Recently, President Donald Trump unveiled a new executive order that promises to bring health and happiness to Americans. It heralds psychedelics as a breakthrough therapy drug for mental illness, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd).

Psychedelic drugs?! Is this God’s solution to depression and unhappiness? No! In the World Tomorrow, there will be no executive orders endorsing the use of drugs for mental illness, depression and ptsd.

But God does have a solution—you and me. God will be sending you forth with the power of the Holy Spirit to bring positivity and joy into the lives of those stuck in a cycle of negativity. We have to be learning to do this today.

The Former Prophets has an amazing chapter titled, “David: A King After God’s Own Heart.” We know that we want to emulate David and have a heart like God’s—but how? There is a section that helps us understand titled: “Be a Positive Person.”

“Think about this,” writes Gerald Flurry. “If you’re going to help Jesus Christ rule in the World Tomorrow, you must be living by these laws. You must be a person who has a positive impact on other people. If you are, you can be a great encouragement to them!”

Let’s study young David’s example of how to positively impact others.

When David first came into the royal court of Israel, it was not as a king, but as a young musician to help sooth King Saul. Saul’s leadership was in crisis. At this time, Saul was dealing with some horrible curses: He was angry, depressed, violent and letting evil spirits overtake him.

We can read what David did with this opportunity: “And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight. And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him“ (1 Samuel 16:21-23).

Saul was losing battles! Humanly, it could’ve been hard to respect him or encourage him. How could you look to a man like that as a leader? Yet notice how David felt about him —he loved him greatly! (verse 21).

The word “greatly” is the Hebrew “meod,” which Strong’s Concordance defines as vehemently, by implication wholly, speedily.

Merriam-Websters defines “vehemently” as marked by forceful energy: powerful. It can also mean intensely emotional: impassioned, fervid.

This vehemence is deeply felt and forcibly expressed “He must have looked upon him the way God did,” Mr. Flurry wrote. “God loved Saul—He just didn’t like the way Saul ruled, and tried to get him to repent. But David thought like God in this way. “

Mr. Flurry continues, “How about you and me? Do we have a lot of love for God’s people and God’s leaders—in spite of their flaws—as David did? Are you outgoing and loving? Or do you sit back, maybe looking suspicious or having an evil eye toward people? David was full of love and truly loved being around other people.”

We can have that same godly impact on others! God wants us to be a force for good that He can use. Here are two keys to becoming positive people like David.

1. Look upon others as God does.

God’s Church is full of variety. None of us are exactly alike. Sometimes, it can be hard to see exactly what someone else has to offer. Pray to see God’s perspective on others and why He called them. Actively try to see their potential—God certainly does!

Whenever I pray and ask God to help me see someone’s potential—and see how they can be used in wonderful ways—God always delivers.

Look at 1 Samuel 16:23 again. David wasn’t playing depressing and sad music—but instead using his God-given talents to uplift the King. David’s playing of the harp caused the evil spirits to flee! Demons don’t want to be around an uplifting environment.

Mr. Flurry continues in this section by saying, “God used David to lift Saul’s spirit. There is a lesson here too. Clearly we must learn to control our own emotions and stay positive. But if you’re going to be royalty for God, you must also learn to be encouraging to other people. That’s what a leader does. Are you an encouraging person to be around?”

2. Be a willing encourager.

In The Former Prophets, Mr. Flurry spends time pointing out the massive contrast between these two kings. It can even be seen in just these few verses. One king was negative, discouraged, and depressed—always bringing others down. The other—David—used his talents and personality to uplift. He was a happy person; he was positive. That’s what God wants you to be.

Here in God’s Family, we need to be having a positive impact. We need to be a source of positivity, a spark for one another! Really, we need to be that for the whole world and eventually all of mankind.

Here in these few verses, young King David stands out as a shining example of positivity. In this bit of recorded history, we see two keys to helping us become a positive force. First, look upon others as God does. Second, be a willing encourager.

Let’s remember how Mr. Flurry was inspired to close this two-page section of The Former Prophets: “Think about this. If you’re going to help Jesus Christ rule in the World Tomorrow, you must be living by these laws. You must be a person who has a positive impact on other people. If you are, you can be a great encouragement to them!”