This is what a sports writer and admitted Tiger Woods groupie wrote about Woods the day after he lost at the 2013 Masters golf tournament. “Tiger’s weakness is adversity.” He goes onto to quote a noted sociologist, “There are three wells of strength people throughout history have drawn on in times of need. The first is family. The second well of strength has typically been religion. The third well of strength we as human beings tend to draw on is that long running, deeply rooted identification with a particular group beyond family and religious affiliation, and those tend to be ethnic or racial.”
The writer summarized this to identity. “An identity gives your personality an edge, an attitude.…When you don’t have an identity, you want to be loved by everyone, you’re afraid to have an edge and you don’t know what to do when you fall behind.”
I find it interesting that knowing who we are is a strong factor when it comes to experiencing victory over our challenges; the opportunities that make us want to choose our drugs of choice. It’s also no coincidence that the very first tool every believer needs to use each day is, “You’re secure because you’re God’s child.” We may not have the best family relationships; but the moment we put our faith in Jesus, He tells us who we are – a child of God, and puts us into another larger family– other believers here locally and around the world who can pray for us (Eph. 6:18).
If we want to stay in the freedom Jesus gave us, we must give others permission to speak into our lives (April 15 entry). Then we must be secure enough in the truth that we are God’s children in order to listen to and act on what they have to say. The Spirit has given us these wells from which to draw strength each day. Let’s pray for each other that we do.
“S”et Free Noww“W”

One of the activities I love to do while in Mammoth California is to hike and fish. There is one fishing hole where we catch some great tasting trout that’s not on a trail. In order to get there you have to look for markers along the way – a tree here, a rock outcropping there. It’s not always easy to see these markers, so I always go with another person. Hey, there’s enough fish to go around! The goal is to get there and enjoy the fishing, not to wander aimlessly through the woods.
It’s the same with my walk with Jesus. I need real transparent friends who will tell me the truth, especially when I can’t see the markers. My goal is stay close to Jesus, where the good stuff in life is found, not to aimlessly wander around looking for Him. Thus, I walk this journey with other brothers with whom I’ve given permission to speak into my life. I can’t see every marker along the path Jesus laid out. I need others to help me watch out for them. And so do you.
I once heard, “I can walk faster on my own, but I can go further and enjoy it more with someone else.” With whom are you walking this journey to be more like Jesus and have given permission to speak into your life?
Set Free Noww“W”

I was watching a favorite TV show last night about first responders. Two captions, one fire and one cop, both were about to make career ending decisions. They were driven in this direction by replaying their mistakes over and over again in their heads. What could they have done differently? Why should this person have died when they were able to save another? They both wanted to quit because they didn’t know what to do with the images that kept creeping into their minds.
This is the entire point of the FREEdom process. They are the tools to fight this kind of battle. We can process through these images instead of allowing the evil one to beat us over the head with them. The woulda, coulda, shoulda’s of life will not only destroy today’s peace, but can also lead you to make momentous decisions that could ruin many tomorrows.
Don’t play into your enemy’s hands. Run to Jesus’ outstretched arms of love! He knows every woulda, coulda and shoulda and still loves you! He knew them before you came to faith in Him. And He knows them now and tomorrow. He will help you sort through the lies to hang onto the truths. He will be there to give you the strength to exercise those truths next time. He will never give up you so don’t give up on yourself! Use your tools and take one more step with the one you love – Jesus.
Set Free “N”owww

Challenges. We all face them. They make us want to quit walking and wallow in our drugs of choice. Let me share one more story from the Holocaust that teaches us a valuable lesson about putting one foot in front of the other, this time through song.
“There was a Chassidic Jew named Meilich Rubenson who would make a meal after Shabbat every Saturday night. This meal didn’t include any food – there was no food to be had! It consisted of singing. Rubenson would gather a group of Jews together and we would sing this song: ‘God said to Jacob, don’t fear my servant. Have no fear my servant, Jacob. I fear no one but you Hashem…’ It was laughable, a joke! Everyone knew that the Germans were winning the war and there was very little hope for us, if any. But this Jew, with his singing and faith, gave strength and hope to all the Jews in the camp. It gave us the strength to go on.”
At times in our fighting the good fight, the situations we face seem hopeless. Hang onto Jesus, the Light of the World. He will keep shinning light on the next step you need to take. At that moment, it’s time to show your love for and trust in Him by taking that step. It’s that step that takes you closer to freedom. And sometimes, it sure helps to have a tune playing in your head as you do.
Set “Free” Nowww

Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first and only female Prime Minister, who died yesterday once said, “If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time and you would achieve nothing.”
The verb “to be” is one of the most dangerous verbs in the English language. It’s one of our greatest enemies. How we define ourselves is crucial to our freedom. “I’m a firefighter.” “I’m unworthy to be loved.” “I’m a businessperson.” “I’m a loser.” If you think I am off (there’s that verb again). Keep a notepad with you. Make a note very time you use that verb and what comes after it. Take it through the FREEdom process. If it doesn’t line up with the truth that you are a child of God, you are heading for compromise.
You will act consistent with how you view yourself. If you have to be liked by others, you are giving them control of your joy, your peace and your freedom over your drugs of choice. Freedom over repeated sin starts in your mind with this truth: You are secure because you are a child of God.
I want to end this entry with one last Thatcher quote: “You might have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” This is true. It will take time to retrain your brain by filtering out the lie based “I am” statements. Don’t stop fighting. Victory is around the corner.
“S”et Free Nowww