Dear Heavenly Father,
You tell us in Ephesians 4:23 to be renewed in the spirit of our minds. The word ‘spirit’ in this verse is equated to the word ‘attitude’. You are letting us know that when we study, read, and soak-in Your Word, it will change our thoughts. And when our thoughts change to the degree that we are thinking like Christ, our attitudes can’t help but change as well. This is what faith does. It takes us from doubtful to hopeful, from intimidation to confidence, and from sadness to joy.
I’ve always known that sadness and disappointment belong to the devil. These heavies didn’t enter the scene until after Adam and Eve disobeyed You in the Garden of Eden. When they sinned, they lost their connection to You, and a person can’t be in a sadder condition than this. Because of their sin, all kinds of defeating behaviors and attitudes came into play, but You don’t want us to sink to these defeating places in our minds and hearts. It is one of the reasons that You sent Your wonderful Son to the earth. He rescued us from a doom-and-gloom reality and told us in John 10:10 that he came to give us a life that is more than abundant! Please help us, Dear Father, to live abundantly through Christ!
There have been situations in my life where I have chosen fear over faith. By this, I mean that I haven’t behaved as if I believed in the future You have in store for me. Your Word declares that better days are ahead, but sometimes I don’t trust this as much as I should. I repent of unbelief. Please forgive me. Forgive me for choosing the emotional heaviness of doubt and worry over the joy of faith in Christ. I want nothing more than to please You, and I desire all the good things You have in store for me. Through Your precious Holy Spirit that lives in me, please help me remember to be encouraged in faith, so that I am not sidetracked on the race You have ordained for my life.
We may think to ourselves “well how can I not feel sad if this is how the situation is making me feel?” We always have a choice. After Moses, their great leader, had died, Joshua was afraid to lead the people of Israel to take-over the land You had promised them. You told him in Joshua 1:6 (NLT), “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.” Joshua had a choice. He could continue to mourn Moses and be afraid, or he could be encouraged in You and get to it!
Romans 8:37 says that we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ who loves us. A conqueror is someone who conquers. We are not defeated by situations and conditions, because we don’t allow situations and conditions to define us. We must refuse to allow situations and conditions to dictate our moods and attitudes. We must put on the mind of Christ and walk in victory, because that is what You have told us to do. Please help us to have a right attitude of faith and to recognize that we can have a positive mindset and feel good regardless of how a situation looks. We can do this because as long as we walk in the example of Christ, nothing can defeat us, for our faith is in You.
Thank You for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and for the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Please let Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“The Right Attitude of Faith”, written by K. Lizzie, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2019. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.