Good News to Propel You Forward!

Do you crave GOOD NEWS, especially in light of the steady stream of negativity out there? I promise – the world is not falling apart!

Honestly, I don’t think circumstances are any worse than they’ve been in the past, but, thanks to social media, there are just more avenues for the bad news to travel. And bad news travels fast!

With fewer people buying newspapers or tuning into the news on TV, the media often presents news stories in dramatic ways in an attempt to grab your attention and increase the number of viewers.

The Toll

Being bombarded with bad news does nothing good for you! In fact, it actually has physical and psychological consequences. Did you know that, according to Graham C.L. Davey Ph. D. a steady stream of negative news contributes to…

• Stress
• Anxiety
• Sadness
• Worry
• Negative moods
• PSTD in vulnerable individuals

All physical and emotional reactions to bad news take a very real toll on your health!

It takes a whole lot of positive news to compensate for all the negative news! That’s why today I want to share some GOOD NEWS with you! After all, focusing on the positive lessens stress, anxiety, and worry while brightening your mood! Who doesn’t want that?

Let’s get to it! Here’s some GOOD NEWS to help you live and work more effectively:

1. You Are IMPERFECT

Wow! You might be thinking this does not seem like good news! However, it is! What you may not know is why that’s wonderful news. You see, God chooses to use imperfect people to do His work! Yep! Think about it, God uses the most unlikely and far from perfect people – here are just a few examples…

• • • Moses, who struggled to speak well. In fact, he considered his speech issues bad enough to try to talk God out of his assignment! (Exodus 4:10)
    • Rahab, a prostitute. Ordinarily, women are not mentioned in genealogies, yet in Matthew 1:5 Rahab, a non-Hebrew, is mentioned despite her questionable background in the lineage of Christ.
    • David, a mere youngster when God chose him to be king, even though God was not confused about the fact that he would later have an affair with Bathsheba and have her husband murdered. (I Samuel 16/2 Samuel 11)
    • Peter, an impulsive guy who thought more highly of himself that he should have. Even though he denied knowing Jesus three times just like Jesus said he would, God still chose to use him in an integral way in building the church! (Mark 14:28-31, 66-72, & John 21:15-19, Acts 1:14-47)

When imperfect people do unexpectedly great things, it allows God to truly shine. It’s not hard to see that God was involved.

No doubt there’s that something in your life that you feel certain has disqualified you or will keep you from successfully pulling off whatever God’s given you to do. And that’s why knowing that God loves to use imperfect people is VERY GOOD NEWS!

What imperfections does God want to use for His glory in you?

2. You Have A PURPOSE

Deep within you there is the desire to know that you’ve been placed on this earth for a reason, that you have the potential to make a difference or to contribute something significant. In search for that purpose, you may be looking for something specific like becoming the next Billy Graham or Mother Teresa. Maybe for you it’s being influential in the way that Taylor Swift is.

What if your purpose is reflecting God in your unique way and walking in who God created you to BE? More often than not, your way of reflecting Him takes you places you never dreamed, but the GOOD NEWS is that it’s possible to walk in your purpose today! Right now!

Helping people like you hone in on their purpose – that’s just one of the aspects of coaching that tickles my fancy! How about you – have you zeroed in on your purpose, your way of reflecting God in a broken and hurting world?

3. You Have Access To The Power of PRAYER

Years ago, when my oldest two children were small, my then two-and-a-half-year-old daughter suddenly went missing in a department store. My husband and I frantically searched, but were unable to find her. We enlisted the help of store employees and continued the search for what felt like hours. A missing child is troubling, but this missing child also suffered from a chronic immune disorder compounding our concern.

After searching for about a half hour, we finally located our daughter in the dressing room gazing into the mirror and repeating over and over again “I’m pretty,” utterly unaware of the panic she’d caused.

Sometimes you and I are like my daughter – completely confident and utterly unaware of our vulnerabilities. When self-assured I’m prone to wander off thinking I’ve got life, work, business, and ministry. Nothing is further from the truth! I desperately need God’s help, guidance, protection, and more in ALL areas of my life!

You Too Need Help!

Whether you are a leader, professional, entrepreneur, or work in some other capacity altogether, you need help as you navigate life and work. God longs to lead, care, and protect you. And He’s eager to do life WITH you!

Will you lay your challenges at His feet along with your dreams and desires? Do you trust Him to faithfully be at work on your behalf?

Knowing you have access to the God of the universe through the power of prayer is such GOOD NEWS! No matter what’s going on in your life or work, He’s ready and waiting to hear your concerns. In fact, God loves it when you include Him in the conversation from the beginning, rather than waiting to invite Him into the process when you’re challenged, desperate, and have tried everything else. Make prayer your first choice, not your last resort!

Prayer isn’t about getting what you want, it’s about getting to know God better so that you trust Him to care for you even in the worst situations. Prayer changes you in ways that enable you to better reflect Him and make a difference.

How will you prayerfully include Him in your life and work every day – not just when challenges arise? What if including Him in the conversation makes it possible for you to stop stressing and striving? Wouldn’t that be more GOOD NEWS?

4. You Are WEAK!

Yes, being weak is VERY GOOD NEWS, because when you are weak, He strong! Here are a few scriptures to encourage you to remember where your strength comes from:

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. Romans 8:26 (NLT)

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)

He remembered us in our weakness. His faithful love endures forever. Psalms 136:23 (NLT)

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Isaiah 40:29 (NLT)

A Few More!

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Ps 73:26 (NLT)

Listen! The LORD ’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. Isaiah 59:1 (NLT)

He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. Philippians 3:21 (NLT)

That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10 (NLT)

In the preponderance of bad news, you want some GOOD NEWS! Sometimes the craziest thing about GOOD NEWS is how easily the bad news overshadows it. Bad news sadly has a way of capturing and consuming your attention. And whatever you focus on…that’s what grows!

Friend, I trust this has encouraged and blessed you today!

What GOOD NEWS will you focus on?

© Can Stock Photo / yupiramos