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

Life is what you make of it, no matter the circumstances. We make our own choices.

Life or death:

The Bible talks about the tongue and how it has the ability to speak life or death — not just into our lives, but into the lives of others as well. We can always talk negatively, and let things come out of our mouths that will constantly be a hindrance to us, or we can speak life — positively speak those things which can help and affect our lives in good ways.

Choose this day:

We get to choose what comes out of our mouths. When I say things like, “I’m no good; I’m never going to make it,” that actually makes me feel bad about myself and affects my outlook on life. But when I begin to speak life, I feel better about myself, and I see life in a better light. We choose every day how we react to situations.

Think on these things:

Start speaking life, start talking positively, get away from bad news, and start talking about what is right in life. Think on things that are good.

Just a thought,

PSS

The greatest mistake you can make in life is continually fearing that you’ll make one.

                                                                                  — Elbert Hubbard

Fear of:

One of the worst fears people deal with is the fear of failure. Fear of failure is really fear of change and of what others may think of you. This fear limits us, our opportunities, and our growth and progress in life. Without mistakes we wouldn’t ever learn and grow.

Inevitability of:

It’s not that we want to make mistakes: it’s the reality we all will. They are inevitable. They will happen. What we need to be able to do is to recover from them. A doctor told me that after a workout what determines what kind of shape you’re in is how quickly you recover — your recovery time. In life what is your recovery time from making a mistake? So many don’t attempt much in their lives because they are afraid of making a mistake. Everyone God ever used in the Bible blew it at some point. As Christians we think we have to be perfect to serve the Lord, to honor Him. This is simply not true.

Power of:

We just have to be willing to learn from our mistakes and keep on moving forward. Let’s not keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Failure is an event, not a destiny. Failure is not final. It happens to all of us.

Let’s learn how to overcome and never see failure as our enemy. Look at it and be thankful that we are growing and learning and becoming more like God.

Just a thought,

PSS

On Friday we celebrated what we call Good Friday.

One day:

Good Friday is the celebration of the crucifixion and death of Jesus on the cross. It is the day Jesus willingly gave His life for us — anyone who would choose to accept Him as their Lord and Savior. It was a great day for humanity. Without His sacrifice we would all be separated from God forever. It was a great day for all of God’s creation. It is called redemption.

One savior:

Then on Sunday we celebrate His resurrection from the dead — that He died but was raised from the dead. Because of His resurrection we, anyone who chooses to believe on Him, can have eternal life and a real relationship with the Father — the only one and true God. Now we can be saved, for anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Anyone! It is a gift God gave to His creation. We are all His creation, but only those who call on the name of Jesus, repent from their sins, and purpose to follow Him will be saved — not by their works, but because of the sacrifice of Jesus.

One eternity:

We are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Because of His sacrifice on Friday and His resurrection on Sunday, anyone who chooses to call on His name shall be saved. The power of one decision — it can change your life for eternity.

Let’s choose life, choose Jesus.

Just a thought,

PSS

Some people are so ashamed of their actions that they can’t bring themselves to tell anyone their secret. The result is the worst kind of guilt that festers inside with no chance for relief. This is called unforgiveness of self. 

Forgive yourself:

Sometimes it is very difficult to forgive yourself for things you have done. It is the worst kind of unforgiveness. I believe it is easier to forgive someone else at times than it is to forgive ourselves. But we all need to find a way to forgive ourselves. The thing we must realize is that if God has forgiven us, then we are forgiven; and we must constantly remind ourselves of this truth. 

Let the past be past:

Maybe you write down what you have done and, after you have done that and prayed, burn it or shred it. So many are so incredibly hard on themselves. It’s constantly living a cycle of disappointment for the things you have done. It seems endless. I’ve heard it referred to as the obnoxious roommate who takes away your self-esteem. It reminds you of the things you have said about yourself that are negative and wrong. 

Allow yourself to be imperfect:

What we have to remember is that no one is perfect — we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. We need to remind ourselves of what 1 John 1:9 says: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God is a good God and wants to help us, never harm us. 

So, let’s kick out that obnoxious roommate of unforgiveness and replace him with one of peace and forgiveness.

Just a thought,

PSS