Tag: overcoming fear

Are You Addicted To Fear?

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In my opinion, fear is a drug.

A drug that once you get a taste, you want more.

For example, you hear a story that it’s not going to rain for a few months, and there will be water shortages.

That person has dealt you some fear.

If you have strong faith, you will say to yourself, that’s not going to happen, “I have faith all will be ok.” And it is.

But if your faith is weak, however, even though you have only read one story, the fear that it has created in you makes you look for another story. Next thing you know you’re searching on YouTube for ways to prepare for such an event….

And guess what?

You find 100s of videos, each recommending different ways to prepare. “Why is the mainstream media not talking about this?” You ask yourself.

Within a few weeks, you’re an expert on the subject. You have even told friends and family, who thought you were crazy in the beginning, but when it hasn’t rained for a couple of weeks, they get a little worried.

Now they too do some research and see there are hundreds of videos all over the internet talking about the same topic.

Molehill to Mountain

This is a story I just made up, but I’m sure you get the idea. One little bit of fear turned into a lot of fear, but not only that, you started to deal that fear to others.

And they, in turn, went on to deal that fear to more people.

With current events, there are 1000s of different stories like this all over the internet. People in their fearful states have created stories of what THEY think is happening. Whether they are right or wrong is not the point, the point is they are dealing fear.

And when you are getting fear from the mainstream news, fear from your friends and family, fear from social media. It will wear you down over time.

I have no way of knowing what position you are in at this time, but I know that you must keep focusing on the positives in your life. Having the faith that everything will work out for the best. A quote that sums up what I’m trying to say here is from Helen Keller, who said, “I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet”.

We have to be thankful for what we have. We have to be faithful, stay informed yes, but don’t get caught up in what some random person or persons is saying on the internet.

The truth is, no one knows what the future holds, except God.

What this crisis has highlighted for me, is just how much we have taken for granted, for far too long. Materialism had all but taken over.

Everyone wanted the latest fashion, cars, smartphones without questioning what maintaining that lifestyle is doing to the planet.

Yes, it is sad what has happened, but is it not sadder that it took an event like this to make people connect with what really matters in life — food family and shelter?

Thanks for reading. 🙂

My book Live Life Without Fear is currently on free promotion on Amazon TODAY! To download simply click on image below.

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Turn A Negative Into a Positive

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Now is a difficult time for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you own a business, are an employee, unemployed, a student, a child or even in retirement. Current events are affecting us all.

Now more than ever, we need to have faith that everything will work out.

If you are doubtful, I completely understand, but history is a great predictor of future events.

In world war 2, millions of Jews were murdered in Germany by Hitler. We can only imagine the fear the Jewish people in Europe felt at that time. I’m sure they probably felt like there was no hope for the future.

Fast forward to 2020, and the Jewish people are the most powerful people on the planet. They are by far the richest and the most influential in every area of business, finance, music and arts.

So if you are fearful at this time, know that the future will be better, for all of us.

Humanity will learn from this. We will value our freedom so much more; we will appreciate our family and friends more, putting greater value on our health and our jobs.

As you are probably fully aware, walking into supermarkets and crowded spaces now involve wearing a face covering, so I had an idea of turning a negative into a positive. So, working with a graphic designer, I have designed a face covering to send a message of faith to others.

They are made and delivered by a company called Redbubble. All masks are sold at cost. (10% off available when you sign up the Redbubble.)

Click on image for further details.

Thanks.

The Only Thing That Can Stop You From Fulfilling Your Destiny?

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Recently I was watching an old western. There was a man in prison, he was going to get hanged the following day, and he was praying hard.

I’m sure I would be too.. if I was in that position. 

Anyways, when he finally settled and accepted his fate, the guard fell asleep. The camera zoomed in on the table, and there were the keys. The man paced up and down his cell without speaking, but you knew what was going through his mind.

“How can I get the keys, and get out of here?”

He looked up to the heavens for a few seconds, and when he lowered his head, he swiftly put a plan into place, taking the sheet off his bed and swirling it around until it formed a long thick type rope—proceeding to use the sheet to try to get the keys off the table. After several attempts, the keys fell on the floor… almost waking the guard.

Who to the relief of the prisoner went back to sleep.

He kept looking up at the clock, showing ten minutes to 12, which didn’t make much sense at first but then the film cut to the replacement guard drinking in the local saloon also looking at the clock on the wall.

It became clear the change over happened at midnight.

When the film cut back, the prisoner’s face was covered in sweat knowing that the guard was coming soon, and his chance to escape would be gone.

Within a few minutes, he got the keys and opened the cell door. Cleverly, he put the sheet back on the bed, using the pillow and blanket to make it look like he was sleeping.

He locked the cell door behind him, quietly leaving the keys on the table, and ran out the back entrance into the night.

When the replacement guard came on duty, with the dimly lit cell, it looked like the prisoner was asleep. So the guard put his feet up, tilted his hat over his face and relaxed.

They didn’t notice the prisoner gone until the morning. The prisoner got a great start on them, but soon there was a price on his head, $1000 dead or alive.

Now, no matter where he went, he lived with the fear of being caught. So even though he had escaped from prison, he was still in the prison of fear.

The film reminded me of the current situation in the world. Most of the world is free, but they still live in the prison of fear. Living unhappy as they never fulfil their dreams.

The Only Thing That Can Stop Your Divine Destiny is Fear— As fear stops the natural unfoldment of life

Until we get rid of all the negative chatter going on in our heads, we will always be a prisoner of fear. Fear will keep gnawing away at our faith.

However, a true believer believes that God is in control, and their destiny is laid out for them. There is no need to worry. There is no need to doubt. If something is destined to happen, it will happen. No amount of worry or doubt will change that fact.

When you’re in the grips of fear and not facing the world with faith, it’s like taking a plant and putting it in a dark room. If you leave the plant there for too long, it will die.

When you live in constant states of worry, doubt and fear, you won’t die, but without divine light, your spirit will get weaker and weaker until fear has complete control. Meaning you will live a very limited life.

If you’re feeling fear at this time, that is perfectly natural, but please don’t feed that fear by watching more news, or reading more stories on social media.

Instead, can I encourage you to take your mind back into faith?

Now there are many ways to do this, praying daily, reading from scripture, taking walks, connecting with the great power of mother nature.

Now, don’t get the wrong idea, you have to be careful, and take all recommended precautions, wear a mask on public transport, wash your hands regularly, limit travel to essential journeys. But please don’t let fear stop you from living your life.

Move forward with expectancy that all will be ok. You might not realise it, but your faith will instil faith into the people around you.

Be a leader for your family, a leader for your friends, and a leader to your children.

Don’t be a prisoner of fear; walk forward in faith and fulfil your destiny.

Can Faith Really Help?

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Many haven’t got the time to even think about faith, and to be honest; I don’t blame them. This year has been one of the craziest that I can recall.

So where do we go from here?

Do we just hide in our homes and wait for our governments to sort everything out for us? Or do we take it upon ourselves to actively pick up the pieces left by hurricane Corona and start to rebuild?

Maybe its because I’m Irish, but I have a fighting spirit. I’m not used to lying underthings. No matter what happens to me, I get back up and try again.

It’s the only way I know. And it’s impossible to do that if you are in the grips of fear.

You need faith.

So where does that faith come from?

Well, the first step in strengthening your faith is cutting off all sources of fear. Now fear can come in many forms, the main ones, of course, are mainstream news and social media, but I have talked about them already at length.

You might not think that your relative or friend that gives you the latest news each day on the coronavirus is negative, but it is. Over time that negativity will affect you.

Negative news is such a good conversation starter. But all negativity does is hold you back.

If you are looking for the energy and faith to move forward, then the first step is to minimise your time with negative people. Something that I’ve had to do this year. Otherwise, negative thoughts will creep in, thoughts of doubt, and worry, which can quickly lead to fear.

Fear then leads to anxiety.

Anxiety can lead to depression…

and the cycle continues.

To break that negative cycle, we must connect with God daily. That could happen through reading, praying, or by simply having a walk in nature— something that breaks the negative, depressive narrative that seems to be all around us.

Something that reminds us of the fact that we are not in control, the governments are not in control; the coronavirus is not in control.

God is in control.

The only control we have is over ourselves.

We have to be the voice of faith, confidence, positivity that we want to hear. That, in turn, will inspire the people around us to be more positive and optimistic.

And if each of us does that, then the world would become more positive, faithful and optimistic.

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How To Activate A Flow State And Lessen the Feelings Of Anxiety At This Time

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calm

Like most people, the last few weeks have been an anxious time for me. I’ve never been a person that can take too much negativity.

A friend recommended that I check out some content by Jason Silva. He is best known for hosting National Geographic documentaries: Brain Games and Origins.

Jason talks a lot about the flow state.

A state of peace, where you are relaxed and think clearly. Able to perform at your highest level. I found his thoughts and views exciting and very entertaining.

For him, he goes into flow state whenever he goes walking in nature. I gave it a go but felt no real change.

Thinking of a way to get my 30 minutes of exercise each day, I decided to go for a run. It has been years since I went running, but I dug out my running gear and left it out for the next morning, so I had no excuse.

At the start of my run, my thoughts were still racing, but as I got into my second mile, my mind went calm. All the build-up of anxiety left me.

It was such a beautiful feeling. It felt like the feeling Jason described. Ideas came flowing through my mind; I saw all my current concerns through a different lens.

With such a shift in my mood, I decided to work out what had happened. Ask and you shall receive.

I remembered an article I read a few years ago about the brain and how it works. (The power of the mind has always interested me.)

The article stated that the brain takes in trillions of pieces of information from the environment every second, to help us navigate throughout the day. But when it is the same environment, day after day, the brain stores most of the information as memory.

I bet you could direct someone around your room to find something you left behind.

This memory is what allows us to drive to our local shop, for example, while on autopilot, thinking of something else.

This can become a problem, though, because when the brain doesn’t have to work processing new information, the mind takes over and starts to overthink.

This can be good sometimes, but with current events, it can create a negative thought loop in your mind: the beginning of most mental health issues.

On my run, my brain went into overdrive. It had no time to overthink. It was given so much new information to process.

My body was activating muscles that hadn’t been used for months; my lungs and heart had to work faster. Then on top of that, the beautiful scenery, the air flowing through my hair. My feet pounding on the ground.

By the time I was 15-20 minutes in, my brain had so much to process that the negative thought loop that had been playing for weeks broke down.

I connected to my spirit, that unchanging part of me that has been with me since birth. Words don’t describe the feeling that came over me, but I would like you to feel it too.

Connecting with nature worked for me so I think it will work for you too. Learn to activate the flow state so you get ideas that will help your productivity, and general happiness.

Worry or anxiety has a way of building up almost unnoticed most of the time. One minute you’re feeling fine, the next, you have a tightness in your chest.

And if you’re not aware that anxiety can give you them feelings, you could easily get panicked—the last thing you need at a time like this.

I just wanted to share my feelings, so that it may help someone else, to navigate a way through this challenging time.

Connect with nature this weekend and see the difference it makes.

Take care and thank you! If you could leave your thoughts below. 🙂

Stop Scrolling This Is The Most Important Thing You Will Read All Day

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Falling deeper into fear during this Global Pandemic will not bring us closer to health. Nor will it make us feel safer. ⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣

On the contrary, ⁣⁣⁣⁣it will only lower our immune system, cause our body to get sick, and damage our brain’s ability to think clearly and find creative solutions.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣

Fear is the most deadly virus in the world. And under fear, there is no health, no safety, and no peace: only darkness, panic, and suffering.

Speak words of faith every day, not only to yourself but to family and friends.

DI Fear is

Its A Necessary Part Of The Process

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process

We can get impatient when it comes to Gods will for our lives. We want everything to work out on our timetable. The truth is, a great deal of time usually elapses between when God calls us and when we’ve fulfilled His will for our lives.

And until we accept that, we’re not ready to go anywhere.

We need to understand that the journey is an important part of the process. It matters to God what you become on the way to where you are going. And following Him in obedience through many unknown, trails, and difficulties is an integral and indispensable part of the preparation.

God uses the journey to teach you faith, refine your character, and equip you for greater challenges that lie ahead. In fact, if you’re in the process of seeking Gods will right now, you’re already fulfilling part of it in your life.

God said, ‘I will instruct you and teach you in the ways you should go.’

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because you don’t know all you’d like to, you’re not making progress.

Something is happening right now. Your faith is being stretched; your patience is being developed. Your doubts are being confronted and conquered, and your relationship with God is growing deeper. He always prepares us in advance for what He has planned for us.

Yes, the struggle is uncomfortable — but its a necessary part of the process.

 

Thank God for the way that He uses everything to transform you and deepen your relationship with Him.

Conquering Your Fear Of Lack

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fear 2

Why does the bible compare us to sheep? Because they are one of the most dependent creatures in the world; they must trust in the shepherd for everything they need.

And that is how God wants you to live: in dependence on him.

When you always live in fear of lack, you’re not trusting God enough. This core fear drives many of our other fears, including fear of ageing, fear of poor health and fear of losing the people we love

In its extreme form, fear of lack can lead to anxiety. It’s also one of the root causes of greed.

You can become so obsessed with insuring yourself against the possibility of not having enough, that you hoard more than you’ll ever need.

It can drive you to become a workaholic so that neither you nor your children will ever experience discomfort, inconvenience, and helplessness. And like all fears, it’s based on an erroneous belief about God — in particular, His ability and willingness to take care of you.

“The Lord is my shepherd (to feed, guide, and shield me); I shall not lack.” Stop living as though you don’t believe what God has promised you! A good strategy is to learn the promises, understand the conditional ones, meet the conditions, and rest in his love and faithfulness.

This doesn’t mean you sit idly by and wait for God to do what He has given you the ability to do. You must do the natural things, and trust Him for the supernatural ones.

When Things Don’t Work Out As You Plan

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sometimesThe world isn’t going to devote itself to making us happy, and only when we accept that can we begin can move forward. Much of the time life doesn’t work out the way we plan.

Paul wrote, “Whenever a journey to Spain, I shall come to you.” But he never got to Spain; instead, he landed in prison. But it was from there he wrote the epistles. So, your disappointment may turn out to be God’s appointment!

The Bible says, ”In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps” (Proverbs 16:9 NIV 1984 Edition).

Aren’t you glad God is in control of your life? Let the philosophers argue over why life works as it does; just you focus on how to live it!

If you live to be a hundred, what good is it if resentment and regret keep you from enjoying it? And what good is more time, if you’re just wasting the time you’ve got?

Do you know how an oyster makes a pearl? When a grain of sand gets into it shell and irritates it, the oyster wraps the sand in layers of beauty until a pearl is formed.

An unknown poet wrote, “This tale has a moral, for isn’t it grand, what an oyster can do with a morsel of sand? What couldn’t I do if I’d only begin, with all of the things that get under my skin?”

God is at work in what you’re going through today — for your good and His glory. All you need to do is trust him.

Enjoy your week.