In His law the islands will put their hope. -Isaiah 42:4b

01-15-12, Speaker: Pastor Cesar Crisostomo

Philippians 2:1-18

In all areas of our life, one of the keys to having better days is to develop the right attitude in spite of the circumstances we find ourselves in.  It is your perspective (how you see things) and as we will learn today, your attitude (how you feel about things) that will determine whether you will live better days.  Often there are circumstances that we have no control over.  But one thing that we do have is the power to choose our own attitude. We have the choice to take responsibility for our own feelings. And when you and I find the right attitude in spite of difficult conditions then surely we can have better days instead of bad days.

To have a Godly attitude:

1.      I need be united with Christ. 

• I need to be in fellowship with the Spirit of God.
• I need to understand that my attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ.

2.      I need to be humble and unselfish.

• I need to consider others better than myself and to look not only to my own interests, but also to the interests of others.

3.      I need to be obedient to the commands of Christ no matter what it will cost me.

4.      I need to do everything without complaining and arguing.

• With this attitude of heart, you become a powerful witness as a child of God to a dying world (a crooked and depraved generation) that is badly in need of God.

5.      I need to have an attitude of gratitude that will bring joy to my life.

• If bad days (disappointments) cause me to fall into discouragement, then I need to lift my mood back up by giving thanks to God for all things.

a)     Be thankful for prayers answered, either it’s your prayer or someone else who prayed for you.

b)     Be thankful for sins forgiven. 

c)      Be thankful for healings, either seen and unseen.

d)     Be thankful for the storms of your life that have blown out, blown over, or passed you by and never touched you.

e)     Be thankful for families and friends, old friends and new friends.

f)      Be thankful for impossibilities that become possibilities.

g)     Be thankful for gifts, either given or received.

h)     Be thankful for possibilities that God put within you.

i)       Be thankful for hope that springs eternal and never dies because of Christ.

Discussion Questions:

1.      What does this lesson reveal to me about God?

2.      What does this lesson reveal to me about myself?

3.      How will I be different today because of what I have learned?  What changes do I need to make?

4.      What is my prayer for today?