BEAUTIFUL ATTITUDES
This week we are starting our new series 'Beautiful Attitudes' a 7 week study on the beatitudes. Over the weekend we started off with humility and gentleness and how we can increase these in our lives with an attitude of faith.
Pro 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.
I couldn’t say that I’ve ever met an enormously successful person who has a bad attitude. If they managed to become successful through their talent but still owned a bad attitude then they became very lonely in their role or lost it altogether. Attitudes are contagious. Great attitudes spread through an entire organization just like bad ones do. The best way to defeat bad attitudes is to breed good ones. Light always dispels darkness. The awesome thing about receiving Christ is that He gives us a brand new heart, which is a brand new attitude. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit we are filled with an entirely new set of attitudes that are going to lead you into a successful life.
Eze 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
The root of a great attitude is FAITH. Here are some aspects of faith that we need to fuse with our attitude:
1. Faith Is A Positive Confidence
Heb 10:35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has a great reward
Positive people succeed because they are attractive to be around. People enjoy brightness and warmth. People are repelled from coldness and the dark, and are drawn to the bright and the warm. A positive attitude is bright and warm. Positive people brighten a room and lift an atmosphere.
2. Faith Is Willing
Nothing is too hard for the willing. They believe they can do it even though it appears impossible. Faith comes easy to the willing heart. The unwilling never have the faith for the task.
Isa 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land.
3. Faith Is Agreeable
Find the points of agreement, not the points of disagreement. If you do disagree, agree first so that you can turn the conversation around eventually and keep everybody on board as you do.
4. Faith Is Thankful
Faith gives thanks in everything. Faith gives thanks for everything. Faith gives thanks for the past, the present and the future. Thankfulness is the key to a humble, positive and confident attitude.
5. Faith Is The Key To Authentic Humility
Prov 22:4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honour and life
Matt 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Humility knows we need God. Humility knows we need others. Humility recognizes how great we are not. Humility admits our own short-comings and congratulates others on their successes. Humility is evidence of a secure personality. Humility serves others we consider our equal or less. Humility waits patiently. Humility restrains anger. Humility is not announcing our own achievements. Humility prefers others. Humility is not something that is given to us. Humility is something we do to ourselves. Jesus has no problem with you becoming a great person. It’s the road He wants to direct you on. Jesus said He is the way, the road, the path. Living in Christ is living in His attitudes, His Spirit/ One road is called ‘promotion’, the Jesus road is called ‘making yourself of no reputation’. One road is called ‘be the chief’, the Jesus road is called, ‘be the servant’. One road is called ‘fulfill your own dream’, the Jesus road is called ‘fulfill the dreams of others’. One road is called, ‘get others to serve you’, the Jesus road is ‘serve others’. If pride is keeping me from being involved at any level then I need to simply just go and get involved so I let pride die. Humility is something we do to ourselves. Being secure within provides us with the platform for humility.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up
We can humble ourselves. If others make us humble it will be through humiliation. God does not want to humble us. He calls on us to do that ourselves. We don’t need to prove that we’re anything to anybody when we are fully confident of who we are, where we’ve come from and where we’re going. Jesus knew four things;
His hour had come;
He had all things in his hands;
He had come from God;
He was going to God.
When we know within where we come from, where we are going and what we have, like Jesus did, we are secure. It doesn’t matter if others recognize who we are or not. We know who we are. We can serve confidently. We humble ourselves without fear of losing in the process.
When we don’t know where we are going, where we have come from or what God has placed in our hands we elevate ourselves rather than becoming servants. Recognition is something all of us crave. If we feel unrecognized we seek it in ways that only result in embarrassment for us. Knowing that God recognizes us result sin us not trying to get this attention from everyone else. Strangely, when we are secure enough to be self-effacing others will give us the recognition we crave. Being secure, we can accept any role God calls us to. Receiving Christ is receiving a brand new attitude, the great faith attitude;
Humble.
Willing.
Thankful.
Confident.
Positive.
If you’d like to catch next week’s message click here to find a service near you!
See you in church!
