Sermon.387
See # 977, 602, 614, 640, 729, 739
"A Winning Attitude"
Text: Philippians 3:14
President John F. Kennedy made a now famous speech to Congress on May 25, 1961.
At the time we were far behind the Soviet Union in the space race.
President Kennedy challenged Congress and our nation with the goal of placing a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
It seemed like an impossible dream, but on July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 began the 244,930 mile journey to the moon.
Four days later, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin Jr. landed the lunar module, Eagle, on the surface of the moon.
Neil Armstrong’s famous line was, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
We made this successful trip to the moon because we believed we could do it.
A positive attitude will help you reach your goal.
A dream without a positive attitude produces one thing—a daydreamer!
A positive attitude without a dream, on the other hand, produces a pleasant person going nowhere.
If you combine the two, a positive attitude and a dream, you have the power to “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called you heavenward in Christ Jesus”
Yogi Berra said, “Life is like baseball; it’s ninety-five percent mental and the other half is physical.”
If you don’t have a good positive mental attitude, you’ll never enjoy the success journey in life.
Your attitude not only directs your future, but it also affects who you are today.
People can and do alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.
You see, Attitude is a choice!
Despite the circumstances of our upbringing, despite our limitations, despite what other people may or may not be doing, you and I are responsible for our attitude and our personal reaction to the events of our lives.
We can move bravely toward success, or we can allow something to conquer us and roll over and die.
It’s that simple.
The former great coach of the Boston Celtic’s, Bill Russell, once said, “The game is scheduled, we have to play it, we might as well win.”
So, I challenge you to determine your approach to the journey of life.
How you think affects your approach to your own personal success journey.
Your attitude determines life’s attitude toward you.
If you go through life expecting the worst, you will get the worst.
What you believe about life determines how your perceive life, which eventually determines what you receive from life.
I want to give you some signs of a great attitude:
1. Believe in yourself!
This is basic!
In order to succeed, you must first believe in yourself.
If you have low self-confidence, you will most likely struggle in life.
A strong positive self-image is the best possible preparation for success in life.
2. Another sign of a great attitude is you’re willing to see the best in other people.
We should learn to love people and try to see the good in other people.
You usually see in other people what you expect to see, so focus upon the positive in others, so they will rise to meet your level of expectation.
3. What about our ability to see opportunity everywhere as another sign of a great attitude!
Even conflict presents opportunity!
Opportunities are not based entirely on luck or position, they exist because of the right attitude.
4. Another sign of a great attitude is that you and I focus upon solutions to our problems.
We should not spend our time focusing upon our problems, but instead spend our time focusing upon solutions.
Most of the things worth doing, like going to the moon in the 1960’s, were declared impossible before they were done.
5. A great desire to give, rather than receive is another sign of a great attitude.
Generous people are rarely people who become mentally ill!
Positive people focus their time and money and energy on what they can give to others rather than what they can get from them.
6. I believe that persistence is a sign of a positive mental attitude.
Many people fail in life because they did not give forth the time to stick to their ambitions.
I’ve been working on my PH.D. for several years now.
Eventually I will be successful because I’m persistent.
7. What about assuming responsibility for your own life as another sign of a positive mental attitude.
Successful people take responsibility for their own actions.
We must be willing to step forward and take responsibility for our thoughts and our actions.
How do you and I do these things?
The Old Testament prophet, Zechariah declared: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6).
The Apostle Paul said, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
When you realize that Jesus died on the cross for you, then you become worthy, because Jesus made you worthy, and you can really begin to believe in yourself.
As we “press toward the goal for the prize” we will discover there are many doors of opportunity that God will open up in service, in ministry, and in ways to care for others.
The ultimate solution to our lives on this earth, and the eternal solution forever is our trust and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you have that winning Christian attitude this morning?
If you have placed your faith and trust in Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can leave here this morning with the confidence and assurance of knowing that you can have a positive winning attitude that determines your altitude with God and with others.
We present to your this invitation this morning and we pray you will respond to the invitation with a positive attitude, as we stand and sing our hymn of personal decision.
Rev. Jimmy Davis
Bayview Baptist Church
5300 Two Notch Road
Columbia, SC 29204
Email: BayviewBaptist@aol.com
