And in that meeting, in the very conversation, Brooks made a decision. He chose to forgive the man who had taken the lives of his mom and dad. When he did that, he found what true freedom and joy in Christ really meant. He realized that he was the one who had been bound up so long with the hatred and bitterness. And it finally dawned on him that he was the one who needed to change. He was the one who need to adjust his own heart towards the man. The story is tremendously moving, the say the least.
My point. The actions of others towards you and even their attitudes towards you aren’t chosen by you. But, what is chosen, are your attitudes towards them.
1. It’s never easy to maintain a right attitude.
2. God is watching over your heart just as much as He sees the hearts of those who are against you. God has a huge testimony about David. According to the Bible, David had a heart after the LORD.
I Samuel 13:14 “ … the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, ...”
And this same passage is quoted by Paul in a sermon in the NT. In Acts 13:22 we read “ ... he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.” In other words, yes, David had his persecutors. David had his sworn enemies. David had people in his life, just like you, who have a desire to hurt you. He had those in his life who said and did things to him that were hurtful and hate-filled. Yet, David’s heart, just like your heart, was being observed by the LORD. And it was God’s testimony regarding David that he was a man after God’s own heart.
1. It’s never easy to maintain a right attitude.
2. God is watching over you heart.
3. You can trust the LORD with the outcome of your circumstances as well as those who oppose you. How was David to know why Saul hated him so much? It really wasn’t possible. How was he to understand why Abner chose to anoint Saul’s youngest son, Ishbosheth, as King over Israel? How can you ever really understand other people?
You can’t see into them into the minds of people. But what you can do is this. You can see into the mind of God. He tells you that He’s fully aware of every single event on planet earth. He’s knows the end from the beginning. And yet, His first concern is for your heart attitude.
As you know, one of my favorite authors is a man named George MacDonald. Here’s a line from one of his books. “But for him who is in earnest about the will of God, it is of endless consequence that he should think rightly of God. [From Unspoken Sermons, Vol. 2, “self-Denial.”]. A true man or a true woman will make a definite choice to think rightly about God. The greatest need of your heart is to learn to trust God as your Heavenly Father. Why else did Jesus die if it wasn’t so that you’d see the Father’s love in action? Jesus died so that all the mistrust in your heart would be dealt with. He’s the Perfect Father. And the highest honor you can show to your Father is to trust Him. Do you trust the LORD?
1. It’s never easy to maintain a right attitude.
2. God is watching over your heart every moment.
3. You can trust God with the outcome of your circumstances.
4. Fourth, choose your words carefully when it comes to your enemies.
Listen to Jesus again. “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you…” (Matthew 5:44). The term “bless” simply means “to say good things about.” The Greek word is eulogeo which means “speak well.” “Say a good word.”
Just how powerful are your words? James 1:19 says “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath…” And here’s what we find in the OT. Now, I’ll admit, these words refer to those who use their speech to hurt others. But they do show you the power of your speech. Psalm 64:1 “Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy. (2) Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: (3) Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: (4) That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.”
You can probably think about some words that someone has said to you in the past that were very potent; either negative words or positive words. Please listen to Jesus when it comes to your words about those who have made you their enemy. “Bless them.”
1. It’s never easy to maintain a right attitude.
2. God is watching over your heart every moment.
3. You can trust God with the outcome of your circumstances.
4. Choose your words carefully when it comes to your enemies.
5. And finally, choose a word picture that will stick in your mind. Here’s how David saw Abner. II Samuel 3:39. “And the king said unto his servants, Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?” To describe someone as a “prince” is a huge compliment to give to someone. A prince is someone who is honored above a lot of other people. And “a great man”? You honor great men. Do you remember the line “A picture is worth a thousand words”? David must have looked up to Abner, even though David is a King.
Folks, your words are important. But maybe your mental word pictures are even more important than your words. Here’s why. The thoughts of your heart are the seeds that will result in your actions and behaviors towards that soul. A word picture is seen by your heart as an expression of what you feel and think about him or her.
1. It’s never easy to maintain a right attitude.
2. God is watching over your heart every moment.
3. You can trust God with the outcome of your circumstances.
4. Choose your words carefully when it comes to your enemies.
5. Choose a word picture that will stick in your mind.
My point. The actions of others towards you and even their attitudes towards you aren’t chosen by you. But, what is chosen, are your attitudes towards them.
1. It’s never easy to maintain a right attitude.
2. God is watching over your heart just as much as He sees the hearts of those who are against you. God has a huge testimony about David. According to the Bible, David had a heart after the LORD.
I Samuel 13:14 “ … the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, ...”
And this same passage is quoted by Paul in a sermon in the NT. In Acts 13:22 we read “ ... he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.” In other words, yes, David had his persecutors. David had his sworn enemies. David had people in his life, just like you, who have a desire to hurt you. He had those in his life who said and did things to him that were hurtful and hate-filled. Yet, David’s heart, just like your heart, was being observed by the LORD. And it was God’s testimony regarding David that he was a man after God’s own heart.
1. It’s never easy to maintain a right attitude.
2. God is watching over you heart.
3. You can trust the LORD with the outcome of your circumstances as well as those who oppose you. How was David to know why Saul hated him so much? It really wasn’t possible. How was he to understand why Abner chose to anoint Saul’s youngest son, Ishbosheth, as King over Israel? How can you ever really understand other people?
You can’t see into them into the minds of people. But what you can do is this. You can see into the mind of God. He tells you that He’s fully aware of every single event on planet earth. He’s knows the end from the beginning. And yet, His first concern is for your heart attitude.
As you know, one of my favorite authors is a man named George MacDonald. Here’s a line from one of his books. “But for him who is in earnest about the will of God, it is of endless consequence that he should think rightly of God. [From Unspoken Sermons, Vol. 2, “self-Denial.”]. A true man or a true woman will make a definite choice to think rightly about God. The greatest need of your heart is to learn to trust God as your Heavenly Father. Why else did Jesus die if it wasn’t so that you’d see the Father’s love in action? Jesus died so that all the mistrust in your heart would be dealt with. He’s the Perfect Father. And the highest honor you can show to your Father is to trust Him. Do you trust the LORD?
1. It’s never easy to maintain a right attitude.
2. God is watching over your heart every moment.
3. You can trust God with the outcome of your circumstances.
4. Fourth, choose your words carefully when it comes to your enemies.
Listen to Jesus again. “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you…” (Matthew 5:44). The term “bless” simply means “to say good things about.” The Greek word is eulogeo which means “speak well.” “Say a good word.”
Just how powerful are your words? James 1:19 says “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath…” And here’s what we find in the OT. Now, I’ll admit, these words refer to those who use their speech to hurt others. But they do show you the power of your speech. Psalm 64:1 “Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy. (2) Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: (3) Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: (4) That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.”
You can probably think about some words that someone has said to you in the past that were very potent; either negative words or positive words. Please listen to Jesus when it comes to your words about those who have made you their enemy. “Bless them.”
1. It’s never easy to maintain a right attitude.
2. God is watching over your heart every moment.
3. You can trust God with the outcome of your circumstances.
4. Choose your words carefully when it comes to your enemies.
5. And finally, choose a word picture that will stick in your mind. Here’s how David saw Abner. II Samuel 3:39. “And the king said unto his servants, Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?” To describe someone as a “prince” is a huge compliment to give to someone. A prince is someone who is honored above a lot of other people. And “a great man”? You honor great men. Do you remember the line “A picture is worth a thousand words”? David must have looked up to Abner, even though David is a King.
Folks, your words are important. But maybe your mental word pictures are even more important than your words. Here’s why. The thoughts of your heart are the seeds that will result in your actions and behaviors towards that soul. A word picture is seen by your heart as an expression of what you feel and think about him or her.
1. It’s never easy to maintain a right attitude.
2. God is watching over your heart every moment.
3. You can trust God with the outcome of your circumstances.
4. Choose your words carefully when it comes to your enemies.
5. Choose a word picture that will stick in your mind.
Go on to page five