WHAT IS YOUR MINDSET OR ATTITUDE?

Welcome to Women of Valour which is about

YOU

experiencing your freedom in Christ, being set free,

experiencing the love of God, and opening your blinded eyes

Isaiah 61:1

Hello Women of Valour,

Spring and summer are the seasons many of us look forward to with great anticipation. It is time for ___________ . You fill in the blank. It maybe a time you are dreading because you do not know what to do with your child or children. It can be time to get into shape before summer. It can be time to move into your new home. It can be time to move into a new position. It can be time to go on a long awaited vacation. It can be time to spring clean. It can be time to open your own business. I have a question for you concerning ____________ in the coming months. Do you have a 'have to' attitude or a 'want to' attitude toward it? All of the above mentioned items require planning.

I ask you the question because I have been pondering this same question for a week. I have an AMAZING opportunity that has been presented to me. It requires me to get my body into shape. When it was first presented to me I was excited. Then I began to think about the work involved. So, I have given myself a six week lifestyle challenge. This is the beginning of the second week. I am exercising and eating right. I worked out 5 days last week. I started out at 158.5 lbs and yesterday I weighed in at 152.5. I have lost 6 lbs. I know this is the start of a process and I will plateau or stay at a weight and not lose each week. Before I started this process by asking God to help me with 'wanting to' work out and eat right. Will I continue when I don't see results? YES!!! Will you continue when you don't see results in whatever you are trying to accomplish?

TESTIMONY: This is the crazy part, my husband has been trying for months to get me back into the gym. We joined together last year, I was excited initially and we were faithfully going to exercise. I fizzled out but he was faithful even up until now. When he would talk about working out I would either make excuses or say I just don't want to go. This was my mindset. It was not what he wanted to hear and it was not what I wanted to say but it was my mindset at the time. Now, I am VERY thankful to God for helping me change my mindset. I want to workout and enjoying my classes. I am enjoying making smoothies and eating right. Another encouraging thought process for me is not for me to be forced to do the right thing because of getting sick.

God reminded me that I had this same dilemma with my relationship with HIM. Some years ago, I asked the Holy Spirit to give me a 'want to' mindset toward spending time with HIM. I had a 'have to' mindset. As a Christian this is what you have to do. I would hear a message or God would speak and I would get motivated to read the Bible, pray, and spend time with HIM. I would get excited and then fizzle out. HE gave me a 'want to' attitude. HE showed me Isaiah 54:5: "For your Maker is your Husband." When I read this verse I saw our relationship as "want to" instead of "have to" for the first time.

Physically and spiritually I have previously had a 'have to' attitude at first. This means I thought about both as a chore or something to be dreaded. This can be your mindset toward anything you desire to accomplish. I have to ____________. This may be your mindset today. It first starts with a decision then action must be put toward the decision. Let's say you want to get healthy as I am trying to do now. You seek out an "expert" to help you. The expert can be a teacher of a class, a video workout, the internet, a friend who has a healthy lifestyle, etc. There is some work that you must do to get in shape. There is a workout plan that must be followed. There are eating habits that must be changed. You have to become strict with yourself. You cannot eat the same things you did before if you want to see real changes. But as you continue working the exercise plan you will see results: the way your clothing fits, the scale, and others will notice the changes. The more you work the plan the more it can become your lifestyle. The key is to put in the work. You must work the plan. Do you know that one decision can and will impact your life forever if you allow it? What ever decision you are facing choose to do it with a 'want to' attitude instead of a 'have to' attitude.

Now, let's transfer this same mindset to your spiritual self. First, there has to be a decision. The decision is to accept Jesus Christ. He is the "Expert". But HE also uses friends, the internet, apps, etc. to help you along the way to build a relationship with HIM. The decision to get healthy will impact your life but this one decision will impact you for eternity. Tell someone that you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior. You have to start eating differently. You may ask: How? Download the YouVersion Bible app (it is the brown bible picture) or click this link: www.bible.com and start reading John chapter 3 verses 16 and 17. It will tell you that God loves you and has given you a VERY special gift. The book of John was a starting point for me. God used it to show me HIS LOVE for me. You can change your eating habits with regular food. You also have to change your eating habits by feeding your spirit with the Word of God and other resources. You are strict with yourself about what you put into your body. You have to be just as concerned with what you put into your spirit. You will begin to see results: You will have joy and a strange peace that you just cannot explain. But it makes you smile no matter what is going on around you.

When you start getting healthier and losing weight you feel better and gain a new attitude. When you accept Jesus Christ you become a new person in Christ (I Corinthians 5:17). In both cases, some people will be happy for you and others not so much. In both cases, you must plan time to accomplish your goals. Do you have goals set? This requires you to plan your time as you would with working out, your man, children, or girlfriend. I am just saying that your desire alone will not get you to your desired goal or result. God wants you to know HIM. He is not a secret. He wants to show you the plan that HE has for your life. God wants to impact your life in every way. Will you let HIM?

NOTE: You may say I did not need God's help to change my mindset. I would have to disagree because I had tried a couple of times to do it own my own and it did not work. So, this time I tried Someone different and HE is working with me to work the plan. This time I wanted longevity. I needed a new mindset and attitude and HE has shown me how to see the positives instead of the negatives. It is my prayer that You allow God to show you the positives as well in your plans. It will be work involved but you do not have to dread it anymore.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, change my attitude and mindset from 'have to' into 'want to' in the areas where I see things negatively. Show me the positives You have already provided for me. 

 QUESTIONS:

Do you have a 'have to' attitude 
instead of a 'want to' attitude? 

In what areas, do you need to ask God to assist 
you in changing your mindset?

I pray something you read touched your heart to walk closer to God. 

Please share a comment or Email me