Security is Foundational

solid rockThe Secure because I’m God’s child biblical tool is foundational to every decision we make throughout our day. If we boil all our decisions down to one driving force it’s this – happiness. We all want to be happy – to feel good about ourselves and the world around us. Where we turn for that happiness then, is crucial to how secure we’ll be.
This is born out in the Imposter Syndrome. It’s a phrase coined in the 1970’s by researchers from Georgia State University. It describes a person, who although has garnered much success, feels that all could be lost in the blink of an eye. A very successful woman exemplified this when she said, “I can speak in interviews so confidently, but I have days when I come home and say ‘I am terrible at my job. Why can’t I work at Starbucks and have my 9-5 job and come home and not think about it?’”
Success based in insecurity leads to an unstable world. It’s been said, “Ego can drive us to places where our character can’t handle it.” How many “successful” people climb the hill only to throw it all away – either because they didn’t feel they deserved it, their character flaws were terribly exposed or the top of the hill simply left them empty?
The foundation upon which your “success” stands is crucial. Is it you or Jesus? It was Jesus who said that if we build our lives upon Him and His teachings, our lives will be built upon a secure foundation – one of rock not sand. We are truly secure when we know who are – secure children of God – and where we go to meet our needs – Jesus. Therefore, living each day with the truth that I’m a secure child of God is foundational to all our decisions.
A secure child of God listens to Jesus because they love Him and trust His judgment on all life’s issues. A secure child of God follows Jesus every day everywhere because they realize only He can meet their needs. When a secure child of God listens to and then does what Jesus says they will experience joy (a happiness that goes beyond circumstances) regardless of how their decision turns out. Their success is now built upon Jesus, the Rock. He deserves the credit. My flawed character is exchanged with His solid character, which brings satisfaction both here and later.
My friend, today, burn who you are into your heart and mind: a secure child of God because of what Jesus did for you, not what you do for Him. Keep listening to and following Him and that secure foundation only gets more solid – no matter where you work for a living.
“S”et Free Nowww

Practicing both Perfectly and Imperfectly

practice 2The first ever Fail Forward conference was held earlier this month in Toronto. It was all about “tearing off the shame like a BandAid.” Each participant was given thirty seconds to share their failure story. Then they spent time answering, “How are you better off for that having happened?” and “What are you going to do with that?”
Kind of sounds like what the Bible commands us to do (James 5:16) and what’s done in a Bible Impact Group, doesn’t it? Funny, how the work world is finally waking up to the real world God created and then has spent thousands of years redeeming: We were created with the ability to choose rightly. Once Adam and Eve blew it, God covered them and continually covers us through Jesus’ death and resurrection so we can continually get up and walk with Him now, today and throughout eternity.
Paul writes in Philippians 4:9, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” This word “practice” means to do repeatedly or habitually. This can mean mistakes as well as victories in forming Christ-like character.
Peace comes from doing it right. Hiding out of fear of rejection when we do wrong only keeps that peace from coming back. It eats you up from the inside out and gives your opponent an instrument to attack you with.
Stop hiding and take away his weapons in your life! Get rid of the shame of defeat through confessing to Jesus for forgiveness of sin and confessing to another believer for prayer to see your life changed. Here on this planet you will practice both perfectly and imperfectly at times. Keep getting better with practice!
Set Free N“O”ww“W”

Healthy Choices

healthy choicesRichard Wurmbrand (Tortured for Christ) once said, “Whenever we came across a repellent sin, we did not sit in judgment. We considered how we might cure the disease. A good tailor never throws away a scrap of cloth.”
We all make bad choices – some worse than others, but bad nonetheless. Rather than kill ourselves or others over it, we must learn to learn from those bad choices. Use the FREEdom process to get at the lie, the root of the disease, and apply the medicine of biblical truth, which will cure us and others from making that terrible choice again.
Wurmbrand also said, “Be zealous in thinking what is right and true, and you will not need to run away from sin, for sin will run away from you.” Focus on keep healthy and it’s hard to get sick. Keep in mind: life is a series of opportunities to choose to get closer to Jesus. What will your choices reveal?
Set “FREE” Nowww

Trust the Friendship

friends with JesusJesus, the most important person in the world, calls you His friend. The God of the universe knows you by name; and yet, He still calls you His friend. Imagine that, friends of and with God!
This should do two things. One, it should make you feel great! Wow, He thinks that much of you to call you His friend. Remember, He is calling you a friend. He thinks that much of you. Pretty special, huh?
Secondly, it should cause you to stop and think, “How am I treating this friendship? Do I take it for granted? Is it all about me and what I want?” If your human friends were like this, what would you do? I doubt you would tolerate it much.
It’s been said, “All responsibility without joy will crush a person and turn Christian service into slavery. All joy without godly fear will make the servant shallow and immature. We enjoy intimacy and carry responsibility, and we must keep them in balance.”
We are His friends and should rejoice in that truth, but Jesus also said this friendship carries with it a responsibility to listen to and follow Him. Your friend is calling you to walk with Him. Does it matter where He’s taking you? Enjoy the relationship and take the next step in your friendship with Him, even if it’s uncomfortable.
“S”et Free Nowww

Just Do It!

just do it“Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Heb. 3:13).
I wrote about this yesterday. So the natural question is, did you? What? Did you listen to Jesus when He said to encourage someone? You know, the above verse is a command. If we want to please Jesus, we are to encourage each other daily and that means today.
So again, did you? Being close to Jesus means when He takes a step, we take a step. When He says encourage, we encourage. This isn’t only your pastor’s job. All our names are included in this passage, not just theirs’.
Don’t wait for the pastor to do it. You can make Jesus smile by encouraging the person He lays upon your heart. You can be the Spirit’s instrument to encourage them while it is still called today. This can help them see through a tough situation to draw closer to Jesus. It’s a win:win situation as you both draw closer to Jesus and put a smile on His face. Because this is true, just do it!
Go ahead…right now…listen to Jesus…then text/email/call/Facebook the person who pops into your mind. Just do it! You both will be glad you did.
Set Free Now“WW”