Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude

INTRODUCTION

Show video – Can be found at: http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/280400/28/Man-with-no-arms-or-legs-to-climb-Mount-Kilimanjaro

Kyle Maynard was born without arms and legs.

However, he never laid down and let the world get him under.

He never allowed his circumstances or other people to influence his attitude.

He chose to have a good attitude and that attitude allowed him to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

That attitude allowed him to change his altitude.

We all go through difficult times some time in our lives, and many of us goes through difficult times more than once or twice.

It is, however, very important how you handle that situation.

With what attitude do you live life?

Are you prone to lie down when things goes bad?

Do you always blame others for your situation?

Some of us just have a bad attitude and we blame it on our lineage.

You know, us Ferreira’s are very short tempered people.

We can’t help it.

It’s just how we are.

With an attitude like that you will never be able to go any higher than your current state.

You will always remain at a low altitude because your attitude is wrong.

We are at the beginning of 2016.

This is the first service of the year.

A new year awaits us full of its own problems, hardship and obstacles, but also with its own challenges.

What was your attitude like in 2015?

Are there room for improvement in the New Year?

What type of attitude do you have? and

What type of attitude are you supposed to have?

After all – Your Attitude determines your Altitude

SCRIPTURE

Let’s read together from:

Philippians 2:5-8 GW

(5) Have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

(6) Although he was in the form of God and equal with God, he did not take advantage of this equality.

(7) Instead, he emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant, by becoming like other humans, by having a human appearance.

(8) He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, death on a cross.

Let us pray

SERMON

To enable us to properly understand this morning’s topic I think it imperative that we first determine the definition of our primary phrases.

Definitions

Attitude Defined

• Attitudes are the established ways of responding to people and situations that we have learned, based on the beliefs, values and assumptions we hold. Attitudes become manifest through your behaviour.

• A personal feeling about something.

Altitude Defined

• Height above Sea Level

Did you see what I saw at the definition for attitude?

Attitudes become manifest through your behaviour.

So we have another aspect here, namely action.

Therefore we could say that, our attitude determines our altitude which are shown through our action.

In other words, our attitude will be evident through our actions.

This determines how high above sea level we can go.

This brings us to the next question:

How high do you want to go?

If you want to go high, if you want to change your altitude, you need to be part of the answer, you need to have a winning attitude.

People with bad attitudes are usually part of the problem.

Ephesians 4:29 GW

(29) Don't say anything that would hurt another person. Instead, speak only what is good so that you can give help wherever it is needed. That way, what you say will help those who hear you.

Paul is saying here that your words and actions are important.

He says that we should not SAY anything hurtful and that we should GIVE HELP (action) where it is needed.

That is a good attitude to adopt and that is the way to climb the mountain.

Your words and actions are interrelated.

Just think when you and your husband or wife or friend have an argument.

How many times have you said things that was hurtful?

What action did you get back from this?

What attitude did you reflect?

What altitude did you reach?

I think not very high above sea level and sometimes below sea level.

Let me give you some realities that I discovered:

The person with the Good Attitude always has a plan - The person with the Bad Attitude always has an excuse

The person with the Good Attitude says, “Let me do it for you;” - The person with the Bad Attitude says, “That is not my job;”

The person with the Good Attitude sees an answer for every problem; - The person with the Bad Attitude sees a problem for every answer

The person with the Good Attitude sees a green near every sand trap; - The person with the Bad Attitude sees two or three sand traps near every green

The person with the Good Attitude says, “It may be difficult but it’s possible.” - The person with the Bad Attitude says, “It may be possible but it’s too difficult"