Tag: understanding God

By Pastor Andrew Farland

How does God want us to pray?
What does the Bible tell us about how to pray effectively?
In Matthew, Chapter 6, the disciples came to Jesus asking Him to teach them to pray!
Let’s discover together how we can pray – just as Jesus instructed His disciples in 10 simple steps using the Lord’s Prayer as our framework!

Step 1
I remember how much God loves me.
“Our Father in Heaven.”

Step 2
I tell God how much I love Him.
“Hallowed be your name.”

Step 3
I offer my life to be used for God’s purposes
“Your kingdom come.”

Step 4
I give God my pain and sorrow.
“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”

Step 5
I trust God to meet all my needs.
“Give us this day our daily bread.”

Step 6
I admit my faults.
“Forgive us our sins.”

Step 7
I release those that have hurt me.
“As we forgive those who sin against us.”

Step 8
I ask God to guard my heart.
“Lead us not into temptation.”

Step 9
I depend on God’s power.
“Deliver us from evil.”

Step 10
I praise God for ultimate victory.
“Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen.”

Matthew 6:9-13
After this manner, therefore, pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom comes, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

In 1 Samuel 30, David comes to his home of Ziklag and finds it completely burned to the ground. Not only that but all the women and children were carried off by the enemy!
When David and his men saw what had happened, they wept bitterly until they had no more tears.
In life, we often come face-to-face with sudden, unspeakable tragedy, loss, and grief. Our emotions take over, and before long, our eyes can’t shed another tear. But that wasn’t the end of the story for David, and it’s NOT the end of the story for you and me.

The Bible says that though the enemy took their families, they did it without killing anyone (1 Samuel 30:2).
So what was God doing here? The same thing he did with Job when the devil wanted to take his life.
“The Lord said to Satan, “Very well then, he is in your hands but you MUST spare his life” (Job 2:6).

Things will never be perfect on this side of heaven. Men and women have evil thoughts, intentions, and desires. We are living in a world where imperfect and broken people have free will. But one thing stays true: “God is not only the giver of life but the preserver of life. He’s the same God who gave the seas their boundaries, so the waters would not overstep his command” [Proverbs 8:29].

So, how does the story end for David?
After seeking and finding strength in the Lord, David and his 600 men set out to recover everything that was taken. Not only did they succeed and get back everything stolen by the Amalekites, but God’s favor guided them along the way. God made the right people show up along the way to guide David and his men secretly into enemy territory!

When you go through loss without God, you are left on your own to pick up the pieces and put them back together.
But go through loss WITH God, and His favor will lead you back to safety unharmed.

Psalm 23 says,
“He leads me by the still waters” and He goes with me into the scary valleys, until the tunnel I’m in begins to flood with His glorious light.

To every situation that looks impossible, we can now boldly say:
1 Corinthians 15:55
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? Thanks be to God he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

As you drive up to an intersection, the light in front of you turns yellow. What do you do?
Some of us treat the yellow light treat like a green light. We depress the gas pedal with our lead foot, pedal to the metal, while others immediately slam on the brakes, treating the same yellow light as a red! But God gives us specific instruction in His word on how to deal with the yellow lights in our lives. Those yellow lights represent that middle ground where we don’t know whether to speed up or slow down!

Here’s what I believe God would say to you today:
The convictions that are in your heart were given to you by God! Live by those convictions and trust that God will act upon your conscience to guide you in all the specifics and smaller decisions in your life!

Here’s the Biblical principle:
If your conscience is clear and the light is green, drive on CONFIDENTLY, unwavering in your convictions!
However, If you have a yellow light about a decision or direction, and are hesitant, SLOW DOWN instead of speeding up!

Application question:
Where in your life are you rushing through yellow lights? Where are you silencing or ignoring your consciousness?
How would your decisions be different if you slowed down at the yellow lights in your life?

Romans 14:22b-23
“Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.

By Pastor Andrew Farland

You know the type.
Some people can fall asleep just about anytime, anywhere. The circumstance doesn’t matter: noises, flashing lights, people moving around them – nothing startles them or keeps these pro nappers from getting in a few Zs. They can nap at work, at the dentist’s office, or even at a rock concert!

Then there are others who wake at the slightest provocation. A lumpy mattress? That won’t do. A creak? Better check it out. Thunder and lightning? Hide under the covers ‘til it passes. Relaxing enough to fall asleep might be about the search for the elusive perfection, but more likely, being able to sleep anywhere is about trust.

When we can trust that we’re safe, we can let go of everything . . . and sleep peacefully. That doesn’t mean that our bed will never be uncomfortable, or that there won’t be something that goes bump in the night. Storms will pass through our days and our nights, but we need not worry.

Jesus was never shocked by a storm’s wind or waves. Remember? In the storm, Jesus was sleeping in the bottom of the boat . . . he was calmly resting in the first area that would have flooded with water. The storm wasn’t there to destroy Jesus. He knew He could trust God for His safety.

Are storms here to destroy us? Or teach us peace despite our circumstances?

Mark 4:38
“Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat so that it was being swamped. But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.”

Be encouraged today because God is with you.