During times of difficulty and hardship, we need to stay planted and persevere. Whether things aren’t going well in our marriage, in our workplace, with our health, or with our children, we need to keep moving forward. Typically, it tends to be the darkest times in life that cause us to grow. The Bible says, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees” (Psalm 119:71, NIV).

Those who make a habit of quitting, or giving up as soon as they encounter an obstacle, never overcome. But those who persevere and keep moving forward look for ways to press on, and eventually overcome. By definition, to persevere is to persist steadily in an action or belief, usually over a long period of time, and especially despite problems or difficulties.

We must adjust our attitude and purpose to persevere. Regrettably, some of us have made a habit of quitting, which is why things don’t ever seem to work out. However, it’s not that things couldn’t have worked out, but that we quit way too soon. Therefore, we must learn to endure the storms in life and persevere. Remember -- quitters never win and winners never quit.

Just a Thought,

PSS

In our society, we have replaced obligation and responsibility with rights and privileges. Across the nation, people are fighting for their rights -- demanding what they want and what they think they deserve -- because they perceive something as unfair. Fewer and fewer people are taking care of their obligations and responsibilities. This attitude of entitlement is destroying our country.

The word responsibility means the state, fact, or position of being accountable to someone, or for something. To be responsible means we must stop making excuses, and do the right thing. Sadly, excuses are abundant in our society. Everyone -- from our children to our President -- is always quick to blame someone else, with an attitude that says, “It’s never my fault.”

The real question we need to ask ourselves is: Who determines what is fair? If we really got what was fair, or what we deserved, we would be condemned to eternal death. Thankfully, God doesn’t give us what we deserve -- He gives us what Jesus deserves. Instead of demanding what we think we deserve, we need to take responsibility for our lives and be grateful for the gift of eternal life.

Just a Thought,

PSS

Do you see the world as a place of adversity or a place of opportunity? Whatever you see, whether it’s the problem or the solution, your success will be determined by it. Unfortunately, most people focus on the problem rather than on the solution.  If you can learn to see the opportunity behind every obstacle, you will be able to move forward and begin to be successful in life.

If we only see the problems in life, we will never attain or accomplish very much. Sadly, many of us spend so much time and energy dwelling on our past that we are unable to move forward. As a consequence, we aren’t nearly as successful as we would like to be because we don’t change our attitudes. We need to realize it’s all about our attitudes and the way we think.

Have the courage to move past the setbacks, problems, and discouragements, which life can bring, and learn to focus on the possibilities. Eventually, you will see that all things are possible with God and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). With God, there is always an answer or solution to the problems we face, but we must be willing to change our attitudes.

Just a Thought,

PSS

One thing a mentor of mine said to me, which has stuck with me ever since, is: “Learn something new every day.” Read the newspaper, read a book, read the Bible -- learn something new every day. I believe we should constantly be growing and developing. When I first started pastoring, I realized I didn’t know much about leadership -- how to lead, cast visions, etc. -- so I began studying leadership almost daily. It was important for me to develop my leadership ability in order to lead people (the greatest of all God’s creation). Learning leadership principles, and how to apply those principles, has helped me in more ways than I can express.

To be successful, we must be teachable and willing to learn. If we are not, we will be left behind in the companies we lead, our ability to motivate people, our families, and our communities. If you study leadership, you will realize everything rises and falls on it. For instance, good leadership results in good company and a good family. Bad leadership, however, results in bad company and a messed-up family. Some are so stuck in their ways that it keeps them from moving forward in life. Our country is so messed up because we have the worst leadership in the history of our country.

Stay teachable, and don’t get so set in your ways that you are closed to new ideas and ways of doing things. Instead, develop your skills by learning something new every day. Let’s believe God to teach us, so we can grow and develop to reach our full potential.

Just a Thought,

PSS

If we are not careful, we can become accustomed to giving up and make quitting a habit, especially when it comes to the things of God. Some of the leading causes of habitually quitting are false expectations and a lack of knowledge of God and His Word. Sadly, quitting has become the norm for so many today, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Generally, when we think of winning or losing, it’s based on a scoreboard. But when it comes to life, it’s really about learning to never quit. Unfortunately, when things don’t go our way or when negative things happen, we tend to think, “This is too hard,” or, “Nothing ever works out for me.” But we have to realize, the enemy of being a winner isn’t failing--the real enemies are fear and discouragement.

We need to learn to win. A winner is one who never quits or gives up. In fact, the most successful people (winners) have one thing in common: they never quit. If only we could get this in our hearts and minds, and remember that we have God on our side and we will never lose, as long as we don’t give up or quit, then we would get in the habit of winning.

For most of us, getting in the habit of winning is learning how to keep moving forward through adversity and setbacks. Whatever your dream may be, as long as you don’t quit or give up, you will be a winner. As a result, we will see more of our hopes and dreams come to pass. With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26), so let’s learn to win!

Just a Thought,

PSS