Have you ever given thought about submitting to authority or honoring those who have authority over you? Those who follow Christ must be people who submit to His authority. Authority means listening to what your superior says, and carrying out those orders. How we submit to the authority God has placed in our lives and how we execute the authority given to us will determine how God uses us. The best way to properly submit to earthly authority is to learn how to submit to Heavenly authority. Peace and safety are found in obeying God's Word and acknowledging Him as the supreme authority in our lives. Here are three benefits to submitting to authority:

• It pleases God and His Word commands it.
• Protection. There are many rewards for good behavior. For example, obeying driving laws protects people from taking lives.
• God-given authority is one of the best sources for direction. People who reject wisdom often begin behavior that is destructive.

Jesus was the ultimate example of submission and authority. Those who learn humility and service are prime candidates for leadership, so let's learn to excel in this area.

Just a Thought,

PSS

Legacychurch.com

Relationships are a very vital part of our existence. Having good relationships can be the difference between being optimistic and being discouraged about life. So, we should take an active approach to working on them.

Today, marriages are failing at an unprecedented rate for various reasons. One of those reasons is that we never learn how to love our spouse in the way they feel love. We tend to love someone the way we feel love. The problem with this is that the only one we are pleasing is ourselves. We must learn what blesses and pleases or makes them happy. Here are a few tips:

• Take the time to know what blesses your spouse. Notice the little things.
• Make an effort to ensure that what blesses them actually takes place. Don’t just make it “wishful thinking”.
• Persevere. Make it an ongoing thing by being consistent.  Keep at it, even if they don’t notice at first.

What if you flipped a coin every morning to determine how you felt the rest of the day? Would you really leave your emotions to chance? Or, would you make a decision and choose your attitude and how you approached the day? Here’s something to think about: Happenstance is a combination of the words “happen” and “circumstance”.  It means, “A circumstance especially that is due to chance”. Happen defined is, “to occur by chance”. One meaning for the word Happy means “favored by luck or fortune”. Here are three keys to being more thankful:

• In order to get the most out life, we should intentionally re-purpose our attitude to be appreciative for what we have, rather than to be “happy” about it.
•  Don’t let the situation dictate your attitude.  You see, happiness depends on our circumstances, whereas thankfulness is an intentional choice, a conscious decision that you make. Let’s continue to strive to be more thankful in our lives.
• Focus on what you do have, rather than what you don’t. Look for the good in things, not just the bad.

  I pray you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and become more appreciative in your life!!

What you and I believe is of the utmost of importance. The reason for this is that what we believe determines what is possible or impossible in our lives. So it’s up to us to come to a place where we choose to take off the restrictions in our lives. When we were children, we saw endless possibilities until someone told us we can’t, or that it’s not possible. Then we began to put boundaries on our lives. Jesus said in Mark 9:23’ “if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth”.

How many dreams have been left behind because we quit believing something is possible? Once you have decided to believe something or not, that’s when the world of possibilities opens up. What is impossible for one person may be possible for another. Why? Because it’s all about what you believe, not what someone else believes. Some thought it was impossible to go to the moon, but others who believed…well, we know how that one turned out.

What does the term “stuffing” make you think of? With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, maybe you visualize the stuffing that goes into the turkey.

“Stuffing” from a psychological view is when a person continually “stuffs” their emotions until one day they blow up or have some type of breakdown. When we experience pain, we need to know it’s ok to grieve, to feel sadness, anger or disappointment. If we go through the whole spectrum of emotions, we shouldn’t feel as if we are weak or that we let someone else down. In fact, God has given us a wide array of emotions that we shouldn’t “stuff”. Those emotions and feelings never go away.    On the other hand, you shouldn’t “pitch a tent” with those emotions, either. It’s not healthy to stay in one emotional state of mind for a long period of time. Experiencing sadness, anger or any other emotion from time to time is ok, especially if there is some pain or loss tied to it. Work through it, let it go and move on in life.