YOU HAVE TO DIG...
LET US STUDY ATTITUDE APPROACH...
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Some fodder comes from Bruce Ball. I take a shovel to church with me...
TEXT:
Psalm 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
I. MY FRIEND, WE HAVE TO DIG, AND SOMETIMES DIG AGAIN.
LET US CONSIDER OUR OUT-LOOK? WHAT IS YOUR ATTITUDE TO FOUNDATIONS?
A. ATTITUDE TOWARD SPIRITUAL AND MENTAL HEALTH.
B. Llittle things matter... LOOK AT A DAY IN 1871... YOU WILL SEE...
In 1871 we find a infamous day in history... it is an accumulation OF MANY SMALL ISSUES...
One little lady lived in Chicago in 1871.
That little lady had one little BARN, and there was one little COW in her little barn.
The little lady when out before day break a little OIL LAMP because it was still dark.
The little lady noticed as she walked to the barn that there was A LITTLE WIND blowing that
morning.
The little lady's little COW knocked over the little OIL LAMP and the LITTLE FIRE from the lamp
caught a LITTLE HAY ON FIRE. The next thing you know the LITTLE BARN was totally involved.
The LITTLE WIND blew the LITTLE FIRE NEXT DOOR, and the next little house was involved...
BEFORE THAT DAY WAS OVER CHICAGO HAD WAS IS KNOWN AS THE GREAT FIRE.
Much of Chicago was destroyed...
An area 1 mile wide, and 3 miles long was consumed...
LITTLE THINGS CAN ADD UP TO LARGE DESTRUCTION...
Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken
him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
[25] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house;
and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
[26] And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto
a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
[27] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house;
and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
B. What does my OUT-LOOK LOOK LIKE?
1. Looking back will impede all progress? (Ask Lot's wife?)
2. Looking down you can not see Jesus? ( Ask the two on the Emmaus Road?)
3. Looking at the BIG PROBLEMS will depress? (Ask Peter, he saw waves, felt the wind?)
4. JESUS OUT-LOOK SAYS: LIFT UP YOUR HEAD...
Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for
your redemption draweth nigh.
II. WHAT IS YOUR ATTITUDE OF APPROACH... YOUR ATTITUDE WILL DETERMINE
YOUR ALTITUDE... IT IS ALL ABOUT DIGGING...
A. What do we mean attitude of approach? YOUR PREPARATION CAN HAVE DEEP
AFFECTS ON YOUR ATTITUDE OF APPROACH...
There is a dark alley and you must walk down the alley...
1. You are a weak old lady that can't see very well in darkness is walking down
the dark alley.
2. You are a black belt in karate police officer and you have two pistols, a stun gun,
and a shot gun in the trunk of your patrol car. You have been trained 2 years at police
academy, you have 5 years experience in dark alleys...
Will these 2 individual have a different attitude approach as they walk down the alley?
B. LET US DISCUSS AGAIN THE ROLE OF ATTIITUDE...
Life is not success only journey... real life is not just a sunny day...
C. We pray to God for strength but we have resources we must use...
Ever hear someone say: I want you to pray I find a job? They sit by the phone all day, never
put in an application?
D. WE MUST HOLD OUR HEAD UP IN DARK TIMES...
PREPARATION... I have a choice, I developed a plan...
I made a plan during the calm of how to be prepared during the storm....
III. THIS WILL BE A WONDER DAY... WE ARE HABITUAL CREATURES...
A. We have filters to our ATTITUDE APPROACH...
This is often based on the emotions... by our senses...
B. Look at eye witnesses to a crime, there will be 10 different stories if there are 10 witness,
they all look through the own EMTION FILTERS.
KJV
Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
NIV
Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
C. A young woman woke up early one day, she was so excited.
She said: THIS WILL BE A WONDERFUL DAY.
She looked in the mirror to discover she ONLY HAD THREE HAIR ON HER HEAD.
She thought for a while and decided she would BRAID her hair.
She thought her BRAID WITH THE 3 HAIR was so pretty. SHE HAD A WONDERFUL DAY.
D. The next day the young lady awoke and said: THIS WILL BE A WONDERFUL DAY.
She looked in the mirror to discover she had ONLY TWO HAIR. She pondered awhile,
and decided she would PART HER HAIR DOWN THE MIDDLE. So she fixed her hair
real pretty by PARTING IT DOWN THE MIDDLE. The Lord blessed her with a another
wonderful day.
E. The next morning the lady was awaken to the sun shining so pretty. She thought
within herself this is GOING TO BE A WONDERFUL DAY. She looked in the mirror and
she ONLY HAD ONE HAIR LEFT on her head. She gave thought to what hair-do she would
wear today? She decided to put her hair up in A PONY TAIL. She had a very wonderful
day.
F. The next day, she woke up, she jumped out of bed and said:
THIS IS GOING TO BE A WONDERFUL DAY! The Lord made this day and I will rejoice.
She went over to the mirror and to her surprise she had NO HAIR on her head.
She stood and looked at herself and said: PRAISE THE LORD, I DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY
ABOUT WHAT I AM GOING TO DO WITH MY HAIR TODAY.
And she had a wonderful day with no worries about her hair.
IV. THE BIBLE IS FULL OF PEOPLE WITH LESSONS ABOUT THEIR ATTIUDE APPROACH...
BUT HOW WILL WE APPLY THESE LESSONS TO OUR DAILY CHOICE OF OUR PERSONAL
ATTITUDE APPROACH? SOME PEOPLE WILLING DIG AND SEEM TO WATCH...
THIS IS A SPIRITUAL ISSUE...
A. WE CAN SEE TWO DIFFERENT ATTITUDE APPROACHES IN TWO SISTERS:
1. One sister we will call "THE WORRIED BUSY-BEE!"
Luke 10:40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost
thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
[41] And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about
many things:
2. The other sister we will call her attitude:
"THE WORSHIPPER, THE DIG DEEPER IN ETERNAL ISSUES"
Luke 10:42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken
away from her.
B. It's all about attitude. These two sisters illustrate the lesson of ATTITUDE APPROACH... MARTHA,
the one sister was a good host and she had all her DUCKS IN A ROW, MARTAH STEWARD...
C. MARY ATTITUDE APPROACH TO JESUS WAS SO MUCH DIFFERENT. Her attitude was to make the very best out of everything that came her way.
D. MARY LOVED HER TIME WITH JESUS. Mary loved worship. She did not fret or worry over a
house keeping, meals, or anything when Jesus was there.
Mary seemed to find SOMETHING DEEPER WHEN SHE WAS WITH JESUS, she saw the delight in
being in God's Son's presence.
E. MARY WAS SPIRITUALLY FOCUSED.
3 TIMES MARY IS FOUND AT JESUS' FEET....
1. MARY IS AT JESUS FEET TO LEARN AND BE INSTRUCTED...
2. MARY IS AGAIN FOUND AT JESUS FEET TO BE COMFORTED...
3. MARY IS FOUND AT JESUS' FEET FOR SERVICE, MARY WASHES JESUS' FEET.
F. SURE, WE NEED DUSTERS, COOKERS, WORKERS... IN THE CHURCH...
BUT WE ARE LOOKING AT THE ATTITUDE APPROACH TO MINISTRY... THERE IS MUCH MORE
THAN THE TEMPORAL SIDE OF CHURCH... THERE IS WORSHIP, REAL WORSHIP...
V. THERE IS A TWO FOLD NEED: 1. WE NEED WATER; 2. THERE IS A POWERFUL ENEMY...
THIS LOOKS LIKE A PHYSICAL ISSUE, BUT THOSE WITH VISION SEE THIS IS
ETERNAL, THIS IS SPIRITUAL... GRAB YOUR SHOVEL, JUMP IN THE DITCH AND START
DIGGING... IT MOST BECOME OUR ATTITUDE APPROACH...
A. DIG: to discover after a search, to bring to light,
break up, remove, or turn over...
Obtain or remove by digging,
B. WE ARE FACING TWO IMPOSSIBLE ODDS: IS THIS PHYSICAL OR IS THIS SPIRITUAL?
WHAT WILL OUR ATTITUDE APPROACH BE? WE HAVE TWO BIG PROBLEMS...
1. We have no WATER... our animals are dying and so will our people... we need water!
2. Have you heard about the MOABITES? Moab was Lot's oldest son and grandson...
Moses asked the Moabites for permission to cross and pay for the water... THEY REFUSED...
The Moabites hated Israel and they were mean and cruel...
C. 3 Kings make an alliance to fight the Moabites, and they still CAN'T...
D. JESHOSHAPHAT SAW THIS BATTLE AS SPIRITUAL... LET US HEAR FROM GOD...
2 Kings 3:11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of
the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son
of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.
E. ELISHA KNOWS HOW IMPORTANT THE ATTITUDE APPROACH OF WORSHIP IS...
2 Kings 3:15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the
hand of the Lord came upon him.
F. WE MUST HEAAR FROM GOD, THERE IS NO MAN WITH THE PLAN...
WE MUST FIND THE HEART OF GOD...
IN THE MUSIC GOD'S MAN ELISHA FINDS THE HEART OF GOD...
GRAB YOUR SHOVELS...
GOD WILL PROVIDE WATER AND DEFEAT THE MOABITES, JUST GRAB YOUR SHOVEL
AND DIG...
2 Kings 3:16 And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches.
VI. THE ATTITUDE OF APPROACH CHANGED, THE FEAR GREW INTO FAITH BY
OBEDIENCE, I HAVE MY SHOVEL, I WILLINGLY DIG... THE MAN OF GOD WARNED GOD'S
PEOPLE THIS WILL NOT BE EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS... BUT THE ATTITUDE OF FAITH...
A. GOD WILL PROVIDE WATER...
2 Kings 3:17 For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley
shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.
B. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MOABITES?
2 Kings 3:18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will deliver the Moabites also
into your hand.
C. BECAUSE ELISHA LEAD THE PEOPLE TO DIG THE DITCHES, THE WAS GREATER
BENEFITS THAN JUST WATER... GOD WILL DEFEAT THE ENEMY...
2 Kings 3:22 And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the
Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:
[23] And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another:
now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
VII. MANY PEOPLE IN THE BIBLE CHANGED THEIR ATTITUDE APPROACH...
Psalm 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Psalm 37:1 A Psalm of David.
Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
A. KING SAUL, the first king of Israel had a NEGATIVE CHANGE OF ATTITUDE...
B. Pharaoh, ruler/god of Egypt changed his ATTITUDE TO ISRAEL, he forgot Joseph.
C. LABAN changed his attitude to his son-in-law JACOB and his daughters... Leah,Rachel
Jacob had a change of attitude after wrestling one night with the angel.
CONCLUSION:
DO YOU HAVE THE SHOVEL IN YOUR HAND. DO YOU HAVE THE ATTITUDE TO DIG?
I wonder if we really ever try CHECK OUR PERSON ATTITUDE APPROACH?
When we see potential problems do we begin worrying about them and how we will deal with them?
Will we find a shovel and start digging? Or will we search for feelings to overwhelm us?
Will I reach for the positive things we can bring deliverance by keeping good attitudes?
It does not matter whatever situation that caused our problems, the answer is keeping Godly
attitude approaches. We must not worry or fret, we must trust the UNSEEN HANDS OF A MIGHTY
GOD. Worry kills faith...
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
