Tag: self development

How To Deal With Criticism

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Criticism-6

2 Timothy 2:3 NKJV
Endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

There are two types of criticism: constructive criticism and destructive criticism. One builds you up the other tears you down. Be wise in how you respond to unfounded criticism and gossip.

When your critic wants to remain anonymous, they’re not worthy of your response.

The story told of a pastor who received a letter that contained one word — FOOL! Next Sunday he held it up and said to the congregation, I received the strangest letter this past week. He read the one-word text and said, ‘Somebody wrote it and forgot to sign it!

You say, but they are attempting to hurt my reputation. D.L. Moody said, if I take care of my character, God will take care of my reputation’ (see Isaiah 54:17) Any time you’re involved in a worthy cause, people will not only try to beat you down, but keep you down.

In training Timothy for ministry, Paul told him ‘endure hardship like a good soldier of Jesus Christ’.

Difficult people are placed in our path not to defeat us, but to develop us. Leaders know this, so they stay and finish the job regardless of the cost. Just like the captain goes down with the ship, the true leader stays until the work is done.

You say, ‘Then how should I respond? By praying for them! Jesus said, ‘Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you…and you will be sons of the Most-High’ (Luke 6:28, 35 NKJV).

Enjoy your week.

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7 Things You Should Give Up If You Want to Be Happy

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Let’s face it; we all want to be happy. If you didn’t want to be happy you wouldn’t be reading this.

If you want to be happy you don’t need to add more things to your life — you need to give some up.

Here is a list of things that you need to give up to create more happiness in your life.

 

Give Up on Your Fears

We are born with only two innate fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud sounds. All other fears we learn from our environment.

Some of us have a fear of snakes. Some of us have a fear of heights, others flying. We all have some kind of fear, but the fears that hold us back the most are the fears that stop is from doing what we want.

You want to change jobs, but fear of the uncertainty that brings keeps you where you are.

You want to attend the evening class, but the fear of what others will think stops you.

Unfortunately, fear and happiness can’t exist at the same time. So, fear becomes a problem.

The best way to give up your fears is to take small steps towards what you fear. If you fear to change jobs, it doesn’t stop you from doing out an up-to-date CV/Resume. It doesn’t stop you from looking for an available position or even applying. It doesn’t even stop you from attending the interview, as you can always decline if you get accepted.

Most people let fear stop them from even taking the first step, which could be as simple as making a phone call or sending an email.

When you take the first step to do the thing you fear you will start to believe that you can take the next step, and the next. Your faith grows, and you will be happier that you are moving towards the life you most desire.

 

Give Up on Your Negative Self-talk

I am my own worst critic. I have a constant conversation going on in my head telling me, “I will never be successful.” When I forget things, it tells me that, “I am such an idiot.”

Negative self-talk leads to poor self-confidence, low self-esteem, and a bad attitude.

Some of the most common forms of negative self-talk include:
• Filtering — when you increase the negative and decrease the positive things in your life.
• Personalising — when you blame yourself for things that go wrong.
• Polarizing — when you only see things as black and white.
• Catastrophizing — when you expect the worst in every situation.

If you want to be happy, you need to get rid of your negative self-talk. Pay attention to your negative self-talk and when you hear it….Stop!

Change your thinking and turn your negative thought into a positive. Change, “I will never be successful” to “I will find a way to make this work.”
“I can’t” to “I will learn.”
“It’s impossible” to “I will give it a try.”

You can change the way you talk about yourself. It will not happen overnight, it will take time, but you can do it. Like scratching a DVD over and over, eventually, the negative thoughts will no longer play.

Learn to be kind, gentle, and encouraging to yourself. Start by not saying anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to your best friend. Example, If a friend had a chance for a promotion you wouldn’t tell them not to apply because they’ll probably not get it.

 

Give Up on Your Past

“Just because someone screwed up your past, it doesn’t mean you should give them permission to screw up your future.” — Zig Ziglar

We all have a past. It can be filled with good experiences, or it can be filled with negative experiences. If you don’t want your future to look like your past, you have to let go of the baggage that is holding you back.

You have to let go of the people who have held you back, or hurt you. Forgive them, and move on. Once you do that, a huge weight will lift off your shoulders; you will immediately feel lighter.

You will finally be able to let yourself be happy.

I know how hard it can be to let go of the past. Your past shaped who you are today. But remember, the people that hurt you would like nothing better than to know that their actions are still affecting you.

Let them go; they are not worth wasting your time and energy on any more.

Decide either to let the baggage of your past weigh you down or to let it go, so that you can be happy now.

Don’t forget that life is a journey, and not a destination. So, don’t carry the baggage of your past with you. Lighten your load and be a happier traveller.

When you look back, you will be glad that you did.

Give Up on Living Other People’s Dreams

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why.” — Mark Twain

Too many people spend their lives living other people’s dreams. They are living the dreams of their parents, or the dreams of their friends, or the dreams of their social media following. Doing what others are doing.

They are so busy trying to live up to other people’s dreams, that they dismiss their dreams. Thinking they are insignificant.

If you don’t focus on your ambitions and dreams, then you will not be happy. You will never know what you want or need because you will be looking for direction from others.

You only have one life, and you must live it on your terms. Quit living other people’s dreams and find what makes you happy.

Give Up on Seeking the Approval of Others

We all want to be liked, but too many of us are living our lives based on the approval of others. We spend our lives trying to please others by living up to their expectations.

For most of my life I would try to impress others, but the older I got, the more I learnt. You will never please everyone, and even if you do it will not make you happy.

So, permit yourself to stop trying to please others. It doesn’t work.

Instead, focus on what makes you happy.

The second that you decide to be yourself, and to stop trying to please others, you will find that the right people will be drawn to you.

 

Give Up Comparing Yourself to Others

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

There will always be someone smarter, better looking, and more successful than you. Always. You can never win.

So, quit comparing yourself to others. It will not make you happy. Instead, focus on your strengths, the things that make you a remarkable individual.

The day you stop comparing yourself to others is the day that you will become much happier.

 

Give Up Negative People

You cannot expect to live a positive life if you spend time with negative people.They are the people that complain all the time, and run others down.

Negative people will manipulate you to get what they want. And if they don’t get it, they will get angry or upset at you.

You know who they are. Why are you spending time with them? Why are you allowing them to steal your happiness?

If you spend your time with negative and unhappy people, you will become negative and unhappy. If you spend your time with positive and happy people, you have a higher probability of becoming positive and happy. It’s not hard, but we like to make it so.

Happy people know that who they surround themselves with can mean the difference between a happy life and a miserable one.

Stop wasting your time with negative and unhappy people. Get rid of them. It may be difficult in the beginning, but you will be happy that you did.

 

Conclusion

We all get what we tolerate. So, stop tolerating excuses within yourself, stop tolerating limiting beliefs, or fearful states.

Happiness is a choice.

You are in control of your happiness. Every day you get to choose to be happy or not.

Quit making excuses. Quit blaming others. Quit blaming your circumstances. It’s time to take responsibility for your happiness.

You all have gifts and abilities, its time to share them with the world to make it a better place for all.

Enjoy your week.

Don’t Panic, Overcome Anxiety, & Live a Better Life

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Chances are you have one or more devices within arm’s reach.

Don’t worry you’re not alone!

71% of Americans sleep with, or next to their smartphone according to Bank America research.

We live in a 4+ screen world. We’ve got smartphones, tablets, computers, televisions and e-readers.

Depending on your age, location or lifestyle, the number of screens you view in a day can increase, especially in cities. Other displays include gaming devices, car-related devices or out-of-home screens.

In case we’re unable to stop and look, we’ve also got Siri and Alexa our virtual assistants ready to answer our voice commands.

What’s now possible with technology is impressive.” With resources like YouTube, you can learn how to do almost anything for free.

We live in a world where we can do anything, yet over 90% of people are working jobs they dislike and are unhappy.

2019 is possibly the best time in history yet stress, depression and anxiety are at an all-time high.

The solution? The solution is action.

We must take action.

Action-is-the-foundational-key-to-all-success-Pablo-Picasso

A few years ago I had terrible anxiety, that got so bad at one point that I thought I would lose my mind. My body was in constant panic mode; several times throughout the day I had mild panic attacks.

My doctor told me, to exercise as much as I could, as it released chemicals that would calm the body. Not to drink caffeine; so I would have a better sleep. And, to read; as it would help focus my mind on something else.

Did I follow his advice?

For a couple of days, yes, but I stopped as I didn’t see instant results.

Looking back now it makes perfect sense that what the doctor suggested would have helped, but at that moment I wanted an instant fix.

I prayed for a solution, the solution came, but I didn’t listen. I kept looking for other ways online and in books.

Then I came across ETF tapping.

Tapping for anyone that has never heard about it before is a combination of ancient Chinese acupressure and Modern Psychology that works to physically alter your brain, energy system and body all at once.

It seemed to cure a lot of people.

But again, when I didn’t see instant results, my search continued. Then one day a friend suggested the great results they had obtained from tapping. So I decided to give it another go.

The moment that I focused 100% on tapping is the moment that things started to change. The first few days I did not see much difference, but within a couple of weeks, I frequently went many days without feeling anxious at all.

Then it was gone.

Not until I took action did I see results.

Your Destiny Awaits

Having so much information at our fingertips can be as much a hindrance as a blessing if we don’t take action.

With me, it was overcoming anxiety. With you, it could be something more positive like setting up a website for your business, or doing a course on photography or graphic design.

There are countless things that we can learn and do online to improve our lives, Udemy is an excellent resource, but we need to be aware of the content that we consume.

Over 80% of people spend 4-6 hours a day scrolling through apps.

Don’t get me wrong, connecting with friends and family is fantastic but if you are not happy with your life, then all that time scrolling is wasted.

We all have 24 hours a day, its what you do with it that counts.

Almost every piece of information ever created is on Google. There is no longer any excuse for working jobs you don’t enjoy for 40 years.

Its time to stand up and decide how you can add value to others.

Whatever you want to do, no matter how big the dream now with the internet everything is available to make your dream a reality. Forums tutorials and support is just a few clicks away.

But you must take action.

Take a step of faith today. I believe in you. You have great value to add to this world.

Contact

If you have been affected by this story in any way below are a couple of numbers that you can call and speak in confidence. During my worst times, I used these services many times so I know they can help with recovery.

In the U.S., for support, Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress. For a prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, call 1-800-273-8255 or go to https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org

In the UK, for confidential support call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or see http://www.samaritans.org

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.

dark street gif.gif

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.

heart-scribble

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

Be yourself?

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be Yourself-1024x683

You probably heard this a thousand times. What does it actually mean?

This question has had me confused for most of my life. I think I get it, but then I lose it again. No one could be harder on me, than me.

I have my moments where I am at peace, but most of the time I am striving to be the person that I think I need to be, never happy with where I am.

Does being yourself actually mean being happy with who you are, focusing all your awareness on what makes you unique. Embracing what makes you, YOU.

I guess it does.

Yes, everything is not the way I want, but will it ever be? I guess being yourself means connecting with the part of you that never changes.

Appearances may change, but the spirit within remains the same.

With the world at my fingertips, It’s so easy to lose focus of who I am.

In the peace and silence, my want to be more subsides.

bee yourself

The Crossroads of Should and Must?

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There are two paths in life: Should and Must. We arrive at this crossroads over and over again. And each time, we get to choose.

Should is how others want us to show up in the world — how we’re supposed to think, what we ought to say, what we should or shouldn’t do. It’s the vast array of expectations that others layer upon us.

When we choose Should the journey is smooth, the risk is small.

Must is different—there aren’t options, and we don’t have a choice.

Must is who we are, what we believe, and what we do when we are alone with our truest, most authentic self; it’s God calling us to take action to fulfil our destiny.

Must is what happens when we stop conforming to other people’s ideals and start connecting to our own. Because when we choose Must, we are no longer looking for inspiration out there. Instead, we are listening to our true calling from within, deep within our soul.

Must is the reason that I am writing this post today, the rest of the days I was saying I should write a post. Simple words, but incredibly powerful how they can shape your life.

But if Must is so great, why do we not pick it every day?

Well, it turns out that choosing Must is scary, it’s hard, and can feel a lot like jumping off a high cliff when you can’t see what’s down below.

Must is taking that leap of faith. Must means action.

Grab a piece of paper and write the numbers one through ten on the left side of the page. At the top, title it “What I should do?” This is the things that you have been meaning to do, but for one reason or another have been putting off.

You’ve got ten minutes to write them down.

Go.

list list list

Welcome back.

These are the ten things that are holding you back from living the life that you were destined to live. Ultimately, it’s fear that is stopping you, but you may never admit it.

You may list many excuses; I’m not talented enough yet, I’m not confident enough, I haven’t got the money. I’m too fat, too thin.

Line by line, walk yourself through each one, have a conversation about all of your fears. These are the biggest obstacles standing in your way.

Fear will never go away unless you face it.

Sometimes our greatest fear is that we will achieve great things. There is a famous quote— below.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frighten us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Marianne Williamson. Author, Lecturer

 

You have something special inside of you, and it’s about time you gave your best shot; honor that calling in some small way — today.

Now go back to your list, and stroke out the word should at the top, and write in the word Must; WHAT I MUST DO. Choosing Must needs to be a daily practice, a recurring choice for you to see progress in your life.

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If you feel a knot in your stomach because you can see the enormous distance between your dreams and your daily reality, take one small step towards it by doing something — today. It could be as simple as checking what options are available or making a call.

If you’ve been peering out over the edge of the cliff but can’t quite make the leap, dig a little deeper and find out what’s stopping you — today.

There is a recurring choice in life, and it occurs at the intersection of two roads. We arrive at this place again and again. And today, you get to choose.

Take the word ‘should’ out of your vocabulary; it is such a dangerous word for making a change in your life. I should eat healthy— maybe tomorrow. I should speak up for myself— will it really make a difference? I should look for a new job— I might be unhappy here but at least I can do my job with my eyes closed.

I’m sure you have some of your own, so how do you make the change?

From today change all the should’s to musts; if you find yourself saying should— change it to must.

I must eat healthier, so I have the energy to go for the adventures that I love.

I must speak up for myself, what I have to say matters and is the truth.

I must get a new job; I need a new experience; I want to grow in my personal and spiritual life.

When you make the decision that you MUST do something your mind kicks into action, listing the series of steps that need to be completed. Should is almost an excuse that we use to put things off.

Change a should to a must today; give birth to a chain of events that could change someone’s life.

Have a fantastic week, and remember God only wants the best for you, which means living a life without fear.

 

Rev J Martin

Power Of Words

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YES I CAN

Words have a great impact on your world. They inform you, educate you and have the power to make you buy one product over the next.

What if you could harness this power.

I have already written a short book on the subject but would like to expand on the topic today as over the last week it has come to my attention that we all need a reminder from time to time.

I know a man that says, I always seem to miss the bus, or it is pulling away as I arrive. His daughter, on the other hand, says, I always seem to arrive just before the bus comes or when it is pulling into the station.

Each of them has made a separate law for themselves. One for success and one for failure.

This is a simple example that may lead to missing a plane from time to time, but often people through their words create many limiting laws for themselves, restricting what they can achieve in life.

I never remember.

I can’t learn anything new.

I don’t have the time to read.

I haven’t got enough education to do that.

If you say any of these things or anything similar you are not alone. It is estimated that by the time a child is 18 years old, it has been told that they can’t or don’t do that, 147000 times.

It is not surprising then as adults we take a negative view on life; avoiding trying anything new. The good news is you can change it all today by harnessing the power of your words.

When faced with a new task or challenge; turn I never, I can’t; I don’t, I haven’t, too – I always, I can, I will, I have.

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Do not be fooled my the simplicity of changing these words. Simple changes like this in your language can have a massive impact on your life and those around you.

Now changing language is only the first step, you must then put in the ground work of speaking these words of faith regularly; it will change your outlook, which in turn will change your life.

First Steps

This week, make a conscious effort to monitor whenever you say something negative about yourself or towards another; at the end of the week, you will have a list of the words or phrases that may be limiting your life or damaging your relationships.

The next step is to speak the opposite purposely. Example: I will never learn this, too, With practice, I will learn this

Many things we say have almost become a habit, they just roll off the tongue without thought. To break any habit at first may be hard but the fruits of your efforts will be very rewarding.

If you have the habit of saying, I haven’t got the time, make the time. As you would not miss a doctor’s appointment, set an appointment for yourself – to visit an old friend, to read a book or attend the gym.

James 3:2
If anyone can control his tongue, it proves that he has perfect control over himself in every other way.

Thanks for reading, enjoy your Sunday and week ahead.

Rev J Martin

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Eliminate Your Fear And Live the Life You Want

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Recently I seen a movie called, Joe and the Volcano. It starred Tom Hanks very early in his career. For those of you that have not seen the film, Tom plays the character, Joe.

Joe does not enjoy his life; he does the same old thing every day in a dead end job; he is miserable, and sees no way out. He had lost all faith in himself and life.

Joe knew he was capable of doing more, but he had given up on himself. We can all identify with this in some way. As he was miserable with his life, he was constantly sick with different ailments he would create for himself to get out of work.

One day he took the morning off to go for an appointment; the doctor seeing the pattern thought he would trick Joe. So he told him he was suffering from a new illness called a brain cloud and had only six months to live.

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Joe believed the doctor.

It worked out that there was a reason the doctor told him this, on a nearby island there was a volcano which was going to erupt soon, but if someone jumped into the volcano and sacrificed their life; all would be ok.

Joe, believing that he only had six months to live was easily convinced that he was the man to save the island.

He was given unlimited credit cards and told to enjoy himself first then he would have to sacrifice himself to the volcano. He was told to live like a king, and die like a man.

Joe’s life now had a purpose; he wanted to do it.

When people have no meaning or purpose to their lives, they will throw themselves into anything. Drink, drugs; a job that doesn’t add any value to their life; a relationship that they know is bad but they stay there anyway because they don’t value themselves enough to walk away.

Well, when the doctor told Joe that he was going to die from this brain cloud, Joe decided to live his life; all fear left him, he didn’t care anymore.

relaxin on beach

It got me thinking about my own life; did I have to be told that I was going to die to do all the things that I wanted to? It’s so easy to put things off, to say, l will visit my friends abroad next year.

We can so easily take life for granted, not realizing that each day is a gift that we must treasure.

When Joe was told, he was going to die his whole world transformed. He went straight from the doctors to work and quit. Then on the way out, he asked the girl that he had fancied for years out for dinner. He wasn’t worried about rejection or what people might say.

When Joe eventually jumped into the volcano with the girl that he fell in love with, he was thrown back out.

For me, the volcano was a symbol of fear. When Joe jumped into his fear, there was nothing there. That’s the way fear is; it looks big, but when you have the courage to turn and face it you will realize that there is nothing much to it.

Joe went from working a dead end job to travelling the world on a magical quest, simply because the fear was removed from his life when he found he had a short time to live.

If you had six months to live what would you do differently?

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Would you stay in the same job? Would you be worried about the things that you are worried about right now? Would you have the same people in your life?

This film reminded me of a book my friend lend me a couple of years ago, in that book it asked, what would you do if you had three months to live?

My answer was, I would love to write down my thoughts and inspire and motivate others.

On the next page, I got a shock, it said, you could die today, so whatever you wrote on the last page start spending as much time doing that today. So I did.

So what would you do? Well, whatever it may be, decide from today you are going to delegate your life to it.

The main reason Joe stayed in the same job as long as he did, he feared change, most people fear change. A lot of people stay in jobs that make them miserable or relationships that make them unhappy.

Sometimes to see the beauty of life, you have to be willing to change; change cities, change jobs, change relationships, change friends.

We were created to bring so much to life, not to do a job that has no meaning for us for 40 years. God created you to achieve great things, to bring love happiness and joy into the world.

If your life is not the way you want it to be; if you are not living the way that you want to live; if you are not experiencing what you want to experience, you have to ask yourself why?

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In the film when Joe quits his job he says to his boss, I sold my soul to you for $300 a week. He is not alone. Many people work jobs where it’s no longer healthy for them to be there, but because they don’t have faith in themselves and their abilities, they stay there.

They remain there as victims, volunteer victims, because no one is making them do it, they volunteer. They willingly do it.

They volunteer to hide in fear; they volunteer to believe that God gave others unlimited resources, and not them.

Our Heavenly Father asks one thing of us; that we have faith.

Having faith means to go for what you want in life. My grandmother used to say, do what makes you happy, if it means living under an old cart. The older and wiser I get the more I understand the wisdom in those words.

One day of happiness is like 1000 days in misery.

John 8:32
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

The thing about the truth is; people don’t want to hear the truth. People don’t want to hear that if they are not happy, they must change. People don’t want that sense of responsibility.

Don’t be held back in fear, rise up in faith and begin to live the life that you have always wanted to live.

I love to fly, but I also know that some of them planes are coming down quicker than they are going up. It’s dangerous for that plane to fly. You see some ships leave the harbour and sink; it’s dangerous for the ship to be on the ocean. You read about people leasing their homes, and the people that rent the house tear it up; it’s dangerous to let somebody move into your home.

Yet, the engineers will tell you that it is more dangerous for them planes to stay on the ground, that it will rust out faster than it will up in the heavens.

They say that ships will collect more barnacles in the harbour and become unseaworthy faster than they will sailing the high seas, and they say that if that house stays empty, it will deteriorate faster than if you have someone living there.

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Just like a plane was built for flying, and a ship was built for sailing, and houses were built for living in; we too were created for a purpose. We were built for accomplishment; we were engineered for success, we have been graced with the seeds of greatness that we must share with others to see the fruits of life.

The greatest danger we have as human beings is doing nothing at all.

Stop 100 young people on the street and ask them if they are happy at their work, only 5% will say they are. Follow these people until they are 65 and of those that are still living, studies have shown that only 5% will be happy with their lives.

Let today be the day that you decide to be part of that 5%.

Let today be the day that you start to plan your future, start to use the gifts and talents that God has graced you with. Do something that you have always wanted to do but have been putting off.

I wish you, your family and friends happiness health and love.

Thank you for your time.
Rev J Martin

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Free eBook to rekindle Faith

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Firstly I would like to thank you for following me, I truly appreciate your time, and I want you to know I pray for you each day.

I firmly believe that we all have been given a divine destiny; a special gift that is unique to us. Happiness and fulfilment come when we use that gift to help others; which results in making this world a better place.

Too often we step back in fear, with the attitude that we are not worthy of the new relationship, the new job, the new career. I would like you to know that you are worthy; you have a light within you that you must allow to shine into the world.

If you feel held back in fear at this present moment, my book Power of Choice – Choose faith not fear can help you rekindle your faith. It is free on Amazon until Thursday 11.59pm.

My main aim as an author is to inspire change in the lives of my readers, one verse, one story, one sentence, can be all it takes to open the door to the next level of your destiny. This is one of my daily prayers.

We all work on our fitness; doing the best that we can to keep healthy. Faith is no different, it needs constant work and maintenance.

When you see someone that never seems to get into difficulty or never seems to be stressed, this is not by chance. This person has very little fear in his or her life.

Enjoy the book; may it bring you happiness.

Link – Power Of Choice – Choose Faith Not Fear

Rev J Martin

More Happiness; Less Stress.

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I came across a book on gratitude, which has actually changed my life, and I was a very grateful person, to begin with.

We all have problems; they come to us all. Some are physical, others are emotional, and sometimes even spiritual ones arise.

We like to be in control of any change in our lives, but it doesn’t always work out that way; life evolves at an alarming rate. With all the pressure, stress and worry, we can easily get caught up in it, not seeing a way out.

“I would be very grateful if things would just work out the way I want.” Then it works out, and we are thankful for a fleeting moment.

In the book, it made reference to Matthew 13:12. “Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away.”

Many people have said to me, this passage sounds unjust, as it seems to be saying the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer. For me, Jesus is talking about knowledge of the kingdom of heaven, but gratitude fits very well.

“Whoever has gratitude will be given more, and he will have abundance. Whoever does not have gratitude, even what he has will be taken away.”

We live in a society of MORE, everyone wants MORE, they want to lose more weight, they want more holidays, they want more money, then they will be happy. In their search for more, they are missing a vital ingredient – Gratitude.

The art of being grateful for what we already have.

When you are grateful for your job, even if it’s not perfect, your view on it will change, meaning you will enjoy it more.

When you are grateful for the relationships in your life, even if some of them are not perfect, you will begin to look at the positive aspects of them, and the appreciation for them will grow.

When you are grateful for the money you have, no matter how little, you will find, this simple change of focus makes a huge difference in how rich you feel.

The flipside is when you are not grateful, you will find that you will only look at the negative things in your job, in your relationships, you will complain about the lack of money, meaning you will not even get the enjoyment out of the little you have.

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What You Focus On Grows.

It was recommended to write down 10 things each morning that you were grateful for. I thought to myself after a few days this is going to be difficult, but what I found was, during the day new ideas kept popping into my head. It became clear to me, very quickly, there was so much in my life to be grateful for.

My list started with the Internet because it is the reason I am connecting to you today. My family for giving me a solid foundation of faith. My senses so I can experience the world in all its glory. It actually alarmed me the number of things that I took for granted.

If you mentioned being thankful for your sight to anyone that has sight they would not really appreciate what you mean. Take it away from them for even an hour, and their life would come to a stand still.

Throughout the week my list started to include the simple pleasures of life, coffee, food, clothes, nature. Then I began to realise the number of people that contributed to provide service to me throughout the week. Thousands of farmers, manufacturers, packers, delivery drivers. All essential people to my survival, but all of which, until recently – I took for granted.

Happy Person That I Am

The more I was grateful, the happier I became. There was so much in my life that I took for granted; I simply did not realise how rich and successful I really was. I have absolutely no excuse to complain about anything. In today’s high standard of living, I haven’t got much, but I am still richer than half the people on this planet.

Some people might say, all this grateful stuff is not going to make my life any better, so what if I can walk, so what if I can talk, feel, hear, see, everyone can do these things? What am I gaining by being thankful for what I already have, it seems pointless?

You will find that these same people are not entirely happy; they will constantly be depressed and stressed. No matter how much money they have, they will still have a void in their life. They will spend all the money they have, maybe even more than they have, with the illusion that MORE will fill the void, but they will still be unhappy stressed and depressed. They will still say that gratitude is a waste of time.

When you think, I don’t like my job, I’m not happy in my relationship, I haven’t got enough money, my life’s a mess, I cant pay my bills, no one appreciates me, I haven’t got enough time, then you attract more of these experiences.

Learn to turn it around to:

I’m grateful for my job. I’m grateful for the relationships that make me happy; I’m thankful for the money I have, I’m grateful for my life. I’m grateful that I am able to use service’s before I need to pay for them. I’m thankful for the people that do appreciate me.

True happiness and fulfilment come from being thankful for what you already have. When you are grateful, even the smallest increase in any of these things feels like a gift.

Much of what we take for granted living in the west, people in other parts of the world dream about.

True riches come from gratitude. Try it just for today, and you will see the difference that it makes.

Have a good weekend.

Rev J Martin