CHOICES

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things – Matthew 12:35

Attitude is a major determinant of what people do with their lives. To a large extent, your attitude steers the voyage of your life. Although there are many things in life which you have little or no control over, you do have control over the way you respond to situations. Attitude is a Choice! Your attitude is your choice! You cannot change the direction of the wind, but you can adjust your sails. Ultimately, you’ll choose Success or Failure, Conquest or Defeat, by your attitude. Scriptures speak a lot about our thinking processes which produce our attitudes and which in turn produce our actions. Proverbs 23:6-7 for example, shows that a man who is thinking selfishly will invariably act in hypocrisy: ““Do not eat the bread of a miser, nor desire his delicacies; for as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.”

The key to your future is that: You Can Still Choose! Your destiny is more a matter of choice than of chance. Choice, not chance determines destiny. You are either the master or the victim of your attitude. It is matter or personal choice. Who you are today is the result of choices made yesterday. You will become tomorrow what you choose today. Your choices today impact your success tomorrow. Taking charge, assuming responsibility, and staying in control are attitudes by choice. You have a choice about how you react or respond to each and every situation in your life. No matter the delays or disappointments that do come, you can choose either to be optimistic, positive, and proactive; or negative and reactive. Your choice of attitude will in turn determine your actions and behaviour. Your circumstances need not control your attitude.

Matthew 12:33-37 shows that what you say is a product of how and what you think and believe. It teaches that wicked conduct is the product of a wicked and deceitful heart (Jer. 17:5; Mt. 23:26). Arising from this is the problem of “stinking thinking” – thinking that lacks divine perspective and faith in the power and purposes of God. Charles R. Swindoll wrote, “This may shock you, but I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude is that ‘single string’ that keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there’s no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me.”

What then is it going to be for you: a thrilling or a toxic attitude? The choice seems fairly simple, doesn’t it? Yet, it’s easy to forget that you have a choice. Exercising your power to choose your approach to life’s challenges is one of the master keys to unlocking the gates of greatness in life. You undoubtedly make choices consciously and unconsciously all through life. You choose when to get out of bed, what to eat, what to wear, where to go, how to get there, and when to return home. Most of your simple daily decisions are made unconsciously. You should however choose your attitude consciously and thoughtfully as it determines how you respond to the many challenges you will encounter. It’s important that you deliberately choose the right attitude and wisely too. Your paths in life are largely determined by the choices you make day in and day out. For the Christian, however, it is not just about a positive attitude, but about the choice of attitudes that come from a heart focused on God and that trusts in Him (Isa.26:3).