By Steve Backlund

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)

I frequently say, “I am not a proponent of positive thinking but of biblical optimism.” Certainly, positive thinking has its benefits, but we cannot simply have a “mind over matter” approach in our thinking. Our positivity needs to be anchored to something eternal and unchanging. 

Positive thinking means we approach unpleasantness in a more positive and productive way. We think the best is going to happen, not the worst.

As early as the first century, writers like Epictetus were saying, "The thing that upsets people is not so much what happens, but what they think about what happens.”

Norman Vincent Peale, a Methodist minister, wrote the best-selling book, The Power of Positive Thinking in 1952, and over fifteen million copies have been sold to date. I have read the book, and it greatly impacted my thinking and theology by giving me biblical insights into the power of beliefs. 

When I say, “I am not a proponent of positive thinking”, I am saying that positive thinking apart from a committed relationship to Jesus lacks the most important ingredient for real, lasting positivity. If we try to live Romans 12:2 (“be transformed by the renewing of your mind”), without first establishing Romans 12:1 (“present your bodies as a living sacrifice”), then our mind renewal (positive thinking) will have deception in it. 

With that said, I believe many believers would greatly benefit from listening to biblically-based “positive thinking” teachers and preachers. This should not be the only food in our spiritual diet, but without it, we will most likely be living joylessly and pessimistically, feeling unworthy, and falling far short of our potential. 

My favorite definition of hope is this: Hope is the belief that the future will be better than the present, and I have the power to help make it so. Hope certainly is a positive perspective on life and the future. Here are two other great definitions of hope:

• Hope is an overall optimistic attitude about the future based on the goodness and promises of God. 
• Hope is the confident, joyful expectancy that good is coming. 

The more truth we believe, the more optimistic we will be; but the more lies we believe, the more pessimistic we will be. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

So how do we get biblical optimism into our lives? We get it through meditating on and speaking the promises of God. Our biblical optimism will grow massively as we believe promises like these:

• God is faithful - The more we believe He is faithful, the more optimistic our thoughts and words will be. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)
• Our prayers are working and changing things - Much of our confident, joyful expectancy comes from believing our prayers are powerful and effective. “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14-15)
• All things are working for our good - If it is not good yet, He is not done working. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
• He is currently completing what He has started in us and around us - My faith is not in me, but in His ability to bring things to a positive completion. “Being confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

And there are many more promises we could mention that will create a supernatural experience for our future. 2 Peter 1:4 tells us this: “By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature.” Part of participating in the divine is to have hope (optimism for the future). Truly, our futures are as bright as the promises of God. And, of course, our optimism will go off the charts as we gain greater revelation that we have eternal life through Jesus, and we will be with our Lord forever and ever after this life ends. 

Yes, I am a biblical optimist. It is absolutely a positive way of thinking, but it is connected to the unchanging love and faithfulness of God. Let’s be powerful carriers of hope to those around us like never before.