15 Uplifting Bible Verses about Positivity
- Whitney Hopler Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
- Published Feb 18, 2022
Pursuing positivity can strengthen your faith if you approach it from an accurate perspective. Unlike the toxic positivity that pressures you to express positive feelings all the time, true positivity is authentic, so you can experience it all circumstances with honesty. Biblical positivity is rooted in wisdom that really works. Here’s what the Bible says about positive thinking, 15 uplifting Bible verses about positivity, and a prayer to stay positive:
15 Bible Verses about Positivity
These Bible verses about positivity shed light on what positivity actually means, and why it’s important.
Rather than pursuing positivity for its own sake, the way to discover positivity is to seek God first, the Bible says in these verses:
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:3
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4
“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” – Isaiah 12:3
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13
Positive thinking is possible through a relationship with God, who will help you focus your mind on what has eternal value. These Bible verses on positivity emphasize the importance of how you think, and how thinking well can lead you to the joy that fuels positivity:
“… be made new in the attitude of your minds;” – Ephesians 4:23
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:2
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” – Galatians 5:22
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” – Colossians 3:1-2
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” - 2 Corinthians 10:5
“… we have the mind of Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 2:16
“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” – Psalm 19:14
“… the joy of the LORD is your strength.” – Nehemiah 8:10
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” - Philippians 4:4
Photo Credit: © Unsplash/Matthew Hamilton
What Does the Bible Teach about Positivity?
The Bible reveals that positivity isn’t an end in itself. It’s a relationship with God that will make it possible for you to enjoy positivity. In order to truly be a positive person, you must first be empowered by connecting to God, who is the source of all that is positive. Pursuing God leads to finding God, because God will meet you where you are. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart,” God promises in Jeremiah 29:13. The first four verses about positivity in the section above all relate to how pursuing a relationship with God leads to positive outcomes. They reveal that God wants to generously give you blessings. They also show joy – which is what fuels positivity – comes from being in a relationship with God.
In your quest for positivity, it’s important to distinguish between happiness and joy. Happiness is a temporary feeling based on good circumstances. Since circumstances constantly change, happiness can be elusive. Joy is much more reliable. Joy transcends circumstances because it’s based on a relationship with God. You can experience joy in any type of circumstances because God is always with you in the middle of them. As you trust God, he will help you with whatever you need, including encouragement and provision. Unlike happiness, joy is available to you in even the most challenging situations of your life.
Pursuing positivity through joy, rather than through happiness, frees you to be yourself with integrity. You never need to deny or suppress the challenging emotions you feel, or to try to force yourself to feel happy when you’re not. My book Wake Up to Wonder explains well-being research into emotions that shows the importance of authentically expressing difficult emotions. Emotions that you may think of as negative feelings – such as sadness and anger – can serve positive purposes. God often uses our emotions as teaching tools to help us learn and grow. Painful emotions are signals that something needs our attention. If we try to avoid the painful emotions we feel, we can miss valuable lessons, like discovering God’s strength in our weakness and developing compassion for others. Jesus didn’t deny or suppress negative emotions during his earthly life. Instead, he expressed them honestly for good purposes – from weeping in sorrow after Lazarus died to angrily overturning the money changers’ tables in the temple. You can express your own challenging emotions with confidence that God will use them to show you something valuable. As you freely express your emotions, you’ll move closer to the God who cares for you. That will lead you to experience joy, which will help you be positive.
Another vital aspect of what the Bible teaches about positivity is managing your mind wisely. The Bible urges you to not allow your valuable mind to be corrupted with harmful thinking patterns, but instead to ask the Holy Spirit to direct your attention to what’s really worth thinking about – what has eternal value. Everything that the Holy Spirit will help you focus on promotes positivity, because it reflects God’s goodness at work in the world. The last 11 Bible verses in the section above describe why thinking well is vital, and reveal the connection between thinking well and experiencing joy. When you focus your mind on what God has to show you, you’ll enjoy positivity as a result.
A Prayer to Stay Positive
Here’s a prayer for positivity that you can personalize as you communicate with God:
My Father in heaven, thank you for the gift of this day. I offer all of it – both the good and the bad – to you. Please help me see every situation in light of your wisdom, so I can perceive the hope you offer me in all circumstances. I celebrate all the good that’s happening in my life with gratitude for all of those blessings. In situations where I’m suffering, I choose to trust you to walk through it with me, to meet my needs, and to use what I’m going through to fulfill good purposes in my life. God, I want much more than just happiness whenever I can find it. I want a relationship with you that brings me constant joy! Please meet me where I am, help me notice your presence with me, and keep growing closer to you. Thank you for generously offering me joy anytime and anywhere. I want to access that joy fully. Holy Spirit, please renew my mind, so I can think well. Help me focus on what’s true and what matters most. Guide me so I can make the best decisions about what I choose to pay attention to day by day. Help me avoid focusing on untrue, harmful, or trivial matters that aren’t worth dwelling on. Lead me to what pleases God and is worth my time to ponder. Show me how to become the person God wants me to become, and to join God’s work in this world. Give me a fresh spark of faith to help me shine my light brightly. Send your love flowing through my life into the lives of other people. May I become a powerful positive influence on others who are seeking you, God. I love you! Amen.
Conclusion
No matter what circumstances you’re facing right now, you can enjoy positivity by choosing a relationship with God. Bible verses about positivity reveal good news: You don’t have to try to force yourself to be happy in order to experience positivity. Instead, you can find joy through a relationship with God, and that joy will fuel positivity in your life. You can be positive even in the most challenging situations because God will be right there with you to give you strength!
Photo Credit: ©GettyImage/aldomurillo
