Tag: Christians

By Pastor Andrew Farland

If left to my own devices, I can worry about almost anything. My family, my future, my health, a loved one’s health, debt, student loans. You name it and I promise I can get worried about it pretty quickly. Honestly, if I spend more than 30 minutes watching the news or reading the headlines from my favorite news site, my blood pressure spikes, and my heart races. “Armageddon is here!” I think to myself.

Can you relate? Is there anything going on in your life that causes you to worry?

Let’s be clear. Worry is not a sin. In 1 Peter 5:7, the author says to “cast all your anxiety on God because He cares for you.” God assumes we will all have worry. He knows we will all have anxiety. But, God wants us to live the best life possible. John 10:10 calls this a “fullness of life.”

How do we find this kind of life? How do we live free from enslavement to worry?

Let go of what you can’t control!

Allow that to sink into your spirit for a moment.

Think about it. We typically worry about things we have absolutely no control over. We can’t control the health of our family. We have no say in how people will treat us at work tomorrow. And we certainly can’t control what our world leaders will do this week to create anxiety in all of us. But, we can control how much we are willing to let go.

If we want to conquer worry, we should ask ourselves three questions. I call them the 3 R’s:

Reality – What are the chances that this will happen?
Responsibility – What can I do about it?
Release – What’s leftover that I can’t control?

Releasing to God what we can’t control is the most effective way to overcome the worry in our lives. So, what are you worried about? What is it that you can’t control? Offer it up to God today and begin to live in freedom.

Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

Imagine yourself walking outside on a quiet evening, staring occasionally up at the stars and listening to the birds chirp the sundown. There’s something peaceful and cathartic about alone time in God’s creation. There’s also something very thought-provoking about it. I had an encounter that I’ll never forget when I spent some intentional time in the woods with God.

For years, I wondered about my calling. I wondered about my purpose, why God had put me on earth, and how he wanted me to serve Him while I’m here. It was when I finally silenced my mouth, mind, and my phone, that God gave me clarity.

He made it apparent to me, on that day, that my calling was rooted in the way He wired me from the moment of conception. What I was created to do has never been outside of me in some sort of career shift or educational path. Instead, it has always been inside of me trying to make its way out!

What skills do you have?
What do you enjoy doing?
What makes you the most passionate?
What makes you the most compassionate?

God showed me that our answers to these questions are deeply connected to our calling. How awesome is that?!

If you’re anything like me, you might never have thought that your calling from God was to live out the very things you like to do and are good at doing. The truth is that what you were made to do is in your heart, put there by God. Now, don’t get me wrong, discovering your calling may take time in the same way that uncovering your gifts and passions took an entire lifetime. But, God promises to be with you every step of the way, never to “leave or forsake you.”

Go and find your calling. It’s already inside of you!

Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

Ever been hunting with a couple of bird dogs?
If the first dog knows what direction to go in, the second dog will follow the first dog’s lead. It’s about trust. The second dog accepts that the first dog knows the business; he’s got the other dog’s back.

The second dog honors the first dog’s vision.
You’d think people would have each other’s backs, too, but that’s not always the case. That’s because we tend to work within the groups and cliques we already know. We don’t get behind other people the way we should, especially if they aren’t part of our close-knit circle.

We don’t honor the vision of others.

Imagine what would happen if you went outside your comfort zone and looked for people with tremendous vision, so you could give of yourself and back them with the talents you have!

Giving is the ultimate expression of love. It’s love in action.

Christians are at their best when they bless each other’s work. God is calling on you to use your resources, talent, and even words of encouragement.

It’s less about your personal glory and all about God’s purpose.

Today, be intentional about honoring another person’s vision from God. Lift up the person who is going after their goals with all their heart.

Bless their vision with your support.

1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

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.