If there's one thing we must hang on to and never let go of in this day and age, it's hope. Hope is so powerful that when people lose it, they give up, quit or even take their own lives. A friend of mine once said that hope is the thermostat; it sets the goal, and hope is the anchor of our soul. Hope is that force, if you will, that gets you through the moment so you are not overwhelmed. It keeps the dream in your heart alive when others have said "no". Hope keeps you living everyday and processing life. It gives you energy to do what you would ordinarily quit doing. People don't necessarily need more faith during certain times; they need hope. You can be down, having a bad day, dealing with unpleasant circumstances, and hope is the thing that keeps you going, keeps you believing that "this too shall pass" and things can and will get better. Hope is more than wishful thinking; it is wrapped up in the greatness of God. Note Dodie Osteen; "Never lose your hope, for faith is the substance of things hoped for!" Hebrews 11:1

Just a thought, God bless.

PSS

How do you deal with things in your life when they don't go according to plan? If you're like me, I've had many setbacks and many situations that haven't worked out like I thought they should or even planned for. What do we do? How do we deal with them and move on? The answer lies in how you view them. Do you see them as a permanent or temporary setback? Most of the things we deal with are temporary. We need to realize how deep pain can go and that the feeling of failure will go away at some point. Please know this: that it won't last forever and you can and will move beyond it and heal from whatever is hurting or discouraging you. It's the attitude in which you live your life that will make the difference. Is it the attitude that the "sky is always falling" or is it the attitude that "I know this thing is not good for me, but it will pass. I am strong and I will overcome!" Learn to develop the attitude of never quitting and never allowing a moment, occurrence, setback or disappointment to define you for very long. The Bible says "all things will work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose." We need to realize that we CAN and WILL overcome if we just keep moving forward and believing in God and His Word. Life may disappoint from time to time, but God will NEVER disappoint; He will never leave you, not ever.

Just a thought, God bless.

PSS

We are all constantly changing, whether it is physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. Sometimes it's for the worse; sometimes it's for the better. How we change is mostly up to us. It's how we choose to deal with what life throws at us, because stress and emotional trauma can also affect us mentally and physically. It's important that we deal with situations as they come up, rather than to let them go. The more things pile up on us, the more susceptible we are to breaking down or feeling so overwhelmed we don't do anything and just shut down. Most of the worrying that people do is just wasted time because the fact is most of those things never occur. We must change the way we process issues instead of making them worse. We have been given a "will" and that "will", combined with the power of the Holy Spirit, can help us successfully navigate through anything. What we do at times is sabotage ourselves by drowning in the feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy instead of dealing with the issues as they arise. We should always be reminded that God's Word says we "should cast all our cares upon Him who cares for you," (I Peter 5:17) and never quit hoping for a better outcome.

Just a thought, God bless.

PSS

I was just reading an article written by Lou Tice about receiving compliments. A lot of people today receive criticism as rejection and truth. Even though it hurts at times, we receive it and even if it's not valid or right, we'll meditate on it and allow it to bother us. A compliment, on the other hand, is defined as "an expression of praise or admiration." So, what's the best way to receive a sincere compliment? We should receive it graciously and respond accordingly. A negative example would be if someone compliments us and we respond to it unfavorably by putting ourselves down, or using phrases like, "I just got lucky." What if someone compliments you on what you are wearing or how you look, and you respond with, "This old thing?" The bottom line is that we need to respond properly to a sincere compliment and if you don't know what to say, saying, "thank you," shows respect for both yourself and the one giving the compliment. When you reject a compliment by bad-mouthing yourself, you are showing little or no respect to the one who gave it. Let's not be deceived when it comes to giving and receiving compliments. When a person is giving a sincere compliment, isn't that a person showing loving support to the one they are giving the compliment to? Let's learn to receive from the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ when it comes to the words of affirmation we call compliments. Pastor Steve Smothermon Legacy Church www.LifeatLegacy.com

So many of us judge our faith and our lives by a moment in time. Doing that can cause us to give up, become discouraged and even quit trying because one thing, or several things didn't work out the way we wanted it to. We should look at our life and our faith and evaluate it by a lifetime of events, not on a single one. The life that we've been given should be viewed as a journey or even a marathon. When you go on a journey, there are ups and downs, peaks and valleys. It's important to keep in mind that allowing a moment (either hurtful, or disappointing) to define your whole life is unhealthy to say the least. All of us must realize that our lives are made up of many moments, good and bad. In my own life, I've had good, sad, hurtful and disappointing moments as well as encouraging moments. Not one of these singular moments is going to "define" my whole life. That's why all of us must purpose to deal with each moment as they come, realizing that the negative, bad moments won't last forever and the highs of the good moments won't be peaking forever, either. Here's what we do know: God is our strength and the negative moments will pass. Let's live our lives with the totality of a full life. Just a thought, God bless. PSS