TRAIN YOUR EYES TO SEE WHAT IS
GOOD because how we see our circumstances will
He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, but he
who searches after evil, it will come to him.
Proverbs 11:27
All our lives, we have trained our eyes to see
what is bad. From an early age, we have been
training ourselves incorrectly. We get up and
read the morning newspaper over breakfast,
getting our minimum daily requirement of bad
news.
1. Train your eyes to see evidence of His
Presence, not evidence of His absence.
We have to retrain our eyes. The reason is this:
Whatever we’re looking for is what we will see.
Likewise, if we look for the best in other people,
then we will see the most beautiful people in the
world everywhere we turn. What you are
looking for, you will begin to see.
2. Look for evidence of His Presence
Train your eyes to see evidence of God’s
Presence, not evidence of His absence. If you
are looking for God’s absence, you will
conclude that this world is a God-forsaken
place! On the other hand, if you are looking for
evidence of His Presence, you will soon see that
He is with us even in the darkest of moments.
3. Change your Definition
One way to cultivate staying power is to change
your definition of an event or circumstance.
After all, the way in which you define your
circumstances will determine, to a large degree,
how you will respond to that event.
Consider [define] it all joy, my brethren, when
you encounter various trials (James 1:2)
James instructs us to define our events carefully
affect our attitudes and actions. Not only does
James tell us to define them carefully, but he
also tells us to define it all as joy! Not just the
good times but all of our circumstances,
including trials, are to be defined as cause for
joy. How can we possibly do that? Read on, as
James continues:
Consider [define] it all joy, my brethren, when
you encounter various trials, knowing that the
testing of your faith produces endurance. And let
endurance have its perfect result, that you may
be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing
(James 1:2-4)
We get to define it all as joy, even our trials,
when we know the positive outcome any event
can have on our lives-deepening our faith,
producing endurance and making us complete
and lacking nothing. Now that’s a powerful
promise!
Change your definition, considering it all joy,
and watch your faith grow, your endurance
increase and your life become complete. You’ll
lack for nothing, simply because you’ve chosen
to define things the way God defines them.
4. Define things the way God defines them
David is one of my heroes. He was one of
Israel’s greatest leaders, a man after God’s own
heart (see 1 Sam. 13:14). David faced many
challenges, but he seemed to rise above every
one! Even when his foes were far bigger,
something always seemed to carry him through.
How was he able to do this? David was a man
who defined things, not as he saw them, but as
God saw them.
“You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a
javelin, but I come to you in the name of the
Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel,
whom you have taunted” (1 Sam. 17:45)
CULTIVATE a Spirit of GRATEFULLNESS,
regardless of your circumstances.
It was in the cave of Engedi where David
displayed a quality of leadership that was to
become a hallmark of his life. He was hiding in
the cave when Saul entered, unaware of David’s
presence. Weary from his pursuit of David, Saul
fell asleep. Here was David’s golden opportunity
to rid himself of Saul and end the king’s
merciless crusade! David’s men urged him on:
(1 Samuel 24:4,6)
David chose to see circumstances and events
from God’s perspective, and in so doing, he
received strength and courage from the Lord.
His “eye was clear” (see Matt. 6:22). His
perspective was God-pleasing. This is why God
made David successful in all he did. That kind
of strength comes only as a result of having the
right attitude. David was a man after God’s own
heart, because he defined events the way God
defined them.
5. Don’t mess up inside the Father’s House
The prodigal had indeed messed up his life
outside the father’s house. However, because of
a bad attitude, his elder brother messed up his
life inside the father’s house. Instead of looking
for what he could be grateful for, he found a
reason that could justify his anger.
Looking for what is bad in life can cause a
person to develop a deadly cancer known as
ungratefulness. Ungratefulness affects our
attitude in subtle ways that may not surface for
years, as in the case of the prodigal son’s bother.
Because of his perspective, which was focused
entirely on himself and his problems, he
couldn’t see the situation the way his father saw
it. Because of his bad attitude, the young man
refused to welcome back his brother, and he
missed the blessing.
6. Cultivate a Grateful Spirit
In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will
for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thess. 5:18)
Cultivate a spirit of gratefulness, regardless of
your circumstances. Not just when things are
going your way, but in everything! Grateful
attitudes never develop automatically. We must
cultivate them and train them according to God’s
directions, much like programming a computer.
If we set ourselves up with the right
programming, we will get the right results. The
good news is we can program our attitudes with
gratitude so that we can reap wonderful results.
7. Take time to Appreciate
In training your eyes to see what is good, take
the time to enjoy the simple things again. Pause
long enough to smell the flowers. Stop long
enough to sit down and see a sunrise or a sunset.
Cultivate gratefulness.
When you do, you’ll begin to condition your
attitude, to cultivate a grateful spirit and you will
soon have a garden blooming with contentment.
8. Learn to Enjoy the Ride
There are going to be challenges and hills to
climb on this journey. That’s given. Once you
know that hills and trials will always be there,
you will be able to expect them and no longer be
surprised by them, which will free you up and
enable you to enjoy the ride
Tips to enjoy the Ride:
1. Take five minutes today and write down
the names of two people you appreciate.
Write them a note of thanks.
2. Don’t forget to laugh.
3. Do one thing for yourself today.
4. Make a new friend today.