There has been a bowl full of miniature chocolate covered candies sitting on our kitchen counter for over a week. Mind you, I could have put them out of sight; but, I didn’t. I think you know where this is going.
I would see this bowl of delectable delights every time I entered the kitchen. My eye saw them and sent that information to my brain. Yet each time I saw them, I didn’t filter it through the truth – eating sweats doesn’t solve anything! Now, put a “bad” day in there and this becomes a dangerous situation.
Here is a truth all believers must drill into their heads: You don’t just fall. You’ve been thinking about it for a while.
I had seen those delicious treats without telling my brain they were not a solution to a bad day. Furthermore, knowing that candy is a drug of mine, I could have asked my wife to re-hide them. (Oh, did I forget to tell you that I “found” them? Oops, my bad.) Suffice it to say, a bad day came, which we all have, and I ate more than one, well, two, oh let’s get serious, it was eight miniatures later before it sunk in what I was doing.
This all took place because I forgot this truth; and therefore, I didn’t pick up my FREEdom tools. Failure came as I didn’t get that candy out of sight so it couldn’t enter my mind. What drug is under your control that needs to be remove from your sights?
Now that I’ve reminded myself of this truth, once I post this I’m going to ask my wife to re-hide those drugs!
Set “FREE” Nowww

My wife and I were hanging out this past weekend doing what we like to do best – being together. We walked along the beach with coffee in hand. We visited a seaside lagoon. We even discovered an orchid farm! We also visited shops with unique items.
In one such shop, we noticed a beautiful wave scene that was on a piece of birch plywood. You could see the wood’s grain through the wonderful curve of the wave. It was quite amazing. We’d been looking for something to put on our living room wall, and this piece would go nicely with our colors. We asked the price. We had the money. Should we buy it? We talked. We got a card from the shop owner.
We then took a walk where I asked, “Lord, should we purchase it?” We are to listen to and follow Jesus every day everywhere, right? I felt Him ask me, “Why do you want to buy it?” After thinking about it, one reason came to mind. I wanted to proove to the shop owner that I could afford their stuff. Wow, that sure smacks of insecurity, doesn’t it? Insecurity leads to poor decisions. Needless to say, we didn’t return to that store.
Want to know something interesting? I asked Jan a couple of days later if she had thought about that picture. Her response? “I hadn’t until you asked.” I guess that picture made that big of an impression on us!
God’s Word works every day; therefore, must we must filter life through it everywhere, even when it’s a simply strolling through a store. It can save you lots of money, as well as buyers remorse!
“S”et Free Nowww

I was talking with a friend today about butterflies, one of their favorite subjects, when it hit me. What if a butterfly doesn’t leave the cocoon? Think about it. It has a nice cozy little place in which to hang out where it’s turning into something very beautiful. And yet, if it doesn’t go through the struggle of leaving it’s cozy environment, it will die and be eaten by its enemies.
It’s the same for believers in Jesus. We are God’s masterpieces, just like the beautiful butterfly. We are meant to fly and experience the life God created us for (Eph. 2:10) with each flutter of our wings. We were never saved to stay in the comfort zone of the cocoon.
Jesus came to give you life. He came to transform your life into His image, which comes through exercising the truth by faith even if it’s a struggle. If you choose to stay where you are, you will eventually become bait for your enemy who wants to destroy the life Jesus has for you.
Are you growing or dying? Choose to exercise the truth the Spirit gives you today by faith to experience the flight you were meant to fly.
Set Fre“E” Nowww

In any relationship, especially marriage, two people can get close only by sharing with each other their thoughts, their dreams, their life and who they are becoming. Obvious, right?
Yet implied within that statement is that you know who you are and who you are is worth sharing! This kind of vulnerability is tough, which is why most relationships remain shallow as each person becomes stalled in their personal growth.
Now, you probably thought I was talking about you and your spouse or friends. Nope, I was talking about your relationship with Jesus. (Paul used the marriage relationship in Ephesians 5 as an illustration for our walks with Jesus.)
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard, “Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship.” Well, is it true or not? When it comes to talking with Jesus (i.e. prayer), what are your conversations centered around – what you need or who you’re becoming?
Jesus already made us secure children of God. It’s this security – never being separated from the source of love – that provides us with the room to take steps of faith (i.e. risk) in allowing the Spirit to change our lives (aka personal growth). Talk with Jesus about changing your life. You’ll only grow closer to Him as you do. It’s well worth the risk.
“S”et Free Nowww

I want to pass on a piece of sage advice I was given. “If you keep looking back, you’ll keep repeating your past mistakes in the present. Instead, choose to learn from those mistakes as to not repeat them in the present to gain victory in the future.”
Fish don’t know they are wet. You only know what you know when you know it. You based your past choices on the information you had at the time. You can’t do anything about your past decisions, because they’re in the past! The only thing you can do with your past decisions is to put them through the FREEdom process today: get at the lie in your thinking, exchange it with the truth from the Word; and then exercise that truth in the Spirit’s power today.
Instead of beating yourself over your past mistakes or bad decisions, learn from them so you don’t repeat them by making better choices in the present. Power through your past rather than relive it. The choice is yours today.
Set “FREE” Nowww