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Focus on the Good
23 Plays1 year ago
How many times do we focus on what is going wrong? On the hard things that we feel like can't change. The Israelites are focused on the obstacles in Canaan, and are filled with fear. Caleb and Joshua remind them of the positive. We need to remind our brains and hearts of the positive, and that no matter what we can focus on things above. We can focus on God.
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Transcript
Introduction and the Role of the Bible in Mental Health
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fillingyouupwithhope
Hi, it's Abby from Filling You Up with Hope. I'm just so thankful that you're here for an episode. We go through the Bible and we find so much hope. We talk about mental health and and so many things.
Choosing Positivity Over Negativity
00:00:17
fillingyouupwithhope
And we're talking about something so important today, which is focusing on the good. So many times we don't do that. Our brain, like what we've talked about the past couple weeks, our brain focuses on what we're lacking instead of the blessings in our life. And that's a choice um that we make. Like, what are we going to focus on?
Recognizing and Addressing Thinking Errors
00:00:45
fillingyouupwithhope
And sometimes our focusing on negative things that are happening. It's a thinking error.
00:00:56
fillingyouupwithhope
and In therapy, thinking errors right in psychology are like their common negative thinking patterns that so many people have. um It's very common. But when we're aware of the thinking errors, which you can you know Google search, find find them. um When you're aware of them, it's really helpful because then you know when you're doing it,
00:01:26
fillingyouupwithhope
you you're aware of it and because you know about them and then you can turn to God when you're doing that and you can focus on him and but God God has um God can help us with this and we can change we can change our thinking we really can and but One thinking error is like mental filtering or discounting the positive. And that's what we're talking about.
Lessons from Joseph's Story
00:02:04
fillingyouupwithhope
It's ignoring or rejecting good things that are happening to you and just focusing on, um, and focusing on the bad things, the things that we think are bad that are happening. And most of us do this, uh, and
00:02:25
fillingyouupwithhope
Like I think about Joseph and him being sold into slavery by his brothers, right? But he has this perspective at the end. He could have a negative perspective. Like all of these things have happened to him, you know, these hard things and being left in a pit. Like, um, but he knew that God was working. It was part of God's plan. And.
00:02:55
fillingyouupwithhope
he He forgave his brothers and he had that perspective. So he could have focused on the negative, but we learned from him, like he was focused on God and how God was working in his life. So I feel like that story of Joseph really, there's so much in it. So much. And, you know, so much we can learn from that story.
00:03:23
fillingyouupwithhope
but You know, these thinking patterns, like the first thing to help with it is being aware.
Criticism and Cultural Reflections
00:03:33
fillingyouupwithhope
Being aware and um that we're doing it. And that's why looking up these thinking errors online, like is a helpful thing. Because being aware, wait a second, I'm doing this, which most of us are. And um and the Israelites, we're we're doing this.
00:03:53
fillingyouupwithhope
And, um, but we're going to start in Numbers 12 today. And it's a blessing. We're going to go over, um, some of Numbers 12, a little in 13, a little in 14. And, um, and, and I'm just so thankful that we get to do that. So Numbers 12, one through three. When they were in Haseroth, Maryam and Aaron, who are Moses's brother and sister criticized Moses on account of the Kushite woman whom he married. And Kush, that's land south of Egypt. So could have been Ethiopia or Sudan or you know somewhere south of Egypt. um They said, has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn't he also spoken through us? The Lord heard it
00:04:50
fillingyouupwithhope
Now, the man Moses was humble, more so than anyone on earth. And so they are criticizing Moses. And they're criticizing him for who he married. Marrying inside the culture was important in Judaism.
00:05:17
fillingyouupwithhope
um it was in It was important when when my parents got married, my mom was Jewish, my dad was Catholic and my mom's family, my mom's grandfather, like wouldn't speak to her for a while for marrying someone outside of the faith. Like that was an important, that was a part of their culture, right? And um and so they're criticizing and they're They're gossiping, criticizing, right? When we have these negative thoughts, like what they're having about about Moses, right? we we need to We need to pray and um we need to pray about it and give God those feelings and no matter what those feelings are.
00:06:14
fillingyouupwithhope
And we also, it's like two paths, like in
Prayer and Avoiding Negativity
00:06:18
fillingyouupwithhope
Proverbs, right? And we need to choose that we are not going to go down the the criticizing negativity path, right? um But so we some we can, but we can all work on this, right? um Like when we're criticizing, we're criticizing like a child of God, right?
00:06:43
fillingyouupwithhope
And so it's something we um all can work on and um and learn from. But going going down to Numbers 13, God tells Moses like send said men, um send them to explore Canaan and the promised land. And so um so we go to,
Challenges from the Exploration of Canaan
00:07:12
fillingyouupwithhope
um In Numbers 13, 18, it says, you must inspect the land. What is it like? Are the people who live in it strong or weak, few or many, um is the land in which they live good or bad? So they're supposed to explore this. And then we learn and In 20, Moses is telling the people, be courageous. And that's so something like when we're facing something that God is calling us to do, just like these people are doing, we need to remember to be courageous, to be strong and rooted in God. That you know that is the only way we're gonna focus on him
00:08:06
fillingyouupwithhope
when we're when we're facing these challenges, right? and We have to be courageous and strong in him. It has to be so strong. so and But they do that, right? the These leaders of different tribes, they they go and they explore they explore this land. And um and they go and it's a new territory, right?
00:08:35
fillingyouupwithhope
and And so they're being brave and courageous and they're doing that. And they go to the land and they find um delicious fruit. They find like pomegranate and other fruit. And then they report, right? They come back, I think it's 40 days that they go there and they're like, you know they're seeing what it's like. So we have in 1327 their report.
00:09:06
fillingyouupwithhope
Then they gave their report. We entered the land in which you sent us. It's actually full of milk, honey, and um and this is its fruit. They bring the fruit. there are There are, however, powerful people who live in the land. And the people start freaking out, right?
00:09:31
fillingyouupwithhope
Because there's powerful people
Parallels Between Israelites' Fears and Our Own
00:09:33
fillingyouupwithhope
there. Like, how are they going to live there? How are they going to overtake these people who are powerful? and and um And how many times does that happen to us, right? Where we're facing something, right? We're doing something that we feel like God is calling us to do, but we feel like it's too much. Like they feel like this land, all these people who are there, who are strong, like this is too much.
00:09:59
fillingyouupwithhope
and we we face um difficulties in life and we feel like this is too much like I can't handle it and that's true we can't handle it but with God we can and when we think that we can't we're um forgetting about God's power and his might and and these you know and God These people saw him part the Red Sea and perform all these miracles. In our own lives, he has done such amazing things just that we're here and we're knit together in our mom's wombs. There's so many miracles, right and but they aren't they aren't seeing that and they're getting
Caleb's Reassurance and Trust in God
00:10:53
fillingyouupwithhope
scared. they're like
00:10:55
fillingyouupwithhope
ah how How are we going to do this? how this is not me This is not what I expected the the land would be like, right? and But two of the leaders, ah actually one, Caleb, but he was a leader of the tribe of Judah. um He helped calm them down. 1330. No. Now, Caleb calmed the people before Moses and said, we must go up and take possession of it because we are more than able to do it. He is encouraging, which is what we need to be doing. He is strong in his face that he knows that we've got God with us. We can do this. And he's being like a peacekeeper, which
00:11:54
fillingyouupwithhope
is something we can all learn from and be case peacekeepers when people are scared around us, people are anxious, like the Israelites here. And so Caleb's trying to come them.
00:12:15
fillingyouupwithhope
And, you know, we've we've faced so many struggles before. And that's so true. Like in our lives, we've faced many, many things, but God, we get through it and we get through it. We get through it because of God. And sometimes the obstacles just seem too big and we let fear take over.
00:12:46
fillingyouupwithhope
But instead of doing that when we're when we're feeling fearful and like this is just too much, that is when we need to turn to God and we need to surrender it to God because you can't do it. You can't. And we want control over things. um But God is in control and we can surrender and give things to him and then trust that it's gonna be okay. And then we're not, we're focusing on good.
The Israelites' Fear and Desire to Return to Egypt
00:13:24
fillingyouupwithhope
We're not discounting the positive. when When we're focused on the obstacles, we're forgetting the positive things, right? um And we're forgetting like the goodness and power of God. So what do they do?
00:13:47
fillingyouupwithhope
Instead of trusting God that this is um this is the land that he's guiding us to and and trusting that, and trusting that Caleb said that we're able, we're able because we have God. In 14.2, the entire community raised their voices and the people wept that night. All the Israelites criticized Moses and Aaron. The entire community said to them,
00:14:14
fillingyouupwithhope
If only we had died in the land of Egypt or if we had died in the desert, why is the Lord bringing us to the land to to fall by sword? Our wives and our children will be taken by force. Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt? So they said to each other, let's pick a leader and let's go back to Egypt. So that is how frightened they are. That is how scared they are of of the mighty people and in that land. They're so fearful and um there they're not focusing on the power of God. They are stuck in fear and
00:15:10
fillingyouupwithhope
They want to go back to when the fear is so strong that they want to go back to when they were enslaved. Right? And their brains are just focused on this fear. And and we all go through things where we're doing this too. And so, but if we go to, um so so after that, um and now in 14, six,
Joshua and Caleb on Trusting God's Promises
00:15:39
fillingyouupwithhope
Again, Caleb, and this time with Joshua, Nunsun, they're going to say something. But Joshua, Nunsun, and Caleb, from those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the and entire Israelite community, the land we crossed through to explore is an exceptionally good land.
00:16:06
fillingyouupwithhope
If the Lord is pleased with us, He'll bring us into the land and give it to us. And as the land that's full of milk and honey, only don't rebel against the Lord and don't be afraid of the people of the land. So they are reminding the people of the good.
00:16:32
fillingyouupwithhope
Right? That this, wait, this is a good, beautiful land, exceptional with um with food, with, it's it's our land. Right? And so he they're reminding them of that and they're reminding them of who is in control. And that if it's in God's will and if God's pleased with us, then it's going to happen. And that takes trust and faith.
00:17:02
fillingyouupwithhope
And we and we can learn from that and we can focus our brains on on the positive so But what do we do right if we're not focusing
Setting Minds on Heavenly Things
00:17:17
fillingyouupwithhope
on the good? Because so we all go through times where this is happening to us like how do we change? how do we change and and the answer is um focusing on God. You know, what whatever we're preoccupied with, whatever negative thing we're preoccupied with, is it it's a choice what we're focused on. And we can choose to to focus on Him and His goodness. And somehow, ah this took me to Colossians. Colossians 3, and I think I'm going to
00:18:00
fillingyouupwithhope
read this chapter. I love it and have so much of it underlined from different years and there's so many good reminders. So collagions three. One. Therefore, if you were raised with Christ, look for the things that are above where Christ is sitting at God's right side. Think about the things of of above and not things on this earth.
00:18:30
fillingyouupwithhope
Like it is telling us to think about things that are above, not on this earth. So many times when we're focused on the negative, we're focused on things of this earth. We're we're focused on things that are out of our control. We're focused on things that aren't from God. So when we pray about it and trust God about it,
00:19:01
fillingyouupwithhope
And then we can focus on him. We can focus on him. So and then continuing down in collagens, right? um Three, eight. But now set aside things such as anger, rage, malice, slander, obscene language.
00:19:28
fillingyouupwithhope
um Don't lie
Practicing Compassion, Kindness, and Forgiveness
00:19:30
fillingyouupwithhope
to each other. Take off the hold old human nature with its practices and put on the new nature, which is renewed in knowledge by conforming to the image of the to of the one who created it. And I just love this verse. In this image, there is neither Jew nor Greek, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian,
00:19:58
fillingyouupwithhope
Scythian, sorry, slave nor free, but Christ is all things and all people. And then, therefore, as God's choice, holy and loved, and taking the sin, right? Put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Be tolerant with each other. And if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other.
00:20:26
fillingyouupwithhope
As the Lord for forgive forgave you, so also forgive each other. And over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. The peace of Christ must control your hearts, a peace into which you were called in one body and be thankful people. Wow. So there's so much, so much in there and um And we can choose to be compassionate, kind. We can choose those things when people like like mayor Miriam and Aaron, like they had concerns, right? But they can choose to put on compassion and kindness, right? And um and above above all, like turning to God, because sometimes it's so hard.
00:21:26
fillingyouupwithhope
It's so hard when we face these things. But we we have Jesus, so we we can do it, right? so So it's just so much goodness in here. I'm going to be reading this and taking it in like as much as I can. And I pray that you do too, because like what a difference that would make to take this into our bones.
00:21:56
fillingyouupwithhope
that to focus on above, right?
Conclusion and Encouragement for the Week
00:22:02
fillingyouupwithhope
Focusing on above, focusing on Jesus. And it's hard, it's hard, but oh I'm just so thankful. And I'm thankful um that we get to go through this every week, God's amazing word. And I can't wait to go more through more of it next week.
00:22:25
fillingyouupwithhope
so I just hope that your week is filled with focusing on God and turning to Him and focusing on the good because He loves you and at any point we can choose to focus on Him instead of the the hard things that we're going through. So I will talk to you next week. Bye.