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Today Matters – Today’s Faith Gives Me Peace

People respond in all sorts of ways when FAITH is introduced into any conversation. Notice some of the responses that can be offered…

• IGNORE – If people feel that something does not really apply to them they generally ignore the issue all together. People do not see the relevance!
• MISUNDERSTAND IT – John Maxwell stated that some people view faith like trying to get your hands around smoke. If that is the case perhaps faith is too mystical for them.
• DISCOUNT IT – Some people may feel that faith is for others and not me. Why bother?
• FIGHT IT – Because faith is not valued people may tend to argue the matter so that it devalues the subject in their eyes.
• DELAY IT – There are people who genuinely believe that faith is important but some other time. It seems that the someday/maybe’s rules the debate in this case.

There are four aspects about what FAITH does for each of us in everyday.

1. Faith gives us a divine perspective on each day – Everyday holds difficult things that is quite hard to grasp. Faith allows the soul to see beyond what the eyes are looking at.

• Philip Yancey stated “Faith is trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse.” (p.200)
• Have you ever heard someone or perhaps even you have said it; “I cannot fully explain it, but you have to trust me on this!” That is faith working at the soul level of life.
• When you look at life from a “heavenly” perspective, life becomes more simplified.

2. Faith gives me health today – There have been a number of medical studies that demonstrate that people who live life from a faith perspective tend to have fewer medical issues. Stress decreases and people’s overall sense of well being increases. Simply stated, your physical health, mental health and not needing medical services so often seem to have a connection to FAITH.

3. Faith gives me strength for today – S.G. Holland former Prime Minister of New Zealand stated “Faith draws poison from every grief, takes away the sting fro every loss, and quenches the fire of every pain…” (p.202)

• Where there is no faith in the future there is no power in the present.
• Faithlessness is de-energizing

4. Faith gives me resilience today – Mother Teresa stated that faith keeps the person who keeps faith.

A faith that has not been tested cannot be trusted. Victor Frankl the Viennese psychiatrist that survived Auschwitz and Dachau wrote “A weak faith is weakened by predicaments and catastrophes whereas a strong faith is strengthened by them.”

Four Simply Steps

1.Embrace the value of faith

2.Put God in the picture

3.Associate with people of faith

4.Explore and deepen your faith

LINKS

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The Today Matters by John Maxwell

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Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!