I was hiking with my wife, daughter and a few friends up to Oneida Lake, in the Mono California area, where there was an abandoned miner’s camp. It’s an elevation gain of 1,900 feet over 4 miles. The path we took was one traveled by miners who brought up heavy equipment, including a 10 Stamp Mill that crushes rock to get at the gold.
The trail was strewn with so many rocks (some pictured) from the many landslides in this area that I kept my head down to see where my wife put her feet. I trusted her steps as I knew that she didn’t want to trip and fall either. It seemed that every time I looked up to enjoy the scenery I would trip over a rock and almost fall.
This climb gave me a new appreciation for Jesus’ statement to listen to and follow Him and the truth found in Proverbs 4:26-27. “Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” Where are you putting your feet? Who are you following? Are you looking where you shouldn’t, which will only cause you to trip and maybe fall?
You can trust every where Jesus puts His foot. He will lead you safely up and down the hills of life as you keep your eye on and follow Him. Jesus said He was the way, the truth and the life for a reason. By the way, He’ll stop along the way to let you enjoy the sites!
S“E”t Free Nowww

I was reading, “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus,” about the journey of a devout American Muslim who came to faith in Jesus, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The author writes, “I am imperfect. I do not perform to His standard, why should God bless me? (Ever felt that way?) I both hunger and thirst for righteousness, I do, but I can never attain it. (Experienced that feeling?) God will bless me anyway? Who is this God who loves me so much, even in my failures? (Wow, is he expressing something we all feel?) Tears flowed from my eyes once more, but now they were tears of joy. I knew that what I held in my hands was life itself. This was truly God’s word, and it was as if I was meeting Him for the first time.”
It wasn’t the Quran he was reading, but the Bible – the Word of God. It wasn’t Allah he was hearing, but Jesus – the Word of God. Jesus is life and His words bring life. In this case, the author was reading Matthew when he came across 5:6 which states, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Jesus doesn’t say one has to be righteous to be filled or satisfied (though believers are given His righteousness at the moment of salvation). It’s not your good works or trying to be righteous (i.e. do the right thing in every situation, which is difficult at best, right?) that brings fulfillment. It’s about knowing where to go for righteousness.
Think about it, what do you do when you’re thirsty? You drink. And when you’re hungry you eat. The question is, “Where are you going to eat and drink?” Going anywhere, including religion, other than to Jesus will not satisfy your hunger and thirst. Life is and will always be about Jesus.
Where will you go to be satisfied – your religious efforts or a tighter relationship with Jesus through listening to and following Him throughout your day?
S“E”t Free Nowww

A few years ago I had a growth on my back that needed to be removed. The doctor cut open the skin and not only removed the cyst itself, but the long root that went with it as well. If he hadn’t, the cyst would have simply grown back, which would have meant another trip to the doctor.
The Spirit brought this memory back to help me remove this recurring thought, which was moving me towards anger if let untreated. I asked Jesus’ forgiveness for letting the root stay – any portion of the thought – and then saw Him take out the growth (in this case the hurtful accusations thrown my way – welcome to the world of Christian ministry, right?) along with it’s root. I saw the stringy root leave my brain!
When my adversary again tried to throw those accusations my way, I simply remembered that stringy root leaving my brain. Jesus, the Great Physician, took it out. Why think about it? The mind kept on Jesus will be kept in perfect peace. Believe me, peace feels a whole lot better than its counterpart.
“S”et Free Nowww

“If you don’t accept excuses, pretty soon people stop giving them, and they start looking for solutions” – Ben Carson. There are many reasons for the choices we make. Any reason other than, “I made that choice,” keeps other people in charge of our lives.
Victimization has crept into the church with many believers buying this destructive lie. Yes, others may have hurt us. But we are not the way we are today because of someone else’s choices. The moment we choose to put our faith in Jesus, we were given the ability to overcome those choices with each choice we make today through tapping into the most powerful force in the universe, Jesus Christ Himself. He over came death. He defeated sin and Satan at the cross. He is the solution to our challenges…if we choose to let Him.
Until you confess or acknowledge your part in your choices, you’re not ready to see your life changed. Accept no excuses for taking your drugs of choice. Begin the life-change process by owning up to your choices, asking for forgiveness and then diving into the Word for the truths you’ll need to filter your next choice through.
Set Fre”E” Nowww

Faith. The Bible talks much about it. Anything not done in faith is sin. And without faith it’s impossible to please God. You say you have faith, but I’ll show you my faith through my actions.
It takes faith to move away from ourselves toward Jesus. It takes faith to ask for more faith. It will take more faith (i.e. take the risk) than you currently possess to be vulnerable enough to have someone pray for you to have more faith.
So how do you get the faith to even ask for more faith? Remember what Jesus did for you in the past. As you remember what Jesus brought you the last time you stepped out on faith, it will give you the courage to ask for the faith to do it again.
Jesus is faithful to keep His Word. Ask Him for the faith you need to keep exercising the truth by faith each day empowered by the Spirit. You’ll make more wonderful memories to rely on to keep asking for more faith.
Set Fre“E” Nowww