Attitude & Altitude
INTRODUCTION
The story is told of a Kansas farmer who found a baby eagle in one of his fields. The poor young eagle was not in good condition and the farmer took it back to his home to nurse it back to health. Over the next few weeks, the eagle was doing well and the farmer put it in with the young chicks in his chicken coop. Although the eagle did well during the first weeks, it began to grow listless and seemed to be losing its strength. The farmer feared the young eagle was going to die after all, until --- one day the farmer had an inspiration. He packed the eagle in his pickup truck and headed west for the Colorado Mountains. When he arrived at the eastern edge of the Rockies, the farmer took the young bird deep into the foothills. Finally, he held the eagle in his arms and pointed its head to the mountaintops where the wind was blowing and an eagle cried out as it traced the currents of the mountain winds. A shudder coursed through the eagle's body and it spread its wings, as a new strength seemed to surge through the bird. It stood and leaped into the air, caught a strong breeze and soared into the sky. The farmer watched the eagle with a tear in his eye as the bird cried out what seemed to be a farewell. A verse from the Bible came to the lonely figure of a Kansas farmer as he watched the eagle soar:
"...Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles..." (Isaiah 40:31a)
When I first heard this story, I thought it should have been a turkey pen so we could say if you want to soar with the eagles don’t hang out with turkeys. And also a bit of trivia; while the sight of a Bald Eagle soaring through the skies has thrilled man for ages; the sight of a “Bald Man” does absolutely nothing for an Eagle!
But, I believe that we human beings were designed to be much more than most people imagine. The problem is that we accept the limits of the chicken coop and don't even know about the mountains and the winds. We wind up hopping and pecking through life instead of soaring. BUT... the kind of life we're talking about doesn't come as an instant miracle cure. And that's not an easy thing to hear in a culture where "fast" is "good." From the nine minute oil change to the "instant" lottery millionaire, we are bombarded with the idea that life can change for the good with a "quick fix". The problem with the quick fix is that when it breaks down, the "chicken coop" syndrome simply gains more strength. You've seen people who have tried a multitude of fad diets only to find they experience one failure after another and winding up heavier than ever. There is an incredible source of spiritual energy available to all of us. That unlimited energy source can make an incredible difference in our lives. Your part and my part in all of this are to decide that we will cooperate with this energy source by having a willingness to change… Change from the chicken yard to the mountain tops is not easy but it is sure. It is not quick, but it is lasting. You must dare to trust that you have been designed for much more than you have ever imagined.
So WHAT KIND OF BEINGS ARE WE? I saw a bumper sticker the other day that I keep seeing from time to time. It said, "Pets are People Too." That bumper sticker is one of my pet peeves. (Pun intended!) Pets are wonderful creatures. I have two great pets and I am very attached to them. In fact, I had an English Mastiff once that was my favorite pet of all time. When I was feeling lonely and blue, he gave me great comfort, 200 lbs. of lap dog. Psychiatrists testify to the fact that a pet can be a comforting, positive thing for people. The old saying is that "a dog is man's best friend." A dog, named Lassie, had a longer run on TV than most human actors. There have been times when I preferred the company of my dogs to that of some people I know. HOWEVER... as wonderful as a pet may be, pets are not people. Remember the old game "twenty questions?" It began with the question, "Is it animal, vegetable or mineral?" Even if the other person was thinking of George Washington, you would ask, "Is it animal, vegetable or mineral?" So poor George Washington would be classified as an animal.
It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that there is much more to a human being than our connection to the animal kingdom. While the bumper sticker about pets may be seeking to better the treatment of animals, I would personally be insulted if my dog put a banner on her kennel which read, "People are dogs too!"
I believe it is absolutely essential that we understand what kind of beings we are before we can become all we were meant to be. That Kansas farmer's chicken yard might have had a sign saying, "Eagles are birds too," but there's so much more to being an eagle than hopping around a chicken coop! While it is true that we human beings are technically a part of the animal kingdom, there is much more to being human than hopping around the animal kingdom!
WHAT IMAGE DO WE BEAR? Of all the good times and surprises I ever enjoyed with my Mastiff “Tiny”, I never had the experience of seeing him retire at the end of a rigorous day and say, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray Thee Lord, my soul to keep..." In other words no creature in all of creation, with the exception of a man, can turn its heart heavenward and say, "There must be more than this." That is because we bear a very special image that no other creature bears.
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
There are three crucial truths that come from this one passage. If we are to experience life as it was intended to be (positive living), we will need to affirm these three truths:
1. I am created in the image of God!
2. I am essentially a spiritual being!
3. I am created for a relationship with God!
It does not take a genius to realize that we have lost our way when it comes to these three truths. Notice that if you remove these truths, the bumper sticker would suddenly be correct, "Pets are people too." Without this foundation for living, human beings would simply be another species in the animal kingdom.
CAN WE FIND OUR WAY BACK HOME? One of the most significant things Jesus Christ ever said was, "I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly!" On the surface, you might ask, "What was He talking about? I already have life!" But, look a little deeper. Jesus also said, "I am the way the truth and the life..." THE life means life the way God designed it to be. It is the life that comes from recognizing that we were created in God's image, which makes us spiritual beings, so we were made for a relationship with God. Here is the central point ... In order to have energy (power) for positive living as long as we live we need to begin with a Declaration of Dependence!Note I didn’t say “Independence”
You and I are limited, mortal beings. We were not designed to "run" forever. God is unlimited and eternal. The "Good News" is that He invites us to come to Him for energy for positive living.
If we are to grow physically, we need to take in nourishment. The same principle applies to our intellectual and emotional life. We need nourishment and encouragement for every dimension of our lives. The same rule holds true for our spiritual growth. We need nourishment and encouragement from God himself. That "spiritual food" is found in part as He speaks to us in scripture. Have you ever wondered what shape your marriage would be in if you gave your wife the same amount of effort you give to your relationship with God?
BEGINNING As you begin or renew your commitment to living positively every day for the rest of your life, make these two steps a part of your "first thing in the morning" routine:
ONE
Affirm these three central truths about who you are:
1. I am created in the image of God!
2. I am essentially a spiritual being!
3. I am created for a relationship with God!
TWO
Make a "Declaration of Dependence" in your own words before you start your daily activities.
WHAT KIND OF DAY DO YOU WANT? Have you ever met someone who was so negative that just talking to them gave you negative vibrations? Just being around some people makes you begin to feel negative. I remember one day last year when I decided to leave the office for a run at lunchtime. It was a beautiful fall day! The air had that crisp fall chill, the sun was warm and the leaves were a riot of color. It was perfect. A man was out doing some work at Hunter. I had seen him puttering around before, but never had the chance to talk with him. "Good morning!" I said. He grunted, "That's what they say." Trying to make a bit of conversation, I said, "How are you today?" As if I needed to ask. "Terrible." "Well, at least it's a nice day." "It's freezing!" Still trying, I said, "Well, the leaves are beautiful." "Well all they do is clutter up the ground. Takes forever to rake them up." The negative person sees the negative side of everything. I gave it one last try. "Fall is such a nice time of year, isn't it." "Means winter's coming." You couldn't win with this fellow. He was determined to have a rotten day. He almost got me feeling guilty for having a good day! And... Here’s something else. I believe this man was determined to have a bad day before he ever got out of his house. I would be willing to wager that most of his days are bad days. Whether it is conscious or unconscious, I don't know, but as sure as the sun rises, his days will be numbered less because of that inner attitude! There is a basic principle of living that I believe is absolutely essential for us to understand... IF we are to know happiness in our living.
The quality (and I believe the quantity) of our days is determined by the attitude we bring to them! Attitude determines altitude!!
Now this is no new principle. Three thousand years ago, the Psalmist wrote: "This is [the day the LORD has made]; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24) I highly recommend that you read Psalm 118 through frequently. The basic principle here is that each and every day we have is a gift to us from God and we can decide that we will have joy in this day and that we will be glad (happy) in this day. If you find yourself struggling with negative emotions day after day and you desire to change those emotions to positive ones, you will need to enter a program of [1] Diagnosis and [2] Remedy.
DIAGNOSING NEGATIVE EMOTIONS IS TOUGH. When you begin to look at the reasons why you are plagued with negative emotions, you will encounter the fact that most people are negatively oriented. You may find that surprising, but it's true. Read the newspaper, watch the news on television or just listen to a lot of people's favorite pastime, the "gripe session." Just as a stream of water will seek the path of least resistance, so the human spirit unaided by God will seek the path of negative emotions. Once you realize that negative emotions come more naturally to people than positive emotions, you must have the courage to examine your own life. The first thing you need to do is examine your script! Your script is like an inner tape library of the basic attitudes you have about life. Do you find yourself saying things like, "It will never work," "It's going to be a bad day," "I don't have the strength," "I'm just not good enough," "Things never work out for me." Now ask yourself, "Where did I get these attitudes? The next step in diagnosis of your negative emotional condition is to ask another question. "Am I inner directed or outer directed?" Most people who are controlled by a negative script are extremely vulnerable to attitudes and circumstances outside of themselves. If they hear someone say, "Some people are born losers," they will immediately have an inner response that goes, "Yah that’s me alright!" And this takes us to the issue of how to remedy or begin to overcome our negative emotions.
REMEDIAL ACTION FOR NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
1. Examine your script and eliminate negative attitudes about your life!
We've already discussed this, but be aware that the first few days, weeks, or even months (depending on the severity of your condition) you will need to make this a daily exercise. (Nobody said it would be easy, but it will be worth the effort.)
2. Minimize and maximize!
Minimize your contacts with people and circumstances that feed your negative emotions and maximize those things that feed the positive. Some people and situations you can not avoid, but you can minimize your exposure to them. “The Dog You Feed!”
3. Focus on the only guaranteed day you have!
Come back with me to the verse we looked at from Psalms:
Psalms 118:24 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Does he say, "Yesterday is the day the Lord has made?" Of course not, yesterday is gone. Now... does he say, "Tomorrow is the day the Lord has made?" No, tomorrow is not here. That leaves only one day. TODAY! David is telling us to focus on today. Today is a gift from God to you and it is filled with all the possibility and potential anyone could hope for. The advice is the same counsel Jesus Himself would give one thousand years later to a crowd gathered on a green hill in Upper Galilee. "Do not be anxious about tomorrow!" Notice that David does not give just a description of the day. (It is a "God-given" day, not "just another day.") He gives a direction for the day. In fact it is an imperative for the day. "Let us... 1) rejoice and 2) be glad in it!" I do not want to minimize the struggle or the pain of negative emotions. I know personally how difficult it can be when negative feelings overwhelm you. BUT... I also know that God has a better idea. If you and I will give Him half a chance, He can lift us up and give us the strength to overcome! One of may favorite thoughts comes from the Apostle Paul: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" This means I never need to face my day alone!
We have talked about the fact that most of us have an "inner library" of tapes that form the basic beliefs and attitudes we have about life. For many people, those inner messages are destructive. "You'll never make it." "You are not worthy." "You're not good enough." All of us, at one time or another in our lives, struggle with these negative inward themes, but some people are absolutely paralyzed by them. When that happens, failure becomes habitual. A basic life attitude develops which says, "I can't!" There is, however, another life perspective that can break the pattern of failure. A quote from the Apostle Paul:
Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.
The journey from failure to success means a switch from a "can't do" attitude to a "can do" attitude; realizing that, "Success comes in cans and failure comes in cant’s!"
The secret to overcoming failure and moving on to success is an inspired attitude. Instead of being bound to the past and a "I can't do anything," attitude, Paul says, "I can do everything!" Then he adds, "...through Him who gives me strength. In other words, the secret to success is the strength of Christ in us. That's INSPIRATION!
The word "inspiration" literally means to have the Spirit in us.
THE SECRET OF AN INSPIRED ATTITUDE
In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, he tells them about a prayer he prays for them. That prayer contains the secret of an inspired attitude.
Ephesians 3:14-21
There are three gifts of God in this prayer that can change our lives. These gifts are yours for the asking. They are [1] Inner strength, [2] The love of Christ, and [3] God's dream for your life. Yes God has a dream for each of us. These gifts represent God's equipment for living successfully -and- without this equipment, our Christian lives will be simply going through the motions. Speaking of "going through the motions", I am reminded of the young boy whose father drove him to church and dropped him off at Sunday school every week. One Sunday morning on the way to church, the boy asked his father, "Dad, did you go to Sunday school when you were a boy?" "Yes I did son," the man answered. "Well," says the boy, "I bet it won't do me any good either!" The eleventh chapter of Luke's gospel has a very interesting passage on the giving of gifts and what God wants to give us. The end of that section goes this way: Luke 11:13
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to
those who ask him!"
It is the Spirit of God within us that is the basis of every good thing God wants to give to us. In Paul's prayer, there are three gifts I call the Christian's "basic issue".
When I joined the Army and went to basic training, I received a "basic issue". Everything that reminded us of our old life was shipped home and we received all GI clothing and supplies. So also a Christian ships off all the old attitudes and asks God for a new “basic issue.”
INNER STRENGTH (V. 16-17)
The secret of inner strength is the presence of Jesus Christ within our lives. And Christ will dwell in our hearts - at the core of our being - but He will never force His way in. He will only come when we ask Him to. This gift of inner strength tells us how much we are worth to God. Just as Jesus was born into this world in a humble stable ... so He will also dwell in us. At Christmas we sing, "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and sing the prayer, "O Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray; Cast out our sin and enter in... BE BORN IN US TODAY!"
THE LOVE OF CHRIST (V. 17-19)
This tells us how much God loves us ... with a love that goes beyond the ability of the human heart to understand. Do you have any idea how much God loves you?
I read a story about a little girl whose father was promoted to the rank of General. When she heard the news, she asked her mother, "Do you think he will mind if I still call him Daddy?" So we, the children of God come to the Great and Almighty God of this universe and call Him "Father!"
GOD'S DREAM FOR YOUR LIFE (V. 20)
Can you grasp the incredible potential of this statement? The power of God, the person of Jesus Christ Himself is at work in us to do more than we can even imagine! God has a dream for your life! Do you remember what Jeremiah tells us? (Jer 29:11-13) So HE will find you when? When we seek Him with all of our heart. Affirm each day, throughout the day, "God has a dream for my life! God is able to accomplish His dream for my life! I can do all things through Him who gives me strength." Failure is based on a lack of worth, a lack of love and a lack of a dream for our life. Success is based, not on what others see in you or even what you see in yourself ... but rather is based on what God sees. AND... God sees you as the object of His love, He sees the value He designed you with, and He has a dream for your life you would never have imagined! It’s not about YOU, it’s about GOD!!!
IV. POWER TO UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL
We’ve looked at the issue of Attitude Power and how we human beings were designed for much more than we’ve dared to imagine. Now what? How do we, "get there from here?" Once we’ve determined that God put more potential in us than we have been able to tap, we will need to answer a question. What is the door God enters to unlock the potential that has been designed within each of us?" Mark this down in your spirit!
Faith is the door God enters to unlock the potential He has placed within you!
Social scientists of every kind agree on very little! However, they do agree on this fact. Most men achieve only a fraction of their potential. I know the women are nodding their heads but I use the word “man” as in the human race. There are many reasons given for this. It can be a lack of education, a lack of nutrition, a lack of self-esteem, a lack of medical care – or a lack of any number of things.
There is a movement which has been "on again, off again" over the past few decades called the human potential movement. The idea is to help people get in touch with and exercise their potential. I believe there is much more to the issue of achieving our potential than the human potential movement suggests. God has much more in store for us than just plain old human potential. Since we are created in the image of God, it is divine potential we want to reach out for – not simply human potential! This is where Attitude takes a radically different turn. The heart of Attitude is rooted in the spiritual dimension.
WHERE WE’VE BEEN
A bit of a re-cap is in order before we continue. We’ve explored the issue of how we can have spiritual power to meet every tough situation that comes our way. Three keys are important:
1. Before we can reach our potential , we need to embrace three spiritual truths. (Contained in Genesis 1:27)
i. I am created in the image of God.
ii. I am essentially a spiritual being.
iii. I am created for a relationship with God.
2. Most of us, (not all, but most) grew up and matured with at least some degree of "negative tapes". We need to pay more attention to what God thinks about who we are than to what others say about us. God’s number one statement to us is: "I created you. I don’t make junk! I love you and I will be your strength."
3. Finally we put all of this together in terms of the Apostle Paul’s statement, "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength."
THE KEY CONCEPT OF "ATTUTUDE POWER"
Faith, we said, is the doorway God enters to activate the potential He placed within us. This translates to our key concept which is:
FAITH ACTIVATED POTENTIAL
A brief definition of faith is: "Trusting God’s ability to accomplish His own purposes." Our potential is activated when we turn our hearts to God in faith. Since a picture is "worth a thousand words," here is a picture or model of a person whose potential was activated by faith.
I. THE EXAMPLE OF ABRAHAM
The story of Abraham takes us back to the beginnings of biblical history and it takes us back to one of God’s original examples of someone whose potential was activated by faith. Let’s turn to Genesis 12:1-4 The New Testament letter to the Hebrews has a comment on Abraham’s venture: Hebrews 11:8-9 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land…
As the story goes, Abraham didn’t see the birth of his first child until he was 99 years old! Evens allowing for a possible difference in how years were numbered, Abraham was well beyond eligibility for Social Security. Pure logic would have told Abraham to stay home, stay put and enjoy retirement. Instead he began a journey which would make him father of a great nation! It was "by faith" that Abraham’s potential was activated. His greatest gift to us is the example of a person whose potential was activated by faith.
AS YOU CONTINUE YOUR LIFE’S JOURNEY
If you remember just one concept from this time together make it this:
"Faith is the door God enters
to unlock the potential
He placed within you!"
Someone reported that George Washington Carver began his incredible exploration of the peanut in "God’s little workshop" by taking the peanut in his hand and asking, "Lord, why did you make the peanut?"
You can do something like that by asking, "Lord, why did you make me?" When in faith – you begin to see your life from God’s perspective and detach from the perspective of those around you who would hold you back,- you will begin to discover the wonderful world of soaring on eagle’s wings!
To close, what are we going to do about it? No lawyer or judge ever appeared in court without asking for a verdict. I too ask for a verdict, a conclusion. I think that if we understand what I have been talking about, that we can have an attitude in our life that is the very power of God, then we must do something. First we need to apply it to our lives. I think the very best definition I have ever heard as to what it means to be a Christian is that it is ONE BEGGAR TELLING ANOTHER BEGGAR WHERE TO GET BREAD! I STAND HERE SIMPLY AS ONE BEGGAR TELLING ANOTHER WHERE TO GET BREAD. THE BREAD OF LIFE!
After applying it to our lives, the next thing we need to do is to demonstrate it. Jesus said some very remarkable things about Christians: He said that we are the salt of the earth; the light of the world. In every church, in every circle where Christians meet, including North Salem Baptist Church, Gulfstream, Ft. Howard or HAAF, we should be demonstrating the power of the Gospel.
Apply it to our lives, demonstrate it to the world and lastly, proclaim it! Most of us here are probably Christians, but I want this to be a challenge to you. Are you ashamed of your faith? Are you the same man, woman, teenager Monday-Saturday as you are on Sunday. What’s that saying? If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict?!?
We have already strayed too far from the faith of our fathers. As the song says, give me back the joy of when I first believed. And if you have never experienced that joy, that excitement, that feeling that if nothing else, you belong to the family of God and are bound for Heaven, wouldn’t right now be a great time?
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up on wings like eagles! (Isaiah 40:31a)
God Bless.
