Our attitude towards life and specific circumstances comes from what we believe. Our beliefs affect our perception and perspective and therefore determine our actions. Myles Munroe talked about the attitude of the lion vs other animals. The lion is known as the king, though he is not the biggest, fastest, heaviest or smartest of all animals. The lion is not as tall as the giraffe, or as big as the elephant, or as heavy as the hippo. The lion is king because of his attitude.
When a lion looks at an elephant he thinks, “Lunch”. When an elephant looks at a lion he thinks, “Eater”. An elephant is much bigger than a lion, yet his attitude affects how he sees the situation.
In Ephesians 4 Paul talks about the necessity of changing the attitude of our minds. He says,
“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Paul says, don’t live like you once did in the futility of your thinking. Futility means pointless and useless. In ignorance – the lack of knowledge; they were separated from God because they had no sensitivity to reason. Which is why Paul says you were taught to put off your old self and been made new in the attitude of your minds. With new life comes a new way of thinking. And with a new way of thinking comes a new attitude.
Our attitude affects how we handle situations. We were made in the image of God and sent in the name of Jesus – which means we were sent by him and for him, in his power and authority to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth. But when we have the attitude of the elephant when he sees a lion, our beliefs don’t reflect our new nature in God and therefore our attitude hinders our progress.
Sometimes we ask God for a table and chairs, but God gave us the trees. Because we were made in the image of God and in his likeness, the unlimited potential in a tree is realized through our creativity and action. But with an incorrect attitude, we can find ourselves sitting on the floor in the middle of the forest.
Attitude is based off of our beliefs. If we want to change our attitude we will need to change our beliefs. To change our beliefs we will need new information that is based on the truth.
Paul said it like this in Romans 12:2,
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
The pattern of this world is based off of what Paul referred to as futile thinking – pointless and useless. Which is fun because that means that being transformed is based off the knowledge and revelation of purpose and value. We must learn to walk around with the attitude of the lion. Our perspectives affect our actions. I am nobody’s lunch!