GOD’S POSITIVE ATTITUDES
Written By Rev. Diana Gray - Evangelist
© Copyright 2,000-2004 All Rights Reserved

INTRODUCTION:   Who is God? Do you know, really? Do you know Him in a personal way?  Is He your Lord and Savior? When you pray do you see Him off in a cloud somewhere or is He close to you?  It all comes down to thoughts and attitudes doesn't it? The way you were raised and your attitudes about life in general plays a serious role in the way you see and understand about God.  The way you were raised has helped create your general views about the whole world.  If you were raised in a happy nurturing family where love abounded, your attitudes would tend to be more positive.  If you were raised around a great deal of abuse and negative thoughts, your attitudes would tend to be more negative.  Can negative attitudes be changed to more positive ones? What kind of attitudes do you have positive or negative? 

PRAYER:  Lord we love you, please give us your wisdom and understanding as we study your word.  Reveal the truth to our minds and hearts and help us to grow in your Word.  Thank you, in Jesus name Amen.

I.  GOD’S POSITIVE ATTITUDES VERSES WORLDLY NEGATIVE ONES: 
God has a "Positive Attitude" answer for you to live by.  Whenever you have a "Negative Attitude" about yourself and your life’s situation, God has a "Positive Answer" to counter your  "Negative Attitude" with.  God’s Word affirms positive answers for your life by helping you to see His goodness and His eternal glory!

     A.  GOD’S POSITIVE ATTITUDE means saying, "YES I CAN DO IT." It means having a good mind set with a productive positive attitude. It means having a healthy attitude of feelings and beliefs about yourself and the events happening around you. It means having a good attitude knowing that the Lord is with you. Together, (You with the Lord’s help) can get through life looking on the brighter side of things. It also means looking up and seeing the hope which is in Jesus Christ. It is keeping your mind and heart focused upon the good things about life with the Lord's help. The Lord really loves you.

     B.  YOUR NEGATIVE ATTITUDE means saying, "no I can't do it."  It means having a defeated attitude and a bad outlook on life with doubtfulness and real lack of faith. It means refusing to see the good in things. A negative attitude opposes the affirmative attitude that the positive attitude has.

II.  ATTITUDES ABOUT EMOTIONS AND THE WAY YOU FEEL

     A.  ATTITUDES ABOUT LOVE:

• 1)  YOUR NEGATIVE ATTITUDES: You might say, "You’re not loved by anyone!  No one ever loves you!  You feel you’re just not good enough for anyone to love.  Maybe you are saying You... don't even love you!

• 2)  GOD’S WORD SAYS: John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.   John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting  life.

• 3)  GOD’S POSITIVE ATTITUDE: The Lord says, "I LOVE YOU!  You are so very special to me.  Far more than you realize I care and love you.  I care what happens to you and your life.   Don’t you know that I even sent my very own son Jesus to die on the cross for your sins.  I sent Him to save you because I love you.  How much more love do you need than that?"

• 1)  YOUR NEGATIVE ATTITUDES: You might say, "You can't, You’re so afraid! What if, this goes wrong? What if that happens, What if,....oh you might feel afraid and you have such fear!  You’re really scared!  You’re so sick with fear and worry!"

• 2)  GOD’S WORD SAYS: II Timothy 1:7 For God hath...not… given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and love, and of a sound mind.

• 3)  GOD’S POSITIVE ATTITUDE: The Lord says, I LOVE YOU. With me all things are possible.  Through Me, you can make it in life. We can do it together.

• 1)  YOUR NEGATIVE ATTITUDES: You might say, "You have such trials and troubles. The problems that you carry are "SO" bad.  No one has things as bad for them like you. All you do is struggle with money and stresses everyday.   You may feel you do such foolish things and trouble just follows you.  Maybe you feel you will never going to get out of debt.  That you will never be able to have success in life…never this and never that!  Life is too hard and you can't keep going on. These problems are too much!"

• 2)  GOD’S WORD SAYS: I Peter 5:7 Casting all of your cares on him; for he careth for you. Psalm 91:15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

• 3)  GOD’S POSITIVE ATTITUDES: The Lord says,  " I LOVE YOU!  Please bring all of your problems and troubles to me.  I’ll help you get through them and I will help you learn by your mistakes to be a better person.  I will carry your problems.  You won’t have to get through this alone.  I’ll be there for you, Trust Me and have faith in my Word.

• 1)  YOUR NEGATIVE ATTITUDES: You might say, "You are tired of feeling bad about the sins and things that you have done.   They haunt you and keep coming up in your mind.  Bad memories of past sins can bring negative attitudes.   You can't seem to ever get rid of these guilty feelings.  What’s the use of trying anymore, you are just so tired and discouraged!"

• 2)  GOD’S WORD SAYS:   Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

• 3)  GOD’S POSITIVE ATTITUDES: The Lord says,  " I LOVE YOU!  Come unto me and I will give you rest.  I will give my healing, peace and My love.  Your toil will become productive with real purpose to life.  Please learn of me and in my Word you will find rest."

     A.  ATTITUDES ABOUT OUR FAMILIES: 

• 1)  YOUR NEGATIVE ATTITUDES: You might say, "You just don't have the intelligence to do anything like others in your family.   You just can’t do anything as good as my brother, sister, mother or father.  You are not as smart or special!  You can't think or do things like other people! You may feel no one wants you." Jesus Does!

• 2)  GOD’S WORD SAYS: I Corinthians 1:30-31 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto ….us… wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

• 3)  GOD’S POSITIVE ATTITUDES:  The Lord says, "I LOVE YOU. When you identify with me and learn of My Word, I give you my righteous wisdom.   Your relationship with Jesus is through me and My love in you."   It’s a simple thing to accept salvation, nothing is more important then that. This world will pass away and eternity with the Lord is forever. Keep your eyes on what really matters.   Skill won't get you into Heaven with God.  Faith does! Just keep your eyes on the Lord. He gives you wisdom to do the right thing.

• 1)  YOUR NEGATIVE ATTITUDES: You might say, "It is so hard to believe for healing, you have such little faith for that stuff.   You might pray in church, but you don't have the faith to really believe for healing."

• 2)  GOD’S WORD SAYS: Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

• 3)  POSITIVE ATTITUDES: The Lord says, "I LOVE YOU. Don’t judge yourself by worldly standards.  I have given you all the faith that you need within you by the Holy Spirit.  You just have to use that faith and believe that My Word is true."(We need to have good esteem of ourselves and we can do that when we have right standing with Jesus.  When He is on the throne as Lord of our lives, then we "can" use the faith that He has given us to believe for healing.  Apart from doing His will we can do nothing of ourselves. When our eyes are on Jesus then we can have a right perspective in using our faith.  In other words you have the ability to believe, you just have to use it.) 

• 1)  YOUR NEGATIVE ATTITUDES: You can't put God first in your life, because then you won't be able to take care of yourself and family.  You may feel that you are not able to fully believe and strong enough in your faith to do that. 

• 2)  GOD’S WORD SAYS: II Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.

• 3)  GOD’S POSITIVE ATTITUDES: The Lord says, "I LOVE YOU.  I really do love you.  I’m able to take care of you and your family, if you will trust and have faith in Me your God.  I will not forsake you nor leave you.  I’m sufficient for all your needs.  All you have to do is ask me and then trustingly believe me to do the right thing for your life.  Just ask me, I'll be there for you."

• 1)  YOUR NEGATIVE ATTITUDES: You might say, "You have done such bad things in your life. How can you ever forgive yourself? You know that God has forgiven you but you just can't forgive yourself for what you said and did. You feel you are no good, you hate yourself and can never forgive yourself for what you did."

• 2)   GOD’S WORD SAYS: Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

• 3)  GOD’S POSITIVE ATTITUDES: The Lord says, "I LOVE YOU. I Forgive you when you have asked for forgiveness for the sins that you have done.  If I have forgiven you then you need to forgive yourself too.  Are you not important to me and a special part of My heart?  Did I not send my Son to die for you?" (When you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your past and present sins were forgiven.  Please realize that when you sin now as a Christian you need to still ask for forgiveness.  Without confessing sins to the Lord and forgiving yourself, you put up a barrier between you and God. He's your loving Holy Father who wants to hold you in His strong arms and make all of the hurt go away. You have to confess with your mouth, "I forgive me for what I did." If you say it long enough, your head and heart will have to come into line with what you say because the Bible says to. ")

• Prov. 18:20,21  A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the POWER OF THE TONGUE; and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, we love and we thank you for your Word today.  We thank you for the revelation to our spirits as our lives have been touched and changed forever by your precious Word.  Change our minds and help us to think more with Your positive attitudes.  Renew our minds with your wonderful loving spirit.  Thank you so much for all of the love that you give us.  Help us to feel it in a deeper way then ever before.  In Jesus’ name Amen.

      KEEP A POSITIVE CONFESSION IN YOUR MOUTH IN SPITE OF HOW YOU FEEL. YOUR HEAD AND HEART HAVE TO COME INTO LINE WITH GOD'S WORD AND BELIEVE. SPIRITUAL GROWTH WORKS THROUGH POSITIVE CONFESSION OFGOD'S WORD INTO OUR LIVES.