An Interesting "Sermon" About Having a Positive Attitude

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It was actually a Public Discourse, with persons of various religions invited to listen. I found it VERY thought provoking, so I thought I would share some of my notes with you. The speaker based the discourse on Acts 14:22 which says: “We must enter into the kingdom of God through many tribulations.” He encouraged the members of the audience by saying: “rather than becoming dejected,” we should view these tribulations, as “opportunities to manifest courage, based on your faith in God’s abilities to help you.” In other words, we need to “focus on positive things,” he said, because Gods’ Word tells us: “A joyful heart has a good effect on the countenance, but because of the pain of the heart, there is a stricken spirit.” Proverbs 15:13 Then he explained that medical researchers have long recognized the curative value of positive thinking. Such as patients being given “sugar pills” (placebos) and have experienced relief of symptoms simply because they THOUGHT they were getting help. I’m sure many of us have heard this before, but then, he said something that I had never heard of before. The nocebo effect. Say what? It’s the opposite effect and has been tested. Patients’ health worsened simply because they were told that a drug would have negative effects on them. Have you heard of that before? Nocebo, that’s a NEW WORD for me. This proves that having a positive attitude helps us through any trial we might face. The speaker went on to say that Jehovah God does NOT give us “sugar pills.” Instead, HE gives us real comfort through the encouragement found in his Word, even in times of disaster and severe health issues. We receive the strength provided by the Holy Spirit if we ask for it in prayer and we can find support through our association with others who share our beliefs. These things, he said, will “lift us up.” So we need to focus on positive aspects of our lives, not dwell on negative events. Proverbs 17:22 I thought it was a very uplifting discourse. I wish everyone who is suffering in any way could have heard it. Picture by Pixabay