It’s Your Attitude, Not Your Aptitude;…

…that determines your altitude. -Zig Ziglar

This quote about your attitude by Zig Ziglar is so true. While you may have no control over many things, including the innate abilities that you are born with; you do have control over your attitude. A good attitude can take us far and can help us with achieving success in life.

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.

Last year I was asked to recruit, coordinate and lead a small team for a women’s ministry event. However, I was only given one week to prepare. I felt hurt, slighted and overwhelmed. I was upset that I wasn’t given more notice and I complained.

However, the thought that God will reward believers for service came to my mind. I realized with God’s help, that I needed to change my attitude because I was about to miss an opportunity to serve, bless others and be blessed in return.

God changed my perspective and He helped me to humble myself and obey Him. God brought everything together beautifully and He used us to minister to hurting women that day, but I nearly missed out because of my bad attitude.

A good attitude is worth cultivating and it can make all the difference in how we relate to others, whether we receive career and other opportunities; and even impact our service for the Lord.

Jesus Christ demonstrated the perfect example of a good attitude for Christians.

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT)

The Bible tells Christians to imitate the attitude of humility and sacrifice that Jesus Christ displayed. He did not allow the fact that He was God to circumvent His mission to die on the cross for the sins of the world.

Thankfully, Christians have the help and power of the Holy Spirit who indwells believers. He can help with your attitude! 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)

God can and does transform us, but we have to submit to Him and we shouldn’t get discouraged if it takes time.

Conversely, a bad attitude can hinder us. It can destroy marriages, friendships, work opportunities; as well as hurt our service and witness for the Lord.

A bad attitude can prevent us from receiving the blessings that God wants to give us.

Numbers 11:1 says, “And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.” (Numbers 11:1 KJV)

We can learn from the Israelites that the Lord wasn’t pleased by their complaining. He was provoked to anger and there were consequences.

The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years and they were prevented from entering the Promised Land because of their attitude of unbelief and doubt. The Israelites had developed a habit of complaining.

They had forgotten the good things God had done and instead of being grateful; their grumbling showed a lack of gratitude.

Thus, a negative attitude can leave us wandering in the wilderness of life. Your attitude is key to freedom.

Here is a great quote that sums up the importance of having a good attitude.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.—Charles R. Swindoll

In addition to reading the Bible, I recommend reading, Lord, Change My Attitude: Before It’s Too Late by James MacDonald. Click here to learn more.

God cares about your attitude and you should too.

Do you struggle with having a good attitude and would you like to change?

Have you made a decision to believe and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Click here if you would like to now.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

It’s your attitude, not your aptitude; that determines your altitude. Zig Ziglar | CLICK TO TWEET

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• When your level of complaining is at an all time high…

• Five Simple Steps to Conquer Complaining and Find Happiness

• What Does God Owe Me?How Praising Unlocks Heaven on Earth

• 3 Steps to Get the Help You Need Today

• How to Avoid Comparison in a World Filled with It

• How the Curse of Comparison Crushes

• Why Christians Can be Confident in Crushing Circumstances

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth

The Grass Withers And The Flowers Fall, But The Word Of Our God Endures Forever.

The Bible tells us that even though the grass withers and the flowers fall, the word of our God endures forever. Life is fragile and the things of this world are temporary and perishable, but the word of God will last forever.

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.  

I’m so grateful that the word of our God endures forever. God’s word has sustained me through many dark and difficult times. For nearly 30 years, it has been my light, compass, strength, hope and joy. Through times of sickness, loss of loved ones, financial hardship, and heartbreak; the word of God has been my anchor in the storm.

The Lord has spoken to me through His word and counseled me in making decisions. Over the years I have underlined, highlighted, dated and memorized Bible verses. I have defended the Bible and depended on the word of God; even when I despaired of losing everything else.

Life is full of change. One season ends and another one begins. The grass withers and the flowers fall during Autumn in preparation for Winter. In the same way as nature, our lives are only temporary.

A person is considered to be in their prime when they have reached the pinnacle of their strength, vigor or success in life, but then people decline with age; just as grass withers and flowers fall.

All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” (1 Peter 1:24-25 NIV)

However, the word of God is always in its prime. The Bible’s strength, vigor and success never declines. It is just as relevant and pertinent today as it has always been.

The word of God endures forever, because God is everlasting.

The Bible is unique and unequaled. It is extraordinary because it is God-breathed.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (NIV)

The Bible is God’s word to deliver truth; wisdom for living, hope, power, salvation, healing, transformation and revelation. It teaches, corrects and trains us so that we can serve the Lord.

There is no other book that can make and substantiate the claims that the Bible does.

God’s Word, includes His promises to believers. People may mean well but, even those with the best intentions may have to break their word on occasion. However, God always keeps His Word.

Still, as wonderful and precious as the Word of God is, many have tried to discount, destroy and challenge the Bible, but it has continued to stand the test of time. In fact, people who have sought to discredit the Bible often become believers and staunch defenders of the Christian faith.

There’s no better book with which to defend the Bible than the Bible itself.” –Dwight L. Moody

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (NIV)

The word of God is living. It convicts our inner most thoughts and desires; it judges our thoughts and attitudes.

The Bible is one of a kind because the Word of God endures forever.

How many other books can make this astonishing and true claim that they will last forever?

Do you read the Bible regularly?

Have you made a decision to believe and receive Christ? Click here if you would like to now.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. Isaiah 40:8 | CLICK TO TWEET

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• 3 Wonderful Ways to Read the Bible

• 4 Reasons You Can Love and Trust the Bible Today

• How Digging in the Dirt Proves the Bible is Reliable

• Have You Written Your Own Bible?Beware of Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing

• Podcast: How do we know we have the right books in the Bible?

• Podcast: Why do some Bible versions omit certain verses?

• Video vlog: Twisting Scripture

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth

The Lord Loves Righteousness And Justice…

the earth if full of His unfailing love.

The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love.” (Psalm 33:5 NIV). I have to admit that I started getting discouraged when I started thinking about the first part of this verse and how the Lord loves righteousness. That’s because I know how sinful I am and I know that I can’t measure up to His perfect standard.

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.

Later in the day, I realized that I was feeling badly because I was only focusing on His righteousness and justice. I neglected to consider the rest of the verse about His unfailing love. I had temporarily forgotten about His mercy and grace. As I contemplated the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross which satisfied God’s righteousness and justice; my hope was restored.

Then I went to Walmart and as I approached the checkout lady, I noticed that her name tag said Mercy. I was quite surprised but, I think that God led me to this checkout line at Walmart to remind me of His mercy. I remarked on what a beautiful name she had and that her name reminded me of God’s mercy for us through Jesus Christ. She agreed and said,

“Yes He is merciful.”

I am grateful that the Lord loves righteousness and justice. I think that He has created human beings with a desire for these. In fact, we have an inherent sense of morality.

I believe this is true because I usually feel strongly and even indignant when I see acts of mistreatment. I’m sure you do also. In fact, most of us don’t like it when we and others are denied justice.

Why do we have these desires and feelings?

I think it’s because the Creator Himself made us in His image and we feel this way because He loves righteousness and justice.

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.” (Psalm 103:6 NIV)

Do you love to see justice served? What about when the bad person in the movie gets what’s coming to them? We may express joy or relief. That is until we realize that we are not good either and we lack righteousness as the Bible explains.

• Romans 3:11 says, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.” (ESV)

• Ecclesiastes 7:20 says, “Remember: there’s no one on earth so righteous as to do good only and never make a mistake.” (CEB)

• Ezra 9:15 says, “Lord, the God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence.” (NIV)

We wouldn’t like God to treat us as we deserve, because then He would have to judge and punish us for our sins.

But, God’s righteousness and justice were satisfied on the cross where Jesus died a sinner’s death and took the full punishment for our sins. He was condemned instead of us. 

God chose to forgive and save us because of His kindness and love. He knew we could never be good enough to meet the demands of His righteousness and justice. So, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ who never sinned to die for us.

• Titus 3:4-7 says, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (NIV)

• “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” (1 Corinthians 1:30 NIV)

• 1 Peter 2:24 says, “‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’” (NIV)

• 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (NIV)

In an incredible exchange Jesus became our sin so that we might become His righteousness.

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” (Romans 1:17 NIV)

We are saved by grace alone and declared righteous through faith in what Christ did for us. We are not saved through good works or anything we can do.

We’ll all stand before God one day. We must choose now to either face Him with our own imperfect righteousness or with the perfect and only acceptable righteousness of Christ.

However, it isn’t enough to just know what Jesus died for us. Each person must personally believe and receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior to be forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life.

Have you ever made a decision to believe and receive Christ? Click here if you would like to now.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

“The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth if full of His unfailing love.” Psalm 33:5 | CLICK TO TWEET

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• Who Needs Jesus, I’m a Good Person

• 5 Fantastic Spiritual Senses that Lead to Faith

• Facing Death Fearlessly

• How to Prepare for Eternity Now and Face Death with Confidence Later

• How to Overcome the Agony of Discouragement and Find Hope Again

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth