Attitude

The Power of a Good Attitude

Daniel 6:3

"Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm."

I'm not sure one could ever discover the total power that a good attitude has, but it is very evident that a good attitude will help a person tremendously. The greatest thing about your attitude is that you are ultimately the one who decides what kind of attitude you will have. Your attitude is not one that is inherited, though your attitude could resemble the good and bad attitudes of your parents, but your attitude is a determined choice.

You must understand that there is a difference between a person's attitude and their personality. Though both are tightly knit, there are great differences. Your personality is a combination of who you are; whereas, your attitude is determined by how you face life and circumstances. Your personality is a combination of your characteristics, but your attitude is your choice of outlook towards your circumstances. Though, in all actuality, both are your choice, your attitude will determine what people think about you more than anything else.

Daniel was promoted to a high political office because of his attitude. The verse above says about Daniel, "Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him;..." You will notice that it was Daniel's attitude that grabbed the king's attention. I'm quite confident that all the men the king looked at to fill a position were intellectual and capable men, but ultimately it was Daniel's attitude that caused him to obtain the coveted position. Yes, I'm sure character played a big role in the matter, and yes, God certainly worked in the king's heart in this matter, but Daniel's attitude is what made the difference.

Your attitude will make or break your potential in life. The power of a good attitude is tremendous. When everything else is equal, your attitude is the one thing that will separate you from everyone else. A good attitude will cause a person of lesser qualifications to be recognized over a person with better qualifications. You can try to overlook the importance of your attitude, but eventually it plays a big role in how far you go in life. If you have a bad attitude, you can expect to be overlooked for many positions that you desire. But, if you will work on having a good attitude, then you will be amazed how far your attitude will take you. I am not trying the minimize the importance of training, but you can have all the training in the world and have a bad attitude, and you will go nowhere.

Christian, your attitude is a choice. You choose how you face circumstances. You can have an attitude that complains and gripes about everything, or you can have a good attitude and see the good in every situation in life. A good attitude mainly comes by determining you will find the good in everything.

A good attitude can help turn a bad marriage into a good one. A good attitude will turn an average position into a great position. A good attitude will turn a gloomy day into a great day. A good attitude will turn a blah personality into a happy personality. Ultimately, it is your choice. I challenge you to constantly work on having a good attitude. Every morning when you get up, ask God to help you have a good attitude towards what you will face, then determine that no matter what you face you will have a good attitude. If you will have a good attitude, you will find that life is truly great and that God has truly blessed you in a great way.

Carcases((Tag:Devotional by Allen Domelle))

Bury Your Carcases

Ezekiel 43:9

"Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever."

If one could guarantee that you could have the presence of God in your life forever, you would think a person would do what it takes to have this guarantee. In the verse above, God gives such a guarantee. It seemed simple for Israel to have God's presence. He did not expect them to do something outlandish to have His presence. The prerequisite to having God's presence forever was to "...put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me,..."

This seems like a simple prerequisite to have God's presence. Yet, when you look at this statement a little closer, you understand why God said what He did. God told them to put away their "whoredom." God often talks about idolatry as whoredom. God always addressed Israel as if He was married to them. In Jeremiah 3:8, God talks about giving Israel a "bill of divorce." Israel practiced idolatry, and God considered it an act of whoredom for them to worship an idol instead of Him.

So, if idolatry was the whoredom that God is talking about, then why would God tell them to remove the "carcases of their kings" for His presence to be with them forever? The phrase, "and the carcases of their kings," is a continuation of the previous phrase. God was showing that the people of Israel had worshipped their previous kings to the degree that they became idols in their lives. In other words, the people looked more to the kings of the past for guidance than they did to God. It was not that God didn't want them to follow the principles of these past kings, but these people were more interested in what the kings said more than what God said. God wanted them to remove the carcases of the kings so that they would look to Him. The result would be His presence forever.

When looking at this verse, it is no wonder that God's presence is void in the lives of many Christians and churches today. One of the problems I see in Christianity is that many look to what the preachers of the past say more than they look to what God says. Let me explain. Many people validate what they do because of what a past preacher said, and not because God's Word tells them to do something. As long as God's Word and the past preacher's principle agree, it would seem that there would be no problem; however, there is a problem. The problem is that we are not to serve man, we are to serve God. Just because the man's principles are synonymous with God's does not make it right to worship people from the past. God will share His glory with no man, and God demands that we serve Him. We must be careful that we don't make gods out of the great men of God of the past. We must realize they don't validate God's principles and methods, God's principles and methods stand on their own without these men. These men simply obeyed God's principles and methods, and that is why God used them.

Furthermore, you must be careful about doing something just because your parents or a relative in the past told you to do it. Though what they told you may be right, you should always do something because God told you to do it. You are not to replace God in your life with people from the past.

Let me ask you, are there carcases in your life that need to removed? Have you based your beliefs and actions on what someone from the past has said? Your belief system and actions should only be based upon God's Word. Be careful about worshipping the carcases of the past; instead, keep your eyes on God. If you will keep your eyes on God, then you will find God's presence will be with you at all times.

Cleansing

The Cleansing Process

Ezekiel 36:33

"Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded."

Sin has a way of putting a grip on someone's life. When a person sins, they soon find out that sin has a firm grip that is hard to break. In fact, it is humanly impossible to completely free yourself from sin. It takes divine intervention for a person to be freed from sin's grip.

God shows us in this chapter the process a person must go through to be freed from sin's grip. You just don't get rid of sin overnight. You may immediately stop your sin, but being cleansed from your sin takes time. You must understand that the desire of sin is still there; therefore, you must be cleansed from sin if you want to be completely free from it. Let me show you the process it takes to be cleansed from sin.

First, you must realize that you cannot do the cleansing process yourself. Verse 29 says, "I will also save you from all your uncleannesses:..." Notice, God says He does the cleansing. God reinforces this claim in 1 John 1:9 when He says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Too many people have faith in an organization to cleanse them, when God is the only One Who can truly cleanse anyone from sin. Though I am not against addiction programs, an addiction program of itself cannot cleanse you from sin. It can certainly show you that God is the One Who can cleanse you, but without pointing you to God the program will fail. The greatest reason you must trust in God is because He can cleanse you from any sin.

Second, your heart must be changed. Verse 26 shows us that God must give you a new heart. In other words, your sentiments towards your sin must be changed to be cleansed from sin. If you stop your sin, but don't change your sentiment towards your sin, then you will eventually go back to it. You will notice in the same verse God talks about giving you a new spirit. God was simply saying that nobody can be completely cleansed from sin when the sin itself doesn't bother them. If you stop sin simply because you were told not to do it, then you will eventually go back to it. To be cleansed from sin, your attitude towards sin must change. You must realize that it is wrong. You must admit that it is more than a disease, but it is a sin.

Third, God must change your perception about what you have done. Verse 31 says, "Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations." Until you get to the point where what you have done is disgusting to you, then you have not been cleansed from sin. Many people don't look at what they've done as disgusting. When God cleanses you, you will find that you will hate the whole sin from the first participation in it to the time you gave it up.

Christian, everyone must fight sin because everyone is a sinner. Your only hope to be freed from your sin is to allow God to send you through the cleansing process. Let me encourage you to daily ask God to not only forgive you of your sin, but to cleanse you from it. God is more interested in your cleansing than He is in anything else. Once you are cleansed from your sin, you will find the desire for it will not longer be there.

Original

An Original Replica

Ezekiel 16:44

"Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter."

Several years ago my wife and I had the privilege of touring a border town in Mexico. While in this area, she and I went to the market to see what we could bring back as souvenirs. It was humorous to hear the vendors talk about how their goods were the real thing. We saw fancy watches and purses, and each vendor swore that they were the real thing. Yet, when you looked a little closer, you found out that they were just a replica. They were a copy of the real thing.

God used a proverb to describe Jerusalem that said, "As is the mother, so is her daughter." This proverb was not a fairy tale story, but it was the truth. In other words, God used a proverb that was truthful to show His people what they had become.

A daughter is often a replica of her mother. This does not take away from the originality of an individual, but it is the truth. Most young ladies will become like their mother. How often have you seen a young lady who reminded you of her mother? This proverb should teach you several lessons.

First, every mother needs to beware of what she is teaching her daughter. You may not think your daughter is watching you, but I can assure you she is. There are many mothers who think they can shame their daughters away from their bad habits, but your daughter will learn from your actions more than she will from your words. With that thought in mind, what is your daughter learning from you? Would you want your daughter to turn out like you? Ladies, if there is something in your life that you would not want your daughter to do, then you need to change it. You need to live your life in such a manner that you wouldn't be ashamed if she turned out like you.

Second, every daughter needs to learn the importance of copying the right things. Just because your mother does something does not mean that you should do it. If your mother does something that is wrong, then you should not copy it; however, you should copy those things in your mother that are worthy of copying.

Third, single young ladies should live their lives in a manner as if they were a mother. You will most likely become a mother someday; therefore, you should realize that you will be what you are right now. You won't change your bad habits just because you become a mother. Now is the time to work on changing the bad habits in your life so that when you become a mother your daughter has something worthy of copying.

Fourth, young men should take a good look at a young lady's mother before marrying her. I say this guardedly, but whomever you are dating will most likely have many characteristics of her mother. A lady's mother will often show you what a young lady will become when she gets married. Though this isn't always the case, many times it is. This is why it is important for a young man to get to know the mother of the young lady he is dating.

Finally, let me encourage every parent to be careful what they are teaching their children. Though this proverb was about the mother and daughter, I believe the same can be said about the father and son. You should live your life in such a manner that you would not be ashamed of your children copying you when they are adults.

Presence

God's Presence in Your Life

Ezekiel 11:5

"And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them."

To have God's presence in one's life should be the desire of every Christian. The verse above says, "And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me,..." What a powerful statement! Ezekiel was not just talking about a desire to have God's presence, but he was testifying about having it. Yet, there were some steps he took before this happened that I would like to show you.

First, he had a good attitude. Verse 1 says, "Moreover the spirit lifted me up,..." The Scriptures didn't say that he was put down, but that he was lifted up. In other words, Ezekiel's spirit had to be one that the Holy Spirit would want to be a part of. You won't find people with God's presence on their life who are always down in the dumps. You should strive to grab God's attention by having a good attitude.

Second, he was obedient to the Spirit of God. Verse 1 continues to say, "Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate..." Notice, Ezekiel had to follow the Spirit's leading. If the Spirit of God had told Ezekiel to go to the east gate, and if he had not followed, then the Spirit of the LORD could not have fallen upon him. God's Spirit will never fall upon you if you don't obey Him. When the Spirit of the LORD speaks to your heart, He expects you to listen and obey. Why should the Spirit of the LORD fall upon you if you don't listen? The Spirit of God will never force Himself upon anyone. If, when He speaks, you don't listen, then He will quietly go away and find someone else who will be obedient. You should be sure that you have such an obedient and yielded spirit that whatever God asks or tells you to do that you do it. You'll never experience God's presence otherwise.

Third, in verses 2-3 Ezekiel went to the people. God's Spirit is not a possession for you to hold; rather, His Spirit is to be a conduit through your life. You will never get God's Spirit upon your life by sitting at home doing nothing. God's Spirit falls upon those who are doing something for God. Let me ask you, what are you doing for the LORD that would cause Him to want to place His Spirit upon you? The purpose of God's Holy Spirit's presence is to help you to help those whom He wants to help. Until you get busy serving the LORD, you will never experience God's presence in your life.

Fourth, verse 4 shows us that Ezekiel prophesied to the people. Christian, get busy spreading the Word of God to people. You can spread It through soul winning, teaching a Sunday school class, helping people who are hurting, teaching people in a nursing home, etc. When you teach God's Word, that motivates God's Spirit to help you make the needed impact on the hearts of individuals.

These four steps took place before Ezekiel could say, "And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me,..." This world needs Christians who have the presence of the LORD on their life. Better yet, your world needs someone who has the presence of the LORD upon their life. Be that person! Daily follow these four steps, and you will find that the Spirit of the LORD will work through your life. You will find that the more He works through your life, the greater impact you will have on the lives of other's.

Almost

Almost is Not Enough

Jeremiah 26:24

"Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death."

There are many things you can do when almost will be enough. Almost is good enough when you play horseshoes. You can almost get a ringer, and still get points. When playing darts, you can almost hit the bullseye and get points for missing the mark. As a teacher of mine said years ago, you can almost hit a target with a bomb and still do much damage.

Almost works with many things, but it does not work when it comes to doing right. Jehoiakim almost did right with what Jeremiah said, but it was not good enough. Jeremiah stood in the courts of the LORD's house and testified against the cities of Judah because of their wickedness. When the king's servants heard these words, they returned to the king to tell the him what Jeremiah said. Some of the people wanted Jeremiah killed, for they felt his words were treasonous. Others stood and told the story about Micah testifying during Hezekiah's day, and reminded the king that instead of killing the prophet, Hezekiah got right with God. After hearing both suggestions, Jehoiakim saved Jeremiah from being killed, but he did not get right with God concerning the sins of Judah. He almost did right, but his almost was not enough to stay God's judgment.

There are many times when we can almost do right, but you must always remember that almost is not enough with God. You can't almost do right, for almost doing right is still doing wrong. It doesn't matter what your intentions were, the only thing that truly matters is did you do what you were supposed to do? Many Christians think that God will be pleased because they almost did right, only to find out that almost doing right didn't please God. God doesn't expect you to almost do right, He expects you to do right.

You can almost get saved, but almost getting saved will still send you straight to Hell. Agrippa was almost persuaded to be a Christian, but that was not enough as he has been burning in Hell now for many years. Judas almost got saved, as he followed Christ for three years. Yet, though he kissed the door to Heaven, he still died and went to Hell because almost won't get anybody saved. You can go to church and do good your entire life, but that is not good enough with God. You must do right by accepting Christ as your Saviour if you want to go to Heaven. You can grow up in a Christian home, hear every sermon on salvation, do everything but accept Christ, and still go to Hell. Almost will never get you to Heaven. You must do what God tells you to do to get to Heaven.

Likewise, you can almost do right with the Scriptures, but if you only do almost, you are still doing wrong. Too many Christians almost do everything God tells them to do and think that God is pleased. Let me remind you, you can almost do everything, but almost is still disobedience. God doesn't expect an almost obedience, for an almost obedience is disobedience. God expects complete obedience to what He tells you to do, and nothing less.

Are you almost doing right? Have you almost done what it takes to get saved? Are you almost doing everything God tells you to do? Always remember that almost is not enough. The only way you can do enough is to completely follow everything God commands you to do. If you are doing almost, then you are not doing enough. I challenge you not to be an almost Christian, for almost Christians are disobedient Christians. Be a Christian who does everything God commands you to do, for this is the only way God will be pleased with what you do.

Signs

Signs to Good Paths

Proverbs 2:9

"Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path."

If you have ever gone to a national park or forest, you have probably seen signs that tell you to stay on the path. The reason those signs are there are because they have found those paths are the best paths to keep people from hurting themselves. Many people like to ignore the good path and try to make their own path, only to find themselves hurt or lost. Though the good path may not seem as exciting, the good path keeps you safe from danger.

It would be great if somehow there was a path that you could follow in life. Life will sometimes seem to obscure the path that you should take. If there were only signs to show the paths to take in life, it would make things much easier for all. Yet, I find that God has set up signs to show us the path to take in life. In fact, He tells us in the verse above that we can understand "every good path." In other words, if we follow God's signs to the good paths, then they will keep us from danger and hurt. Let me show you God's signs that show you the good paths.

The first sign is wisdom. Verse 7 says, "He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous:..." In God's Word you will find that God has wisdom stored for you when you need it. In other words, God has a storage unit of wisdom from which you can make a withdrawal. How do you withdraw from this storage unit of wisdom? First, you must read the Word of God, for every word is what gives you wisdom that you need. Second, you must ask God to give you wisdom in times of need. James 1:5 commands us to ask God for wisdom when we lack it. Before you do anything, you should always ask God for wisdom, for His wisdom will be like a sign that shows you the right path to take.

Second, righteousness is a sign to show you which path to take. It is amazing how righteousness will show you the right path to take in life. I often say that good always breeds good. When you make one good decision, you will find many other good decisions will come from it. One of the most important reasons you should do right all the time is because it keeps your mind clear so you can see God's signs to the right paths of life. When you do wrong, it will cloud your ability to see the right path to take. Samson did wrong, and could not see the signs to the good paths that God was trying to show him.

The result of getting God's wisdom and living right is that God guides you to the right paths of life. Verse 8 says, "He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints." There have been many times in my life when God guided me to the right path, and I believe it all comes from doing right and obtaining God's wisdom.

Knowing the right path in life is not as difficult as we make it. If you will spend time studying the Word of God so you can gain God's wisdom and obey It, then you will find the signs to the right paths are much clearer to see.

Attacks

Dealing with Personal Attacks

Psalm 7:1

"O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:"

If you ever get heavily involved in the work of the LORD, you will have to deal with personal attacks. Personal attacks are never pleasant to go through, but they are a great way for God to reveal your weaknesses to you. I can testify from personal experience that personal attacks can make you a stronger Christian if you deal with them properly.

This psalm comes from a time in David's life when he was attacked by a man named Cush. We don't know what this man did, but we know from the title of this psalm that Cush attacked David with words. David was not a novice when it came to personal attacks. Saul attacked David without a cause. In fact, David had many personal enemies for no reason at all. Yet, he dealt with the personal attacks in a proper manner. This psalm shows us how he dealt with personal attacks.

First, when personal attacks come your way, you must trust in God. The verse above shows us that David immediately put his trust in the LORD. Most people want to trust man to be their defense when they need to put their trust in God. God is the only One Who can deal with your situation and help both sides. When you need to dump on someone when under personal attack, God is the One on Whom you should unload. God knows what you face, and He can help you through your situation.

Second, ask God to reveal where you have done wrong when you are under personal attack. Sometimes there may be something that you have done that has caused this attack. At other times there is something that God needs to change in you that the personal attack can reveal. I have learned my weaknesses more when I'm under personal attack than I have in any other time in life. The pressure of the situation revealed my weaknesses to me, and the pressure of the situation will reveal your weaknesses to you. Ask God to show you what you need to change when you are under personal attack.

Third, let God deal with those who are attacking you. Christian, God can deal with them better than you can. Retaliation may seem to be gratifying, but it will only cause the situation to get worse. When God deals with those who are attacking you, then He will vindicate you. Don't lower yourself to the level of those who have attacked you. Let God deal with them so that you can go to bed at night with a clear conscience.

Fourth, don't be afraid to ask God to end the attack. In verse 9 David said, "Oh let the wickedness come to an end;..." God can end the attacks if you ask Him. When you try to end them, you will act in the flesh; therefore, you must let God determine when's the best time to end the attack.

Finally, let me warn you not to become involved in personal attacks. Oftentimes you can get caught between two people whom you love, and if you're not careful you will take sides. Let me caution you to stay out of the attack business. There are plenty of other things you can do than to get involved in personal attacks. You may get involved and one day find out you are on the wrong side.

Personal attacks are a part of life. Unfortunately, they are also a part of the Christian life. Deal with them properly, and you will find yourself a better Christian for them. The ultimate goal of anything that you go through is to become a better Christian. Let God make you a better Christian because of your personal attacks.