Measuring our motives. .. Way back when I was in grade school, every time we went to visit my father's Aunt Mabel, she would send me to visit her friend Mrs. Wheatley. Now this was not fun for a 10 year old boy, but when the visit was over I would walk away with a big candy bar! So I was always willing to pay a visit to Mrs. Wheatley. Sadly today, that is the only thing I remember about Mrs. Wheatley. Now y'all can say it's because I am old and my boyhood memories have faded, but the sad truth is my only motive in going was for the candy bar. Ever participated in something purely for a self-serving gain? Heck, I am guilty of that at times still to this very day! My point is that when others are counting on us to be there, we should check ourselves and our motives to make sure we are there for the right reasons. 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 please help me clear my mind of self-serving thoughts so that my heart can participate 100% for the right reasons based on Your will and not mine, AMEN "All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord." Proverbs 16:2 Have a blessed day y’all! Grab a daily shot of positive and inspiration with daily devotions with the Big Book and Bible combined looking at the things we face daily! Paperback and Kindle versions are now available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries! 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_3905707922?_encoding=UTF8&fbclid=IwAR3RLzbmtLsgcZTuXS6qO1oPfeZffMfyIyEnZD3fc8XmyDIO8CqmnS1tRGA&ie=UTF8&keywords=pastor+mark+farley&qid=1524849607&sr=8-3

What's in your heart?... We all have this autopilot inside of us that handles our daily routine functions. Breathing and walking are the obvious ones but what about those expected and meaningless interactions? You know, like the store clerk or that same person you see daily in the hall or gym? You have no emotional connection to them. They say "How you doing? " and you say "fine" with no thought or effort. Now what about when you need to either forgive someone or let go of something locked inside your heart by emotions of pride, anger, or other hurt feelings? Do you find yourself mouthing the words of the correct or expected response yet keeping your imagined control of it in your heart? Perhaps that's why we stay needlessly hurt or angry. We lock that thing in our heart yet act like it's gone. God can fix that but we have to open our hearts and let go for real. Check your experience... . "he should understand that he must undergo a change of heart." Big Book pg 143. Lord let us open our hearts to be filled with your Spirit and healed by your grace, AMEN "I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts." Isaiah 57:15 Have a blessed day y’all! New Year - new outlook! Grab a daily shot of positive and inspiration with daily devotions with the Big Book and Bible combined looking at the things we face daily! Paperback and Kindle versions are now available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries! 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_3905707922?_encoding=UTF8&fbclid=IwAR3RLzbmtLsgcZTuXS6qO1oPfeZffMfyIyEnZD3fc8XmyDIO8CqmnS1tRGA&ie=UTF8&keywords=pastor+mark+farley&qid=1524849607&sr=8-3

Our tricky minds…..Sometimes when I let my mind wander, it tries to take me down the path of doubt. If I permit this “stinkin’ thinkin’” to continue then the path widens to include worry, fear, and ultimately negativity all fueled from my own self-will. What helps me during these times is to remember that the answers are not in my head and that I am no longer in charge of me. When I made the life changing decision to turn my will and my life over to God, HE became not only my “Employer” but also my mentor, guide, and rock. I have learned to stay out of my own head and not go there by myself because it is filled with fear based illusions fueled by the worldly clamors around us. God has us covered. He not only has us here for a purpose, but also HE has a plan for us that we can easily understand if we seek His will daily. Check your experience… . “We had a new Employer. Being all powerful, He provided what we needed, if we kept close to Him and performed His work well. Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans and designs.” Big Book pg 63. Lord, let us know in our hearts that You have a purpose and a plan for us that will keep us secure, successful, serene, and covered by Your grace, AMEN. “God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.” Ephesians 2:10 Lord, please let me learn to pray to want what I get instead of getting what I want, AMEN. “Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage;” Psalm 27:14 Have a blessed day y'all! New Year - new outlook! Grab a daily shot of positive and inspiration with daily devotions with the Big Book and Bible combined looking at the things we face daily! Paperback and Kindle versions are now available!! Every penny goes to support Faith Through Works Fellowship ministries! Please order yours today and help us help others! https://smile.amazon.com/…/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_39057079…

Keep walking toward the light… Have you ever stayed overnight in a hotel or even a friend’s home for the first time and had to find the light switch in the middle of the night? Strange room and unfamiliar surroundings bring us confusion and we find ourselves moving slowly with caution. We know there is light switch there somewhere, so we proceed forward, but ever so slowly because we don’t quite trust our new surroundings and environment. Now think about this with me. Isn’t our reaction the same when we encounter new or unforeseen pressures and circumstances in our lives? How do we handle the new, uncomfortable, and unforeseen? Now maybe it’s different for you, but over time I have learned to seek and trust God’s will in these unfamiliar situations, mainly because, even though I may be uncomfortable and lack experience with handling the situation, I trust in my faith and that God has me covered and will guide me through. How about you?... Check your experience… “I must turn in all things to the Father of Light who presides over us all.” Big Book pg 14 Lord, let us put our faith and trust in You and Your will for us when times get hard and we find ourselves in new or unfamiliar circumstances, AMEN. “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing.” 2 Corinthians 4:8 Have blessed day y’all! PLEASE DONATE TODAY! Furniture Bank helps many folks with a HAND –UP as they work with various organizations to gain skills and jobs to escape homelessness and, helplessness to gain self-respect and self-sustainability!! Your gifts, donations, prayers, and financial support make this possible! Families, veterans, elderly, physically and mentally challenged, as well as others can enjoy homes filled with furniture and furnishings as they rebuild their lives. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! ALL donations to Furniture Bank are TAX DEDUCTIBLE and 100% goes toward helping the families, veterans, elderly, and other individuals in need. You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, BUT…. a gift of either $400 as an individual or $800 as a couple to Furniture Bank, Inc. a 501c3 public charity, can also reduce your tax bill to the State of Arizona by that amount dollar for dollar! It’s easy and you can make a big difference on how Furniture Bank can further help our families and individuals in need. http://www.furniturebank.us/arizona-tax-credit.html

Different yet the same... Observing people is a hobby of mine. I enjoy learning from others and behavior is usually indicative of a person's habits. Over the years I have seen a blessed pattern emerge when I learn from observing a fellow believer. No matter what the action or activity is, the believer is doing it selflessly to help another without expectation of attention or recognition. This has taught me to remain humble and to keep my focus on others as I continue to grow my relationship with Christ and build my ministry. I constantly remind myself that this (whatever the "this" is) is not about me. ....Check your experience. .... "Helping others is the foundation stone" Big Book pg 97 Lord let our helping actions and activities be focused on helping others and not ourselves, AMEN. "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all." 1 Corinthians 4:12-14. Have a blessed day y’all! Hey friends please check out Servants Hearts! It’s a free site to help connect folks with volunteer and helping opportunities! Furniture Bank, Spiritual Solutions Group, and Advocate Phoenix are pleased 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://aservantsheart.us/

What goes around COMES around. .. Have you ever played with a bouncing ball? Did you notice that it always comes back to you with the same force you give it? Now I am not trying to teach physics, but the ball example contains today's spiritual thought. I have learned over the years that my relationships with people, places, and things have the same effect. We GET what we GIVE. It's a spiritual principle. When I treat others with grace, I get grace and when I throw out grief and negativity I get it right back. Check your experience. ... "Just to the extent that we do as we think He would have us, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us to match calamity with serenity." Big Book pg 68. Lord, let us give others the same grace and joy that you freely give us, AMEN. "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you," Matthew 7:12 Have a blessed day y’all! Furniture Bank has helped many folks this year with a HAND –UP as they worked with various organizations to gain skills and jobs to escape homelessness and, helplessness to gain self-respect and self-sustainability!! Your gifts, donations, prayers, and financial support made this possible! Families, veterans, elderly, physically and mentally challenged, as well as others are now enjoying homes filled with furniture and furnishings as they rebuild their lives. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! ALL donations to Furniture Bank are TAX DEDUCTIBLE and 100% goes toward helping the families, veterans, elderly, and other individuals in need. You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, BUT…. a gift of either $400 as an individual or $800 as a couple to Furniture Bank, Inc. a 501c3 public charity, can also reduce your tax bill to the State of Arizona by that amount dollar for dollar! It’s easy and you can make a big difference on how Furniture Bank can further help our families and individuals in need. http://www.furniturebank.us/arizona-tax-credit.html

So why is it that sometimes we think we are walking in faith yet we still have that feeling of doom, failure, and or fear in our heads? Change brings this on more than anything for me. Now maybe it’s different for you, but I have this crazy head and it sometimes doesn’t like to connect with my heart. What I have learned, and mostly the hard way over the years, is that my self-will lives in my head and it loves to tell my heart what a loser and failure it thinks I am. Thanks to God, AA, and a picket fence of friends, I have learned to tune that noise in my head out and focus on my heart where the Holy Spirit resides and directs me if I let Him. So when I get that feeling that perhaps I am going to fail or things are not going to go right, I politely thank my head and then shut the door on those thoughts and focus on what my faith and my heart are saying to me. How do you quiet your head so your heart can lead you?.. Check your experience… “Here was something at work in a human heart which had done the impossible.” Big Book pg 11 Lord, let us turn out will and our lives over to Your care and direction daily, AMEN. “And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” Luke 24:38 Have a blessed day y’all! Hey friends please check out Servants Hearts! 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://aservantsheart.us/