The Winning Attitudes
Dr. David Ibeleme
Your Attitude Determines your Altitude - Prov. 23:7a
Altitude:
The height above sea level (Typology - Sea = People)
A high place or area - Eph. 2:6
One’s Stature - Eph. 4:13ff
Attitude:
A way of thinking about something/somebody
A way of behaving towards something/somebody
A position of the body; demeanor, outlook or disposition
It also deals with a perspective
In scripture represented by the word spirit - Eph. 4:23
In Latin the word "Aptitudo" = Suitability
Legally (objectively or theoretically), our Altitude is very high.
We are seated with Jesus in heavenly places - Eph. 2:6
This must be matched by our Vital (Subjective or Practical) Altitude
We cannot change our altitude directly.
Only attitude can change altitude directly
Since our altitude is determined by our manifested attitude.
We can then change our altitude indirectly by changing our attitude.
Attitude is a visible fact you cannot hide your attitude forever.
Good News:
Our attitude can be positive or negative
It is not a reflex action
It is not a permanent trait.
It can be controlled
It can be learned and unlearned.
We can choose to alter or change our attitude
It’s a matter of choice.
Positive Attitudes for a Higher Altitude
1. The Attitude of Servitude - 1 Pet. 5:5-7; Jam. 4:6-10
This is having a servant’s heart - Matt. 20:26-28
This is the spirit of humility
Humility is the springboard to greatness
You don’t know everything.
"Only those who do not seek power are qualified to hold it." - Plato
2. The Attitude of Sanctitude or Rectitude - I Jn. 3:1-3
This is the spirit of holiness - Hebs. 12:14
Showing moral integrity & honesty e.g. Joseph
Operating with principle and honour
Doing what is right.
"In matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
3. The Attitude of Solitude - Lk. 6:12
This is the spirit of separation - Lk. 4:1,14ff
God always calls us alone - Is. 51:1-2
Being alone with God, in His presence - Jn. 10:9
Know how to fellowship with God.
This is the place of power.
"The man who walks with God always gets to his destination."
4. The Attitude of Aptitude - 2 Tim. 2:15
This is the spirit of proficiency
Acquiring skill - Suitability
Intelligence - speed in learning & understanding.
It is a desire to be better.
"I kept six honest serving men. They taught me all I knew. Their names are What, Why, When, How, Where and Who." - Rudyard Kipling
"Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you." - Henry Ward Beecher
5. The Attitude of Fortitude - Phil. 4:13
This is the spirit of boldness - 2 Tim. 1:6-7; Rom. 8:15
God’s power is available to us - Acts. 1:8
The "I am strong" & "I am able" mentality - Amos 3:10
"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear." - Mark Twain
"The winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers, on the other hand, concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have done, or what they don’t do." - Denis Waitley
6. The Attitude of Magnitude/Multitude - Rom. 15:14
This is the "spirit of significance" - Philemon 1: 6
The "I am important" mentality - Rom. 12:3; 1 Pet. 2:9-10.
No "small mind" mentality
We serve a big God; we cannot afford to be small.
This gives a sense of growth, multiplication and advancement.
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Eleanor Roosevelt
"Our only limitations are those which we set up in our minds or permit others to establish for us." -Elizabeth Arden
7. The Attitude of Latitude - Rom. 8:14; Eph. 4:1-2
This is the spirit of openness to the Holy Spirit
Scope for freedom of choice & action
Leeway - making allowances for others
Longsuffering ¡V Ability to go through
"Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, and small minds discuss people." - Hyman Rickover
8. The Attitude of Certitude - Hebs. 11:1-3; Mk. 9:23
This is the spirit of faith and certainty.
Confidence and assurance
Possibility thinking or optimism
"Stop telling God you’ve got big problems and start telling your problems you’ve got a BIG GOD!"
9. The Attitude of Promptitude - Prov. 22:29
This is the spirit of urgency
The spirit of diligence - Prov. 10:4
"On time" anointing
The spirit of the "opportunist".
No procrastination or laziness.
Sense of vigilance & alertness.
"Time is our most valuable asset, yet we tend to waste it, kill it, and spend it rather than invest it." - Jim Rohn
"Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle." - Abraham Lincoln
"Things come to those who hustle while they wait."
10. The Attitude of Gratitude - Ps. 92:1-2
This is the spirit of thanksgiving - Ps. 100:4
Acknowledging God’s goodness
The key to enter into God¡¦s presence
It is the key to encounter the miraculous.
"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength." - Corrie Ten Boom
"Happiness cannot be travelled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude." - Denis Waitley
Remember that our attitude reflects our suitability for a job or a position.
As we adjust our attitude our altitude will automatically be adjusted.
