Tag: ascension

By Pastor Andrew Farland

It’s pretty easy to stress about things. We worry about the quality of our work, whether we left the oven on, if our paychecks will cover our bills, what the neighbors think, and more. There’s plenty worth worrying about!

Before you know it, your mind is running a complex Rube Goldberg-type operation of all your worries and what-ifs, making the simple more complex and the stress-free more anxious.

When that happens, take a moment and step back. Turn off the worry machine. Pray.

On the front of her journal, my friend Kelsey had written,
“Have I prayed about this?”

For her, that note was a reminder that if she was worried about something, she wouldn’t just talk about it and fret over it. She wouldn’t analyze it to death. She would commit it to prayer!

How often do we go through an entire day worried about something, yet we forget to take a moment to pray about what’s bothering us?

How does worrying all day affect our relationship with God and with our friends? How much unnecessary stress do we put ourselves through? What we so easily forget, is that God is eager to answer our prayers!

In fact, the Bible tells us to ask for what we need. Not only that, Jesus promises that when we ask, we receive His best.

So what are you worried about?

Have you taken the time to pray about it?

How could your day change if you remembered to pray the next time you were tempted to worry?

1 Peter 5:7
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

If you think you’ll be more content if you just made more money, without already having peace and contentment in your life, you’re heading for a dead-end! So are the people trying to convince you that you just need MORE STUFF?

It’s all fake. A facade!
It’s never been about material possessions.
Money will not bring you peace, or contentment. In fact, it can nurture just the opposite.

A quick check might produce a quick burst of happiness—like Friday night fireworks at Disneyland. It’s here tonight and gone in the morning.

Do you want eternal joy? Lasting contentment? There’s only one place to find it.
It’s in your relationships.

This means:
1.You are a part of some sort of community where you can freely express yourself, share your ups and downs, and be fully accepted by others.
2.Secondly, you have a relationship with God who introduces you to an endless supply of love!

When you have more love, you have more abundance. You need fewer things. You are less consumed by STUFF.
Without God, your needs won’t be perfectly met because they aren’t perfect.

Today, turn your hurting, broken, lonely or depressed heart to the one that can fix it: Jesus Christ.

Psalm 107:9
“For He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

Sometimes the thing you are begging God for isn’t what’s best for you, and God will purposefully deprive you of those things that are harmful to you in the long term – no matter how badly you want them now.

I remember when I was dating this young gal, and I begged and pleaded with God, “Please God, I’ll do anything to be with her! This is what I want! Please let it be your will that I marry her! Give me the green light!”

But God didn’t grant me what I so wanted . . . and looking back on it, I’m glad now that He didn’t!

You see, over time, I saw that same girl walk farther away from God. And at the time, it felt like God was intentionally withholding good from me, but what I didn’t know was that down the line, there would have been some real problems had I married her and gotten things my way!

Today, maybe you feel like God has turned His back on you or shut His ears to your requests. Know that God’s will is good and perfect! He doesn’t withhold good from his children; we sometimes can’t see what’s good – or what isn’t!

Just like a father who cares deeply for his child, I bet it’s hard for Him to see us want something so badly that isn’t good for us. As much as young children love sweets, what father would let his children gorge on them until they were sick?

God knows your heart’s deepest desires. He also knows what harm lies ahead. Trust God to hold fast to what’s good and true. He sees things from a bigger perspective and He knows what the future holds!

From now on, learn to not only commit your ways to Him but also be okay with a ‘No’ from Him from time to time! If He says no, it’s for the best. It also usually means there is a better yes coming!

When God says no, don’t go.

Jeremiah 29:11
“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.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

The Bible tells us that Satan, the enemy, is the Father of lies and the author of confusion.

The enemy wants to cover you in thick darkness. He wants to convince you that God’s mad at you instead of being mad about you. He wants you to believe that you aren’t loved and that you aren’t enough. One of the ways the enemy does this is by casting a shadow of confusion and doubt over you. He wants you to over-think everything and believe that things aren’t okay.

And what’s his largest weapon to accomplish this sleight-of-hand?
He uses condemnation, which is a general feeling of guilt, shame, and confusion with no real clarity. We can get stuck in condemnation, but we can also get free of it when we know the truth, for the Bible says that the truth will set you free!

And here is the truth: God will never condemn you, but will instead give you a specific conviction.

Romans 8:1 says:
“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.”

When God points out what’s wrong in your life, He never attacks your identity or your value by saying you are wrong. He is interested in uprooting anything that is unhealthy in your life and anything that gets in between you and Him. Conviction is the way He does that.

So from today on, if you have a general feeling of shame or guilt, you can know that feeling is not from God. That’s condemnation sneaking in, trying to pull the blanket over your eyes so you have to sit there in the darkness, alone and unsure.

If God wants to uproot something from your life, He will make it crystal clear what it is! He will point it out specifically. You will not be confused about God’s intentions.

1 Corinthians 14:33 says,
“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.”

That peace is yours if you will do as Colossians 3:15 says: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.”

Don’t give in to the lies, confusion, and condemnation of the enemy: it’s a trap!

You are enough, and you are dearly loved by God! Start thanking Him for what He’s doing in your life, and you’ll start to see the darkness fade and the enemy flee!

2 Timothy 1:7
”For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.