YOUR ATTITUDE WILL DETERMINE YOUR ALTITUDE
(PHIL. 4:4-8)
What is attitude?
Attitude is the EYE of your soul! Your attitude determines how you view life.
If your attitude is negative, you will see life positively. If your attitude is positive, you will
see life positively. If you have a thankful attitude, you will see things you encounter as
gifts to be thankful for. “I may not be able to change the world I see around me but I can
change the way I see the world within me!”
No wonder the Scripture says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” (Phil. 4:4) Being
joyful is not a matter of chance or circumstance. It is a matter of deciding to rejoice! And
since the decision of whether or not we will rejoice is left up to us, Paul reiterates the
command: “I will say it again; Rejoice!”
HOW TO CORRECT MY ATTITUDE’S VISION
--Rejoice!!! (vs 4)
---Celebrate God all day, everyday!
--Start by getting up each morning, saying
“Good morning, Lord!”
instead of “Good Lord, it’s morning!”
The world will seem brighter to you if you will face it with a whistle rather than a
whine. What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies
within us. God chooses what we go through. We choose how we go through it!
Attitude is the EYE of your soul! Your attitude determines how you view life.
Attitude is the FACE of your life! Your attitude determines how you appear to
others. Other people mirror the attitude they sense we have. Jesus put it like this: “The
way you treat others is the way you will be treated.” When the attitude we possess places
others FIRST and we see people as important, then your perspective will reflect their
viewpoint, not yours. Until we walk in the other person’s shoes and see life through
another’s eyes, we will be like the man who angrily jumped out of his car after a collision
with another car. “Why don’t you people watch where you’re driving?” You’re the fourth
car I’ve hit today!”
WHY CUSTOMERS QUIT
1% die
3% move away
5% other friendships
9% competitive reasons (price)
14% product dissatisfaction
BUT...
68% quit because of an attitude of indifference toward them by some employee!!!
HOW TO GIVE YOUR ATTITUDE A FACE LIFT
Apostle Paul says, “Let your gentleness be evident to all.” (Phil. 4:5)
The word here translated “gentleness” is one of the most untranslatable words in the New
Testament. The best translation of the word is reasonableness. The hardest time to be
gentle and reasonable is when we know we are right and someone else is obviously dead
wrong. Your face will be turned against them. The face of Christianity will appear
deformed to those you and I come in contact with if our attitude toward them is wrong.
And we can even be wrong in our effort to be right!
Luke 9:51-56
“As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for
Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get
things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading
for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you
want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them? But Jesus turned and rebuked
them, and they went to another village.”
When in our determination to be bold we become brazen, the face of Christianity
becomes deformed. We may be right but we don’t look right.
What do we look like when in our desire to be frank and become rude? The
Christian who boasts that he always calls a spade a spade is likely to end up calling
everything a spade. “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a
multitude of sins.” (1 Pet 4:8) If we always run others down, we will soon appear to be
a very low down person.
Our attitude deforms the face of Christianity when in our effort to be watchful we
become suspicious. Some people find enemies where there are no enemies. Ever notice
how certain people are hostile to everyone who disagrees with them? Paul says, “Let your
gentleness be evident to all.” (vs. 5) Satan cares little whether we go astray after a false
doctrine or merely turn sour. Either way he wins!
How do we give our attitude a facelift? Make it as clear as you can to all you meet
that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them!
What would happen if for one week, you treated every person you met as if they
were the most important person in the world? Attitude is the FACE of your life! Your
attitude determines how you appear to others. Other people mirror the attitude they sense
we have.
Attitude is the EAR of your mind! Your attitude determines how you
understand your world. Attitude is the librarian of your past and the listener of your
present. A negative past experience sometimes paralyzes your thinking and your attitude.
It is impossible for us to tailor-make all situations to fit your lives perfectly. But it is
possible to tailor-make your attitudes to fit.
A HEARING AID FOR THE ATTITUDE
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (vs. 6)
Did you ever see an enthusiastic worrier? People who continually worry do not
sense God working in their lives.
Choose not to worry! Worry paints a mental picture of what you do not want to
happen. Therefore when you worry negative sounds will drown the positive. Instead of
worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers! Before you
know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, a sense that “God works all things together for the
good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom
8:28), will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces
worry at the center of your life! When Christ is on the throne of your life, your attitude
takes a positive turn. You’ll remember that He is in control and you can relax! Attitude
is the EAR of your mind! Your attitude determines how you understand your world.
Attitude is the VOICE of your heart! Your attitude will determine how you relate to
those around you. It is never content until expressed. It is more honest and more
consistent than your words. Attitude always tells how things really are with you. “As he
thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (Prov 23:7 KJV)
How do you feel the world is treating you?
-If your attitude toward the world is EXCELLENT, you will receive excellent
results.
-If you feel SO-SO about the world, your response from the world will be average,
mediocre.
-If you feel BADLY toward the world, you will seem to have negative feedback
from life.
TEACHING YOUR ATTITUDE A NEW LANGUAGE
Phil 4:7-8
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if
anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.”
You’ve heard: “Past the teeth, past the gums, look out stomach here it comes--” The way
some people’s attitude is sometimes, we ought to say: “Past the tongue, past the teeth,
look out world, I’m about to speak!”
What we speak begins with what we believe. If you are a peaceful person, you will speak
peace. If there is agony in your heart, you will speak pain. If you are truly grateful, giving
thanks will come easy and naturally. The quality of our thoughts affects what we feel and
how we handle life.
TAKE THOUGHTS CAPTIVE BEFORE THE COME OUT OF THE MOUTH.
When thoughts come to mind about another person, we need to ask:
Is this thought true? (not just preconceived notions)
Is this thought noble? (meaning worthy of reverence-does this thought cause me to
worship God more? Can I thank God for what I am thinking? If not, it is garbage and I
should throw it away!)
Is this thought right? (meaning in right relationship with God and others- does this
thought contribute to the growth of my relationship with God and others?
Is this thought pure? (not distorted by wrong motives)
Is this thought lovely? The most lovely thing in the world is that Jesus took our
place on the cross. Is this thought that I am thinking consistent with the love of God?
Is this thought admirable? Can I share this thought with someone and cause them
to admire me and others more? What if what I am thinking were displayed for all the
world to see?
Is this an excellent thought?
Is it praiseworthy?
When we put our attitude through this filter, we will find it easy to speak the best, not the
worst; to speak of the beautiful and not the ugly: to speak praise and not curse.
Attitude is the VOICE of your heart! Your attitude will determine how you relate to
those around you.
Attitude is the prophet of your future. It determines your destiny. How your
attitude is not is how your life will be
