Category: Daily Devotion

By Pastor Andrew Farland

There have been multiple times where I was feeling down and felt like I had nothing to give!
I have a mentor who speaks into my life, and when I’m going through a hard time, one of his pieces of advice is:
“If you are having a bad day, go help someone else that’s less fortunate”.
The first time he told me to do this, I thought he was crazy. “How am I going to give away something I don’t have?” I thought, But then I tried it. And guess what? It worked! Here is the lesson I learned:

“When you serve others with God’s gifts, you draw out of His energy and His capacity, not your own!”
4 years ago, I was in Uganda reading my bible, preparing for a sermon when I came across one of the most profound verses I had ever read. I want to share it with you today to illustrate how God empowers us to serve others!

1 Corinthians 14:12
“Since you are so eager to have the special abilities the Spirit gives, seek those that will strengthen the whole church.”
We ought not to look for the Spirits movements for the sake of having goosebumps, but for building up others. The truth is when you use your gifts to help others, it not only refreshes them it refreshes you. Proverbs 11:25 says “Those who refresh others will also be refreshed”

Feeling discouraged today? Encourage someone else. Needing finances for a project, donate some of what you have to someone else who needs a helping hand. To the world, it makes no sense. But if we want to be refreshed, we can go out and make a difference in someone else’s life and refresh others. This is one of the ways I regularly connect with God.

Has it been a while since you’ve felt connected to God? Are you willing to do whatever it takes on your part to get reconnected? Put one or all of these four keys to use and in no time, I believe you will unlock that wonderful connection with God again, feeling His presence peace, and purpose in your life!

Proverbs 11:25
“The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

Getting some uninterrupted quiet time in with God is the first step, but then what?
Have you ever tried praying and just felt like you were reciting something out of habit, and then you figure out that you didn’t really mean it? I do it too! It’s my natural default. When we pray and communicate with God, it helps us to not speak from the head, but from the heart.

A friend once taught me this:
“When you are going to have a talk with God, imagine a little guy in your brain running the control board of your life. Then picture Him turning off the lights, locking the door, and walking down into the doorway of your heart. This is the place you pray from!” When you pray from the heart, with sincerity, it really amplifies your desire for connection. This is a great time, to be honest, and vulnerable and also to confess anything that might be blocking that connection. We CAN come to God with our heavy load knowing that He can and DOES desire to bear that heavyweight for us.

In exchange, God gives us His rest and peace! What a great exchange! Will you come to Him today with your heavy burden? Go ahead, step into your heart. God is waiting there for you.

Matthew 6:6
“Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

John 10:10 says that
“The thief (the devil) ONLY comes to kill steal and destroy, but I (Jesus) have come that they may have LIFE and have it to the full.”
This means God has one job and the devil also has one job. God’s job is to give you life and freedom, while the enemy’s job is to kill and destroy you. So today I am going to share with you how the devil tries to destroy you in 4 steps that are part of a repeating cycle of despair.

1) The first place the enemy attacks is in your relationship and connection to God.
2) Doing this distorts your true value and perception of self, leaving you feeling like you’re “not enough” and sowing the seed of doubt that God isn’t good and doesn’t love you!
3) That emptiness then creates a vacuum for “the search;” looking for anything and everything that will fill you. This false fulfillment may come in the form of substance abuse.
4) False fulfillment leads you to have unhealthy thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and now, instead of living a free life, you’re stuck in bondage.

Remember this:
God is never done in your life until he fully frees you and the devil is never done in your life until he fully controls you. Knowing the plans of the enemy will help you escape and keep you close and connected to God.
If you don’t remember anything else from today, remember this…. you are enough and God is trustworthy and good!

John 10:10
“The thief (the devil) ONLY comes to kill steal and destroy, but I (Jesus) have come that they may have LIFE and have it to the full.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

If we want to plug into God, we’ll need to learn to unplug from our busy schedules.

Here is one of my favorite quotes:
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” Are you tired, worn out, and on the brink of exhaustion? Is your battery running at less than 10%? Maybe it’s time to unplug from the world and plug into the Word! Nothing tells God He’s important like setting aside intentional time to be still and communicate with Him.

See as a guy, I mistakenly think if I work harder, and do more things for my friends, I’ll naturally build stronger relationships. While helping people is great, without this other key element, it just won’t be as fulfilling! And that element is spending intentional TIME with them! This is the best way to deepen a relationship.

In Luke 10:38-42, a young sister named Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to His words while her older sister Martha fussed in the kitchen, preparing a meal for everyone. Martha even asked her Lord to send her little sister into the kitchen to help. Jesus didn’t send anyone into the kitchen. Instead, He praised Mary for focusing her undivided attention on Him!

Undivided attention is the key! When I pay attention to you, that means you are important to me! And the same is true with God: time = relationship!

Psalm 91:1
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the highest, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty!

Be encouraged today because God is with you.