Author: Live Today With Faith

Im a author and writer wanting to change the world one person at a time.

How to Get The Anxious thoughts to Stop Racing Around Your Head at This Difficult Time

Live Today With Faith5 Comments

how-to-stop-anxious

This is an anxious time for all. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, what religion you are or the colour of your skin, or even your sexual orientation.

Even if you live away from all the hotspots where the virus is at its worse, economically you will most probably be feeling the effects.

Without question this has to be the highest level of worldwide fear I have witnessed in my life time.

When surrounded with so much fear, what can you do?

In the Gospel of Matthew there it says:

Matthew 13:12 (NKJV)
For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

There is a lot of debate about the meaning of the verse above, but today  I would like to link it to current events.

So, for those that have faith, to him/her more will be given, and they will have abundance; but too whoever does not have faith, even the little that they have will be taken away.

In the last six weeks, I have seen a lot of people anxious, wanting the truth. So they search the internet for answers, for the whys, and the how’s?

Only to be met with countless conspiracies, which fuels their anxious feelings.

If you don’t know what a conspiracy is, well that in my opinion, is a good thing, but the dictionary term is, a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful.

When people go down this route, then the little faith that they have will be taken away from them.

What You Focus On Grows

In moments of fear, you need to feed your faith. That way, the faith that you have will be multiplied.

One of the most dangerous things that you can do at this time is to focus on the fear, feeding your mind with content that makes your anxiety worse.

Throughout scripture, and down through history, people have come up against hardship, and in all cases, they have came back stronger than they were before. And the main thing that got them through was their FAITH.

If you’re feeling anxious at this time, I would recommend looking back on your life, at a time when you were very anxious over something. It could have been waiting for exam results, or medical results. Maybe over your future or that of a family member or friend.

It probably felt just as intense as it does now, you probably thought then that all your fears would become reality? You probably didn’t know how you would be able to move on.

But now looking back, events turned out a lot better than you would ever have imagined.

Now is one of those time.

There is a quote, ‘It’s impossible to see the picture when you are in the frame.”

picture frame

Wisdom comes from the ability to see our current events through the lens of the past. You are able to use the knowledge you have gained to step outside the current frame of fear, anxiety, stress, worry, and know that all will be ok.

Like all the other anxious moments in your life, this worldwide uncertainty will pass. You will get stronger and strengthen your character and faith.

The Most High God is in control.

Mental Health v Gold

Your mental health is your most valuable asset. So take care of it as such. The next 6-12 months are going to be a very uncertain road. Please don’t look for certainty within the media.

In scripture it says, guard your mind.

Never have them words been so essential to follow.

You will find that you may even have to guard yourself against the friends and those that you follow on social media that share all the latest facts and figures.

Starting your day off with the latest tragedy is the last thing that you need.

The first hour of the day for me is about connecting with NATURE and the body through EXERCISE. Both being vital for good mental health.

Collectively we must have faith; we must believe that there will be a better tomorrow. What we choose to focus on will grow in our lives, so focus on faith for the next week and see the difference that it makes.

It’s A Time To Pray. It’s A Time To Show Love. It’s A Time To Connect To The World Around You.

Thanks for reading.

Enjoy your weekend.

How to Stop Worrying Clear Your Head from Anxious Thoughts and Get Through This Difficult Time

Live Today With FaithLeave a comment

lockdown

Not too long ago, we all had busy lives, unable to find the time to do anything. So busy chasing happiness.

If you enjoyed your job, you might have been looking for a promotion, if not, probably looking for another position or something better.

Social media can make our friends look like they’re having more fun and more success than we are. It’s so easy to look at others to see how our life compares—making us feel that we should have a similar level of success.

It’s so easy with disappointments and setbacks to become upset, annoyed or even depressed.

Then you can start to play the blame game, “if only I had more time if only I had no pressure at work if only I had the energy, “why am I so tired all the time.”

You turn to God for help, but nothing happens. So, you pray for the remainder of the month. Still nothing

Soon you become angry, as you want a quick fix.

Quick fix

Your anger turns to frustration. You begin to wonder whether God is listening at all. You start to wonder whether to continue to pray or not.

Your patience is tested, so you give up.

Why do you think your prayers are not answered?

Could it be partly that you only pray in times of crisis?

Could it be that you don’t realize that God likes to work at a much slower pace than our 24/7 world?

Could it be that you have allowed the distraction of life to pull you away from what really matters?

Living stressed or worried is not what life is about. It may be unknown to you, but God has already given you many daily blessings?

There are hundreds of miracles you receive every day, but you can easily take them for granted. The main ones would be our health unless we are sick. We can take for granted all the food, services, and information that is available to us until it’s not available.

You may not feel rich, but when you have a loving family, good friends and your basic needs met what else do you need?

gratitude 2

A Short Story

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which read, “I am blind, please help.”
There were only a few coins in the hat – spare change from folks as they hurried past.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words.

Then he put the sign back in the boy’s hand so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.

That afternoon, the man who had changed the sign returned to see how things were.

The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?”

The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but differently.” I wrote, “Today is a beautiful day, but I cannot see it.”

Both signs spoke the truth. But the first sign said the boy was blind, while the second sign conveyed to everyone walking by how grateful they should be to see.

There are so many special moments happening in our life to celebrate each day.

grateful

How many time have you counted your blessings?

A few years ago, I did a 30-day gratitude challenge. The challenge was to write down ten things you were thankful for each day. I thought I would run out of things to write after a week but what the exercise did was open up my mind to all the people, services and resources that I take for granted.

Gratitude is a powerful virtue.

The Roman philosopher Cicero once declared: “Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues but the parent of all others.”

I wish yourself, family, and friends health and happiness during this difficult time.

thank you

Do You Really Want To Return To The Carnival Of Sin?

Live Today With Faith4 Comments

NORMAL

People are so desperate to return to quote on quote, normal.

What is that exactly?

Our heads in the sand, avoiding what is happening in our world?

The destruction of rain forests. The endless dramas that get more and more violent and sexual as the years go on? There is nothing wrong with sex its a natural part of a loving relationship, but nowadays losing your phone is a bigger deal than losing your virginity. Children as young as 12 are reportedly watching pornography on their smartphones.

In my opinion, we as a species are not evolving; we are de-evolving back to the material part of ourselves.

Jesus referred to this as sin.

The divide between the spiritual and material world is getting bigger and bigger. And if you mention it in conversation, most peoples response, “this is just the way things are now, stop living in the stone age.”

Really?

Is the world better now with no morals? Where you can become a celebrity simply by sleeping with someone? Where most children are brought up in broken homes leading to social and mental problems?

Am I missing something?

As the week’s role on, and this lockdown continues, the clearer and clearer I see— this world needed this virus to halt the madness.

Hopefully, it stays long enough, so people wake up from their materialistic slumber, and put a stop to their endless consumerism.

And most importantly a Return To Their Faith.

Never, in as long as I can remember, have I heard so many people mention God on the TV. Maybe the next step will be trusting Him; realising that right from the days of Moses; there has been plagues, war, and death.

Far worse than it is today.

And guess what?

The human spirit got stronger and lived on.

What makes people think now is any different?

The world needs to realise that God is in control. That nature has been pushed to the edge, and if we don’t change our ways, soon,

A war with nature is coming, and sadly there will be only one winner.

The real worry for people should not be this virus, humans have survived a lot, lot worse, the real concern is that we return to the carnival of sin.

What can I do, I feel fearful?

Turn off the news. One. 

Two. Connect with nature. Reading the Word of God daily, immerse your mind with positivity.

Three. Limit your time with the people that are negative. 

Enjoy your weekend.

Thanks for reading.

New eBook on FREE promotion, simply click image below.

tgp-RJM-v2

If I Believe, Why Do I Still Have Doubts?

Live Today With Faith5 Comments
doubt

At the moment, the world is in a panic because of an invisible enemy. But there is an even bigger threat that I see.

It’s the infection of doubt.

And if you haven’t caught it, you probably will.

Where ever you go you can see it on peoples faces; they look at you like a rabbit in headlights.

Doubt is not just a Christian experience.

It is a human experience.

So, the issue isn’t whether or not we’re going to catch the infection.

The issue is what do you do once you’ve got it.

How do you prevent this infection from ravaging your faith?

WHAT IS DOUBT?

Many people think that doubt is the opposite of faith. But it’s not. That’s a common misconception. The opposite of faith is unbelief. And there’s a big difference between unbelief and doubt.

Unbelief is a willful refusal to believe. It’s a deliberate decision to deny God. It’s making either a conscious or subconscious decision not to have faith.

But that’s not what doubt is.

Doubt is to be indecisive.

It’s to be caught between two lines of thought.

I doubt it

You want to believe that you won’t get coronavirus, but a little question rattles around your head, “but what if I do?”

Doubt will erode your faith. And very soon all your actions will be based on fear

A great biblical example of how doubt can affect you is in the story of John the Baptist.

He’s the man who pointed at Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” This is the man who baptized Jesus, and he saw the heavens open up and heard the voice of God say, “This is My Son, in whom I’m well pleased.”

He had incredible faith. But what happened?

He gets arrested.

He gets thrown into jail.

There he comes down with the infection of doubt.

Now he’s not so sure.

Now he’s uncertain.

“Is Jesus really who He claims to be? Or should we be looking for someone else?”

Which is very like most people today.

4-5 months ago, they had a strong faith, but now that faith has been shaken. Church’s are closed. Without guidance, a lot of believers are lost.

lost

To resolve his doubt, John sent two of his friends to go check Jesus out and ask Him point blank the question,

“Are you the Messiah? Are You the one we’ve been waiting for to rescue the world? Or should we look elsewhere?”

So, his two friends go.

They track Jesus down, and they ask Jesus that question.

“And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard. The blind receive sight. The lame walk. The lepers are cleansed. The deaf hear. The dead are raised up. And the poor have the gospel preached to them’.” (Luke 7:22)

In other words, Jesus is saying, “Go back and tell John about the evidence you have seen with your own eyes that authenticate My claim to being the one and only Son of God and that will renew his confidence and will bolster back up his faith.”

That’s what we must do also. Go back and look at all the times that God helped you in the past.

Them times when He made a way where there was no way. .

It’s human nature to have doubts but when we do we can’t let them doubts into our spirit. We must direct our attention to God and ask for him to strengthen our faith.

To help direct us through the storms in our lives.

Open up to God.

‘Lord these are the doubts I have.’

‘These are the questions I have.’

‘This is what I wrestle with, this is the area that I am struggling with at this time.’

In return He will reach out to you helping you come to a resolution and bolster your faith just as He bolstered the faith of John the Baptist.”

built on

Some People Have A Faith That Is Built on Feelings

They prayed for something in the past and received it. Maybe it was a job, a loving relationship, or financial security. Resulting in them feeling good.

They thank God and are happy.

Everything goes well for them for many years.

They praise God for all they have achieved.

Then this global pandemic hits, and they go from living a life of luxury to being in debt in 3-4 months. They are distraught, but their first thought is not to turn to God in prayer. Asking him for help again. No, their first thoughts are of panic, feelings of anger. They want to find someone to blame.

Of course, some people will say— but look at all I lost. I had a beautiful house, three cars, two-holiday homes. Now I’m on the verge of losing it all?

Honestly, I don’t know the answer; I can only speak for myself.

When life is going well for me, I can get complacent, I overstretch. I go for that new loan when I know I’m already living beyond my means. Materialism has a way of taking our attention off God. It can become more important to impress our neighbours than God. Who gave us all that we have in the first place.

going forward

Going forward

There is nothing wrong with having feelings of doubt or fear at this time, but you mustn’t give them thoughts a foothold. You must learn from any mistakes that you have made.

Everywhere you go now people are wearing masks and gloves for protection from a deadly enemy. Can I advise you to also have a guard up for an infection even more deadly, the infection of doubt? Some people have it bad; the only problem is you don’t need to be near them to catch it.

That friend that calls you every day telling you how the current outbreak is getting worse and worse.

They have it bad.

You must make them aware that you don’t need any more fear in your life. If they don’t respect your choice, I advise that you limit your time with them. Too many negative conversations and soon you will be thinking like them, doubting that God will protect and provide for you.

We need to feed our faith, not our fear.

Pray every day.

praying

Connect with those that raise you up, that make you smile, that inspire you. That make you laugh.

We will all get through this difficult time.

And we will all be different on the other side.

Now is your time to mould the type of person that you will be.

The power is within your hands.

Be that voice of faith with those around you, and on social media. You may be, the only voice of hope and wisdom that someone hears all week.

Thanks for reading.

Does Worry Ends Where Faith Begins?

Live Today With FaithLeave a comment

DI WORRY ENDS

Worry has a way of consuming us; one thought leads to another, then the next thing you know the thoughts have turned to a feeling. You no longer feel good; there is tension in your stomach; you’re unable to eat.

“A few drinks will calm me down,” you say to yourself, it does take the pain away but now if the worry returns you’re in such a more heightened state. Your thoughts will be on overdrive.

When we are worried faith can be the last thing we want to think about, but that is when you need faith the most. Some people will say, but it’s not that easy, you can’t just wish worry away, and yes they are right.

So do this instead, ask yourself this, Is there anything I can do to relieve the worry?

If yes, then do it as soon as possible, ask for help if need be.

If the answer is no, no matter what you do, it will not change the outcome. Why worry?

 

 

How To Activate A Flow State And Lessen the Feelings Of Anxiety At This Time

Live Today With Faith2 Comments

calm

Like most people, the last few weeks have been an anxious time for me. I’ve never been a person that can take too much negativity.

A friend recommended that I check out some content by Jason Silva. He is best known for hosting National Geographic documentaries: Brain Games and Origins.

Jason talks a lot about the flow state.

A state of peace, where you are relaxed and think clearly. Able to perform at your highest level. I found his thoughts and views exciting and very entertaining.

For him, he goes into flow state whenever he goes walking in nature. I gave it a go but felt no real change.

Thinking of a way to get my 30 minutes of exercise each day, I decided to go for a run. It has been years since I went running, but I dug out my running gear and left it out for the next morning, so I had no excuse.

At the start of my run, my thoughts were still racing, but as I got into my second mile, my mind went calm. All the build-up of anxiety left me.

It was such a beautiful feeling. It felt like the feeling Jason described. Ideas came flowing through my mind; I saw all my current concerns through a different lens.

With such a shift in my mood, I decided to work out what had happened. Ask and you shall receive.

I remembered an article I read a few years ago about the brain and how it works. (The power of the mind has always interested me.)

The article stated that the brain takes in trillions of pieces of information from the environment every second, to help us navigate throughout the day. But when it is the same environment, day after day, the brain stores most of the information as memory.

I bet you could direct someone around your room to find something you left behind.

This memory is what allows us to drive to our local shop, for example, while on autopilot, thinking of something else.

This can become a problem, though, because when the brain doesn’t have to work processing new information, the mind takes over and starts to overthink.

This can be good sometimes, but with current events, it can create a negative thought loop in your mind: the beginning of most mental health issues.

On my run, my brain went into overdrive. It had no time to overthink. It was given so much new information to process.

My body was activating muscles that hadn’t been used for months; my lungs and heart had to work faster. Then on top of that, the beautiful scenery, the air flowing through my hair. My feet pounding on the ground.

By the time I was 15-20 minutes in, my brain had so much to process that the negative thought loop that had been playing for weeks broke down.

I connected to my spirit, that unchanging part of me that has been with me since birth. Words don’t describe the feeling that came over me, but I would like you to feel it too.

Connecting with nature worked for me so I think it will work for you too. Learn to activate the flow state so you get ideas that will help your productivity, and general happiness.

Worry or anxiety has a way of building up almost unnoticed most of the time. One minute you’re feeling fine, the next, you have a tightness in your chest.

And if you’re not aware that anxiety can give you them feelings, you could easily get panicked—the last thing you need at a time like this.

I just wanted to share my feelings, so that it may help someone else, to navigate a way through this challenging time.

Connect with nature this weekend and see the difference it makes.

Take care and thank you! If you could leave your thoughts below. 🙂

Acceptance Is the Key to Inner Growth and Happiness

Live Today With Faith3 Comments

Accept This Moment as it is

No one was ready for what just happened to this world, but we have two options. We can question what happened or accept it.

The first leads to worry doubt and fear; the second leads to love, belief and faith.

The second option is the one that I recommend. Love belief and faith leads to creativeness. You start to look at all the available possibilities.

How many times have you heard people say “I wish I didn’t have to come to work?” Well, for most of us that dream has come through. This is a rare chance to start something new. To revisit some passions that you might have left behind. Now, you can learn almost any skill from the comfort of your living room.

Each day we must choose acceptance, or our fears will pull us in, resulting in turning on the news. Yes, it’s good to be informed, but with most countries given a 12-week quarantine, the positive changes from one day to the next are going to be minimal at best.

The more that we allow the negativity to affect our spirit, the more unhappy we will be. Learning to let go of what we can’t control is the secret to a happy life.

Each of us has a unique gift that few of us ever discover or explore. Now is our moment to reflect and go within. Acceptance is the key to letting all the fear and stress drain away. What is out of our control we can’t change anyway.

So, to all those who are getting bored and frustrated. Accept that this is the way it is. Your destiny has brought you to this point.

What is life trying to teach us, is the question we all should be pondering!

We have an opportunity that we should be grabbing with both hands; there is a wealth of knowledge only a click away, that you can immerse yourself in to come out of this better than you went in.

So, let’s start accepting what has happened and let our creativeness flow, and celebrate the little joys and pleasures that life entrusts us with!

Thank you!!