Still A Slave

heart-trutsSomeone once said, “You don’t get to control any outcome, only every choice you make along the way.” If you do A, it doesn’t mean your spouse must do B.
Following Jesus doesn’t mean your world will all of a sudden turn out the way you want it. Many of the saints of Scripture did what God wanted and I can tell you that the results were probably not what they expected.
Mary says yes, her finance wants to divorce her. Jeremiah says yes, the government throws him in jail. Moses says yes, the people want to return to slavery. Jesus says yes, people want Him dead.
We do A simply we because we trust and love our new master – Jesus. We tend to forget that we are still slaves, not to sin, but to Him (Rom. 6:22). He redeemed us from a horrible task master that only wanted to abuse and destroy us.
Yet, He didn’t free us to do what we want to do, but to listen to and follow Him. He wants us to trust that He knows what is best for us, even when life isn’t turning out the way we want it too. We control our choice today. Let God take care of the results tomorrow because you trust Him to know what is best for you – both now and forever.
S”E”t Free Nowww

A Christian Killing

II have a very difficult time going to bed at night, which makes getting up for my early morning Jesus walk-talk even more difficult. Yet, He calls me out of bed to walk with Him. What do I really want to do? Sleep! Why not make the walk-talk at night when it would be so much easier. But, do I really know better, is the question. Quite frankly, no.
I is the hardest thing to kill, but die it must. Believers must allow the Spirit to kill I as it stores all kinds of harmful data on which they make their daily decisions (2 Cor. 10:3-6 – “pretensions”). We see in Scripture that Jesus had to go to war on I before His public ministry even started.
The Spirit led Jesus to the killing grounds – the desert (Matt. 4:1-11). While there, the tempter attacked. Twice the evil one said, “If you are the Son of God…” Of course Jesus is the Son of God. Could He turn stones to bread? Sure, as God, He made them. Could He jump off the Temple wall and live? Of course, as God, He made the physical laws and could override them.
Instead Jesus surrenders His I to Scripture. He bends His will to the Father’s. He reflected (i.e. glorified) the Father in everything He said and did, even to the point of death to become the “source of eternal salvation for all who obey (submit their I) to Him (Heb. 5:7-9).
Christians, true followers of Jesus, will allow the Spirit to kill I with each decision made throughout their day. It won’t be easy. But just as Jesus knew who He was and surrendered, so can we as secure children of God. The question for you today is, “Will you?”
“S”et Free Nowww

Jesus vs. Religion

lightningI was asked, “What’s the difference between religion and Christianity?” There were so many thoughts that came to mind, but I settled on one. Religion is man made and man energized where Christianity starts with Jesus and is empowered by the Spirit to enable us to keep listening to and following Jesus.
What’s interesting is that Christianity can often look like religion. Believers can make up rules to live by that are not found in Scripture and then attempt to carry them out in their own power. They can also listen to Jesus as to how He would have them live each day, and then attempt to carry them out in their own power.
Either way, it all falls on the believer to make things happen, which is one heavy burden to bear! We couldn’t get saved in or by own power and we can’t be sanctified (i.e. become more like Jesus) by it either. It is belief in what Jesus did for us that saves us and it’s the Spirit who gives us the strength to keep following Him (1 Pet. 1:2). Our job? Surrender to that power and walk where He goes.
Want more of Jesus, the source of the eternal good stuff? Stop trying to act like Him and learn how to daily ask for the Spirit to empower your FREEdom tools to be like Him.
Set Free Now“W”w

It’s Time to Give Up

Time on my handsThought you’d never hear me say that? Well, I’m probably not talking about giving up as you might be thinking. King Solomon wrote, “There is a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away.” There are things in our lives that it’s time to give up to Jesus. It’s time to let Him replace that issue in your life, that character flaw, that hurt, that pain, that disappointment, that unfilled longing or unscriptural expectation, that….you fill in the blank.
Today can be the fresh start you’ve been looking and praying for. It’s time to move forward in your walk with Jesus. The Spirit has already shined the light of God’s truth on that area of your life. Now it’s time to give up that “whatever” the Spirit has been asking from you. You know what it is. You’ve been wrestling with it and experiencing victory on some days while getting killed on others. Why? You haven’t really decided to give it up yet. You’re playing with it.
Pick up your FREEdom tools. It’s time to give up, literally, the whatevers that are defeating you. Let the Spirit do His job in your life – to keep you walking in freedom from those whatevers through faith in Jesus.
Set “FREE” Nowww

Keep Running

Living WaterOne of the by-products of the rain we recently had was that the air smells so good. It was almost sweet. Even the smell of fresh dirt, at least to this guy, was pleasing and relaxing.
Yet I discovered on my walk-talk with Jesus this morning patches of puddles already forming and beginning to stink because of the return of warm weather. The difference was running verses pooling water. Running water makes a very relaxing sound, pooling water makes none. Running water keeps things fresh, stagnate water does not.
Are you gathering with other believers? Most excellent. But are you running (i.e. exercising the truth by faith empowered by the Spirit) with what you heard from Jesus when you gathered? If not, your gathering as well as your life, could turn into a pool that begins to stink when life gets warm. If so, you’re gathering will remain fresh and sweet as you keep running with living water, Jesus, who will change your life.
I once read somewhere that “there is someone God wants you to touch on the other side of obedience.” Keep running with Jesus and both your life and those around you will be sweet, pleasing and relaxing. Who does Jesus want you to touch today?
Set Fre“E” Nowww