I don’t know about you, but walking up on a slow moving creek makes me want to stop and observe, which only relaxes me in the process. It’s healthy to slow down. It can be even more beneficial to be silent and listen. The writer of Ecclesiastes 3:7 says, “There is a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.”
Do you have a hard time being silent before your God? Or is it that you simply don’t have time, so you throw up some quick prayers while you keep going? If we’re honest with ourselves, it’s that fear we what He might say if we do slow down that keeps us from listening to Him. This begs the question, do you truly believe your Jesus loves you and has your best interests in mind? Remember Jesus didn’t come to add Himself or new behaviors to us, but to replace our life with His, which only makes our life better, not bitter or harder.
Healthy sheep listen first and then follow their Shepherd (John 10:27). Silence can indeed be golden as it can enrich our lives. Silence is also good as it can relieve us tremendous loads that we were never meant to bear. Your Shepherd has a lot to say to you. Shhh … He’s talking.
“S”et Free Nowww

Here is a truth we all must get through our thick skulls: we don’t just sin or take our drug of choice. We’ve been thinking about it long before we ever sinned. James 1:14-15, “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
James illustrates our drugs of choice with pregnancy. We all know that a baby comes nine months after conception. Conception…birth. It’s the same with sin. Temptation, which isn’t sin, if allowed to linger in our minds will lead to conception (the formation of an idea/thought), which if not processed out using the truths of God’s word will eventually come out in our actions.
We must stop telling ourselves, “I don’t know how I got here. I’m not sure why I repeated that sin again, fell to my drug of choice.” The truth is, if we are honest with ourselves, we’ve been thinking about it for some time. We’ve been allowing the thought to roll around in our heads unchecked and unfiltered. If we let that thought hang around long enough, it will come out in our behavior, which brings death or separation from the very source of everything we need – Jesus.
You can’t stop being tempted. You can, however, shut it down by using the Freedom process. Process out the temptations/lies the moment you realize your thinking about them so you can enjoy peace today and life tomorrow!
Set “Free” Nowww

I’ve been asked, “Do I really have to use the tools (Set Free Nowww) each day? Can’t I just relax for one day?” My answer is not what they always want to hear. It’s something I learned from my AA friends. The moment you stop doing what got you free, is the moment you start heading back to your drug of choice.
The adage, “Use it or lose it,” is true. You stop using your biblical tools and you will lose your peace and joy. We love the first part of Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” Oh how we love the truth that Jesus set us free. We even sing praise songs about it.
Yet for some reason we forget that we have a part to play in staying free from that point on. This truth is stated in the second half of that verse, “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burden again by a yoke of slavery.”
It’s our job to stand firm in the truth and to put up our shield of faith that contains specific lie fighting truths that put out our enemy’s darts (lies). You let your guard down and those darts will penetrate your brain and there goes your peace. Jesus didn’t say watch and pray so that you don’t enter temptation only on Sunday or when you feel like it.
We live in a war zone called planet earth, where the bullets (lies) will constantly fly as long as we live there. We’ll relax when we get home. Now is the time to pick up and use your tools each day wherever you go or lose you peace. Use them or lose it. It’s your choice.
“Set Free Nowww”

A friend of mine wrote the following in regards to Jonah, who listened to and followed His God.
“Often we believers are hesitant to respond to God’s prompting, forgetting (or not trusting) that He alone sees the big picture. Our fears and hesitations, although understandable, are not reasons to disobey. If God is calling you to do something, do it! You never know how ready someone is to receive what you have to share, and the result can mean life from death.
“Please do not underestimate the power of one person acting in obedience to God’s call! God can work through us to accomplish His plan. One man’s obedience can bring life to those who were on the path towards death.”
An entire city of over 120,000 people was saved, literally and spiritually, because one man dared to listen to and share the story (yes it was reluctantly, but he did it!) the Almighty God had given him.
One child of God who dares to listen to and follow Jesus through filtering their daily life through the truths found in God’s Word can touch countless lives, literally and spiritually, for eternity. Get this. Jesus even tells us He will give us the words to say when we do (Matt. 10:18-20)! So keep listening and following Jesus everywhere you go.
“S”et Free Nowww

Expectations. They can never be met if they are never communicated. We call this frustration. They can sometimes be met even if they are clearly communicated. We call this disappointment.
Let’s be honest. We want our expectations met or we wouldn’t have them in the first place. When we start to feel bad because our expectations are not met, our enemy usually has our drugs of choice strategically placed right before us. The Bible calls this temptation.
Let me give you a victorious strategy. Ask the Spirit if your expectations, whether communicated or not, line up with Scripture. If not, they can never be met and you’ll be constantly tempted to deal with your frustration and disappointment your way (aka take your drug of choice). If your expectation is dependent upon anyone outside you and Jesus, you’ve set yourself up for failure. Imperfect human beings will meet your needs imperfectly. We call this hurt.
Want to stop hurting and start healing? Get into the Word of God for yourself to hear Jesus speak to you. Let Him tell you what to expect. Those expectations will be met. The Bible calls this victory.
“S”et Free Nowww