2010_11_23 Session 410 Attitude

Attitude Attitude is important. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.

Knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour is the most important thing in life, but we all need to cultivate the right attitude towards life, people and God. Your attitude WILL: n Make or break you n Heal or hurt you n Make friends or enemies n Be happy or miserable n Make you a success or a failure Faith Service Worship Vision There may be times when you find it difficult to reconcile God’s truth to your own opinion or worldview, God’s truth is eternal, it does not change, our understanding of the truth does change as we allow God to work in our hearts and minds.

These sessions are not about opinion, they are about learning truth, the truth contained in the Bible, together we are going to focus on how we apply God’s truth, black & white in a grey world. To set godly priorities, grow in Christian character and live according to God’s standards so that we are a living witness to others.

Words of Truth & Life:

Session 10 Bible Study

23 November 2010

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past and we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.

But we can change our attitude.

Someone once said that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. Why do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Is your ‘default’ attitude to a problem negative or positive?

Some people think that the whole world stinks. A man with a bushy moustache took a nap one day. His grandson put some Stilton cheese on his moustache, right under his nose. The man woke up, ran out of his bedroom and shouted, “This room stinks!” On through the house he went, shouting louder, “This whole house stinks!” He ran out the front door of his house and shouted as loud as he could, “The whole world stinks!” The truth is, it was the man who stunk. The problem was right under his own nose.

Are you more likely to assume that the cause of a problem is someone or something other than you? Or do you try to look at circumstances or situations from both sides first?

Change your negative attitudes to positive ones, and you can change our world.

We all have attitudes Sometimes they’re good sometimes they’re not so good, and other times they’re just plain nasty.

One attitude that is far too common today is an attitude of ingratitude. God does so much for us yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done. In fact, most modern Christians don’t even offer thanks for their meals and expect God to bless them God does in their lives.

We are like the little boy who was given an orange by a man. The boy’s mother asked, “What do you say to the nice man?” The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said, “Peel it.”

For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season, it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hour.

Your attitude - reveals the real you Your attitude is much deeper than just a few thoughts you might think or not think. Your attitude comes out of the core of your being.

Your attitude represents your disposition, your outlook, your very character.

The Bible says in Proverbs 23:7; “For as a man thinks in his heart, so he is”

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What’s on the inside is what comes out

Most people who stir up trouble do so not out of right reasons but out of bad attitudes.

Jesus said, in Matthew 15:17-20, “17 Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man”

The fact that Moses had married an Ethiopian wife was not the real problem - the real problem was that Miriam had a bad attitude that stemmed from jealousy of her brother Moses and him being leader. It was out of her own poor self-esteem she allowed herself to become critical and choose to cause trouble.

Many times the things that we criticise and get all stirred up about are not really the problem at all. The problem is our own bad attitude.

The Bible teaches us that, “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Your attitude is always your choice

Our attitudes become actions or reactions

The human mind is awesome. God has given us the ability to think, to reason and to choose if we will focus on positive thoughts or negative thoughts.

Do actions speak louder than words?

Do YOUR actions speak louder than YOUR words?

There is the positive and the negative In every one of our lives. The choice of which one we focus on, feed and nurture is up to us.

Much Louder than the words we speak is the attitude that keeps telling people what we are really like. If I have a negative, nasty, critical attitude that’s the real me and when you have one that’s the real you. Understand we don’t have an attitude just because we had a bad day the reason you have a bad attitude is because you have a bad attitude inside of you.

You can’t choose what will happen to you today (it’s beyond your control) -- but you can choose your own attitude - we each have the power to decide how we will respond to what happens to us.

Our attitude determines the success and failure of every relationship

No matter what you are facing-- the choice of attitude is still yours. Jesus Christ wants to help you choose and cultivate a positive attitude.

Your attitude affects every relationship in your life. A bad attitude is eventually going to spill out into some negative actions - destructive words and deeds.

Why do we often try to blame our bad attitudes on someone else or on a difficult circumstance?

If we allow things and people to cause us to be negative we are only hurting ourselves and know we are forced to live with the effects and misery our bad attitudes will bring.

What relationships can your attitude affect?

Bad attitudes affect: n Marriage/partner relationships n Your relationship with your kids n Your work relationships n Your church relationships n Your Friends

A different attitude Numbers 14: 24 in The New Living Translation says : “My servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored.”

In Numbers 12:1-11, we read about 2 brothers and a sister.

One brother Moses, had a good attitude.

A different kind of attitude, the attitude of a person, the motivation of a person, it’s all got to do with the way you see things. It’s all got to do with the way you see life.

The Bible says that “Moses was a humble man, more humble than anyone on the face of the earth..” In other words, Moses was teachable and cooperative. He treated people as he wanted to be treated and he lived a life that was properly lined up with his heavenly father.

One of our big challenges as individuals is to make sure the way we see life in the right way, we see it through the right glasses, we take the right position, we have the right perspective.

Miriam and Aaron chose a bad attitude, Miriam seems to have had the worst attitude and she infected her brother, Aaron. Numbers 12:1 says, “Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married.”

Maybe its all got to do with our world view, our world view could be a very small one or our world view could be an educated one, an informed one, an opinionated one, a large one – its our world view, its our position that we take.

Here are family members that Moses thought he could count on and trust, going around behind his back, criticising him, stirring up trouble among God’s people against their leader, their own brother Moses.

Do you see taking your attitude and aligning it with God as a challenge, a burden or an opportunity?

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A healthy attitude

The First thing is to eliminate words that hurt and tear down. The Second things is to speak words that build up, edify and encourage other people.

The apostle Paul, when writing to the church at Philippi, placed before those Christians an attitude indicator. He said in Philippians 2:5, “Have this mind (attitude) in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.”

To everyone you meet, whether it’s at the Post Office, in a shop, at home, at work or at church -- try to say something positive and uplifting. Do it this tomorrow and see what happens. You’ll probably have a great day. Why? Because positive words create a loving, creative environment in which to live.

Christ gives us a perfect example to follow in regards to attitude. His high standard was not given to frustrate us but to reveal areas in our lives that need improvement.

LOOK FOR GOOD in every situation

Philippians 2:3-8, reminds us of the healthy attitude qualities that Jesus possessed.

A positive person doesn’t refuse to recognise the negative, but refuses to dwell on the negative and and chooses to be positive to every person or situation. Develop the habit of looking for the best even from the worst conditions and the fact is that when you look for good you will find it.

1. He was selfless: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Verse 4)

We can choose to dwell on the bad, the pain or we can focus on the good We can see giants or we see a land flowing with milk and honey. it’s a matter of choosing what you will look for.

2. He was secure: “Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (Verses 6,7)

A farmer went to his bank and announced that he had bad news and good news. “First, the bad news,” said the farmer, “I can’t make my mortgage payments. And the crop loan I’ve taken out for the past 10 years -- I can’t pay that off, either. “

3. He was submissive: “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death of a cross” (Verse 8)

“Not only that, I won’t be able to pay you the hundred thousand pounds I still have outstanding on my tractors and other equipment. So I’m going to have to give up the farm and turn it all over to you for whatever you can salvage out of it.”

Paul says that these qualities were exhibited in the life of Christ because of His attitude. He also says that we can have the same attitude in our lives. We have a visual example of a Christian attitude and we are also encouraged to attain it.

“I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed (How) by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

(Romans 12:1,2)

“Silence prevailed for a minute and then the banker said,“What’s the good news?”

“The good news” said the farmer, “is that I’m going to keep on banking with you”

Take charge of your thought life

Developing positive attitude

A minister was speaking to a soldier on a bed in a hospital.

“You have lost an arm in the great cause,” he said.

Start speaking positive words

“No,” said the soldier with a smile. “I didn’t lose it--I gave it.” In that same way, Jesus did not lose His life. He gave it purposefully.

Have you ever considered that you help create the atmosphere in which you live by the words you speak?

Fix, filter and feed your thoughts Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. (Phil 4:6-9 NLT) 6

We all need to work at learning to speak positive words.

Notice, I said learn, it does not come naturally. It is always easier to talk negatively, to criticise.

Have you ever taken the time to speak positive words of encouragement to someone else?

When your words are positive you produce a creative, loving, accepting, positive environment. When you speak negative words you create suspicion, mistrust and a can’t do anything right atmosphere.

What are we supposed to do?

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For personal reflection

We are not to let our mind wander all over the place, but rather we are to take command of it and choose positive thoughts over negative ones.

If your attitude reveals the real you, what are you showing to the people you encounter every day?

If you want to take control of your thought life you need to filter the garbage out. What are you feeding your mind?

If it is your attitude that determines the success of every relationship, does it need to be adjusted?

Do you know more about your favourite actors than you know about your Saviour?

Your attitude is always your choice, what do you choose it to be today?

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Phil 4:8)

To everyone you meet this week, in a shop, at home, at work or at church -- try to say something positive and uplifting.

One of the greatest source of good thoughts is God’s word.

Put God in get God out. Put God’s word into your mind and it will come out in your speech. Feed your mind on verses like:

What is an attitude?

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us (Ephesians 3:20)

It is the “advance man” of our true selves It’s roots are inward but its fruit is outward It is our best friend or our worst enemy

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ (Isaiah 41:10)

It is more honest and more consistent than our words.

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

It is a thing which draws people to us or repels them.

It is an outward look based on past experiences

“The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can people do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6)

It is never content until it is expressed

Never surrender leadership to the negative, always look for the positive!

It is the speaker of our present.

When you feel the onslaught of a negative emotion what can you do?

Dr Robert McKenzie

It is the librarian of our past It is the prophet of our future.

Admit it. Face it. But don’t give in to it. The way to destroy a negative emotion is to replace it with a positive thought, replace: n Anger with Love n Fear with Faith n Complaining with Gratitude n Bitterness with Forgiveness n Judgment with Acceptance

Gain victory over negative emotions.

Learn to pray out your emotions. Learn to cry them out and pray them out until you pray through to victory. Did you know that Jesus prayed aloud and with emotion?

Hebrews 5:7, says: “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him form death and he was heard because of His reverent submission.”

Jesus shows us by His own example how to pray out negative emotions to our heavenly Father. Hebrews 4:15, teaches us that our high Priest, “is touched by the feelings of our weaknesses.”

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