Hey Y’all!
I’ve got something a little different in store for you guys this week! This whole post is going to be written not just by me, but by my friend Raphaela DaCosta. I call her Raph and we actually graduated from River University together last year. She’s a super anointed and amazing person with a podcast called “Life Talks with Lela” that you need to go check out! We just collaborated with each other on a topic we feel strongly about so this is also available as a podcast! Something we’ve both dealt with and conquered is our heart attitudes when it comes to issues with people and how loving people is such an important thing. It’s even more important when it’s hardest. Those moments where you may have felt wronged, betrayed, ignored… You might feel like you have a right to feel that way but this is a real way of saying to get over yourself and that you don’t actually have a right to hold onto those feelings. Holding onto those feelings only hurts you, keeps you from what you’re believing for, and gives you a bad attitude. Real change and breakthrough comes when you change your attitude, change your perspective, and get with Holy Ghost filled friends!
Philippians 2:14-16
Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.
Change Your Attitude
Raph:
The Bible says in Philippians as children of God, we are to live pure, innocent lives so we can shine bright in a dark twisted world. We are living in the last days now more than ever people need to see who the Sons of God truly are. Maybe you’re reading this and you have been desiring for a long time for God to open doors for you and give you new opportunities, but it just hasn’t happened yet. The truth is God has big things in store for you, but many times there are little bad behaviors in our life that can hinder us from receiving what God has for our lives. Consistent bad behaviors that are not dealt with can become a stronghold in our lives if we don’t get rid of them, and God wants to set you free. He doesn’t want you to be a miserable Christian who is always easily affected by the issues of life. Sometimes there will be people that will treat you badly, and do things to you that are just cruel or unfair, because people aren’t perfect. I had to ask God, “WHAT IF I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE UPSET?!”, and He told me to do what Jesus did, which is to forgive and love them. I didn’t want to do that AT ALL, but the Bible commands us to do it so we have to suck it up and to do it! God wants to bless us and we can’t let our bad attitude, bitterness, or unforgiveness stop us from going to where God wants us to go. The people that hurt you all the time and the problems that happen in your life are not gonna stop you from receiving what God has for you but your BAD ATTITUDE will. Don’t waste your days by feeling sorry for yourself everyday. Make every day count by focusing on the good, and being thankful for all that God has done in your life. The fact that you are ALIVE and breathing should give you a reason to be thankful, and to not let other people’s issues affect you. So move on, and have the attitude of Christ. “ Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
Change Your Perspective
Kez:
What would you do if I said that every cup is full? A cup without a drink is actually full of air. So every cup is actually full. Whether it’s half air, half water, full air, or full water it’s still full! It’s up to you to see it that way. I had this reality check about a year ago when a lot of situations had been stressing me out. I was so upset and hurt but I had to realize that how I see it comes down to what I decide. My best friend and I always tell each other “choose joy” even when it’s hardest. I had slightly lost sight of that for a while but then it flooded me again. The Bible always tells us that we have a choice for blessing and cursing, life or death, etc. That ultimately comes down to
Colossians 3:12-13 AMP, “So, as God’s own chosen people, who are holy [set apart, sanctified for His purpose] and well-beloved [by God Himself], put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience [which has the power to endure whatever injustice or unpleasantness comes, with good temper]; bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive.”
Perspective has to do with your love walk. When you change your perspective you see things differently, you talk differently, you understand differently. It allows you to look at people through the eyes of Jesus and the love of the Father. You have to take a moment to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. If you were them wouldn’t you want that grace and mercy extended to you? So before you catch an offense, get bitter, complain, or even start to think something negative you need to change your perspective. It helps guard your heart from issues when you see people with love and kindness. That love and kindness extended can change someone’s life. I remember being in an unfortunate situation with someone I grew up with. There were a lot of harsh things said and down about and towards me. However, I knew that all it took was for me to look at them like Jesus would and still love them, keep my mouth shut, and maybe just maybe they’d change and never do it again. Surely that actually broke it off from their life and we now have a restored relationship. It all had to start with getting rid of my attitude and hurt heart to change my perspective which brought a breakthrough! It’s forgiving others because we’ve been forgiven, loving others because God loved us first!
Raph:
Colossians 3:1-4 states, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your[a] life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.”
As a christian you’re going to deal with people that are going to persecute you or treat you badly. Jesus was persecuted, and He still died for the people who tortured him until death. He dealt with religious people wanting Him to put Him to death, and He still didn’t let those people stop him from completing his mission. If you lose sight of your mission, you’re setting yourself up for failure, you’re always going to be thinking about how bad people treat you everyday and how you have the “you deserve better” mentality all the time, and that will get you nowhere. You’ll just be stuck in the same place. But, God wants to take you higher, He wants you to see things from a different perspective. If you focus on the kingdom instead of the circumstance, you’ll live a successful life, because you’re not focused on what issues, you’re focused on what is actually important. Which is eternity. The reason why we need to get rid of the issues that could hold us back is so that God’s love can SHINE through us.
So that we can shine bright for His kingdom, and bring as many people we can with us to Heaven. And do it with JOY! We don’t have to have a bad attitude and look miserable like the world. We are children of God. We run our race with Joy.
Get With Holy Ghost Filled Friends
Kez:
One of my favorite scriptures is Proverbs 27:17 which says, “It takes grinding a wheel to sharpen a blade, so one person sharpens the character of another”. You know what that tells me? That it’s a person’s responsibility to call out the attitudes in our friends and they should do the same for us. I know I can speak from experience. I had a really bad attitude towards someone and this person was actually the key to whether or not I would receive favor for something and my Uncle Cory looked at me and told me to pray for them. That was a hard pill to swallow since the same person caused a lot of chaos in my life. I was a little stubborn but on my drive home from Ohio my best friend, Bri, told me she agreed with my uncle and that I needed to pray. When we drove back from Cincinnati in a moment I had to myself I just prayed for that person. The very next day my entire situation changed for the better because I let go of my feelings and truly became peaceful. I wouldn’t have gotten there unless I let the people in my life who have the Holy Ghost call me out. It’s a two way street. You have to let those people correct you and you have to correct them but with love. We’re in a race together and that means encouraging each other and confronting each other. We want to see ourselves and loved ones make it to the end and walk in what God has called them into and receive what they’ve been believing for!
Be Happy + Love Well
We’re here to tell you to choose joy! Bad attitudes aren’t worth all the happiness it robs you of. Wasted words equals wasted time. Complaining doesn’t get you far in life. If anything it keeps you in the same spot while everyone moves on. To get to that next level, that thing you’re believing for make sure to check your heart's attitude. If you’re not there yet there’s something the Lord is probably trying to work out of you for the better! If you have or haven’t heard the podcast this is a part of what we would say, “check yourself before you wreck yourself.” Share this with your friends too! Bring things to light with each other, confront things in one another, and grow together! We’re on the same team so let’s live in peace and pursue exactly that!
Sincerely,
Keziah-Grace and Raphaela
P.S. Go follow @simplylela_ on instagram and check out her podcast “Life Talks with Lela”
