Topic: DEVELOPING THE WINNING ATTITUDE [Church of God Mission International] ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL 9 January 2022
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ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL
DATE SUNDAY 9th JANUARY, 2022.
TOPIC: DEVELOPING THE WINNING ATTITUDE
TEXT 2 King 4:17-36; Numbers 13:30-33; 14:6-9
HYMM S, S & S 879 “Will your Anchor Hold…”
CENTRAL THOUGHT: A Godly attitude is a prerequisite for Success
INTRODUCTION:
Some people get discouraged in life when
they have a great task to | accomplish or/and are faced with challenges. They forget that
challenges are common to all believers and
unbelievers down through the ages.
Generally, problems have the tendency to
drain one’s strength if not properly handled.
Only those who persevere and have
resolute faith in the living God will be able to
overcome the pressure.
A positive mental attitude is an absolutely
indispensable prerequisite for success
and victory. One’s attitude determines how well he/she will do and how far he/she will go in life. To develop this winning attitude, one must first have a right relationship
with God, who is always a winner. How to develop this winning attitude is the focus of this study
LESSON OBJECTIVES:
The objectives are to:
- appreciate “Developing the Winning Attitude”
- examine the attitude of the Shunamite woman to her situation;
- examine the attitude of Joshua and Caleb to what they saw in Cannan land; and
- discuss the believer’s attitude towards some life situations.
BIBLE TRUTH:
Q1. WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND BY DEVELOPING THE WINNING ATTITUDE”?
Developing the winning attitude in simple terms means being focused on one’s goal or
aspiration in the face of difficulty/adversity. It also means having the mindset of
succeeding despite seemingly difficult time; the ability to stay put” despite all odds;
and to say I can in adverse situations. An attitude that does not see fallen as
Failure. Ruth as an example was determined to win despite her seemingly hopeless Situation. She was courageous, industrious and dutiful. She was respectful, humble and full of faith. She was neither shy nor lazy.
Q2. COMMENT ON: (a) REACTION/ATTITUDE OF THE SHUNAMMITE WOMAN TO HER SITUATION. 2 kgs 4: 17-36.
The Shunammite woman was wealthy but barren. When she had an encounter with Prophet Elisha, she gave him food and
shelter. According to Elisha’s prophecy, she gave birth to a miracle baby boy. One day, the
child became sick and died. She quickly went to the source of her help (Elisha). Through
her faith, the child came back to life after Elisha prayed. It would have been expected of
her to cry or seek help from the wrong place as one who has lost her only child but she
was calm and said it is well’; this was a winning attitude.
(B) T H E REACTION/ATTITUDE OF JOSHUA AND CALEB TO WHAT THEY SAW IN CANAAN LAND. Numbers
13:30-33; 14:6-9.
Joshua and Caleb were among the twelve men sent by Moses to spy the land of Canaan. All of them reported that the land ..surely it floweth with milk and honey and this is the fruit of it…nevertheless, the people be strong that dwell in the land and the cities are walled, and very great…we saw the children of Annak
there.. Number 13:27-28. Ten of them discouraged the people with evil report “that
they are not able to go. But Joshua and Caleb rent their clothes and spake unto the company of the children of Israel saying, the land which we passed through to search it is an exceeding good land. If The Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into the
land and give it us……”At the end, only two of them entered the Promised Land, due to their
winning attitude.
Q3(a). HOW WILL THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTURES HELP US IN DEVELOPING THE WINNING ATTITUDE? Eph. 2:6; Phil. 4:8, 13; Heb. 11:1-3; 2 Cor. 5:7; Prov. 6:6-11,22:29.
From the above scriptures, the believer should exercise faith in God who is the source of his existence. Always reflect on
God’s past faithfulness and mercies
Rejoice in God’s promises. Be diligent and
enterprising. Walk in wisdom. pray without ceasing; remain steadfast, calm and peaceful.
Resist every temptation to compromise godly principles and believe that all shall be
well.
Q3(b). WHAT ARE THE/PROBABLE OBSTACLES TO DEVELOPING THE/WINNING ATTITUDE?
The probable obstacles are:
*not having a set goal.
*no confidence in oneself.
*lack of focus on one’s. passion.
*lack of commitment/consistency.
*no determination.
*undue comparison with others.
*Wavering faith in God’s ability and willingness.
Q4. WHAT SHOULD BE THE ATTITUDE OF THE BELIEVER TOWARDS THE FOLLOWING SITUATIONS OF LIFE?
As believers, whatever we are going through in life, our. attitude should be to please
God in all things, trust Him and wait patiently for Him. knowing that challenges of all
Sorts abound with men so long as life exists. So, when we are faced with:
(A) The death of a loved one. If after we have prayed and rendered the necessary help, it still happened, we rest on God and the hope of resurrection.
(B) Failures. Failure is not the end of life.
(C) ill health and ill health of a loved one. The believer. should pray and put his trust in
God. It is also good to notify the church in serious cases for. the elders to pray for him and if he has committed sin, he wil
be forgiven (James 5:13-15). He should not resort to self-pity or be discouraged.
(D) Lack/need.
In this situation, the believer should
take example from Ruth who was determined to succeed despite her story, She exhibited faith, steadfastness, courage, strength, etc.
(E) When others are doing well. The believer should know that he/she does not have
any competition with anybody and that time and season bring change. He/she should strive continuously while waiting on
God for intervention. (Eccl 9:11)
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION:
As believers, whenever we are faced with any challenge, we must look inwards to determine if there is a cause for such problem or not. If not, we have to seek God’s face to
recover our losses. A Winning Attitude helps us to respond to difficulty and
adversity the way God wants us to. No
matter the situation, we should learn to confess that “all is well”, commit and submit our situation to God and trust Him
for breakthrough. He will uphold us in all experiences.. Our thought should be filled
with what the word of God says daily. With God on our side, we are Winners all the
time.
MEMORY VERSE:
Phil. 4:13: “I can do all Things through Christ which strengtheneth me.