The Power of an Encouraging Word

encouragement“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 recently sent encouraging notes through various electronic means to people I sensed the Spirit putting on my heart. Though it’s not the reason I did it, it sure was encouraging to hear their responses. One person said it came at just the right time. Their life was starting to get fairly hectic and needed a boost to stay cool. Another said it was nice to know someone else was seeing their life change. My note was also encouraging them to keep going forward.
We live in a very real rough and tumble world that can discourage us to the point where we wonder if it’s really worth living for Jesus. We have the power to give each other the strength to keep walking with Jesus!
When the Spirit puts someone on your heart to text, email, call or Facebook do it! And do it Today as often as He puts them on your heart. Your encouraging words, the sound of your voice and/or the warmth of your presence just might be what they needed to see through the deceit of discouragement to keep walking with Jesus.
Set Free Now“W”w

Live Forgiven

forgivenI read the following this afternoon by AW Tozer, “You have been forgiven, so act like it!” It’s very powerful and can be taken a couple of ways.
Scenario one is that you don’t have to walk the same way you’ve always lived. You’ve been forgiven and changed by Jesus. You have a new mind and a new nature, so choose to walk with Jesus in victory today. Scenario two is that if you fall, you’ve been forgiven. So get up! This means both spiritually and emotionally.
I’ve had a pretty hectic few days where the enemy has been pushing back super hard to the advances the Lord has been making in my life. I wish I could say that I’ve stood my ground in every battle. I haven’t.
For some reason, though I know about and believe in God’s grace and mercy, I still have a hard time accepting His hand up again and get back to walking with Him emotionally. It usually takes a while to get over the very real feeling of being separated from Him. I need to get over it. I’ve been forgiven, so act like it. Re-attach spiritually as well as emotionally.
You’ve been forgiven, so act like it. Keep walking in victory. If fallen, get up completely. I thought you might need to hear what I did.
S“E”t Free Nowww

Draw Near

see through fish“Accept one another as Christ accepts you.” (Romans 15:7) How does Jesus accept us? He sees right through us you can this fish.
We have no idea how much damaged the sin nature caused before it was replaced with Christ’s. Jesus does. We have no clue as to all the lies that snuck in before we started filtering life through God’s Word. Jesus does. We don’t even understand all the sinning we’ve done or are currently doing! Jesus does. There is nothing hidden in the nooks and crannies of our hearts or brains that He can’t see.
Despite all this, He accepts us, which means He draws us to Himself in friendship knowing all that He knows about us. Let that sink in. He knows all the stuff we can’t or don’t even know exists within us and yet still wants us close to Him.
His arms are open wide for us to come near to Him. Everything you need in life is found in Christ. It’s not Him who keeps us at arms length. Draw near to Jesus and let Him meet your needs at even the deepest levels.
S“E”t Free Nowww

Choose to Be You in Christ

liveWhat’s wrong with the following sentence? “Well, my siblings are getting jobs left and right, and I’m just a mom.”
Hopefully, you see the lie. It reeks of self put down. It basically says that what this person is doing is some how less worthy than what their siblings are doing. I like what a European philosopher once said, “The real test of a man is not when he plays the role he wants for himself, but when he plays the role destiny has for him.”
Believers in Jesus are God’s workmanship created in Jesus with a specific purpose in mind. We don’t get to choose what our talents and abilities will be. We do choose, however, whether to exercise them in the Spirit’s power or not.
Your job, secure child of God, is to listen to and follow Jesus right where you are in this moment of time. Choose today to be who your God made you to be, not someone else. Operating in this manner keeps you free from your drugs of choice as you’re not in pain all the time from trying to be someone you were never meant to be.
Jesus gave you life. Go live it!
“S”et Free Nowww

A Refreshing Drink of Life

ice coldI wasn’t able to walk and talk with Jesus until it was 89 degrees outside due to my schedule. That’s a little warm for some, but just right for me. Before I headed out, though, I grabbed a bottle of ice cold water. It took less than two miles to turn lukewarm! Why? It stop being where it could stay cold.
Jesus lovingly nailed the church that existed at Laodicea for being neither refreshingly hot nor cold. They had become lukewarm. They stopped doing what got them hot (i.e. staying on the stove) or cold (i.e. staying refrigerated) in the first place.
Hey, I drank the lukewarm water, but it surely wasn’t very satisfying, let alone refreshing. Here’s a few questions to ask from Acts 2:42-44 to keep drinking in a refreshing life. One, is your trust in Jesus and His Word increasing (“apostles teaching”)? This goes to your daily reading of the Word while listening to Jesus speak to you. Two, is your love for Jesus and His people growing (“fellowship”)? This goes to the fact that you gather with other believers because you need them to grow in Jesus.
And three, is your worship of and witness for Jesus developing a stronger hope (“breaking bread,” “prayers,” “and the Lord added daily those being saved”)? As you keep using your biblical tools each day to listen to and follow Jesus with every thought, word and action, your life will change. This is worship. As your life changes, others will see it and hopefully want what you have. This is witness.
Your life will be refreshing as you keep answering “Yes” to these three questions. Stop doing any of them and you’ll become as lukewarm as the water I drank on the trail. It’s barely satisfying and certainly not refreshing.
Set Free Now“W”w