Playing hide and seek, especially at twilight in our neighborhood, was a great game to play as kids. We had so many cool places to hide. It was hard not to laugh when the “it” person would walk right past your hiding place without seeing you.
This was a fun game to play as kids, but it’s a dangerous game to play as adults. Proverbs 28:13 states, “He who conceals his sin does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” It’s better to acknowledge what’s going on in your life, which is what confession means, than to hide it. It is even better when we decide to do away with repeatedly taking our drug(s) of choice.
It’s easy, though difficult, to hide from others. But it’s crazy to think we could ever hide anything from God. He sees your every thought and action. He hears your every word. Why not get it out of your system and allow Him to change your life?
Getting it out means to openly acknowledge to Him what you’ve done or are doing and how you’re feeling. When you do you’ll experience forgiveness and mercy. Don’t stop there! When you openly acknowledge what’s going in your life to a fellow believer in Jesus so they can pray for you, you’ll experience healing or a changed life.
We all know hiding doesn’t work, so why keep doing it? Decide today to allow the Spirit to bring you a Bible Impact partner with whom you can open up with and who will pray for your victory.
Set Free Noww“W”
Yearly Archives: 2013
Someday is Today
Moses wrote in Psalm 90:10-12, “The length of our days is seventy years – or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away … teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
This is from the guy who lived to be 120! Despite that fact, his point is still made. We don’t live that long on this planet. Even 120 compared to eternity past and future, is smaller than the head of a needle.
Some of the questions that arise from this observation are, “Are living today or merely existing? Are we wasting time or using it? Are going through the motions or creating new ones?” Here’s something to think about: taking our drugs of choice, which means living our way, is a waste of time. We know for a fact they don’t give us what we truly long for in life – to be loved, to be secure and to do something significant. So why waste time doing them?
Today is the day to use the time God has given you on this planet to experience real living – slow down your motions and listen to and do what Jesus, the author of the abundant life, says to do in each situation you face. Becoming like Jesus is a wonderful motion to go through.
“S”et Free Nowww
Is Seeing Believing?
Here’s a little test. For it to work you can’t scan this entire entry. Only go line by line. No cheating! (lol) Count every “F” in the following text:
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS….
How many “F”s? Count them again.
There are 6. Read it again. Go back and try to find the 6 ‘F’s before you finish reading this entry. The reasoning behind this is further down.
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS….The brain cannot process “OF”.
Whether this was scientific or actually true or not is not the point. I “saw” only 3. I knew to read it carefully too. I “read” it four times before proceeding and I still missed the “of”s. I saw them, but I didn’t see them.
It’s the same with our walks with Jesus. We “think” we are “seeing” something that will help us get and stay closer to Jesus. But what we’re actually “thinking” and “seeing” is taking us away from Him and towards our drugs of choice as our brains and eyes can be playing tricks on us. We need another three sets of eyes to help us on our journey become more like Jesus – the Word of God, the Spirit of God and the people of God.
We need all three, not just two or one as seeing is not always believing.
S“E”t Free Now“WW”
Focusing on Holiness
I woke up peacefully this morning singing in my head, “Holy is the Lord / Holy is the Lord / Righteousness and Mercy / Judgment and Grace / Faithfulness and Sovereignty / Holy is the Lord.”
I was reminded by the Spirit that He wrote through both Moses and Peter to be holy because our God is holy. Holiness must be important if the Spirit wrote it on both sides of the Book.
Holiness, however, seems to be getting a bad rap lately. Some Christians say we should only focus on grace. As if we can do whatever we want to do because we’re covered by it. Remember this truth though, “There is freedom of choice, but not in consequence.” Sure we are free to do what we want, but we become whatever or whoever we choose to focus on.
If we choose to focus on sinning because it’s all about grace, we’ll sin, which in turn leads us to our drugs of choice and out of Jesus’ presence, where real life and the good stuff is found. Not being holy only hurts us!
If, on the other hand, we choose to focus on Jesus, who is holy, and on making holy choices through His Spirit we’ll experience victory over our drugs of choice and stay where the good stuff is found – His presence. We win!
What’s cool is that the Spirit also wrote that we can make holy choices because we are holy (Heb. 10:14)! Because that’s true stay focused on Jesus and His holiness. You’ll be glad you did.
Now back to the music, “Holy is the Lord…”
Set “FREE” Nowww
Rock Solid
The Psalmist says, “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout to the Rock of our salvation.” (Ps. 95:1) Rock speaks of stability. It says we’re basing our lives and the values we live by upon something that’s firm and can weather life’s storm.
In this case, it’s our salvation. Jesus is that Rock. He is our salvation. We can count on Him being the same today, tomorrow and into eternity.
Where you put your trust is crucial. Is it in something firm or in something that can shift and evolve over time? I just read about a new form of politics. It’s called “the personal is political.” It’s a set of beliefs that can change depending upon the circumstances. It allows the person’s heart to rule over their mind.
This kind of politician used to be called a “flip-flopper,” which was a bad thing. Bad is now good as “flip-flopper” has been reworded to “personal politics.” This person can say one thing one day, but evolve into something totally different the next. How can you trust someone who has no convictions based in something solid?
The main thing wrong with personal politics is that the person’s heart and mind are supposedly a rock solid basis for making decisions. What if they both are wrong, which so often is the case? We know this to be true because they are what drive us to take our drugs of choice! You can feel one way today and completely different about it tomorrow depending upon your circumstances. Why then should we trust what we think or feel as the starting point for decisions?
No, we need a source outside ourselves, outside our heart and mind, to show us what is true. Jesus is that source. He is our Rock. He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” You can trust Him, not your feelings or thinking, when He tells you what to do. Living out what He says will set you free from your drugs of choice (John 8:31-32). Your freedom is personal to Him, but not politically expedient. He will be the same today, tomorrow and forever. His Word will never change. It’s rock solid.
S“E”t Free Nowww