Separate Yourselves

In order to follow God, to accomplish goals, to be successful, we will have to separate ourselves — from people, entertainment, distractions. We separate ourselves — in order to concentrate, to do the work that will be required for us to follow God and be successful.

Change:

Nothing changes if nothing changes. What are some of the changes that you will need to make, habits you will need to break, thinking that you will need to change, to follow God and accomplish your goals?

In-law or outlaw:

Separate means cause to move or be apart. There is always a season when children separate from mom and dad. It’s for their good and health and well-being going forward in life.

We even need to separate from our parents if we are going to have a successful marriage. We can love our parents, honor them, but we must separate from them and cleave to our husband/wife. That means parents don’t get a say in our marriage unless we ask them. They don’t get to bad-mouth our spouse. If you are an in-law and you are interjecting yourself unannounced into your children’s marriage, then back off.

Health:

It’s healthy when kids separate from parents, just as it’s healthy for us when we separate ourselves from this world and its ways and philosophies — from the naysayers and the doubt peddlers. It’s all our choice.

Separate yourself from anything that is a distraction from serving God, and you will see it was well worth it.

Just a thought,

PSS

Be Hopeful!

Hope is not a sedative; it is a shot of adrenaline, a blood transfusion. Like an anchor, our hope in Christ stabilizes us in the storms of life; but unlike an anchor, our hope moves us forward; it does not hold us back.

-Warren Wiersbe

Tough times:

Although we may experience tough times, disappointing moments, and heartache, we still can have hope if we believe. These temporary detours of suffering will actually strengthen our commitment to Christ and our testimony for Him. You see, as believers, we all have an incredible future with Christ in heaven.

Hope deferred:

Don’t ever allow your hope to be deferred. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12). No one likes waiting. It feels good to get what we want. But when our expectations are delayed, we can experience disappointment, disillisionment, and loss of hope. Waiting can become such an affliction to some that it’s like a lingering sickness. Even though things are delayed, we need to stay in faith, trust, and believe the word of God.

A better tomorrow:

Our hope in a better tomorrow because we are born-again and saved by the power of God, and realizing our future home with God is very real will help us to keep going. No matter what you face, remember we have a hope that never perishes. It is a shot of adrenaline to our minds.

Let’s never lose this hope God gives us, and when our faith is being tested, remember it is only temporary — it’s God’s kingdom only that lasts forever.

Just a thought,

PSS

Expectation plus reality oftentimes results in disappointment.

Expectations:

Disappointment is the feeling of being unhappy because something that you hoped for or expected did not happen or because someone or something was not as good as you expected. If not addressed properly, disappointment will result in negativity, pessimism, and bitterness. It may result in our becoming critical of God because we will end up blaming Him for inaction or for not being fair in our time of need.

Dealing with it:

Psalm 22:5 (AMPC) — They cried to You and were delivered; they trusted in, leaned on, and confidently relied on You, and were not ashamed or confounded or disappointed. Here is what we know: all of us will experience disappointment. Everyone does. It’s unavoidable, but how we deal with it is the key. So often people look for comfort and material blessings, but God is more concerned with our character development.

Only believe:

We hate testing and spiritual exercise that strengthens our faith and makes us stronger. God has no use for untamed followers, so He chooses to train us at times through tough, even painful, experiences. We may never fully understand God and His ways, so we must learn to hang in there no matter what. It’s the present we must learn to enhance in order to handle disappointment and discouragement better. God is always working to help us and make us better. Our responsibility is to believe that.

So, when disappointment comes, and it will, let’s continue to seek God and have a better attitude through it, knowing God is for us, not against us. Let’s begin to ask ourselves, How can we grow through this? What can we learn? It’s our choice. We must choose wisely what attitude we will cling to.

Just a thought,

PSS

We really do live in uncertain times.

The world changes:

The ungodly have become more ungodly, and even the godly keep becoming more ungodly. In a world that is constantly changing, there is a place of refuge for all who truly believe in God and His word, His ways — agree with His word, thoughts. God is our refuge!

He never changes:

We can count on His word always being the same and never changing. Jesus, the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever (Isaiah 40:8). The word of God is the only thing we have that never changes. This world is changing so fast — creating uncertainty for many. But God never changes, so we can count on Him, rely on Him, trust Him. He never changes!

He is our refuge:

For some, we need to get back to the basics and renew our thinking to His word so we can walk in His blessings. Psalm 91:1–2 — Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust Him.

Let’s not allow ourselves to get caught up in this world to the point we forget all of God’s benefits.

Just a thought,

PSS

In order to grow and be truly successful, we all need to learn to take full responsibility for our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions.

The blame game:

Blaming others will not help you — it will only hurt you, leave you stuck in life. It won’t allow you to move forward. Complaining all the time will do the same, along with causing you to be miserable. Complaining never resolved anything. This is all some people do — see only the bad and never the good. If you are a complainer, it will hinder your growth in every area of your life.

MYOB:

The Bible teaches us to study to be quiet (1 Thessalonians 4:11). Don’t worry so much about what others do. Concentrate on what you are supposed to be doing.

Own it:

Accepting personal responsibility means taking ownership of your own behavior and the consequences of that behavior. Until we all learn to accept responsibility for our actions and failures, it will be very difficult for us to develop self-respect or even to have the respect of others. We all make mistakes and poor choices. The same goes for when we fail to act when we know we should. There are times when we look the other way when we know the right thing to do is to take helpful action.

So, we all must let go of things that have happened to us in the past and not use them as an excuse for bad behavior. God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us (Ephesians 3:20).

Just a thought,

PSS