My guilt is ‘finished’!” Repeat it until that great truth sinks in.)

3. The first-coming Messianic prophecies were fulfilled.

It’s said there are more than 300 specific biblical prophecies that pointed to the coming of the Messiah, the Anointed One.

Many of these prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus—a great number of them on the cross. (See "How Many Prophecies Did Jesus Fulfill?")

4. Satan’s power was broken.

Genesis 3:15 prophesied the coming of the “seed” who would crush the serpent’s head. On the cross, the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 dealt a death blow to Satan’s power.

Jesus came to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

No longer would mankind have to endure the “flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16). Satan knows he is on borrowed time, and he tries to intimidate the saints.

5. Death no longer reigned for the believer!

The Old Testament believers looked forward to the cross; we look back to it.

Jesus came to draw all people to Himself (John 12:32)—a reality made possible at the cross. He died to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29), and become the “propitiation” (atonement) for our sins (1 John 2:2).

His finished work on the cross was the beginning of new life (2 Corinthians 5:17) for all who were “dead in trespasses and sins" ... now made “alive in Christ” (Ephesians 2:1,5).

His resurrection is our guarantee—Jesus told His followers, "because I live, you also will live" (John 14:19).

Praise God, death no longer reigns for the believer.

Christ-followers pass from the grave to glory in the presence of their Savior! Death has no more "sting" (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). We rise victorious from the grave!

When Jesus said, "It is finished," His words embodied a profound truth—all the Father intended for the Son on the cross, Jesus accomplished.

"It Is Finished!"

Our Lord’s words final words are precious.

They are words to treasure—a statement that continues to have great power and purpose for all who believe.

What does "It is finished" mean for you today? Can you take a moment to thank Jesus that He left nothing undone at the cross?

Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Today, is a speaker and author, and the creator the blog, Upgrade with Dawn. She is a contracted researcher/reviewer for women's teacher and revivalist, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, at Revive Our Hearts, a blogger at TrueWoman.com, writes wiki-type posts at  Christianity.com, and is a regular columnist at Crosswalk.com. She and her husband Bob live in sunny Southern California, and Dawn has traveled with Him in Pacesetter Global Outreach. They have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Forgiven Photography at Lightstock.

5 Tips to Building Resilience in Children

Morgan Farr continues to challenge us with her positive, biblical, life-motivating posts. In this Parenting UPGRADE, she shares five ways to build resilience in children—but parents may find they need to build their own resilience first!

"In the chaos that has happened in the last year, resilience has been an essential part of our family dynamic," Morgan says. "Being able to adjust quickly and easily with small children is no easy feat!"

I (Dawn) think resilience is something I learned as a "Navy brat," so I totally agree with everything Morgan shares here. I was blessed to learn resilience, though—unlike Morgan—I didn't always appreciate what God used to teach me this character quality.

Morgan continues . . .

We are a military family. My husband is a veterinarian in the Army. That means we are built on resilience. We have to be, because with the military, you have no idea what they are going to throw at you or when it might happen.

Resilience is defined in the Oxford English dictionary as the ability to recover quickly from difficulties, or toughness.

For military families, that could mean a surprise TDY—temporary duty travel—and extended deployment, or finding out you are PCSing (getting a permanent change of station) a year early. 

None of it rattles us because we are resilient.

In the last year, we have had our resiliency put to the test with COVID-19 and the shutdowns.

Here are my "5 Tips to Building Resilience in Children" that have helped us cope through these unprecedented times.

1. Let them see you WORK.

Children need to see that everything they have comes from the hard work of their parents.

Whether it is the money coming in to purchase things or the chores done to keep the home running, everything has a cost.

Don’t be afraid to include children in CHORES—basic chores for younger kids and more complicated chores for older children.

This helps kids to learn to work hard and be appreciative of the things they have. It also helps to prevent entitlement.

2. Let them see you PLAY.

Children are not meant to be little adults. They are unique individual little beings that have to learn how to exist in this world.

Children learn best through play.

• Let them get dirty.
• Let them explore nature.
• Let them splash in puddles.
• Let them be children.

Then, join in and show them that having fun and enjoying the life that God has blessed you with is a good thing.

3. Let them see you SUCCEED.

Do you have goals you want to achieve? Share them with your kids.

For example, I wanted to run a 5k after my daughter was born. The kids were much more understanding when I wanted to jump on the treadmill when they understood I was working towards a goal.

They also got to see that not everything happens as soon as you want it to!

Tell them about your goals and why you set them.

Let them watch what it looks like to work hard and succeed at something that isn’t easy.

4. Let them see you FAIL.

I set a goal this year to be able to do double-unders—a move with a jump rope when a person needs to jump up higher than usual while swinging the rope twice under his or her feet.

My legs are torn up, and it hurts to miss with a jump rope.

It has been a humbling experience to keep failing at this goal.

My kids have been watching me try again and again to get this movement.

I have 9 months left in 2021. How much will they learn about not giving up before I get this down? 

5. Let them see you ON YOUR KNEES.

Big win this week? Praise God! Major failure? Praise God!

Whether in success or failure, show your children that you praise the Lord.

Let them see that you don’t just go to God when you have a problem, but also when you win.

Show them that absolutely everything you are is due to the mercy of God.

As a bonus tip, I challenge you to memorize 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 which says,

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Then teach it to your children.

When the good or the bad happens, recite this verse and praise God for His infinite mercies!

How can you help your children be resilient this week?

Morgan Farr is a Texas-loving, succulent-cultivating, book nerd and aspiring author. Stationed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this Army wife is learning to train dogs, developing her four young children, and tackling homeschool life… while moving all over the country. You can find more of Morgan’s thoughts on her blog.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Wokadapix at Pixabay.

Are You 'Testing Positive'?

In this Attitude UPGRADE, Dawn Wilson encourages intentional choices for hope, joy and optimism.

In the tests of life, are you testing positive?

Over the past year with the COVID-19, we've become so aware of the phrase "testing positive." A positive test means a person may have antibodies from an infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 or another related coronavirus.

"Testing positive" can also can be a result for any other number of tests for various cancers and diseases.

It's usully not a happy day when we "test positive."

"Testing positive" can either be considered good or bad when it comes to pregnancy tests. Christians believe children are a heritage from the Lord (Psalm 127:3), but sometimes the timing of a pregnancy can cause someone to doubt that!

Yet nothing takes our God by surprise. He often has greater plans than we can anticipate.

There's also such a thing as testing "false positive."

A test can incorrectly indicate that a particular condition or attribute is present. For example, during stress testing, which is a routine diagnostic tool used to detect heart disease, women have a significant number of false positives.

The Lord spoke to me about my attitudes a few weeks ago. I got caught up in all the negative news on television, and it colored my thoughts and attitudes.

It was as if the Lord said,  

"I want you to walk with me in the light, and not in the darkness. Put away your negativity. I am the God of Hope!"

You see, I had a "false positive."

• On the outside—I had the appearance of joy.
• On the inside—I was dark, fretful, and grumbling.
• On those days, the condition of my heart did not line up with what I said I believed.

God sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7); He knows the truth about our attitudes. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sinful attitudes (John 16:8) so we can realign our hearts with God's Word and walk in truth, pleasing our Father God.

Christians should be realists, but they also should be the most positive, optimistic people in the world.

God's grace and mercy are deep to meet our needs (Hebrews 4:16), and His promises for the family of faith are incredible.

Why We Can Be Positive in Christ

• We are new creations, made alive with Him (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:5);
• We are inhabited by the Trinity—God takes up residence (John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Colossians 1:27; 1 John 4:15);
• We are partakers of the divine nature and have a new heart (2 Peter 1:4; Ezekiel 11:19);
• We are no longer slaves to sin, but called to be holy and pleasing to God (Romans 6:5-6; Romans 12:1);
• Free from condemnation, we now can walk according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1);
• We are being transformed, conformed to the image of Christ (Ephesians 4:22-24; Romans 8:29; 2  Corinthians 3:18);
• We are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37);
• As God's workmanship, we can do good works that glorify God (Ephesians 2:10);
• We are chosen to declare God's praises (1 Peter 2:9);
• Because of God's grace and power, we can become servants of the gospel, discipling and teaching others (Ephesans 3:7; Matthew 28:18-20);
• We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3);
• And so much more!

So how do we live so we will "test positive" in authentic ways?

1. Read the Word with the desire to obey God in faith.

Read with the intent to hear from God or learn something new about Him. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to show us how to live to joyfully please the Father and train for righteousness and ministry (2 Timothy 3:16).

Is there is something God wants you to act on or obey that might increase your hope, faith, or joy?

Is there something that might help you live for Him or minister more effectively?

2. Communicate regularly with the Father.

The God of all wisdom, comfort, power, etc. wants to express His nature to you. He will use scripture and biblical truth to encourage your heart.

Are you so connected to the Lord through prayer that you can receive from Him at any time and in any circumstance?

What has He said to you recently that encouraged or challenged you?

3. Check your heart daily to be sure you are walking in the Spirit.

Review what it means to walk in the Spirit. In part, it involves submission to the will of God and keeping in step with the Spirit of God.

Some people think this will rob them of joy in this life, but to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18b) and walk in the Spirit is to experience the "fruit of the Spirit"—and that includes joy and peace (Galatians 5:22-23). Walking in the Spirit enables us to enjoy all the Spirit has for us, and to respond in the toughest situations as Jesus would.

Are you filled with and walking in the Spirit daily?

What's the evidence in your life?

4. Express gratitude, worship and praise to the Lord.

As we are filled with the Spirit of God, we will find our hearts overflowing with gratitude, singing and joy (Ephesians 5:18-29; Colossians 3:16).

We were created to worship God (Psalm 29:1-2; Psalm 95:1-2)—it's both a way of life and a particular activity. Our worship increases as we trust His sovereign love and care.

It shouldn't be unusual to break out in spontaneous praise (Psalm 9:9-10; Psalm 34:1-4; Isaiah 57:15).

When was the last time you broke out in gratitude, worship, or praise to God?

If it's a struggle, what unhealthy or ungodly attitude is in the way? Can you give that to Jesus today?

Whenever you hear the words "tested positive," use it to spur you on to REMEMBER how God increases your hope, joy, and optimism in Him.

How will YOU "Test Positive" in the Lord?

Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Today, is a speaker and author, and the creator the blog, Upgrade with Dawn. She is a contracted researcher/reviewer for women's teacher and revivalist, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, at Revive Our Hearts, a blogger at TrueWoman.com, writes wiki-type posts at  Christianity.com, and is a regular columnist at Crosswalk.com. She and her husband Bob live in sunny Southern California, and Dawn has traveled with Him in Pacesetter Global Outreach. They have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe.