It's that attitude again

"Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity."  

                                                                               Romans 12:2  Philips New Testament

It all comes down to attitude. We've discussed time and again but, we still have a long way to go. The longer we live, the more we will discover that life is 10% of what happens to us and, 90% of how we respond to it. So what does this tell us? Well, it shows me that our reactions are way out of sync to how Jesus wants us to live. Think about a recent event in your life that didn't go the way you expected it to. Perhaps you were doing a job and you expected to finish it at a certain time when all of sudden, something came along to change this and the job took much longer than you had anticipated. It may have been a flat tyre, running out of petrol; whatever it was, it was a pain. How did you react? 

I'll give you and example. I was cutting our front lawn the other day and I went too close to a tree root and it completely bent the blade of my mower. I had nearly finished the job, was hot and bothered and this had to happen. However, I surprised myself, instead of giving the mower a good old slap, I quietly went and got my tool box, turned the mower over and removed the bent blade and with the help of a few tools, straightened the blade in around ten minutes. I was so pleased. On another occasion, I may have given the mower a slap and a good talking to, but this time, I overcome my attitude.

The conclusion to something happening will always be determined by our emotion. It is the attitude we have when we approach a problem that determines this outcome. It is changing the way we think - thinking God's way that brings this about. It begins with us seeing things differently. We can either think our way into victory or defeat, joy or sorrow or life or death. In other words be in control the way God has taught you, don't look at a half glass situation, look at a full glass. It all comes down into changing our focus.

Difficult? You bet it is but achievable? Yes, very much so. It comes down to our choices and then to our determination to carry this out. The world may react violently to situations but, you don't have to. Our text above advises us to not allow the world to squeeze us into its own mould. Instead, submit to God and let Him re-mould your mind - the art of thinking differently. It's almost like a basic Cognitive Behavioural Therapy lesson. We have a SITUATION, an EMOTION and a CONCLUSION. The situation obviously speaks for itself - it is what you are facing. The emotion is how you react to it all and the conclusion is how it all turned out because of this. It is the emotion part that needs some attention - what you feel and think, your reactions etc. The secret is to change this reaction into a positive one so that the conclusion is far better.

It's not easy, things never are but, with God, they are achievable because nothing is impossible with Him. Therefore, start putting into action your re-moulded thoughts towards what you face. You can do this!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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