SPIRITUALITY AND FAITH
HOW TO THRIVE,
NOT JUST SURVIVE!
Article by Pastor Philip Nissley,
New Hope Assembly of God, Taylor, MI
Too many people today feel that their life is headed toward a crash. They feel a crash is inevitable in their health, their home, their employment or finance. Life for them seems to have become unglued! You too may be asking: Is there a way out? Is there any hope?
Romans 8:31-39 is clear: There is hope! There is an answer! There is a way out! A crash in your life does not have to happen. Answers to life's questions are found in Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 10:10 he had come “that (we) may have life and have it abundantly!”
TO MOVE FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING, YOU MUST LEARN TO CAPITALIZE ON THE OPPORTUNITIES GOD PROVIDES FOR YOU
A. Your mental attitude, your determination, your vantage point seeing into your situation…makes all the difference! To help you see this, look at Rom. 8:31-35. How can anything overwhelm us? Rom. 8:31, 34 “If God is for us, who can be against us?... Christ
Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”
B. Jesus has your back! If you fully trust Him daily, you can turn situations you think you can only survive, into those you can THRIVE! Rom. 8:35, 37 says “Who or what will separate us from the love of Christ” – NOTHING…In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us!”
Do you recognize the name Levi Strauss? Like many other men in the 1840s and 50s, Levi left his home to go to California in hopes of making his fortune to look for gold, but made a fortune and a name for himself in a way he had not planned. Strauss took with him a load of heavy canvas fabric, planning to sell his fabric for tents and wagon covers. Then the first miner who came to his place of business said, "You should have brought