THE ATTITUDE OF A WINNER

By Pastor Michael Olawore

New Wine Church, London

Sunday 10^TH July 2011

Foundation Scripture: Luke 5: 1 - 7
It is my intention today to look more closely at one of the key lessons that we extracted last week from the life of Peter. You will remember in the account in Luke 5, that Jesus visited Peter and turned his life around and we agreed last week that of key importance to us is the ability to recognise when visitation occurs in order to ensure that we take full advantage of all that flows from it. You will recall also that we looked at Peter’s positive attitude, his recognition that his boat was a seed, his dominion over his thoughts and his willingness to stand on the word of God as key features of his success. Today I want to take an in-depth look at positive attitude and in particular, its effect on our success in life.
Before I go forward however, I want to interrupt this message with an important announcement that I want you to internalise, permeate your inmost being and ensure is engraved on your heart and mind: “You are born to win!”  John 8:32 says ‘You will know the truth and the truth you know will set you free.’ If you know that you are born to win, this truth changes everything; every obstacle becomes a stepping stone. This is more than just a ‘nice’ confession, but a reality. It is the truth and not subject to experience, environment or opinion. The word of God says that you are more than a conqueror. Romans 8: 35 poses the question ‘Who can separate us from the love of God?’ and citing a list of potential negative challenges including tribulation, peril and famine, Paul concludes ‘Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.’ In the story of creation in Genesis you will see that you were created in the image and likeness of God and by virtue of that identity, you are a winner and you carry victory in your DNA. You have been created in the image of God and given dominion, this is your possession. Recognising your identity that you are created in the image of God, determines the degree to which you can walk in dominion, your possession.
It is the truth that you have been made in the image and likeness of God however it is for you to uphold the integrity of that identity. You have been empowered to lead a victorious life, however without upholding the integrity of your identity, it becomes difficult to actualise what you have been empowered to do. During the course of your life your identity will be challenged, situations, circumstances and the enemy will confront you with the question “Who are you?” to which you need to have a definite answer.
To maintain your identity and walk in the reality of dominion you must examine your thinking patterns, which have a direct link to your behaviour and habits and the outcome of your life. This leads us to the issue of attitude as the way in which a person views a thing affects his/her behaviour towards it.  There are certain qualities of life that determine eventual success or failure – ‘Life is all about attitude.’
Your attitude starts with your perception. This affects your thinking and generates a thinking pattern that affects your behaviour which determines the eventual outcome of your life. It is true to say therefore that your life depends on your thinking. If you want to change the outcome of your life you need to change the way that you think and perceive the issues of life. Proverbs 23: 7 says ‘For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.’ On this basis, if you think that you are victorious, you are. If you think that you cannot succeed, you cannot. It is important therefore to be careful of the things on which mind feeds, ensuring that it is that which affirms and builds you. In Philippians 4: 8 Paul exhorted us ‘Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.’
We choose our attitude. Although we cannot necessarily determine the things that occur around us, we can determine our attitude towards them. It has been said that 10% of life is comprised of what happens to us and 90% is how we react to what happens around us. The single most important choice that you will make therefore on a day-to-day basis is your attitude.
The question that I pose to you today therefore is ‘what is your attitude?’ The attitude that you choose is like a vehicle in many respects: it will transport you to either failure or success. The outcome of our lives is a function of our attitude. Good thoughts lead to a good attitude which determines positive life outcomes. A human being can therefore alter his life by changing his attitude. Zig Ziglar is quoted as having said “It is not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life; it is how you handle what happens to you.
The bible is packed with instructions that if followed, will affect the outcome of your life. A perfect illustration of the importance of attitude is found in the life of Caleb as recounted in the book of Numbers. He was one of the 12 spies sent by Moses into the Promised Land and to bring back a report to the people of Israel.  The account of the reaction of Caleb and Joshua in comparison with the ten other spies in the book of Numbers is representative of modern day believers whom attend the same church, hear the same message and yet have entirely different outcomes. All twelve spies sent by Moses looked at the same things in the Promised Land and yet saw so very differently. It is one thing to look yet quite another thing to see. What Caleb and Joshua saw in the Promised Land affected their disposition. Where the ten spies saw nothing but challenges, difficulties and defeat, Caleb and Joshua saw opportunity, possibility and victory. So, how do you interpret life? It is an important question as it will determine how you respond to the issues of life. Caleb saw the giants through the lens of the promise of God and declared “they are our bread.”
You will get what you see; this will become your reality. It is important therefore what you give your attention to and what you give permission to fill your heart. In Jeremiah 1 when the Lord asked Jeremiah what he saw and Jeremiah replied that he saw the branch of an almond tree the Lord said “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform my word”. This raises the question ‘is it possible that the performance of the word of God is related to what we see?’
What Saul saw in Goliath as a problem, David saw as an opportunity, asking in 1 Kings 17: 26 “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel?” All David could see in Goliath was an opportunity to enter the next level, an opportunity that he eventually stepped into. It begs the question as to what it was that gave David the confidence to take on the Philistine giant; undoubtedly what he saw, his vision determined his attitude. Whereas Saul and his army could only see the bigness of the giant, David saw the bigness of his God.
Let’s look quickly at five key features of a winning attitude:

1. Winners see the end from the beginning. It is important to understand that whatever you are going through is not the end. You must determine to continue to see ahead and understand that there is hope in your future (Jeremiah 31:17)
2. Winners recognise that it may be difficult but it is not impossible. Nothing is impossible.
3. Winners think positively. Determine to see opportunity in the midst of challenges. Winners always hear, think and see differently.
4. Winners are confident and possess strong conviction.
5. Winners are finishers – be determined to stay the course, regardless of the challenges.

By way of conclusion, allow me to share with you two essential habits that will determine your ability to develop and nurture a positive attitude:

1. Feed on the word of God: It is essential to feed yourself with the word of God on a daily basis. You need to read it and let there be an absorption of the essence of the word. Meditate on word until life flows into your heart.
2. Develop an attitude of gratitude: Determine to be grateful to God in all situations. However difficult the situation that you are facing is, you are better off than someone else and you can be certain that God is working on your behalf. When Paul issued the instruction “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice” he was shackled and held in a prison cell. You will no doubt have heard of Nick Vujicic, whom although born with neither arms nor legs, epitomises the quality of gratitude and has addressed over 2 million people throughout 25 nations, inspiring them to see differently.

Be under no illusion, your generation is waiting for you to make an impact and walk in dominion in. Remember that your current situation does not determine who you are. Your identity as having been made in the image and likeness of God demands that you succeed.
I challenge you therefore to think, speak and act differently and embrace your destiny and walk in dominion.