Blog

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.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

I don’t know about you, but for me, I can get overwhelmed trying to figure out the right thing to do in any given situation. How do I know I’m doing the right thing? With unlimited life circumstances and an unlimited amount of responses, it helps me to simplify my faith by choosing the right focus.

Having heard so many of His teachings, an expert on the law once asked Jesus what was necessary to inherit eternal life. This was a man that knew the law forwards and backward; he spent most of his time studying the law! But still, he wanted to hear from Jesus . . . what should I focus on?

The way that I would have asked this question was more like this:
“Jesus, we’ve heard so many different things that we are to do and not do, and it can get confusing and overwhelming at times.

What is the main thing we should be focused on? How can we make sure to do all that you’ve asked of us so that we end up with you in heaven?
Jesus already responded with this concise statement: “ Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul strength, and mind, and, love your neighbor as yourself.”

If we learn to focus on Loving God, we are less likely to sin against Him. If we are focused on loving others like ourselves, we are less likely to commit adultery, murder, steal or covet. And thus Loving God and others is the proper and ultimate fulfillment of God’s moral law! Today, if you are getting overwhelmed and not sure where to put your focus, put it on the Love God has for yes you do that it will make it much easier to Love God and those around you.

Here’s a question to ask yourself the next time you come up against a difficult situation: “What’s the most loving thing I can do here?”

Mark 12:30-31
“’ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

We all love attending weddings. There is something so special about two people making a life-long commitment to each other! This beautiful moment points us to the commitment God makes with us. To be with us in sickness and health, for richer or for poorer.

The bible tells us that when two people marry “The two become one”. And that’s the same thing that happens to us when we give our lives to Christ. God makes a forever commitment to be faithful to us. What a wonderful thing! And because God is inside of you, that means you are one with Christ. It also means that Jesus can’t let you down because in order to do that He would also have to let Himself down and that’s not His character.

God is invested in you and your wellbeing. If something hurts you, it also hurts Him. So today, take courage! God won’t and can’t let you down! He’s committed to be faithful to you for eternity. How great the love of God is!

2 Timothy 2:13
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful [true to His word and His righteous character], for He cannot deny Himself.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.