Tag: faith

The Power Of February

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ONE-beautiful-sunrise

Many people think that when January is gone, there goes the new year resolution for another year… but this is not the case.

Studies have shown that decisions made in February are the ones that last for the rest of the year.

Maybe its the long stretch in the evenings or the brighter mornings.

We all have unlimited potential within, but if you don’t have goal-directed people around you, you will not get very far.

People that encourage you, people that want to listen, people that want to hear your opinion.

Make 2019 the year that counts, the year that you can look back on and say, that was the year that changed everything.

Work on your faith daily, even if its only a short prayer. Take regular walks in nature and feel the wind in your hair. Connecting with nature can help in so many ways, relieves anxiety, depression and helps your fitness too.

One of my favourite quotes is, “It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.”

Make some decisions of faith this week, park the car 10 minutes away from the office or take a walk to the corner shop.

Stick a sticky note on your laptop or back of door, somewhere you will see it often— of the person you want to be.

Say a short prayer, “thank you Lord for all the small things that I take for granted.” Often throughout the day.

Fulfilling your divine destiny is a marathon, not a race. It’s many small steps that over time will get you to your destination.

I believe in you. Take a step of faith today.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy your week.
Rev J Martin

Vicious Cycle Of Social Fear

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lonely

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.

The Best Way To Pray

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personal-prayer-request2_edit

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!”

SILENCE

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.

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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

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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.

EnterthekingdomofGod

5 Common Habits of Unhappy People

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unhappy

 

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

Is Free Will The Ultimate Power?

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free will

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.

603-doubt

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.

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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

 

Free ebook —You can transform your life — Learn the true power of prayer

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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.

gif businessAs 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.

gif second place

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.

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How I Overcome my Fears and Left The Comfort Zone Behind

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When you fear— what do you do?

You paint pictures in your mind, sometimes very vivid ones, about how your not smart enough, talented enough or attractive enough.

What are you really doing —You’re telling yourself stories.

You are the main character and fear likes to take you down a dark road, where there is no moon, or lights up ahead. The further you go— the darker it gets. Each step you take is less and less certain— so you slow down, until you stop, retreating back the way you came.

walking down a dark roadIt sure is dark down here…

Then we try to justify our decision with the fact that we didn’t really need the new job, didn’t really need to do the course, or attend the seminar.

I’m happy enough where I am anyway. And where is that?

The comfort zone.

Childhood Fears

Remember when you were a child the stories that you would tell your self. I don’t know if you had the same fear as me but I was afraid of the dark.

Looking back, was it really the dark though?

Not really.

It was the fact that in my imagination it was not an empty room. As children our minds are open, so every monster, vampire or werewolf we have ever seen or read about could possible be in that darkness.

turn_off_the_light_What’s that sound?

I remember turning on the light, reassuring myself that all was ok. Checking all the wardrobes and underneath the bed.

When the light went out again the fear did subside only to return. What was I really doing?

I was telling myself a story, replaying a film or something that I heard or read. I was just told I had a very vivid imagination, and I would grow out of it.

We may grow up but that child remains, we simply tell ourselves a different set of stories, the vampires and the werewolf’s are replaced with, the story, I’m not good enough.

Fears A Good Thing

If you haven’t felt fear in a long time you may think that is a good thing— but its not. Why you may ask?

Because it means that you are living in a comfort zone. The comfort zone is not a happy place, but it’s comfortable.

People work jobs they hate, why?  Because its comfortable.

People stay in relationships they are not happy in, why? Because it is comfortable.

Rather than step out and do their own thing, most people just have a look around and do what other people are doing.

Its like the blind leading the blind.

What I have learnt from experience is this, before you follow other people— LOOK AT WHERE THEIR GOING— because that is where they are taking you.

The average person tiptoes through life hoping to make it safety to the other side. What a dumb game; life is not a practice run, we get one shot at it. Mark twain famously said, do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain.

Usually when we fear something we have a story in our heads of how we think things will play out.

fear gifIts just our shadow. GET ME OUTTA HERE

The story just plays over and over until the fear can turn to anxiety, you can begin to sweat, feel uncomfortable, and start to feel knots in your stomach, maybe even leading to sleepless nights.

When you actually confront your fears you quickly realize that it is never as bad as you first imagined, plus you have a sense of achievement; which drives you on.

Well it may seem like I have taken you down a dark path but there is a light at the end of it.

Just like you tell yourself a story where everything goes wrong— you can start to tell yourself a story where everything goes right.

Next time you step out of our comfort zone, instead of pulling up a chair and listening to Mr Fear’s story, tell him a story of faith. A story where you win. A story where you are the hero.

In time you will realize there was only one story teller. You’ve been looking into a mirror the whole time.

mirror

So I challenge you to face your fears embracing the concept of story telling. So instead of I will probably fall flat on my face, change it to, I will soar above the clouds.

Thanks for reading.

Tell yourself a story of faith today. 🙂

The Key to Successful Living

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secret-of-success1

I was caught in a rush the other day and had to heat some food up in the microwave. Something that I try to keep to a minimum as I was always told it was not that healthy, but it was just one of those moments when I needed it.

The thought reminded me of when I was younger.

Remember when you had someone that would tell you, don’t eat that, don’t wear that, or I wouldn’t travel there. When we are younger, we had family members, friends or other people in our lives trying to give us wisdom.

We rarely listened, and even when we did, we convinced ourselves that it was our idea.

At that moment I thought; we all need that voice in our lives. Someone to tell us to make the call, or to remind us that when we say sorry all will be ok, or someone to say, ‘if you are out of breath walking up some stairs, maybe it’s time you walked to the corner shop rather than take the car.’

But the voice is not there.

Achieving what we want in life is not easy, and there is no one to keep you on track, you are sadly on your own. Something that I recommend that has worked wonders for me is reading from the Bible every day. It centres and calms the mind so that you can think clearly.

The key action that turned my life around was the day that I discovered the Great Book and started to let its wisdom wash over me. I became more understanding, loving and compassionate and shared that wisdom with family and friends.

It changed the direction of my life.

When we are going around in our mundane lives, yes it can be boring, but it is safe, it’s easy. But this is not the life destined for us; we were created to do great things.

What I found is, there are two reasons we underachieve in life, one, the fear of failure, ‘what if I don’t succeed, what if I invest my time and it doesn’t work. And secondly, the fear of success, ‘what if I do succeed, what if it leads to bigger things.”

When you read from the Bible God will speak to you, the words will translate into the message you need to hear. Fearful thoughts fade away. You will gain an unshakable faith in your abilities, and in time you will find the direction you must take.

You will soon discover that success is an ongoing process, not a destination as we are led to believe, there will be setbacks along the way, you will stumble and fall, but you must carry on.

As humans we want the easy way out, we don’t want to put in the work. Everyone wants to be successful and live the high life, but they want it handed to them. This is not how the world works.

Finding our own truth is something that we must all do, and for me, this can only be achieved reading the word of God. Through scripture, God will speak to you, and you will know what you must do.

I wish you all the best on your journey. May you find what’s true to you.

Enjoy your week.
Rev J Martin