This week you can enjoy a winning attitude.
1. But seek ye first the kingdom of God
2. Focus on the future
3. Live with a servant’s heart
4. Practice the Praise Principle
5. Reach for God’s Hope
1. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." —Matthew 6:33
Jesus is offering us the supreme blessing of God's presence right now, right here, whatever we're going through, whatever problems or pains are afflicting us, whatever failures or frustrations we're up against so let's look up to heaven and open up our hearts to God. God alone fills the deep hunger of our souls.
How do you connect with God and take His goodness in? There are so many ways.
• Pray
• Read the Bible as God's words to you today
• Confess your sins and thank God for his forgiveness
• Praise and worship God for his goodness
• Thank God for the ways He's blessed you
• Invite God into whatever you're doing right now
• Care for others in Jesus' name
Continually feeding on God in these ways - is how we satisfy the longing of our souls.
"O God, you are my God. my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Because your love is better than life. I will praise you as long as I live. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods." (Psalm 63:1-5)
Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
II. Focus on the Future. (Philippians 3:12-14)
“Not that I have already obtained all this or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
It is only by the grace and mercy of God that you can forget the past. You may have had experiences in the past that caused you deep hurts. You may have been abused, experienced injustices, bitterness, hatred, and rejection by those you loved. Forgetting – healing of memories – only comes from the grace and love of God. To dwell on the past or focus on the future is up to you. It is a choice you make. You can wallow in the past or chose to focus on the future. Paul testified in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, and the new has come.”
III. Live with A Servant’s Heart. Phil. 2:1-13
A person with a winning attitude is one that has a servant’s heart.
Jesus said: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11)
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)
“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:15
IV. Practice the Praise Principle. Phil. 4:4-9
Paul throughout his life accentuated the positive. He practiced the praise principle. Phil. 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
(1) Practice giving thanks in every circumstance for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thess. 5:18
(2). Surround yourself with positive people. The Apostle Paul continually recruited prayer partners. His prayer partners build him up in prayer and with encouraging words. Negative people do not pray for you and tend to pull you down.
Phil. 4:8 “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.”
In your family and marriage what do you look for? Do you look for faults, what is wrong, or do you look for ways to bring the best out of your mate and children? How do you break a negative, nit-picking, fault-finding, destructive cycle in a marriage? Stop centering on what’s wrong. Start looking for what is right and good and focus on those things. The fact is there is good and bad in everyone. The difference is what you focus on.
V. Reach for God’s Hope
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you,” 1 Peter 1:3-4; Three facts about hope:
Our hope comes from an eternal person;God has given us a living hope through Christ, a hope that will never perish, spoil or fade.
Our hope comes from an eternal promise
“In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." John 14:2-3
Our hope comes from an eternal plan
“But God demonstrates His love for us in this; while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8
Hope is a gift from God
Hope is given to all by faith
Hope changes our lives and transforms how we think and how we act
This week you can enjoy a winning attitude.
1. But seek ye first the kingdom of God
2. Focus on the future
3. Live with a servant’s heart
4. Practice the Praise Principle
5. Reach for God’s Hope
