Tag: inspiration
Inspiration of the Day
Live a Life Without Fear – Take a Step of Faith Today
Fear can take many forms. Fear to you could be a natural disaster or an economic collapse, something significant that will affect your life and those around you.
But fear to some can be as severe as unable to be alone or afraid of people; unable to fit in with others.
It’s very easy to imagine how fear can mould and shape lives.
What most people do to overcome their fears is to avoid the situation that causes the fear. This method can be effective but doesn’t solve the problem. In effect, all it does is make your world smaller.
When fear is limiting your life, you must face it.
At first, this can seem daunting, maybe even causing anxiety, but this is where faith comes in.
Personal Fears
When I was younger, I was bullied at my part-time job. Then, one day on the way to work I got a mild panic attack. The next weekend I phoned in sick and told my doctor what was going on, and she wrote work-related stress on the sick note, telling me it was something I had to face. I agreed.
However, the thought that I had to face management to discuss the matter just escalated my anxiety, so I didn’t go back.
I didn’t go near the area of town where I worked as I feared meeting the people that I worked with, I didn’t want to explain to them why I left.; I felt that I was somehow responsible for the abuse. Bullying affects everyone differently.
Many other personal problems hit me around the same time, so I decided to go to see a counsellor.
As we got into conversation, he spoke about reading the Bible 2-3 times a year; he talked about it with so much passion that I started to read it myself. And the more I read, the more my faith grew within. Knowing that God is with us at all times helped me to surrender to His will.
I realised that I had let fear escalate the problem. By avoiding the part of town I used to work I was giving fear control of my life.
When I started to return to the places I used to go many of the people that I worked with didn’t even recognise me, others just said hi. Fear had built up a story that was not close to reality.
Fear makes problems more significant than they are.
Faith and fear are simply vibrations. One has positive energy the other negative.
When a lot of negative things happen, it is easy to get into a negative vibration, and it may seem like you will never get out, but when you work on your faith daily, it will give you the ability to change a negative vibration to a positive one.
Faith is simple, yet we like to make it complicated.
Now I’m not saying that it is simple to make prayer and devotion a part of your day, but if you can make it a habit, then you will see massive results.
Ask God to give you the desire and discipline to spend time with Him each day.
A simple practice that has worked well for me during busy times is to take 30-60seconds during the day. Close your eyes for 30-60seconds now. Listen to the world around you and feel the presence of God.
This practice sounds almost too simple to have an impact, but do it often, and within a short time you will see and feel the difference in your life.
I wish you a stress-free week. Take a step of faith today.
Free Promo
My new book, Live a Life Without Fear, is currently on free promotion on Amazon, if you could download and leave me some feedback it would be very much appreciated. Click on the image below.
Thanks for your time.
Rev J Martin
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.
Do You Want to Feel More Peace Love and Happiness, and Have a Healthy Life?
Christmas is a happy time but also a sad time for many. It’s about family, and when that family bond has cracks, then it can be hard.
My dad recently passed away, so this Christmas has not been that great. I never mentioned it before; I guess I didn’t want to write it down or speak it aloud.
It was never an easy relationship as my parent split up 20 years ago, another subject I rarely talk about but I have decided that its time to stop holding onto things and release them in 2019.
I hold too many feelings within, if I had a flaw that would be it. I think of others before myself, putting me at the back of the line.
The problem with that is the fact that over time it wears you down until it gets to the point you lose yourself, and once that happens, it’s tough to find yourself again.
My dad was a deeply religious man, but he held a lot of un-forgiveness in his heart. I tried for years to advise him to change and to see things from my perspective, but he never did.
I have no regrets; I stuck with him through thick and thin. No matter how much he hurt me I never walked away.
I saw a man in pain; I saw a man that lost his way, I saw a man that had thrown everything away. I saw first hand what holding onto un-forgiveness’ can do to a person.
I watched my dad’s health erode over the years and in the end, COPD take him from a 14 stone (200 pounds) energetic, vibrant man to a seven stone (100 pounds) skeleton in the matter of a year.
It’s hard for me to write this, but if my words help one person, then they have fulfilled their purpose. Holding negativity on the inside of you for most of your life will kill your spirit, and rob you of your happiness. You can lose family, friends and most importantly, your peace of mind.
When you talk about forgiveness most people look the other way, it’s something that no one wants to face.
But forgive we must if we are to see a brighter tomorrow.
Take a walk outside and close your eyes. Feel the wind cleanse your spirit, making you brand new.
From today only let love flow through your heart, and I promise you peace joy and happiness will enter your life.
Wishing you, family and friends the most amazing year of your life.
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.
Wisdom From a Billionaire
You have probably heard of a man called Steve Jobs. He was the co-founder of the computer business Apple.
Steve Jobs was also a writer and today I read the last essay that he wrote as he lay dying. It contained a lot of wisdom.
“I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world, ” he said. “In some peoples eyes, my life is the epitome of success but at this moment lying on my bed recording my life I realise that all the recognition, and wealth, that I took so much pride in, have paled and become meaningless in the face of my death.”
You can employ someone to drive your car for you, to make money for you but you can not have someone bear your sickness for you.
Material things lost can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost — Life.
Whichever stage in life we are at right now, with time, we will face the day when the curtain comes down.
Treasure love for your family love for your spouse, love for your friends.
Treat yourself well. Cherish others.”
Despite the best and the most expensive medical care, a lung transplant, the skill of the worlds best doctors Steve Jobs died in the days after he wrote his last essay.
When I put it down, I felt humbled. Inspired. Energised. I had been complaining about a few minor ills when what I should have been doing was celebrating the greatest gift of all,
LIFE.
True happiness does not come from material things. When you have mates and old friends, brothers or sisters who you can chat and talk with, that is true happiness.
The six best doctors in the world are, sunlight, rest, exercise, diet, self-confidence, and friends. Make these things the foundation of your life and everything else will fall into place.
Spend time doing what you love, and with the people that add value to your life
Have a good week. Thanks for reading.
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.
How To Feel Love and Be Happy — Free Ebook
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.
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.
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.
Live Today With Faith 