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In our society, people have misplaced their belief in God and forgot how gracious and good He really is. God gets blamed for things that would embarrass the devil himself. How would you feel if you were falsely accused? None of us would tolerate that, yet God constantly gets accused of not caring because something happened to us that was negative, or we didn't get what we wanted. Our faith must be deeper and stronger than that. Our faith shouldn't be based on circumstances, but on God's promise that He is true to His word. We have to stand up and live what we believe now more than ever. If you believe in God's Word, believe all of it, not just the parts you like. Don't be moved by every little thing that goes wrong, but try to be a person of substance who's not easily sidetracked. Today, and every day, let's be appreciative of all the good things we have. Let's focus on what is going right in our lives; only then will your view of life change for the better.

 

Just a Thought,

PSS

Legacychurch.com

 

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Today, as you go about your business, I want you to think about encouraging others. If you cannot see the good in yourself, it will be difficult to see the good in someone else. Esteem is important on so many levels. It is important to think well of yourself and to believe there's good within you. It's easy to see the shortcomings within ourselves, but what about the good inside all of us? How much attention do we give the good in our lives? We are not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. On the other hand, we shouldn't think less of ourselves either. For us, we need to see the best in others. We should see their potential and what they can become if they apply themselves. It's equally important that we see and embrace the good in ourselves and our own potential. Some people might say that there's no one to encourage me so start encouraging others and esteeming them. Concentrate on the good in someone else and see if you don't have someone do the same for you.

Just a Thought,

PSS

Legacychurch.com

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Honoring those in authority is in our best interest. People at times don't want to honor any kind of authority. They resist and buck the system wherever they are. It's interesting to watch this. Those who honor and respect the authority over them seem to get farther down the road than those who don't. Now if the authority is asking you to do something wrong or immoral, we have the right to say no, but we should be respectful nonetheless.

The rules of driving are meant to protect us, not to harm us, yet I believe some rules are ungodly, like the speed limit (just kidding). Really, I'm glad we have the rule of driving on one side of the road. I'm glad it's not optional, because I don't want to get into a head-on collision. Without rules and authority we would have utter chaos.

God has set up rules to make our lives better, so that if we follow them, He can bless us. Let's take another look at the benefits of having authority in our lives and thank God for His protection and His love.

Just a Thought,

PSS

Legacychurch.com

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Simply put, the definition of winning is this: to rise up each time you fall. Everyone has setbacks and times when they made the wrong decision. Winning is about stepping out with great hope and anticipation for success, no matter what the endeavor is. When things start to fall apart and unravel, what do you do? Do you blame someone or something else? Is it God; society; your skin color; your upbringing? You should never play the blame game. As Christians, we should get up and start over. Success comes from getting up each time you fall or get knocked down. Successful people don’t quit, or become bitter or stop trying altogether. Remember the saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, and try again.”

            Victory may come after several attempts, but no matter what you are going through, never play the blame game. Will yourself up, and let go of any negative unproductive talk. Thoughts like, “No one cares; I’ll never make it; everyone is against me,” will hinder your progress. Rise up and start believing that this time, you WILL succeed, and it WILL work out and you WILL be victorious!

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In our quest for excellence, we must guard ourselves from being critical people. They are the people who are either jealous or uninformed. They usually say things that have no impact whatsoever on the truth. A person who is constantly critical of others, their jobs or their spouse is one who constantly compares themselves to others. It’s a trap to allow them in your life. If you do, you’ll be one unhappy camper. We should strive for excellence, work hard, and try to see the best in every situation. That way, getting sidelined by obstacles won’t happen to us.

Mediocre people tend to be subdued by obstacles in life, but excellence always rises above them. Listen, in times of adversity you don’t have an obstacle to deal with, you have a choice to make: be critical or strive to be the best.  Do my words bring life or death? It’s hard to find people who have a spirit of excellence. In order to be a success in life, don’t be critical; just strive to do the best you can.

 

Pastor Steve Smothermon
Legacy Church
www.LegacyChurch.com