Expectations. They can never be met if they are never communicated. We call this frustration. They can sometimes be met even if they are clearly communicated. We call this disappointment.
Let’s be honest. We want our expectations met or we wouldn’t have them in the first place. When we start to feel bad because our expectations are not met, our enemy usually has our drugs of choice strategically placed right before us. The Bible calls this temptation.
Let me give you a victorious strategy. Ask the Spirit if your expectations, whether communicated or not, line up with Scripture. If not, they can never be met and you’ll be constantly tempted to deal with your frustration and disappointment your way (aka take your drug of choice). If your expectation is dependent upon anyone outside you and Jesus, you’ve set yourself up for failure. Imperfect human beings will meet your needs imperfectly. We call this hurt.
Want to stop hurting and start healing? Get into the Word of God for yourself to hear Jesus speak to you. Let Him tell you what to expect. Those expectations will be met. The Bible calls this victory.
“S”et Free Nowww

We have a local high school female athlete who starred on two different sports teams that each won championships. In an article about her, the author stated, “Maintaining composure is the biggest lesson she took away from her volleyball team’s championship run, she said, ‘Even when things are going bad, you just have to stay calm and be aware of your surroundings.’”
There are moments in sports, as in life, where momentum appears to be slipping away from you and/or your team. You can either let your emotions go with the momentum or stay calm and try to reverse course.
It’s the same the believer in Christ. We all face moments where life seems to be getting out of control. If we let the moment control us rather than us staying in control of the moment, we will more than likely handle life with our drug of choice. Yet if we were to freeze frame our thoughts when those “out of control” moments arise, we’d realize we can reverse course through the Spirit’s power to do what Jesus would have us do at that moment.
Victory comes as we control the moment, not by letting it control us.
Set Free No“W”ww

I recently finished a book on the American President John F. Kennedy. In it, the author states the following about his killer, Lee Harvey Oswald. “He longs to be a great man. A significant man. A man whose name will never be forgotten…. Oswald does not hate the president…. In fact, Oswald would very much like to emulate JFK. Above all, he wants to be a great man.”
Oswald defected to Russia hoping to find it. He returned to the US and couldn’t find it in marriage or family. He hoped to find it in Cuba, only to be denied entry into that country. (Cuba would later reverse this decision.) He sought it in the workers/union movement only to be left on the outside again. No, this was his chance to leave his indelible stamp on the world – kill JFK.
God put into all humans the need to lead significant lives. This search led Oswald to his drug of choice – violence and murder. This search can lead the believer in Jesus to their drug of choice as well.
This need can only be met in a personal relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior. Jesus tells us who we are, children of God. As such, we can lead significant lives from the very ordinary act of eating an apple with Him to the extraordinary act of giving an apple to a poor person with Him (1 Cor. 10:31; Col. 3:17). Everything we do with Jesus throughout our everyday life can count for eternity. Talk about significance!
Your search for meaning and purpose in life are over. Keep listening to and following Him in everyday life using your biblical tools and you will do “the good work” He prepared for you to do today (Eph. 2:10).
“S”et Free Nowww

I just had to smile when I read this. Brittany (age 4) had an ear ache and wanted a painkiller. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her mom explained it was a child-proof cap and she’d have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked, “How does it know it’s me?”
God is like that bottle cap and mom. He tells us in His word the best and most fulfilling way to live each day, which also protects us from harm. He knows just the right dosage of encouragement and rebuke to hand out to keep us on track.
It’s not when life is going our way that we find out what we really believe, but when we hurt. As children of God will we trust Jesus and His Word or force the cap open and take what we want to feel good? Jesus is our child-proof cap, a trusted protection, if only we will act in faith on the truths, the right dose of medication, He gives when life wants to force us to life our way.
S“E”t Free Nowww

“I don’t receive that!” I would often hear Christians give that line whenever they heard something they didn’t want to hear. I used to think they were simply ignoring reality by hoping for something better, a kind of “name it and claim it” unbiblical form of Christianity.
Yet the more I’ve thought it through, I now believe this phrase reflects rock solid truth. We live in a fallen world intent on destroying our peace and freedom in Christ. We have people in our lives who can and will say very hurtful things to us that are simply not true. We face situations that seem insurmountable from a human perspective. It’s true that we can’t control what people say or what life brings our way, but it’s also true that we can control how we filter what comes our way.
We don’t have to receive lies into our heads! Remember, we become what we dwell on. Therefore, don’t let those hurtful words or situations bounce off the walls of your mind. Shut ‘em down by keeping your truth filter working 24/7, not just when you’re at church or at a Bible study.
As you put specific lie fighting truths into your brain, you’ll have an operational shield of faith that’s ready to shut down the lies before they get into your brain. You can then dwell on the truths (Phil. 4:8) that will set and keep you free from the sinful habits/behaviors that you’d run to if you let them in. It’s okay to not receive lies! Go ahead, make your day by shutting ‘em down in the Spirit’s power.
S“E”t Free Nowww