People communicate in three ways, through their words, their gestures, and their spirit.  Today, we are going to talk about our spirit – a critical aspect in our lives that we are responsible for cultivating.

Have you seen someone who has a spirit of excellence – a distinguished spirit?  When that person walks into the room, everyone turns and says, “Oh wow!”  That person is like the Rock of Gibraltar - prominent and seen from a long way off.

Daniel was someone like that.  The Bible says that “Daniel is a man with an excellent spirit.” Dan. 5:12

The Bible says “Clothe yourself with beauty from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit that is so precious in the sight of God.” 1 Pet. 3:4

Everyone has one spirit.  Some people have a bad spirit, a prideful sprit, a selfish spirit, a self-promoting spirit, or an arrogant spirit, while others may have a humble spirit or an obedient spirit.  Our spirit will come out in everything that we do.

For example, you may meet a lady who has an average appearance; however, when you talk to her you discover that her spirit is so precious and embracing – she is just absolutely beautiful!

On the other hand you can meet a stunning lady who curses people and who promotes herself in a way that is just…ugly.

Let me tell you about a lady who was on the airplane, sitting next to my wife Anna during our flight back from California.  Anna was assigned a seat behind me and I wanted to sit next to her. So I said “Excuse me maam, would it be alright if I changed seats with you so that I could sit next to my wife?”  She then gave me a look as if I was bothersome and said in an irritated voice, “Well…I’m already settled.”  I was bothered by her comment but I said to her, “Oh, I understand completely,” and sat down.

After going back to my seat, I heard her sarcastically say to Anna, “Why does he want to sit next to you?  Are you scared or something?”  So I got up from my seat again and walked back to where they were seated and said, “It would be nice if you could take my seat so that I could sit next to my wife.”  She then sarcastically replied, “Well….it’s a short flight.”

Her remark ruffled me again.  One part of me wanted to tell her what I thought, and the other part of me wanted to tell her nice things.  So I said, “Ok, thank you so much,” and decided to sit down without further conversation.  Paul says, “The things I want to do, I sometimes don’t do.  The things I don’t want to do, I do.” Rom. 7:15

There is a battle going on inside of all of us.  So the question is, “Which one will win?”  Today we are going to talk about how to cultivate your spirit by making three choices.  Doing so will become so precious in the site of God.

Americans seek a person’s looks, talent, skills and affluence; however, what will sustain your friendships, sustain your marriage, and influence your children is the spirit that you cultivate and carry, or the spirit that you allow to be degraded within you.

The kind of spirit you have will give fruit to your attitude, be expressed in your disposition, and be seen in your moods.  The right kind of spirit will give you the courage to overcome.  The wrong kind of spirit will cause you to implode, and to surrender things that you should not have surrendered.

We are going to find out about three critical choices.  Making them will develop your inner strength.

Joshua and Caleb survived the desert and entered the land, but everyone else died off because God defined them as men who had a different spirit.

The Bible says, “Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying: ‘Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel…’” Num. 13:1-2

God promised the land to the children of Israel; however, they would have to contend with the giants who still inhabited the land, as well as all of the issues going on in Canaan.

Likewise, God is going to give you promises about your life, your future, and your marriage; however, you have to sustain it by developing the character, discipline, and spirit to do so.

There are three choices that will help us to cultivate the right spirit.  These choices will determine whether we are ready to receive His promises.

THREE CHOICES:

1.     CHOOSE THE PERSPECTIVE WITH WHICH YOU DEFINE LIFE’S EVENTS.

Perspective is the way you define things.  It can turn a setback into a comeback and a failure into an awakening.  If you have a prideful spirit, you will give up.  If you have a humble spirit, you will get up.  Prideful people will not do it.  Humble people will thank God for awakening them through a failed experience.

The Bible says, “The lamp of your body is the eye.  If your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.  If your eye is bad, your whole body will be filled with darkness.  If then the light in you is darkness, how great shall that darkness be.” Mat. 6:22

This means that the lamp of your body is your eye, or the way that you see things.  I tell people to see things into a better state than what they are.  If you are always seeing things into a worse state – such as thinking, “Well that was nice, but…” or “That was a nice service, but…”, then your spirit will discolor everything.

When the twelve spies came back and reported to Moses the situation of the land, ten of them responded that it was good except that the giants who inhabited the land made it unsafe to go there. However, Caleb responded that they could go in because he had confidence that God was going to give them the land.

Later, God allowed Caleb and Joshua to go into the land, but not the ten other spies because the Bible says, “But my servant Caleb because he has a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants will take possession of it.” Num. 14:24

Therefore, when your spirit wants to move in a negative way, say, “Stop - that’s enough.”

In order to perceive life correctly, there are three things we have to work on:

First:    YOURSELF

If you know how Jesus sees you, you will become like that.  This is why it is so important for us to read the Bible and do our daily devotions, because you will start to see yourself as Jesus sees you.  You will obtain a clear and concise picture of how Jesus sees you and the way that you should perceive yourself.

The ten spies (excluding Caleb and Joshua) told Moses, “Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, the cities are fortified and very large, and we saw the Nephilim…and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” Num 13:28 & 33

This means how you see yourself is how others are going to perceive you; therefore, it is important to see yourself accurately.

Second, you need to have a clear perception of:   YOUR PAST

Make your past your mentor, from which you may gain instruction.

Third, you need to have a clear perception of:    YOUR FUTURE

Get your inspiration from your future.  If you develop a strong spirit such as having a “can do” attitude, and not a self-defeating one, then you will see good things and good possibilities.

This is why God allowed Joshua and Caleb to enter into the land, because they had a different spirit from the rest of the ten men who told Moses it could not be done.

2.   CHOOSE THE MEASURE OF DIFFICULTY YOU WILL ASSIGN TO LIFE’S EVENTS.

I have often seen two people who have experienced the same setbacks in their lives; however, one person sees this as a stepping stone while the other sees it as a stumbling stone.

Joshua and Caleb had a different spirit from the other ten spies going into the land.  The ten spies reported to Moses that people who lived there were strong and the cities walls were very large.  They rated the task of going into the city as a difficult ten; however, Joshua and Caleb rated the level of difficulty a two.  “Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said ‘Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”” Num. 13:30

“The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.  If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us – a land which flow with milk and honey.  Only do not rebel against the Lord and do not fear the people of the land…” Num. 14:7-9

God said Caleb and Joshua were ready to go into the land because they had a different spirit.

What about you?  What kind of spirit do you have when you encounter troubles?  On a scale of 1-10, how difficult is the problem?

3.   CHOOSE A LIFESTYLE OF FAITH OVER FORGIVENESS.

God gives us forgiveness so we will have a life of faith.

“So the Lord said, ‘I have pardoned them according to your word, but…surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness and yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, they shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers…’” Num 14:20-23

Sometimes we want God to forgive us and He will, but you will never fully be what God wants you to become if you keep asking for forgiveness again and again – like a “broken record”. 

Instead of doing this, choose a lifestyle of faith, so that every day you will not depend upon God to pardon you.

For example, for all of his life, my son Aaron loved to play in mud puddles.  Let’s say that Aaron wants to go a prom and asks me to rent him an expensive tuxedo.  I rent him the tuxedo but while walking to the prom he sees a mud puddle, and like a pig, can’t resist jumping into it; however, because he has now ruined his tuxedo, he cannot go to the prom. So he comes back and asks me to get him another tuxedo.  I buy him a tuxedo, and again, while on his way to the prom, he sees another mud puddle irresistibly looking at him – so he gives in to his urge and jumps into the mud puddle again.  Again he comes back to me and asks me to get him another tuxedo.  I get him another one because I love him but this can go on forever.  As a forgiving dad, I keep getting Aaron new tuxedos but if Aaron continues to just ask for forgiveness, I’ll keep forgiving him but…he will never get to the prom.

The goal really should not be forgiveness so that I can continue in my sin.  Instead, the goal should be living a life of faith.

A man named Fred Smith said to me, “Hell for me is one day ending up in Heaven and God showing me all that I could have done if I would have obeyed Him more.”

When Jesus died on the cross, He died for all of our sins.  Therefore, our sins of the future have already been forgiven.  Jesus did this so that we don’t have to worry about forgiveness, but rather than we ask for forgiveness, He wants us to love and walk in faith.

God has promises for you, so what do you do?  Make sure that you bring the right perspective to everything.  Choose your measure of difficulty.  Then choose faith over forgiveness so that you will get to the prom, and become all that God wants you to be.

But what if you say, I am always messing up? 

The good news is that SOMEONE IS ALWAYS INTERCEDING FOR YOU!

Did you know that Jesus is interceding for us right now so that we will develop and have an excellent spirit?  Let’s be a people where the Lord looks out and says, “Many people may not enter my land, but see these people at New Hope, they will enter the land, and they will get to the prom.”  That’s the kind of people we want to be.

DISCUSSION SUGGESTIONS:

1.    What are the three choices to cultivating a right spirit?

2.    What are the three areas of your life and your mind that you must work on to perceive things correctly?

3.    How can we obtain a clear picture of how Jesus sees us? Why is this important?

4.    What kind of spirit do you have when you encounter troubles or difficulties?