If you live in the north-east part of the United States we all see this storm approaching.  Some down by the shore are already getting slammed.  The real part of Sandy has not even hit yet.  Power will be out and major damage will occur.  This is a terrible storm that will devastate many parts of NJ, NY, CT, and many other parts of the east coast.

I know through all of this terrible devastation there will be an outpooring of love.  People will pull together to get through this storm.  Waters will rage.  Winds will fiercely blow.  Through it all we will not be defeated.  Humans will rise together to the occasion.  Humans will rise beyond the occasion.

As a trainer I use a line I heard my trainer friend Carrie say, “If it doesn’t challenge you it doesn’t change you.”  This is going to be a huge challenge.  It will change us.  Every disaster situation has changed us.  From 911 to Katrina.  Every devastating, catastrophic event brings change.  We learn and change.

We are all equipped to handle this.  We will all get through this and get from this.

Hold on to each other.  Check on neighbors. Check on family.

If you are worried it is ok.  If you have fear it is ok.  What will get us through is holding on.  Holding on to faith.  Faith will hep you have courage.  Courage is not the absence of fear.  Courage is doing things in the face of your fears.  Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

You will have many storms in your life.  You will have many things that challenge you.  Winds will try to know you down.  The water will rise over your head.  You will not be defeated.  You will not give up.  You will get through it and get from it.  Ypu will give from it.  “No, in all of these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37

Be safe but be courageous.  We will be stronger tomorrow than we are today.

God Bless

 

As you go through life you will experience many ups and downs.  It is much like a roller coaster. I myself am a fan of a good coaster.  I love the big drops and the speed.  Feeling the wind against my face and the g-forces are such an adrenaline rush.

I will say I also enjoy the slow part. It is the big climb to the top of the first drop.  Many people get nervous and don’t look down. Some will even close their eyes.  I like to look around.  I like to see how high up I am and how far out I can look.  Does this mean I am not nervous?  Does this mean I don’t have some fears?  No!  There are always nerves.  There is always the thought of “is this harness secure”?

One of the first roller coasters I ever went on.

My life, and the lives of many others, are much like a roller coaster.  There are fast and slow ups and downs.  There are changes in direction.  The climb to the top is still my favorite part.  The only difference is the safety harness.  I have faith that my harness in life will always work.  The One who keeps me strapped in is the same One who is running the ride.  My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I am not alone on the ride.  We are all on it.  For example I have a friend who has been through some ups and downs lately. She is on the coaster.  Through it all she has tremendous faith that God has it under control.

My friend has been on a job search for part-time work for a while.  She had not been getting great results until recently.  She went on an interview for a part-time job and got offered a fulltime position with benefits.  This is something that she and her family have been praying for.

Boom! (The sound in my head when God does His thing.)

Work + Faith + Consistent Prayer = Results

Matthew 7:7-11
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Is everything now sunshine and rainbows for her?  Probably not.  The coaster coming up will come back down.  But if she follows the equation up above she will, I will , you will stay inside the coaster.  Jesus has it all under control.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

(Suggestion: If I include scripture look it up and learn more about it.  If you do not have a bible you can use google or download a bible app on a smart phone. If you are not sure if you believe in what I am talking about then look it up anyway. I pray that all the readers on this blog will have an open mind as well as heart. Feel free to ask questions. I will answer to the best of my ability.)

My name is Daryl. I really have no reason to give you for reading this blog.  What I will do is tell you why I am starting this.  I am a fitness trainer / strength coach and I started a blog about two years ago. It started as an exercise blog where I posted workouts.  It began to change into less of a workout blog and more of a “how I live my life” blog.  I state there, and I will restate here, that I am not a guru.  I do not have any answers to life.  I do however know that I am going through life with the same problems that many of you might have.  What I share here is the ways I am trying to look at life and deal with the ups and downs.  I am not high and mighty.  I am not holier than thou art. I am just a human being that is determined to not let the bad things, the evil things, the common trials and tribulations control my life.  If you have it all down then this isn’t for you.  If you are on a journey to be the best person you can ever be then I hope by reading this you will get closer.

Some of the things I will talk about might get you mad.  Either mad at the situation or mad at how I choose to get through them.  You may be offended about my beliefs and values.  If so I will not apologize but I will say it is your choice to continue reading.  I want this to be for everybody, because I feel we can all learn from one another, but I understand that you are not me.  God gave us all free choice.

So let’s get to the title of this blog.  We Are More Than Conquerors.  If you know me a little from my old blog, or in real life, you know that I love to think that we are all warriors.  I was never military and never will put myself on that level.  Those men and women are real warriors and deserve to be thanked everyday for protecting our freedom.  God bless the armed forces.  I do believe that we need that kind of mentality to conquer life.  We all fight wars in one way or another.  It can be the battle of getting out of bed.  The battle of choosing the healthy breakfast.  The battle of pursuing your dream.  The battle of getting along with your family.  These are all battles that many of us go through.  They take training and a plan.

They require something to go with the training and a plan.  They require a belief.  This takes me to the even deeper meaning of the title of this blog.  “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” Romans 8:37

I believe with all of my heart that God has His hands in all of this.  The struggles we have are for a reason.  After all we can not change if we are not challenged.  God gives us the tools we need to get stronger and to conquer all life throws at us.  But with Him we do more than conquer.  We can inspire and motivate others to conquer.  Nothing can stop us because nothing can separate us from God’s love.  Nothing can separate us from Jesus Christ.  Just BELIEVE.

So here it is.  This is the start of a new journey.  A journey filled with motivation.  A journey filled with inspiration.  A journey I hope you will take with me for it is a journey lead by faith in Jesus Christ.

I pray the Lord may touch your hearts as He has touched mine.