The Negative Zone ( Part 3)

The Negative Zone (Part 3)

Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

The biggest and most complex obstacle you will ever have to overcome the Negative Zone is in YOUR mind.  Truly, if you can overcome that, you can overcome anything.  And by “overcoming,” I’m referring to the skill of mindfulness, and learning to effectively control your emotional responses to life’s unexpected challenges.  Because most of our deepest pain comes from the way we respond to those challenges and not the way life is. The Bible never promised life would be easy, but that God would help us endure until the end.

Don’t overestimate the importance of one big, challenging circumstance and then underestimate the value of making better daily decisions based on what that circumstance has taught you.  The truth is, you need things to be challenging and you need things to be hard.  Your mind and body need to be exercised to gain strength.  They need to be worked consistently.  Because if you haven’t pushed yourself in lots of little ways over time or if you always avoid dealing with and working through the hard things, you’ll crumble on the inevitable days that are harder than you expected.

Oftentimes we have our ideal opportunity sitting right in front of us, but take zero action.  We refuse to step up and pursue what we truly want because, deep down, we fear pain, rejection, or failure.  So, we subconsciously and heartbreakingly trade comfort and self-preservation for lifelong misery.  Don’t do this to yourself. It might be easier to give up, but God is the God of better. David said that he’d never seen “the righteous forsaken, nor their seed begging for bread.”

You don’t need God’s permission to move forward with your life. No one is going to give you the permission you seek or need.  Don’t wait to be chosen or blessed by someone else.  The chosen and blessed ones choose and bless themselves, with heart-centered focus and consistent action.  Your life is YOUR choice!  Know this, choose wisely, and take action. God’s in control if you will let Him be!