Shortcuts can cause us lots of pain, and successful people avoid the trap of taking shortcuts.

Selfish or selfless?

At times, taking shortcuts is a sign of being lazy or not thinking of anyone else but ourselves. In order to be successful people, we should purpose to do things right. For example, when going to a grocery store and wheeling the basket to unload into our cars, do we take the extra moment to put the shopping cart back into the bin, or do we just leave it out? Do we purpose to leave each person, each place, better than when we found it?

Faithful in little, faithful in much:

See, how we do the small things is a reflection of how we do the big things. Going into a public bathroom and seeing toilet paper all over the floor, and pee all over the seat, I often think, What kind of people do this, leave there, knowing someone else will be using it? It always annoys me.

Do right or do over?

Here is what I know: successful people think of others and understand that taking shortcuts will cost us in the long run. Doing things right, even if it takes us a little longer, will be better for us and save us time in the future. Doing things right just means giving a little more effort. Let’s not be the person always looking to cut corners, always looking for loopholes to justify our actions. There seems to be a good excuse for almost anything we do. But it is not worth it.

Let’s learn to be more successful by doing things right — taking a little extra time to think about others as well as ourselves.

Just a thought,

PSS

We must all contend for the faith, defend the faith (Jude 3-4). If we don’t, we will lose the freedom to worship our God the way He desires to be worshipped.

Love your neighbor:

We hear some people saying things like, Loving our neighbor is taking a shot, wearing a mask, listening to authorities — that somehow during a pandemic we show the love of God toward others by not contending for our rights which God gave us. But somehow, according to them, loving people means to violate the scriptures, and loving God and His word first is not good or loving.

Love God:

It is not more important to love our neighbors at the expense of loving God with all our hearts, souls, and minds. God is first, always first. And in loving Him, serving Him, we all must contend for the faith. Saying nothing, doing nothing, is the same as saying, I really don’t believe in the word of God. We need to get back to rightly dividing the word of truth. It is not ungodly or wrong to stand up for our freedoms and rights: it is wrong not to. These weak, passive, so-called preachers are soft and wrong. Don’t listen to them!

Flee false teaching:

Loving our neighbors as ourselves has nothing to do with giving up our rights and freedom so we can be a witness to them. Some of these guys have even preached that some won’t come to the Church because we didn’t submit to evil and listen to the authorities who have been proven wrong on how they handled the so-called pandemic. I contend that people don’t come because they don’t know what the Church stands for. Weakness in the pulpits of America is the reason people don’t come to church. These false teachers should never be listened to. They are wrong.

Contend for the faith. Stand up for righteousness.

Just a thought,

PSS

We all must come to a place in our lives where we work on not complaining, whining, or making excuses concerning our lives.

Only believe:

We all can succeed, overcome, win in this life if we believe God. Philippians 2:14 — Do everything without complaining and arguing. Most of us have at least heard this scripture before. God wasn’t making a suggestion: He was ordering us. He was trying to help us here while we live on the earth. What was He helping us do? Get, receive His help. If we complain all the time, then God won’t be able to lead and direct us as He wants to, in a way that we need.

Internal battle:

Have we ever stopped to think about complaining internally, arguing and complaining with ourselves, having a secret debate in our minds about the unfairness of life — the unfairness of what we are expected to do, the unfairness of how people have treated us? I believe the scripture is as important concerning complaining and arguing with others as well as with ourselves. So many of us have this battle going on inside. We are debating within ourselves whether or not to believe God, to do what He asks or not to do what He requests. It’s a real battle, and will keep us from God’s help.

The B-I-B-L-E:

We are not to surrender to complaining and arguing with others, ourselves, or God. We are to learn the Bible — the word of God — and renew our thinking. We can see when we are outwardly complaining and arguing. It’s the times we cannot see that might be the most dangerous. Let’s work on our thought lives as well as what comes out of our mouths.

God is on our side. Remember, gritty people win.

Just a thought,

PSS

When some people face setback, they give up because they think it’s a sign that they never had what it takes to succeed. Researchers refer to this as a fixed mindset — that people essentially are who they are and don’t change.

Growth mindset:

We all need a growth mindset: one that believes in the power of God to be able to change, and that we can grow and develop ourselves, change our habits and change the way we think, process, and function in life, the way we see things, the way we treat others. If we develop a growth mindset, there are no limits for us.

Believe:

If we believe in the word of God, in the power of the word of God, and start speaking it over our lives, meditating on it, we can and will overcome. We will become more and more like God. We will begin to act differently — in a good way. We will see ourselves developing better habits: stronger characteristics of good that will help us become more successful in all areas of our lives.

All things are possible:

We can grow and develop a growth mindset that will help us to achieve and have better relationships, cause us not to be so emotional when things go wrong or become difficult. But it is up to us. What we believe is the most important thing.

We can have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset, our choice!

Just a thought,

PSS

Someone once said, Talk is cheap, but actions are priceless.

Be a doer of the word:

There are dreamers, and there are people who have dreams. The dreamers talk a lot, but have no actions. Those with a dream don’t talk much, but they do act. Only those who are willing to take action, do something, are those who accomplish things in life. It’s willing to do. James 1:22 (NIV) — Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Persevere:

God knew that those who just talk, waiting for the right moment, for the stars to align, would accomplish little or nothing at all. But those who do, are willing to fail. Those who possess a spirit of perseverance will accomplish much in life. It won’t come without setbacks and disappointments, but the reward of seeing things through, the desire to push through, will give them moments of success that will bless their lives.

Be tenacious:

It’s the ability to do and keep on doing that will bless us. The tenacity to overcome, no matter the obstacles we face, will cause us to be fulfilled in life. Those who are only dreamers will be frustrated, always waiting for someone to come help them, instead of doing what is needed, what is necessary to win, to succeed.

Your choice: be a dreamer or be one who possesses a dream and works to make it happen.

Just a thought,

PSS