Category: Daily Devotion

Author: Pastor Andrew Farland

How big is your ego? If I asked your friends, would they say it’s small or tell me you think only of yourself? How easy is it for you to ask for help? Do you typically believe that you can figure everything out on your own?

It’s easy to rely on your power and intellect to solve problems and reach goals. I believe it’s a God-given sense of creativity and autonomy that motivates us to conquer challenges head-on. But, here’s the deal. The Bible warns us against relying too much on our understanding.

Look at the Israelites, the God’s people, whom we read about in the Old Testament. The Bible tells us that they would live God-honoring lives for a while and, for whatever reason, would “do what was right in their own eyes.” In other words, God’s people would act like God’s people until they chose to listen to their voices instead of the voice of their Father in Heaven.

I can relate to that, can’t you? The same thing happens in our lives! When we’re seeking to do the will of God. We have choice to listen to our voice or His.

In Genesis 24, Abraham sent a servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Instead of the kind of instructions a person would normally get, the servant was told, “Find a wife for my son.” I think it’s just like what happens when we try to decipher God’s will. He tells us to follow but doesn’t always give us specific instructions.

What does the servant do? What God does next? should make us think. He prayed, “Oh Lord, God of my master. Give me success today.” Before he had even finished praying, God had directed his sights to a woman named Rebecca, who was standing across from him.

What? I want you to see that; before the servant finished praying, God showed up. First, he prayed. Then, God moved. If you’re seeking God’s will for your life today, and it seems His direction is far away, you should pray. It’s the first thing you should do.

Let down your ego, listen to your voice less, and begin to ask God for answers.

The truth is that God answers prayers! In my life, I have seen Him show up in incredible ways. So, when you’re worried, aren’t sure about something, or need an answer, start with prayer and trust that before you even finish praying, God! will show up.

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” (1 Chronicles 16:11)

Author: Pastor Andrew Farland

We’re spending time walking through the story from Daniel 3 of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Through their faith and the faithfulness of God, we will discover four key promises that are true for everyone who puts their trust in Him. Yesterday, we learned that God is always with us. Today’s eternal promise is that if God lets you go through it, He promises to get you through it.

After King Nebuchadnezzar found out that the three young men weren’t bowing down to his golden statue, he turned a furnace up seven times hotter and threw them in. The Bible says that it was so hot that even the king’s guards burned to death.

After a while, noticing that the men were not catching on fire, the king yelled for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to come out. Here’s what happens next:

“So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads sang; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.”

Did you catch the last few words? There was no smell of fire on them! God had allowed his people to go through the fire.

Despite facing persecution, they remained steadfast in their faith and as a result, they were thrown., into the furnace. Though it may seem illogical, this event teaches us something powerful about God – if He allows you to go through a difficult situation, He promises! to help you get through it.

Think about the story of the Israelites enslaved in Egypt. God helped them escape captivity and freed them in the middle of the night. As they were fleeing, they reached the Red Sea, a massive body of water that appeared impossible to cross. The group found themselves cornered by the Egyptian army and the sea with no other escape route available.

But God knew what He was doing. He caused the wind to blow so hard that it split, the sea open. The Israelites were able to walk on dry land through the Red Sea. God had allowed His people to go through it and promised to get them through it.

The same is true for you, me and everyone who trusts God. Believe in that promise today.

Have you put your total faith and trust in Him?

“Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.” (2 Samuel 7:28)

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

Author: Pastor Andrew Farland

Over the next four days, we will explore one of my favourite stories in the Bible. It tells of three teenagers who bravely stood up for their faith! When facing death. The story teaches us about four incredible promises of God, revealed through their unwavering faith and God’s relationship with them.

These promises are timeless after you hear them, and you’ll discover them throughout the Bible.

In Daniel, Chapter 3, King Nebuchadnezzar made a power play for the loyalty of his civilians. He built a golden statue and placed it in the middle of town. Whenever people heard the sound of the flute! The king said everyone was required to bow down and worship the idol. Failure to bow down to the statute would be an automatic death sentence.

The three teenagers, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, at the first sound of the flute, decided not to bow. They were the only ones in town who stood up to the king at the risk of capital punishment. King Nebuchadnezzar was furious and ordered the boys to be burned in a furnace that turned up seven times hotter than normal.

What happens in the furnace is one of the most incredible instances in the Bible. In front of the entire town, the king, and his royal staff, the teenagers danced around inside the furnace without a care in the world!! The fire didn’t touch them. An even more unbelievable fact was that the king exclaimed, “Didn’t we tie those men up? I see four men, and one of them looks like the God!”

Wow!

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood up for their faith in God and accepted their punishment. Now God had himself appeared there in the fire with them.

“The story of these faithful young men demonstrates the promise that God is always with you. He remains by your side amid challenges and difficulties and will guide you through them. You can trust that He will be with you every step of the way, even when you emerge from the fire.” It’s spelt out all over the Bible. Joshua 1:9 tells us not to be afraid. “I am with you. Be strong and courageous.” Psalm 23 says that through the valley of the shadow of death, “God is with me.”

Write these words down or seal them in your memory – God is with you. Remember this promise during times of trouble and find peace from your Creator.

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

Author: Pastor Andrew Farland

In the Old Testament, there is a story of a man named Abraham, who was asked by God! to leave everything he had and travel to a new town. No direction. No explanation. Just the promise that God would make Abraham the father of many nations.

Abraham longed for a child, but as time passed, he and his wife Sarah grew increasingly disheartened. They had left their home to follow God, yet they remained childless. Watching others around them become parents only added to their frustration. “Why won’t God give us a child of our own?” they wondered.

Maybe you can relate.

“If you have ever felt like Abraham and his wife, you can relate to the feeling of following God for a long time and having big dreams that you want to see come to fruition. However, you may feel stagnant as your career isn’t progressing, the ministry you wanted to start isn’t gaining traction, or you can’t find the resources you need to achieve your goals. You may be thinking, ‘I have been following what I thought was God’s call on my life! Why isn’t He blessing me with what I want?’”

Abraham wanted a child, a gift God would eventually give him and Sarah. But God had the biggest dream for Abraham’s life that he couldn’t imagine. He would become the father of many nations. Through his bloodline would come, Jesus, the one who made it possible for every man and woman to have a relationship with God. Truly! a father of many nations.

The story of Abraham resonates with me because I thought I would become a professional tennis player. I spent countless hours, and my mom spent thousands of hours and dollars toward becoming the best tennis player I could be. It was my dream. Nothing else mattered. Then I got hurt. And the injury I acquired prevented me from playing tennis at a competitive professional level ever again.

God had bigger dreams for my life, though. He knew that, through my experiences, He would teach me lessons that, in turn, I would like to share my father’s dream for my life: to become a missionary of the gospel and preach His word in other countries, seeing hundreds of people come to know their saviour.

So, if you find yourself like Abraham or me, remember this truth: Hold loosely to your dreams. If you hold onto them too tightly, it’s going to hurt more when God pries open your hands.

God’s dream is far greater than any of our plans.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)