Let the Spirit of God Enrich Your Outlook (Eph. 1:15-20)
Story: Crabs
The man went into the restaurant and said, “Do you serve crabs here?”
And the waiter said, “Why, yes sir, we serve anybody here.”
The Bell, the Clapper, and the Cord: Wit and Witticism, (Baltimore: National Federation of the Blind, 1994), p. 73
Illustration:
George Croly wrote a marvelous hymn that embodies a prayer that the Holy Spirit would enrich, empower and enable us with a new and improved attitude. He wrote:
"Spirit of God descend upon my heart. Wean it from earth, through all its pulses move. Stoop to my weakness, mighty as You Art. And make me love Thee as I ought to love.
"Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh. Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear. To check the rising doubt the rebel sigh. Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.
"Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love. One holy passion filling all my frame. The baptism of the heaven descended Dove. My heart an altar and Thy love the flame."
He wrote these words during a time when he was suffering great physical pain. Instead of sinking in to the trough of depression, discouragement and bitterness, he asked the Spirit of God to lift up His heart and eyes to the hill from whence came his help. His help was in the Lord who made heaven and earth.
The twelve following principles can lift your attitude and give you a rejuvenation of the encouragement that is embodied in your spirit through the Holy Spirit’s renewal, restoration and rekindling of His love:
1. The Holy Spirit gives us the spiritual eyes to see possibilities rather than problems in people, situations and relationships. Paul prayed for this kind of spiritual insight for the Ephesians: "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." (Eph. 1:18) Ask the Lord to give your people spiritual enlightenment to see more possibilities and less problems.
Illustration: Attitude and Strength
A person’s mental attitude has an almost unbelievable effect on his powers, both physical ad psychological. The British psychiatrist, J.A. Hadfield, gives a striking illustration of this fact in his booklet, The Psychology of Power. “I asked three people,” he wrote, “to submit themselves to test the effect of mental suggestion on their strength, which was measured by gripping a dynamometer.” They were to grip the dynamometer with all their strength under three different sets of conditions.
First he tested them under normal conditions. The average grip was 101 pounds. Then he tested them after he had hypnotized them and told them that they were very weak. Their average grip this time was only 29 pounds! In the third test Dr. Hadfield told them under hypnosis that they were very strong. The average grip jumped to 142 pounds.
Bits and Pieces, May, 1991, p. 15
2. The Holy Spirit helps you become more objective in your attitude and less oriented toward taking problems personally. Paul wrote, "Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another." (Rom. 14:13) Paul did not even judge himself since he left that up to the Lord. Ask the Lord to help you develop a thicker skin that is able to deflect criticisms and teach your people how to avoid judging one another.
3. The Holy Spirit teaches us how to think, talk and conduct ourselves as the person we wish to become like - Jesus Christ. It is necessary for a person to think correctly before they can grow into what they want to become. Paul wrote, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Rom. 12:2) Ask the Lord to teach you more about the way you should think, talk and conduct yourself, enabling you to grow into the best person God wants you to be. Solomon wrote, "As a man thinks within himself so he is." (Proverbs 23:7)
Illustration:
4. The Holy Spirit helps you be more of an overcomer than one frustrated by their circumstances. Paul wrote, "We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us." (Rom 8:37) Ask the Lord to help you develop more an attitude of praise, thanksgiving and confidence in God’s promises for victory amidst the strife.
5. The Holy Spirit gives you more of a courageous, bold and upbeat attitude than a mere maintenance perspective toward your ministries. Solomon wrote, "The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion."(Proverbs 28:1) Ask the Lord to give you greater confidence that there is victory in Jesus for your personal life and ministries.
6. The Holy Spirit convicts you when you are broadcasting your own personal problems in your conversations. Solomon wrote, "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." (Proverbs 10:19) Ask the Lord to help you avoid any tendency to broadcast your personal problems, grievances or criticisms in public. Instead, cast all your cares upon the Lord and He will sustain you with a buoyant spirit.
7. The Holy Spirit gives you the desire to treat everyone as an important person. Paul wrote, "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." (Phil. 2:4,5) Ask the Lord to give you more of a Christ like attitude of considering others’ needs, interests and problems as Jesus would.
8. The Holy Spirit helps you look for the best in every idea, every person, and every situation. Paul wrote, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love." (Eph. 5:1) Ask the Lord to help you look for the silver lining behind every dark cloud.
9. The Holy Spirit helps you find potential in overlooked or underrated opportunities. Jesus said, "Look to the fields as they are ripe for harvesting... The harvest is plentiful." (Matt. 4:35; 9:36-38) Ask the Lord to help you keep asking, seeking and knocking until you find the overlooked or underrated opportunities in your sphere of influence.
10. The Holy Spirit helps you find talents, gifts and abilities in yourself and others that have been neglected. Jesus said to the disciples, "Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men." (Matt. 4:19) Ask the Lord to give you greater confidence in the Spirit’s ability to help you find neglected talents, gifts and abilities in yourself and in the people you are ministering with.
11. The Holy Spirit gives you greater perseverance to stay faithfully obedient to do what He has called you to do. When the ministry seems to become nothing but drudgery, the Spirit has a way of helping us get a glimpse of God’s great rewards that are stored up for those who are faithful to His purposes. Jesus said, "Great is your reward in heaven." (Matt. 5:12) Ask the Lord to help you to be reminded of the great rewards awaiting all those who are faithful to keep plowing and harvesting where the Lord has led us to be.
12. The Holy Spirit helps you get around people who can help you see greater prospects in projects that you may have not yet seen. "Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer. "Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few." (I Sam. 14:6) Ask the Lord to help you get around people with positive, upbeat and courageous attitudes to help you learn the art and science of buoyant thinking.
Conclusion: Harry Emerson Fosdick once told how as a child, his mother sent him to pick a quart of raspberries. Reluctantly he dragged himself to the berrypatch. His afternoon was ruined for sure. Then a thought hit him. He would surprise his mother and pick two quarts of raspberries instead of one. Rather than drudgery his work now became a challenge. He enjoyed picking those raspberries so much that fifty years later that incident was still fresh in his mind. The job hadn’t changed. His attitude had, though, and attitude is everything.
Dynamic Preaching, June, 1990
