Your Disposition Matters

Nehemiah 2:1

And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.

Nehemiah made a huge statement about his disposition when he said, I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. Does this mean that Nehemiah never had an opportunity not to be sad in the presence of the king? No! It means that he chose to be happy in the presence of the king despite life’s circumstances that he faced. It just happened to be this one time that a situation was so big that he appeared sad in the presence of the king, and it was the rarity of it that grabbed the king’s attention. Had Nehemiah regularly been sad, it would have never grabbed the king’s attention, which would have resulted in the walls not being rebuilt.

Your disposition does matter to what you will achieve for the LORD. You will never affect many people for good if you are always a grouch or always have a sad disposition every day. Nobody wants anything from people who are sad; they want to be around someone who is happy. A person’s disposition is noticed by many. For instance, the disposition of Solomon’s servants grabbed the attention of the Queen of Sheba. The disposition of Nehemiah grabbed the attention of Artaxerxes. Paul made the statement, I think myself happy. It was Paul and Silas singing in the prison that grabbed the attention of the guard. Throughout the Scriptures, you see the importance of the believer’s disposition and his ability to influence others for God. Let me share a few observations about the importance of your disposition.

First, you choose to be happy or sad. I cannot choose what I face in life, but I can choose whether to be happy or sad. I am not saying that we won't be sad when heartache hits us, but we don't have to stay that way. It is a choice to wake up and have a good attitude. It is a choice to stay on the topside of life. Those who appear sad most of the time are those who choose to be sad. Your disposition is a choice you make, and it is better to choose to be happy so you can be a good reflection of Christ to the world.

Second, your focus determines your disposition. You can control your disposition because you choose your focus. If you choose to allow circumstances to control you, you will find yourself sad most of the time. If you choose to focus on what you have on the inside as a believer, you will always have a purpose to be happy. The fact that you are saved is a great reason to be happy. Focus inwardly on the salvation you have, and you will have a happy disposition outwardly.

Third, spend your time with happy people. You cannot spend time with negative people and be happy. Stop allowing the world’s narrative to control your disposition. Instead, spend time with those who have a happy disposition, and you will find that it will rub off on you. You are who you spend time with; therefore, spend your time with happy people and you will find yourself happy.

Fourth, ask the Holy Spirit to help you keep a happy disposition. If the Holy Spirit controls your spirit, you will find having a happy disposition is not difficult. It truly comes down to which spirit you yield yourself to: the Holy Spirit or your spirit. Let me challenge you to keep a happy disposition, for doing so will help you to be a more powerful witness to those around you.