The Five Essential Elements To Turning Adversity Into The Abundant Life 

Essential Element Number Three: Gaining a Positive Attitude

By Stephen R. Bolt

There are five essential elements to turning adversity into abundant life:

1. Recalibrating based on your new world
2. Understanding whose trip you’re on
3. Gaining a positive attitude
4. Assessing your resources
5. Understanding money

Literally, to the extent that you effectively grasp and appropriately integrate each of these into your life (spiritual, intellectual, emotional and physical) right now – regardless of how dire your circumstances may appear at the moment – you will literally be on the abundant life road. You may be going through a divorce, bankruptcy, facing the prospect of losing your job, or maybe you just lost a loved one. Whatever your particular circumstances may be, there is something to be gained through this process that will literally enhance your new life. It is guaranteed by the author of all life Himself. And you can have it right now!

In my first blog, I explained that the first Essential Element is to stop denying your problems, stop denying that your world has dramatically changed, and instead begin recalibrating. The second Essential Element is understanding whose trip you’re on. The life we live is not our own, but rather the Christ in us. It is He who gives our life meaning and purpose, and we rely on His promise to bring good from all that happens to us.

OK, we now know that we have to recalibrate and also recognize that our life is not our own, but rather Christ’s. What’s next? Attitude. That’s right, as the cliché goes, your attitude ultimately determines your altitude. This is the most difficult of the five elements to manage, because it has to come from within; from the deepest, most foundational part of your very soul. It comes from your will. And it must be sufficient to literally defy every physical manifestation of your troubles. That is not easy.

Circumstances will blow gale force winds at you. Checks bounce. Your spouse loses her faith in you as a provider and therefore, leader. Sparks of tension crack between husband and wife. Children, used to having a stable, predictable, comfortable lifestyle all of sudden can’t buy lunches at school, or new clothes, or expensive presents for their friend’s birthday party. The pressure mounts; you feel the weight of more and more burdens. The health insurance lapses, a notice is on the door as you drive up announcing the imminent shut off of your electricity. You punch in a number on your cell and it goes straight to “account services”. Still, you are working on a number of different job prospects, but as of yet, nothing has come through. Where is peace? Where is your safe place? How do you sleep? And… how’s your attitude? Where do you get the energy to not only stay in the battle, but do so with confidence?

When those gale force winds blow on you and your fight is gone, revert back to Essential Element 2; remember whose trip you’re on. Joseph heard from God that he would be a king. Next thing he knew he was beaten, thrown into a pit and then sold into slavery. What do you think his attitude was at that point? Something like… “What did I do to deserve this? I thought I was supposed to be a king, now I’m a slave!”

God was not done. What satan and Joseph’s brothers intended for evil, God turned to good (Romans 8:28). It was God’s trip that Joseph was on – not Joseph’s. And even when God made Joseph the most important person in Egypt, evil struck again. Pharaoh’s lusting wife turned against him and screamed “rape!” when Joseph rebuked her advances, and he found himself once again in darkness – this time in prison. But, once again, God was not done. He caused Joseph to once again be in favor and rise to leadership and king.

Our attitude must come from within our deeply held faith in God’s divine protection and purpose. As Jesus’ brother James wrote, we must learn to live by faith, not by sight. In other words, live according to God’s claim on our lives and His promises to us, rather than in the circumstances we find ourselves in – whether good or bad.

Without our eyes riveted on Christ, we have no hope of managing our attitude. Left to ourselves, those gale force winds will blow us right into the pit of despair and lasting destruction. 

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