MORE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR ATTITUDE

(# 3 - SERIES: THE VICTORIOUS ATTITUDE

 

Introduction

 

 

I. Your Attitude at the Beginning of a Task Will Affect its out Come !

 

 1.  Right Attitude at the Beginning Insures Success at the End.

 * Surgeons want their patients mentally prepared before major surgery.  They know that the right mental attitude can often make the difference between success and failure.

 

 * Pro athletes understand the importance of attitude before a game.

 

Illustrate: 2 shoe salesmen sent to and island to sell shoes.

 FIRST SALESMAN, arrived and saw that no one on that Island wore shoes.  Sent telegram to head office.  "WILL RETURN HOME IMMEDIATELY. NO ONE WEARS SHOES."

" PLEASE SEND ME 10,000 SHOES. GREAT OPPORTUNITY.  EVERYONE NEEDS SHOES."

 

 2.  Most Projects Fail or Succeed Before They Are Ever Begin.

 Illustrate: People of Israel when they did not trust God to take them into the Promiseland.  Later when they tried it because they were afraid of God's judgement, they failed.

 

YOUR ATTITUDE GOING INTO A PROJECT DETERMINES YOUR MOTIVATION.

 

 3. Trust God and Face Life's Challenges With a Victorious Attitude.

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;     persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed —     always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.  (2 Cor 4:8-11)

 

II. Your Attitude Can Turn Adversity into  Blessing

 

 Illustrate: Joni Erickson Tada

 

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  (Romans 8:28_

 

** YOUR ATTITUDE DETERMINES HOW YOU WILL HANDLE PROBLEMS AND ADVERSITY.

 

 1 . Life Is Filled with Adversity (Problems)

 * Problems are going to come. (Stress this)

   - You don't have to go looking for problems, they will come looking for you.

 

 * Attitude determines whether your adversity and problems will control you or whether you will control your problems and turn them into opportunities for growth.

 

2. Every Adversity Is An Opportunity In Disguise.

 * Friend -  had sign " EVERY DIFFICULTY IS AN OPPORTUNITY IN DISGUISE."

 * J. Sidlow Baxter " What is the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity ?  OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD IT. Every opportunity has a difficulty and every difficulty has an opportunity."

 

* Life is like a grindstone.  Whether it grinds you down or sharpens you depends on what you are made of.

 

 ** IN THE MIDST OF EVERY ADVERSITY THERE IS THE OPPORTUNITY AND POTENTIAL TO MAKE YOU A BETTER PERSON.

 

 Illustrate: Joseph in Eqypt.   You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.  Daniel in Babylon.

** WAY IS IT PEOPLE LIKE JOSEPH AND DANIEL CAN TAKE TERRIBLE SITUATION AND COME OUT VICTORIOUS ?   --- ATTITUDE ---

 

 3. Adversity Can Be Turned into Blessing  by Your Attitude

 * When confronted with a difficult situation, a person with a positive, victorious, God centered attitude makes the best of it while he is getting the worst of it.

 

 * WHAT IS THE BASIS OF OUR VICTORIOUS ATTITUDE IN THE MIDST OF ADVERSITY. -- THE PROMISE OF GOD --

  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

 

* GOD’S PURPOSE FOR US IS TO CONFORM US TO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST.

 ** TELL ME -- IS GOD TRUE TO HIS WORD OR NOT.

  -- ** THE VICTORIOUS ATTITUDE GROWS OUT OF A SETTLED CONVICTION IN THE GOODNESS OF GOD.

 

 ** Since God is good and is working His perfect plan for us even in the midst of adversity - WE CAN FACE ANY SITUATION WITH A VICTORIOUS ATTITUDE KNOWING THAT SOME HOW GOD HAS HIDDEN IN THAT ADVERSITY A MARVELOUS OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH AND BLESSING.

 

 4 . A Victorious Attitude in the midst of  Adversity Will Make You a Great Person

 ** GOD REFINES US IN THE FIRE OF ADVERSITY.

 - You had better learn that or you'll have you'll have a hard time making sense out of this life.  And you will spend most of your time fighting against God and trying to conform Him to the image you have for Him.

 

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4)

    If you have a hard time believing what James is saying, he says you need to ask God for the wisdom to see this liberating truth.

 

* IT IS THAT VICTORIOUS ATTITUDE IN THE MIDST OF ADVERSITY THAT WILL TRANSFORM YOU FROM THE MEDIOCRE TO THE GREAT. God wants to make a great person out of you.

 - Peter transformed from the mediocre to the great through the adversity of denying Christ 3 times.

 

 - Moses transformed from the mediocre to the great through the adveristy of 40 years on the back side of the dessert.

 

 - Hosea transformed from the mediocre to the great through the adversity of an unfaithful wife.

 

Illustrate:

 *** PERSONAL ILLUSTRATION OF ONCE CHURCH EXPERIENCE AND HOW THAT ADVERSITY HAS MADE ME A GREATER MAN THAN I WAS BEFORE.

 

** WE SEEK TO AVOID ADVERSITY AND PROBLEMS, BUT FOLKS WE DREAD THE VERY THING THAT MAKES US.

 

*** LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING THIS MORNING:

 

YOUR PROBLEM IS NOT YOUR PROBLEM.

 THE PROBLEM ONLY BECOMES THE PROBLEM WHEN YOU MAKE IT THE PROBLEM.

  - * We all have problems. Folks, problems are part of the human experience.  When I don't have the right attitude about problems I make the problem the problem.

 

 * Notice - people with the biggest problems often don't have a

problem                                              

                                   

Those with the littlest problems have the biggest problem.

(Am I making sense to you.)

 

 PEOPLE WITH THE LITTLEST PROBLEMS OFTEN HAVE THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY REACT TO THEIR PROBLEMS

 

Remember: IT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU, IT'S WHAT HAPPENS IN YOU THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE.

 

* WHEN YOU REACT NEG. TO PROBLEMS YOU'VE GOT BIG PROBLEMS.

 

* WHEN YOU REACT POS. TO PROBLEMS YOU'LL FIND THE HIDDEN OPPORTUNITY AND COME OUT VICTORIOUS.

 

III. Our Attitude Can Give Us an Uncommonly Positive Perspective on Life. 

 

 Phil. 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always, Again I will say, rejoice!

 

 1. Your Attitude Determines Your Perspective

 * PERSON WITH VICTORIOUS ATTITUDE LOOKS AT EVERY SITUATION DIFFERENTLY THAN A PERSON WITH A DEFEATED ATTITUDE.

 

 Illustrate: DAVID AND GOLIATH

And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid.  (1 Sam 17:24)

 

Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done for the man who 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 Sam 17:26)

  Defeated: " He's so big we'll never beat him."

  Victorious: " He's so big I can't miss him." 

Illustrate: When you go to a mall, do you start at the furthest point from the door to find a parking spot or -  near the door expecting to find a spot there.

 2 . A Victorious Attitude Cause You to See The Potential in Every Situation

  * Paul's imprisonment- saw how it could further the gospel.

 

 Illustrate: A man watched as 2 masons worked on a building.  Noticed one worker continually frowned, groaned and cursed as he worked.   When asked what he was doing, the man replied, " Just piling one stone on top of another all day long until my back is about to break."

 The other mason whistled as he worked.  Each movement was swift and sure and he had the look of satisfaction on his face.  When asked what he was doing, he replied, " Sir, I'm not just making a stone wall.  I'm building a cathedral."

 3 . A Victorious Attitude Gives Peace That  Passes Understanding.

  Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!   Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;    and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  (Phil 4:4-7)

 

 * Person who approaches life with a Victorious attitude is not always understood because they do not accept the normal limitations.

 

VI. Yo\ur Attitude Is Not Good Just Because You Are a Christian.

 * Have you ever noticed how even Christians can have bad attitudes.

 

 1 . A Christian Can Have an Ungodly Carnal Attitude

See I Cor. 2:14- 3:3

 

 Carnal Christian = Christian not allowing Spirit of God to control his life.      (Explain:)  Sins of Flesh  and Sins of Spirit. 

 SINS OF THE SPIRIT = ATTITUDE

  - Many believers never fall for sins of the flesh and think they are spiritual, but they are not for they are DAILY GUILTY OF SINS OF THE SPIRIT - ATTITUDE

  See Luke 15:25-32  PICTURE OF CARNAL BELIEVER WITH AN ATTITUDE PROBLEM.

 

 3 Things about the Carnal Attitude

 

 1. It Is Possible To Assume The Place and  Privilege of A Son While Refusing The  Obligations of A Brother.

  - How you treat your spiritual brother reveals how close you are to the Father's heart.

 

 2. It Is Possible To Serve The Father Faithfully And Not Be In Fellowship With Him.  - Person in fellowship with the Father will be interested in what the Father is interested in.  He will love people.

 

 3. It Is Possible To Be Heir Of All Our Father's Possessions Yet Have Less  Joy And Liberty Than The One Who Has   Nothing.

 

** Wrong attitudes kept the elder brother away form the heart's desire of the Father, the love of his brother, and the joy of the servants.

A WRONG ATTITUDE TOWARDS LIFE AND PEOPLE, WILL BLOCK GOD'S BLESSING AND CAUSE US TO LIVE BELOW GOD'S POTENTIAL FOR OUR LIVES.

 

 2. A Christian Can Have a Godly Spiritual Attitude

 PHIL. 2:3-8 -

 

5 Things about a Godly Attitude.