Attitude Adjustment

             


       Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phillipians 4:6 NIV.

       "If you don't change your attitude young lady, I'm gonna ground your butt into next week!" My mom's remarks still echo in my mind to this day. It was something I heard from my mom on a daily basis. Now that I'm all grown up, it's come to light in a different way. Over this last year, I've complained about relationships, friendships, my home, my husband's job, my kids, and more. At the same time, God's voice has dialed down to silence. I can honestly relate to being in the wilderness, full of sand, wind, and nothingness. After months of silence, I finally heard His voice and His answers are resonating off the pages of my current Sonrise Bible Study.

"Heather it's your attitude."
"What? My attitude? But God, I love You with all my heart, I'm faithful to You in all that I do, what attitude?"

     Apparently God doesn't like complainers. Complaints, and a heart of discontent leads us away from God. Don't know what I'm taking about? Remember the Israelites, well if not here's a quick crash course of the Old Testament. The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for hundreds of years and God heard their cries. So He showed His power in rescuing them after sending a man named Moses to battle with the Pharaoh. God sent several plagues and made the Pharaoh wish he had never heard of God. Then God led the Israelites out into the desert. He parted the Red Sea, sent a cloud to guide them by day, a pillar of fire by night. He provided for all their needs with food, water, and their clothes never wore out. During their 40 day journey after seeing sign after sign of this amazing God; were they rejoicing in the awesomeness of this God? NOPE, instead they complained every step of the way. They roused God's anger against them and instead of entering into the promised land full of every abundance imaginable, they got to wander in the desert for 40 years, one year for each day they complained against God. Only children and those under the age of 20 got to enter into the promised land.
         As harsh as this sounds, God is serious about the attitudes of our hearts. Complaints lead to lack of faith, lack of faith leads to worry, discontentment, jealousy, bitterness, cynicism, disobedience, and separates us from God. While I was busy complaining about the repairs our house needed, or about friendships going awry, I became more focused on these issues and not how God was moving in my life. Blessings had been overlooked. He provided a house that though it was old, repairs were easy to make and He had given me a husband who is gifted in carpentry and working with his hands. Instead of being satisfied with real genuine friendships, I was vomiting all over them about the friends who had hurt and scarred me. Instead of seeing the blessings in the children He had given me, I was complaining about their disobedience and fighting.
         Since God has a sense of humor and doesn't want to leave me wandering around in the desert forever, He got my attention with the Bible Study 'Lord Change My Attitude' and today's verse from Remembering 2011 with My Bridge Radio. Not only has He slapped me back into my senses, He's humbled my thoughts and is cleaning out my heart of discontement and negative attitude. I can't begin to tell you how light my heart has been this week. Yes, I still have problems and things that cause me to worry and instead of falling back into my old negative attitude, I bring my thoughts quickly to God and then thank Him for what He is doing in my life.
          My challenge to you this week is this: Memorize Phillipians 4:6, then write out every blessing that God has given you recently. Next make a list of what is not going the way you want it in your life right now. Write out why you are discontent and worried. Next present these worries to God, ask Him to clenase your heart of your negative attitude. Ask Him to help you see what it is that He is doing and pray to be a part of it. Life doesn't always go the way we plan it, BUT God works everything together for your good and according to His plan.

• What are some of your complaints?
• Did you know that God considers complaints as sin?
• Were you aware that worry is a lack of faith in God?
• Share your comments please.