“Every part of the human existence is governed by Scripture and a biblical worldview (i.e. listening to and following Jesus every day everywhere) constructs our reality in relationship to everything. It’s not only what we do, but the very way we view the world. That’s why one of our choices each day must be to listen to Jesus while reading the Word as it helps us to see the true reality of the world around us as God constructed it. That is what biblical faith is all about – faith that constructs all of our reality.”
As believers, our faith is not something we simply believe. It is something we live out with every choice. What part of your day isn’t covered by “whatever you do, in word or deed, do in the name of Jesus” (Colossians 3:17)?
In order to live consistent with the world as God created it, we must learn to listen to the One who created it throughout our day. In order to be able to listen to the One who created the world, we must know how to hear His voice. In order to hear His voice, we must know what it sounds like. In order to know what it sounds like, we must be learning to listen to it in the only Source that we for sure know speaks for Him – the Word of God.
Jesus came to give us life. The only way we can experience that life is to live each day consistently with how He made the world and us within that world. This starts with the Book of Books. Make it your joy to learn how to listen to Him while reading through it each year.
S“E”t Free Nowww

It was a military training exercise for special ops where the trainees were to climb up the side of a hill using various rock climbing techniques. One of the trainees got half way up that hill and froze. He started hearing the wind, seeing rocks tumble over the side, looking up and then down and simply couldn’t make another move no matter how much “encouragement” was shouted by his instructor from the bottom of the hill.
Finally, the instructor climbed up to where the trainee was hanging. He simply said, “Three feet circle.” It was a reference to block out everything outside of a 3’ radius from the person. Everything within that 3’ was within their control and everything outside that 3’ radius was beyond their control. In this case, when this person focused on what was beyond his control – the wind and rocks – he froze. When he focused on what he could control – his next handhold and foot placement – he again started moving up the hill.
What an example of exercising the truth! It’s 3 feet. Stay focused on what you can control – your choices – and you’ll continue to walk in victory with Jesus. Focus on what you can’t control – the choices of others, past and present – and you’ll worry, stress out, sense anger and end up frozen in your drug of choice.
It’s 3’ baby! Focus on Jesus right where you’re at while asking the Spirit to give you the strength to exercise the truths you already know and you’ll keep climbing victoriously over life’s challenging hills.
Set “FREE” Nowww

Abraham was asked by God to leave his country, his people and his family to go to a place God would later show him. Abraham’s response in English is, “So Abram left, as the LORD had told him” (Gen. 12:4). The literal Hebrew translation of the phrase, “as the LORD had told him,” is, “Go for yourself.”
One Hebrew commentator rephrases it like this, “Go for your pleasure and your good.” In other words, “Go for yourself, Abraham, not for Me.” This almost makes it sound like Abraham went to Canaan for selfish reasons.
Before you jump to that conclusion, keep the context in mind. God told Abraham to leave everything behind: his comfort zone, his culture, and his family. Abraham had to leave his way of living, the sources of his drugs of choice and his old influences behind. In light of that statement, God was telling him, “I’m telling you to go, Abraham, because My way of living is the only way you’ll find true pleasure.”
As one author put it, “Abraham understood that the way to true self-fulfillment is through selfless devotion to God. The opportunity to fulfill God’s will offers the profound pleasure of identification with He Who is the Greatest Good.”
It is not selfish to choose to walk with God in order to gain all the good stuff that comes with living in His presence. Why? Because that’s how He created us to live! In fact, part of the biblical definition of faith is that you must believe He is good and “rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). Faith does has it benefits, long lasting ones.
“S”et Free Nowww

I’ve come to discover that love is a very difficult concept to grasp at times. How is it that I can love my wife with such intensity; and yet, I have a difficult time transferring that same kind of love to Jesus? I’ve come to learn why this is true in my life; and it comes from a lie about love hidden in my brain.
Jesus praises the Ephesian church for being obedient, but scolds them for not being in love with Him (Rev. 2:1-7). Obedience without love means zip. This coincides with what Jesus said in John 14:23, “If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching.” We don’t obey Jesus out of obligation, but out of love for Him. We do for Jesus simply because we love being with Him.
Then Jesus seems to contradict Himself a few verses later in John 15:10 when He says, “If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love.” It now seems to be that obedience is primary and love is the by-product. Obey. Grind it out. Just do it. Whatever you want to call it, Jesus now appears to be focusing on doing for Him rather than being in love with Him.
Yet is He? If He is, this is why too many Christians are experiencing bondage, rather than the freedom Christ has given them. They are making the aim of their walk with Jesus about obedience rather than love. Follow the rules and everything will be okay. How satisfying is that kind of life?
It’s not. And I don’t believe that’s the meaning of John 15:10. Both passages start with love and end with obedience. There are times when I have an overwhelming feeling of love for my wife and would do anything for her, including shopping!  And yet there are days when I don’t have that overwhelming feeling of love; yet out of love for her I will still go shopping!
Love is both a feeling and an action based in trust (1 Cor. 13). There are times when I have an overwhelming feeling of love for Jesus, usually when I’m worshiping in music or in meditation on how He’s changed my life, and will do what I do with Him out love for Him. And, there are times when I don’t have that overwhelming sense of love and yet out of love based in trust, I will do what I do with Him out of love for Him.
There is the cycle of addiction: sin-confession-sin; and, there is the cycle of freedom: love-trust-love. I love Jesus; therefore, I trust Him. And there are times it is this love based trust that I will do what I do with Him out of love for Him; regardless of whether or not I feel in love with Him. I trust that living His way is in my best interests to do so. As I trust Him, which is based in love, I will grow closer to Him and further away from my drug of choice, which only makes my love for Him grow and strengthens the cycle of freedom.
John 14:23 and 15:10 are simply Jesus’ way of helping knuckleheads like me to understand how to love Him in a fallen world, which makes it hard to grasp such love.
S“E”t Free Nowww

As humans, we think controlling our world will make us feel better about ourselves and guard ourselves from hurt. We also believe that living each day by a set of rules that we can accomplish, even Christian ones, will give us the peace, love and security we seek. This, however, is the furthest thing from reality. It’s not how God set up this world.
God started off this human experiment with only four rules – 3 positive (rule, subdue, multiply) and 1 negative (leave the Tree of Knowledge alone!). In other words, Jesus meant for Adam and Eve to live each day in a conscious walk with Him. They were to talk with Him throughout their day, especially about situations they didn’t know how to handle, which with only four rules, would mean everything!
A few years back, I felt Jesus telling me not to drink any soda for a year. I wasn’t drinking it every day, or even every weekend, but I sensed Him telling me not drink it at all. Is there a chapter and verse on soda? Nope. Where, then, would I get this thought from if it’s not in Scripture? Jesus through relationship.
God used this request to “fast” to change my life and encouraged others to do the same. Yet, none of this would have happened if I had stayed in control of my life through living by a Christian code of conduct, which by the way didn’t exclude drinking soda.
It’s time for a reality check. Isn’t being in control what gets us into trouble in the first place? Furthermore, isn’t it what others do to us, which is totally out of our control, one of the sources for our bad decisions?
The reality is that control is an illusion. I’m not nor can I ever be in control of my life. The reality is that there is only One who really is in control and who can turn my bad choices and those of others out for His glory – Jesus (Rom. 8:28).
If you want to experience peace that will blow your ability to understanding it (Phil. 4:7), you must give up your sense of control. If you want to see your life changed, you must get beyond the illusion to the reality and choose to listen to and follow Jesus throughout your day. That choice is truly the only thing you can control! Will you use it to choose Jesus?
S“E”t Free Nowww