Joyce Meyer - Can You Fix My Bad Attitude? (08/21/2019)
A good attitude transforms everything and leads to an above-average life, while a bad one drags you below average. Ephesians 4:22-24 calls us to put off the old unrenewed self corrupted by wrong desires, be constantly renewed in the spirit of our mind, and put on the new nature created in God's image of true righteousness and holiness. The key is choosing on purpose to stop acting like our old self and start acting like the new creation we are in Christ—no excuses, no passivity, just daily purposeful renewal.
The Power of Attitude
Do you know that an attitude changes everything? A good attitude can give you an above-average life, and a bad attitude will always give you a below-average life.
In Ephesians 4:22-24, verse 22 says, strip yourselves of your former nature, put off and discard your old unrenewed self, which characterized your previous manner of life, and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusions. So he's saying, stop acting like you used to before you were saved.
Now, how many of you know that even though we are saved, and we do have a new nature, that we can go get that old nature out of the closet and put him on, if that's what we feel like doing? So you've got to kind of keep him dead. He's dead, but you've got to remind him that he's dead.
So he says, put off that old nature, and let's just skip verse 23 for a minute. And verse 24 says, and put on the new nature, the regenerate self created in God's image, God-like and true righteousness and true holiness.
So the simplicity is stop acting like you used to, and start acting like you ought to. Very simple.
The Bridge: Constant Renewal
Well, how do I do that? Verse 23 is the bridge. It's the bridge from the old life to the new life. And be constantly... Everybody say constantly. And you see, passive people are not too big on constantly.
And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind—having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude. Is there anybody here who had a bad attitude about anything today? The rest of you need deliverance, right?
Listen, I don't remember exactly, but I know that I had at least seven or eight times today when I had to quickly, purposely choose to straighten out my attitude. So I don't care how long you've been saved or how much you pray every morning. You are going to have opportunity to have to decide if you're going to be purposeful or passive.
If you're just going to kind of go with how you feel. Because, I mean, there was some stuff that happened to me, just not even big stuff, but minor stuff that just didn't make me feel too good.
Tonight, I had to try seven times to get my contact lens in my eye. And I was not liking that. And then I got my hairspray out and the can wasn't working. It was one of those cans that you squirt and it leaks. And I'm like, I'm not on the road. I don't have my hairspray. My contact's not working. I'm teaching on attitude. Come on.
Choosing Attitude on Purpose
And see, the person who purposes to keep a good attitude, that doesn't mean that he feels like having a good attitude. It doesn't even mean that having a good attitude necessarily seems fair. But he does it because he knows down deep in his heart that the Word is true.
And that if we do things the way God tells us to do them, that we will have what God says that we can have. But there are no shortcuts. I'm telling you the truth.
I don't think with all the preaching we've heard on things like this that we still comprehend the power of one attitude. What it can do for us if it's good and what it can do to us if it's bad.
Viktor Frankl, while in a concentration camp in Germany, said, the last of the human freedoms and one that nobody can take away is to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances.
So this man is in a concentration camp and they were just being treated unbelievably bad. And he said, there's one thing that Hitler cannot take away from me. And that's my choice to maintain a good attitude. That's amazing, isn't it? Just absolutely amazing.
Pity or Power?
So what are you going to do? Just spend your whole life telling everybody how life threw you under the bus? I mean, would you rather have that pity than to have power?
If you'll throw away the pity, then God can give you power. And it all starts with determining, I am going to have a nose-high attitude in my life no matter what. I am tired of letting the devil keep me down.
And see, I'm not saying that you don't have a right to have a bad attitude. Probably many of you do... or a reason, not a right. You have a reason to have a bad attitude but no right to because God is willing to set us free.
Joseph's Example of Attitude
I think about Joseph a lot because he just went through some really tough, unfair things. And yet he seemed to just have such a great attitude.
I mean, he starts out just because he has a dream. His brothers sell him into slavery and throw him into a pit. But years later, many years later, even after 13 years of being in prison for something that he didn't do and going through several different situations where he was treated really bad.
I mean, not just one situation, but several situations where he was treated bad. God, have you ever been in several situations where you've been treated bad and unfairly? Amen.
And yet, he ends up in the palace. And I think sometimes, I wish that Genesis said more about how hard it was for him. It doesn't say much. If you just take it at face value, it almost just looks like he just was naturally this happy, wonderful guy that everything was easy for him. Easy for him to have a good attitude.
The Iron in His Soul
But there is one scripture in Psalm 105 that gives us a hint about it maybe being a little bit harder than what it looks like. And it's Psalm 105:17-18. And he sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold as a servant.
Now watch this. His feet, they hurt with fetters. He was laid in chains of iron and his soul entered into the iron.
Now, to be honest with you, some of you probably don't get that. But if you've been through that, then you get that. Because what they're saying is, is that what he went through hurt him so bad that there wasn't even hardly any way to talk about it.
And what he went through, the imprisonment, the people who lied about him, what his own brothers did to him, knowing how his father must have felt—all the different things he went through, it did something in his soul.
And instead of that iron that was around his wrists and his feet controlling him, his soul became like iron. And he was able to do the will of God.
But let me tell you something. Anybody who goes through life and maintains a great attitude, it's something you're going to have to do on purpose. You cannot be passive and do it. It has to be purposeful. And we do it for the glory of God. Not just to get a reward, but for the glory of God.
Attitude Inventory: Choose Your Song
How about taking an attitude inventory? If you could describe your attitude in life by choosing one of the following four songs, which one would it be? You now have the pleasure of hearing me sing. Well, I doubt it'll be a pleasure, but here goes.
Here's the four songs. Make the world go away. Get it off of my shoulders. Is that your song? Or how about Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head? Or the Frank Sinatra song. I'll do it my way. That was my song.
Or does this song describe your attitude? Oh, what a beautiful morning. Oh, what a beautiful day.
Well, see, that's always been my husband's song. He wakes up in the morning singing that song, and I am like, holy feet. Every once in a while, I shock him, and I jump out of bed saying, Oh, what a beautiful morning. Oh, what a beautiful day. Let's go again.
Which of the four songs describes your attitude? Make the world go away. Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head. I'll Do It My Way. Or Sing Unto the Lord a New Song. Oh, what a beautiful morning.
Very many places in the Bible it says, Sing Unto the Lord a New Song. And I kind of think that it means more about, let's just get a new song in our life. Let's quit singing the same old sad song all the time.
Stop Justifying Bad Attitudes
What about me? What about me? What about me? Woe is me. Woe is me. Woe is me. Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head. I'll do it my way. Amen.
I'd like to suggest that we all stop justifying bad attitudes. Come home from work at night with a bad attitude and take it out on your family. Well, I had a bad day at work. Well, woo-hoo. Maybe your wife had a bad day at home. Amen.
Well, I don't feel good. Well, we all don't feel good some days. That doesn't give us a license to be mean to people. Amen.
How many of you realize that we justify a lot of our bad attitudes? And you know what I've found out for me? As long as I'm making an excuse for something, I can never get over it. I cannot get beyond it as long as I'm making an excuse for it because an excuse means that I'm saying that I know it's wrong but I'm excusing myself and giving myself a reason to keep doing it.
I can't do that in my mind. Amen. Isn't this good? I love this.
Maintaining vs. Regaining Attitude
Do you know that maintaining a right attitude is easier than regaining a right attitude? Maintaining a right attitude is easier than regaining a right attitude.
You know how I learned this principle? I learned that it's easier for me to keep my peace than it is to be upset for three days and then try to get my peace back.
It's much easier when you first sense your attitude sinking to say, nope, nope, been there, done that, not going around that mountain again.
See, right, if you catch it right then, you're able to make a decision pretty easy because you haven't allowed all your emotions to get involved in the thing yet.
Misery is an option. Say that. Misery is an option.
So here's the prayer we need to pray. Paul prayed this for the church. He prayed that they would be patient and endure trouble with a good attitude.
You know, storms always pass and spring always comes after winter. It's happened for thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of years. Spring always comes after winter.
So if you're in the winter of your life right now, spring will come. Amen? This too will pass.
Robert Schuller said, "the good news is that the bad news can be turned into good news when you change your attitude". The good news is that the bad news can be turned into good news when you just change your attitude.
Come on. Does anybody in this building need an attitude adjustment? Anybody? Okay.