We Must Find Our New Attitude in Christ

I believe it was in my high school years that Patti LaBelle recorded her hit single, ‘New Attitude’. I recall part of the chorus,

I’m feeling good from my head to my shoes

Know where I’m going, and I know what to do,

I’ve tidied up my point of view – I got a new attitude

Siblings, sometimes I feel that as believers, we NEED to take a leaf out of Patti’s book. We, however, must find our new attitude in Christ, not in a new love. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.

Ephesians 4:23 NIV

[23] to be made new in the attitude of your minds;

Renewing our Minds

Siblings,

Our belief in Christ should result in others bearing witness to our visible transformation. We might not reflect a literal change in dress, and our physical situation may not shift (although putting aside some habits could have that effect). However, there should be a shift in our mindset that results from yielding to God’s Spirit.

I admit that that shift isn’t always immediately obvious, partly because it often requires the unlearning of ingrained habits. It also invites our willingness to superimpose God’s will over ours. For many of us, that is a very tall order. One that requires time. One that requires us to change. One that requires patience and repetition.

Self-Check

Has the switch in faith been evident in our lives? How so?

Application

In previous Nougats, we reflected on the change from our old nature. We also noted that that shift includes how we relate to others. The believer struggling with temper issues who then realized that it isn’t necessary to yield to the tempter in responding to provocation was one example. I also invited us to think about the root of our former attitudes.

Today, the lyrics of Patti LaBelle’s song challenge us to examine our approach to life. As believers, our song should be similar, especially with us knowing Christ as our Lover. So let’s ask ourselves some questions based on the chorus:

Have we yielded our worries to Christ, making them fewer?

Do we know where we’re going and what God desires us to do?

Have we shifted our perspective so that we filter what we encounter through God’s eyes?

And, having yielded to Christ, is our joy complete?

You see siblings, these are some of the shifts in our attitude that we must permit, and it comes from consistent renewal of our minds – daily, perhaps more frequently. The easiest way I know for the shift to begin is spending time in the Word, so we better understand God’s nature and spending time with the Word, Y’shua, the Word of God incarnate.

Those are guaranteed to change our mindset if we’re willing. For just as it is with many other friendships, the more time we spend with Christ, the likelier we are to becoming more like Him. May it be so, in Jesus’ name.

Point to Ponder

What can others see in our new attitude? Does it point to Christ?

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May all we seek be found in Christ