Tag: encouragement

Finding Hope in Life’s Valleys

Live Today With FaithLeave a comment

It was 2 a.m., and the weight of the world felt like it was crushing Emily. She sat in the dim light of her kitchen, staring blankly at her half-empty coffee cup, her thoughts running in endless circles. The bills were piling up, her boss had been more critical than usual, and her once-vibrant relationship with her spouse now felt like two strangers passing in the hallway.

“How did it come to this?” she whispered into the stillness.

Emily had always prided herself on being strong. Independent. A “fixer.” Whenever life threw her a curveball, she tackled it head-on. But this time was different. This time, every effort seemed to push her deeper into a valley of despair.

If you’ve ever felt like Emily, you’re not alone.

Life is full of valleys—moments when fear, doubt, and frustration close in on us. Maybe you’ve been there too, feeling overwhelmed by financial strain, health challenges, or broken relationships. Maybe you’ve tried to “power through” on your own, only to feel more lost and alone.

It’s in these moments we start asking the hard questions: “Where is God in all of this?” “Why do I feel so stuck?” “Is there a way out of this valley?”

These very questions are what inspired me to write Craving Divine Guidance.

Like Emily, I’ve had my share of valleys. Moments when God felt distant—when my prayers felt like they were bouncing off the ceiling. But what I’ve learned is this: the valley is not a punishment. It’s a place of preparation.

Because the truth is, God is never absent.

The Truth About Valleys

In Scripture, valleys are often symbols of life’s challenges. Psalm 23 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” Notice it doesn’t say we avoid the valley, or that God plucks us out of it. It says we walk through it, and God walks with us.

But when we’re in the thick of it, that truth can feel hard to hold onto. Fear and worry cloud our vision. We wonder if God is really there or if we’ve been left to fend for ourselves.

The valley, though, isn’t the end of the story. It’s often where we find strength we didn’t know we had. It’s where we learn to lean on God instead of relying on our own strength. And it’s where we discover that even in the darkest places, there’s light to be found.

Craving Divine Guidance was written to help you reframe how you see these valleys. What if instead of viewing them as obstacles, you began to see them as opportunities? Opportunities to grow, to deepen your faith, and to trust in the One who sees the bigger picture.

A Shift in Perspective

Emily’s story didn’t end in that dimly lit kitchen. That night, as she sat with her coffee cup, she made a simple decision: she was going to stop trying to carry it all alone. For the first time in months, she opened her Bible and read Psalm 91.

“He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings, you will find refuge.”

Those words stayed with her. Emily began to pray differently—not asking for all her problems to disappear, but asking for the strength to face them and the wisdom to trust God’s timing. She started keeping a gratitude journal, jotting down even the smallest blessings she noticed in her day. Slowly, something began to shift.

Her problems didn’t vanish overnight, but her perspective changed. She no longer felt alone. She began to notice God’s hand in the little things—a kind word from a stranger, an unexpected breakthrough at work, a laugh shared with her spouse. The valley that had seemed so dark began to fill with light.

This is the heart of Craving Divine Guidance: finding hope, strength, and clarity in God, even when life feels overwhelming.

Why This Book Matters

If you’ve ever felt stuck, uncertain, or overwhelmed, this book is for you. It’s not about offering quick fixes or pretending life’s challenges don’t exist. It’s about helping you see that God is at work—even in the darkest valleys.

Inside Craving Divine Guidance, you’ll find:

  • Practical steps to strengthen your faith, even when God feels distant.
  • Stories and reflections that remind you you’re never alone.
  • Biblical truths to bring comfort, hope, and encouragement.

This book is for anyone who’s ever asked, “Where is God in all of this?”

Your Invitation

So, where are you on your journey?

Are you standing on a mountaintop, filled with gratitude but wondering what’s next? Or are you walking through a valley, longing for peace and clarity?

Wherever you are, know this: God is with you. He always has been.

If you’re ready to take the next step, to draw closer to Him and discover the peace only He can provide, I invite you to download your FREE copy of Craving Divine Guidance on Amazon today. (For a limited time only!)

Let this book be your companion through life’s valleys—and a reminder that with God, you’re never walking alone.

Click Here to Get Your Free Copy

In these Fearful Times Has Your Faith Been Shaken?

Live Today With FaithLeave a comment

In difficult times, it can feel like your losing your faith. Your confidence can fade, doubts can start to creep in… and before you know it, your mood has changed.

Usually happy and carefree, now you take everything seriously.

People comment on your change of behaviour, but all that seems to do is deepen your negative mood. Annoyed and anxious, you take yourself off somewhere that you will not be disturbed.

Maybe you can relate?

What happened?

You lost your faith.

Coming up to the New Year I had so many plans for 2020; I had a few legal issues that were almost resolved after months of delay then within 90 days, the world went into lockdown.

My perfect plan was put on hold.

dominos2

Like me, maybe some of your important plans got delayed, and like a row of domino’s falling, one delay led to another, and another… One negative thought led to another, and another… leading to your life feeling out of control.

It’s not your fault. With the world stopping everyone is affected.

Fountain of Youth

When I was younger, when I would become fearful, my dominos would fall, and they would stay down for weeks, maybe even months. Mainly because I had no idea why they had fallen, they were so neatly arranged and spaced.

Everything looked so good.

The problem was I spent most of my time questioning why is it happening? Rather than what was I going to do, or change, so that it wouldn’t happen again.

Difficulties in life will knock down your dominos. That’s just a fact. You can’t stop it from happening, but you can change what you do when they fall.

At this moment, everyone is fearful, locked in their homes glued to the news, which is doing nothing more than driving more fear into their hearts.

Fear can quickly drive out all the faith that you have within.

In scripture it says, More than anything you guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it (Proverbs 4:23 CEB).

Protecting your mind, means its up to you to cancel out all the fear coming from the media. Its up to you to feed your mind with faith and keep that faith at its highest level.

to blesses

Feed Your Mind With Positivity

In times like these, we need to focus on reading the word of God. We need encouraging words; we need to listen to people that bring us up, that make us feel better about ourselves and humanity.

Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Matthew 6:25-27
“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? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

 

In my opinion, the news is poison, designed to do one thing— keep you in fear.

So, during this challenging time when you feel like your faith is fading, realise what has happened. You’ve let your dominos fall. You let one negative thought roll into another, and another… and another.

Finding your faith happens when you realise that no matter how bad your story is right now, you can change it. With faith, belief and hard work, you can turn everything around.

It’s your story, God has a plan for you, and you are the hero.

The people in your life need you to save the day. They need you to be the best that you can be, to give them value, showing them faith and encouragement.

In this difficult time, work on your faith, feed your mind with content that inspires you, motivates you, and makes you stronger.

Share your faith with others. 

Let’s use this lockdown as — a time of growth, a time of sharing, a time to make this world a better place. 

11 Things To Know Before Letting Go

Live Today With Faith6 Comments

Let-it-go

Letting go has nothing to do with weakness, and everything to do with strength.

We let go when we finally realise our worth, when we finally realise that our mental health is more important. That said, I know that letting go of certain situations can be extremely difficult. So, i would like to share 11 points to reflect on before you decide if it’s time for you to let go.

1. The past can steal your present if you let it

You can spend days, weeks, months, or even years sitting alone in the darkness, over-analysing a situation from the past, trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could have or should have happened. Or, you can choose to leave the past behind you, and walk into a future full of sunshine and new experiences.

2. Don’t be too hard on yourself

There are enough people that want to pull you down and hold you back without you being one of them. Tell yourself, “I am doing the best I can with what I have at this moment. And that is all I can expect of anyone, including me.” Love yourself and be proud of everything that you do, even your mistakes. Because even mistakes mean you’re trying.

3. You are in control of one person, and one person only: yourself

The fastest way to happiness is to stop worrying about things that are beyond the power of your control. Letting go of control doesn’t mean that you don’t care; it shows that you realise that the only person you can control is yourself.

4. Not everyone, and not everything, is meant to stay

There are things you don’t want to happen, but have to accept, things you don’t want to know, but have to learn, and people you can’t live without but have to let go. Some circumstances and people come into your life to strengthen you so that you can move on without them.

5. Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them

Imagine all that we could achieve if we could forget the hurts or disappointments of the past! Always look at what you have, instead of what you have lost. Because it’s not what the world takes away from you that counts; it’s what you do with what you have left.

6. What might seem correct to you will be wrong for others, and vice versa

As you will probably know yourself, trying to tell someone they are wrong when they think they are right, doesn’t end well. Save yourself the stress and sleepless nights. Don’t waste your energy; the only way some people learn is from making mistakes.

7. Some people will refuse to accept you for who you are, so don’t try to impress them

When you are comfortable with who you are, not everyone in this world will like you, and that’s okay. You could be the most helpful, compassionate, caring person in the world, and there’s going to be someone out there who doesn’t like you for having them qualities. Just be you, 100%.

8. The world changes when you change

You are today where your thoughts and beliefs have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts and beliefs take you. If you want to change your life, you must first change your mind. The world around you changes when you change.

9. You can make decisions, or you can make excuses

Life is a continuous exercise in creative problem-solving. A mistake doesn’t become a failure until you refuse to correct it. Thus, most long-term failures are the outcome of people who make excuses instead of decisions.

10. It only takes a few negative remarks to kill your dreams

Don’t let people interrupt you and tell you that you can’t do something. If you have a dream that you’re passionate about, you must protect it. When others can’t do something themselves, they’re going to tell you that you can’t do it either; and that’s a lie. These people are simply speaking from within the boundaries of their limitations.

11. Sometimes walking away is the only way to win

Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who refuse to understand you.  Sometimes the best way to win an argument is to walk way. They will never change, it’s you that has too.

The Power Of Letting Go is currently on FREE promotion on Amazon for a limited time. To download simply click on the image above.

Wisdom To Help You Through

Live Today With FaithLeave a comment

encouraging-quotes

It can be difficult when things are not going your way, but very often when you look back on difficult times you realise that it was through them times when you grew the most.

Looking back is the easy part, what makes someone wise is the ability to see the present through the eyes of experience.

Have a good day. Do not worry, everything works out in the end.

Killed By A Bus: When Knowing Your Future Doesn’t Help You

Live Today With FaithLeave a comment

bus_main

Once upon a time, a man went to a fortune teller, curious to know what she would say about his future.

The fortune teller looked into her crystal ball, and her facial expression said it all. She advised him that it would be better if he did not know but he insisted she told him.

She went on to tell him that he would die in a bus accident, and it would happen within the next two or three months. “Why? When? How?

“That I can not say,” she replied.

On the journey home, he was depressed and worried, telling himself how he had never really believed in fortune tellers.

After two months, the thought started to play on his mind every day. He became very anxious and wanted to make sure he avoided the prediction. So hired someone to run his business for a couple of months, as he decided a good plan would be to lock himself in his house where he wouldn’t come close to any buses.

Another three weeks past.

He got up one morning put the coffee on and went to feed his dog outside as usual. On the step his little son had left some of his toys, as he went to step over them he stepped on a little toy bus, fell and hit his head and died instantly.

This is a fictional story to illustrate an important message; sometimes we can be too careful, thinking that we can avoid the thing that we fear. We fear to be adventurous; we fear to do anything new; we fear to take a risk.

Most people think they’re not destined to do anything amazing, so they sit back in mediocrity. Tortured in later years with regret.

We all have a unique gift that we can use to enrich other peoples lives. Don’t let fear hold you back from fulfilling your destiny.

Live every day to the fullest. God rewards action, God rewards faith and often the biggest risk that you can take is to play it safe and not go after what you want.

So this week get out there, create your destiny, show God that there is no fear in your heart and watch the favour that flows into your life.

Thanks for reading. Like share comment to spread the message onto someone that maybe in the need of some encouragement.

Inspiration of the Day

Live Today With FaithLeave a comment

DI RELAX

Take some time to relax this weekend.

And by relax i don’t mean, your feet up in front of the TV watching a film, or scrolling through your phone.

True relaxation is when you make a conscious decision to relax. Saying, I’m going to take 5 – 10 – 15 minutes and just sit with my eyes closed in a quiet room or lay down on a bed.

Just being thankful for the week.

When you do this your body will tell you how tired you are.

It is so easy to keep going week to week without taking time out to be at one with yourself and God.

Re-energise this weekend, and inspire one person to do the same.

Wishing you health and happiness.