Bridge Church Vancouver

Attitudes that Lead to Success - Part 2

Nov 25, 2007 

Prov. 21:21      He who pursues righteousness and love

                        finds life, prosperity and honor.

Many people today have many different ideas of what success is, what it looks like, how you get it.  We look at achieving success like it is a journey and success is that destination spot.  You will know it when you get there. 

Perhaps it looks like retiring financially free.  A  journey that takes sacrifice, savings, discipline and proper investing - and a little luck.

A successful career looks like the approval of peers and others around you and above you, you've written your book, you're published in the right places, you holiday in the right countries for the right extended lengths of time. 

Perhaps success looks like your kids growing up without getting into trouble and they someday down the road turn around and bless you.  Like a starlet receiving her academy award and on stage says "I owe my success to my mother who sacrificed so much for me...."

We look at success as something down the road, still just out of reach today and when the road begins to look like it is taking us in a different direction than we think it should to arrive at the desired destination we begin to worry, stress comes and over an extended stressful stretch of the journey we begin to wonder if we can really make it. Then when things don't work out and you end up in a different destination spot 

I would suggest to you that success is not so much a destination that we journey to but instead a discovery and living in that discovery.

Discovering who God made you to be and living in such a way where you are looking like God alive in your flesh and  influencing others around you.  Bringing blessing to someones life doesn't take money, position, status, and those blessed know you have been successful. 

That sounds good and perhaps we think we do that, but if that were true then perhaps we would be asking different questions and spending our time and emotions differently. 

Our understanding of our own Success shows up in our attitudes of daily living.

These attitudes will not only help us in our church, but if you apply these into every area of your life you will also experience God's blessing and success. 

What is an Attitude:

A mental position with regard to a fact or state; a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state. 

Attitude is the way we Look at and Approach life 

1Sam. 16:7       Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 

In scripture and particularly in the Wisdom books of the Old Testament, there are 5 attitudes especially associated with success.  We must keep these attitudes in place if we are to see the success & blessings God intends for us to live in. 

God set life and the world up and He is involved

"This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says..."

He is God Almighty - who is larger than our circumstances, he is mighty and powerful and we are called to "Fear Him" 

Fear of the Lord : Taking God seriously enough to obey Him and stay within the boundaries He sets.

The fear of the Lord involves ~ Having an undivided heart that is loyal to God  

Trust - assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something b: one in which confidence is placed  to place confidence: depend - Merriam Webster 

Trust in the Lord - Counting on God keeping his word 

Those who fear the Lord also trust Him 

The Fear of the Lord and Trusting in the Lord are two attitudes that put us on the path to discover and experience the success God wants us to live, as a church and as individuals. 

The next attitude is perhaps one we may not naturally associate with success - but those who truly know who they are and  that God is using them will have this. 

Is. 66:1             This is what the LORD says:

            "Heaven is my throne,

                        and the earth is my footstool. 

            Where is the house you will build for me?

                        Where will my resting place be? 

Is. 66:2             Has not my hand made all these things,

                        and so they came into being?"

                                    declares the LORD.

            "This is the one I esteem:

                        he who is humble and contrite in spirit,

                  and trembles at my word. 

Humility - actions reflecting a spirit of deference or submission

            Voluntarily taking a lower position of importance or lesser before God or others and deferring to them. 

Prov. 25:6    Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence,

                        and do not claim a place among great men;

7          it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here,"

                  than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman.
 

A Humble person is one who doesn't take themselves, his or her opinions, positions, ideas overly seriously. 

Phil. 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 

A humble person cares just as much about others around them as they do themselves

The Lord blesses humility

Prov. 22:4    Humility and the fear of the LORD

                  bring wealth and honor and life. 

Humility involves humbling myself (a choice I make) & Reject a sense of superiority (pride, arrogance) 

Culture says we need self-esteem (feeling good about ourselves) - our issue is not with self esteem but self awareness 

Rom. 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

I choose to take this position before God - This is an attitude because we are training our will 

"I believe that the first test of a truly great man is humility.  I do not mean by humility, doubt of his own power.  But really great people have a curious feeling that the greatness is not in them, but through them.  And they see something divine in others and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful."

- John Ruskin

Luke 18:14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted

I choose to take this position before valid leaders - employers, teachers, meetup leaders,  anyone who has some responsibility for you.

I submit to God by putting myself under their direction -

1Pet. 5:5 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

          "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Many rebellious people are waiting for God to lift them up - it will not happen - then they get tired of waiting 

How do we voluntarily take a lower position?

      Let someone else in front of you, have the last word

      Listen instead of speaking

Look for opportunity to serve and use it to work on my attitude.

Humility is not the absence of pride, but the conscious decision to lower myself.  Humility lets go of control

The next attitude that will allow success to grow in us is

Teachable - capable of being taught - apt and willing to learn

I place myself in a position of a learner

I become willing to receive instruction and apply what I have learned

Luke 6:40 A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.

The quality that often helps us learn to be teachable is the humility that comes in the form of correction

Prov 6:23         For these commands are a lamp,

                        this teaching is a light,

            and the corrections of discipline

                  are the way to life, 

The Blessings of teachability

Prov. 3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching,  but keep my commands in your heart,

2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.

Prov. 16:20    Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,  and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

Prov. 13:18    He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.

Being Teachable brings success - Diana learning to be a mom - read nearly every book from different perspectives.  Listened to older women's success / failures.

Warnings of not being teachable

Being wise in your own eyes -

Prov. 26:16      Dreamers fantasize their self-importance;

                        they think they are smarter  than a whole college faculty.    

Many don't want input - but desire blessing

Resist instruction -

Prov. 13:18      Refuse discipline and end up homeless;

                  embrace correction and live an honored life.

Avoid application

James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 

James 5:7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.

Patience - bearing pains or trials calmly & without complaint; forbearance under provocation or strain; steadfast despite opposition, difficulty or adversity; not hasty or impetuous - Merriam Webster

Patience - Steadfast despite opposition, difficulty or adversity

Patience always takes longer than you think it will and costs you more than you ever anticipated. 

Blessings of patience

Prov. 16:32      Better a patient man than a warrior,

                        a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

Rom 5:3-4

3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  4 perseverance, character; and character, hope

Patience involves

Controlling our temper under provocation

You will think you are cheated.

Prov. 14:29      A patient man has great understanding,

                        but a quick-tempered man displays folly.

Waiting until the proper time to start acting or speaking - even if you get anxious

Prov. 17:28      Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent,

                        and discerning if he holds his tongue.