How we think about ourselves, our family life, our work life, etc., is very important.

Our mindset:

It will determine our success or failure and how much we are willing to attempt and accomplish in life. It will determine the health and welfare of our families and all of our relationships. Our self-concept will determine whom we associate with.

A self-defeating mindset:

It will limit us in all of these areas. People with this line of thinking will continue in a cycle of bitterness, depression, anger, cynicism, and low self-esteem. They will always be overwhelmed and refuse any help so that they can do it themselves. They’ll say things like: “I’ve done too many bad things for God to forgive me.” This person self-sabotages because they devalue their life.

Remedies:

Here are some ways to defeat self-defeat:

• Complete something like a project, so you can think better of yourself and let go of bitterness and a critical spirit.
• Be able to identify this pattern of thinking immediately and recognize the symptoms so that you can begin to humble yourself and seek help.
• Allow God to heal your hearts and minds, and realize you are valuable and you do have worth.

Ask God to begin to heal you and help you to become a person who believes in yourself, and to realize that, by the sacrifice of Jesus, He has made you worthy to receive good things.

Just a thought,

PSS

We live in a society today that is “all about me” — what is best for me, what is in it for me? We tend to be faithful to ourselves and our needs.

Definitions of:

Faithful is defined as loyal, constant, and steadfast; true to the facts or the original; devoted. Faithfulness is the quality of being stable, dependable. This is a quality that will help us move forward in life, understanding how important it is in our relationships with God and others.

Practice of:

Faithfulness to God, to our work, to our relationships, is at times very difficult. We tend to lose our patience with God, thinking He is just a blessing machine, and when we do not get what we want, we leave Him. Yet faithfulness is the fruit that we give to God so He can change us, inside and out.

To develop faithfulness means we can’t be moved when things don’t go our way: no matter what, we practice keeping our word, we practice not being moved by our feelings, but by what is right. God is not just a blessing machine — He is God, and we are to serve and honor Him because of who He is, not what He can do for us.

Let’s be more faithful — true to our word and our commitments to God, to our work, and to our relationships. Let’s be people whom God and others can depend on.

Rewards of:

Faithfulness — the quality that sets us apart from others and allows God to truly help and bless us.

Faithful to the end!

Just a thought,

PSS

Shortcuts can cause you 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 yourself. 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 your car, do you take the extra moment to put the shopping cart back into the bin, or do you just leave it out? Do you purpose to leave each person, each place, better than when you 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 you in the long run. Doing things right, even if it takes you a little longer, will be better for you and save you time in the future. Doing things right just means giving a little more effort. Don’t be the person always looking to cut corners, always looking for loopholes to justify your actions. There seems to be a good excuse for almost anything you do. But it is not worth it.

Learn to be more successful by doing things right — taking a little extra time to think about others as well as yourself.

Just a thought,

PSS

Every part of our lives is important to God, and He provides for it in His word — spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

The satisfied life:

So why, at times, are we not experiencing His word to a greater degree in our lives? So many are living saved lives but not satisfied lives, not the abundant life Jesus came to give us. The answer could be that it is easy to believe the Bible is the word of God, but it is not the word of your God until you obey it. In other words, we don’t really believe it is God’s word if we don’t do it, act on it, practice it in our lives. The truth is: if we believe it is the word of God, we will act on it countinously and, as a result, experience the promises of God in our lives.

Our choice:

We get to decide what we believe. The word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joints and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires (Hebrew 4:12). If we believe that, we will act on it, do it. That really is the issue, isn’t it? Is the Bible the word of God? If it is, and I believe it is, we will do what it says.

If we want to see God working and helping our lives to a greater degree, we will become doers of His word (James 1:22).

Just a thought,

PSS

Ponderings:

What does it take to be successful? Why does it seem to happen for others, but not you? No matter what happens in life, some people move forward, while others tend to stay stagnant. Why?

Overcoming:

The answer is courage. Being courageous means doing what you’re fearful of. Courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the conquest of it. One definition of courage is “firmness of mind and will in the face of danger or extreme difficulty.” It means doing it while afraid, until you’re no longer afraid. This is why the successful and the happiest of people seem to overcome their fear and do the right thing. They take a calculated risk and see the benefits. If you knew you would never fail, what would you do?

Victories:

Courage is what makes faith work. Without courage, faith alone can be nothing more than a set of benefits. Learn to overcome your fear. Tremble your way to confidence. Without courage, nothing would be built, no one would take a risk, and most people wouldn’t get married.

Courage makes the world go ‘round. It takes courage to discover a new world and to believe God enough to actually do His word.

Just a thought,

PSS