Be an “up” person

In order to become an “up” person, you must do these three things: (1) Expand your concept of God. How? By reading His Word and getting to know Him better. Be like the little boy in Sunday school whose teacher asked what he was drawing. He replied, “God!” The teacher said, “But nobody knows what God’s like.” Confidently he replied, “They will when I’m finished!” What is your God like? Loving or judgmental? Distant or available? Limited or powerful? Your concept of God will determine your confidence in Him, so spend time getting to know Him. (2) Recognize Satan’s limitations. The devil is the world’s oldest loser, a former employee of heaven who got fired because of arrogance and who is headed for destruction. And the only power he has over you is the power you give him by remaining “ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11). The Bible says, “Submit yourselves…to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). You have power over Satan—use it. (3) See yourself as God sees you. He sees you not just as you are, but as you will be. If you’ve been conditioned by past experiences to see yourself as worthless, starting now you can change your self-image by believing what God says about you in His Word. When you have His opinion, what else matters? (Read Jeremiah 29:11, Isaiah 43:1-3, and Ephesians 2:6.) As you work on these three things each day, you’ll become an “up” person in a “down” world.