I 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

Knowing 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

Jesus 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

“Shouldn’t we want to be close to God simply because we love Him? I mean, you talk about coming into His presence to meet your needs or to find “the good stuff.” Isn’t that a selfish reason to be with Jesus?”
These are great questions. My answer is both yes and no. Yes, we should come to Jesus simply because we love Him. No, it’s not selfish to come to Him to have our needs met. Jesus created us with three basic needs that only He could meet. This is important to realize. He put them in us. And only He can fulfill them.
The question now is, “Where will I go to have those God-given needs met?” Isn’t it true that when we turn our backs on Jesus (aka sin or choose to meet our needs our way) we destroy our lives? Therefore, isn’t also true that when we choose to stay in His presence (aka listen to and follow Him), we’ll experience real living, which is what He said He came to bring (Jn. 15:11)?
Jesus said that if we love Him we’ll obey Him (Jn. 14:15). This entire process of being able to love God was made possibly by Jesus at the cross, at the tomb, and coming back from that tomb. He made it possible for us to come into the presence real love, the Father, the one who makes us whole, which is also a partial definition of holiness.
The real question is, “Will I love Jesus enough to come to Him?” If I love Him, I will come to Him. If I come to Him, will trust Him enough to listen to and obey Him? If I obey Him, I will have my needs met. The entire process started with loving Him and ends with us being made whole again (i.e. our needs are met).
“S”et Free Nowww

“The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” (Proverbs 27:12) Jesus said, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” (Matthew 26:41). “The one who sees everything sees nothing.” (Jewish proverb)
Consistent throughout the Bible on down through today is an important truth for victory, “Watch where you’re going!” We all know certain places and people we should avoid at this point in our lives if we want to walk in freedom. It’s easy to justify taking our drugs of choice once we face a certain situation. “Well, I’m here. I might has jump in.” Truth: you don’t just fall!
My friend, where or with whom do you need to be on extra alert today?
Set Free No“W”ww