THE POSITIVE ATTITUDE PYRAMID

THE POSITIVE ATTITUDE PYRAMID 

"And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."  - Numbers 13:32 :33 (KJV)

A newly married woman insisted on going to the desert to stay with her husband. The only place the couple could find to live was a small apartment near an Indian village. The daytime heat was unbearable and the dry wind blew constantly, covering everything with dust. None of the Indians spoke English. The young wife was miserable. Then, she learned that her husband was going deeper into the desert for two weeks. So, she wrote her mother and asked if she could come back home.

In her mother’s reply were these words: "Two men looked through prison bars; one saw mud, the other saw stars." As the woman read those lines over and over, she decided to change her attitude. She decided to look for the stars. She set out to make friends with the Indians. When they saw her genuine interest, they taught her weaving and pottery. She learned their culture and language. Then, she began to study the desert and its trees. Not only did she survive, she became known as an expert on the area and later published a book about it.

The old woman's reply to her daughter remind me of the ten spies who brought back negative assessment reports of the Land of Canaan to the children of Israel in the wilderness. All the things that those ten spies saw in the land of Canaan was mud and no stars at all. Everyone who heard their reports were discouraged, wept profusely and wished they had opportunity to go back to Egypt (Numbers 14:1-3) . They concluded that the land of Cannan cannot be the promise land that God had  promised them. They believed that taking over the land was an impossible task and they were ready to give up on their dream and God's promise. As a result, the entire nation was made to wander in the desert for 40 years, until almost the entire generation of men died. Joshua and Caleb - the two spies who brought back a good report were the only men from their generation permitted to go into the Promised Land (Numbers 14:30)

"The whole community was in an uproar, wailing all night long. All the People of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The entire community was in on it: “Why didn’t we die in Egypt? Or in this wilderness? Why has God brought us to this country to kill us? Our wives and children are about to become plunder. Why don’t we just head back to Egypt? And right now!” - Numbers 14:1-3 (MSG)

Beloved, are you in an unbearable, inescapable situation today financially, academically, or maritally? When you look through the window of life today, what do you see? Do you see mud or stars? Do you see giants or a land following with milk and honey? Are you already thinking of changing course like the woman in the above story and the children of Israel? Hear the word of the Lord, - "Life is always hard for the poor, but the right attitude can turn it into a party" -  Proverbs 15:15 (Easy to Read Version)

Friends, in the midst of that challenging situation, why not ignore the mud around and focus on the stars in your sky. Like Joshua and Caleb, please refuse to be intimidated or discouraged by the size and numbers of the giants on your promise land. Like the woman in the story above, please look for the stars in that unbearable situation. Yes, you may not have control over what happens to you, but you do have control over your attitude. So, I urge you to climb the positive attitude pyramid today and make the best of that situation with the help of God. Who knows? You might end up writing a best selling book on the subject matter very soon. As the Lord God of Heaven lives, before this month is over, those hard times shall turn to lavish celebration for you and your household in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. (Amen). 

One special hymn that describes the splendour of the promise land that God promised us is titled: "God Has Set The Land Before Us". May I urge you to please let God minister to you as you meditate on the lyrics of this wonderful hymn below. 

GOD HAS SET THE LAND BEFORE US By Lowell Mason (1792- 1872)

God has set the land before us,
And the land we will possess.
God has finally found a people
Tired of the wilderness.
Down with every weight and sin;
Let’s go up and enter in.

Refrain:
       Hallelujah,  Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Amen.

God has cleared the way before us
Through the victory of His Son;
Raised the Victor’s banner o’er us,
All the battles He has won.
All that’s left for us to do
Is by faith to follow through.

It’s a land of hills and valleys,
Brooks of water flowing free;
Fountains rich with living water,
Streams that flow abundantly.
Brothers, joyfully we stand
In His promise, Christ the land.

God has made the fruit to grow here,
Filled the land with produce sweet:
Olive oil and pomegranates,
Fig trees, honey, vines and wheat.
We need nothing else besides,
All we need the land provides.

We have eaten unto fullness,
And with joy we bless the Lord,
For the good land He has given;
Faithful to His promised Word.
Here we find there is no lack—
Never, never we’ll go back!

All we need to do is labor,
Working on the land each day;
Not expecting ’manna’ blessing,
Working in a normal way.
God and man cooperating
While for harvest we are waiting.

Labor thus will bring the increase
Of the land with all its worth,
And the Lord will have the harvest,
When He comes to reap the earth.
To provide the Lord the way,
We must labor day by day.

My prayer for you and my humble self is that we shall possess the promise land that God has set before us. We shall never go back to Egypt. And we shall never cease to labour in the Land for God day by day until Jesus Christ returns to reap the raturable believers to eternal life.

Good day and God bless you.(Amen)

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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