10th April 2016

Living Positive in a Negative World

Preacher:
Passage: Colossians 3:1-17

Worst Day Ever?

Poem by Chanie Gorkin

today was the absolute worst day ever

and don’t try to convince me that

there’s something good every day

because when you take a closer look

this world is a pretty evil place

even if

some goodness does shine through

once in a while

satisfaction and happiness don’t last

and it’s not true that

it’s all in the mind and heart

because

true happiness can be obtained

only if one’s surrounding are good

it’s not true that good exists

i’m sure you can agree that

the reality

creates

my attitude

it’s all beyond my control

and you’ll never in a million years hear me

say that

today was a good day

- - - -

*Now read it from bottom to top, the other way, line by line and see what I really feel about my day.*

Your positive or negative attitude can:

- Make or break you
- Heal or hurt you
- Make you friends or make you enemies
- Make you happy or make you miserable
- Make you a success or make you a failure

3 facts about our attitude:

1. Your attitude – reveals the real you
2. Your attitude determines the success and failure of every relationship in your life
3. Your attitude is always your choice

Negative Attitude

- Self-righteous attitudes (I’m right you’re wrong)
- Refusal to forgive others
- Narrow minded thinking
- Vengeful

Favourite words:

- I can’t
- it’s not going work
- It will fail

Beware….Warning....Beware

Negative Attitude is Contagious

“Tell me who your friend is and I will tell you who you are”

How to Change A Negative Attitude To A Positive Attitude

1. Fix - Change the way you think

Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which isyour reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

2. Filter - Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right.

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things”

3. Feed - Take charge of your thought life

What are you feeding your mind?

It matters what we feed our physical body, doesn’t it?

In the same way it’s not enough to only filter out the garbage from our minds, we also have to feed on the good. Garbage in garbage out. Good in - Bad out

The Challenge

Caleb & Joshua - 12 spies
Daniel - In the lions den
David - Goliath
Paul the Apostles
Nick Vujicic - No arms, no limbs no worries
Is a half-filled glass of water half empty or half full?
The choice is yours

Your faith, as Paul’s faith, moves you and I into a new motivation of Christlike works.

James wrote, “Faith without works is a dead faith.”

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