The Spirit Of Negativism

"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power…" 2 Timothy 1:7 

In Numbers 13, God's people were about to enter the promised land. It had taken them 40 years to get to this opportunity. Moses sent spies to evaluate the land. They discovered it was a land of abundance with large grape clusters so big that two men were needed to carry them. However, when the spies returned, most had a negative report. In verse 28, they said, "Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there."  

A negative spirit will paralyze you and keep you from your promised land. Many people are raised in negative homes and look at life from a defeatist point of view. They always expect the worst to happen. If they develop a backache they will hear a voice in their head say, "It's probably cancer." If they have an ingrown toenail, they think, "I have a terrible infection, and soon I won't be able to walk anymore." 

God's people are not supposed to be pessimistic, defeated, and hopeless. A spirit of negativism wants to attach itself to your life, and if you don't learn how to resist it, it will stop you from reaching what God has planned for you. 

God told the people through their leader to "Go into the land and spy it out and accurately assess what the promised land was like." Being positive and faith-filled does not mean living in a state of denial. God doesn't want us to go through life ignoring every problem. But no information, whether good or bad, should determine the kind of spirit that you take on. To walk in victory, fight the voice of negativity daily, and choose instead to believe in God's promises despite what lies before our eyes.

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