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Going Through 2015 with the Right Attitude
by Tesh Njokanma Everyone has an attitude; a settled way of thinking or feeling which reflects in our behaviour or in our reaction to situations and people. Two people can be faced with exactly the same situation but their attitude to that situation is completely different. You either have a good attitude or a bad attitude. Here's an important statement made by Charles Swindoll in his book Strengthening Your Grip: "This may shock you, but I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude is that 'single string' that keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there's no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me". Attitude is not just something invented by motivational speakers or self-help writers. The word of God informs us of the kind of attitude believers should have as we journey through life. Philippians 2:5 tells us that our attitude should be the same as that of Christ. What kind of attitude did Jesus Christ display while here on earth which we are exhorted to emulate? Apart from His matchless humility, Jesus was totally dependent and reliant on God. In John 8:28 He said "I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me". In John 5:30 He said "by myself I can do nothing" and in John 5:19 he stated that "the Son can do nothing by himself, he can only do what he sees his Father doing" We see from these verses that Jesus' attitude to life was to depend totally and completely on the strength, wisdom and direction of God for everything He did and said. His trust was in God not in Himself. He made God His all in all; the One He relied on for help and direction, the One He brought every need and situation to. God was not happy with the church in Laodicea in Revelation 3:17 because they had a self-sufficient and self-reliant approach to life. They felt they had accomplished so much in life that there was no need for God. Their trust and confidence was in themselves. This greatly displeased God. Like the church in Laodicea, many people today think they have what it takes to make it in life and through life. They wrongly believe that they have the qualifications, experience, abilities, connections and resources that can see them through life. They go for job interviews with this wrong attitude and are surprised when they don't get the job despite the fact that their grammar is impeccable, their dressing of designer quality and they have a First Class degree. One of the names of God is EL-SHADDAI. The name means the ALL SUFFICIENT ONE. Only God is sufficient and doesn't need any one's strength, knowledge, or wisdom. We have no sufficiency of our own. Anytime you refuse to seek God's help and direction about a particular situation, decision or need in your life, what in essence you are doing is telling God that you don't need Him, you can cope on your own, you can handle the situation on your own, I am sufficient, I am able, I am capable all by myself. But this isn't true. We are all in need of God for it is IN HIM we live and move and have our being. It is IN HIM not in our strength, not in our capabilities, not in our wisdom that we exist. No wonder Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:5 says "not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God". Self-sufficiency and self-reliance can keep you from experiencing the power and sufficiency of God. In fact, with such an attitude, you will greatly undermine the power of God in your life. Until we realize and acknowledge our insufficiency; that we are nothing without God and can do nothing without God, we can't experience the Almightiness of God. To have an attitude of absolute trust, faith and confidence in God not in yourself or in some wealthy, influential or even highly anointed person opens you up to experience the sufficiency of God. It makes you see that God indeed is the Almighty and everyone and everything is subject to Him and nothing, absolutely nothing is too difficult for Him. As you go through 2015 with the attitude of complete reliance on God, like Abraham that God revealed himself to as ElShaddai in Genesis 17:1, the Lord will do the humanly impossible in your life this year and He will be more than able to meet any need that comes your way no matter how big, critical or complicated. www.teshnwritings.com Tesh Njokanma is a lawyer by training whose heart is in writing. She is a prolific writer with 15 years experience as a Magazine Editor. She is a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God with a prayer and teaching ministry. Tesh is married with children. She is based in Lagos, Nigeria Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |