By: Pastor Emmanuel Oladimeji
Date: Sunday 20th November, 2022.
Venue: UNILAG Multipurpose Hall.
Texts: Philippians 4:8, Romans 12:1-2; 15:5
What is Attitude?
1. It is the reflection of our true self
2. It’s roots are inward while the fruits are outward
3. It is our best friend ot worst enemy
4. It is more honest and consistent than our outward appearance
5. It is a future outlook based on past experiences.
6. It draws people to you or repel people from you
7. It is the librarian or custodian of our past
8. It is the speaker of our present
9. It is the prophet of our future
Your attitude determines your actions, and your actions determine your accomplishments in life.
Attitude is like a bad tyre; when you refuse to change it, you cannot progress in life.
The greatest mistake a person can make is doing nothing about their negative attitudes
Characters in the Bible that had bad attitude that later got transformed
1. Saul – Acts 9:
2. Rahab – Joshua 2
3. Nicodemus – John 3:1-21
4 David – 2 Samuel 12
5. Jonah – Jonah 1
6. Peter – Luke 22:54-62
7. The Thief on the Cross – Like 23:39-43
8. Zacchaeus – Luke 19:1-10
9. The Prodigal son – Luke 15: 11-32
10. The Philippian Jailer – Acts 16:25-40
11. Cornelius – Acts 10
12. Moses – Exodus 2:11-15
13. Mariam – Numbers 12
14. Samson Judges 16
15. Ruth Ruth 1
16. Barbabas Acts 4:36
17. Abraham, the father of faith Genesis 17
18. The Woman at the well
19. Philemon
20. Onisimus
21. Lydia Acts 16:11-15
All these characters are teaching us a lesson which is FAITH IN GOD and TRANSFORMATION.
12 ways to develop positive attitude
1. Understand the power of a positive attitude: It is your most priceless possession. You don’t have to buy it; you develop it.
2. Choose and determine to take charge of your life irrespective of the circumstances and situations around you. In addition, you must be ready to accept and take responsibility. That is, you must be able to monitor your mental dialogue
3. Identify, through self-awareness, the attitude that is holding you back or propelling you forward. By practicing self-awareness, you will learn
a. Discover how to access your present-day attitude by identifying the things that hold you back
b. You will find the attitude needed to propel you forward
c. Identify the causes for the bad attitude.
4. Bag or reframe your bad attitude. E.g. attitude of anger can be transformed into an attitude of gratitude and forgiveness; by shifting your perspectives and thinking
5. Find your purpose and passion in life. Understand the importance of living your life
6. Be proactive. That is, prepare yourself for those times when challenges and situations are trying to propel negative attitudes.
7. Discover how to motivate yourself, even if there is no one to motivate you. Don’t let your happiness depend on the happenings around you.
8. Build supportive relationships: No one makes it alone in this world. We all need supportive relationships to get through challenging times.
9. See change as an opportunity.
10. Develop a “whatever it takes” attitude
11. Make a mark that cannot be erased.
12. Think like God.
For you to rise, progress and succeed in life, attitude is everything