We got an attitude that needs a serious adjustment. Because if God is going to make you new, you're going to have to change the way. You're going to let Him change the way you view your world, view your challenges, view your circumstances, because your attitude will be determined by your attitude. You can't fly if you don't believe you have wings. Hello, and welcome to another great day on Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepard.
Well, the Christian life is a transformation process, one in which God conforms us to the image of Christ. It begins with the renewing of our minds. As you'll see today, in order to change our behavior, we have to change our beliefs. The message is coming right up. But first, this reminder: our website, pastorpaul.net, is the place to go to listen to any of our recent messages, including today's.
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Now, with today's Destined for Victory message, I've got a new attitude. Here's Pastor Paul. Romans chapter twelve. Verses one and two. Paul says, Therefore, I urge you, brothers.
In view of God's mercy. To offer your bodies as living sacrifices. Holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship. do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world. but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve. What God's will is. His good pleasing and perfect Will. In our previous message, we focused on these verses. To discover how it is that God.
Brings about newness in our lives. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5, 17, if anyone be in Christ, he or she is a new creation. And we recently saw, as we examined that portion of scripture, that it means new in kind. There are two Greek words translated new in your New Testament. One, neos, means new in time, a recent version of something.
But the other, kainos, is a Greek word that means new in kind, a new kind of person God wants to make us. And Paul said, when you're in Christ, God wants to make you a new kind of person so that the old has passed and the new has come. God wants to make you so new that there are areas of your life that are not recognizable because God has done such great work in your life.
So since God wants to make us new, we're now looking at, well, now, how is this newness going to take place? And in the Previous message, we began to explore this passage and we talked about the fact that in order for us to become new experientially, for us to have newness in our everyday living, we have to follow what Paul exhorts us to do in Romans 12:1. What is that? To present our bodies as living sacrifices. If you want to let God do a new thing in your life, you have to say yes to God so completely that you are like a sacrifice laid out.
Now, you know, in the Old Testament, when a sacrifice was offered to God, it was dead, it wasn't budging, it wasn't criticizing, it wasn't arguing with God, it was laying out there as a still sacrifice. Paul says, in these days, God wants no human sacrifice, He doesn't want you dead, He wants you alive. God wants you alive. You know, the old West had those posters, want it dead or alive. Let me tell you something.
God doesn't want you dead. He wants you alive. There's a poster with your face planted on it in the post office of heaven. And God says, I want you alive. I want you totally surrendered.
I want you to give up your will in your way so that I can transform your life. And we looked extensively at the passage in the previous message. Then he ends it up by saying: if you are surrendered, yielded to God, here's what God will do: God will cause you to conform no longer to the pattern of your old life because he's making you something new. Instead, God will transform you. That's the newness that God promises you.
He says, Be not conformed to this world, but what? But be transformed, a new kind of person. And how is that going to happen? It begins by a renewing of your mind. Renewing of your mind.
And so I ended the last message by saying: listen, God is trying to take us to a place where we all have a new attitude. Because the newness God wants to bring into your life is going to begin with your attitude.
Now, I came to tell you some news that might hurt your feelings, but it's true.
Some of us we are saved, but we have stinking thinking. We got an attitude that needs a serious adjustment. Because if God is going to make you new, you're going to have to change the way. You're going to let Him change the way you view your world, view your challenges, view your circumstances.
So you all need to say to God, in the words of that great theologian, Patty LaBelle: I've got a new attitude. God's trying to take somebody to the place where you say with Patty, I'm feeling good from my head to my shoes. No way I'm going and know what to do. Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh. I got a new attitude.
God's trying to take you to a place where you have a new attitude. Because if God's going to take you to another out Attitude, he begins, Paul says, by giving you a new attitude. Because your altitude will be determined by your attitude. And so, God, if He's going to get you where He's taking you, He's going to have to transform us, Paul said, by the renewing of your mind. Because if you have the old attitude, if God took you into newness and you have an old attitude, you have a bad attitude, you have stinking thinking, all you'll do is stink up the newness that God wants to bring into your life.
Some people think they need a new relationship, but if you take the old attitude into a new relationship, you're going to mess that one up worse than the last one.
So God says I want to transform you, but the transformation is going to begin by changing you at the point of your attitude. God wants to give us a new attitude.
Somebody ought to be tired of being the same old negative, same old person who can't fix their faith on God and believe God for great and mighty things.
Somebody's got to be tired of the same old struggles, the same old murmuring and complaining, and the same old negative approach to your life. Because you end up being like Israel was in the Old Testament. God brought him out of Egypt, but he had a time getting Egypt out of them. And no point in God bringing you out of Egypt if Egypt is still in you, because you'll be just like they were in the wilderness. They're over there complaining.
They found things to complain about. Here, God delivers you so great. I said in the last message that the Red Sea parts, and God makes a highway in the middle of a sea. They didn't even get their feet wet. And they crossed over and got on the other side.
God drowned Pharaoh's army that was crazy enough to try to follow him. I told him in the last version, listen, if you're in the army, And you see a sea part on either side. Whoever that God is. Doesn't want you to catch them.
So, if I'm the first guy in the first chariot, I'm pulling over. I'm pulling over. I'm going to say, yo, y'all go ahead if you want to. You see your boys riding on through? Go ahead.
All right, man. I'm not going. And God delivered them with a mighty hand, but when they got over there, They had a shout, they sang, Maryam and the daughters began to sing and play their timbrels and dance and all that. But just like church folk, when they got through with church. Then they started complaining.
They said, Moses, where the water over here. And they murmured. It wasn't that they requested water. God doesn't mind your request. But he's looking at your attitude They had a murmuring negative heart.
They said, Where's the water over here? Moses said, Lord. Please help us. These folk are a mess. The Lord provided water.
They began to drink.
So, all right, that's good.
Now, where the food over here?
So, you have a bad attitude. You're not thanking God for what He's done, and see that obviously He's up to something wonderful in your life. Said you're focused on what you still want. And so they said, Where's the food over here? And God gave a manna.
Manna means what is it? That's just what it means in the Hebrew. What is it? God gave them, what is it? And instead of thanking God for what it is.
They got tired. They ate that for a while, and that's why they said, We're tired of eating this stuff. We don't even know what it is. No. They said, give us some meat.
Where's the meat over here? And the Lord gave them so much quail because he was tired of their attitude, so much quail that it stanked the place up. And you and I can be just like that in this era. God keeps on blessing you. Obviously, He has promised in His Word to take you to places you've never been before, to meet you at the point of your need, to do some extraordinary things in your life, to make some areas of your life so blessed that they're not recognizable.
But if God's gonna get you there, he's got to change your attitude. Because you can't take a bad attitude into the promises of God. Don't go away. The rest of today's Destined for Victory message featuring Pastor Paul Shepard is coming right up. Here, destined for victory, we believe in the power of prayer, and today we'd like to pray for you.
If you need prayer for any reason, please visit pastorpaul. net and click contact in the main menu on the home page to share your request with us. Our ministry team is always happy to lift you up in prayer. While you're there, be sure to stop by our online store where you'll find some of the best Christian resources on the market, including books and video messages from Pastor Paul. In many ways, the Christian life is a paradox.
You receive when you give, you are exalted when you lower yourself, and you achieve victory when you surrender.
Now, let's get you back to the second half of today's message. I've got a new attitude.
Now, what are some of the areas where we got to make a perfect surrender so God can begin this transformation in our lives? I want to suggest the first area we need to look at is the area of relationships. I'm telling you, like never before, these are days when people are challenged in relationships. And God wants to get us to a new place in our relationship.
Some of us are full of bitterness and strife in dealing with people. We're fighting these wars and skirmishes with people in our lives. Marriages are broken with arguments and strife. Relationship between parents and children, and what have you, sibling rivalries, and extended family fights, and family reunions are like family wars. Not in your family, but families I know.
People not getting along in their neighborhoods on their jobs. And the enemy is wreaking havoc in many of our relationships. And God says, I want to do something new in the area of your relationships. I want to teach you. That I have a plan for you to live in peace in this earth.
The Lord wants you to live in peace. Do you know it is possible? For God to give you a lifestyle that is characterized by peace. It is possible for God to bless you so well until arguments and strife and confusion and discord. Are for all practical purposes non-issues in your life.
Now the fact of the matter is some of us can't even dream that dream. Because we wouldn't know what life would be like. Without the latest skirmish. But I have come with a word from God to tell you that the Lord is ready to do something new in the area of your relationships. God is ready to move powerfully in this area.
Go with me to Philippians chapter 4. In Philippians chapter 4, we're going to see a couple of areas where God wants to move in our lives. The first is relationships. In Philippians chapter 4, when you get to verse 2, Paul says, I plead. With Euodia, and I plead with Centike.
To agree with each other in the Lord, yes. And I ask you, local yoke fellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life.
Now, Paul writes the letter to the church at Philippi from imprisonment. He's incarcerated, unable to be there with them in person. And so he's been writing a number of things to inspire them and encourage them to be strong in the Lord, even though he cannot be with them. And obviously, he has heard that there is a major rift in the church, and it has to do with two significant people who are not getting along, and their disagreements are impacting a whole lot of people. One of the things you're going to have to learn is the reason why God wants to mend your relationships and get you strong in that area is so that you can have a positive.
Impact on the people around you rather than a negative one. Here are two Christian mature leaders, but they are so active. It with each other until Paul finds it necessary to call their names publicly as he writes a letter to this church. You know, you're getting into some mess. When the pastor has to get up and call your name in front of everybody.
And talk about it politically incorrect. Suppose that happened today. All of you who are having these riffs and what have you, suppose I got wind of it, it was so bad in your family or in your situation, I had to get up and say, Jennifer. You and Mary need to cut out all of that fighting. On the usher board.
Y'all can't even ush the people in. For what you going through. That would be horrible. That would be uncomfortable.
Some of y'all would say, ooh, that must be bad for the pastor to have to say something.
Well, that's what's going on in the church at Philippi. And it just shows one of the areas where God really wants to do some transforming work is in the area of people who are in our lives and who we have disagreements with. I want to suggest that there are some people you have to decide you are simply going to put your weapons down and find a point of agreement because it's not worth all the trouble. I want you to look at some of the challenges in your life. Think about, get in your mind right now, some of the people in your life that you're having fights and skirmishes with.
Get in your mind some of the people that you are going back and forth, and things aren't going well in your relationship. I want to say that those relationships are probably in any number of categories, but the first category I want to address, represented here, is a category where this fight isn't worth it. It's just some of us have to get to a place of maturity where we say, Lord. Given the important things you want to do in me, for me, and through me. This is not worth my time and trouble.
Now, here's what you got to understand. God wants you then to be able to end the war. with some people without ending your relationship with them.
Some of you, all you have is the old mind. And in your old way of thinking, The only way to end certain battles. is to cut the people out of your life. Fact of the matter is, these are two strategic leaders in a church, and neither one of them should leave, neither one of them should break fellowship, but it's going to take somebody deciding: you know what, this is not important enough to keep this up, and I am just going to end it. I want to say that some of you listening to this message, there is a category of relationships in your life that God wants to help you mend and get ready for the newness He wants to bring into your life.
And the first thing you have to do is stop needing to be right and win every fight.
Some of you don't know how to end the fight without winning. Your attitude is it's not over. Till I knock you out.
Now, I know you don't want to admit that'cause you're looking cute, got your Bible, all that. But some of you, you know, that you want the last word in everything. I have discovered in my years of walking with the Lord and my years of being in relationships, some of which are challenged. That not every battle is worth winning because it's not even worth fighting.
So, at a certain point, the Lord wants to take you to a place which for you is brand new and unfamiliar. And it's a place where you surrender and say, you know what? Hey, this isn't worth the deal.
So, whatever it is you need in order for you to be satisfied, I will do that. And we can just go on. Let's not break fellowship over this. It's really not. Worth it.
I want to ask some of you to make up in your mind that there are some euodias, there are some Centiques in your life who it's just not worth continuing to argue with. I want to ask you to say, Lord, give me the grace, give me the transforming power. That as I renew my mind about this, as I think about it, This really isn't a major issue.
Now, I'm not talking about something that is really deep and really major and really important. I'm talking about things where obviously, whatever was going on with these sisters, somebody just needed to say, hey, sis, listen, I love you more than I love being right.
So, what is it you need in order for us to end this? What is it you need from me? Tell me what you would like me to do for you. And then, when you hear it and you realize it's possible, you might not want to do it. You might think they're out of touch with their issues or whatever, but it's not sin.
They're not asking you to do anything immoral or unethical. They just need you to sacrifice for some felt need of them.
Sometimes God wants to give us the attitude that says, okay, whatever you need me to do, by God's help, I'm going to do it for you.
Some of you in your marriages, your marriage will be better. When you just decide to say, okay, honey. Two words.
Okay, honey, or okay, baby, or okay, sweetie, or okay, boo, or whatever you say. Married folk, just come on, just practice this with me right now, real quick. Everybody married in the room at the count of three, let's just say okay, honey, or whichever other words you use for your spouse. That's appropriate.
Okay. Whatever term of endearment, not term of you getting on my nerves now. But term of endearment, whatever term of endearment, at the count of three, just say okay and then put that term in. We're just going to practice it real quick. All the married folk in the room, ready?
One, two, three.
Okay. All right.
Some of you, that's the first time since you've been married, you said that. I know it is because the Lord gave me this message.
Now, guess what? You're still alive. Still alive. It didn't kill you. It didn't kill you to practice it, and it won't kill you to say it to them.
And you will discover life will be easier. When you learn Not everything is worth the battle. On this one, I really want my way, but obviously you really want yours because we are knocking heads.
Somebody has got to relinquish their felt right. Or else we're going to have a standoff. You ever run into a standoff? Whether it's in your marriage or in some other significant relationship, and folk are just button heads. God says, I want to transform your attitude so that you realize.
If you will just humble yourself, I will exalt you in my own way. And in my own time. And so you gotta be willing to humble yourself. Thanks so much for being here with us for today's Destined for Victory message. I've Got a New Attitude.
If you missed any of today's message, visit our website, pastorpaul.net. You'll find today's program and our recent messages available to stream on demand. Again, the website is pastorpaul.net. What does it mean to put off the old self? What should our new life in Christ look like?
In our latest booklet, Truth, Temper, and Treasure, Pastor Paul Shepherd walks you through three important areas of our life in which God wants to help us grow. You'll be encouraged to tell the truth instead of trying to manage or control it. You'll also discover how to handle anger without letting it fester, and how to manage our money God's way. This is an outstanding resource for new believers, but also for those who might need to get back to the fundamentals of the Christian life. That's Truth, Temper, and Treasure.
A gift we'd love to share with you this month as our thank you for your generous donation to the Destined for Victory Media Ministry. Give by phone by calling 855-339-5500. That's 855-339-5500. Or visit pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, California, 94538.
If you let people stay in your heart full of bitterness and unforgiveness, guess what? They keep you suspended right at this point in your life. You cannot move on as long as there's bitterness and unforgiveness in your life. You can't get where God is taking you. That's next time in our message.
I've got a new attitude.
Until then, remember. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.
