What are you a slave to?... Have you ever considered that you might be spending too much time in thought, deed, or action with someone or something? Now my 12 Step friends understand this all too well with addictions and obsessions, but we can also become slaves to our jobs, the gym, and even toxic people, places, or things. When we find that most of our time, energy, and efforts are spent chasing someone or something to the point it influences the way we participate in the rest of the parts of our life, we are its slave. Think about it and....Check your experience ... "We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness." Big Book pg 83 Lord let us be free from the chains of the many worldly temptations, AMEN. " For you are a slave to whatever controls you." 2 Peter 2:19 Have a blessed day y’all! …. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Furniture Bank is in the hand-UP business and not the HANDOUT GAME! You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, even $20 a month helps, because $100 provides a new twin bed and bedding to make a house into a home for our clients and families escaping homelessness and hopelessness. We send 2 or 3 new beds to every family we assist. Furniture Bank is a 501c3 public charity and every penny donated goes toward helping our families, veterans, and individuals in need. Visit our website www.FurnitureBank.us and click on the PayPal button for a secure transaction and tax receipt that will follow within 48 hours. Please help us help others! http://www.furniturebank.us

How we know what we know.... There are all kinds of ways to learn. Memorizing things imprints them in our brain for a needed purpose. Book learning helps to grasp a concept or way of thinking. Cramming for a test gets us through the test. We learn things daily through our experiences. But think about it, how do we KNOW stuff? While we have many ways to learn, the only way we truly ever know anything is by the experience gained that is imprinted in our hearts. This is why the Holy Spirit lives in each of our hearts. God opens our hearts to receive the true knowledge we need, or, if you will, the truth. ... Check your experience. ... "Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth" Big Book pg 98 Lord, let us willingly open our hearts to be filled with Your knowledge and truth, AMEN. "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32 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 helping service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! Its Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! http://aservantsheart.us/

Helping others helps yourself… Whenever we help someone, we are helping ourselves. Helping others is an invitation to give. It’s an insight into where we are at spiritually with our willingness to help others. Finally, this is an incentive to look past our needs and wants to help another person. So while we are built spiritually to give and help others, are we actually willing and able? … Check your experience… “It is not the matter of giving that is in question, but when and how to give.” Big Book pg 98 Lord, thank You for giving so much to us in blessings, favor, and grace, please let us give back by giving to others what we can when we can, AMEN. “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.” Proverbs 19:17 Have a blessed day y’all! …. MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Furniture Bank is in the hand-UP business and not the HANDOUT GAME! You can donate any amount for a tax deduction and tax receipt, even $20 a month helps, because $100 provides a new twin bed and bedding to make a house into a home for our clients and families escaping homelessness and hopelessness. We send 2 or 3 new beds to every family we assist. Furniture Bank is a 501c3 public charity and every penny donated goes toward helping our families, veterans, and individuals in need. Visit our website www.FurnitureBank.us and click on the PayPal button for a secure transaction and tax receipt that will follow within 48 hours. Please help us help others! http://www.furniturebank.us

One heart…. We see a lot of credit, responsibility, and focus given to our heart. It’s the source of our spirit, the keeper of our inner most thoughts, and the driving force of our will. It would make sense then to pay attention to what influences and tries to go into our heart. Trying to manage our heart alone is futile. There is simply too much worldly clamor and influences and we become easily overwhelmed, but turning our hearts and minds over to the care of God enables us to be free and protects our hearts from the chaos. How are you protecting your heart? ….Check your experience… “The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous.” Big Book pg 25 Lord, let us examine our hearts daily to be sure we have it tuned into Your will and Word, AMEN. “I will give them one heart and I will put a new spirit within them; I will remove the hearts of stone from their bodies and I will give them tender hearts,” Ezekiel 11:19 Have a blessed day y’all! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions 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/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&crid=14NTE20XGC0O1&sprefix=pastor+mark+%2Caps%2C201&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_12

Que sera sera, whatever will be will be…. What makes the Bible so vibrant and vital to every generation and time period, including today is the fact that despite minor details, there is nothing new that the Bible doesn’t address. Think about it, the character defects of Pride, Anger, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, and Sloth (PAGLEGS to my 12 Step friends) are the driving forces behind every incident of self will here on Earth. God knew this when He created us and knows this to be true of every human because it’s included in the DNA of our free will. Our hope is in the fact that we can turn our will over to the care of God and then these defects of character no longer run our lives and put us into situations that cause us and others pain… check your experience… . “As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action. We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day “Thy will be done.” We are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions. We become much more efficient.” Big Book pgs. 87-88 Lord, let us turn our will and our lives over to you daily and receive grace, peace, comfort, and direction, AMEN. “What has been is the same as what will be, and what has been done is the same as what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9 Have a blessed day y’all! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions 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/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&crid=14NTE20XGC0O1&sprefix=pastor+mark+%2Caps%2C201&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_12

We all have something to contribute… Most of us have a few things that we are good at and a few that …well…it’s probably best if we leave it to others more suited to that skill set. It’s a known fact among my family and friends that I have neither understanding nor purpose to handle tools. Oh I like them, they’re shiny, but I have no clue why Allen has his own named wrenches and Phillip gets his own screwdrivers! Luckily, my family, friends, and ministry partners have found things I am more suited to doing and we balance well off of each other. God gives each of us gifts and talents to not only use to help us while we walk here on Earth, but also to help others He puts in our path. What are your gifts and how are you using them to help yourself and others?... Check your experience…. “Helping others is the foundation stone “ Big Book pg 97 Lord, please use our talents and gifts to help those You put in our path, AMEN. “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12: 4-7 Have a blessed day y'all!! Start your day on a positive note! Daily devotions from the Big Book and Bible combined! Paperback and Kindle versions 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/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&crid=14NTE20XGC0O1&sprefix=pastor+mark+%2Caps%2C201&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_12

The power of forgiveness….. We all experienced this. Fueled by anger, resentment, and or thoughts of revenge, our emotions produce words and actions that we would never allow if we were not caught up in the bad emotions of the moment. Sadly, some folks stay this way for years and it poisons all of the relationships around them. It’s OK to be upset when people, places, and things harm or hurt us, but it’s not ok to continue to replay that moment or event and let it influence the rest of our day, week, or year. The good news is that we can start our day over anytime we want. God makes this possible with His Spirit of forgiveness that lives inside each of us. While some wrongs can never be righted, we do not have to allow then to hold power over the rest of our lives. Are you holding any lingering resentments or allowing anger to influence your actions or relationships?… Check your experience… “It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness.” Big Book pg 66 Lord, let us give our hurts and anger to You in return for the peace and serenity that comes from forgiveness, AMEN. “Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 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 helping service from Faith Through Works Fellowship! Its Phoenix based for now. Pray for its growth to provide helping hearts and willing hands to our organizations that need help! http://aservantsheart.us/