Tag: Jesus Christ

By Pastor Andrew Farland

If you’re like many other people, you like receiving gifts.

Getting a present is fun!

The anticipation of finding out what’s under the wrapping paper is just the beginning. We can’t wait to see what’s inside. There is such pleasure in knowing that someone took the time to find just the right gift.

God has picked out a special gift for us, too. In fact, He’s given us three everlasting gifts. In Ephesians Chapter 1, verses 7 and 8, we learn that:

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,

God has blessed us and made us His own. He purposefully chose us to be in Him. God picked us out before the foundations of the world existed, and He used Jesus Christ to adopt us.

Why would God do these things? He wanted to show His grace as he developed a relationship with us. And He has given us three incredible gifts:

Forgiveness
Redemption
Understanding

Forgiveness wipes away all offenses from memory and stops resentment. God says, “I know all that you’ve done, even the bad things in secret and out of bad motive, but I’m willing to let those deeds be bygones. They never happened.”

Our first gift from God, the gift of forgiveness, is really the gift of forgetting. Many of us can start the process of forgiveness, but no human can forget. We remember not just actions, but also words for a long time. We can’t take back our hurtful words. Only God can take away the sting and the hurt when we’ve been wronged.

Redemption, which is the release of bondage through a payment, is the second gift. Imagine a sheep at the bottom of a well. A shepherd comes along and pays to have the sheep released from its confinement so it can join the other sheep. This sheep has been redeemed.

We are all stuck in bondage – physical, financial, or relational ties that hold us back. We are especially bound to material things like alcohol, drugs, co-dependency, the Internet, and smartphones. They become an addiction that hamstrings us and prevents us from moving.

God gives us redemption and removes our bondage. We are redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ.

The most important gift from God is understanding. God makes known the mystery of His will according to his purpose, which is set forth in Christ.

So often we wonder what purpose God has for us. These three gifts help us know and understand God’s will. If, however, we don’t take time to read our Bibles, we remain ignorant, and the gifts God has for us sit there, wrapped and ready, but unopened. They are waiting for us to claim them.

The gifts are yours for the asking. To receive them, you must:

Hear the good news – read and listen to the Word of God
Believe the Gospel – accept it as the truth
Receive God’s seal – allow Him to claim you for his own.

Most importantly, radically start to believe what the Bible tells you.

Remember these three gifts.

You never have to walk around with guilt and shame. You have been fully forgiven and freed from bondage. You never have to wonder what God’s plan for you is.

God’s plan is for you to grow strong in His word with these three gifts.

Ephesians 1:13 (NIV)
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

When I went through my battle with depression, anxiety, and panic attacks, no one told me that there were ways to combat, and sometimes even prevent, attacks from starting.

I would just try to breathe faster and faster, keeping up with the pace of my heart rate, until I found out it’s counterproductive. One day, I decided to research techniques to lower my heart rate, ease my anxiety, and calm my breathing.

I discovered two amazing ways to deal with panic attacks. Today, I want to share these tools with you in the hopes that they help you take steps forward in your journey toward healing.

Progressive Relaxation. This relaxation technique is one that would help me in the middle of a panic attack. Was it a cure? Not exactly, but it gave me the ability to take control of my own mind and body. Here’s how it works. First, make yourself comfortable by wearing loose-fitting clothes and taking off your shoes. Then, begin the exercise by tensing the muscles in your right foot, holding for ten seconds. Move to your left foot, then your legs, your abdomen, arms, neck, and face. Move from your feet to your head, flexing your muscles for ten seconds at a time. You’ll find that the relaxation of your mind is closely related to the relaxation of your muscles.

Box Breathing. I found that this technique was helpful during an attack and was beneficial to do each day. To do box breathing, find a chair in a room where you won’t be interrupted. Put your feet on the floor and begin taking slow, deep breaths through your nose, counting to four seconds. Then, exhale for four seconds through your mouth. As the air enters your lungs, focus your attention on the way your stomach and chest go up and down with every breath. The point of this exercise is to calm down your respiratory system. What’s great about this is you can do it anywhere.
If you’ve never attempted anything like these relaxation techniques, start today. The biggest reason is that it will give you control over your mind and body again. Depression, anxiety, subsequent panic attacks make you feel helpless, but utilizing these tools can give you confidence in the power that God has put inside of you.

Isaiah41:10
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

Let’s recap. Panic attacks are the result of an overactive brain sending adrenaline through your body. You are not crazy because you have them. It’s a normal part of the journey that you’re on even though it feels like a ride that will never stop.

I remember, after a week in which I had literally hundreds of panic attacks, sitting down with my counselor defeated and ready to give up. The first issue was that I had never experienced anything like them before. They made me feel completely out of control and their unpredictability made me even more anxious. The other problem was that I didn’t have any tools, any methods, for managing my panic attacks. I would just fearfully go through them and hope that it would stop.

If you’re going through depression right now, you probably know what I’m talking about. Today, you’re going to do a little homework. This exercise is the very one that my counselor gave to me when I sat in his office clueless about what to do next. Grab a pen and paper, or your smartphone, and spend time writing your answers to these questions:

How many panic attacks have you had?
How many of those panic attacks have killed you?
Think of every one of your panic attacks. On a scale of 0 to 10 (0 = ultimate peace and serenity; 10 = running out into the street naked, wielding a ballistic weapon), how often did you make it to a 10? You can call this the “Crazy Scale.”
What does this tell you about how you are naturally able to manage a panic attack?

This exercise is important because I want you to see how awesome you already are. You may feel like you don’t have the power to overcome life’s obstacles, but the reality is that you have been able to navigate your attacks with your own God-given strength! You’ve accomplished a lot without having very many tools to work with. In the next section, we’ll talk about some practical tools you can begin to utilize as you take control of what seems uncontrollable.

Psalm 139:14
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

BY Pastor Andrew Farland

In the Bible, God tells us to cast all of our anxiety on Him, that His yoke is easy and His burden is light, and He reminds us that He works all things out for the good of those who love Him.

These promises are beautiful and trustworthy.

But, the problem is that our minds can become a barrier, a wall that prevents us from experiencing the life of peace that only God can give. What I’m trying to say is that as much as we want to give God all of our worries, it’s not going to happen when we are in the middle of a season of depression and experiencing frequent panic attacks. And listen: that’s okay!

Scientists have known for decades that men and women who are depressed ruminate more on their thoughts and emotions, and dream more at night, than people who aren’t going through depression.

The truth is that panic attacks are a normal part of depression and anxiety. They are the result of your brain telling your body that it’s in danger, that your life is being threatened. It instigates your natural fight-or-flight response sending an incredible amount of adrenaline through your body. And even though you aren’t actually in a life-threatening situation, it sure does feel like it. Doesn’t it? Your heart rate skyrockets, it gets more difficult to breathe, and you feel suddenly out of control.

What I want you to hear today is that panic attacks are normal. They are just shots of adrenaline, sent by an over-reactive brain, that aren’t going to last forever. Your body doesn’t have an endless supply of anything. So, as you work toward navigating panic attacks, the first thing to keep in mind is that your attacks, and this season that you’re in, are going to stop one day.

I didn’t believe it when I was having dozens of panic attacks per day. But, now that I’m on the other side, you can trust me when I say that things will get better.

Isaiah 40:29
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.