You may have watched it in a sports event recently. The Spirit of Negativity overtakes a team or an individual and the game is over long before it is over. "We can't beat these guys" is a self-fulfilling prophecy. "We can't do anything right" will make sure that you can't do anything right. It is self condemning. It is self defeating.
The Spirit of Negativity can take over an organization. "Our products are junk" makes sure the employees make defective products. "The boss doesn't know what he is doing" helps to make sure that he doesn't know what he is doing. People tend to act out what they believe. A preponderance of negativity will make anyone question what he or she is doing. An organization with a significant number of negative people is on its way down.
Churches often get the Spirit of Negativity. It seems to loom around the church until the opportunity arises. It questions until it finds something negative. It magnifies each negative until it can get a consensus of negatives. It destroys reaching the unchurched. It wants a group of people who believe exactly as it does. It makes ludicrous statements like, "The Pastor is not friendly," when this is not the case at all. It looks for reasons to believe this outlandish statements. He doesn't greet someone on a Sunday morning or he walks by someone in the grocery store and further evidence is presented to the Spirit of Negativity. This Spirit continues to spread the negative like a politician trying to win an election.
Unfortunately, I have seen churches enslaved by negativity. They are spiraling downward because they do not believe their Lord has magnificent plans for them. They are looking to blame someone else for their downfall when it is really just their own negativity. The Spirit of Negativity will keep any potential member from joining. It will keep any potential Sunday School teacher from teaching. It will keep many tithers from giving freely.
Let's face it: the Spirit of Negativity is the work of the devil. He will woo you to believe him. He will question your positives. He will deny their validity. He will lead you to follow him. He will make you his slave.
But you and your church do not have to believe him. You have someone within you stronger than him. You can rely on your Lord to tell the devil where to go. You must believe that the Lord knows and has solutions to the negative things that have happened.
The Lord's Spirit is one of grace. He says that even the negative things happen so that you will see His grace. There is something that He will do to take the negative and make a positive result. He says that the pastor and people are His grace for each other. He says that the bad economy will bring more opportunities to reach the unchurched. He says that the moral failure of a staff member will result in something good for the church and the former staff member if each will come fully to Him. He says that He knows what you are going through and will make something greater than you can imagine.
Your best days are ahead of you. That's what the Lord says. Keep telling yourself that and see what the Lord will do.
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