Hopelessness – Hopeful

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future – Jeremiah 29:11

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. – Hebrews 11:6

Regardless of the situation, you can know that God, in his love wants it to work out for the best for you.  So if you think you are in a hopeless situation, remember that God has good plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  He wants you to have a hope and a bright future.  Your response is to have faith in God and believe that He is able to reward your faith with exactly what you need.

Complaining – Thankful

Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. – Numbers 11:1

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

You can look at this one simply like this.  When you complain about something in your life, you are not expressing gratitude to God for all of the other areas in your life that are going well.  Even if things are not perfect, as long as you have breath in your body, you still have something to be thankful to God for.  Furthermore, you can look at it like this.  When you are complaining you are praising the devil because of using your words and energy not to praise God.

Worry – Assured

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:25-34

There are so many things in this world that you can chose to worry about.  But instead of worrying, chose to rest knowing that God in his unfailing love for you will meet all your needs. Worry is when you are thinking negatively about something.  Think positively about that situation knowing that God will meet your needs.

Anxious – Patience

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:4-7

Anxiety comes from not believing that things will work out for you.  So instead of being patient and waiting, you get anxious and say “the longer this may take the greater the chance that it will not work out”.  You don’t have to be a prisoner to anxiety.  Paul says to Rejoice… then he says it again.  Start to sing some songs of praise to God.  This will calm your mind down and not give you an opportunity to be anxious.  Also pray and commit the situation into Gods hands.  Also express thanksgiving as a sign of your faith in Gods ability to meet the need.  Finally, Gods peace will fill your heart and guard you from being anxious about the situation.

Fear – Faith

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. – Daniel 3:1

But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.” – Daniel 3:12

There’s an acronym that I’ve heard before on fear and its False Evidence Appearing Real.  Situations may come up against you and try to intimidate you to and try to stop you from moving forward to do the will of God.  Fear always tries to intimidate.  Its usually really loud and boastful.  But remember that God uses foolish things of this world to shame the wise. (1 Corinthians 1:27)  Fear wants you to bow down and worship it instead of God.  As you read further down in Daniel 3:16-18, you see that the three Hebrew boys had faith in God to save them from the fire furnace and refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s image.  The end result is that God preserved them through the fire and no only that, Nebuchadnezzar confessed that there was no God like our God. And to add the cherry on top… He promoted those three Hebrew boys.  So don’t bow to fear but have faith in God.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. – 1 Corinthians 1:27