Tag: christian living

Viral Video With a Christain Message

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The conversations of young people intrigue, bewilder and sometimes confused me. “You’ll have to watch this video it’s so funny, you will enjoy it.”

It’s usually a cat or dog doing something weird and on one occasion it was a squirrel on water skis.

Usually the children are bent over laughing, and I’m left holding onto the phone with a smirk on my face at how little amuses the innocent.

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One day last week I opened the local paper, and there was a story about a video that had 1 million views, the man in the video was power hosing an old white patio chair.

I read on expecting an animal to knock the hose out of his hand or for someone to play a prank on him but nothing. That was it. A video of a man power hosing a dirty old chair.

The story concluded with the fact that people find satisfaction watching something been cleaned and coming up as new.

It reminded me of my favourite job growing up on the farm at home. The satisfaction I got from power hosing the street in front of our house from all the gravel and dirt carried in by the cars and machinery.

Dirt on a tarmac surface or a patio seat is easy to see but what about the mess on the inside of our lives.

How much more satisfying is it to know that the metaphorical dirt of our lives can be washed clean by our creator who’s laws we have broken.

The bible teaches that when a person realises what they are like on the inside and come to Jesus for forgiveness, he has promised, as far as the east is from the west so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

The thief on the cross beside Jesus realised this; he knew that he deserved to be there but Jesus the son of God did not, and in full realisation of this he said, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

In that instant, his sin was washed away forever.

What satisfaction there is in knowing that God will cleanse your spirit when you ask for forgiveness with the intention of never repeating the same mistakes.

He can’t remember

There was a pastor in Texas who carried the burden of a secret sin he had committed many years before. He had repented but still had no sense of God’s forgiveness.

In his church was a woman who claimed to have visions in which she spoke with Christ and he with her. The priest, however, was sceptical. To test her he said, “The next time you speak with Christ, I want you to ask him what sin your pastor committed while he was in seminary.” The woman agreed.

A few days later the priest asked, “Well, did Christ visit you in your dreams?”

“Yes he did”, she replied.

“And did you ask him what sin I committed in seminary?”

“Yes”

“Well, what did he say?”

“He said, ‘I don’t remember.’”

Video with 1 Million Views

I’m Not Afraid of Flying… I’m Just Afraid of Crashing”

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“I’m not afraid of flying,” my friend said as I gave him a lift to the airport, “im just fearful of crashing.” He did look genuinely nervous about the prospect of being hurdled through the sky at 500 miles per hour in a tin tube loaded with highly explosive aviation fuel.

And he’s not alone. Many people like him are afraid of flying, but my friend was more likely to die while he was getting ready for the airport.

Some people won’t get on a plane even though there’s only a 1 in an 11 million chance of something happening on that flight, which works out to be the same odds as falling and hitting your head while standing on one leg getting the other leg into your trousers. And people feel perfectly safe while getting dressed in the morning.

How often do you see someone dressed in his or her underwear in the queue for passport control? Rarely..lol

While on holiday my friend wanted to go scuba diving, I reluctantly agreed to go with him, even though I don’t like getting into the sea. So when it turned out that we couldn’t go out that day I was so relieved.

There is only a small chance of seeing a shark never mind being attack by one. Those are the cold hard facts, but we’re rarely led by the cold hard facts but by our emotional response to them.

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Fear drives us in the wrong direction; it leads us to places where we can become intolerant, paranoid and self-absorbed.

For example, let say that someone hears that there is a high number of conmen tricking people out of money on their doorstep. The next time the doorbell rings fear can take a grip.

The stranger is viewed as a threat, and the door remains closed. If fear is allowed to continue to rule then soon enough neighbours and casual acquaintances are treated with a certain amount of coldness and observation.

Fear is corrosive, self-destructive and ultimately no way to live our lives. The Bible says that perfect love drives out fear, and religion shouldn’t be a source of fear and anxiety, but unfortunately, it sometimes is.

Instead, religion should foster acceptance and tolerance within people. In other words, it should be led by love, not driven by fear.

We all should be inspired by love to look favourably towards the future and not always over our shoulder at the past, and maybe then our fear of crashing would be replaced by a love of flying.

Enjoy your weekend.
Rev J Martin

Who’s that hiding behind the screen?

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The other day having a coffee a group of college students walked in and took a seat, without a word they took their phones out and scrolled for a few minutes. Then they started chatting; it was as if the phone was protection, used to fuel the conversation, when it got going the phones went down for a few minutes, then it was back to the phones.

This pattern seemed to continue on repeat.

Technology is amazing, but for many, it’s the screen they hide behind.

Have we got so afraid of who we are that we need facebook, snapchat and other apps to fuel our conversations?

It got me questioning what are we searching for in all these apps? Is it meaning, is it approval, is it acceptance?

For me, life is about connecting with people; it’s about listening, it’s about helping each other.

We all crave attention we all want to be accepted by others, so much so that sometimes we can forget the only relationship that matters. Our relationship with God.

The problem with our spiritual connection is, it’s subtle. So subtle that many take it for granted. Plus it takes relaxation, calmness and peace and when do we have time for that?

I have nothing against technology; only for it I would not be talking to you today, but it’s so important that we take time to switch it off.

When I started to do this, I found myself feeling very sleepy and often fell asleep. Smartphones laptops and tv continuously stimulates the mind; it’s unable to rest. Over weeks and months, it can wear you down.

When you don’t give your mind a rest, all the tension and stress builds up, which can lead to illness and pain.

If you feel overwhelmed at this time, I highly recommend trying the following. Take time today, whatever you can spare and close your eyes.

Feel the world around you, the noises, the sensations in your body, feel Gods presence and know that you are loved, and accepted.

Be still with no distractions. It could be in the form of prayer, a walk in nature, or a lay down on your bed.

When you give yourself this time stress, and tension will subside, you will see problems and difficulties from a new perspective.

Done regularly you will see significant changes in your life.

Take-a-Break

I have a no phones rule when I meet a friend for coffee or lunch. One to one meetings gives others an opportunity to open up to you with anything that might be troubling or worrying them. Continually checking notifications can come across that you’re not interested in what a friend is saying, and this is not an impression I want to give.

Remove the screens and have more profound connections.

Thanks for reading.
Rev J Martin

 

 

 

 

How To Feel Love and Be Happy — Free Ebook

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Many problems that we face come from our relationship with others; often started over trivial matters.

Someone speaks to us in a particular tone. Rather than thinking they may be under stress we can take it personally, shutting them out of our lives, telling others of how much they hurt us by what they said or done.

Unrest of any kind can lead to unhappiness and pain. Life can be complicated; we can feel misunderstood, taken for granted, or hurt.

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The problem arises when we let these feelings consume our spirit. We can become critical and judgemental of others, and ourselves. We can become defensive, distant, unwilling to connect with people the way we once did.

Don’t allow bitterness, stubbornness or un-forgiveness extinguish the light of God that’s within your heart.

Feelings of negativity can separate us from His love.

Many people are unhappy because they have allowed negativity to cloud their vision. Living this way can be stressful, frustrating and can damage your relationships, your health and your faith.

When you focus on negativity, it’s almost impossible to see the positives in your life.

If someone hurt you, and you hurt him or her back, it may seem like payback, but it only adds more negativity to the world.

What you give out you will get back in return.

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Many people focus on their needs instead of focusing on what they can do for others. The result is they are never fulfilled.

Throughout my life, my outlook has been one of happiness with a deep love for everyone. For the longest time, I took this attitude for granted. Recently, however, I decided to encapsulate the reasons behind my philosophy.

The result is my new book, How to Feel Love and Be Happy.

I would like to share with you the ways to live a life of harmony and happiness, which will give you a great feeling of love in your life.

You can download my book free today on Amazon, click on the image below.

Thank you.

 

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How to Fulfil Your Dreams, Be Happy, and Overcome Your Fears

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fear

I would like to start with a quote from Marianne Williamson.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Although this quote has always inspired me it’s the first part that can be confusing. Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

Most people tend to believe that they fear not being adequate, that they fear not being good enough, that they fear failure, that they fear not measuring up to others.

When in actual fact there real fear is that they fear their magnificence.

They fear that they could change the world. They fear that they really do have the power to create a life of real meaning. They are afraid to experience their power to create a life of such impact. So they hide behind a false fear… a fear that they are inadequate and they don’t even try to create a life that they enjoy.

The amount of times that I have asked myself who am I to step forward and say this or do that. Who am I to approach that person? Who am I to inspire others to their greatness?

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Consider how often have you asked yourself these type of questions?

How often have you not done what you wanted to do, to “fit in? To be accepted? To be liked?

Your doing this didn’t serve anyone, least of all yourself.

The funny thing is that when you stop fearing your greatness… when you embrace your God given power, and courageously and boldly step forward into the world declaring your life with confidence (shining your light) you will bring forth the divine power that lives within you.

It is within us all.

When you embrace the fact that you are a child of God with a unique purpose, you will receive a power so great and achieve much more than you ever dreamed of!

And when you embrace your POWER, unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. You inspire others to their greatness! This power is our true fear … and living it is our purpose.

Have a good week.

Rev J Martin

Heal The People In Your Life

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Did you know that the words you speak can bring healing to people’s lives?

When you speak words of love, comfort, or encouragement, those words have the power to affect the person hearing them in such a positive way, that the result is health in their body.

For those of you who are parents, your words can impart valuable knowledge to your children, which results in their good health:

Not only do our words have the power to heal, but unfortunately they also have the power to hurt, which can result in sickness.

Careless words can make people feel insecure which can lead to them feeling depressed. The greatest sickness of the 21st century.

As Proverbs 12:18 states: “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts..” – and swords kill or cripple people!

When we get into a conflict or argument, our words can diffuse the situation, or make it worse.

Most people are lazy with there words; they fail to understand or appreciate the power they possess. So, they use them unwisely. Saying negative things like, I can’t, I will never, that’s impossible.

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Each of us needs to take responsibility. Responsibility for the words that we use. When you change I can’t to I can; healing energy will flow into your life.

If you have a problem in your relationship, you have two choices, you can be stubborn, or you can choose to sit down with a loved one and admit that you’re in the wrong, even if you’re not. You will often find that when you make the first move the other person will apologise also.

In my new book, The Healing Power of Words I write about the healing power that our words contain.

How they can mend relationships and friendships that have fallen apart.

How negative self-talk can hold you back.

How to create habits that are healthy, not only mentally but also emotionally.

Learn to heal people where ever you go. Control your tongue. Strengthen your family bonds, and nourish the ones you love.

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Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

These are healing words. These are words that instil faith that can restore a person’s life. Like Jesus, we too must speak healing, encouraging, and inspirational words over our lives and the lives of others.

Words that build people up not tear them down. Words that motivate inspire and push people towards their destiny.

The Healing Power of Words is currently on free promotion on Amazon. Get your copy now!

Click the link – Free eBook

Thank you.
Rev J Martin

5 Common Habits of Unhappy People

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Most of our un-happiness comes from our own thinking, behaviour and habits. Today I would like to share 5 of the most destructive habits that can create un-happiness in your life.

After each habit I will go over some ways that can help you overcome some of the habits and live a better life.

Negative Friends

If you are surrounded with people that have little or no faith this will start to affect you in the long-term. Who we socialize with, what we read, watch and listen to, has a massive effect on how we feel and think.

It becomes a lot harder to be happier if you let yourself be influenced by negative voices. Voices that tell you that life will always be the way it is, that its better you learn to be happy where you are. Voices that watch life from a negative limited perspective.

How to overcome this habit:

Replace those negative voices with more positive ones. Surround yourself with new people to see the difference it can make. All your old friends will be exactly where you leave them if you ever want to return. This alone can be like a whole new world opening up.

Spend time with positive people, listen to inspiring music and read motivational books, watch movies and TV-shows that make you laugh and think about life in a new way.

What I found very helpful was starting out small. For example, listen to an inspiring audiobook on YouTube while eating breakfast in the morning, rather than listening to the news that is filled with negativity.

Getting Stuck in the Past and Future

Spending much of your time in the past, reliving old painful memories, conflicts, missed opportunities can hurt a lot. Spending your time in the future and imagining how things could go wrong at work, in your relationships and with your health can lead to a lot of un-happiness. Life is about living in the present.

How to overcome this habit:

It is pretty much impossible not to think about the past or the future. And it is of course important to plan for tomorrow and next year and to try to learn from your past, but to dwell on those things rarely helps.

What I found to be very helpful is to focus on what I can do today. I do out a timetable each day of all the things that I need to do. Constantly working towards my bigger longterm goals. If I do find myself thinking of the past or future too much I recite a short prayer to centre my thoughts.

Worry and doubt all stem from dwelling on the past or thinking about the future.

What I find very helpful is going for a walk in nature, or changing my surroundings by visiting a friend or relative. Being at home is the worst place to be if there is something troubling you.

Comparing Yourself To Others

One very common and destructive habit is to compare yourself to other people. People compare cars, houses, jobs, relationships, social popularity and so on. The list can be endless. All this does is create a lot of negative feelings.

How to overcome this habit:

Compare yourself to yourself. Instead of comparing yourself to other people create the habit of comparing yourself to yourself.

See how much you have grown, what you have achieved and what progress you have made towards your goals. Doing this has the benefit of creating gratitude, appreciation and kindness towards yourself as you observe what you have achieved, the obstacles you have overcome and the good stuff you have done.

When we judge ourselves we tend to judge others also. Luke 6:37 “do not judge, and you will not be judged.” Try to only focus on the positives in yourself and those around you. When we judge it’s usually because we have unrealistic expectations of others and ourselves.

By letting this all go and just accepting who you are faults and all, you will be instantly happier and have better relationships with others.

Focusing on the Negative Details in Life

Most people focus on the dark clouds rather than the silver lining. When you look at the negative aspects of a situation that is a sure way to make yourself unhappy. You can even drag down the mood for everyone around you.

How to overcome this habit:

Overcoming this habit can be difficult. Something that has worked for me is to look for the good in the situation, it can be hard to see but it is always there. If things didn’t work out for you, maybe its not the right time, or a better opportunity is around the corner.

What can easily happen if your not careful is you can be so buried in self-pity that you miss out on the reason that you had the setback. For example, you attend an interview and don’t get the job. You take the rejection personally, thinking you haven’t got what it takes and don’t even look for another job when the perfect one is waiting for you.

Overcomplicating Life

Life at times can be complicated but more often than not we can be the ones that make it so. This ultimately creates stress and unhappiness. The world is becoming more complex but that doesn’t stop us from making some new habits to make it easier.

How to overcome this habit:

Splitting your focus and having your attention all over the place is certain to lead to unhappiness. Concentrate on one thing at a time. Have a to-do-list of 4-5 important things that need completed throughout the day.

Work on the first until it is complete then move on to the next. This simple strategy saves time, and will triple your productivity. Plus, at the end of the day you will feel happy.

Another thing that can overcomplicate life is having too much stuff. A solution can be to ask yourself: have I used this in the past year? If not then give it away. This can create so much space within your home. A cluttered living space reflects a cluttered mind.

Relationships can be the most complicated thing in life. What has helped me greatly in this department is communication. Reading minds is impossible. Minimise unnecessary conflicts, misunderstandings and negativity.

When stressed, worried or lost in a problem, breathe with your belly for two minutes and just focus on the air going in and out. This will calm your body and mind.

Then you can start focusing on doing what is most important for you again.

Thanks for reading. Have a good week.
Rev J Martin

How Your Phone Can Increase Your Faith

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Try for one day to keep track of every time you pick up your phone. With some research showing that we pick up and put down our phones 150 times a day, just logging it may become a challenge.

Now, I’m not asking you actually to take a note, but for one day try to do a mental one. You will quickly get a sense of how much time you are focused on activities and how much time you are being distracted.

So why am I talking about this today?

Well, as the saying goes, ‘replace a negative with a positive.’ So if you have negative habits replace them with positive ones.

Of course, some people will say I need my phone for my job, etc. that’s not negative. But even I go to my phone to check for an important email and find myself replying to a text message or scrolling through Facebook.

Sometimes forgetting all about the reason I picked the phone up in the first place.

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What I started to do is, I have a 30-second lock on my phone so when I set it down it locks within 30 seconds. And to unlock it I have to put in a password.

Now, I changed this password to the word ‘prayer.’

So every time I open my phone I am reminded to say the short prayer. “Jesus I surrender to your will.” When I started to do this, I was instantly connected to God more each day.

If you’re going through hurt, worry or doubt it can help you detach from it, even if it’s only for a brief moment.

When we get into a state of worry, doubt or anxiety we can lose ourselves for days, weeks, or even months as we are completely absorbed by what is going on in our lives.

It could be a serious situation, and I don’t want to make light of that, it could be something within your family or with a friend or in your community.

But if we lose ourselves in these events and let worry doubt or fear consume our spirits, our faith can weaken as we can question everything.

Certain events can even test our faith, pulling us down, separating us from God.

We can go through a period where we even give up on Him.

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If you find yourself lost in this place, it’s important not to beat yourself up about it. We all have to deal with a certain situation in the best way we know how.

If you tend to use your phone a lot, screens can be locked; screen savers can be put in place, helping us to keep focused on the only thing that matters. Our creator.

You can change your passwords to meaningful positive, motivating words or phrases that help you throughout the day. Each day you are regularly programming your mind with faith.

Just for that split second when you pick up your phone, it can break a negative thought cycle that you may be going through, by connecting you to God. Adding peace to your day

And, when we are more connected, we are more relaxed, we are more centred, we are more at peace.

Whenever you read scripture, prayers or motivational literature, it calms you, and you realise that everything is going to work out.

When you are in the peaceful calm state which prayer brings, you can think level-headedly. You no longer feel from a place of worry, doubt, stress, depression or anxiety, but from a place of faith.

You are coming from a grounded, centred place, and when you come from that place you can see, no matter what is going on in your life, from a new perspective, a fresh perspective, a view you can mirror to the past.

And, in the past, everything worked out, so you know it will work out this time as well.

I wish your self, family and friends a beautiful weekend and may God bless you all, in a 1000 ways.

Thank you for reading
Rev J Martin

6 Steps How to Stop Worrying

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You’ve attended the interview it seemed to go well, but you’re waiting with worry to hear back from them. You had an extra slice of cake with your afternoon tea and you’re worried if it was one too many for the waistline you’re watching.

Or maybe you’re about to go have a nice evening out with your friends and you’re worried whether it will rain. The common denominator in all these things is that you’re worrying about things you can’t change – so stop worrying!

You’ve already attended the interview so you’ve done what you can to get the job. You’ve already eaten the cake so there’s no point beating yourself up for it when it’s already in the tummy. And the weather is uncontrollable so worrying about isn’t going to change it.

How often do you worry about things you can’t change?

Probably a few times a day – if not more. This creates unnecessary additional stress for both your body and mind, and also prevents the joy and enjoyment you can experience today.

Matthew 6:25-26
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

 

So it’s time you learned to stop worrying. Let’s start by looking at what research has said about worrying in general:

  • About 85% of the things we worry about never happen.
  • If what we worry about does happen, 80% of us said we handled the outcome better than we thought we would.
  • People who let go of worries instead of stressing over them are much healthier than those who don’t.

So how do you let go of this worrying that sometimes drives you crazy – especially when you’re worrying about things you have no control over?

Try the six strategies below to stop worrying once and for all – there’ll be a time and a place for each of them.

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Number One – Call a friend to talk about your worry.

Talking about your worry will help you get your head straight about whether your worry is realistic, worth worrying about, and something you can actually do anything about.

It will help you understand that there’s no point worrying about it if the outcome is out of your hands. Talking will offload some of the weight you carry around.

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Number Two – Time with God.

Learning to take time each with God. Being aware of His presence through prayer and stillness will help you keep your mind focused on what you’re doing now rather than worrying about things you can’t change.

Even 10 minutes of sitting down just focusing on your breathing, has been shown to reduce everyday stress.

Number Three – Accept uncertainty & learn to thrive in it.

The beauty of life is in how unpredictable it is – you never quite know what’s around the corner! Learn to embrace this uncertainty and thrive in it. Who knows, it could even bring some exciting new opportunities you never even thought about. Put your heart and soul into the things you care about, and work hard on achieving your dreams. That’s all you can do. The rest is up to God.

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Number Four – Distract yourself with another activity.

Really can’t seem to get it out of your head? Go do something completely unrelated and different that forces you to focus on something else. This is most effective if you choose an activity that you get fully immersed in, such as practicing your hobby or reading an exceptional book.

For example, I’m able to escape the world when I take my dog for a walk in the forest – just spending time with him takes my mind away from other things.

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Number Five – Exercise!

Doing some kind of exercise you enjoy will give you a break from your worries whilst reducing the levels of your stress hormones, stimulating the production of feel-good brain chemicals, and improving your self-image.

If you’re struggling to get your mind to be quiet during exercise, put some music on in your headphones or push yourself even harder. When you challenge your body you will need to focus so you won’t be able to worry about anything else other than the exercise itself.

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Number Six – Have a designated worry time and worry notebook.

If you really want to take control of those worries and you’re finding that the above strategies don’t work, allow yourself to worry for a certain time period every day.

Spend time writing about all your worries in that notebook, and accept that when the time is up, the worrying has to stop. That way you will get them out of your head and onto paper, which research has shown is very effective in clearing your mind.

If you’re at least able to stop worrying about things you can’t change, you will be able to reduce your stress levels and boost your positive emotions. For the things you can change, do something about them, fight your worry with action!

For the things you can’t change, have a play with these six strategies and see how you get on with letting go of your worries!

Enjoy your weekend.

Rev J Martin

On With The New in 2018

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Due to a very eventful four to six weeks I have not been doing my usual updates. I had some family problems that needed my care and attention. All is much better now, its so easy to get caught up in negativity. Time to move on.

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Ephesians 4:22-24
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

We all know deep down the areas that we must change, maybe you are quick to anger, resulting in broken friendships and relationships, or maybe you lack faith and sit back thinking things will remain the same.

Whatever it maybe 2018 is the time for new growth.

Change doesn’t have to be something that flips your life upside down. Small changes work best. For example you want to lose weight, which seems to be an example we can all relate to…lol

Most people give up after a few days. Why?

Because they do to much to soon. Start small. Walk around the garden or walk the children to school. Walk to the corner shop or to a neighbors instead of using the car. These small changes may not seem like much at first but over a couple of weeks you will notice the difference.

Or maybe you want to have more faith. Instead of thinking you must spend hours in prayer. Start by saying a few prayers, while waiting in traffic, on the train, or in line at the department store. It may seem small but moments of prayer create peace, and the more you feel peace the calmer you become.

So in stressful situation where in the past you would worry or doubt you will find that you have a peace within to help you calm that storm.

I would like to wish you, your family and friends, health, success and happiness in 2018 and beyond. Remember that small things lead to big results.

Have an amazing weekend.
Rev J Martin