Tag: slave to sin

By Pastor Andrew Farland

Regardless of what’s happening around you, you can prosper.

Today we’ll look at 5 daily habits that will help us to thrive, even when the rest of the world is turned away from God.
The Bible says, “Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.”
1. Prioritize God first. Let your identity solely be defined by Him.
[Matthew 6:33]

2. Be actively employed in doing good. This keeps you from fretting.
[Psalm 37:3]

3. Present and lay out your cares, concerns, and worries before Him – every day.
[Proverbs 3:5]

4. Seek truth; allow your delight in God to fill you satisfy you and sanctify you.
[Psalm 1:1-3]

5. Be thankful and content with what you have. “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.”
[Psalm 23:1]

My challenge to you is to write these 5 daily habits down on an index card or sticky note that you can post where you’ll see it every day.

These daily reminders will help you flourish.

Psalms 73:25
“Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

King Saul was a hard-headed guy who wanted to do things his way. Even when he pretended to obey God’s wishes, he did so grudgingly. His heart wasn’t in serving God.

King David had his share of mess-ups, too. Had he been in charge of any modern nation, David would have been called out on social media for his morals, and he would be facing serious questioning about his antics.

And which ruler did God forgive and lift up? David, of course.

The difference between the outcomes for David and Saul was a bad day versus a bad heart.

Like David, you’re going to make mistakes, but you can overcome them. You can get back up and go on.

Don’t condemn yourself for making a mistake!

Say you’re sorry – and mean it. Then ask for forgiveness and move on.

Mistakes aren’t tombstones. They’re stepping stones; keep going.

According to Jesus, you aren’t a mess-up that occasionally gets it right. You’re a saint that occasionally gets it wrong.

Proverbs 24:16
“The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.”

By Pastor Andrew Farland

To keep her balance, a spinning ballerina must keep returning her eyes to a given point. It’s how she maintains her center of gravity. Her weight and movement are so evenly displaced that she can twirl almost indefinitely.

In the same way, we need to maintain our own center of gravity – spiritually.

As we ‘spin” through our days, we must repeatedly return our focus to God throughout the day! By maintaining, this continual balance, we are able to move confidently and indefinitely throughout our days.

Do you feel off-balance today? Confused? Frustrated? Is life spinning out of control?
If so, where is your focus?

Take a moment right now to shift your focus to Jesus, the one who’s always in control! Make Him your center of gravity.

He will keep you moving forward and will help you regain your balance so you won’t fall.

Psalm 16:8
“I keep my eyes always on the Lord.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

Today I am going to give you an exercise that will help you block out the noise of life. You’ll be able to sense God’s presence and hear His voice more clearly. So as you start, you will want to close your eyes (you’ll have to read on to capture the idea of what we are doing, and then you can practice while closing your eyes after reading).

Ready?

“Close your eyes and imagine that you are not your body, but instead, you are inside your body, and that your body is there to serve you. Now you are free to experience yourself as you really are, a spirit. And as you are there, inside your body, you know that the Spirit of Christ is there with you.

For the first time, you realize that you are not really alone and that you aren’t in the darkness. You are light and He is light. And both of you are together. Be still, and you can learn to hear His voice. And for this moment in time, can block out the rest of the world. As you do this you begin to know, recognize and hear Him speaking to your heart.”

As you begin to pray from this place inside of you, you will realize that you can connect more clearly. Take enough time to visualize yourself there inside your body. As you do this, you will be able to sense God’s presence and hear Him speaking to your heart.

This helps you to do two things.

1) To help you realize that you aren’t your body, but a Spirit, and
2) To be able to block out all the noise and distractions so that you can hear from God, who is and has always been right there with you.

You can practice this exercise daily!

When you become a believer in Christ, His spirit and presence take up residence inside you! From this place, God is able to powerfully change you from the inside out while speaking softly and gently to you!

Romans 8:11
“If the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from death, lives in you, then he who raised Christ from death will also give life to your mortal bodies by the presence of His Spirit within you.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.