Psalm 5:11, “Let all who take refuge in You be glad.” I was pondering how to actually take refuge in Jesus. Then it hit me. Taking refuge in Jesus means doing what He says!
As you do, you’re trusting that living His way, which brings you closer to Him, will also bring you the safety and security, which is what a refuge is all about, you’re looking for. And what do you feel when you’re safe and secure? Gladness!
Make Jesus your refuge today. What has He been asking you to do? Then exercise that truth by faith empowered by the Spirit the next opportunity you get.
Set Fre“E” Nowww

I was on a prayer walk when I overcame this garage. The house had burned down and the garage was abandoned. As you can see, it’s overgrown with vines; and if continued to be left unattended, the garage will eventually fall down due to rotting wood.
Life is like this garage. It can overwhelm us if we don’t actively process out the lies of the world. By doing nothing we are doing something. We’re letting someone else control our minds; and thus, the basis for our decision making. I can only tell you from experience that this leads to disaster.
The vines didn’t take over this garage overnight. But, a little neglect here and a little abandonment there and before you know it, you’ve got a lot of work staring you in the face. Joy doesn’t come in the morning, but with daily being in touch with Jesus. If not, you’ll soon be left wondering what in the world happened to your life!
Set “FREE” Nowww

I couldn’t have said it better, so I’m going to let Jeff Herron say if for me.
“Perhaps my capacity is too small and my capabilities too few and weak, but I do not seem to be the only individual sometimes overwhelmed by the rush and push of 21st-century Western living. Between social media, the ease of acquiring things, and the accelerating pace of change on all fronts (technological, political, societal, etc.), it can feel as if a great wave is crashing on me with unrelenting force, pinning me to the ocean floor and crushing the life out of me. In the days when I worked as an IT professional, it seemed I was right in the worst part of the storm — 200 emails before lunch! dozens of client phone calls! constant technology glitches! another round of computer updates! — and sometimes I had to lie down on the floor and focus on my breathing until the feeling that I might literally explode passed.
I’m not sure why I am this way, but I have found a ready solution for it in simplifying. The spiritual rationale for the practice is to remove non-essentials from blocking the two-way communication between myself and God. And when it comes to interrupting the flow of that life — the only life there is! — nearly everything is a non-essential. Simplicity facilitates prioritizing, because there are fewer items about which a decision of any kind needs to be made. It has impacts in many facets of life: housing, maintenance of stuff, food, education, child-rearing, communication, and on and on.
Today, there is almost no area of my life that does not bear the marks of simplification. From our house to our budget to my one drawer of clothing to the kitchen cupboards to the (usual) serenity of my mind, I have reaped from the practice of simplicity a hundred-fold from what I have sown. This is how we were meant to live! This is a part of what life in the Kingdom of God is like.”
How can you downsize your life to better hear from and follow Jesus?
Set Free Now“W”w

“I love the view from the top of the mountain,” said a man laying on a grassy hilltop with a deep look of serenity on his face. This didn’t last too long as you see him running down that same hill, “I can’t handle all the problems that come with seeing that far!”
Seeing tomorrow comes with its pitfalls and waterfalls. Ephesians 3:20 tells us that our God is able to do “immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine;” and yet the Psalmist writes, “I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul.” (31:1-2)
Contradiction? Nope, they go hand it hand. God wants us to see down the road about the possibilities of who He is and what He can do; thus, our prayer life should reflect this kind of faith.
Our daily focus, however, must be on walking with Him in the moment. You can’t take tomorrow’s steps toward Jesus today. You can only choose to walk with Him right now. Focusing on tomorrow will land you in every pothole along the journey. Focus on walking with Jesus today allows you to be refreshed under the falls of God’s Spirit.
“S”et Free Nowww

Christianity is not about obedience, but about who we are obeying. Following a set of rules, no matter how “good” they appear to be, leaves me in charge. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will obey Me.” By reducing Christianity to a list of behaviors we must follow, we simply end up listening to someone else other than Jesus, which ends up in frustration at best and quite possibly hell at worst.
If Christianity is reduced to what we do for Jesus rather than obeying Jesus, who did it all for us (He did say, “It is finished!” on the cross), we simply end up with another religion that leaves one separated from God.
Scripture tells us that many will say after leaving this planet, “Lord didn’t I do great things and build empires in Your Name?” His response will be, “Sorry, exit stage left as I don’t know who you are.”
Secure child of God, please keep life about listening to and following Jesus, not yourself, some pastor or denomination. Jesus is the head of His Church. He is the author and finisher of your faith; thus, listen and follow/obey Him and you’ll enjoy the ride to eternity rather than white knuckle it.
“S”et Free Nowww