The Importance of Attitude

Our attitude is a God-given looking glass into our hearts.  Attitude is an insightful tool, a gauge discerning Christians can utilise to discover whether we are walking in God's truth or according to the flesh.  We use thermostats to regulate the temperature of conditioned air, a thermometer to discern if meat is cooked through, and moisture gauges to measure the dampness of a room.  Our bodies are designed by God to function at an optimal temperature, and it is not difficult to discern if we are sick if we will submit to taking our temperature.  The instrument spells out the proof, whether we think or feel like we have a fever or not.  Yet when it comes to spiritual health, things are not so clear cut.  Many times in my own life I thought I was spiritually healthy and robust when I was suffering from the equivalent of walking pneumonia.  Examining my attitude and motives according to God's Word was the way that God drove home the reality that I was gravely ill from a spiritually vantage point.  The danger of not immediately seeking God to treat our spiritual sickness is we unwittingly open ourselves up for all manner of error.

A.W. Tozer wrote a most useful book called The Dwelling Place of God.  He introduces the subject in the following manner:  "These are the times that try men's souls. The Spirit has spoken expressly that in the latter times some should depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron. Those days are upon us and we cannot escape them; we must triumph in the midst of them, for such is the will of God concerning us. Strange as it may seem, the danger today is greater for the fervent Christian than for the lukewarm and the self-satisfied. The seeker after God's best things is eager to hear anyone who offers a way by which he can obtain them. He longs for some new experience, some elevated view of truth, some operation of the Spirit that will raise him above the dead level of religious mediocrity he sees all around him, and for this reason he is ready to give a sympathetic ear to the new and the wonderful in religion, particularly if it is presented by someone with an attractive personality and a reputation for superior godliness.  Now our Lord Jesus. that great Shepherd of the sheep, has not left His flock to the mercy of the wolves. He has given us the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit and natural powers of observation, and He expects us to avail ourselves of their help constantly. "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good," said Paul (I Thess. 5:21) . "Beloved, believe not every spirit," wrote John, "but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (I John 4:1) . "Beware of false prophets," our Lord warned, "which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Matt. 7:15). Then He added the word by which they may be tested, "Ye shall know them by their fruits."

Tozer suggests a series of useful questions intended to cause us to examine our attitude.  Instead of judging others, we are to make our own attitudes the focus of this examination, for ours is the only attitude we can do anything about.  Does this teaching or experience make Christ more indispensable?  How has this new doctrine or emphasis changed my attitude towards God or others?  Is it drawing me towards God or leading me away?  He writes, "Briefly stated the test is this: This new doctrine, this new religious habit, this new view of truth, this new spiritual experience has it affected my attitude toward and my relation to God, Christ, the Holy Scriptures, self, other Christians, the world and sin. By this sevenfold test we may prove everything religious and know beyond a doubt whether it is of God or not. By the fruit of the tree we know the kind of tree it is. So we have but to ask about any doctrine or experience, What is this doing to me? and we know immediately whether it is from above or from below."

One question that especially hit me as true is one concerning our view of others.  Again, quoting from Tozer's book:  "Our relation to and our attitude toward our fellow Christians is another accurate test of religious experience.  Sometimes an earnest Christian will, after some remarkable spiritual encounter, withdraw himself from his fellow believers and develop a spirit of faultfinding. He may be honestly convinced that his experience is superior, that he is now in an advanced state of grace, and that the hoi polloi in the church where he attends are but a mixed multitude and he alone a true son of Israel."  Man, that really hit home for me.  I remember going through seasons of spiritual growth when it seemed at every turn God revealed himself to me.  But due to my immaturity I suffered from a serious case of "plank-eye" syndrome for some time!  Once I was broken for my sin, I was able to see I had fallen into the trap of projecting my sins upon others.  I had issues submitting wholly to God and His rule, and therefore was unwilling to yield completely to authority He placed in my life.  When we begin to feel like Elijah - who thought he must be the only one still loyal to God - by His grace God will open our eyes to reveal that He has thousands who have never bowed the knee to Ba'al.  God corrects our misconceptions if we will listen to Him.

Attitude is huge.  We can be very right with our facts, but at the same time our attitude can be all wrong.  God is teaching me to examine my attitudes and motives in everything I do.  Am I afraid?  Why am I worrying about this or that?  Have I become envious or unsettled?  Am I hoping for praise from men or am I fully resting in obedience to God?  Am I experiencing the joy of the LORD despite trials of faith?  Am I glad to substitute anything for reliance upon Christ and His Word?  Praise the LORD that He gives us wisdom through the Holy Spirit to know if we are walking according to the Spirit or in the flesh.  God has given every man a conscience that agrees with His Law, and the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth.  Attitude is a valuable tool to gauge where I am with my walk with Christ.  When I see the fruit of the Spirit evident as I walk in love according to God's grace, I can know I am heading on the right track!