“Don’t you turn your back to me!” What message does this send when we do? We’re done talking or we don’t want to hear another word of what the other person has to say (though we can still hear them talking). We don’t want to see their face or look into their eyes because either we’re angry with them or ashamed of what we’ve done.
The biblical phrase “before the Lord” or “in the presence of the Lord” literally means “in the faces of God.” We have the awesome privilege as believers in Jesus to gather all the love and comfort we need by looking into His eyes. We have the full attention of our God – the Father, the Son, and the Spirit – at all times. His loving eyes are focused on His children – you and me.
We’re the ones who choose to turn our face away from His every time we choose our drugs of choice. Once we do, we begin to focus on something or someone else, which only results in bringing more trouble into our lives. Truth: you will become what you focus on and what you focus on gets bigger.
Keep looking into the eyes of your Savior by focusing on a specific lie-fighting truth about Him no matter what you do or how you feel. He is your hope for a better life today and tomorrow.
“S”et Free Nowww

Is it, “I can’t do it” or “I won’t do it”? They may sound the same, but they are worlds apart when it comes to victory in Christ. One statement is about playing the victim card and the other is the victor card.
The “I can’t” statement leaves victory in another person’s hands. It says that someone else did something to me or is not doing something for me that keeps from me making a decision to be free from my drug of choice. Remember this truth: freedom in the hands of another is not freedom. Christ came to make you a victor, not keep you a victim. You can always choose to filter life using your biblical tools and experience freedom no matter what someone else does or doesn’t do. Jesus has given you control of your freedom by giving you a choice (Rom. 6:12-14).
The “I won’t” statement leaves victory in your hands. It says you know what to do, can do it, but you’re choosing to not to do it. This honestly lays the decision whether or not to take your drugs of choice squarely where it belongs … at your feet. That’s tremendously freeing! By switching from “I can’t” to “I won’t” you’re at least failing forward. You’re making a hopeless situation look a little brighter by grabbing control of the decision making process. You don’t have to wait on someone else to be free!
What card will you play today – the victim or the victor card?
S“E”t Free Nowww

“Yum, these cherry tomatoes sure are good!” In late spring my wife and I planted a variety of vegetables: tomatoes, yellow, red and green bell peppers, cucumbers, yellow squash and zucchini. Now in mid summer, we’re eating those vegetables in our salads and sharing the excess with friends and neighbors.
There’s an important truth in this garden story. You eat tomorrow what you plant today and you eat only what’s planted. Paul talks about this process in Galatians 6:7,9, ” A man reaps what he sows. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Life happens; thus, we can’t always control the thoughts entering our brain. We can, however, control what gets planted. You become what you focus on (plant). What you focus on only gets bigger (grows). Are you planting “fantasies” or allowing lies to take root that will bring a harvest of sadness and pain? Or, are you planting truths that will lead to peace, security and significance?
In order to experience the “good stuff” we have to use our biblical filter – the FREEdom process – to keep out the bad and plant the good thoughts/seeds.
Sure it’s hard work. Don’t fool yourself, though. If you don’t plant God’s truth today, you won’t reap victory over your drug of choice tomorrow. Whatever you sow into your brain today will be harvested in your character tomorrow. Whatcha plantin’ today to harvest tomorrow? I’m hungry. I think I’ll go grab a healthy snack.
S“E”t “FREE” Nowww

Many of our problems stem from one of two mistakes. One, we either try to play God. Or two, we try to make God into our image.
We play God when we think we know exactly what we need and demand that He meet our “needs” our way, on our timetable. We make God into our image when we ask Him to act how we think He should act. Then we run to our drugs of choice if He does neither. Do we really know what’s best for us? Do we really want a God who acts like a limited self-centered babbling human? We’d have to answer in the negative, if we are honest with ourselves.
Therefore, if we want to experience daily victory, we must come to the realization that He alone knows what’s best for us. We must also realize that I’m the only one who loses when I make God into my image. If He is just like me, He can’t help me. He would have no more insight or power than I do.
The requisite of real faith is to trust that our God knows better about what we need than we do and that only as the God of Scripture can He keep us free from our repeated sinful behaviors. Faith means to believe that He exists, is a good God who only wants the best for us, and as God has the power to help us. As secure children of God, our Father truly does know best.
“S”et Free Nowww