Attitude Determines Altitude

One of the phrases I’ve gotten very accustomed to hearing is “change your belief systems if you want to achieve”. It’s a concept that is almost a buzz catch-phrase level. The more one looks at it, it makes sense why it’s such a popular phrase in certain sectors of society. Anyone who wants to go somewhere or improve where they’re at will have to face the concept of this phrase in one way shape or form.

In the sermon that this blog post is built on, let’s take a look at how our ways of believing will shape and influence many things in our lives. One quote I heard on a podcast once said that events and things are neutral but our beliefs about them colors our emotional response.

In a more pedestrian way of thinking, a red box is just a red box. However, if the red box is associated with the memory system of holidays of old and the pleasures of being with family for the end of the year, most red boxes you see will trigger some form of positive feelings in your day to day life. In some regards, you may have unspoken biases towards red boxes. You may prefer to buy an item in a red box instead of a blue one if the choice was equal. You get excited when your spouse shows up with a red box in hand, even if it’s left over food from the office.

You get the point. How you believe has an impact on how you do what you do. So, the premise of the topic of the day is the question: does your beliefs hinder or serve? Let’s dive into the sermon concept and then zoom back out and look at the question again towards the end.

For those who aren’t familiar with the biblical account of David versus Goliath, here is the super short recap. David was a shepard boy who had older brothers who served in the military. At the time, Israel was in conflict with the Philistines. I developed the sermon from the perspective of the Philistine’s point of view for dramatic effect. Goliath was their star veteran fighter who threw a challenge. If anyone could beat him, his country would be their servants. If he beat the Israeli fighter, then, Israel was to be servants of the Philistines. Oh, and yes, Goliath was not only a skilled master fighter, he was also a giant and had a significant size advantage.

Before getting into the three over-simplified belief systems, the choice to present the topic from the Philistine’s perspective is simple. We all root for the under dogs. We all want David to win. We expect that. It’s the mindset that makes great movies. What we don’t often consider is that the Philistines really thought that their campaign of world domination was sanctioned by their gods. It is not a stretch of the imagination to see that they moved as conquerors as one of their given rights. They had the might. They had the skills. They had the technological advantage. It was a sure thing that they would win, especially against such a lesser developed nation as the people of Israel. A cautionary tale for over confidence.