It’s been said that heroes are just regular everyday people who do the right thing when others do not. The question naturally arises, “Would I be a hero? Would I act like Daniel before he went into the lions den? Or David with Goliath?” We all hope we would.
How do we know though? The only answer is, do it now. If you are practicing listening to and following Jesus everyday everywhere now, you’ll be prepared to do it later. If you want to pass the big test on Friday, you must prepare for it on Monday.
As you practice using your biblical tools you will have trained your brain with the truth and your will to exercise that truth with the Spirit’s power. In other words, your character will have been replaced with Jesus’. Did His pass the big test at Gethsemane? It sure did as He said, “Not My will, but Yours.” Jesus didn’t all of a sudden make that decision. He had been making it everyday everywhere He went, “I do nothing on My own but speak just what the Father has taught Me.” He’d been preparing for the big test long before it ever came.
We know from Scripture that challenges will come our way, some a little bigger and harsher than others. The way to prepare for the challenges of tomorrow is to practice using our biblical tools today. Keep practicing and getting better at filtering out all the other voices, including your own, to keep hearing and following His.
“Set Free Nowww”

Small things can become big things. We often think the “good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” are only the big things like leading people to Jesus, being part of the worship team or teaching a Bible Study. Where does this thought come from? Yes, they can be. But what about the “little” good works He is asking us to do each day? The following story illustrations this point.
A cashier turns off the light above her register as she is about to end her shift for the night after she finishes with her last customer. In this case, it was a young couple in their early 20’s with a small child.
As she was scanning this couple’s items, a gentleman walks up with a few items asking her if she is closed. She could have said yes, but for some reason didn’t. As the gentleman puts his items on the counter, one credit card after another that the young couple puts forth to pay for their groceries is denied. Realizing they don’t have enough cash to pay for their groceries, they start pulling items out of their grocery bags in hopes of lowering the total to match their cash.
Noticing their dilemma, the gentleman, without the couple’s knowledge, swipes his credit card for them. As the cashier hands them their receipt, the young wife tears up and thanks the kind man for his generosity while her husband can’t stop shaking his hand.
Question, who did the “good work” that God prepared for them to do at that moment? We often think it was only the gentleman who paid for the groceries. But if the cashier hadn’t let him in line, though she had every right not to do so, he would have never been in position to pay for those groceries.
This is the essence of listening to and following Jesus everyday everywhere. We can do the good works, which He prepared for us to do, at the exact moment they are needed only as we use our biblical tools to hear His voice throughout our day. It seemed like a little thing at the time, but it was huge in the end. Five people saw Jesus in the flesh that day because of her act. Tiny things when done in response to Jesus can indeed become huge!
“Set Free Nowww”

Recently a terrible motorcycle accident took place in our city. People at the scene thought they saw an additional rider on the back of the bike. The local sheriff brought in a helicopter to search the surrounding area for this “missing” person. The pilots would definitely be able to see something from the air that the those on the ground couldn’t. Praise God, this “missing” person was not real. It was simply bad info by those who “saw” the accident.
It’s interesting how many believers try to live each day in the presence of their God all by themselves. How arrogant! Can they really see everything? Know everything? No, they can’t. They are on like the first responders on the ground who couldn’t find this “missing” person, who was never even there. You can only make your decisions to follow Jesus or yourself based on the information you currently have. Yet, what if your information is inaccurate?
We can’t walk alone or need accountability partners. We need fellow believers who are processing each day through the Word of God for themselves and are willing to tell us the truth in love by pointing out the lies in our thinking. They are like the helicopter. They will be able to hear and repeat back to us what we’re so used to saying to ourselves that we don’t even realize is wrong. Who’s your helicopter? I encourage you to ask the Spirit to bring you a Bible Impact partner, one who will practice walking in the presence of God with you.
Set Free Noww“W”

The “house” we lived in during our vacation is quite rustic. It has no running water, no electricity and no indoor plumbing. It has none of the creature comforts we’ve come to expect in the West. But it’s a great house! It provides shelter, a place to put our stuff, and is base camp, home, for the activities we do while on vacation, like hiking, fishing, exploring, and simply hanging out with each other and Jesus.
This year, on our last night, my wife and I sat on the porch all bundled up with a hot drink in our hands looking up at the light show above our heads. It was so beautiful to see so many of the stars that make up the Milky Way galaxy. It was quite relaxing. As we gazed upwards, we began talking about wouldn’t it be nice to stay up here longer. Then reality hit. It snows at this elevation! And it snows a lot. What’s the big deal? We both greatly dislike the cold. Wearing extra layers of clothing to keep warm is not something we look forward to at home where it doesn’t snow, let alone up here where it does.
This cabin is nice. But it’s not home. This world might be nice, but it’s not home. This is an important lesson we can take from the Feast of Tabernacles (aka Sukkot). Our bodies? Temporary. Our homes? Temporary. Our stuff? Very temporary. Our challenges? Temporary. Our defeats and failures? Temporary. Our pain and sorrow? Again, temporary.
We must praise Jesus for the victories, but don’t get too high on them. Complete victory is coming. Don’t beat yourself up over the defeats, which can lead to taking your drug of choice, you’re heading to a place where you’ll never lose again. One day this temporary sin-stained world will be replaced with permanent perfection. Stay focused on Jesus as this world is not our home, we’re just passing through.
S“E”t Free Nowww