My wife and I hiked in the desert in the middle of 96 degree heat. It was awesome. For miles around you can see mounds of sand covered in desert brush. Yet, in the middle of this desert was a true oasis surrounded by sun blocking palm trees. The palms and pools of water were both gorgeous and cool, literally, at the same time.
The San Andreas Earthquake fault ran through this area letting water seep through one of it’s cracks. This water hole allowed for both plant and animal life to flourish.
As we were walking I was thinking about Jesus calling Himself the living water. Only He can make our lives flourish in dry times. There are numerous other descriptive illustrations used for Jesus in Scripture. Don’t just read the Word of God. Listen to it and then think about it throughout your day. The more you do, the more you’ll understand who Jesus is and how He can make your life better now and for eternity.
Tozer once said, “Outside the will of God, there’s nothing I want. Inside the will of God nothing I fear.” Let the truths of those illustration seep into our life. Being with and in Jesus is God’s will!
S“E”t Free Nowww

I was walking on a very busy street where the right side of the road had about two feet of pavement. There was no sidewalk, which was on the left side of the street. The logical thing to do was to head to the sidewalk, which I started to do when I sensed the Lord telling me to continue walking on the right.
While doing so and contemplating why He wouldn’t want me on the safer side of the street, I found four coins – three pennies and nickel. Then it hit me. Logic is not always logical when it comes to walking with Jesus.
Logical decisions are made when you take all the data you can gather, come to a logical conclusion and then act on that conclusion. Question. What if your data is wrong? What if don’t have enough data? Your logical conclusions could be based on bad or insufficient data, which can lead to hurtful or sinful decisions.
Jesus is the only one who has all the data and can see your situation from every perspective. This is why He tells us to listen to and follow Him. This is also why Jesus practiced what He taught us by filtering everything He said and did through the Father.
Rewards, encouragement from finding these coins, and a changed character come from exercising biblical truths Spirit empowered that Jesus gives us, even when they seem illogical to us. To some this might be scary business, but to those who continually get better at hearing from and following Jesus, it leads to eternal Christlike character, which is a very logical use of time.
Set Fre“E” Nowww

Golda Meir once wrote, “Whenever I felt overwhelmed by fatigue or my circumstances, which was often, all I had to do was to remind myself that I was now talking as an emissary of the Jewish state, and my tiredness simply drained away.” She overcame her fatigue and discouragement by focusing on her mission – Israel’s survival, which at the times didn’t look too bright.
Paul writes much the same from a Roman jail cell, “I open my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.” (Eph. 6:20) Paul fought off fatigue and discouragement as he focused on the good work God saved him for – being an apostle to the Gentiles.
Discouragement seems to sneak in when we’re tired and not seeing the results we had hope to see. Yet, we’ve all been given something to do for Jesus while hanging out with Him each day the moment of salvation (Eph. 2:8-10). One of those tasks is that we are ambassadors of the King!
People are watching how you handle life, where their eternal destination, which is far more important than this temporal one, is at stake. Defeat that discouragement by staying focusing on Jesus’ smiling face while becoming more like Him. Leave the results to the Spirit.
Set Fre“E” Nowww

For me at least, waiting on God to act is not easy. I’ve come to understand, though, from my son, who recently returned from a dream vacation to Europe, that this is a very American trait. It’s not necessarily a good trait to have either, especially when it comes to our walks with Jesus.
Jesus isn’t in a rush. He will act on His timetable. He can see the big picture of every person who lives on this planet all at once. He knows at the exact moment to act in achieving His purposes in every single person’s life too. To become impatient and act in our timing can have disastrous results (1 Samuel 13).
I’m not sure whether you know it or not, but waiting on the Lord to do His thing is an act of love. Jesus said if we love Him, we will obey Him…even if that means to wait patiently on Him to act.
Love waits. Getting tired of waiting? Say you love Jesus by continuing to worship Him through peacefully waiting. Want to jump ahead of Him? Don’t!! You’re the only one who loses.
Set Fre“E” Nowww

I heard in a recent conversation, “If I know what I teach, I can teach what I know.” My biblical filter started beeping. I asked the person, “Do you actually use what you’re teaching?” After the pregnant pause, they said, “I don’t know.”
The operative words are if I know. Is it knowing facts in your head or experiencing them in your daily life? Proverbs uses three very important words – knowledge, understanding and wisdom. We absolutely need biblical facts or knowledge. This helps us to discern whether something is a lie; and thus, filtered out of our heads. Western Christians often stop here! Scripture doesn’t.
We must take those truths and ask, “What is God trying to say by what He wrote?” Once we’ve thought that through, we must ask, “How do I use that truth in my daily decisions?”
Knowledge alone leads to pride. Cliché answers to life’s struggles lead to frustration for ourselves and to those with whom we pass on biblical knowledge. Understanding biblical truth, knowing how to use it and then actually practicing that truth leads to life transformation – becoming more like Jesus.
James writes, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” (3:13) Humility comes from understanding it’s not as easy as it looks to live out biblical truth as the cliché responses make them out to be. As a good friend of mine says, “Struggle well!” As you do, your life and those you’re teaching through your words and actions you will be changed.
Set Fre“E” Nowww