Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

Perhaps you've heard it before.  "Rise above" your circumstances.  But what exactly does that mean and how do we do it? I believe it is both a mental and a spiritual feat.  We need to  think  differently about our situation or problem that seems insurmountable.  Are we focusing on the problem too much?  We will never rise above, if that is the case. But how do you  not  look at what is "in your face," so to speak? Some spiritual battles are fiercer than others.  Sometimes, the enemy comes in like a flood. When we feel like we're drowning in a sudden influx of "water," and we cry out to the Lord for help but we are still drowning, then what?   I use the drowning analogy perhaps because I just watched "The Perfect Storm" the other night.  I'd seen it years ago but watched it again.  A spiritual attack can be like the "perfect storm."  All forces come together and hit us at once, and we feel out of control.  We cry out to God,

No one likes to feel deprived.  When we "give up" stuff, we can feel "less than."  But some giving up is freeing.  When we give up sweets, we lose weight.  Losing weight - giving it up, so to speak - feels great!  This "loss" is a positive one. Not all loss is bad. There is a trend that has been happening for a while - downsizing.  To me, this means we had too much to begin with. There is something freeing about cleaning house, getting rid of stuff we don't really need (maybe never really did).  So this is another example of good loss. It feels better to give than to receive.  That is why the Lord told us, according to Paul in Acts 20:35, we're more blessed when we give than when we get. Our loss is someone else's gain.  Another cliche, but cliches have a way of ringing true.  A trip to Goodwill feels good on two counts.  We make a more spacious living space for ourselves, and we bless another's life. So why are we so bent on "getting&