I want to share a little story I heard about a little boy.
"I’m the greatest baseball player in the world. I can hit the ball better than anyone" he said proudly.
Then he tossed the ball in the air, swung and missed.
Undaunted, he picked up the ball, threw it into the air and said to himself, "I’m the greatest batter ever!"
He swung at the ball again, and again he missed.
He paused a moment to examine bat and ball carefully.
Then once again he threw the ball into the air and said, "I’m the greatest batter who ever lived."
He swung the bat hard and again missed the ball.
"Wow!" he exclaimed. "I’m the Best pitcher in the world too!"
How many of you know ---with an Attitude like that, you can’t lose?
Tell your neighbor "Your Attitude is Important"
That little boy’s mind was made up.---His attitude left no room for failure.
He was sure he was a success ----and NOTHING that happened was going to convince him otherwise.
We need to be that way.----We need to have an UNSTOPPABLE ATTITUDE.
Having JOY isn’t about your circumstances as much as it is your OUTLOOK----your attitude.
If we are going to win in life, we must be Strong in the Lord.If everytime you go through bad circumstances, you lose your JOY, satan will do everything he can to keep your circumstances in a mess.
He knows the Bible says, "The JOY of the Lord is your strength"
And if he can steal your Joy ----he can whip you ANYWHERE, because your strength will be gone.
d and in the Power of His might.
We’ve got to learn how to keep our JOY even when it doesn’t seem like things are going our way.
HOW CAN WE HAVE JOY?-----Even when things are going bad? --We have to KNOW some things.
Joy is a product of our ATTITUDE ---our OUTLOOK ----our EXPECTATION
The Wisemen had JOY when they saw the star -----they were expecting a Saviour.
The angel in Luke 2:10 told the shepherds "I bring you good tiding of great JOY which shall be to all people-----they were expecting the Restoration.
Zaccheus came down from the tree JOYFULLY because he heard and believed Jesus’ Words.
Having JOY is having a good EXPECTATION ----Where can you get that?
John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
What Jesus said was intended to fill them with JOY that could REMAIN in them.
John 15:9-10 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
What made JOY accessable to them and to us is this:
We can ABIDE IN HIS LOVE -----
as long as we WILLINGLY keep His commandments.
Isaiah 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
Don’t turn SOUR FACED on me----His commands are not grievous. 1 Jn 5:3
He wasn’t saying "God will love you if you keep my commandments"
God LOVES us already. -----We don’t EARN His LOVE.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son......
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
We don’t follow God to be loved ----we’re loved so we follow Him
We don’t serve God to gain His acceptance; ----We are Accepted so we serve God.
By doing His Commandments, WE PUT OURSELVES in a position where He can Bless us and Help us.------
WE PUT OURSELVES in place---He does the blessing.
We’ve talked for weeks about how God has GOOD PLANS for us ----And He does.
Even though God has PLANS for US ----We still have a PART to PLAY in the FULFILLMENT of those Plans.
Some people think this way. "The Bible says ’the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord"
They think "It’s not up to me, God just does whatever He wants to and there’s nothing I can do about it."
Some folks think that God Controls Everything you do, but obviously, He doesn’t.
Just because He leads our steps is no guarantee we’re going to follow them.
Following takes a DECISION on our part ---Determination.
And if your attitude is wrong ----Your decision won’t be strong.
James 1:6-8 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Your attitude reflects what you believe ----both about YOURSELF and GOD.
So if you’re not SURE about God’s willingness to KEEP YOU
or if your’e not sure of WHO you are IN CHRIST and what being IN HIM does for you....
You probably won’t have much CONFIDENCE in getting a GOOD OUTCOME.
And over and over we hear Jesus saying in the Gospels
"As you have believed be it unto you."
The basic laws of ----sowing and reaping, cause and effect, individual responsibility and the free will aren’t negated when we come to Christ.
We have a Responsibility ----We have a right to choose and We have to CHOOSE RIGHT
And in order for us to CHOOSE RIGHT,
we have to know some things about GOD and about OUR LIFE IN CHRIST.
All promises from God are attached to conditions—governing principles.
Most, if not all, of these conditions involve responsibility on our part.
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
Choosing LIFE means LOVING God ---
---Loving God means obeying Him and Holding to Him.
God was REVEALING HIMSELF to Israel
He wanted them to KNOW HIM
To KNOW Him is to LOVE HIM ----He’s altogether wonderful.
Full of Mercy, Grace, and Compassion
Psalms 107:8-9 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
It’s EASY to Love someone like that ---
Job 22:21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. (Amp. says "Great Good"
We need to get to KNOW GOD better.
Then we would know "We don’t have to worry or fret about different situations.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Then, we need to know WHO WE ARE in Christ MORE.
Philippians 4:10-11 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.
11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Paul told us He had LEARNED something.
He didn’t learn it in a CLASSROOM ----He learned it as he lived.
Paul had learned to be content in whatever state he was.
It didn’t matter whether he was in prison or out of prison.
If he had plenty or he was in lack.---If he was popular or unpoplular.
Many of us think that if things are going right and if we are in the right place, then we will be content.
We think That everything will go right for us, if we’re in the "Will of God"
But it’s often when you are doing the Will of God that ADVERSITY often comes.
And this is why God for weeks has been letting know ---
Whether we are up or down---
He has a way---not only to bring you through any circumstance----
but to take every circumstance and turn it around for YOUR GOOD and the good of the people around you.
Put your trust in Him today, Hold fast to His Word and Promise to you.....
and keep looking to the Lord to be your victory.
Keep Expecting God to and He will Bring You through.
