Determining Your Altitude

Determining Your Altitude

Philippians 3:12-14

Last week God detoured me from my series of sermons about More Than Survivors, this week I return and wrap it up.

We want to raise our kids to do more than just get by… more than just struggle through. We want them to be successful… in education, in marriage, in business, in the spiritual realm.

So I said, in past weeks… Character is determined by choices

Choices are determined by values

Values are determined by attitude

Today I want to explain how

Attitudes are determined by FAITH

There is a saying among Positive Thinking gurus:

Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.

We all know that attitude is important in determining how successful we are in life.

I could spend twenty minutes trying to make this point but I think you will understand it better in just 3 minutes if you watch this

Video of Nick Vujicic

Enough said about the importance of attitude… but I want to go one step farther than Nick did in that clip… but what I am going to say is what Nick believes and teaches.

Where does attitude come from?

Not from circumstances… not from life… not from others

Attitudes is determined by FAITH

Paul, another great motivational speaker of his time, spelled it out in Hebrews 11

He gives us the principle in v. 1 and gives his proof, his evidence in the rest of the chapter.

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

When I speak of attitude today, I am speaking of HOPE… that is the attitude of the over-comer.. that is the attitude of Nick, that was the attitude of Paul and that was the attitude of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11

That is the attitude we need to be successful

But where does HOPE come from?

Does it come from having stuff?

For some it does. They have hope because they believe their stuff will guarantee that they will never go through tuff times or if they do… that it will get them through.

But what happens when the stuff is gone? The hope goes too.

Does HOPE come from climbing the company ladder?

For some it does… they believe their position in the company or on the ladder guarantees their success and happiness

But what happens if the ladder breaks… the company downsizes, or is sold… or goes belly up

And you come crashing to the ground?

Those things can not be the source of our hope… because those things are transitory… not trustworthy.

Nick doesn’t have any hands to hold onto any stuff… but he has HOPE

He cannot climb a ladder… corporate or extension… but he has HOPE

Why?

Because his HOPE is built on something that he can never lose, that will never break, that will always be there… GOD!!!

He has hope that he has a God who is stronger than his weakness… and who can carry him through the things he cannot handle

He has no arms and no legs… and yet he can dive into a 10 foot deep pool… with no floatation device !!!!!!

He faced the bad times… some you can imagine… and some you can’t

He thought about taking his own life at age 8… and probably 1000 times since… but he goes on… because he has hope

He has an “I CAN” attitude… that lets him skateboard… swim… climb stairs… play music…

Where did he get that attitude… that HOPE???

He got it from his faith in God as the God through whom he can do all things.

He finds his attitude… his HOPE in verses like

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

He is able to get up every day… to face life without limbs… because he has faith in a God without limits.

DO YOU!!!

He has HOPE in a strong God who created all of the universe… who is stronger than the ocean… in fact he holds the oceans in His right hand

He has learned the secret of Jeremiah 17:7

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.

We read it “blessed” but the blessed person is one who has a good attitude… because HE HAS HOPE

And his confidence and hope are IN THE LORD GOD

Did you hear that… let me say it again… LOUDER

"But blessed is the man who trusts IN THE LORD, whose confidence is IN HIM.

Parents… we often expose our children to new things… new challenges… new experiences because we want them to gain SELF confidence