I’ll be completely honest here; sometimes I have a nasty attitude. I would say that I can’t help it and that it’s just the way I am, but I know that’s not entirely true.
I allow myself to have that attitude when I am not close to God or if the devil is after me. He knows right where to get me. He knows right where to get all of us. When I have this attitude, I don’t even realize it at first. Then it will suddenly hit me… (I think to myself, “oh my! Where did this come from!)
Has this happened to you? I’m sure it has. I believe everyone has, personally I think this is where several Bible verses come from:
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
“And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
These are just some examples of God talking about Man’s heart being changed, hard, not conformed, etc,. God goes on to say that He knows the spirit is strong but the flesh is weak.
I have hope and encouragement because we have God’s Grace. But we have to be careful and remember to give others his grace also. (that is tough for me.)
It is reassuring to know that God love me. He knows my faults and he knows my heart. I am so thankful that I can realize I am being ugly and petty. I can ask God to forgive me and to help me to change my heart, not the other person or the situation. All things are gifts from God. The gift may not be for you this time but it is still a gift for someone.
It is so easy for us to be like everyone else and embrace that attitude. It would be very easy for me. In fact before I truly gave my heart to God, I had that attitude all the time and that was just me. (looking back, I’m surprised I had any friends!) But seriously, before I knew God, I would not have thought twice about it.
I’m so glad that I do know Christ and he has changed my heart. We as humans, a fallen people, have such a hard time not conforming to this world. In the world’s view, there is nothing wrong with acting like that.
So what do you do when you find yourself having this bad attitude? You pray, and pray some more. You pray until your heart is changed.
Several places in the Bible say that we Must renew our minds (and hearts), not that we should, but must. It is our job to renew them, not God’s responsibility. We must do our part to get there; prayer, study, and ask.
God tells us in Philippians “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Encourage someone today… (and pray for God to change your heart)
the greenest grass around 
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