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Masters Or Victims?

Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin Articles

We are either masters or victims of our attitudes. Who we are today is the result of the choices we made yesterday, and we will become tomorrow what we choose today. If we want to truly change, we’ll have to “choose” to change.

Our attitude will either make or break us, heal or hurt us, bring happiness or misery, success or failure. With these thoughts in mind, the following are some practical thoughts with regard to our attitude:

  • If we look for good, we will find it (Matthew 7:1-5) — A positive thinker does not refuse to recognize the negative – he just doesn’t dwell on it.
  • Be an ambassador of good works to every person we meet — The Proverb writer had this attitude in mind when he wrote: “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold In settings of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).
  • By an act of our will, let us fill our mind with what is positive (Philippians 4:8).
  • Never surrender to negative emotions (Ephesians 4:31-32) — A good way to fight weeds, is to plant thick and healthy grass.
  • Practice the principle of replacement — The inspired writer Paul tells us: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). Let us replace anger with love and fear with faith (1 Timothy 1:7; Romans 1:16).
  • Negate the suggestive and immoral from our minds (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5) — Let us keep our minds clean and pure by fellowship with our fellow Christians and with God (Romans 12:10; 1 John 1:7).
  • See the good in others — John records: “Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him and said of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile” (John 1:47).
  • Determine to carry an attitude of love and good will toward others (Philippians 2:1-4) — If we’ll change our attitude towards people that we do not especially enjoy being around, their attitude for good will change toward us.
  • Express our sincere appreciation and warm feeling toward others (Philippians 2:1-4) — One of the most healing therapies in the world is to give ourselves in friendship and service to another human being.
  • Practice positive prayer (Mark 11:24; cf. James 1:5-6) — Practice the “as if” principle. If we desire to possess a qualification or emotion, act as if we already possessed it.

Related Articles:

  • Having The Attitude Of “Fellow Feeling”
  • Developing A Non-Complaining Attitude
  • We Are What We Think!
  • Successfully Managing Our Anger
  • “But He Was Angry And Would Not Go In!
  • Let’s Not Have The Nature Of A Mule!
  • “I Ain’t Talkin’ To That Old Mule”
  • “Turning Up The Radio”