Another Look at Grace

God's graceBelievers sometimes have mistaken ideas about grace. For some it’s used like a get of jail free card. They can do anything they want and God will and has to forgive them.
While it’s true God will forgive us, grace is not the liberty to do whatever we want with the expectation that we’ll be forgiven. Biblical grace is really the God-given opportunity to walk with and come into His presence again, where the good stuff in life is found. We don’t even deserve this opportunity, let alone the ability, as our actions deserve nothing of the kind.
This insight should do two things. One, it should cause our love for Him to increase and make us extremely grateful to Him for even allowing us back into His presence. We don’t deserve to ever experience His love and peace because of our actions. It’s because of His actions that we’re allowed to do so. Secondly, it should cause us to fail forward, not backward. Our actions cause us to fail. It’s because of His actions that we have the biblical tools of freedom to learn from, not repeat, our failures; thus using less and less of God’s grace.
Grace should be used to fail forward, not abused to stay on the sin-confession-sin cycle. “Thank you Jesus for Your grace to become more like You everyday everywhere.”
Se“T” Free Nowww

A Different Angle

Let Go  d“If you don’t like the answer, maybe you need to ask a different question.” The person making the statement was having a hard time figuring out the answer to a challenge she couldn’t solve. The old way of looking at her situation only brought her the same conclusions that led her down the same path that led to a dead end.
If we want to see different results, experience more joy and peace, and live a life of freedom we’ve got to think differently using information from an outside source. Jesus will attack your challenges from a different angle so you can experience different results; thus getting out of the sin-confession-sin cycle.
This only comes slowing down and listen to Him. Let Him help you ask different questions. Let Him help you attack your problem from a different angle. Then, will you trust Him that your life will get better tomorrow if you choose to walk with Him today?
S“E”t Free Nowww

What’s Behind Your Gates?

gate without fenceI was walking on a dirt road along a fence line when I came across a very securely locked gate. You might be saying, “What’s the big deal about a gate along a country road?” The fence stopped at the gate! Whatever these people were hoping to secure behind that gate was totally lost on the fact that you could simply walk around it.
This scene reminded me of many believers today. We think we have areas of our lives securely locked away where God cannot go. Not only can’t we hide from God, but we can’t hide from our enemy either as he helped us build those defensive mechanisms! Our enemy wants those “secrets” kept behind those “securely locked gates” so he can exploit them anytime he sees fit (aka dragging us to our drugs of choice)!
Please, don’t live under the delusion that any area of your life – past or present – is off limits to God. As God wants us to demolish those strongholds (2 Cor. 10:4), out of His great love for us, He will expose those areas of our lives one area at a time so we can deal with them and experience victory.
Jesus knows what’s behind all your locked gates and still says, “I love and accept you.” It’s time to time to trust Him by using your biblical tools to remove those strongholds as the Spirit shines the light of truth on what’s behind your gates.
Set Free No“W”ww

The Foundational Freedom Truth

solid foundationKnowing who you are and to Whom you belong are crucial truths to your freedom.
A number of years ago, my wife and I had to be out of a house we were renting as it was being sold. We spent many a week looking for another place to rent within our price range, which was becoming harder and harder to find with each passing day.
We both knew God had us living where He wanted us. We both also knew we couldn’t afford any of the houses we had seen so far. As time wore on, we both came to the same conclusion. We’d live in a RV park in our tent trailer if that was what God had for us. We both knew we were valuable children of God. We both knew we were love and accepted by Him no matter where we lived. Furthermore, we had each other. We knew we were loved and accepted even if we lived in a tent trailer. Jesus determined our value, not where or in what we lived.
We were able to make such a decision because we both knew we were secure children of God. We didn’t turn to our drugs of choice when each day’s search came up empty. We knew Whose hands we were in and whose job it was to guide us, which He eventually did. How He came through became another story we’ve stored away to fall back on when other stressful situations arose in our lives.
Your drugs of choice only bring temporary relief. Jesus provides joy now and in the long-term. To experience this kind of lasting joy, you must stand on a solid foundation: you are a secure child of God.
“S”et Free Nowww

Live with Jesus not for Him

with Jesus 2Jesus is holy, which means He is complete in and of Himself. He doesn’t need anything or anyone to make Him any better than He already is. He is God, period.
Please let that soak into your thinking. He doesn’t need anything from us; therefore what we do for Him is not needed. Your works, your prayers, your witnessing, your service at church, your money, your…you fill in the blank. He didn’t come to this planet to add you or your stuff to His collection.
No, He came to do something for us! He came to put us into relationship with the Father (Jn. 14:6) where true life can be experienced and to give us the truths (aka your biblical tools) enable us to walk with and stay in the presence of the Father everyday everywhere.
Life is meant to be lived with not for Jesus. Living with will be for Him, but for doesn’t mean with Him as for can be in your power whereas with will be in His.
We are children of God meant to live in relationship with Him each and every day. How’s your relationship with Jesus going today?
“S”et Free Nowww