Tag: god’s forgiveness

By Pastor Andrew Farland

Have you ever seen a house that is halfway built?

There are wires poking out of walls, wooden frames without drywall, and missing floors.

Homeowners get frustrated with the amount of time it takes to finish the construction while the builders do their best to provide quality work. In other words, the whole process is a mess. But, because the end product is always better than what the house looks like during construction, let’s call it a beautiful mess.

The truth is that we are each like a house under construction. We have rough edges, areas of our lives that need to be cleaned up, and there is probably a missing floor or two. If that’s true, let’s not get discouraged. God is an expert at building people into the men and women He created them to be.

Similar to homeowners, though, we can start to think that God has given us. We can begin to believe that He has left us stranded on an island to find for ourselves. When we find ourselves feeling like the construction project is taking too long, be reminded that God’s timing is different than our timing.

Philippians 1:6 says that
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

As long as you are alive, God is still working. Until the day you see Heaven, you can trust that the story God began writing when you were born, is the same story that God is still writing, even if it feels like it is taking too long.

Trust that God won’t let those floors remain unfinished!

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

There are voices coming from every direction trying to get our attention. As people who are following Jesus, it can become challenging to hear God’s voice over all of the noise. Here are four ways to help you hear the voice of your Heavenly Father:

CONFIRMATIONS. God is intentional in everything He does. He will keep showing you the same thing until He gets through to you. Is there something your mind or spirit keeps coming back to? It might be time to write it down.

PATIENCE. The Bible tells us that love is first and foremost patient. This means patience is the language of Heaven. If something is not spoken patiently, you can assume it’s the devil trying to confuse you and entice you with an instant, unstable direction. God’s words, on the other hand, are secure and calculated and will resonate with a slow, wise response.

POWER. God’s voice carries more power than any words spoken on earth. This means that God will always ask you to do things that can’t be accomplished by your own power. The strength to accomplish it won’t be from you pushing, but from Him pushing.

CONVERSATIONS- God’s words echo in places that are deep down in your soul. When you sit down with another Christian who is seeking to discern the voice of God, you will find that God’s words move from the depths of your soul to the shore.

I pray that you can be still for just one moment today and begin to listen for the still small voice of God.

Proverbs 3:6-7
In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

The most important part of following Jesus is being willing to go where He wants you to go. The most difficult part of following Jesus is that we have no way of predicting where He’s going to send us.

The reason this is so tough is that we make detailed plans for our future: where we’re going to live, where we’re going to college, the spouse we’re going to marry, and the career we’re going to have. It’s completely normal because the world trains us to make these kinds of plans. And if you’re anything like most people, you hold on to them with a white-knuckled grip.

With such a commitment to your own plans, it’s impossible for you to move in any direction that you don’t dictate yourself.

That’s not how God wants you to live your life. Instead, He wants you to be like an astronaut, free from the force of gravity, with the ability to move in whatever direction He pulls you toward. In other words, God wants you to be weightless, unshackled, free to respond to His call.

Living like this will require you to hold your own plans loosely and give up control. The beauty of it, though, is that when you learn that God loves you and has the best in store for all of his sons and daughters, you can begin to live this weightless life. Today, try to give up control to the One who is for you and will never let you down.

Isaiah 55:8
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

When we go on a road trip, we usually know where we’re headed and we follow the directions to get to our destination.

When we trust God, we know where we’re going. But, because we are humans and our faith is set in things that are unseen, we can easily get discouraged when the fog sets in. We can think to ourselves, “Why did we leave in the first place?” or, “What’s taking so long. Let’s go back!”

In the Old Testament, we read about the Israelites, a group of people God rescued out of slavery in Egypt. After they were freed, and they had to journey a long distance, the Bible tells us that the Israelites started complaining. They were hungry and tired and they wanted to go back to their lives as slaves because at least they would have food to eat. Think about that for a second. Why in the world would anyone want to go back to a life of slavery?!

But, maybe that’s where you are today. The setbacks are becoming too big and you’re thinking it’s time to go back. Let me assure you: When you put your faith in Him and have a conviction in your heart that He is there, He sets your eyes on things unseen and the fog begins to lift.

So, keep the faith. Your breakthrough is right around the corner.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Be encouraged today because God is with you.