Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever
things [are] honest,
whatsoever things [are] just,
whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be]
any virtue, and if [there be] any
praise, think on these things (Philippians 4:8-9);
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus (Philippians 2:5);
I can do all things through Christ which strengthens
me (Philippians 4:13);
We are
troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in
despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9);
Do all things without murmurings and disputings (Philippians 2:14);
Not that I
speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am,
therewith to be content (Philippians 4:11);
And
whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God and the Father by Him (Colossians
3:17);
This is
the day which the Lord has made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalms 118:24).
“Whether you think you can, or think you can't …you’re
right.” —Henry Ford—
ATTITUDE IS A TRANSFORMING
POWER! The way you think can MAKE you or BREAK you! Your attitude affects
your SPIRITUAL, MENTAL and PHYSICAL
health! Your attitude determines whether
you SUCCEED or FAIL! Your attitude
determines whether you RISE above a failure,
adversity, disappointment or circumstance—or whether you SINK and stay down! Your
attitude affects YOU and OTHERS!
Good or bad, the attitude of others affects YOU!
ATTITUDE is a decision
of the human will (SOUL) that REQUIRES CHANGE.
ATTITUDE is a state of
mind (SOUL).
The
mind (SOUL)
includes the will, thoughts, imaginations, and emotions.
The
mind (SOUL)
is renewed by reading The Word of God.
Therefore,
my ATTITUDE
and your ATTITUDE
can be renewed.
And
since the (SOUL)
and FLESH (carnal nature of man) are
to be submitted to the control of the Holy Spirit, ATTITUDE can be disciplined
and controlled.
We
can deduce, therefore, that an ATTITUDE that is renewed by the Word of God
and submitted to the Holy Spirit, has the power to transform!
For the weapons of our warfare are
not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high
thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5);
And be not conformed to this world:
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is
that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:2).
Benjamin
Disraeli, Britain’s Prime Minister from 1874 to 1880, once said: “Nurture your
mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think.”
Proverbs 23:7 supports
this: “For as [a man, woman, child] thinks in his heart, so is
he …”
Therefore,
it is imperative that we frequently give ourselves a “Check-up from the Neck
up!”
CHRIST IS OUR
ATTITUDE ROLE MODEL
Let this mind be in you, which was
also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5);
We
[are
to] have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians
2:16). [Emphasis Added]
If
we have the mind of Christ, we can handle every situation just as He would.
EVIDENCE OR
FRUIT OF THE MIND OF CHRIST
The
Attitude of a Believer who HAS the mind of Christ Is:
Fervent
(2
Corinthians 7:7)
Humble
(Acts 20:19)
In Unity or Oneness with the Godhead (Romans 15:6)
Obedient
(2
Corinthians 10:5)
Peaceful
(Isaiah
26:3)
Perfect or Mature (Philippians 3:15)
Pure
(2 Peter
3:1)
Receives the Word of God with Readiness (Acts 17:11)
Renewed
(Romans
12:2)
Sober
(1 Peter
1:13)
Sound
(2 Timothy
1:7)
Spiritual
(Romans 8:6)
Willing
(2
Corinthians 8:12)
Wise
(Revelation
17:9)
The
Attitude of a Believer who HAS the mind of Christ Is Also:
POSITIVE and FAITH-BASED
Wherefore gird up the loins of your
mind, be sober, and hope
to the end for the grace that is to be
brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:13);
HOPE IS A FAITH WORD!
For we are saved by hope: but hope that
is seen is not hope: for
what a man sees, why does he yet hope for? But if we hope for what we see not, then do we with
patience wait for it (Romans 8:24-25);
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
EVIDENCE OR
FRUIT OF AN UNRENEWED MIND
The
Attitude of Someone who DOESN’T HAVE the mind of Christ Is:
Blinded (2 Corinthians 3:14)
Carnal (Romans 8:6-7)
Corrupt (2 Timothy 3:8)
Defiled (Titus 1:15)
Double-Minded (James 1:8)
Doubtful (Luke 12:29)
Earthly-Minded (Philippians
3:19)
Faint & Weary (Hebrews 12:3)
Fleshly (Colossians 2:18)
Foolish (Proverbs 29:11)
Hardened (Daniel 5:20)
Influenced by evil (Acts 14:2)
Reprobate (Romans 1:28)
Troubled (2 Thessalonians 2:2)
Vain (Ephesians 4:17)
Wicked (Proverbs 21:27)
The Attitude of Someone
who DOESN’T HAVE
the mind of Christ Is:
NEGATIVE and FEAR-BASED.
FEAR,
incidentally, is faith-based, but it dwells at the extreme opposite end of the
faith scale. If a believer is operating
in fear, instead of believing the Truth, He is believing False Evidence Appearing Real. He either believes The Word of God and what
it says about his problem or situation, or he believes the lies of Satan.
Caught in the
middle of this warring conflict is his ATTITUDE, which is influenced by FOCUS
… which in turn influences and controls his Feelings, Emotions, Speech
and Actions.
Incidentally, I
have three schools of thought about how Satan speaks:
He speaks by sending thoughts and
vain imaginations to the mind. Know your
enemy by studying what God’s Word says about his devices, strategies and
wiles. By doing so, you will readily
know when he is speaking to you;
A believer can readily discern
Satan’s voice by paying close attention to the emotions and feelings that a
thought has produced on the inside. For
example, if a thought enters your mind and makes you feel depressed, suicidal
or fearful, Satan (or a demon) is talking to you;
You can take it to the bank that
the exact opposite of anything Satan says to you, is the Truth! In other words, when he speaks something to
me about a situation, I receive it as confirmation that the opposite of what
he’s saying, is the Truth!
EVIDENCE OR
FRUIT OF AN UNRENEWED MIND
Be not soon shaken in mind, or
troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the
day of Christ is at hand (2
Thessalonians 2:2).
Throughout
the Gospels and the New Testament, we are exhorted not to “take thought” or
worry about anything because God knows what our needs are. All we have to do is ask in faith, believing
that we receive, and not doubt or waiver (Matthew 6:31-32; James 1:6).
A BELIEVER’S ATTITUDE
IS ONE OF TWO THINGS
It
is either the fruit or product of a mature, excellent SPIRIT
that is VICTORIOUS
and reigns over the SOUL and FLESH
because it has been renewed by the Word of God and is submitted to and ruled
and empowered by the Holy Spirit, or …
It
is the fruit or product of an immature SPIRIT that is VICTIMIZED because it hasn’t
been renewed by the Word of God and is submitted to Satan and thus is easily
tempted by the desires and weaknesses of the FLESH and SOUL.
FACTS ABOUT
ATTITUDE
Attitude is Influential,
Powerful & Life-Changing.
Again, Proverbs
23:7 says, “For as he (a man, woman or child) thinks in his heart,
so is he.”
The Building of
the Tower of Babel is an Example of the Power of Positive Attitude &
Unified Focus & Effort:
And the LORD said, Behold, the
people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to
do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let Us go down, and there confound
their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence
upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city (Genesis 11:6-8).
Attitude determines Altitude. Your attitude is either POSITIVE and FAITH-BASED
and is propelling you FORWARD and UPWARD and into your divine
destiny. Or, it is NEGATIVE and FEAR-BASED
and is propelling you BACKWARD and DOWNWARD. A positive attitude, which is the fruit of
the Mind of Christ, dictates how high you go with God and how quickly God
promotes and propels you into your divine destiny.
On
the other hand, a NEGATIVE attitude,
which is the fruit of a Mind that isn’t being renewed by the Word of God, can
result in your divine destiny or the Promises of God being delayed, hindered or
unfulfilled. God’s Word concerning your
election and calling is settled. The
only person that can prevent you from walking in the fullness of what God has
for you … is YOU! Oh, Satan plays a part in the equation, but
he can do only what you allow him to. You
are responsible for making sure that your will and attitude aren’t aiding and
abetting him!
Attitude Can Cause You To Sin
Because It Influences Your Emotions, Feelings, Imaginations, Thoughts, Speech
& Actions.
When a problem comes your way, what is
your attitude
…
When you’re
dealing with a serious illness or perilous situation? Maybe you’ve been laid off. Maybe the loan you applied for was
denied. Maybe the bank is threatening to
foreclose on your home or repossess your car?
When you’re being tempted to sin?
When you’re being falsely accused or persecuted?
When things aren’t going your way, or
when you’re not getting your way?
When you’re discouraged and weary of
waiting for your calling or dreams to be fulfilled?
When you see Satan seemingly winning
more victories than the righteous?
When Satan is attacking you or the
finances, health and the life and welfare of your loved ones?
When a problem comes your way, do
you react by hosting a pity party? An interesting
thing about pity parties is that no one attends except the host—YOU!
When
a problem comes your way, does your favorite collection of “OH, WOE IS ME!” confessions put the Book
of Lamentations to shame? Or do you stand
on, claim and confess the Promises of God, commit the problem to Jehovah-Jireh,
exhibit an ATTITUDE
OF GRATITUDE and Thank God that the Provision is
on its way?
When a problem
comes your way, is your attitude bearing GOOD FRUIT or BAD FRUIT? If it’s bearing
bad fruit, then you need to build and strengthen your faith by spending more
time meditating on the Promises of God.
Is your attitude
causing you to sin in thought, imagination, emotions, feelings, speech and
deeds? If so, you need to make things right
with God.
When your mind
and emotions are being buffeted by the storms of life—when your faith is being
sorely tested—are you focused on Christ, confessing God’s Promises, and
expecting the imminent manifestation of God’s Provision? Or are you glorifying the works of Satan by
dwelling on and worrying about the problem?
Are you thinking and believing what the devil wants you to—that the
problem is too big to overcome and that he’s going to take you out? Satan loves to magnify a problem, making it
appear like Mission Impossible. Do you
allow the size of a problem to overwhelm and victimize you, or do you
immediately surrender it to God and Thank Him in advance for the provision?
When the Lord
orders your steps to witness a problem in someone’s life and you possess the
ability and knowledge to solve the problem, do you turn your head and walk away,
or do you consider the problem a unique opportunity to step in and exercise
your faith, abilities and talents to solve the problem?
Attitude
or outlook determines outcome;
Attitude is catching.
Is your attitude worth catching or is it to be avoided like the plague?
Parents and Grandparents, children
absorb things from their environment like little sponges. They’re very sensitive and
impressionable. As their role models, you
should make sure your attitude is worth catching because your attitude has the
power to mold them into winners or losers for the rest of their lives.
PERSONAL
TESTIMONY
For
the first 35 years of my life, I served the devil in ignorance because Christian
family members didn’t witness to me about Jesus Christ. Why? Because
they assumed
that I was alright with God. The DANGER OF
ASSUMPTION is that, had I died in sin, I would be in Hell today
instead of preaching and teaching the Gospel.
As
a child, teen and young adult, I suffered from a crippling NEGATIVE and DEFEATIST
ATTITUDE that contributed to
a string of real and perceived failures.
Only God knows how old I was when Satan’s war against my SOUL
began, but criticism, emotional abuse, and one act of physical violence contributed
to my insecurity and low self-esteem. It
wasn’t until I became a “born again” Christian and began the process of renewing
my mind to the Truth of God’s Word, that my attitude and perspective began to
change for the better. In time, Jesus
brought me to a place of complete surrender at the foot of the cross, where I
was finally able to face the root causes of my insecurities and forgive
everyone who had hurt me, including myself. I also came to understand that abusers are
often victims of abuse themselves. Fortunately,
since I had no children during my productive years, the generational curse and cycle
of abuse has been broken.
My paternal
grandfather and my Dad were ENCOURAGING and POSITIVE influences and attitudes in my life. They believed in my worth and potential even
when I didn’t. When they died within two
days of each at the close of 1974, I lost the two men that I loved most in the
world. I also lost their positive
influence and support.
My grandfather
was a preacher who established churches in Florida and West Virginia. He was the apple of my eye, I loved spending
time with him, and the feeling was mutual.
My father was a
police captain whose 26 year record and reputation for being an honest cop were
beyond reproach. Unfortunately, his
incorruptible “Untouchable” character infuriated and intimidated certain cops
and city officials who rewarded corruption and dishonesty with graft payoffs
and perks. Dad was systematically
demeaned, ostracized and persecuted because he refused to compromise his moral
convictions and good name. Through it
all, his reputation remained intact and his attitude helped him to remain
focused and productive in the midst of an adverse and hostile work environment. Some of his attitude quotes were:
“Adversity
builds character.”
“When
the going gets tough, the tough get tougher.”
“Don’t
let the bastards get you down.”
“SMILE! It keeps the devil guessing what you’re up
to.”
End
of Personal Testimony
ATTITUDES
THAT ARE WORTH CATCHING
Heavenly Attitude vs. Deadly Attitude. Is your attitude propelling you heavenward or
hell-ward? What about people who are
within the realm of your influence? What
effect is your attitude having on them?
Is your attitude drawing them to Christ, or is it attracting them to the
things of the world?
Positive Attitude vs. Negative Attitude. Does your attitude attract people or repel
them? Does your attitude produce good or
bad results?
Right Attitude vs. Wrong Attitude. Does your attitude annoy and convict the lost
or does it encourage unrighteousness?
Everything on earth is achievable to the person who has a right
attitude. Only God can help a person
with a wrong attitude.
Winning Attitude vs. Losing Attitude. Attitude is key to success or failure. Are you a victor or a victim?
PROBLEM—PROMISE—PROVISION
Every
believer in the Body of Christ is either getting ready to go into a problem, is
in a problem, or is coming out of a problem.
How you react while you’re in the problem determines how quickly you
come out of the problem into God’s Provision.
Attitude plays a huge role in this process.
Case in Point:
The children of Israel could have entered the Promised Land in 40 short
days. Instead, they remained in the
wilderness, going around the same mountain for 40 years, because they
complained and murmured against Moses, God’s servant. Think about it! If you have been in an adverse situation for
years, or if you can’t seem to get victory in an area of your life, your
attitude may be the problem and the solution may be as simple as an attitude
adjustment!
At
this time, I want to touch briefly on the subject of FOCUS because your attitude
is influenced by what you focus on.
DO YOU WALK
BY FAITH?
For
we walk by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7);
Without
faith it is impossible to believe God (Hebrews 11:6).
Remember
Peter when he stepped out of the boat to walk on the water to Jesus? As long as his eyes remained fixed on the
Lord, he walked on the water. As soon as
his eyes averted from the Lord and focused on the wind and the waves, which
made him fearful, he began to sink.
When
you find yourself dealing with a serious problem or situation, are you focused
on the problem or on the Problem-Solver?
I
am fully persuaded that if every believer could see what God’s angels are doing
on their behalf in the realm of the spirit, they would never again fear or run
from the enemy!
Case in Point …
Therefore the King of Syria sent
horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed
the city about. And when the servant of
the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host compassed the
city both with horses and chariots. And
Elisha’s servant said unto him, Alas, my master! what shall we do? And Elisha answered, Fear not: for they that are
with us are more than they that are with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray
thee, open his eyes, that he may see.
And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold,
the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about
Elisha. And when they came down to him,
Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with
blindness. And God smote them with
blindness according to the word of Elisha (2 Kings
6:14-18).
OLD TESTAMENT
EXAMPLES OF ATTITUDE
ABRAHAM. When God told Abraham to sacrifice his son,
Isaac, what was Abraham’s attitude as he and Isaac prepared to leave the young
men behind who had accompanied them on their journey?
And Abraham said to his young men,
Abide here with the ass; and I and the lad will go
yonder and worship, and come again to you (Genesis 22:5).
Abraham made an incredible
Faith-based statement!
The key words are ‘I and the lad will go … and come again ….’ Abraham was in a problem, but he trusted God
and was standing on God’s Promise concerning Isaac. Abraham may not have known exactly what God
was going to do or how he was going to do it, but he believed that God was
going to do something and that he and
Isaac would walk off that mountain together!
That constitutes GREAT FAITH!
Let’s
Continue On …
And Isaac spoke to Abraham his
father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said,
Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt
offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering:
so they went both of them together (Genesis 22:7-8).
This, too, is a Faith-based
statement.
Abraham spoke confidently “God will provide!” Notice that his words did not return
void! They produced the desired harvest
because God indeed provided a ram for the sacrifice!
Also notice that Abraham and Isaac
were in agreement with each other. Amos 3:3 says:
“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”
ISAAC. What was his attitude? Did he resist Abraham as he was being bound
and laid on the sacrificial altar? Or,
did he trust his father and submit?
Traditionally,
the church depicts Isaac as a child or youth when this event occurred. But, Hebrew Bible scholars place the lad’s
age between his late teens to age 36.
Interestingly, Joseph was referred to as a lad at age 17 (Genesis 37:2)
and
at age 30 (Genesis
41:12). The point is, Isaac
was certainly old enough to go on a 3-day journey without his mother and strong
enough to carry firewood up the mountain.
If Isaac was indeed in his late teens or older, he would have been
physically strong enough to resist being subdued and bound to the altar by his
elderly father. And, yet, he loved and
trusted Abraham and submitted. And, of
course, we all know that Isaac is an Old Testament prototype of Christ, Who was
obedient to His Father.
THE ISRAELITES. After Moses sent men of Israel to spy out the
land of Canaan, what was the attitude of the men when they returned from their
journey?
And they told Moses, saying, We came
to the land where you sent us, and surely it flows with
milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it … (Numbers 13:27).
This is a Positive, Faith-Based
statement.
Let’s
Continue On …
Nevertheless … Uh-oh! Here
begins the Negative, Fear-Based statements!
…
Nevertheless, the people are strong that
dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great:
and moreover we
saw the children of Anak there.
We are
not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
Does this describe a situation that
you’re in or a problem that you’re contending with?
Let’s Continue …
Verse 28: “They brought up an
evil report
of the land saying, the land, through which we have gone to search is a
land that eats
up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are
men of a great
stature … giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the
giants: and we
were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
CALEB. Caleb witnessed the same things that the
other men did, but what was his attitude?
And Caleb
stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let
us go up at once, and possess the land; for we are well able to overcome it (Numbers 13:30).
The
difference between the attitude of Caleb and the other men was FOCUS,
which influences PERSPECTIVE, which in turn, influences ATTITUDE. Focus, Perspective and Attitude
are inter-linked. It’s like when you
show two people a half-filled glass of water.
One person will say the glass is half full, while the other will
say the glass is half empty. One
person’s perspective is positive; the other negative.
For
those who have an inquiring mind like me—why do you think God wanted Moses to
send spies to observe the land of Canaan when He knows everything and could
have told Moses every secret? I believe
it was to test the attitude of God’s people and to bring them to a place of
matured faith. I believe that God deals
with us in the same way.
DAVID. What was young David’s attitude before and
during his confrontation with the Philistine giant, Goliath?
And David spoke to the men that
stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that kills this Philistine,
and takes away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised
Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? (1 Samuel 17:26);
And David said to Saul, Let no man's
heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine (verse 32);
Saul’s Negative, Fear-Based Response: And Saul
said to David, You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with
him: for you are but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth (verse 33);
David Continues His Positive, Faith-Based Confession: David said
moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the
paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And
Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with you (verse
37);
Then said David to the Philistine,
You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to
you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you
have defied. This day will the LORD deliver
you into my hand; and I will smite you, and take your head from you; and I will
give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of
the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that
there is a God in Israel. And all this
assembly shall know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear: for the
battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands. And it came to pass, when the Philistine
arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward
the army to meet the Philistine. And
David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it,
and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his
forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a
sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there
was no sword in the hand of David (verses
45-50).
David’s
attitude was so Faith-based that he prophesied exactly what he saw with his
spiritual eyes. He merely spoke what he
saw and the positive words that were released in the realm of the spirit
prospered and produced the desired end result!
[The Lord is Speaking] So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it
shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and
it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it (Isaiah
55:11);
Death and life are in the
power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof (Proverbs 18:21).
So, if you want positive results in
the midst of your problem, speak the Word of God or positive, Faith-based words!
JOSEPH. (Genesis 37).
What was Joseph’s attitude when he endured years of mistreatment before
God exalted and propelled him into his divine destiny? For the benefit of anyone who isn’t familiar
with this story:
Joseph had two divinely-inspired
dreams concerning his destiny—that he would one day rule and reign over his
family. But, like many of us today, he
made the mistake of sharing his prophetic dreams with his brothers and father
and in so doing, revealed too much information about his calling and thus gave
place to the devil to destroy him;
Joseph’s brothers were jealous of
him and hated him because of the dreams and because Joseph was the most-favored
son of their father;
Initially plotting to kill him,
the brothers decided instead to strip the 17-year-old of his coat of many
colors and throw Joseph into a pit in the wilderness without food or
water. By the way, I happen to believe
that Joseph’s coat of many colors symbolizes the various colors of the flags of
the nations and the skin colors of the people of those nations. In other words, I believe that Joseph’s coat
symbolizes all of the nations of the earth coming into covenant with God in the
last days.
While they ate and discussed Joseph’s
fate, Midianite merchantmen drew and lifted Joseph out of the pit and sold him
for 20 pieces of silver, to Ishmeelites who took him to Egypt where they sold
him into slavery.
Finding Joseph gone from the pit,
and to conceal their ill-treatment of the boy, his brothers faked his
death. They dipped Joseph’s coat in
goat’s blood which they gave to their father, saying he had been killed by wild
beasts.
Back in Egypt, Joseph’s attitude
and focus helped him make the best and most of his circumstances. God prospered him and gave him favor with
Potiphar the Egyptian. But just when
things were looking up for Joseph, Potiphar’s wife—obviously a pawn of Satan—falsely
accused him of rape, because Joseph rejected her advances;
Believing his
wife’s accusation, Potiphar sent Joseph to prison, where he was bound; But, God
was still with Joseph and gave him favor with the prison keeper, who assigned
him as overseer of all the prisoners;
Joseph serves Pharaoh’s butler
and baker, who displeased Pharaoh and were thrown into prison;
While there, Joseph interprets
the dreams of the butler and baker. He
asks the butler to remember him to Pharaoh.
As foretold by Joseph’s
interpretation of the baker’s dream, the baker died. But, as foretold by Joseph’s interpretation
of the butler’s dream, the butler was restored to his position of favor with Pharaoh. But, instead of pleading Joseph’s cause
before Pharaoh, he forgot Joseph.
According to today’s society,
Joseph “lost” 13 years of his life, and he is considered a victim of unjust
circumstances—a man whose personal rights had been ignored or violated. But in reality, Joseph was a VICTOR! For 13 years, God tested and refined
Joseph’s faith. Then when Joseph had
proven himself faithful to God throughout everything that happened to him, God
exalted him. When life gets us down, and
we’re tempted to give up on God and take matters into our own hands, we need to
be still, step back from the situation and remember:
Who God is. He is God, and we are not. He is the Creator of the universe, mankind
and all living things; He knows and loves us, sees our situation, and nothing
is hidden from Him;
Agree that God knows what He is doing. He has a greater purpose for us in the midst
of our difficult situations. Although we
may not see it right now, like it, or understand it, we can trust His
character. His word is true, and He will
honor His promises and meet our every need;
Let our actions be based on the truth of God’s Word,
not on our feelings or emotions which can lead us astray. We should depend on Jesus for the power to
persevere, and trust Him with the results.
God tells us in Matthew 7:25 that trouble is an
everyday part of the human experience.
He also tells us in Romans 8:28 that He can and will use each and
every painful circumstance we experience in life to achieve a greater
good. But when we are besieged with
trouble, God’s greater purpose may not be immediately obvious to us. For Joseph, it took 13 years of waiting and
choosing to respond in faith on a daily basis, followed by 9 more years before
he could look back and say, “God meant it all for my good.” So, let these words encourage and strengthen
you!
SHADRACH, MESHACH &
ABEDNEGO. What was their attitude when King
Nebuchadnezzar threatened to throw them into a fiery furnace unless they bowed
down and worshiped the image that the king had made?
If it be so, our God whom we
serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver
us out of your hand, O king (Daniel 3:17).
CHRIST. What was Jesus’s attitude in the Garden of Gethsemane when He knew He was
going to the Cross? Although His SOUL
agonized, in the end He submitted His Will to His Father’s Will.
And being
in an agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of
blood falling down to the ground (Luke 22:44);
And He went a little further, and
fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if it be possible, let this
cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as You will (Matthew 26:39).
NEW TESTAMENT BEATTITUDES
(Matthew 5:3—5:12)
Humility (verse 3). “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.” The words
poor in spirit in this context means a state of being or feeling helpless. It is the opposite of being or feeling
self-sufficient;
Consider the thieves that were
crucified on either side of Jesus. One
thief railed at Jesus, mocking Him, while the other thief’s contrite and humble
attitude and confession earned him a place in paradise (Luke 23:32);
Consider the attitudes of the
arrogant Pharisee and the humble Publican.
Both men went into the temple to pray.
The Pharisee’s prayer was arrogant and self-exalting. But, the Publican was so contrite and humble
that he couldn’t lift his eyes to Heaven.
All he could do was smite his breast and say, “God be merciful to me a
sinner (Luke
18:10).”
Repentance (verse 4). “Blessed are they that mourn for they shall
be comforted.” The word mourn in
this context means to feel godly sorrow for having committed sin.
For godly sorrow works repentance to
salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world works death (2 Corinthians 7:10);
If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness (1 John 1:9);
King David. 2 Samuel 11. Psalm 51: David’s prayer of repentance for his sins.
Teachability (verse 5). “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit
the earth.” Meekness is supreme
self-control empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Meekness is an attribute of Jesus (Matthew 11:29).
Righteousness (verse 6). “Blessed are they which do hunger and
thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.” To be righteous means to have the same
desires as God; to call sin what it is and hate it; to cling to and desire
holiness and purity; and to have a driving hunger to please God.
Mercy (verse 7). “Blessed are the merciful for they shall
obtain mercy.” To be merciful means
to be forgiving and merciful when we are wronged. If you want to reap mercy, sow mercy.
Purity (verse 8). “Blessed are the pure in heart for they
shall see God.” Purity means
genuineness of heart; that we’re authentic, without guile or pretense, not a
phony hiding behind a mask.
Peacemaking (verse 9). “Blessed are the peacemakers for they
shall be called the children of God.”
We are to be peacemakers, not peace breakers. We are to be part of the solution, not the
problem. We are to be thermostat
believers, not thermometer believers. A
thermometer registers the room temperature, without changing it. A thermostat registers the temperature and
changes it. Thermostat believers enter a
room and change a negative, hostile environment to a peaceful one. Jesus was a thermostat because His Presence
changed not only the atmosphere and environment, but the people. He even changed the weather by speaking to
the storm and commanding it to be peaceful.
Endurance (verse 10). “Blessed are they which are persecuted for
righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
All that will live godly in Christ Jesus
shall suffer persecution (2 Timothy
3:12).
I don’t know
about you, but I would rather be criticized and persecuted for being a fool for
following Jesus rather than being wise and following the devil. In every situation, we have a choice to do
either the right thing or the wrong thing.
Faithfulness (verses 11-12). “Blessed
are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall
say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be
exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted
they the prophets which were before you.”
When the going
gets tough, the tough get tougher. We
are to hold fast and not waver in our faith.
He that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and
tossed. (Hebrews 10:23; James 1:6).
His lord said unto him, Well done,
good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will
make you ruler over many things: enter into the joy of your Lord (Matthew 25:23).
DEFEATIST ATTITUDE
Hinders God’s
blessings and offends God (Numbers 13:31; 14:20-23)
Conceives
anxiety and insecurity (Deuteronomy 1:28; Numbers 14:1,4)
Is the root of
unbelief (Deuteronomy
1:32-33; Numbers 13:33)
WINNING
ATTITUDE
Pleases God (Hebrews 11:6)
Opens your
spiritual eyes (Numbers
13:30)
Is the mark of a
godly leader (Deuteronomy
1:35-36)
CONCLUSION
Brothers
and Sisters, we are living in perilous times!
Terrorism is on the rise, Christianity is under attack, and Christians worldwide
are being persecuted and martyred for their faith by enemies of Jesus Christ! Enemies within the United States government from
the Oval Office down are doing everything unimaginable and reprehensible to
destroy America and change her into a Socialist utopia (no such thing)! Their objective is to destroy free market
capitalism, weaken our military, ignore the Constitution, and destroy
traditional American values. None
of this is new; it has all been done before and failed throughout the past
100-plus years of history under the regimes of Hitler, Stalin, Saddam Hussein,
and Fidel Castro. Never before in
the history of this nation and the world, has the need for PRAYER and a POSITIVE,
WINNING ATTITUDE been greater than today!
Israel,
God’s chosen nation of people, is also under attack! Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza are
firing rockets on cities throughout the State of Israel. Israel is defending herself, as she well should!
Bible
Prophecy is being fulfilled in the Middle East at an accelerated rate! Only God knows whether tomorrow will come, and
if it does, what additional evil it will bring. Christians
and Patriots, between now and when Jesus Returns, we need to:
UNITE IN ONE ACORD AND
STRENGTH TO TAKE AMERICA BACK! We must do
everything in our power to resist and fight against the throne of iniquity that
threatens our nation, our Constitution, our way of life, and our rights and freedoms!
“Americans love to fight
All real Americans love the sting of battle.”
-—General George S. Patton—
PRAY for America and
Israel as never before! PRAY
for World Peace!
REPENT OF AMERICA’S SINS
AGAINST GOD AND HUMANITY!
From this day
forward, we must purpose in our hearts to maintain a POSITIVE, WINNING ATTITUDE
and PROPER FOCUS! We cannot
afford to listen to “gloom and doom” reporting published by the Liberal News
Media, or believe their polls which are designed to deceive and discourage!
STAY THE COURSE AND FIGHT THE
GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH!
DO NOT SUCCUMB TO FEAR, WHICH
PARALYZES AND PREVENTS FORWARD MOTION AND PROGRESS!
FINALLY, TRUST GOD ALMIGHTY to accomplish
His “As Yet Unfulfilled” Will on the Earth, especially as it concerns Israel
and America. If we are faithful to do
our part—REPENT
and PRAY—God will faithfully do what only He can do—Supernaturally
Deliver and Save Israel and America!
Be Blessed!
NOTABLE
QUOTES ABOUT ATTITUDE
“The greatest discovery of my generation is that
human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” —William James—
“I am convinced that attitude is the key to
success or failure in almost any of life’s endeavors. Your attitude, your perspective, your outlook,
how you feel about yourself, how you feel about other people, determines your
priorities, actions, and values. Your
attitude determines how you interact with other people and how you interact
with yourself.” —Carolyn Warner—
“The last of the human freedoms is to choose one’s
attitude in any given set of circumstances.” —Victor Frankl—
“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give
thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a
step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.”
—Brian
Tracy—
“By bravely enduring our trials, we learn
humility, compassion for others, and a great reliance on God. We also learn that our happiness and progress
depend much less upon what challenges life may bring and infinitely more on how
we face and overcome those challenges.” —Lloyd Newel—
“Any fact facing us is not as important as our
attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you think about a fact may defeat you
before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think
you are.” —Norman Vincent Peale—
“The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection
of your state of mind.” —Dr. Wayne W. Dyer—
“If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won't, you most assuredly
won't. Belief is the ignition switch
that gets you off the launching pad.” —Denis Waitley—
“Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” —Lou Holtz—
“Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working
twenty-four hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how
to harness and control this great force.” —Tom Blandi—
“Eagles come in all shapes and sizes, but you
will recognize them chiefly by their attitudes.” —Charles Prestwich Scott—
“I believe life is to be lived, not worked
…enjoyed, not agonized …loved, not hated.” —Leland Bartlett—
“Happiness is not by chance, but by choice.” —Jim Rohn—
“Spare yourselves from the indulgence of
self-pity. It is always self-defeating. Subdue the negative and emphasize the
positive.” —Gordon B. Hinckley—
“If things are not going well with you, begin
your effort at correcting the situation by carefully examining the service you
are rendering, and especially the spirit in which you are rendering it.” —Roger Ward Babson—
“There are two big forces at work, external and
internal. We have very little control
over external forces such as tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, disasters, illness
and pain. What really matters is the
internal force. How do I respond to
those disasters? Over that I have
complete control.” —Leo F. Buscalgia—
“It’s not the situation. . . . It’s your reaction
to the situation.” —Robert Conklin—
“A happy person is not a person in a certain set
of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.” —Hugh
Downs—
“Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of
character.” —Albert Einstein—
“I never saw a pessimistic general win a battle.”
—General Dwight David
Eisenhower—
“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” —Scott Hamilton—
“Each experience through which we pass operates
ultimately for our good. This is a
correct attitude to adopt and we must be able to see it in that light.” —Raymond Holliwell—
“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental
attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the
wrong mental attitude.” —Thomas Jefferson—
“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot
see the shadow.” —Helen Keller—
“People are just about as happy as they make up
their minds to be.” —Abraham Lincoln—
“If you will call your troubles experiences, and
remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will
grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be.” —James Russell Miller—
“Our attitude toward life determines life's
attitude towards us.” —Earl Nightingale—
“Adopting the right attitude can convert a
negative stress into a positive one.” —Hans Selve—
“There is little difference in people but that
little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive
or negative.” —W. Clement Stone—
“The remarkable thing we have is a choice every
day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ... We cannot change
the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one
string we have, and that is our attitude.” —Charles Swindoll—
“Whatever is expressed is impressed. Whatever you say to yourself, with emotion,
generates thoughts, ideas and behaviors consistent with those words.” —Brian
Tracy—
“You can do anything if you have enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes
rise to the stars. With it, there is
accomplishment. Without it there are
only alibis.” —Henry Ford—
“Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which
nothing harmful can enter except by your permission.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson—
“When you believe you can, you can!” —Maxwell
Maltz—
“THE MAN WHO THINKS HE CAN:
If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think that you dare not, you don’t,
If you’d like to win, but you think you can’t,
It’s almost certain you won’t.
If you think you'll lose, you’ve lost,
For out in the world you’ll find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will,
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.”
—Arnold Palmer—
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