The past experiences of the hopeless have been projected into their present and their future.  They have decided that the bad things that have happened to them in the past have set the pattern for the rest of their lives.  Once they make this decision, their faith and expectancy is looking for the bad and resisting the good.  When they get the bad things they have been believing for, they get the assurances that their philosophies and principles of life are correct.  They get the proof they have been looking for that life and maybe even God are always going to deal out bad things to them. 

This is the same kind of faith and expectancy that the “what if” people have.  When these people experience something good, they can’t enjoy it and believe it will last.  They take good news and good experiences and destroy them by doubting their stability.  They expect them to eventually fall short and dissipate. 

People who are in this category take a lot longer to help.  You can’t just help them get one breakthrough. 

You have to help them get enough good news experiences that they start to see a pattern of God’s blessings.  They need to be led into the great things of God and experience the LIFE of good news. 

They have to see that the reason bad things have “always” happened to them is because they haven’t allowed God to influence and work in their life.  They need to find out why bad things have become a pattern and why that is going to change.  Your faith and hope in the good news has to be consistent and strong.  You will have to be able to influence them with your faith and trust in the good news for a much longer period of time.  You have to have such a strong belief in the good news that their negative attitudes don’t eventually wear you down. 

Pray for strong, continuous faith in the good news.  Pray for patience for the “what if” people you start working with.  Ask God to help you believe in the good news with such intensity that nothing these people say or do is able to shake your faith in God’s Word.  Let God give you enough faith and trust in Him that you are able to live a faith filled life in front of very negative and doubting people.