Salvation Strength

This morning had an unexpected realization.   Jeff posted on his Facebook wall a little video about revisiting your why's and how he would keep a notebook to keep him on track of why it's important for him to stay on track with his fitness goals.   That was a good reminder for me to do the same. I’ve been getting ahead of myself lately in the mornings and starting my day with “business” instead of starting each day in Scripture. This morning I got really carried away in my own workings and in my own doing and did not take the time I need to devote to myself.   I honestly found myself getting really busy with answering messages, making posts and getting pulled in several directions before grounding myself in God’s word. Unfortunately, for me, this process does not work for me.   In the long run, I find myself drifting further and further way from God when I do this and along with that comes a lot of anxiety, doubt and fear. I noticed this happening this morning as I w...

This morning I woke up very anxious and feeling very disoriented in my thoughts.   I was feeling rushed, upset, a little bit of anger and resentment that I hadn't reached my goals that I wanted to hit so far this year.   I started to question God and ask Him why I was still struggling… And so I just felt myself being really pulled apart. So with today's prayer, I went to God and I asked for again, to be filled with His Will and His wisdom to just enter my heart.   I asked for Him to simply show me His word today and after doing so I was reminded to reign in my impulses before I plunge into the day's activity. A great athlete takes time to prepare himself mentally for the feet ahead of him before he moves a muscle. Your time of being still in my presence equips you for the day ahead of you.   So today I'm simply, reminded to start every day with God… Start every day with His word…   Start every day in prayer and put God first and foremost, in the center of my day...

This morning as I went to God in prayer. I gave him thanks and I feel so rejuvenated and excited for my business.   Because I see a clear direction in what I'm doing. I have a strategy in place now and things are moving along where I thought before I was being held back.   You see I came to a crossroads in my business where I didn't want to be the fitness guy.   I didn't want to be just a personal trainer.   I just felt like being a personal trainer or just being this fitness guy was kind of lowly for me.   And what I've realized is that I was being filled with self doubt and with this negative perception of what a trainer is supposed to be. I had this perception that it's like some 20 year old guys starting point, you know trying to make it through college or whatever right?   Like that was my opinion of it.   And so what I realized was, as I'm working on the Salvation Strength program and I'm picking up new clients... I'm leading the way with God at ...

Talk about fire hose to my thirsty mouth   This morning I woke with lots of energy and ready to tackle my day.   However, I broke my own rule of staying off my phone until I took care of me first and found myself getting busy and ahead of myself.   After pausing to connect with God, I got this message... In a world of Self Help books and taking care of number one... Making oneself the center of all things... I have been called upon to rely on and depend on God for all things.   True confidence comes from knowing I am complete in his presence.   Even in my coaching, I teach people like you to look within and find that self centering answer... But today I realized that that message was wrong.    So starting today I'll make the shift in my message to be an example of God's word who works within us and it's God who makes all things possible.   I am not self made.   I am God made. John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in ...

Two things have kept me in the fight when everything was against me, including my own personal beliefs and victim mindset. One was God who I know for a fact never left my side. Yesterday I came across this verse that left me a little astounded when I read it: James 1: 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. And the other was my Strength and Fitness You see, I often coach my clients t...

If you’re anything like me, you possibly struggle with anxiety on a daily basis and you may find yourself using unhealthy methods such as drug or alcohol abuse, over eating or under eating, avoidance of responsibilities and other self destructive methods to cope with it. For obvious reasons, these choices are not the best approach and are actually doing you more harm than good? But the vicious cycle continues so what it one to do? Consider these strategies: 1. Deep breathing exercises. Many of us use our chests to breathe rather than the diaphragm, which is a large muscle found in your abdomen. When you breathe in, your stomach should expand and then contract when you breathe out. Breathing with only your chest will cause you to have short and shallow breaths that can cause increased stress and anxiety. 2. Progressive muscle relaxation. This technique involves tensing your muscles and then relaxing them one at a time. When you do this you’re teaching your muscles that when you’re str...

 This morning I woke up full of anxiety once again as I have so much to accomplish on my to do list. The thoughts of taking care of myself, my work and the people who depend on me today were crippling my ability to think straight. Plus, for the past few days I have been dog sitting for one of our gym members and T (the dog) was immediately demanding my attention from the very start this morning. Being filled with this kind of anxiety and responsibility caused me to stay in bed rather than get up at my normal time. But, there is work to be done so Action > Anxiety - I forced myself to get up and get started with a couple of small wins that I do each day. Get up, get dressed, brush your teeth, drink your water .... this is stuff I literally had to tell myself to do just to check it off as a win for the morning but these small steps helped me get out the door. My morning walk with T was more chaotic for me than it was peaceful (I count on my walks to gather my thoughts and prepare ...

Them: Dude... What's that you have tattooed on your arm? Me: My favorite Bible Verse Them: Why??? I'll tell you why... It was Isaiah 12:2 that I would refer to often in my darkest moments and I would meditate on it frequently. As I would be in my thoughts I would ask... How was God my Salvation? Did He mean just the afterlife or here on Earth as well? If on Earth, why was I still suffering? Do I truly trust Him? If so, What am I afraid of? Do I need to be afraid? Why am I afraid? Why am I angry? Why do I feel so weak? Aren't I a Strong Man? Why do I keep making the same mistakes? It was when I started asking this one more powerful question... If I truly BELIEVE that God is My Salvation and my Strength... Why do I try to keep on doubting Him instead of TRUSTING Him with all my heart? ... That I Finally learned to TRUST in His Word completely, not just read and meditate on it for comfort, convenience or even understanding. Once I did that, things started moving forward just a...

 This morning I walked into the gym to find a few things out of order. Clamps and miscellaneous items were left out on the gym floor which weren't enough to bother me but what did set me off was finding a bathroom water faucet left on full blast.  Since I came in around 5am this morning, I am pretty sure I'm the first one in today which means someone left the water running overnight.  All I see is $$$ going right down the drain. Luckily, there was no water spill over onto the floor or any mess to clean up. As I went to God today, I was filled with high anxiety, frustration and anger - I should just close the gym were my first initial thoughts and reactions. However, once I brought my matters to the Lord, I was reminded that all I really need is God and His promise of Salvation. Nothing else really matters. (<--- read this again and again and again until it sinks in "pun intended) Everything I own or seek to posses are merely blessings but none of them are anything grea...

Today I am reminded that God is in control of everything and I don't need to separate activities to God's list and to my own list. With this insight, I can relax in the Lord and give Him every opportunity to work His will and His way into every fabric of my life. Yes, I need to do my due diligence and continue to work but it all starts with letting go of control and trusting in God's abundance and His outcome. I'll continue to seek His word, His wisdom and His will each day before I get caught up in my responsibilities, duties, tasks and commitments for the day. Psalm 37:3-6

 Today I am reminded that God knows of my struggles and the uphill battle that I've been engaged in for so long.  He also reminded me that complaining won't do anything about it. With that said, today I am going to focus on one thing and one thing only... Whenever I am getting down and out on myself, it's usually because I am thinking about me, my situations, my problems, what I want... Instead, I should be focused on God's message, His promise, His work... For if I am truly doing God's work, following His will and His way... Why would He allow me to fail? It isn't about me... It's all about God and how He uses me to help others... Period

So many times in my life I would attempt to do things for the wrong reasons. Instead of focusing on the things that were important to me and lined up with my own core values and desires I would fall into the opinions and approval of the world that would leave me: Scared Unworthy   Broken   Frustrated   Weak And Miserable   But as soon as I started living life on my own terms and focused on personal growth and self development that was important to me instead of the influence of others I became a man of: Higher Status   More Fit Confident Happier   Stronger Physically, Mentally, Spiritually and Emotionally   Empowered to do and be more And Unshakable In My Core Beliefs and Values   If you are always seeking the approval of others, whether that means another Like on FB and IG or needing someone to validate your feelings and activities I guarantee you'll continue to struggle with negative self worth and never feel Good Enough, even if you are truly w...