Tag: overcoming fear

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

How To Conquer Your Fears And Reclaim Your True Power

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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.

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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

faith

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.

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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.

EnterthekingdomofGod

I’m Not Afraid of Flying… I’m Just Afraid of Crashing”

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full_sky_plane_bunny_dribbble_loop_gif_ronaldo_serrano_art_character

“I’m not afraid of flying,” my friend said as I gave him a lift to the airport, “im just fearful of crashing.” He did look genuinely nervous about the prospect of being hurdled through the sky at 500 miles per hour in a tin tube loaded with highly explosive aviation fuel.

And he’s not alone. Many people like him are afraid of flying, but my friend was more likely to die while he was getting ready for the airport.

Some people won’t get on a plane even though there’s only a 1 in an 11 million chance of something happening on that flight, which works out to be the same odds as falling and hitting your head while standing on one leg getting the other leg into your trousers. And people feel perfectly safe while getting dressed in the morning.

How often do you see someone dressed in his or her underwear in the queue for passport control? Rarely..lol

While on holiday my friend wanted to go scuba diving, I reluctantly agreed to go with him, even though I don’t like getting into the sea. So when it turned out that we couldn’t go out that day I was so relieved.

There is only a small chance of seeing a shark never mind being attack by one. Those are the cold hard facts, but we’re rarely led by the cold hard facts but by our emotional response to them.

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Fear drives us in the wrong direction; it leads us to places where we can become intolerant, paranoid and self-absorbed.

For example, let say that someone hears that there is a high number of conmen tricking people out of money on their doorstep. The next time the doorbell rings fear can take a grip.

The stranger is viewed as a threat, and the door remains closed. If fear is allowed to continue to rule then soon enough neighbours and casual acquaintances are treated with a certain amount of coldness and observation.

Fear is corrosive, self-destructive and ultimately no way to live our lives. The Bible says that perfect love drives out fear, and religion shouldn’t be a source of fear and anxiety, but unfortunately, it sometimes is.

Instead, religion should foster acceptance and tolerance within people. In other words, it should be led by love, not driven by fear.

We all should be inspired by love to look favourably towards the future and not always over our shoulder at the past, and maybe then our fear of crashing would be replaced by a love of flying.

Enjoy your weekend.
Rev J Martin

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.

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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. 🙂