Attitudes Can Influence

I like this little picture because it "tells me not to give up, to keep on praying until I get an answer. Bull riders don't give up after get thrown, and we shouldn't give up on God that easy either. It also says to me that having a Good attitude is not always easy, but we know that this is what God wants from us,is to be a positive example so our attitude must reflect this.

Today's Seed: "They gave Moses this account: 'We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who life there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.
Numbers 13"27-28

In a Bible study group several years ago, the women were told that they were the barometers of the family. The mood of the family would fluctuate up or down, depending on what kind of a day the woman of the house was having. Like the popular saying, "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"

Our negative attitude effects our families--in a negative way. A bad attitude can even prevent us from receiving the good things that God wants to give us.

Sometimes our attitude is affected by situations id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">that we don't feel able to handle. That was what happened when Moses sent scouts, or spies, to explore the land of Canaan. A leader from each tribe was sent to discover just what this Promised Land looked like. When they returned they said to Moses, "Do you want the good news or the bad news?"

The good news was that the land was wonderful. It flowed with milk and honey, meaning not that it was full of dairy cattle and beehives, but that the land was fertile. The bad news was that the people living there scared them. They were huge, powerful, and lived in walled cities. What should have been a joyful recounting of the goodness of the land was offset by the Israelite scouts' fearful and negative attitude.

Their negative opinions and exaggerations spread throughout the tribes and infected the rest of the people. Their fears colored their attitude and kept them from the good things God had planned for them.

Dig Deeper: The Hebrew word for "land" is erets, which means a country--this time a particular land, the Promised Land.

Background Bulb: The Promised Land was small, only about one hundred fifty miles long and sixty miles wide. God has promised this land to Abraham, saying , "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates--the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites" (Genesis 14:18-21). The Israelites should have marched in and taken the land, trusting God to win the battles for them. They should have relied on God's power to enable them to create a home there for themselves and their families.

Sprout & Scatter: Your attitude can color your entire life...and the lives of others. Your children learn how to deal with things by your example. Set a good example! Watch how you report on events, knowing that what you say may sway others' opinions and feelings. Trust God, remember his promises, and be positive!

Think about it: If you had been one of the Israelites, how would you have felt after hearing the scouts' report?

What promises of God have you been afraid to claim?

Prayer Pot: Dear Lord, I confess my negative attitude about .....( insert your thought)

Take-Away Idea: Change negative attitudes to positive ones by trusting God for the future.

Good Night to All and May God Bless!