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Who you become is a direct result of who you choose to associate with. There's a moment in all of our lives where we have to choose who we want to be and what we want to become. It's during these moments in our lives when we start to notice people in our circle that aren't good for us. They will bring us down and become a bad influence, instead of uplifting and inspiring us. Whether it's a family member or a lifelong friend, we must choose not to be around them. If we want what is best for our lives, not to mention what God wants for us, there are some relationships that we must cut ties with. Bad character corrupts good morals.

There are some people who don't want to hang out or go to church with Christians; they just want to apply pressure for them to go to parties or clubs and influence them to do the wrong thing. Take the pencil for example. In order to be effective, it has to be sharpened. The wood around the lead has to be shaved off to expose what's inside. If we are to be useful in God's hand, some things in our lives need to be shaved off. Let's choose to do what is right in God's eyes and not hang around individuals who bring us down or cause us to stumble. Let's choose God's way.

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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!