How to stay positive in a negative world

It's been a while, but back in the summer of 2022 I posted a series of videos on Youtube and Instagram entitled 'How to stay positive in a negative world'.  

Are we called to be positive amidst trouble and mayhem? Yes, I believe so. 👉We are called to be different, to shine when all is dark.

The Bible says it like this in Philippians 2:15: Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

We are called to be bright lights! It saddens me when Christians are negative and without hope. I talk with a lot of people who find it difficult to remain positive when many things seem to go wrong, whether it is the politics in their country, the economic situation, or the spiritual climate.

And yes, sometimes world events and traumatic happenings can get to our nerves; but let's go back to the Bible again and again and find encouragement.

Realizing how difficult it can be to remain hopeful, I taped 15 videos with practical tips you can start implementing today. They're just two minutes each and the messages will encourage you and lift you up. I don't have all the answers, but I realize we need to rise above our circumstances... all the time.

If you haven't seen the videos, here's the link and let me know what you think!

Year in review

I don't know about you, but I still have some trouble getting back to a healthy rhythm in writing and posting... well, in everything really.

After almost three years of great disturbances worldwide (which affected everyone and everything, no matter where you are in the discussion) I still haven't found my flow.

👉However, I always like to reflect and look back at each year, just to make sure I am still moving forward. As you can see I made an infographic of my writing and speaking efforts in 2022.

Hm, I think I am satisfied, although I have postponed and procrastinated on some of my writing goals. Well, 2023 will bring new opportunities and chances.

Writers/bloggers... Do you review your year? Are you satisfied? Any new goals or plans? Are you working on something new? I would love to hear it.

As far as my work is concerned:

WEBSITE: www.marjameijers.com

YOUTUBE: @MarjaVerschoorMeijers

PODCAST: Fresh Insights on Ancient Truths

TWITTER: @marjameijers

INSTAGRAM: Marja Verschoor-Meijers

FACEBOOK: marja.meijers

The value of Christian books

Some Christians are critical, quite critical I've noticed. Especially when it comes to judging other Christians who have some sort of ministry.

I come across critical comments about Christian authors, preachers, and musicians on social media quite often, which is pretty sad and tiring (let me know whether you agree or disagree).

👉If you don't like someone's preaching, writing, or singing... pick something else! Don't criticize the work of others, certainly not if you haven't produced anything yourself. I don't see why that is so difficult.

Personally, I 💗to listen to various teachers and preachers, and I love to read books written by believers. When I need encouragement, healing, faith, or empowerment in my own life, I read certain authors. Yes, the ones I know will lift me up and inspire me.

The other day I was contemplating the value of Christian books. We are so blessed to be able to choose from a wide variety of authors whose writing helps us in our own faith walk. I often forward books that have helped me to others. I write reviews on Goodreads and sometimes on this blog.

And yes, of course I get encouraged when I receive positive notes from people who have read my books. Whether we write, preach, pray, encourage, or make music, we minister to others. Not to everyone, but to a specific person or audience. If we would all do so, we would cover the earth with God's love.

If you are one of those who enjoys my writing, make sure to watch the promo video and the book trailer of my latest book First Love! THANKS 😀

Calling for revenge?

Love must be sincere, hate what is evil; cling to what is good (Romans 12:9).

Hate what is evil. Duh, who doesn't? Unless you're a satanist, maybe.

Of course, we hate what is evil. But the verse doesn't end there... cling to what is good.

'What is good?' you may ask, as we live in a world where there is plenty of confusion about biblical good and bad. The apostle Paul pretty much sums it up in verses 10-19 of that same chapter:

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. He goes on and on (very interesting and practical verses to read and do, by the way!) and then it comes... do not repay anyone evil for evil.

Hold on a minute here... we can't call for revenge? You gotta be kidding, right? 😕 Well, actually that's what it says. The chapter ends with verse 21:

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Easy? Nope. Possible? Yes, otherwise the Bible wouldn't call for it. It is exactly that verse I based my latest video series on. Sixteen videos (about 2 minutes each) about 'How to stay positive in a negative world'.

'Good' in Romans 12:21 doesn't necessarily mean good deeds or good works (as we may interpret it), but more like a postive quality, a moral quality. That is what the Greek word means. In other words making good quality choices on an everyday basis. When we consistently do so, we overcome evil!

👉Make sure to check out my video series on YouTube or my Instagram channel. You will love this series. The short and practical messages will encourage and inspire you!

Looking beyond restrictions

Sometimes I get the feeling that 2021 was a year of restrictions, in many ways. That may be true, if I look through a negative lens.

If I look through a positive lens instead and make my 2021 work summary, I come to the conclusion that I have done many things... when it comes to writing and speaking.

I realize that there is an enemy who always tries to make us think that we didn't do enough, that it wasn't good, that it could be better, that what we did had no impact etc. etc.

That enemy is a liar and a thief. He is harassing us, trying to steal our joy, and belittle our talents. For that reason alone I like to take inventory for myself, as proof that he has no right to speak!

• I have recorded more than two hundred videos about the Psalms and Proverbs 3 and distributed them on YouTube and Instagram TV
• I have written monthly blogs for www.ikzoekgod.nl and
• monthly columns for Opwekking Magazine
• In addition, I also wrote posts almost weekly on my English and Dutch blogs
• 
  I also wrote two feature articles for Opwekking Magazine
• Recently I also started making podcasts that you can find on Spotify under the name Fresh Insights on Ancient Truths
• I also wrote 23,000 words in my new book and
• I preached a number of times in churches and at gatherings.

All different ways to stay connected with readers and listeners and to keep spreading His Word. After all, my #oneword for 2021 was connect.

👉I don't know about you, but if you have the feeling that the year has slipped through your hands without significant highlights...

Please, take inventory and you will be amazed at what you have been able to accomplish and it will inspire you to continue, also in 2022!

New video devotions on Proverbs 3

Earlier this year I did a video series on the Psalms which I called #apsalmaday. I taped daily devotions, just two minutes each, on the psalms.

I also did a separate series on Psalms 119 consisting of 22 videos that included the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

This way of staying connected with readers, bloggers, and viewers works quite well. Especially in a time where we need all the encouragement we can get! Oh my goodness, we must help each other to stay filled with hope and faith.

So, I decided to do a new series, and well on Proverbs chapter 3. We'll be reading one verse a day and I connect it with another verse in the Bible, preferably from the New Testament. You might have a verse of your own that pops up in your mind. 👉 Let the Spirit lead you on this wisdom journey!

You can follow me on Instagram or subscribe to my YouTube channel! I hope you will.

Our viewing is too small

My previous blog 'Managing our thoughts' reached quite a few readers. Apparently, the content spoke to you.

Today I'm writing a follow-up, because it's not only important what we think about, but also what we look at, because that's pretty much where it all starts.

The people behind the mainstream media understand this like no other. It doesn't really matter what an article is about, as long as there is a suitable (stock) photo that attracts attention. 👉After all, images speak louder than words.

Just ask yourself what it is that gets your attention first when you open a page, whether in the newspaper or on the Internet.

Yes, of course, headlines by themselves do scream. However, the combination with an image that touches people emotionally makes the story complete! An image can be etched in our memory, an article not… just think about that.

It probably won't surprise you that the Bible tells us to purposely direct our eyes as well as our thoughts. In 2 Corinthians 4:18 it says: So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Fixing our eyes on unseen things... That's easier said than done. The things we see around us are the reality of every day. No one will deny that. But those things are also temporarily... they pass! (sometimes you wonder what we're all so worried about)

The things we cannot see, are truth and therefore eternal. Love, grace, forgiveness, breath, God himself. Read through all of that chapter 4 and you will see how the writer compares everything he experiences with eternity.

Our viewing is too small, I think that often. The distance between our eyes and a screen or newspaper is at most 60 cm. It would do us good to step outside regularly to view the infinite starry sky. A simple step that can put everything back into proper perspective.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? (Psalm 8:4).

150 short devotions on the psalms

I can't believe I did it, but over the past months, I recorded 150(!)🤩short (two-minute) video devotions, one on each psalm, and posted them on my YouTube channel and IGTV.

As I mentioned before, my one word for 2021 is connect, and to make that practical I started this project, #apsalmaday. The thoughts in the back of my mind were: 'We all need encouragement and we need to stay connected to avoid isolation. The Word both encourages and connects.'

So, I began taping short messages on the psalms. Unedited, raw, spontaneous, and simple thoughts, encouraging the viewer to read the psalms for themselves and to ask the Holy Spirit for fresh insights. My friend Martin Podolák provided English (and Slovak) subtitles👌which made it easier to follow for people who have English as their second or third language.

I can highly recommend a journey 👣through the psalms, especially in this time we live in. You will be able to relate to so many thoughts, prayers, and emotions. You will be blessed, your faith will rise, I promise! And the best thing is, you can start any day or just pick a random psalm, however you want to do it.

📌Link to the playlist

A psalm a day...

In my previous blog I wrote about my #oneword for 2021: connect.

To be honest with you, I find it quite difficult from time to time to stay in close contact with people during these crazy times ... family, friends, readers of my blogs and books. Some people want to connect, others don't;  you have to be careful these days and try to feel and understand where people are in this crisis.

I often pray about it, "Lord, show me what I can do, how I can keep encouraging others and myself." Well, that's how we started our small group at the end of September which is such a precious and joyful time with several ladies.

And that is how last weekend I got the idea to record a series of videos about the psalms. For years there was a sign in our kitchen with the saying: 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away'. I once brought that over from America. And suddenly the thought came to me: 'A psalm a day ...' 

Why not encourage people to read a psalm a day and get something personal out of it? A bit like an antidote to all the negative news. So I now post a very short encouragement (2 minutes) about a psalm every day and with it the challenge to read that psalm out loud and see which verse appeals to you.

Since my personal reflections are in English, people from Georgia, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Ukraine, Slovakia, and the USA have already joined me in reading through the psalms.

You can follow the video series on my YouTube channel, my IGTV, Facebook, Twitter, and MeWe. Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel!

Encouragement for writers

In my blog post of April 13, I wrote that 2020 would become the most creative and productive year I have had so far. Simply because I refuse to be a victim of the thief's schemes who wants nothing more than to paralyze us as we passively watch the world go crazy.

I know, what the Lord has called me to be, and that is to be His faithful mouthpiece, regardless of the circumstances, I should add. This morning I read Psalm 57: 2 in my NLT, it says: I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.

Such verses excite me ... He will fulfill His purpose for me. No doubt about it. He will do it. Phew, relax.

Anyway, 2020 so far. On May 1st my new English book True Worshipers was released. In the same month, a Russian edition of my book In My Name was released and soon an Italian edition of the same book will also be released, which will be distributed in Italy through CLC.

Last week, I was notified that In My Name also ended up as a finalist in the 2020 International Book Awards, hosted by American Book Fest. Category Religion: Christian - inspirational. Whether that makes any difference in book sales or publicity doesn't really matter to me. I take it as a nice boost and encouragement... my work will not be unnoticed!

I have been working on a theme frame for a new book but currently, we are busy with a house renovation which takes up time and energy... mind you, we are camping out in the yard 😀

Anyway, I have hope and expectation when it comes to my writing journey, certainly because of encouraging words such as found in Psalm 57!

What about your writing, work in progress, ideas, or plans?

Why do conspiracies exist?

Nowadays there is a lot of talk about conspiracy theories and just as many warnings to stay away from them because they mostly fall in the category 'fake news'... well, so we are told.

The more information that is available, the harder it gets to filter true and false stories. It seems that with every secret revealed, a contra-theory rises up. It is a vicious battlefield we find ourselves in, whether we like it or not, whether we follow conspiracy theories or not.

May I point out that the Bible speaks clearly about conspiracies. 👉The question thereby is not whether a conspiracy is true or false, but rather why it exists. Let's take a look at one of the most intriguing questions in the Bible, as found in Psalm 2:1,

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?

It could be a question asked by many people today. WHY do nations (corporate level) and peoples (private level) engage in plots and schemes? Why can't we live in peace together? Why all this uproar? David answers the question in verse 2: The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.

In the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) it is written like this: Why are the nations in an uproar, the peoples grumbling in vain? The earth’s kings are taking positions, leaders conspiring together, against Adonai and his anointed.

Kings are taking positions, leaders conspiring together against Adonai, against God and against the Messiah (Messiah means anointed one)... Somehow David received this insight, that all the violence, wars, and uproar of nations were acts of rebellion against God. I mentioned it in one of my previous blogs: ultimately this is all a battle between good and evil, between light and darkness, between God and satan. It would be dangerously ignorant to deny this, simply because it plays out right in front of our eyes, every day!

Yes, there is an evil plot to overturn all that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy. Yes, there was, is, and will be a plot against Jesus and what He stands for: love, grace, righteousness, peace, forgiveness, purity, and joy. The early believers acknowledged it: Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed (Acts 4:27).

The other day I saw a picture of an individual in a big demonstration. He was holding up a sign that said, 'if Jesus comes back, kill him again'. The sheer hatred against the Son of God who went around doing good and healing all who were sick and oppressed, plays out on an individual as well as a corporate level. Yes, there is a conspiracy (a huge one), there is no denying it.

Our reaction? We should pray as the early believers did (Acts 4:29-30): Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.

Good, better, best news!

Sometimes you see certain video clips come by that just want to make you scream Hallelujah! That's the BEST news I've heard this week. Share it!

This  particular one caught my attention because my husband recently went to Mauritania!

No worries (2)

In the Netherlands (where I live) it is quite normal to start the day with reading the news paper. In other countries it is custom to start the day with watching the news on television. Through internet and mobile phones we even have more ways to receive the bad news. I don't know how you like to start the day, but I like to start with the good news.

That doesn't mean I ignore everything going on in the world, but it means I purposely choose to focus on God's promises and truth. From that point of view I can optimistically do my share (www.traveling-light.nl) to make this world a better place. Worrying about drama and disaster doesn't change a thing, we must act! Jesus constantly warned the people about worrying too much: be careful folks, don't go there!

In my previous post on the subject of worrying I quoted His words as found in Matthew 6:25. Let us continue to read (verses 26 and 27), Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Again, two very interesting questions from our Lord.

Are you not much more valuable than birds? Yes, of course we are. Does that mean we do not need to sow and reap (read: work)? No, of course not. It means we should not worry. God will provide us with the things we need. The way I see it, it also means we should not put our trust in the drama and crisis stories the secular media is trying to push down our throats. Or, to make it practical: stop repeating the bad news! If we read God's promises with the same zeal we are reading the news paper with, things will change. We will begin to believe what the Word says! It would be wonderful if we began to speak about God's Word with the same assurance we often use when speaking about things seen on television.

And then His second question. Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  No, of course not. Worrying does not have added value.

How do you deal with the daily news?