The Power of Attitude

“What you are, not who you are or what you do pleases God.”

Some time ago a movie star was arrested in Atlanta for being drunk. She asked the arresting officer, “Don’t you know who I am?” I don’t know the officer’s reply but I think I know what would have been a good one: “I don’t care who you are, I care what you are. Right now you are drunk and that is against the law; therefore you are under arrest.” Her attitude was a bit skewed; she thought that who she was should be taken into accountrather than the law she had broken. Later, after she was sober, she was embarrassed and apologized for her attitude.

Attitude is the most important thing second only to your relationship to God:It is more important than how you look, how you dress, the job you have, the amount in your bank account, your education or anything else period. If that be true, why aren’t more people concerned about their attitude? Apparently, they don’t realize The Power of Attitude. Someone said about attitude: “Do people not realize that their attitude can make or break them; heal or hurt them; make friends or make enemies; make them happy or make them miserable; make them a success or make them a failure!”

Attitude grows out of three things, Feelings, Behavior and Beliefs:

Your feelings can be very fickle. Feelings are generally formed without facts. Therefore, are not reliable sources to build attitude. For example, you may form an attitude about someone or something based on what a person you respect believes or says that can be totally untrue. People are pulled into dangerous cults based on what they are told without searching for the facts themselves.

Your behavior may be a result of what you were taught as a child or a result of friends you run around with. Attitude is best not formed based on the behavior of a group or necessarily the behavior you have been taught. Terrorists train their children to be terrorists.

Your beliefs play a large part in forming attitude. Beliefs are not always correct. For example, if you were raised in a cult environment that teaches things contrary to the Bible, your beliefs are likely to be skewed. What this means is your attitude may be a result of false teaching. Since attitude is so important, it behooves us to know for certain why we believe what we believe and act the way we do.

The following are some important things concerning your attitude:

Your attitude defines the person you are: According to the Bible, Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Obviously, many need to change the way they think if their attitude is to change. This means investing in yourself to become a better person.Warren Buffett says, “the one easy way to increase your worth by 50% is to Invest in yourself.” A starting place is with your attitude

Your attitude decides your actions: Jesus said, in Matthew 15:18-20, “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts-murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person…” You might think: I would never murder a person. Listen to what Jesus said in the sermon on the mount: Matthew 5:21-22, Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

God’s intention when he gave the commandment, thy shalt not kill, went further than people not actually murdering each other. Not physically killing another person is good, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you have fulfilled this commandment. Jesus makes three statements, in the verse above, which are expressed by two actions: To be angry with another person without cause, and to demean others by insults. This is liable to the same judgment as to murder that person. “Judgment” refers to the day of God’s judgment. “The council” is the heavenly Supreme Court.

Attitude determines the words you say: Your words can defile you or make you. According to the verse above, thoughts can turn into action which can result in murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. You can’t change your actions until you change your attitude. Change your view of God. Change your false beliefs. Change your sinful lifestyle.

Your attitude determines the success of every relationship: Someone was telling why one of his relationships had gone wrong: “I think it’s because I’m a child. I throw fits, I gripe, I complain. I’m moody. Every bad thing that a fella can be, that’s me.” In other words he was saying I have a terrible attitude. No wonder his relationships fail. Who wants to be around a person with that kind of attitude.

What a difference your attitude makes! Your attitude influences every relationship in your life. Your attitude can make people not want to be around you or it can make them love your company.  Attitude determines the success of your marriage, how you relate with your kids, your work, your church and your friends.

Your attitude destroys or makes everything you hope for: Bad attitude invites trouble; things normally positive will rapidly change to negative.We have seen successful people lose their careers because of the negative words or actions that come out of a bad attitude.

Your attitude depends on your choice: I like this quote of the man who was explaining to a friend about his days in college. He said, “No, I never actually was in the top half of my class, but I can say that I was in the group that made the top half possible…”Two people look out the window: One exclaims what a bad day it is because it is raining. Another looks out of the same window and exclaims how the rain is a needed, a life giving blessing.

God has given us a mind to think, to reason that which is right. It is up to us to choose whether we will focus on positive thoughts or negative thoughts. We can’t always choose the events of life, which are beyond our control, but we can choose what our attitude will be. The way we respond to any event in life will depend on our attitude. Sometimes life brings the most undesirable events, and we are tempted to give over to a negative attitude. Maybe the events of life have left you feeling pretty broken. Too many bad things have come your way in short order. Perhaps you have grown weary and overwhelmed. Your hopes & dreams seem impossible now. You feel like giving up. In this world, hope seems out of sight, but when we place our hope in the Lord and him only, we can be assured the best is yet to come.

I know from experience that it is hard when the events of life go wrong and trouble seems to be unbearable. But in such times there is one thing for sure, your attitude still remains your choice. Tough times; financial problems, health issues, bad marriages etc, are not uncommon to most; nevertheless, the choice of attitude is still yours.

Attitude is usually the first thing we surrender when adverse trials come along when actually it is the one thing nothing or nobody can take away from us; we voluntarily give it away. To blame bad attitudes on another person or anything else, when difficult circumstances come along, is a cop-out. Giving up a positive attitude can hurt as much as the circumstances.

You can choose to change your attitude.

Here are things that you can do beginning today to choose a positive attitude over a negative one:

• Take Control of Your Thought Life: Before you can change your attitude you must fix your thoughts: Philippians 4:6-7 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Think on good and right. Think about the good things in others. Think about how God is blessing your life and show gratitude for it.
• Filter Your Thoughts Through God’s Word: Taking control of your thought life requires filtering the garbage out. In order to do this we must read God’s word on a regular basis. All around us there is garbage that influences our thinking, on the TV, in the news paper, in the movies, everywhere. If you don’t read the Bible regularly, I suggest you start by reading the Psalms and Proverbs.
• Feed Your Mind with Nourishing Thoughts: The wrong kind of food destroys the body; so does the wrong kind of thoughts destroy your peace of mind: It is not enough to quit eating the wrong kind of food or thinking the wrong thoughts. We must replace that which is bad with that which is good. Philippians 4:8 “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.”
• Learn to Start Using Positive Words:The atmosphere in which you live is of your own creation by your attitude and the words you speak. Positive words create a loving, positive environment. Negative words create depression, mistrust and a dismal atmosphere.Say something uplifting and positive to the people you meet. After only one day, you will notice the difference it makes.
• Always Look For the Good Rather Than the Bad: It is easy to see the negatives. They are all around us. The news, the words others speak to us, even from those we love. We know the negatives are there but we refuse to let them characterize our life.
• Never Give Yourself Over to the Negative: When negative emotions come, the best action is to admit it and face up to it, but don’t give in to it. You see, one way to destroy a negative emotion is to replace it: ReplaceFear with faith; Criticizing with appreciation; Complaining with gratitude; Condemning with approving; Bitterness with love; Judging others with accepting them; Self pity with helping someone else; Bitterness with forgiveness.
• Learn the Power of Prayer: Prayer really does change things.

It is your responsibility to change your attitude. No one else can do it for you though they might wish they could. Try a new positive attitude out for a while. When you realize The Power of Attitude, you are not likely to want to go back to the old miserable way you were.

Tags: attitude, Bible, prayer, God, relationships, negative attitude, positive attitude