Attitude Makes the Difference

Your son has just been rushed into the emergency room at the hospital. He was severly injured in a traffic accident, and is not expected to live...

You've just discovered that your teenage daughter is pregnant...

The house payment is past due; the dentist is threatening to turn your bill over to collection. Your telephone has been shut off, and you're facing a layoff at work...

Your husband is a hopeless alcoholic. He becomes violent when he is drunk...

Crisis is part of life. We cannot escape difficulty. Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble." (John 16:33) In short, life is a battleground. But it is not the crisis that creates the problem; it is how we react to it. The pain of trouble can be eased by the attitude we take toward it.

When two Christians face the same tragedy, one may become depressed and defeated while the other draws closer to God. What do you think is the reason for this?

Some Christians believe that God has let them down when they find themselves without money, health, or prestige, or in severe straits. Such an attitude leads to coldness of heart, prayerlessness, distrust, worry, and selfish living.

In this study you will learn about unrecognized blessings and how attitude makes the difference between a defeated outlook and a victorious one.

God's People in Trouble

In Exodus 14:1-4, the Israelites experienced an unrecognized blessing. As you read, notice the human viewpoint of the people and God's viewpoint as seen in Moses.

1. How did the Israelites react to apparent danger? (Exodus 14:10-12)
2. Notice how Moses reacted. Why do you think he commanded the people as he did? (Exodus 14:13-14)
3. What did God accomplish in their hearts and minds through this experience? (Exodus 14:31)
4. Think back to a crisis in your life. How did those around you respond? How did you react? How could you have improved your attitude? List ways God has worked through difficulties in your life, and shown these difficulties to really be blessings.
5. List some things the Bible guarantees when you are tempted or tested. (I Corinthians 10:13)
6. How can the Bible's guarantee in Romans 8:28 be true that everything work out good for those who love God?
7. What response to tribulation does God expect from you according to Romans 5:3-5? What are the results of these tribulations? (See James 1:3 )
8. What is the purpose of unrecognized blessings according to II Corinthians 1:3-4, and Hebrews 12:5-11?
9. Read I Thessalonians 5:18 and Hebrews 13:15. What response does God command in all situations? How can you rejoice and give thanks when sorrow and tragedy come? Contrast this with the attitude of the Israelites in Exodus 14:1-12.
   
   
   
    

Life Application

1. List the methods by which an attitude of trust can become a reality for you. (See Ephesians 5:18, Galatians 5:16, I Thessalonians 5:17, Romans 10:15)
2. With what trial in your life do you need to trust God right now?
3. What do you think the unrecognized blessing in that trial could be?
4. How can you receive those blessings?

Adapted from The 10 Basic Steps Toward Christian Maturity, by Bill Bright, co-founder of Campus Crusade for Christ. © Cru. All rights reserved.