Shepherd Community Church has six major atmospheres, and the first one is to maintain a positive faith in God. I think this is the most important and fundamental of the six atmospheres.

Trusting is very important. We are in grace through faith. Romans 1 says that righteousness is from faith to faith. Hebrews 11 says that without faith it is impossible to please God.

Faith must be positive because the object of our trust is God, so it must be positive. Although Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy us, God is the One in control and He is determined to bless us. So if we trust in Him, we can stay positive in any situation.

However, one of the greatest tests for a Christian is to stay positive. On the way to heaven, pilgrims will encounter many difficulties and tests. Especially in the last days, the pressures, difficulties, and temptations will become greater and greater, and if you cannot stay positive, you will quickly become discouraged.

How to maintain a positive and trusting attitude?

1. Develop a strong sense of grace

The first step to staying positive and passionate is to deliberately cultivate a strong sense of grace.

God is extremely gracious to us; this is an objective fact. The question is whether we have turned this objective fact into our subjective experience at every moment. In life and ministry, we will constantly encounter many problems, and these problems can easily become our focus.

Focus is very important! If we focus on our difficulties, the greater they will become and the harder it will be to see God's grace. Conversely, if we focus on God's grace, grace will increase. If we see difficulties more than God's grace, we will inevitably be anxious, discouraged, and weak.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105) Why is it a lamp to my feet? Because God's light only illuminates the step we are about to take. God's guidance is step by step. We just need to live in the present moment and draw on the grace we need in the present moment. Don't worry about tomorrow, don't let the worries of tomorrow suffocate the fire of our service today. This makes serving much easier.

I'm not perfect, but I'm on my way to perfection, and God is pleased with my progress. I'm not perfect, but I'm willing to repent every day. I still fail, but I keep fighting. I focus on where I have improved, not where I am yet to improve. I treat other people and the church with the same attitude. I encourage those people and churches who feel they are not good enough and have not reached their ideals to keep working hard and moving forward. I have decided that wherever I go, I will be a person who spread faith instead of a person who spread negativity.

Every Christian is a child of peace. As children of peace, we should stir up morale and boost trust instead of sowing doubt and negativity. We should emphasize more on what God has accomplished and count it more as grace. Don't talk too much about less-than-ideal situations; it's discouraging. Also, don't agree with those who speak negatively and talk about problems together. The more you talk, the more negative the atmosphere becomes, the more helpless and dissatisfied you become. The problem will not disappear automatically just because you talk more! As children of peace, we must be careful about the atmosphere we spread. If you know where the problem lies, there is no need to say more. Just be down-to-earth and improve it step by step. And every step of improvement, no matter how small, should be a source of great excitement, gratitude and encouragement.

If we want our lives to be inspiring, we must deliberately cultivate a positive attitude and the habit of encouraging others anytime and anywhere. To encourage others, you must first be encouraged yourself. I often encourage myself. I see encouraging myself as an important part of my service to God. Because the consciousness of grace needs to be cultivated!

No matter how busy I am, I make a point to set aside some time every day to count God's grace. There are many time gaps in our daily schedule. During these gaps, we can count God's grace, meditate on God's love, and absorb God's love into our hearts. Frequently counting God's grace will make me realize that I always live in grace and that it is God's grace that supports me. In this way, God's grace is no longer an objective fact, but has become my subjective experience at every moment. In this way, I can remain positive and enthusiastic despite problems and difficulties.

2. Build an empowering rhythm from God

The second way to stay positive and passionate is to establish a rhythm of receiving power from God.

While swimming, I gradually figured out a secret: as long as I could master my swimming rhythm, I could swim a long distance without feeling strenuous. If I get thrown off my rhythm, I'll feel tired even if I haven't swum far. Disruptions to rhythm are often caused by comparing myself to others. When I see others swimming faster than me, I speed up, not wanting to fall behind; when I see others swimming slower than me, I slow down. In this way, I was unconsciously controlled by others and my swimming pace became more and more difficult. As long as I don't care about the speed of others and just swim at my own pace, I can swim long distances easily and comfortably.

When I find my own rhythm of empowerment from God and live by that rhythm, I won't burn out. Creating a rhythm requires discipline, and my discipline is that I don't start my day without spending time with God.

How do I start my day with God?

• Deep/abdominal breathing (5 minutes)
• Praise and thank God out loud (5-10 minutes)
• Meditate on God's words and turn what I hear into prayer (15 minutes)
• Prayer (about 10 minutes)
• Exercise (about 20 minutes)
• Eat breakfast

This has become my rhythm, come rain or shine. This rhythm helps me to continue to receive strength from God and to maintain my inner positivity and passion amidst all kinds of pressure and problems.

Each person's rhythm for receiving strength from God is different, and the spiritual rhythm must be personalized in order to be lasting and effective. Each person must find his or her own rhythm of receiving strength from God.

Have you found your own rhythm of receiving strength from God? One of the focuses of discipleship should be to help the other person find his own personal rhythm of receiving strength from God, and to watch over him to keep this rhythm until it becomes a habit that will never change. In this way, he will be in good condition and will bear more fruits.

Maintain a Positive and Trusting Attitude