“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” I had to say that quite a bit as a kid. I was little chubby. No, let’s be honest. I was fat and those pounds didn’t melt away until I hit my teams, regardless of how active I was.
Names. They can be tools that uplift us; and, they can cause damage as well. These names, whether they’re accurate or not, tend to stick to us like mud slung against a wall. You don’t have control over what others say about you; but you have total control over the names you call yourself!
As we tend to be harder on ourselves than on others, our enemy will try and take advantage of that fact. It’s time to stop slinging more mud at yourself and to wash any mud that’s already stuck to the walls of your brain.
Let me give you a tool the Lord’s effectively used in my life to scrub the walls of my brain. Praise music. He uses songs put there by our Sunday service music team. He uses songs that I play on my phone. He even uses songs from ages ago to scrub my brain.
The next time you want to bad mouth yourself, which can definitely lead you down the path to your drug of choice, start humming the tune the Spirit brings to mind. Let life and peace bringing words stick to the walls of your brain. It’s a much prettier picture!
S“E”t Free Nowww

Everyday we live in either a negative state or positive state by our own choice. It was once thought that a negative person was born that way. It was as if some people were naturally upbeat and others were not.
This is simply not true, especially for the believer. What do you we have to positive about? Jesus! We are safely in two sets of hands all day long – Jesus’ and the Father’s. He has given us eternal, not temporary, life. He is greater than any enemy that we’ll ever face and He goes with us everywhere we go. He’s given us all the authority we’ll ever need to fight, even the unseen world. So again, what do we have to “rejoice in the Lord always” about?
Research study after research study shows that those who live in loving relationships improve physical health. One showed that a stressful marriage can be as harmful to the heart as a daily smoking habit. We don’t always get to choose our thoughts, but we do have control over what we will do with them. We can squeeze them out like putrid water in a towel or let them soak, which only leads to negativity and our drug taking.
You are a valuable and secure child of God. It’s time to choose to have a positive outlook. The negative ramifications are simply not worth it.
“S”et “FREE” Nowww

Someone once said, “Don’t let your future be based on yours or someone elses past.” The only good that can come from looking back is to give and/or to get forgiveness and then learn from it. Don’t let yours or others past mistakes affect your present.
It’s a new week. Look forward to how you can spend it with Jesus. See it for the many new opportunities to choose to express your love for Jesus. Focus on the truths the Spirit gives you from the Word to experience Jesus show up in your life and to achieve victory over your drugs of choice.
You don’t know how our week will unfold. You do know, though, who’s in charge of the unfolding. Choose to keep listening to and following Him and come next Sunday, you truly will go to a celebration service!
Set Free N“O”www

Today we’re going to get rid of one last stinky thought – over-analyzing, the art of making a mountain out of nothing, let alone a mole hill; so we can successfully “run the race” God has for us.
People give us a “certain look” and we think they hate us. A friend compliments us; and then, we start wondering why they said it or what they want. We make a comment to our spouse; and then, begin telling ourselves they didn’t believe us. You know the drill. All theses thoughts start banging around inside the walls of your mind like a pinball. What does it get you? Down, discouraged…and deceived!
Admit it. You don’t know what the other person is thinking, feeling or their motives for doing or saying anything they do or say. Yet, you allow what you don’t know or what think you know to steal your joy and open the door to your drug of choice.
It’s time to get rid of those pinballs using your FREEdom tools. There is only one voice you should be listening too and it’s none of those banging around inside your head. Use your biblical tools to listen to the only One who counts – Jesus. How would He talk to you? Don’t know? Listen to it in the Word of God. What does He think of you? Don’t know? Get into the Word to memorize specific truths you’ll need to fight off your enemy’s lies. The Spirit knows the battles you’ll face with it’s ensuing lies. He will prepare you for victory with the truths you’ll need.
Here’s a wondrous truth to use in filtering out those banging thoughts: If it helps you become more like Jesus, keep it. If it draws you closer to your drug of choice, squeeze it out. Stay focused on anything that builds you up. Squeeze out anything that brings you down.
Give your mind a rest. You’ll feel the joy and love of the Lord as you do.
Set “FREE” Nowww

Today is Day 3 of how to squeeze that sponge-like brain of ours to “throw off everything that hinders” us so we can “run the race” set before us.
It’s time to squeeze out using the FREEdom process those stinky feelings brought on by procrastination – the art of putting something off we know must be done. A healthy faith, one that is very satisfying, comes from listening to and following Jesus throughout our day everywhere we go. Notice I said, “throughout our day.” Not just when we’re motivated, on fire and ready to charge. Those are the easy times to get things done.
It’s those others times, the gloomy days, which allows that unfulfilled to-do list to drag us down. Putting off tasks/projects we know need to be done only brings on guilt and feeling terrible about ourselves. “I’ve got to make that phone call, but (you fill in the excuse, any old excuse will do like, “My toes hurt” should do the trick).” Not making that call only makes us feel worse about ourselveswho we; thus, in walks our drug of choice to make us feel better.
Overcome procrastination by giving your daily to-do list or series of projects to Jesus. Listen to Him as to what those projects and daily lists should be. We can either be overly ambitious in order to meet our need for significance, which only wears us out, or under ambitious because we fear failure, which heaps burdens on our ever sagging shoulders. Both are joy killers!
Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke (daily to-do list, series of projects) upon you and learn from Me (He cleared everything through His Father), for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). Rest in this case comes while you’re doing something, but the something first comes from Him.
After getting that list from Him, see it as an act of worship, just as much as singing your favorite worship song. Ask the Spirit for strength to accomplish each item on your list. Don’t skip the hard ones either. This is just another form of procrastination hoping that task will some how magically go away! No, learn from Jesus. “Lord what’s next and then give me the strength to enjoy you while enjoying You.” Then get up and do it with Him.
Today, not tomorrow, is the day to just do it and enjoy Jesus while you do.
Set “FREE” Nowww