Faith Archives - Page 9 of 14

It’s All About Attitude

My Face Tells on Me

Most people that know me, know that many times what I’m feeling is shown on my face. I try to keep a poker face, but there are times when I’m not doing as good of a job as I think I am. My face will tell how I’m really feeling. My face is a reflection of my attitude. I bet many of you can say the same thing.

What does our attitude say about us? More importantly, what is our attitude saying about God? We can read the Bible, pray and do all the things that we’re “supposed to” do. You know the things that make us a “Good Christian.”

My Attitude & God

With an attitude that is indifferent, lazy, bitter or any of the other negative emotions that we have, our relationship with God can suffer. We should have and want to have an attitude that takes joy in hearing from God. We should want to anticipate the next time that God speaks to us.

If our attitude is bitter or indifferent towards God, then we will not take seriously what He says if we hear Him at all. We can control our attitudes. We can decide how we want to feel about something. Instead of going with the first emotion, we can take a moment and decide how we want to feel about a situation according to the Word of God.

There are days and times when God talks to us that we may not want to do what He is telling us, but we should. We should want to do what He says. So we take a moment and fix our attitude so that we can do what God commands us with a joyful heart.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Sometimes it seems like we can forget this scripture. Or that we just don’t realize that God wants better for us than what we want for ourselves. This realization is why we have to control our attitude.

Don’t Act Like Children

We don’t want to be like our children when we tell them to do something. They do it just because we said so, and they go away mumbling and complaining. I don’t want to treat God that way where I’m only doing what He says because I know I should. I want to take pleasure and joy in the things that come from God.

It all can start and end with our attitdue. Whether we enjoy something or dislike it has more to do with our attitude than we sometimes care to admit. Let’s approach today and everyday with an attitude that is going to get the most out of the day. Let’s also approach God with an attitude that wants to please Him, an attitude that takes joy in hearing from Him.

Let’s adjust our attitudes today. We have control over them.

3 Ways to Handle Life’s Setbacks

Joy at the Beginning

If you’re like me, there is such a rush you get when you start out on a new project or venture. Everything is exciting, you’re meeting deadlines with enthusiasm and gladness. You can see the end of this project and how it’s going to change the world. People’s lives will be better off because of what you are doing.

Then a setback happens. It catches us a little off guard, so we might miss a deadline. We feel bad, but our exuberance carries us through and we continue the journey. Then another setback. Now we’re a little concerned that maybe we missed something. This is not going as well as we thought. Doubt begins to creep in.

The Cycle

The cycle can continue where we are doing well and have victories, but then setbacks occur. For many people these setbacks become so overwhelming that all they can think about is the next setback that will happen. There is another way.

We don’t have to let life’s setbacks overtake us. Here are three ways that we can get past the setbacks.

Our Minds

1. Renewing our mind. For me, this is why prayer is important. Starting the day out by focusing my mind on what God says about me, rather than immediately thinking about the setback. Putting my mind on what God says allows me to approach each day with a fresh mindset.

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Stress

2. Give the stress of the setback to God. It’s amazing how something like stress that is mental and psychological, can damage our physical bodies. This is because we are not meant to carry the weight and the stress of situations. We must give those things to God and then not take them back from Him.

1 Peter 5:7
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Peace from God

3. Ask God for peace. God will give us peace. Peace that will keep our hearts and minds. In exchange for us giving Him our stress and problems, He gives us peace. So, we should continue to give those things to Him. Our minds will try to take them back and want to think about them. That is taking it back from God. Trust God. He can handle whatever our situation is.

Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

We don’t have to let the setbacks in life overtake us. God has a different plan for us. Let’s trust Him today. How has God helped you through life’s setbacks?

3 Reasons How we can Trust God

Our lives should be a reflection of trust in God. Trusting God has a lot more to do with us than it does with God. As a believer in the Bible and in what Jesus has done for us, our trust in God has to be complete and whole.

For many of us, we can wonder how we can trust God. The fear of being let down, or for our prayer not to get answered can have us in a state of mind that goes against God.

Here are three ways that we can and should trust God.

How We Can Trust God

1. Our attitude. The attitude that we have about varying aspects in our lives is a reflection on whether or not we are trusting God. Many times our attitude is a reflection of what we have thought about and what is in our heart.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

There are many scriptures that tell us not to fear but to trust God. Fear is really believing in the negative to happen. Faith is believing that God will do what He said He would do.

Mirrors

Our attitudes are a mirror to what is in our hearts. Instead of accepting a bad attitude because a situation didn’t go our way or because something bad happened to us, we have to stop and think does my attitude reflect that I’m trusting God.

2. Giving. Money seems to be one of those touchy areas for many Christians. We can just see the act of giving money to the church and then do said action and never really involve God in it. When it is God that established giving tithes and offerings. Because God established it, then it must be important to Him.

Is It Really About Money

God doesn’t need our money. If He did, then He wouldn’t be God. The giving of our money has to do with our Trust in God. It shows that He is the top priority in our lives. Many people struggle with this because we see it as losing out on the money. We don’t see it as saying “God we don’t trust You.”

3. Reading the Bible. For a lot of us it can be hard to trust God when we do not know what He says. It can be hard to trust someone when we don’t know His voice. How do we know what God wants for us? How do we know that He loves us? Or that He cares for us? All of these questions and more can be found in the Bible. When we read the Bible, we should read it with the attitude, that God is going to show me something. He is going to speak to me.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

The above three things are some ways that can help us get to where we are right now to a place where we can do what this scripture says and trust God with all our heart. That is a complete trust.

How have you developed your trust in God? Today is a great day to start trusting Him.

Here’s a link to a post I wrote about having Faith in God. Please share these post; I hope that they encourage you in your walk with God.