Forgiving means accepting what happened and finding a way to move forward.

Health benefits:

Studies have found that the act of forgiveness can reap huge rewards for your health: lowering the risk of heart attack; improving cholesterol levels and sleep; and reducing pain, blood pressure, and levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. According to the Mayo Clinic, forgiveness also brings with it improved relationships, a stronger immune system, and heart health.

What it is/is not:

Forgiveness is something we do for ourselves, not something we do for others. Forgiveness isn’t a pardon or an excuse, and it doesn’t mean you won’t continue to have feelings about what happened. You don’t pretend it never happened, or say what happened is OK. Not forgiving is the equivalent of staying trapped in a jail cell of bitterness, serving time for someone else’s crime. Unforgiveness works to destroy you, to create bitterness and resentment. We can forgive when we understand what it is and what it is not. Forgiveness is not a feeling; it is a choice, a decision. It can affect your feelings as you practice forgiving.

Seventy times seven:

Forgiveness is usually not a one-time occurrence. You may need to, by faith, forgive over and over again, until you are able to move forward. Most people know that they need to forgive for their own well-being. But there have been so many false claims about it. It is not a feeling; it is not a one-time occurrence, and there is no such thing as “forgive and forget.” God forgives and forgets, and we are not God. We forgive and move forward in life, but we do remember because we are human.

So, forgiveness must be practiced over and over again, then you will feel better and be able to move forward in life.

Just a thought,

PSS

God is a relational God. We are created in His image, so we are relational as well.

The road to success:

Relationships in our lives are important towards our success or failure in our lives. At Legacy Church we believe that everyone needs to grow relationships as they take their spiritual journey. Whom we surround ourselves with, whom we let into our inner circle who influence our decisions, could be the difference between success and failure. Even Jesus had an inner circle — Peter, James, and John (Mark 5:37, Mark 14:32-33, Luke 8:51, Luke 9:28).

The unequal yoke:

Whom we take our counsel from is equally important to our overall well-being. God desires that we are not unequally yoked with the wrong people. As Christians we are not to be yoked with unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14-18 NASB). Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial? The answer is, None! We are to reach out to the sinner and believe that God will touch their heart and they will repent, but we are not to hang out with them and allow them to influence our lives.

The deception:

In this last election, I am so shocked at how many people who call themselves Christians voted for people who believe in killing our babies and in sodomy, then go to church and worship God who is against all of that. Either He is Lord of all, or not Lord at all. The word of God should have a major influence on all aspects of our lives — all — not some. We are either for Him or against Him. No middle ground.

We must take the word of God seriously and build bridges that are going somewhere, instead of building bridges to nowhere.

Just a thought,

PSS

Regret is stronger than gratitude. Did you know the dead receive more flowers than the living?

The rut of regret:

Regret is defined as: a feeling often accompanied by sadness, shame, and guilt. Regret is when you wish you had done things diferently in your past. It is a robber of life and enjoyment. It leaves us feeling bad about ourselves and really does steal our joy. So, regret is powerful, and so many get stuck there.

Learn from the past:

We cannot go back in our past and do things over. Our decisions are our decisions. The thing we can do is learn from them so we don’t continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. We should learn from our mistakes as well as from our successes. We all have to learn to move forward and not live in the past. Being grateful, I believe, will help us do that.

Be grateful:

Gratitude is defined as: the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Gratitude is more than feeling thankful for something: it is more like a deeper appreciation for someone (or something) which produces longer lasting positivity and peace of mind. We should be so grateful to God for His forgiveness and His kindness. The Lord is near the heartbroken and He saves those who are crushed in spirit (contrite in heart, truly sorry for their sins) (Psalm 34:18 AMP). If you have blown it living in your past mistakes, if you have been crushed in your heart and mind, repent for whatever part you had in it. God will heal your heart and mind.

Let’s learn and practice gratitude. It will cause our lives to be better.

Just a thought,

PSS

How to Sabotage Your Own Success

Success happens on purpose, and you have to cultivate it to experience it; but for some, they have wrong thinking; therefore, they don’t experience it as they could.

Stinking thinking:

Self-defeating thinking is one of the culprits that keep us from achieving and being more successful in our lives. Here are some characteristics of people who have self-defeating thinking:

• The people who think this way are stuck in a cycle of bitterness, depression, anger, and cynicism.
• They don’t feel as if they are worth anything and constantly feel overwhelmed.
• They begin things, but never finish them because if they actually finished a task, they would feel better about themselves and have a sense of accomplishment.
• They refuse help or assistance.

Poor relationships:

These people are the same way in relationships because they won’t allow themselves to ever feel good about themselves, so they fail over and over again. We have to break out of this cycle before it destroys any more lives. Once we recognize this type of mentality, we can correct it. We must realize that we are worth something and have value. It’s OK to feel good about ourselves and who we are as people.

Let go of unforgiveness and blaming others for your life. Move forward from where you are and remember that, from time to time, all of us need help. Don’t allow yourself to sabotage your own success.

Just a thought,

PSS

Either you trust in someone or something, or you don’t.

Decide:

When you decide to trust someone or something, you are confident about its integrity, strength, or ability. So, in order to trust, the object of your trust must be worthy of your confidence and reliance. For example, we tend to marry someone we trust, and if that relationship remains healthy and continues to grow, the trust level will increase, not decrease.

Father knows best:

As for our spiritual relationship, we need to realize that God has our best interest in mind. Sometimes we look for immediate gratification, where God is looking at the whole picture and for our future. When these ideas clash, it might be tempting to think, God doesn’t care for me or love me.

Trust God:

We have to learn to trust God and have confidence in Him. No matter what, God is the only one who sees our future, and He’s always looking out for us, for our own good, for our life. You can trust Him.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don’t lean on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

Just a thought,

PSS