Be an optimist (2)

Whatever circumstances you find yourself in, they don’t have to define you or defeat you. Even if you cannot change them, you can overcome them. George Bernard Shaw wrote, “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them.” When it comes to faith, we rely far too much on circumstantial evidence. Doubt is letting our circumstances dictate how we feel and what we believe. When we let our circumstances get between us and God, it creates a smokescreen of doubt. Faith is putting the promises of God between you and your circumstances. It doesn’t mean you deny reality. It simply means you’re in touch with a greater reality – one more real than what you can touch or taste or see or hear or feel or smell. Jesus was a realist: “In this world you will have trouble.” But He was also an optimist: “Take heart! I have overcome the world” (NIV). Our optimism is anchored to the empty tomb. If Jesus walked out of the tomb, and He did, you don’t have a problem that He cannot solve. And you need to start living as though you believe that is true. There are seven promises in the book of Revelation that begin with the same phrase: “To him who overcomes.” And it reminds us of our true identity as overcomers. We aren’t just conquerors; we are more than conquerors!