Daniel's Positive Spirit

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“Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.” —Daniel 6:3 Daniel was a man who faced many trials, and high among those was being held in captivity in Babylon. Even still, He had such a positive attitude. We’ve heard many times:  It’s not your aptitude, but it is your attitude that will determine your altitude.  How far you go in life will be greatly determined by your attitude. Certainly, you change your attitude and you can change your life. But what I notice so beautifully in the life of Daniel is through the years his positive spirit. No matter what he faced, he was an optimist.  He was positive. Whether it was in the deportation of Daniel from his homeland; taken from his family, and placed into that terrible situation when Jerusalem and the Israelites were ransacked. Whether it was in standing before Belshazzar and pronouncing the judgment upon the kingdom of the Babylonians. Whatever the circumstances of his life, we never, ever hear or see Daniel complaining: never murmuring, never despairing, never disgusted, always positive, always praising the Lord! Now you know nobody enjoys somebody with a negative, critical, murmuring, complaining spirit. Do you like people like that? People who murmur, people who are critical, people who complain constantly? I’ll be honest with you. That just dries me up and discourages me like nothing else. It’s the people that have a happy, optimistic spirit who are encouraged in the Lord.   DANIEL’S POSITIVE SPIRIT OUGHT TO BE OUR SPIRIT AS WELL.

Why Settle for Less?

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.”

1 Chronicles 4:9–10

Time and again, in both the Bible and the history of the church, we see God doing great things in answer to prayer. When we rely on His strength, there is no limit to what He is able to do. We should be challenged to not settle for less than God has promised to us. Adoniram Judson said,“The future is as bright as the promises of God.”D. L. Moody said, “If God be your partner, make your plans large!” John R. Rice said, “Big prayers delight a mighty God.”

Yet despite the unlimited power of God and His promises to provide for us, many Christians are not receiving what they want or need. The disconnect is not on God’s end. He has no shortages. But too often we fail to tap into the Divine resources He has made available to us. James said, “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not”(James 4:2).

There is certainly great value in being content with what we have and not being driven by envy and covetousness. But there is no value in not claiming what is our right according to God’s offer of help for His children. There are many things that we do not have, not because they would not be good for us, but simply because we have settled for less and do not ask God to provide.

Today's Growth Principle: 

Never be afraid or ashamed to take God at His Word and claim His promises in faith.