Jesus

Indomitable

/ Mike Farley / 2 Comments

This morning we were visiting Momentum Church and Pastor Ross just happened to be speaking about small things that can have a big impact.  This is something I wholeheartedly agree with as I think too often we try and make major changes when a slight course correction will do.  Yes sometimes we need major changes quickly but often in life a slight change makes a large impact.  James in his epistle speaking about the tongue being this little thing but can have a major impact in a lot of areas like a small flame, or the rudder of a ship can steer this large vessel.  Small changes in our life can have major impacts.  He also spoke about  finding a word for you for the year.  This too is something I support and have done for three years.  Instead of resolutions I choose a word I want my year to be.  I have used stronger, audacious, and inspiring.  I do this because a single word can be implemented into every area of my life.  Stronger was physically, professionally, relationally, etc.  The same with the other words.  This way I cannot easily fail because there are so many ways to incorporate it into daily life.  During the year I can measure my actions against my word, and at the end of the year I can check to see how I did.

Inspire was a hard one.  I think I had some successes, but that is a hard one to measure.  But like writing a sentence these words will hopefully build a story for my life.  Only time will tell.

This year I am going with indomitable.  I am going after goals with passion, and aggression.  I have decided either I attack my (and my wifes) goals or I stop having them.  No more excuses, no more desire only, no more waiting.  The time is now, and I will not be stopped.  Win or lose I will give it my all and give God the glory.  Sink or swim I will be in the water.

I am not going to announce my goals because I have heard that once you tell people your goals and plans you feel a certain sense of accomplishment so I will just update as I go.

What about you?  Do you have a goal, a word, a desire?  I highly suggest you pick a word and run with it.  You can choose anything, just pick something and then you have all year to get there.

Just a thought,

Mike

ooh Mr Kotter, Mr Kotter

/ Mike Farley / Leave a comment

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. 2 Tim 3:16

Most believers know this verse and we know that it means the Bible is the Word of God and we can and should trust Scripture, but let me drop this thought on you. If Scripture is from God then it is Holy, and if it is Holy then we must treat it as Holy, that means to set it apart. We do not drop parts of Scripture here and there pasting bits and pieces like decoupage. No we must care for it and use it in it’s proper and rightful places. Some non-believers run around throwing out Scripture bombs because they do not understand it but we have an understanding and are called to treat it properly.

I have been given the privilege to share the word with some middle school boys today and I give it as much thought and prayer as I did when I spoke in the prisons, to congregations, or in weekly Bible studies because the avenue is not of importance, but the Word is of utmost importance. It does not matter if you speak to hundreds, thousands, or 1 the Word of God is mighty and the fact that you get the privilege to read it and share it is a gift from God. Do not take it lightly.

Just a thought,
Mike

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
James 3:1

How to avoid hopelessness in three easy steps

/ Mike Farley / Leave a comment

How to avoid hopelessness (yes this is bad advice):

First stop asking for anything.  If I really want something I find reasons I should not have it.  This works great because then you cannot be disappointed when you do not get it.  Instead of disappointment I get “contentment.”  After all the Apostle Paul said I have learned to be content in every situation.  Yes I know that when you ask for something in Jesus’s name He says He will do it, but that is if you pray according to the Fathers will and as a man I cannot possibly know the Father’s will so I should not ask in the first place.  Oh how much easier life is when you stop asking for things and just get content.  Maybe your car is dead and you are going to lose your job because you cannot get to work thats OK because you should be content in your situation.  Maybe you don’t have health insurance, and your wife needs to see a doctor.  That’s ok just be content.  That is the most important thing.

Second stop trying.  This is where it gets a little harder.  Trying is a lot like asking but this is on you.  When you ask you are trying to get someone else to help you, but trying is all on you.  So stop it.  Just realize that the chances of success are slim and there are better people out there for the job.  See doesn’t that make it better already.  You have failed before so why would you want to face that disappointment again?  Just rest.  That’s right rest.  The Bible says to rest a lot so you should do that.  Now don’t be lazy just stop trying.  God will just give you the victory if He wants you to have it (but don’t ask for it).  Just rest and know that if you try you will more than likely fail so save your energy for something else that you can do.

Third and this is the key stop desiring.  Stop desiring something better.  If you can just lower your expectations a little you will be better off.  This one takes some time, but little by little if you stop desiring a better life, job, or financial situation it will be come easier.  After all that is just coveting.  I mean we have already seen you should be content and rest so you need to stop coveting a better life.  If God wanted you to have a better life then you would have it.  If things are hard He is probably just testing you again, and again, and again.  You just need to stop.  Oh how much peace you will have when you stop desiring.  I mean don’t get me wrong if God shows up and in a big booming voice tells you something then by all means stop and pray about it for a few decades but don’t rush into anything.  The last thing you want to do is ever make a mistake.

See if you just follow my three simple steps you will have mediocrity and that is a lot like victory.  I mean do you really want to go through the heartache of failure, or the trouble of bothering someone, or your situation not improving?  Of course not who would.  So take my advice and just chill.

 

Just a bad thought,

Mike   

How to avoid hopelessness (yes this is bad advice):

 

First stop asking for anything.  If I really want something I find reasons I should not have it.  This works great because then you cannot be disapointed when you do not get it.  Instead of disappointment I get “contentment.”  After all the Apostle Paul said I have learned to be content in every situation.  Yes I know that when you ask for something in Jesus’s name He says He will do it, but that is if you pray according to the Fathers will and as a man I cannot possibly know the Father’s will so I should not ask in the first place.  Oh how much easier life is when you stop asking for things and just get content.  Maybe your car is dead and you are going to lose your job because you cannot get to work thats OK because you should be content in your situation.  Maybe you don’t have health insurance, and your wife needs to see a doctor.  That’s ok just be content.  That is the most important thing.

 

Second stop trying.  This is where it gets a little harder.  Trying is a lot like asking but this is on you.  When you ask you are trying to get someone else to help you, but trying is all on you.  So stop it.  Just realize that the chances of success are slim and there are better people out there for the job.  See doesn’t that make it better already.  You have failed before so why would you want to face that disappointment again?  Just rest.  That’s right rest.  The Bible says to rest a lot so you should do that.  Now don’t be lazy just stop trying.  God will just give you the victory if He wants you to have it (but don’t ask for it).  Just rest and know that if you try you will more than likely fail so save your energy for something else that you can do.

 

Third and this is the key stop desiring.  Stop desiring something better.  If you can just lower your expectations a little you will be better off.  This one takes some time, but little by little if you stop desiring a better life, job, or financial situation it will be come easier.  After all that is just coveting.  I mean we have already seen you should be content and rest so you need to stop coveting a better life.  If God wanted you to have a better life then you would have it.  If things are hard He is probably just testing you again, and again, and again.  You just need to stop.  Oh how much peace you will have when you stop desiring.  I mean don’t get me wrong if God shows up and in a big booming voice tells you something then by all means stop and pray about it for a few decades but don’t rush into anything.  The last thing you want to do is ever make a mistake.

 

See if you just follow my three simple steps you will have mediocrity and that is a lot like victory.  I mean do you really want to go through the heartache of failure, or the trouble of bothering someone, or your situation not improving?  Of course not who would.  So take my advice and just chill.

 

Just a bad thought,

Mike   

 

 

Grace & Truth

/ Mike Farley / 1 Comment

John 1:17 “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”  

The suffix ian means belonging to, coming from, resembling, adhering to or following, and expert in.  It can be used to form a noun or an adjective.  Add that to the word Christ and you get Christian, someone who belongs to the Christ, coming from the Christ, resembling the Christ, or adheres to the Christ.

That means like John 1:17 I should have Grace and Truth coming from me. If it comes from Jesus it should also come from me because I have Christ in me, and I am suppose to resemble Him.  If you travel abroad you will hear people talk about the American attitude.  We are loud, and proud, and have a sense of entitlement.  Before you can do anything people expect that from you.  It should be the same way with different traits of Jesus.  Do people, when they find out I am a Christian expect to have Grace and Truth come from me, and regardless of that answer do I show Grace and Truth?

To be honest yes…..sometimes.  Sometimes I am a little more Truth, and sometimes I am a little more Grace (not always in the proper ratio).  Both are great and very important but there is something about the proper mixture of Grace and Truth that makes it fantastic.  It is not baking a cake where you always use equal parts of each and you can do it without thinking.  Having Grace and Truth flow from you means thinking in each situation.  Sometimes you need a lot of Truth and enough Grace to show the love of God, but sometimes you need only a little Truth to confirm something and so much Grace that people are overwhelmed by God’s great love.

I want to be known for having Grace and Truth.  If someone says “Hey do you know Mike?” I want them to think “Grace and Truth.”  I figure if I have Christ living in me, and I am in Christ, and I have the mind of Christ,  then I should be able to do this.  I want to do this.  

Just a thought,

Mike

Think about that

/ Mike Farley / Leave a comment

Philippians 4:8: And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Oh have I got a word for you today my friends.  It is a Greek word that has many meanings that are and can be used in a variety of ways.  The word is logizomai.  In the verse above it is the word behind think.  Think as used above means to reckon inward, count up or weigh the reason, to deliberate.   That might not seem like much at first but if you look at Romans 4:8 “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”  Impute here is the same word think in Philippians 4:8 logizomai.  In both these cases it is translated differently but the meaning behind it is the same count up and deliberate.

What is the point of all this?  Well I have two points.  First is think about the good things, and I mean really think about them.  Count them up and spend time thinking about them, just like you might be inclined to about the bad things.  You can’t help but think about the bad things when something is going on so you must force yourself to think about the good things.  Remember how God loves you, Jesus died and rose for you, you wife or husband loves you, your children, or what have you.  You have good things you can think about.  It doesn’t mean you ignore the bad things that need to be addressed but you do not give them the power to control the rest of your thoughts.  

Second is God does not count or weigh your sin against you.  He does not logizomai them.  Instead He sees you in Christ.  Sure there might be things that He wants to and will refine in you, but it is done from the position of love for His child.  That is pretty awesome if you ask me.  

Just a logizomai,

Mike  

Who does this guy think he is?

/ Mike Farley / Leave a comment

Let me say that I do not know this for certain but I would imagine that Billy Graham, Billy Sunday, DL Moody, AW Tozer, and others did not have instant success in the ministry.  I would imagine there were times in the beginning where their names were not what a person wanted to see on the invitation.  Whether it be the pastor of a church, a person receiving the invitation to attend the meeting or what have you.  At the starting point their names did not bring in a crowd.  I can imagine a pastor wanting to have a revival meeting and seeing their name on the list thought to themselves “can we not find a real preacher?”  Now however (if they were all still alive) they could send a letter to almost anyone and the recipients would be elated at the possibility.  

I am not saying that I have nearly the oratory skills or Biblical knowledge of these men but I do have two things in common with them.  One is passion for lost and hurting people.  A deep longing and desire to see people come to faith in Christ, and not just those outside the church.  I long to see those that know Him come into a closer and more intimate relationship with Him.  Second is Jesus.  I serve the same Lord as they do.  You see it was not their name that got them to where they were it was His name.  

The Bible says Jesus has a name above all names, He has a place of supremacy above all else, and it is in His name that I go.  In my own name I will not go far, and right now I am nowhere (at least it feels that way) but I serve a great and mighty King.  One who does not call just to abandon.  He does not give passion without a way to live it out.  Even though it feels that way right now I know He will make good on His calling as long as I am open, willing, and obedient (and Lord knows I am trying).  

A verse that has stuck with me for about 10 years now is Numbers 23:19.  It says “God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent.  Has He not said and will He not do, has He not spoken and will He not make it come to pass”  Now that is a promise if I have ever heard one.  It says that when God says it that settles it, and I love that.  I have had a few “dreams” in my life that I know where from God.  One was how He showed me I would learn.  It was and is beautiful, but it is a hard road because it bucks the conventional system.  It is a path that not many walk, and to be honest I do not always want to walk it because it is harder than the standard path.  But it is what He as for me.  So even though I cannot send letters to churches and get a response because my “name” is not what someone expects or wants to see, I do go in a “name” that is beyond what my name could ever be.

So who does this guy think he is?  He is a son of God and servant of Jesus Christ, and that is a name to be proud of.

Just a thought,

Mike

Kinda like Gatorade but different

/ Mike Farley / Leave a comment

What does it mean to quench the Holy Spirit?  Is He something that can be put out?  I mean Gatorade quenches thirst and then thirst is gone.  Can you get rid of the third person of the Trinity?  Loaded question, and if I was smart I would have started this entry off a little different so I did not have to answer it.  Oh well here we go.

First is no you cannot “get rid” of the Holy Spirit.  He is always there giving gifts, showing correction, leading to the Savior, and restraining evil.  You cannot make Him go away by ignoring Him, and choosing not to listen.  It just won’t happen.  He will be there gently, and lovingly  nudging you.  So there is that you cannot make Him leave or disappear.  There is a day when He will be removed but that has to the end times and not you not wanting to listen.

So what is it you can do?  What is the quenching then?  Think of like a relationship.  You have at least one relationship in your life I assume.  With that relationship if you do not nurture it, foster it, take care of it, or work on it then it starts to fade.  After a while you don’t talk much anymore, and if you do it feels a little awkward because you are really not sure what to say.  You end up talking about things of no real importance or significance because the closeness is gone.  You no longer have that deep connection.  The connection where you are starting to think the same thing as the other person.  It’s just not there.

That is what it means to quench or do with stifle the Holy Spirit.  You don’t listen anymore, you don’t talk, and on those rare occasions when you do it is awkward and you only talk about the weather.  Time with the Holy Spirit can be so much more.  The Holy Spirit is the one teaching and guiding you to Jesus who then leads you to the Father.  It all starts with Him.  Spend time with Him, let Him reveal things to you.  Let Him instruct and teach you about the Savior.  Then when He gives you are hard direction you can take it because you trust him and have developed that relationship.

Just a thought,

Mike

Where are you supposed to be?

/ Mike Farley / Leave a comment

I was thinking about David and Bathsheba yesterday.  Specifically about what lead up to the whole roof top, baby, and murder incidents.  There is something we can see that started this chain of events and something that also happens in your and mine.  The phrase I am referring to is “but David remained in Jerusalem.”  That one little phrase set of a chain of tragic events and devastating consequences.

If you do not know the story of these two then I recommend you read it.  There is a lot to going from understanding the story and seeing God’s great love.  But right now I want to focus on that phrase “but David remained in Jerusalem.”  This phrase is so very important because it succinctly shows how the rest of David’s life was set on a path he would have never chosen nor wanted all because he remained in Jerusalem.  You see David was supposed to be somewhere else, he had a place he was supposed to be but instead he was where he wasn’t supposed to be.  I do not like to use phrases like always, or never, but in this case I am going to.  If you remain where you are not supposed to be then you will always have some degree of trouble.  God has appointed a place for you to be.  Maybe it is locationally, emotionally, or spiritually, know this God has somewhere you are supposed to be, and if you are not there you will find trouble.

Let’s say like David, it is locational.  He was supposed to be in 20 miles east of the Jordan in Rabbath but he wasn’t there.  Instead he was in Jerusalem doing what he wanted to do.  This caused him to see something he should not have seen, and since he was already not doing what God wanted what is one more thing.  After all he thought “I am the King”.  Sorry David wrong answer.  You should have been where you belonged.  I got into heaps of trouble as a kid because I skipped school.  I was not in trouble for skipping school, it was the things that I was doing while I should have been in school that got me into the most trouble.  I was not where I belonged.

Let’s say it is emotionally.  You should have forgiven your father, brother, mother, husband, wife, son, daughter, cop, pastor, or whatever.  You should have let that burden go and moved on with your life, but you don’t.  Instead you stew on it and let it fester.  You think about it all the time.  You start to get in a good mood and then let it bring you back down.  How could they, how dare they, don’t they know, don’t they care.  You list all the reasons over and over again until finally it completely consumes you.  Guess what though…You don’t belong there.  You have somewhere you are supposed to be.  God has a place of perfect peace for you.  You are in the emotional land of Strife, but God has intended for you to be in the land of Shalom.  Shalom does not just mean peace, but peace, prosperity, completeness, and welfare.  That is where God intends for you to be.

What do I mean by spiritually though.  How can you be in the wrong place there?  Maybe you are not spending time with God.  Maybe you ignore him for whatever reason (usually something to do with the two above).  God has a place that you belong, and it’s called Relationship.  Perfect relationship actually.  Christians usually call this fellowship , but that just means spending time with and enjoying company.  God wants to spend time with you and wants you to enjoy time with Him.  Jesus did everything He did so that this could happen.  He wants you bad.  If you’re not in the right place here you will continually look for a place to be and find more and more trouble.

The tricky part of all of this is sometimes we honestly do not know where we are supposed to be.  I myself have struggled with this for years.  I am starting to get there but it is hard.  Spend time in prayer, ask God where you are supposed to be, and then go there.  Once you know where you are supposed to be it all gets better.  I am not saying you will never have trouble.  Jesus says in John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in Me you will have peace.  In this world you will have trouble,  but take heart!  I have overcome the world.”  Life can always be hard and anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something.  Take heart my friend Jesus has overcome and made a place for you.

Just a thought,

Mike

Big Picture, Little Picture

/ Mike Farley / Leave a comment

I love big picture, little picture.  It’s a little game God plays with me.  You’ve probably played it to.  It is where He shows you something and then tells you to keep watching.  For example I have read James 4:7-10 a few times this past week and I saw the big picture.  Namely; humbling yourself before God is the only way to be lifted up and beat things you might be fighting.  If you resist the devil you also turn to God.  It is not you who defeats the thing you fighting but God.  Rely on Him and He will pull you through it.  I know this and it is good stuff that I need to remember.

But wait there is more.  There must be because I have read this like 5 times and can see something but it is all fuzzy and I cannot make it out.  Then it hit me.  If you want a different outcome you have to change something.  

OK this one is tough to pull out of these verses but track with me for a minute and I promise to try and make sense of this.

James 4:7-10 “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.”

I am not very good at knowing what the different conjunctions and parts of speech are, but there are 8 instead ofs, or in place ofs.  You know like this instead of that….Ya dig.  

OK so here is the deal.  If you want something different you need to do something different.  So lets say sin is the problem you’re facing.  Well to defeat it you resist the devil and he will flee, you just tell him no and then come close to God.  The devil cannot occupy the same space as God (Job I know but thats a weird one because he was summonsed, and theres more to it).  Lets make it simpler and say chocolate cake is the issue.  Well just don’t buy it, and if it is in the house don’t eat it.  Instead eat a banana.  Cake and a Banana cannot occupy the same space in your mouth at the same time.  You have to do something different.  

Everything is like this.  If you want different results in your life you have to make different choices.  If you want to be healthy then you have to do healthy things instead of unhealthy (not just physically folks).  I know what you are thinking; Mike I appreciate this but I already know this, and it’s easier said than done.  My response is first I know that and that is why it is called a principal.  Second is if you know it then why are you not doing it?  Because it’s hard?  No because you don’t want to thats why.  You do hard stuff all the time, but you don’t make the choices you need to make because you don’t want to.  Guess what that is OK.  Just be honest about it.  Difficulty has almost  nothing to do with it, desire is almost all of it.

I get it there are some cases that are different.  There are some cases that are so extreme I would a total jerk to not feel bad for them.  But by and large those are the ones that inspire us.  Those are the ones that move us.  Those are the ones that give us hope, that give us drive to move on and accomplish.  Check out Nicholas James Vujicic and then tell me how hard things cannot be done.

So today either admit you don’t want to and stop whining, or start making different choices and see how God lifts you up.

Just a thought,

Mike

Another Year, Another Word

/ Mike Farley / Leave a comment

Another year has come and gone.  A new year is upon us and that means it’s time for a new word.  First let me explain what the word is for any who do not know me.  Each year instead of a New Year’s resolution my family each picks a word.  Just one word that we want to pursue for the year.  Last year I picked audacious along with most of it’s variants.  While that word is typically used negatively I wanted to be positively audacious in all I did.  I wanted to go for broke, hold nothing back and be so daring it scared the crap out of me.  In my relationship with my wife, children, family, friends, and most importantly with God.  I wanted to trust God so much that I dared to do the impossible.  Of course I needed to be wise in my choices of what to go for so it required a lot of prayer to make sure I was going to make the correct jump.  Jesus says to carefully consider before you build (Luke 14:28-29) so that is what I did.  I am pretty happy as the year ends to say I lived my word.

Now before I tell you my new word let me make one more point about the word.  First for years I made New Year’s resolutions and every year I failed.  I might have had some success but by and large I failed.  I think a lot of people are the same way, and you may be hesitant about picking a word but let me tell you a secret.  I don’t pick the word on my own.  I spend time talking to God about it.  If I picked the word on my own I would probably fail, but by talking to God about it first I have a greater chance of success.  Last year God worked with me on being more bold and confident in my prayer life, and relationships, and decisions.  I am thankful God set up a sort of plan for me saying Mike this year I am going to make you daring and more determined.

So 2014 is brought to you by the word INSPIRE.  I want to be inspired, and I want to inspire.  My goal is to look for ways to be inspired whether by people, nature, movies, books, actions, or what have you .  I going to actively look for inspiration, and I am going to be more intentional about inspiring others.  There is such joy in knowing you played a part of someone deciding they CAN.  Seeing someone finally decide to shred the pain, or frustration, or aggravation, or whatever and do it.  Knowing you played a part in that changes you just as much as them, it pushes you harder, makes you want to go further, do better.  This year will be an inspirational year.

God says in Isaiah 55:11  “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”  That is pretty amazing.  God says if I am going to send my word out it will accomplish what I have sent it to do.  That is why I take the word for the year seriously, and talk to God about it.  Because if He says “Mike this year I will Inspire” then it will be accomplished.  

So here is to a great year everyone.  Remember that you can do this, you can make it through this, and you will get there.  There is a God who loves you and who wants you to rejoice.

Just a thought,

Mike