Author: Mark Farley

Guard Your Heart

   May 1, 2023 0 Likes 297 Views
GUARD YOUR HEART!


We have many things in our lives that keep us safe and protected from harm.  


From the clothes we wear to protect us from the elements to the various things in our homes, cars, and jobs, like locks, safety glass, and fire-retardant materials, we are surrounded by protection and security. 


It’s so common and a part of our culture that we seldom think about it. 


What about our hearts?  


I don’t mean the healthy food we are supposed to eat and the daily exercise we are supposed to participate in that keeps out tickers physically healthy. 


What are we doing to protect our hearts from the worldly influences that can cause us to make bad decisions based on illusions of material things that spark the pride and greed of our self -will?  


How are you guarding your heart from these influences?.. 


Check your experience… 


“Here was something at work in a human heart which had done the impossible.” Big Book pg. 11 


Lord, let us guard our hearts from the illusions of this world by focusing on Your Will, Word, and Truth, AMEN.


 “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23 
‘
Have a blessed day Y’all! 


What if you had a person who coached and mentored you in building a better life?  


Inspired 365 Life Coaching with Mark Farley!! 


https://www.faiththroughworksfellowship.org/inspired-365-life-coaching 

Want a one-on-one coach to get you out of where you are?  


Email today lets chat to see if we can make up a plan for you to get you to where you want to be!


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Why Worry?

   April 30, 2023 0 Likes 294 Views
Why worry?.. 


Schedules conflict, appointments run long, and our responsibilities never seem to end! 


Now maybe it’s different for you but when I find myself, as I often do, mentally leaving the present situation because my mind wants me to start focusing on where it thinks I should be according to the “plan”, I must remind myself that this is where I need to be and now is where my focus needs to be. 


Wringing my hands, pacing, checking my watch, calendar, or phone, won’t move the time any faster. 


I have learned that the root cause of all of this for me is my fear-based mind’s desire to worry. 


The solution I must force myself at times to grab and hold onto is that God has me right here right now for His own reasons and I need to be awake and present in this moment and not lost in thoughts and worry over my day not matching up with my calendar. 

Worry won’t change a thing, except to make your present situation more uncomfortable… 


Check your experience… 


“Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God’s world by mistake.” Big Book pg. 417 


Lord, let us trade in our worries for your grace and guidance, AMEN. 


“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 6-7 


Have a blessed day Y’all! 

Join me in looking at the things we face daily with passages from both the Big Book and Bible! 


https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss 


 How about a daily dose of hope and inspired thought? 

Faith Over Fear

   April 29, 2023 0 Likes 264 Views
Faith or fear?..


It’s the age-old problem that we face every day.


It comes seemingly from out of nowhere, but if not confronted immediately, our day can get hijacked with our thoughts taken hostage and our minds blinded by it. 


What is it? 


FEAR… 


OK, so maybe you are one of those invincible folks already so full of faith that fear has no way to get a grip inside of you. 


I wish I could say that, but I am human and without putting myself in check with faith each time a fear tries to crop up, I am a victim. 


Try this the next time you find yourself stepping on the gas out of fear of missing the light, or when your mind fills with words you feel you must immediately say, instead of listening to the conversation completely before it’s your turn to speak…

I bet Y’all didn’t consider those as a fear did you?..


RELAX and let your faith guide your mind!..


Check your experience…


“We think fear ought to be classed with stealing. It seems to cause more trouble.” Big Book pg. 68


 Lord, quiet the fears in our minds with the Faith in our hearts, AMEN. 


 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 


Have a blessed day Y’all! 


What if you had a person who coached and mentored you in building a better life? 


Inspired 365 Life Coaching with Mark Farley!! 


https://www.faiththroughworksfellowship.org/inspired-365-life-coaching 


Want a one-on-one coach to get you out of where you are? 


Email today lets chat to see if we can make up a plan for you to get you to where you want to be!


[email protected]

It’s What’s Inside That Counts

   April 28, 2023 0 Likes 267 Views
Whatcha wearin’ on the inside?..


I used to share this thought as part of a class lesson when I was on staff at the Salvation Army ARC in Sacramento…


You can wax, wash, shine, polish, and accessorize your car to its finest, but if you don’t change the oil, keep the engine serviced, and keep quality fuel in the tank, you won’t go anywhere and wind up with a fine-looking piece of junk…


The point is that if you don’t maintain your engine 
(Spiritual condition)
 and inside mechanical parts 
(mental and emotional
) that others cannot see, you will have junk, no matter how pretty or cool you look on the outside. 


How are you maintaining the Spiritual and mental parts of your life?.. 


Check your experience… 


“What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.” Big Book pg. 85 


Lord, let us enter your Spiritual gym daily to keep our heart, mind, and soul in fit condition, AMEN.


“Your adornment must not be merely external . . . but let it be the hidden person of the heart.” 1 Peter 3:3-4 


Have a blessed day Y’all! 


Join me in looking at the things we face daily with passages from both the Big Book and Bible! 


https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss 


How about a daily dose of hope and inspired thought? 

Drop the Rocks!

   April 27, 2023 0 Likes 262 Views
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. 


“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:2 


Have a blessed day Y’all! 


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Find the Good

   April 26, 2023 0 Likes 260 Views
Looking for the good in all situations…


Perhaps it’s different for you, but I have this magic magnifying glass in my mind that automatically tries to find the negative in everything and make it bigger than it is. 


Over the years I have learned to recognize this and turn it off before it gets a chance to twist my thinking. 


I now look for the good in everything and everyone, even when I am facing challenges and bad news. 


I am FREE to do this because I am God’s kid, and His Spirit resides in me. 


I know that no matter what, I will survive the situation and either learn or benefit in some way from it… 


Check your experience… 


“When I focus on what’s good today, I have a good day, and when I focus on what’s bad, I have a bad day. If I focus on a problem, the problem increases; if I focus on the answer, the answer increases.” Big Book pg. 417 


Lord, remind our hearts to quiet our minds in difficult times so that we may feel Your Spirit and know this too shall pass, AMEN. 


“We can rejoice too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:3-5 


Have a blessed day Y’all! 


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KNOW Pain …KNOW Gain

   April 25, 2023 0 Likes 261 Views
No pain…no gain…. 


Maybe it’s different for you, but I can honestly say that I do not enjoy pain of any kind in any form. 


I don’t intentionally go looking for it but I have learned that when I do find myself in pain, there is either a lesson to be learned or an experience to grow from if I look with a willing heart and open mind. 


Staying spiritually fit is hard work but the benefits are immense. 


Sobriety is not easy but the pains from gaining and maintaining it have brought me blessings far beyond what I deserve. 


The same can be said for my journey to attain physical health and fitness. 


God gives us the pain inside of every challenge to encourage us to find the benefit He has for us. 


Check your experience… 


“If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are halfway through.” Big Book pg. 83 


Lord when we are in pain, please remind our hearts to seek the goodness we can gain from seeking Your will, AMEN. 


“And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:2-4 


Have a blessed day Y’all! 

Join me in looking at the things we face daily with passages from both the Big Book and Bible! 


https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss 


How about a daily dose of hope and inspired thought? 

Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid

   April 24, 2023 0 Likes 293 Views
Don’t drink the Kool-Aid, just drink the water… 


We buy products based on our experience. 


I have learned the hard way that a pretty package can be misleading. 


It’s what’s inside that counts. 


We look for the quick fix and instant gratification because that is our cultural norm these days, but do we get the long term and permanent results? 


Perhaps it’s different for you, but I have only found that through seeking spiritual growth daily and working on me and my attitudes and habits… 


Check your experience… 


“Our ideas did not work. But the God idea did.” Big Book pg. 52 


Lord, thank You for quenching the thirst in our souls through Your Word and Spirit, AMEN. 


“Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst — not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.” John 4: 14 


Have a blessed day Y’all! 


What if you had a person who coached and mentored you in building a better life? 


Inspired 365 Life Coaching with Mark Farley!! 


https://www.faiththroughworksfellowship.org/inspired-365-life-coaching 


Want a one-on-one coach to get you out of where you are? 


Email today lets chat to see if we can make up a plan for you to get you to where you want to be!


[email protected]
   April 23, 2023 0 Likes 265 Views
Hearing check…


Our hearing comes in all forms. 


Did you know that along with the ears attached to our head we also have other ears? 


We have mental ears that allow our human instincts to silently hear the world around us. 


We also have spiritual ears that allow our hearts to hear the Holy Spirit. 


While we use the ears attached to our heads to hear the normal everyday stuff life brings along with our “selective hearing” of only what we want to hear, our instinctual ears hear that faucet dripping before we realize it. 


More importantly, our spiritual ears allow our heart to hear the Holy Spirit and guide us towards God’s will and away from our own selfish will… 


Check your experience… 


“We never gave the spiritual side of life a fair hearing.” Big Book pg. 50 


Lord, let us hear Your Word with our Spiritual ears, AMEN.
 
 “Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, this is the way you should go,” Isaiah 30:21


Have a blessed day Y’all! 


Join me in looking at the things we face daily with passages from both the Big Book and Bible!


https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pastor+mark+farley&ref=nb_sb_noss 


How about a daily dose of hope and inspired thought? 

Are You a Member?

   April 22, 2023 0 Likes 263 Views
Membership has its privileges…


How many “memberships” do you have? 


I have a few. 


There’s my Amazon Prime, PayPal, AARP, (hold the wise cracks, I have a point to make) Triple A, AA, SCAA, the gym, and… oh yeah,.. 


the SPIRITUAL GYM! 


I hope you have a membership to the last one too. 


It’s free, but the dues are paid daily through being in the Word, prayer, and service. 


Are you an active member?..


Check your experience…


“What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.” Big Book pg. 83 


Lord let us exercise and grow our Spiritual life through Your Word, prayer, and service daily, AMEN. 


“Train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come” 1 Timothy 4:7-8 


Have a blessed day Y’all! 


What if you had a person who coached and mentored you in building a better life? 


Inspired 365 Life Coaching with Mark Farley!! 


https://www.faiththroughworksfellowship.org/inspired-365-life-coaching 

Want a one-on-one coach to get you out of where you are? 


Email today lets chat to see if we can make up a plan for you to get you to where you want to be! 


[email protected]