New Pieces.. sorry phone photo quality doesn't really do these justice.

20x16 in Acrylics 

It's been awhile!

It's been awhile... I haven't been painting much. Medical issues and life in general. So I got inspired a few days ago seeing this painting and found myself wanting to try my hand at painting it, and do some abstract cityscape. It was relaxing and I really enjoyed painting it!. Enjoy! God Bless. MW 16x20 Acrylic, most using pallet knife.

Some encouragement

It has been a very challenging last few weeks, which is why I haven't posted.  If you would, I humbly ask for your prayers.  Lots of changes in my life and my only focus is to do Gods will for my life and my direction.    I just wanted to share a few passages of scripture that I believe with all my heart.  I have been blessed beyond my means spirituality and also by my healing of this body that has been physically and mentally broken for the last 26 years and the therapy of Art as a way of expressing my emotions and feelings.    My kids are healthy and my second grandchild, my grandson will have a little sister to protect.     I am a blessed man only by the grace of god.     Yes, I am preaching today!    I am a sinner just like anyone who reads this, but everyday I am forgiven and good lord willing I wake up and say THANK YOU JESUS!  I am surely not ashamed of my faith in Jesus Christ!   

Lastly....Yesterday is gone and to be forgotten.     Let it go....move forward, one step, one hour, one day at a time.   Forgive and make the most out of everyday!    Your missing out on people to love and support you, and to give you peace.    Don't say your not ready or their yet because tomorrow is not promised....live for today!

God Bless and take a couple of minutes to read what gods word has to say....Galatians 5:13-26

Life by the Spirit

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 

14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 

15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 

17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[c] you want.

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 

20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 

21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness

23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 

25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 

26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

New Title

It is truly amazing how God works. I pray before each painting that I do, and if I don't have a title I just let god handle it. I had titled this painting "new life", but after my morning bible study, it was revealed to me that I rename this painting to "Hope".  

Job 14:7 For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease (in this one Verse, we are told that even if man does fall on hard times, if he will believe God, the fallen tree can sprout and grow again). Isn't it awesome to see how God gives us things or thoughts that we don't truly understand and then the true meaning is revealed. #blessed God Bless!

Divorce - A Traumatic Event - Learn to Survive

I only share this because I am a survivor of divorce.    It is so different now.  Days seem like weeks and weeks like months. When you see your kids you feel like strangers.   Everything changes.   It hurts and I hope that today this message will help someone out there who is suffering....

It’s pretty natural to expect hurt when a spouse ask you to leave, but I was in no way prepared for the level of hurt or the level of pain I felt.

The pain of divorce is much deeper and more soul wrenching than most people can imagine, unless they have been through it themselves.  Each divorce is different, never is one divorce exactly like another.  One couple may last a year while others may be getting divorced instead of celebrating their Silver 25th Wedding anniversary, which is my story.  I have kids, others don't.   So each divorce is not the same, but we each experience the same feelings and emotions, just more of one than another. Divorce can mean the end of your hopes and dreams, the end of your life as you have known it, a loss of control, and feelings of rejection, loneliness, abandonment and blame. There is anger, depression, helplessness, bitterness, resentment, anxiety, pain, feelings of worthlessness, and guilt. The list goes on and on.   It feels like death, yet your family is right down the road living life as if you never existed.  

You will not be able to “hurry up and get over it.” That is not possible. I don't care what anyone else says, unless you are not human, you have feelings.  To start the healing process we must make a commitment to take a small step forward every day. I know if your are experiencing divorce or any other struggle in life you feel like a million piece puzzle scattered on the floor, some pieces are lost forever and your puzzle will never be the same, but God will put the pieces back together if you have faith!   The pieces that I don’t have anymore, the larger pieces that were the bond between my wife are gone forever.   God is blessing me for living his will for my life.   The blessing came in the form of therapy.   God allowed me to paint out my emotions and feelings.   He shed them from me and now they sit on a canvass.   Ready to bless someone else who is struggling.   A ministry for me, a way to live for him and share his awesome power to heal!  I am a work in progress!   I begin each day, waking up with god and knowing he has cloaked me with his armor to defeat satans attempts to ruin my day.  I know that he has filled me with the Holy Spirit all day and all night because I give myself to him for his will to be done.  

“I cry to you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.’ Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me” (Psalm 142:5-6)

Quick Prayer

Father, I pray for all who are suffering right now.  The intensity of my emotions is unbearable at times when Satan is trying to attack.   Hold me in Your strong arms. Fill me with the Holy Spirit to protect and bless me this day.   We do not know if there will be a tomorrow, only you know this, and I ask for your blessings today.    Comfort me with the comfort that only comes from you lord.  Guide me in taking one day at a time.  God Bless.  MW 

The painting below is titled 

 "Lonely Road of Faith" - oil on wood

12" x 16" - original painting by Matt Williams #61

Survive today - poem by Matt Williams

Survival

He sits up in bed from what little sleep he's had

Because he is stiff and his backs aching bad

His everyday pain is still there and kicking

He has to get up, and he has to start living

He struggles and tosses to roll out of bed 

As soon as he up the pain has spread

He catches his breath and stands up tall

I can do this, he says, god won't let me fall

The kids are waiting in the other room

He puts on a grin and hides his gloom

The more he moves

the burning sets in

But when in front of the family 

he grits it and grins

Everyday is a battle with emotions and pain

Can you imagine every day if it rained?

The rain may slow down but it doesn't stop

At least you can see rain, because my pain you cannot

Exhausted and hurting, A single tear falls

No one even cares that I just hit the wall

The pain is extreme

He smiles at his family, while inside he screams

Does anyone see his pain and despair?

No, they don't believe that it's really there.

So he drives and does more things than he should

The pain, anxiety and depression only compounds his feelings of being no good.

He gives his family all that he has

It's never enough, he's such a drag 

All the things that WE we want to do

We can't do because of you

You tell them to go and to please have fun

Don't worry bout me, my body is done

So they leave you behind

At home all alone

It only takes minutes before the tears start to flow

the pain is still there, it won't let me go.

Now the tears flow non-stop because of the pain

Alone and aching nonstop like the rain

He will fight and survive with all that he is

A human, a person, someone with feelings.

To be not loved is worse than the pain

Forever he'll fight, even for a small gain

He will fight for his family till the day of his death

With all that he his till he draws his last breath 

You threw me out like an old pair of shoes, but 

I am a child of god and I will always love you.  

MW

Tomorrow's Goals

So before I go to sleep now I make a list of goals I knowingly can accomplish.    I thought I would share a few things that are gonna change here on the blog.    As I get ready to move all my paintings I am going to make sure they have a signature, date, title and is marked original.   I will take photos as I do and will post them and explain to you what I was feeling painting each piece!    Healing as I have said before comes in stages and we all have our own length of time for certain healing!   But with gods help all things are possible!    So I will start sharing my art and the stories behind them.    One a day maybe, might skip a day and make up with 2 for that day!  My main goal is to hopefully have painted something that relates to you and that you are not alone in any battle!    God Bless!   MW

New Title: "War" The battle inside your head when Anxiety and Depression fight each other head on!

"War"

Acrylic

12" x 9"

Here is a smaller piece I did a while back and left it untitled.   

So this painting is about when your depression and your anxiety are going at the same time. It's like two stallions fighting in the field with equal strength. Those that suffer from just one of those conditions is bad, imagine having a double dose if you will. I wanted to show the impact on life and how hard we have to fight these feelings that plague us all the time? So I will name this one "War"

Using my blog to share! Need to sell! New Roads Await!

Click on link for more information!   Road Warrior Toy Hauler RV and Truck For Sale! Need to Sell!

Surviving

Happy Father's Day, I pray you have a blessed day!

I wanted to share with you a painting I just finished. 

 Title: New Life - 20" x 16"

I believe a tree is one of gods most favorite things he put on this earth.  He filled the world with them!   He made each tree unique in every way, every tree being a different shape and size. Some survive and some die at all stages of a trees life.  Some get disease, trees have roots that spread and grow new trees.  All trees have bark on them to protect them.  A strong tree that grows big and tall is a great candidate to be used later in life.    

We as humans are no different. In this painting I used the tree as an example of something that was big and strong as it sat atop the mountain. But because of human nature this tree was cut down and used for some type of human use... we as humans get cut down in life, some our fault and some not.

In this painting you see that just because that tree was cut down, it did not die. It was tragically damaged but it lived. Two years later you see the new, tender, vulnerable sapling that is occurring in gods time. It will take years for this small sapling to be as big as he was at one time, but in gods time the tree will grow big and strong once again. As a believer I relate the trees bark as the Holy Spirit / God protecting us.  Sometimes in life we get cut down, but if we stay strong and survive at all costs, the result is a NEW YOU being created.   A fresh, new you!    Remember that you are fragile, tender, healing and still growing.  No doubt there are days you see what once was your beautiful self cut down to a stump, cut all the way down as far as you could be cut, but able to survive.   Your bark is new and strong and will open each new branch and grow if you let him!   You will be blessed with many leaves!  Growing in gods time.  

I pray blessings to you and your family and I hope you like the painting " New Life ".  Hopefully, maybe you can relate in your own special individual way!   

God Bless...MW

 

Thank You Rox! You Rock!

https://www.linkedin.com/hp/update/6271093149943242752 

Everything positive is therapy!

A Prayer: How I Start My Day.

Good Day to All!

I just wanted to give a few words of encouragement today and share my beliefs and faith.

The Lord wants to protect you and bless you, he loves you and thinks of you constantly and wants to give you peace and hope for the future. All you have to do is start your day off with a prayer and talk to him.   Don't know how to pray?   Here are a few examples of a prayer?

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Lord, as I begin my day, I pray that You would fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Cover me with your protecting wings and keep me safe from harm and spiritual attacks.  Help me to speak only the words you would have me speak, do only the things you would have me do, and think only the thoughts you would have me think that I may please you.  Help me to be a reflection of you so others will seek you as well. In Jesus name, Amen!

Father God, I ask you to help me put on the spiritual armor that will protect me from harm and help me stand before the enemy.  Help me to tie the belt of truth around my waist, and protect my heart with the breastplate of righteousness.  Let me place upon my feet the preparation of the gospel of peace, so that I can share the good news with others and help me hold in my hands the shield of faith that can put out the flaming darts of the wicked one.  Protect my mind from ungodly thoughts with the helmet of salvation and arm me with the sword of the Spirit which is the living word of God.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

Thank you, Lord, for another day. Help me to have a spirit of gratitude for all that you do for me.  Thank you for health, a home, food on my table and friends and family.  Thank you for salvation, for freedom from sin.  I give you thanks and praise for sending your son to die on the cross so I could live in you and have eternal life.  The joy of the Lord is my strength; help me to walk in that strength.  Help me to share the joy of the Lord with others around me so they will draw near to you.Thank you, Jesus, for dying for me.

As a blood bought child of God I am a co-heir with Christ, my Father is the King and I am an adopted son/daughter of God.  

As a child of God, I am strong, holy and redeemed. The enemy no longer has any rights to me, he cannot touch me.  The blood of Jesus has cleansed me from all my sin, and I am no longer living under condemnation.  Thank you for my identity in Christ, I am a sinner saved by grace.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God,  who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

Lord help me to obey your will and listen to your voice so that I can live in your blessing, for your word says that you will bless those who are obedient and listen to you.  Give me an obedient heart so that you may bless me wherever I go.  As I obey you, bless my children, my home, my food and my finances. Bless all that I put my hand to and bless the very land on which I walk.  May all the peoples of the world learn that you bless those who seek you.  Help me to be a blessing to everyone around me.

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Source of prayers:  ChristiansTT 

Some new artwork by Matt Williams! Let me know what you think! God Bless!

Chronic Pain Survival 
Sponsored by 
Art by Matt Williams


Here are a few new paintings... I finished a couple of them I started over a month ago... I hope you enjoy!  God Bless

Above is "When Two Worlds Collide:  Living with Anxiety and Depression

Above is "Mother's Day"

Above is "Montana"

Thank you for checking out my new paintings... Haven't even posted on website yet so you got the exclusive HERE!  Chronic Pain Survival!  Learning to live one day at a time!

God Bless,

Matt

Hope everyone is doing well! If you have time, would you take a minute and please leave me a review for my Blog? Thank you and God Bless!

Chronic Pain Survival is Sponsored by Art by Matt Williams  

Hello to All,


I just wanted to check in and see how everyone is doing?  Everything is really starting to fall in place for me as I have said many times, because I choose to follow Gods path...People ask me, how do you follow his path and I say its easy.. the bible.. there is every answer, to every question you might have.   But most of all, you must have faith that what you are reading is the truth and nothing but the truth.  So me, just a regular guy, with regular life issues like everyone else.  Surviving one day at a time on faith!   



I choose to let god show me the way.  He puts things in my head and sometimes, well, a lot of the time, I do not understand what he is trying to tell me.   So let me share what my process is. I start doing something associated with what I feel God is telling me to do and or try, and I will try it.   I may try two or 3 times.  Sometimes it runs smooth as silk and other times there is a speed bump every 5 steps and I trip.  The great thing is, if you have patience, which was one of my great downfalls ( I always wanted to do it now and be done), God will allow the things to happen in his time and the way he wants it done.  I believe as long as we are living with him along our side, things happen that are good and make you feel good and happy. 


I don't care if its relationships, illness, healing, or whatever your case may be.  Patience...  Its all in Gods time. I suffered from Chronic Pain, Migraine Headaches, Chronic Back Pain, PTSD, Depression and Anxiety and now what is considered Fibromyalgia (Nerve Disorder) for over 25 years before I got relief.  That is more than half my life!  My point is that it is NOT in our hands, unless we choose to go down the wrong path.  How do you know what the wrong path is?   Things don't work, relationships do not work, illness happens, things don't go as you (key word you) thought.   Gods will is not the same as our will, my personal opinion.  We are of human nature and God is God!  God of all things past, present and future!  



So now when I try something and I feel I am going in the right direction, I try to stay on course as best as I can everyday.  Don't steer away from God just because something good happened and you thought it was all you! Could be God dangling a carrot there for you to have a taste of what being blessed feels like!

When something you did months ago is just sitting there doing nothing but counting the days.  THAT'S OK!   Let it sit and if you mess with it every now and again, you will see very fast if its Gods time yet or not.  If what you do goes good and you feel like it is pleasing unto god then stop and think about your original issue that God put you into.  Good or Bad...
If you take the steps god puts in front of you and don't stray away, I believe god blesses your stewardship and patience to follow his will.   His will can bless you or I believe God will allow things to happen that are not in his will (Don't Blame God).   It may not be you, that he allows something to happen to, but maybe its your best friend or a family member, destroys a family or maybe a complete stranger!   Maybe god is telling you something if its a bad issue, maybe its because your not living in his will or haven't asked for forgiveness for past actions. When stuff happens now, I immediately ask god for forgiveness of anything I may have done to offend him!  Just like I would never disrespect my earthly father. 

Something I do is google bible versus that relate to the issues you are facing ( Good times and bad!)!  So many people never think about just saying thank you Jesus and mean it!   If life is good and you are blessed!  I am so happy for you!  My experience of mountaintops has been refreshing, built my confidence and has been revitalizing!   Those days when everything went so smoothly and filled with nothing but happiness.  Like the day my children were born healthy, the day my grandson was born.  I think we have to remember those good times, when we were living right and being blessed!  If you think you have never felt blessed about something, you are missing out!  It is the most satisfying feeling!  
Remember those good times because in times when things are not going so good, it will truly make you appreciate the good days!   I have been to places in my head I wish no one to ever visit.  Its dark, cold, lonely and painful.  Maybe you are there now.  
I know where you are and where you may have been.  I am only speaking of my experiences and opinions, I hold no answers other than 1, that is Faith.   


I realize there are some with little or no faith, but me personally, I believe and I do my best to live by it everyday and just share!  What is so bad about having someone who is with you all the time and wants to help you?  We are human, we sin everyday.  Ok... We are all sinners!  I am no better than one person who reads this.  Probably in most cases I have twice as much past sin.   Everyday I fail, but I learn and at the end of my day I know I am forgiven of my sins and if it is his will I will be here tomorrow and if I die, I wont go back to that dark place!  
I will pray for you if you comment and request.  
God is Great!  God Bless and Thank you! I hope I have stirred some interest so you might respond and review my blog!  I an new, yes, but I have years of experience in Chronic Pain Management, Divorce, Pain and Sufferings.  Subscribe and Start Following Today!


I am sharing my healing on this blog.  I'm trying so I'm Surviving!  One Day AT A TIME!!!!


Sincerely,


Matt Williams

One Day At A Time

We ALL have Angels who are here to help and protect us and we ALL have Demons who try to hurt and destroy us!  Angels and Demons 22" x 28" - Original Art by Matt Williams

Time for a Change:

I believe its time for a change... I have changed the name of my blog to Chronic Pain Survival.   This blog will be for everyone...   In this group we will post about learning to live one day at a time. My name is Matt Williams and I have suffered and survived chronic pain, anxiety, depression, PTSD (not just a veteran thing), divorce and many more personal issues going on 27 years now. I dont have all the answers, but together we will find answers. This group has been created to help people who suffer with anything and everything. You can be yourself and be understood here at the Chronic Pain Survival Blog. Living in today's world is a challenge. Be part of a group that wants to help and who understands exactly how you are feeling. Join today and become a part of Survival Nation! If your not trying, your dying.  I would like to hear from you.. How can Chronic Pain Survival help you?  Would appreciate all comments!  If you dont want to post then please email me at mattwilliams35@gmail.com and we can discuss how to post your story or comments.   Its good to let others who have been in your shoes share their stories of success and failures... God Bless!  MW

Forgotten- Art by Matt Williams

Forgotten is a painting of loneliness, depression and slowly dying... MW April 24, 2017