Tag: faith

By Pastor Andrew Farland

Late one night, I watched a video of a Christian musician who shared that her songs are the language of her relationship with God.

The video resonated with me so much that I started singing. I wanted to communicate with God with words that made sense to my heart. Eventually, I found myself repeating a chorus, “Everything may pass away, but Lord I know your love is here to stay!”

At that moment, God reminded me that we all will go through hills and valleys, highs and lows. We will have moments in which everything is going right. There will be seasons we never want to end.

In the good times, our life is prosperous, we are well respected by others, we make headway on the plans set before us, we have great relationships, and feel like we’re on top of the spiritual mountain. But, there are definitely seasons of life in which things don’t go right.

In Job Chapter 29, Job listed the blessings he had received from God during a good season of life.

He had the honor, people would listen to his words, he had influence, and he could sense God’s presence. He had dinners with his children every night and laughter was their song.

Job said that every time he passed, princes would pay attention and young men would be afraid of his presence. The Bible describes this time in Job’s life as one in which “rivers of oil were flowing out of the press.”

As he was recounting these blessings, he realized that the good season was over. He was now the laughing stock of the town. People ridiculed and spit at him which lead to some deep insecurities. Rivers of oil stopped flowing from the press.

The lesson that Job teaches us is powerful. Even in the middle of stress and insecurity, one thing remained: Job’s relationship with God.

We go through ups and downs. But, God’s love will never pass away.
Romans 8:38-39
says, “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Today, in whatever you’re going through, let these words be your song: “Everything may pass away, but Lord I know your love is here to stay!”

Job 36:26
“Yes, God is great–beyond our knowledge! The number of his years is unsearchable.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

Have you noticed how many people like to share their thoughts before you even ask for them?

In today’s world, it seems like everyone has an opinion about politics, a neighbor who never cuts his grass, parenting, money, and everything in between.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of hearing opinions from people. What I want more of is God’s Truth!

Before our egos get too big, let’s take a moment and admit that we are all guilty of caring too much about our own thoughts and the thoughts of others. As tough as it is, though, God wants us to base our lives on what His word says and not on people’s opinions.

How do we find out what God says? It’s simple. We go back to God’s Word, the Bible. There are two good ways to study the Bible that you can start putting into practice this week:

Search the internet using the phrase “What does the Bible say about…” Look up whatever topic you’re interested in, read all of the different verses that are listed, and try to identify big ideas. As you read through the hundreds of different verses, you will start to uncover main themes, significant pieces of Truth that God wants you to hear.
Read each verse in its context. After you’ve found a list of verses, choose one from the New Testament and read the paragraph that comes before and after. To fully hear the Truth that God wants to tell you, sometimes it is helpful to understand how the verse fits into the bigger story of the Bible.

Today, focus your attention on what God says instead of the opinions of other people. Use technology to find His Truth and then read it in context. That’s how you find out what God says.

Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

The Drongo is one of the cleverest birds on earth.

It can mimic the sound of over 40 animals and does so to confuse, scare, and steal food.

The Drongo will stand next to a family of Meerkats and sound a false alarm that a predator is near. The Meerkats, thinking that there is danger approaching, drop their food and run away. The Drongo then has free lunch! What if the Meerkats catch on to the bird’s ruse? It changes its warning signal to sound like another animal – the animal kingdom’s version of “throwing your voice.”

What does a Drongo bird have to do with your spiritual life?! The Bible says that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Just like the African bird, the devil is a master manipulator and an expert at deception.

He knows where you are weak and where your insecurities are.

He knows how to make you feel discouraged and how to lead you away from God.

When Jesus started his ministry, the evil one met Him in the desert where He had been fasting for 40 days. The devil found Jesus at one of his weakest moments – hungry and tired – and attempted to seize the opportunity. You can read about it in Matthew 4:1-11. Spoiler alert!

I’m going to tell you about the incredible way Jesus fought off the enemy. He didn’t use force and he didn’t’ try to beat him at his own game. Instead, Jesus spoke Scripture, words from the Bible, every time he was tempted to sin.

If Jesus used Scripture to protect himself against the evil one, we should do the same.

Today, be on guard. Pray consistently for God to protect you and give you the wisdom to decipher between the voice of the enemy and the voice of God. Keep reading the Bible daily so that, when you begin to hear lies, you can put them in their place.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

The words that little kids use can be hilarious and not because they are inherently funny.

The reason kids are so comical is that they use words that are out of place such as “booger” instead of “burger” or “monkey” instead of “mommy.” Words mean what they are supposed to mean when we use them the right way.

Doing things God’s way is no different. Sometimes, He can give us big dreams and call us to serve Him with everything we have. The problem is that because we are humans, we tend to use the methods of the world to achieve God’s goals. For example, think of a leader who bullies people into following a vision. Or think of someone who promotes himself under the guise of preaching Jesus. The point is that the ends never justify the means.

Doing things in God’s way also means that we should have the right priorities.
The world around us constantly tells us that success means accumulating wealth.
God tells us that the most important part of life is seeking first the kingdom of God.
The world tells us that we should value ourselves over others.
God says that the first will be last and the last will be first.

If we climb up the mountain and don’t find God, we’ve climbed up the wrong mountain.

Doing things the right way, which is God’s way, means our end goal is always obedience. Even when we know that God has given us an amazing vision, He wants us to accomplish His goals by seeking Him first and trusting that whatever earthly rewards He wants us to have will be given to us at the right time.

So, today, if God is calling you to serve Him, check your motives or you may end up a the top of the wrong mountain.

Psalm 86:11
Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

Be encouraged today because God is with you.