Clear headed… Most of us are busy these days trying to live life on life’s terms. From the jobs we have that provide the income that helps us to have homes to live in, food to eat, and things our families need, to the demands on our time to be available for our spouses, children, parents, friends, and family members; we are constantly busy. It’s probably different for you, but one thing I have to constantly watch myself on is to stay engaged and not be “asleep at the wheel”, you know just going through the motions without mentally being present. I have learned the hard way that when I fall into this trap, not only do I miss out on what is happening, but also the activity in my head fails to match up with the present. I have learned to stay clear headed by focusing on the here and now and being present. This keeps my thoughts on what I am currently doing and my head clear of all the other things it wants me to think about instead. How’s this working out for you?.. Check your experience… “Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives.” Big Book pg 86 Lord, let us keep our minds and hearts clears so we can be present in the moment, AMEN. “So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.” 1 Thessalonians 5:6 Have a blessed day y’all! Help Homeless Families, Veterans, elderly, and those in need! Contribute to the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit program (ARS 43-1088), you can earn a dollar for dollar tax credit on your tax return while supporting children and families as they escape homelessness and move back into homes and jobs. For more information visit www.furniturebank.us

Getting what we give….. Most of us do a pretty good job of surrounding ourselves with people who we can get along with pretty well. However, every now and then we are put into a situation with strangers who make us uncomfortable with their actions or we have an encounter with others whose behaviors may not match up with what we consider acceptable or normal. Now perhaps its different for you, but it’s in these times that my self-centered head likes to hold court and begin judging and condemning others because they are not doing or behaving the way I consider acceptable. You know what I mean. Like the guy who forgot to brush his teeth and you are trapped listening to him go on and on about something you could care less about while your mind tries to determine from his breath what his last meal was. Or the person who is making a mountain out of a mole hill over something that is obviously important to them, yet insignificant in your life. Judging others is never good because it warps our opinions and does not give our heart a chance to see why the Lord has put this person in our path. We don’t have to agree with everyone we encounter, but we do need to treat them like we want to be treated… Check your experience… “but we let God be the final judge.” Big Book pg 70 Lord, open the eyes of my heart and let me seek to understand instead of looking to be understood, AMEN. “Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you?” Romans 2: 3-4 Have a blessed day y’all! Grab a daily shot of positive and inspiration! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions are now available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://smile.amazon.com/Daily-Devotions-Pastor-Mark-Devotionals/dp/1980273847/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_1405964225?_encoding=UTF8&ie=UTF8&keywords=pastor%20mark%20farley&qid=1524849607&sr=8-3

Drop the rocks. ... Did you ever notice that in times of stress, fear, or extended worry your back usually aches and your shoulders and neck are stiff and tight? Sheesh! What's up with that? You are probably familiar with the term 'carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders'; and that is exactly what we are trying to do during these painful times! We can't change people, places, things, or situations. So why do we load our hearts and minds with the weight of things, we cannot change? When we block our hearts off from the Holy Spirit, our minds become prisoners of our self-induced thoughts our body takes on the weight of this unnatural stress causing pain in our back, shoulders, and neck. ... Drop those rocks! Give the weight of the world to God and watch your pains go away! ... As always..... Check your experience… "But soon the sense of His presence had been blotted out by worldly clamors, mostly those within myself." Big Book pg 12-13 Lord let us give the weight of the world to you freeing us to focus on Your will for us and enjoy Your grace and peace, AMEN. “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11: 29-30 Have a blessed day y’all! Hey friends please check out Servants Hearts! http://ServantsHearts.us it’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! Furniture Bank, Spiritual Solutions Group, and Advocate Phoenix are please to share the newest free service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! It’s Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! http://ServantsHearts.us

Are we being smart or wise?... While these 2 words generally mean the same thing, there is a big difference. Being smart comes from relying on our own self driven actions, skills, knowledge, and work. Wisdom comes from knowing our limitations, learning from experience, and relying on something or someone outside of ourselves. Humility and discernment lead us to wisdom. So think on this today. We need both in our lives depending on the situation is when we must make the choice. Are you being smart or wise?... Check your experience … “if it is wisely handled -- and it seems to be in wise and prudent hands -- there are doors of opportunity ahead of this project that may surpass our capacities to imagine." Big Book pg 572 Lord, let us lean toward wisdom when it comes to maters of the heart and will, AMEN. “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James 3:17 Have a blessed day y’all! Help Homeless Families, Veterans, elderly, and those in need! Contribute to the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit program (ARS 43-1088), you can earn a dollar for dollar tax credit on your tax return while supporting children and families as they escape homelessness and move back into homes and jobs. For more information visit www.furniturebank.us

Faith is not believing that God can; it is in knowing God will... Have you ever considered that the things we rely on most we don’t actually see or understand how they exactly work? We can’t see the air we breathe. Except for a few friends who are engineers, we can’t truly explain all that is involved when we turn on a light. We put the key in the ignition and the car starts right up. These things require something on our part that we don’t normally think about. We have faith that they will work. This faith comes from the experience we have built up from doing these things over and over again for a long time. We trust that they will work and don’t really give it much thought. That is how our faith works in the other areas of our lives. When we trust God with all of our heart, faith can carry us through many situations and seasons that are either uncomfortable or unfamiliar to us… Check your experience… “To be vital, faith must be accompanied by self-sacrifice and unselfish, constructive action.” Big Book pg 93 Lord let us grow our faith through daily practice in trusting and relying on You, AMEN. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 Have a blessed day y’all! Grab a daily shot of positive and inspiration! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions are now available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://smile.amazon.com/Daily-Devotions-Pastor-Mark-Devotionals/dp/1980273847/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_1405964225?_encoding=UTF8&ie=UTF8&keywords=pastor%20mark%20farley&qid=1524849607&sr=8-3

Are you still in prison?...“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.”- Nelson Mandela - This thought can give us insight to what our fears, resentments, and anger is based on. Are we still a prisoner of our own bitterness and hatred because we REFUSE to embrace our freedom and move on from the past?... Check your experience… “If we were to live, we had to be free of anger.” Big Book pg 66 Lord let us walk in freedom letting go of the bondage of anger over the past, AMEN. “Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,” Ephesians 4:26 Have a blessed day y’all! Grab a daily shot of positive and inspiration! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions are now available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries including our beloved Furniture Bank! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://smile.amazon.com/Daily-Devotions-Pastor-Mark-Devotionals/dp/1980273847/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_1405964225?_encoding=UTF8&ie=UTF8&keywords=pastor%20mark%20farley&qid=1524849607&sr=8-3

Resources for fact checking… When I was working on my MBA we were required to use verified and proven sources as we did our assignments and presented information in class. What was comforting to me about this was that not only did I have to make sure that what I was sharing with the class was verified and true, but also I was able to relax knowing that what my classmates shared was verified and true as well. In my experience this has helped to create a solid and powerful learning environment. Wouldn’t that be great of our culture and society required the same thing? Sure, on some levels we do, that is why there is the “fine print” at the bottom of most documents requiring our signatures, but what about the advertisements and wild claims that fly from folks mouths as they try to sway our opinions or move us to buy or try to evoke emotions in us? It pays to check the source of the information. Sometimes selfish motives outweigh facts and the information gets manipulated to stretch or fabricate the truth. The promises that are in the 2 most important books in my life assure me that their facts are straight and real. The Bible and the Big Book are the 2 sources I rely on daily to help me see and say the truth… How do you verify what you are seeing and hearing?.. Check your experience… “For faith in a Power greater than ourselves, and miraculous demonstrations of that power in human lives, are facts as old as man himself.” Big Book pg 55 Lord, let us look to Your Word and Your will for us when we seek to learn the truth, AMEN. “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.” Colossians 2:8 Have a blessed day y’all! Hey friends please check out Servants Hearts! http://ServantsHearts.us it’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! Furniture Bank, Spiritual Solutions Group, and Advocate Phoenix are please to share the newest free service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! It’s Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! http://ServantsHearts.us