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Tag: Christian
Anchor Yourself in Faith
Vicious Cycle Of Social Fear
Growing up I found it hard to fit in with others, I never knew the right thing to say, so I didn’t say anything.
I don’t remember what was going on in my mind. I think there was this part of me that just wanted to be me. Not do anything and accept myself being shy.
Then there was the other side of me that wanted to be like all the other children, talking and playing with others.
I wanted to interact but didn’t because I was in the vicious cycle of social fear: I am shy —> I want to play with them —> If I play with them, I’m afraid of what they will say about me —> I don’t want to be rejected —> I will not join them because…—> I am shy.
It took many years of going outside my comfort zone to become the person I am today, and it didn’t happen without a constant battle between the shy me and the real me.
Decide to Step out of the Cycle
The only way you can overcome your fears is to make a conscious decision to step out of the cycle. It is not easy to do this if you have grown into the habit of fear.
Fear will tell you that your not good enough, your not smart enough, who are you to do something different?
When these thoughts arise you must turn them around saying the opposite, I am good enough, I am smart enough, and I believe in my abilities.
When you first start speaking words of faith it might seem like is not making that much difference but as the saying goes, repetition is the mother of skill. When you repeat this over and over, in time your image of yourself will change.
Start Small
I never thought I was smart enough, so I started reading. I was drawn to spiritual and motivational books.
Within weeks I had so much more to talk about with people who helped my confidence and self-worth. It’s not that my personality changed, but I was happier and more relaxed.
I began to discover who I was. A miracle of creation. I found that most of what I feared was in my mind. I found out that I was my own worst enemy.
Would you tell a young child that they are useless, lack intelligence and have no talent? No. Of course not. Why then do we do it to ourselves?
The way you view yourself is very important and can determine your destiny.
Like me, you may not think you’re intelligent enough or know what to say. You may be overweight and don’t think that will ever change. Or maybe your in a job you don’t enjoy but can’t see a way out.
Whatever form fear takes to hold you back, decide today that you’re going to take a small step of faith.
That small step could be as simple as doing out a CV/Resume, or walking 30minutes at lunch or reading a book on a subject that interests you.
A Step of Faith Is Taking Small Step in the Right Direction
Facing fear scares people as they think they have to overcome it all at once, but it doesn’t work that way.
Overcoming fear is about taking small steps of faith. Each step is taking you closer and closer to a life without fear.
Take a small step towards your destiny today, and tomorrow, and the next day. And watch the big change it will make.
Are You Easily Distracted?
It’s so easy to get distracted in todays world. Most of the distractions will come from other people, social media playing a major role.
In a world full of distractions, you must learn to live undistracted, unphased by it all.
Fear, doubt and worry are the main distractions to living a healthy, successful life.
Don’t allow others to project their fears and insecurities on you. Never let the weakness of this world infiltrate your mind!
To do that you must walk in faith and understand the truth, you have been perfectly made with unique gifts and abilities. You have value to add to this world. You have unlimited power within you.
We live in a world that contains a lot of negative and jealous people. Many of them have weak faith or no faith at all. As they are disconnected from spirit they find it almost impossible to move forward so they try to hold you back putting their doubts and fears in your mind.
We all go through hard times but its important to remember hardship is only for a season, not a lifetime.
You may be going through the winter of your life but spring is on the way, then summer. Stand up in faith each day with the knowing that the season is about to change.
Just because your friends have given up on their dreams doesn’t mean you have to. Spend less time with those that don’t add value to your life and more time with those that propel you forward.
Don’t allow negative people to distract you and stop you following your destiny.
Have a good week.
The Best Way To Pray
When Brother Bruno was at prayer one night, he was disturbed by the croaking of a bullfrog. He tried to ignore the croaking, but all his attempts were unsuccessful. So he shouted from his window, “Quiet! I’m trying to pray.”
And since Bruno was a saint his command was instantly obeyed. Every living creäture within earshot held its voice to create a silence that would be favourable to prayer.
But now another sound intruded on Bruno’s worship- an inner voice that said, “Maybe God is as pleased with the croaking of that frog as with your prayers.”
“Nonsense,” was Bruno’s response “how could God like that sound?” But the voice refused to give up: “Why then do you think God invented that sound?”
The voice unsettled Bruno, so he decided to do some research. He called out once again from his window but this time giving the order, “Sing!”
The bullfrog started croaking at once; with all the other frogs in the vicinity as a backing group. But as Bruno listened this time he discovered that, if he stopped resisting them, they enriched the silence of the night.
With that discovery, Bruno’s heart became harmonious with the universe and, for the first time in his life he understood what it meant to pray.
Praying is so much more than chanting or a series of words., no matter how profound the words may be. Praying is about paying attention to the world we’re living in, its about paying attention to the presence and power of creation.
The sound of the birds singing at dusk, a flowing stream, or the rustling of the trees in the wind.
Every sight and sound, whether it be a bird singing, the sound of water, or in Brother Bruno’s experience, a bullfrog, can help us to understand if we pay attention, the precious value of everything in creation.
So this week, take a moment each day to stop and listen to the world around you. Listen to all the sounds that God created, and be thankful.
And the more you listen, the more calmness and certainty will enter your life. And the more that calmness and certainty enters your life the quicker your fears and worries will fade away.
It’s not that they magically disappear, but they no longer have the same power over you.
Each of us has a spiritual journey, but on that journey fear worry and doubt are all dead ends.
Get yourself on the road of acceptance, get yourself on the road of awareness, get yourself on the road of faith. Be happier, healthier and more fulfilled.
Thanks for reading and have a good week.
Increase Your Faith, Overcome Your Fears, And Feel The Presence of God In Your Life
No matter how we feel, God is always present.
Many people go through times when His presence can feel far away or absent altogether, which is often the case when someone is depressed, in grief or the depths of despair.
We all go through times when we are so busy trying to get everything to work that we don’t take the time to connect with God, thinking that we must do everything on our own strength.
Worry doubt and stress has a way of blinding us from the truth.
It’s so easy to get lost in a web of negative thinking, which in some cases can last for months, if not years. Overcoming negative thinking is achievable in many ways, but the main one is to take time each day to spend in the service of God.
Many think that service means only to pray and to help others, but this is not the case. Service also means to take care of one’s self.
Most people care more about their cars than their own mental and physical health. Fear worry and doubt can destroy your spirit in the same way that water will rust your car.
A little fear worry or doubt is natural, it keeps us safe and away from harm, but constant fear, for example, can lead to illness and pain.
Fear is automatic; like a weed, it does not need care and attention to grow. It can grow in almost impossible conditions. Often I have seen a weed growing in a crack in a wall.
Faith is the opposite.
Faith is very similar to a muscle; it needs the right nutrients and exercise. Most people however only work on their faith when things are going wrong. Then when all is better again, they don’t put in the maintenance, so their faith rusts, so to speak, allowing fear worry and doubt to drift back in.
Then the smallest setback can seem like the biggest of obstacles.
Maintain your faith each day, and you will live a happier, healthier and more fulfilled life, where you see and take the opportunities that come your way.
There is so much negative news today that you must make a conscious effort to absorb as much positivity as you can. In the form of reading scripture or motivational books, listening to podcasts, watching films and documentaries that inspire.
We must take control. As much as we may want to, we can never change others. We can only change ourselves.
Thanks for your time. Have a good day.
Rev J Martin
Enter the Kingdom of God is my new book and is currently on free promotion on Amazon. Water your faith today with a short but compelling read. Click on the image below.
How To Conquer Your Fears And Reclaim Your True Power
Most people dont achieve there full potential because they are held back by fear. Fear will tell you that its to hard, its too far, and its too much work.
Most people when they face challenges in life turn the other way. They dont believe that they are capable so settle for second best.
Fear can stop us in so many ways. We don’t apply for the job, the course, or the promotion because we convince ourselves that we are not capable.
We dont travel to the destinations we desire. because someone told us that there dangerous, so miss out on seeing some of the most beautiful places on earth. If you walk down the wrong street in any part of the world its dangerous.
Fear can even affect us in ways that can lead to physical and emotional problems. Most people can relate to the feeling you get when you are going for an interview. This is a mixture of feelings but the main one is fear, fear of the unknown.
Fear is an automatic response to anything that is new or anything we are unsure about. Im sure the first time you got into a car to drive you felt fearful but now you go from destination to destination without even thinking about it.
What happened? What changed?
Well, you faced your fear repeatedly but there was a more powerful force behind you. You seen all your friends driving and you had the faith that you could do the same. Faith is having the belief that something will happen before it has occured
Sadly, however, a driving test is often the last time people challenge themselves. By the time most people are 18-21 they have started there life path and stay on that path to retirement.
Do they not want to challenge themselves anymore? Is that the reason most people dont do new things after there early 20s?
No. Its fear.
Fear will say, “what if you try this and it doesn’t work. What if people laugh at you. Who are you to succeed. Its probably better you just stay where you are. You might not be happy but at least your comfortable.” One year leads to five and five leads to 10, then all enthusiasm to change is gone.
I’m sure you’ve heard people say, “if only i was 10 years younger, the things i would do.” Truth is, they were 10 years younger and didn’t do anything then either.
We all have things that we want to do or achieve. We will never admit it but its fear that holds us back.
Fear put bluntly is the absence of God.
We have the faith that our creator will beat our heart 115,000 times per day, but not that He will give us the perfect words to say in an interview. Or the confidence to apply for the course, or open and run a successful business.
Faith is like a muscle. its something that you must work on constantly to keep strong.
A marathon runner does not start training by running 26.2 miles, he or she starts with 2-3 miles and increases over a 16-20 week training program. Finishing at about 18-20 miles. They never run the full 26.2 miles in training, there faith in their ability takes them the extra 6-8 mile.
From today look at faith in this way. Your faith might be weak now but if you work on it week by week over the next 16-20 weeks. On week 21 nothing will stand in your way
No longer will you say no to opportunities. And when people ask you to do something that is beyond your reach you will have the faith in your abilities to run that extra 6-8 mile, so to speak.
To increase your faith involves reading spiritually books, praying and keeping your focus on God each day. Increasing your faith means conditioning your mind with positivity, avoiding negativity in all form. News, gossip and rumours.
Its human nature to be lazy and take the easy way, but the easy way rarely leads to a successful spiritual life.
In my new book enter the Kingdom of God I would like to share with you some practical ways that you can increase your faith, that if done daily for the next 16-20 weeks your faith will be strong, you will overcome your fears and you will feel the presence of God in your life.
Download today for free on Amazon. All I ask for in return is an honest review.
Click on the image below.
Thanks for reading, enjoy your day.
Is Free Will The Ultimate Power?
When God created us, He gave us free will, without free will, we would be robots. Predictable, boring, with no room to grow.
The major decision we have to make is to live in faith or live in fear.
Let’s just say Tommy has an interview, Tommy might initially feel overjoyed, rushing to share the news on social media.
But when the buzz has worn off, Tommy begins to doubt if he is good enough for the job, so he calls a friend, explaining how he feels. Jason encourages him, not by some magic trick but simply by telling him what he already knows deep down.
That he is awesome and will ace the interview.
Tommy puts down the phone in good spirits, pumped up for the interview. If only he could walk in right now. His energy alone would win him the job.
After a few hours, Tommy’s doubt returns.
Before long, he’s back where he started, and to make matters worse Tommy has an argument with his girlfriend, and they break up. Becky tells him how useless he is, telling him attending the interview would be a waste of time, for a loser.
Tommy decides not to attend the interview.
A friend on the morning of the interview calls Tommy to wish him good luck; he tells his friend what happened. Again, his friend builds him up not by some magic trick but by telling him what he knows deep down within.
That he’s better off without a girl that doesn’t believe in him. That the job will help him grow as a person; that he will be doing a job he loves.
Tommy gets in his car and goes straight to the interview. Fired up, he walks in with confidence, energy, and style. He instantly connects with the people taking the interview, so much so they are memorized. Tommy gets the job.
What has happened here?
Tommy’s free will took him on a rollercoaster that almost when off the rails. We all have the choice to doubt or to have faith in each moment.
Free will is like the pendulum on a grandfather clock; it’s what makes the clock tick. It is what creates the ups and downs of life.
The thing that we need to know is that we are not the pendulum, we are the battery that powers the clock, but unlike conventional batteries our power comes from God and His power never runs out.
So for the rest of this week, when you come up against hard times that has your mood all over the place. Remember that you are not the pendulum but the battery that is separate from it all.
Have an amazing faith filled week
Rev J Martin
God’s Grace Is On The Way, Free eBook
Growing up my grandmother used to say, “you have the grace of God with you.” For the longest time I did not know what this meant. As I have got older and wiser I realize that she meant I had a faith filled view of life. I always talked with optimism, and believed that all would work out.
Personally, I never looked at this as a gift, thinking everyone was the same, but dealing with people I quickly became aware that a faith filled view was a very rare quality.
An outlook of faith can change so much, you notice simple little things that connect you to nature. The feeling you get when you walk outside on a cold January day all wrapped up and are thankful for the coat that is on your back. You feel Gods power as you look out at the rising sun.
Just for that moment all stresses worries fade away because you feel His creative force flowing through you and in the world.
There is not a passing day goes by that I am not grateful for this connection to God, but I also believe this connection can be felt by everyone. There is great power to be gained from connecting with nature, and in the reading of faith filled words. Both of them make us realize that there is a power in this world much greater than ourselves.
To often we can let worry and doubt dominate our thought life; we become disconnected from God. The feeling comes over us that we must do everything on our own strength.
This is a lonely place to be, your faith can weaken, your defenses can break down leading to illness and pain.
Each day you must spend time focused on God, focused on faith, focused on gratitude. Take a walk into nature and you will feel Gods power and grace all around you. But you must be present
You invest hours at work, on the internet, watching your favorite dramas. So, its about time you started to invest time in you. If you are waiting for others to motivate or inspire you; you will be waiting a long time. People are to busy dealing with there own lives.
My new book, God’s Grace Is On The Way, is a reminder that there is good in your future. No matter how your life is now, brighter days lie ahead. It’s a faith builder that will help you connect with your inner desires and dreams.
I believe 2018 will be a great year for you, its time you believed that too.
Download the book today for free by clicking on the image below, all I ask for in return is an honest review. Promotion ends 29th of January.
Thank you.
Free ebook —You can transform your life — Learn the true power of prayer
When writing a book on prayer I wanted to address all people. Those that pray often and those that want to but don’t seem to have the time, due to work, social, or family commitments.
Prayer is an area that is very important to me, but there was a point in my life that I looked at it like a chore. Mainly because after a busy day the last thing that I wanted to do was pray.
I was worried, I doubted my abilities, and was stressed from the day.
As I have become more mature my view on prayer has changed. Prayer has many different forms, all of which are powerful but we must never lose the sight of the fact that we are in constant communication with God.
Recently, I was talking to a young lady who was only out of University and was finding it hard to get work; she wanted to be a journalist, but when I told her about an opportunity that had just become available for a national newspaper, she replied, “I can’t-do that. That would be too much for me.”
As the conversation continued, I offered her another option for her to consider, to which she remarked, “That’s impossible. No journalist has taken that route.”
I started noticing a pattern throughout our conversation: Her perspectives about everything — her career and choices— were coming from scarcity. She felt her options were always limited and there would never be enough.
“So what do you want to do? What do you believe is possible?” I finally asked.
She had great difficulty responding. This young lady had been focusing so long on what she didn’t want; she wasn’t able to work out what she did want. Her faith in herself was faltering. And everything she was experiencing was taking her further off course.
If you let thoughts like, I cant, I will never, I’m not good enough float through your mind; these simple prayers can shape the rest of your life. You stop growing, you stop stretching and only go for what you think you are capable off.
This young lady had let these negative thoughts get a foothold, she started to believe that she wasn’t good enough. What was possible for her got smaller and smaller until the point her faith in her abilities almost vanished.
We all can relate to this girl in some way, we don’t go for the new job because we don’t feel good enough. We don’t do that night class because we think were to old and everyone will make fun of us, so we don’t fulfill our dreams because we settle for second best.
Second best is not what we where sent here to achieve. God wants the best for us. We need to stop talking negative, we need to stop letting fear direct our lives, we need centre our mind on faith.
In my new book, You Can Transform Your Life, I will share my personal view of prayer to help you get the most out of your life, so that you can fulfill your dreams.
Book on free promotion until Sunday on Amazon. Click image below. Feedback would be very welcome. Thanks.
Live Today With Faith 