A buddy of mine loves to ride mountain bikes. His Bible Impact Group partner is also into mountain biking. One day they were discussing who they should be praying for on their BIG cards. His BIG partner was saying he could never get on a street corner with a sign proclaiming God’s love. Yet you should see him when he’s riding his bike. He is always talking up Jesus to those he rides with – no matter who they are and matter where they are!
My buddy pointed out that he was doing just what Jesus wanted him to do. There are people just like him who love to ride mountain bikes. Where will they be? Riding their bikes on the various trails in the hills around his house. Who can reach them with the love of Jesus? My buddy and his BIG partner.
I love what a friend of mine, Dezi Baker, likes to say. “It doesn’t matter where you are; but who you are where you are.” If you’re living with your biblically-based truth filter switched on, the Spirit will be molding you into the image of Jesus. Being with and like Jesus wherever you are will give you plenty of opportunities to share His love with those around you – whether it’s on a street corner or in the mountains.

Every area of your life, not just your church life, should be done in Jesus’ presence. Colossians 3:17 states, “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Healthy believers, then, should never say, “It’s just business, nothing personal.” They should always keep their biblically-based truth filter turned “On” in both their public and private lives. The results of the “On” and “Off” positions are seen in two recent Internet articles.
One article noted, “Carter was a big disappointment to the evangelical Christians. He believed he had the duty of upholding the Constitution and the wall of church-state separation. Like Kennedy, he believed his religion was private and not the basis for presidential decisions.”
A second article commented on another public figure. “Why is Tim Tebow such a fascinating and polarizing figure? Not just because he claims to be religious; that claim is commonplace among football stars and ordinary Americans alike. Rather, it’s because his conduct – kind, charitable, chaste, guileless – seems to actually vindicate his claim to be in possession of a life-altering truth.
“Nothing discredits religion quite like the gap that often yawns between what believers profess and how they live. With Tebow, that gap seems so narrow as to be invisible. (“There’s not an ounce of artifice or phoniness or Hollywood in this kid Tebow,” ESPN’s Rick Reilly wrote last year of the quarterback’s charitable works, “and I’ve looked everywhere for it.”) He fascinates, in part, because he behaves – at least in public, and at least for now – the way one would expect more Christians to behave if their faith were really true.”
All decisions, whether it’s the President of the US or the street sweeper by your house, are based upon values. How do you tell whether something is right or wrong, but by the values you hold? Therefore, on what source will you choose to base your daily decisions? Will it vary from your public life to your personal life? A healthy believer keeps their filter in the “On” position no matter where they are because they want to stay in Jesus’ presence; resulting in fulfilling their God-given purpose in life.

The ultimate purpose for living with a Biblical worldview is to live in the presence of Jesus 24/7. It gives us the ability to screen out the lie-based messages so we can hear the voice of our Savior drawing us closer to Him. Enjoy this song, “Here in Your Presence.”

Did you know that God loves fat? It’s true. In the animal sacrifices of Leviticus, God wanted all the fat surrounding the organs. When it came to a burnt and sin offering, He also wanted the animal’s head. Leviticus 3:16,17, “The priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the Lord’s. …You must not eat any fat or any blood.”
Did you also know that our brains are 60% fat? Romans 12:2 states that changing lives start with a change between the ears (“be transformed by the renewing of our mind”). If you want to be closer to Jesus, you’ll need a biblically-based truth to filter to expose the lies in your thinking so you can exchange them with truths found in God’s Word.
Do you see the connection between Tenach (OT) sacrifices and NT changed lives? When it came to sin sacrifices, God wanted the head and the fat completely burned. They were His. If you want to stop sinning, thereby not needing a sin sacrifice, you need to give Him the fat between your ears – your brain. As you do this, you will be a “living sacrifice pleasing to God.”
Healthy believers will trust and listen to the living Word of God every day. Every word is put there for a reason. One of those reasons is to show us that God wrote the entire Book. As such, we can trust it with our daily decisions.
If you are to have a daily healthy faith, not just one on Sunday, you will filter all the information your brain receives through Him using the truths found in God’s Word (a Biblical worldview). As you do, you’ll get closer to Jesus and experience greater peace.
And the blood? As you learn to live with a biblically-based truth filter (giving Him the fat), you’ll need the blood (so don’t eat it!), as the blood provides forgiveness (Heb. 9:11) for the mistakes you’ll make in being a “living sacrifice.”
Isn’t that cool?