Blog

Author: Pastor Andrew

If you’ve been around people of faith for any amount of time, you have probably heard them say, “When one door closes, God opens a window.” Or, you’ve heard them say how thankful they were to God for opening a door into a new job, relationship, or passion project.

I love those conversations because they encourage me to continue seeking God’s direction for my life. But, if I’m honest, I think we can miss a big part of how God works in the world.

Don’t get me wrong. I definitely believe that God opens doors. But, I’m equally as confident that He shuts them.

Not nearly as romantic as talking about how God opens doors, huh?

Even though it’s not as fun to talk about, it’s important for you and I to remember that a shut door can be God’s way of protecting us, guiding us, and leading us toward His calling on our lives.

It could be that you hoped for God to open a door to a promotion at work, or to a relationship with a person who could be your future spouse, and instead, that door has been closed. Whatever it is that God has shut the door on, you need to hear this today: Do not force something that doesn’t fit.

God shuts doors because He has your best interest in mind. There is no need to try and knock it down or call in the battering rams. Instead, I have two, simple, practical steps you can take to lean into God when it feels like He’s closing a door.

1.Be patient: If you think that God has closed a door, give it at least three days before changing course. Spend time over these few days praying and asking God for clarity.
2.Release control: The gist of this whole conversation is a battle with God for control. Our desire to tear through a door that God has already shut is an example of our need for control. Spend time, as hard as it is, thanking God for opening and closing doors in your life.

Today, be thankful that God doesn’t just open every door. He shuts them for the same reason He opens them: for our benefit. Be patient. Release control.

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13)

Author: Pastor Andrew

I don’t know about you, but I feel like there are new scientific discoveries every single day. Every time I open my web browser, I see an article about a new medication for curing cancer or about a scientist who unlocked a genetic mystery. The world’s smartest people are daily discovering new truths about the earth on which we live.

It can seem like everything is changing, can’t it? If scientists and physicists are uncovering realities about our world, it can start to feel like everything we know to be true will one day be proven false. After all, humans for centuries believed the world was flat and that the universe revolved around the earth. Who’s to say we’re not in the same boat as them?!

Change leads to uncertainty. Uncertainty leads to doubt.

I know because I’ve been there before.

If you find yourself feeling like you can’t get a firm footing because of fast-moving changes, let me assure you of one thing: All truth is God’s truth.

That means when scientists discover something new, they just understand God’s creation on a deeper level. They aren’t inventing or creating, just discovering God’s truth. It means that when government leaders claim to have the newest and brightest ideas for saving the planet, they are just uncovering solutions that God has already thought of.

If you and I can understand this small and profound idea, we can rest in the stability and firm foundation of God. In a seemingly ever-changing world, He never changes. In a culture whose beliefs shift like sand, we can turn to God’s Word and be confident that He is who He says He is, He did what the Bible says He did, and He’s with us like the Bible says He is.

Nothing is new for God. Stand firm in His Word today.

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

Define The Relationship

By pastor Andrew Farland

At the end of the Bible, there are seven letters written by God to seven different churches. Each church was full of people, not unlike you and I, going through their own set of challenges and overcoming their own obstacles. And, the amazing thing about God, that we learn from these letters, is that He always meets people where they are and speaks truth into their specific situation.

Over the last couple of days, you and I have explored God’s words to churches in Ephesus and Smyrna. Today, we’re going to take a look at His letter to the church at Pergamum.

The Christians who lived in Pergamum were similar to an armored car. They had endured serious persecution during which one of their closest friends was killed. They had experienced the strongest of temptations, from Satan himself, to leave their faith. And though they had every reason to give up, the Bible says that the armored car of a church withstood the fight, staying “true to God’s name and did not renounce Him.” In His letter to the church at Pergamum, God encouraged Christians to stay the course.

Is God telling you the same thing today?

How strong is your faith in God? If you went through the same trials as the Christians in Pergamum, would you be able to stay true to your first love? Maybe you’ve never thought about it before. Are there voices that are louder than the voice of your heavenly father? Are you beginning to put more stock in the so-called truth of the culture around you? If so, today is good day to reevaluate your faith.

It’s time for the DTR. Define the Relationship.

In the same letter to the Christians at Pergamum, God described Himself as a “double-edged sword.” In other words, He loves to encourage and build His people up, but He simultaneously is passionate about people who abandon the faith and choose to walk a different path.

What does this mean for you? Spend time today deciding how you can build up your armor of faith so that when temptations and struggles come your way, you will withstand the attacks and lean into God for help and protection. Define your relationship with Him.

Matthew 6:13
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.