Lord, Change My Attitude: Before It's Too Late

James MacDonald rightly believes that our attitudes substantially shape our lives. Sinful attitudes, therefore, must be recognized, addressed, repented of and replaced with God-honoring attitudes. The author has chosen to discuss five categories: complaining which should be replaced by thankfulness; covetous by contentment; criticalness by love; doubt by faith and rebelliousness by submission. A chapter is devoted to each of these attitudes. MacDonald writes in an accessible style, which borders at times on folksy and repetitive. Some will find this irritating, others enjoyable.There is much that is helpful in Lord, Change My Attitude. The chapter on love, drawn from 1 Corinthians 13, is easily the best, but there is also good material on criticism, complaining, gratefulness, doubt, contentment, and rebellion. The careful reader will benefit from much of this material, but good discernment is also necessary. While little that MacDonald writes is blatantly unbiblical there are nevertheless several concerns.• His hermeneutics is suspect at times. MacDonald develops this book around events connected with Old Testament Israel. The author believes that if the Jews would have maintained good attitudes they would have entered the Promised Land; since they did not, they were doomed to wander in the wilderness. Bouncing off this allegorical approach the author guarantees “Promise Land living” for those of us with good attitudes (pp. 26, 36, 37, 100-101, 179, 252, 256). Promise Land living is lasting joy, contentment and happiness, even the ability to laugh at oneself (p. 49), according to MacDonald. But Scripture never defines Promise Land living this way. While Canaan was Israel’s inheritance and flowed with abundance, it was a difficult life fraught with battles, struggles and all the hardships and pleasures of life, as the book of Joshua demonstrates. The alternative to Promise Land living is living in the wilderness (p. 32, 130, 179, 224). Of course Israel spends 40 years in the wilderness because of their rebellion but using this as the primary analogy of the book is problematic and leads to reading into the text what the author wants to find (eisegesis). For example Korah’s rebellion is used to prove that “stubbornness leads to the wilderness” (p. 224). But the fact was that Korah was already in the wilderness. MacDonald is using wilderness to typify dry, barren living but the Old Testament narrative will not support his interpretation. In other words, the author is not drawing his teachings directly from the statements found in Scripture, but from his allegorical approach to narrative accounts. While not fatal, this models an unhappy and faulty approach to biblical interpretation, and readers need to be aware of this, and more importantly, not adopt this kind of approach to Scripture.• Closely akin to the hermeneutical concerns is MacDonald’s eisegesis. That is, he offers a statement or idea, not actually drawn from Scripture then attempts to support these from out of context or misapplied biblical texts. Saying adversity is our cross to carry is to misuse Luke 9:23, (p. 43); thankfulness is important but not found in Romans 1:19-21 (p. 57); Isaiah 54:17 is not a blanket promise of protection to all people (p. 168); Psalm 84:11 is not a guarentee that God will prosper everyone; both Matthew 7:3 (p. 120) and Ephesians 2:8 (p. 186) are used out of their contexts. Perhaps the most blatant example is when MacDonald claims there are three levels of thankfulness: elementary, high school and graduate school. Each level is backed by a verse of Scripture that in no way supports his theory (pp. 62-63).• MacDonald often overstates which leads to inconsistency. He insists that faith is not part of the Christian life; it is the whole thing (p. 171), spending much time defending his view, especially against Paul’s claim that love is greater than faith (1 Cor 13:13) (pp. 201-202). In the process he ignores Jesus’ own words that sum up our obligations as love for God and neighbor (Matt 22:37-39). He offers a definition of complaining as “expressing dissatisfaction with a circumstance that is not wrong and about which I’m doing nothing to correct” (p. 38), that is neither supportable by Scripture nor fits his own examples (pp. 39-41). On page 79 he virtually equates wealth with covetous but is forced to reverse himself on page 94. He is on the money however when he writes, “With God, we can be satisfied and fulfilled with very little, but without Him all that we have will always be dry and deeply disappointing” (p. 88).• Much of the book promotes self-centeredness and focuses on changing our attitudes to enhance our personal happiness. Again MacDonald is not consistent, for he will rightly confirm that “nothing is essential but God” (p. 88) and writes of living to please the Lord. However, regularly it is our happiness that MacDonald uses to motivate toward change in our attitudes:P. 36 – “the key to happiness is in the attitude we choose when we ‘drop the ball’”.Pp. 235-236 – “submission…greatly increases our happiness”.P. 47 – God’s fire of temporal judgment “scorches our happiness”.Pp. 59-60 – thankfulness leads to happiness (cf pp. 69-70).P. 26 – “bad attitudes are what makes life a dry, hard, joyless, parched experience. Do you ever feel like that? Like your life is lacking the kind of joy and fulfillment that you desire?” MacDonald offers as an antidote Promised Land living, which is lasting joy and “not as far away as you might think” (p. 36). The option is wilderness living.P. 130 – “when God says, ‘Don’t!’ what He really means is, don’t hurt yourself!”• The final chapter on submission could be debated at length. Is the church really over the home (p. 247); are his guidelines for submission biblical (pp. 244-245); is it really true that no one in authority in the Bible demanded submission (p. 237)?• His favorable reference to Pentecostal pastor Jim Cymbala is deeply troubling (p. 207).The difficulty in reviewing Lord, Change My Attitude is that there are two books here. On the one hand there is a sound, biblical, and necessary treatment of attitudes. Attitudes are important in our lives, and our need to examine bad attitudes and replace them with biblical ones is vital. That book I can highly recommend. But there is another book here as well. This one is based on poor hermeneutics, overstatements, and questionable motives. This book needs to be avoided. The problem is that the two books are interlaced so that only very careful discernment can unravel them. The reader looking only at the big picture will most likely be helped. The reader looking for biblical consistency and careful exegesis will be frustrated. Place me in the latter camp.Reviewed by Gary E. Gilley, Southern View Chapel

This book made me realize how much my bad attitudes effected not only me but every one around me. My spouse and I were on the verge of splitting up. I heard one of James McDonald's sermons about changing your attitudes and decided to read this book. I'm am so glad God sent this book my way. While I was reading this book I didn't realize all the bad attitudes I did have. He does a great job with the book because he not only points out the bad attitudes but also tells you how to replace them with good attitudes and backs everything up with scripture. My spouse and I are now in counseling and hopefully on our way to mending our marriage. I'm so thankful that God was able to use this book to help me.

Whether we like to admit it or not, we are subject to "stinking thinking." For some of us, myself included, we may find ourselves needing an attitude adjustment. Dr. James MacDonald systematically walks the reader through 5 wilderness-like attitudes; and 5 -kingdom like attitudes. The reader is afforded a choice: bad attitude = a life in the wilderness much like that of the ancient Israelites. The other choice: good attitude = a life in the promised land. The book is serious while having lighter moments. The author's transparency makes the read all the more better. Recommend as a great read to supplement daily devotion of Scripture reading and prayer.

I just finished this book, and I can tell you...WOW!IF you are ready to work on your own issues, are willing to see and find your own faults, and truly want to be a better, content, happier person then this book is for you! Don't bother buying it if you're not ready and you arent motivated to change your unhealthy thoughts.This book is geared towards believers in God/Jesus, but is helpful to ALL that want to change.It was so helpful to me that I will keep it close and skim through it as I need reminders!

Whether you have good attitudes or some that need polishing, this book teaches God's scripture around attitude and replacing negative with positive. Great lessons based on scripture!

James McDonald walks us through all the bad habits we have that keep us from finding joy in the Lord. He makes a good case that until we break some bad habits, we won't recognize how personal and caring our Lord is, and we won't experience true joy. A group of us are reading the book together once a week.

James MacDonald is one of the most gifted teachers of biblical principles in America. His radio show, 'Walk in the Word,' has millions of listeners daily. In this book, James speaks to and provides life-changing guidance on our negative attitudes and how we can shift them to their 'counter-part' positive versions. Deeply rooted in Scripture, he shows how negative attitudes push us away from God and how embracing an 'attitude adjustment' can literally change how you live your life. As he says, "Gratitude is the attitude that sets the altitude for living." Get this one and dive in!

James MacDonald writes like he speaks -- I could hear his voice in every word. He pulls no punches and makes no apologies for being tough. He says everything we need to hear. He's sort of like that tough teacher that you hated in school but is the only teacher you now fondly remember years later for teaching you what needed to be taught. I'm getting more of his books and will read them again and again.

Very good book, Everyone should read it

Omg I made my order yesterday and received it the next day. I can't wait to read them!

Good program.