Something to think about. Do you believe Jesus has everything you need in life? If yes, do you attempt to go to Him to met those needs? If yes, your enemy will use everything in his bag of tricks to keep this from happening.
Paul told Timothy as much in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
The moment you place your faith in Jesus, the evil one can’t change your eternal destination, but he will do everything within his power to wreck havoc on your road to sanctification – becoming more like Jesus. And if you answered “No” to any one of the previous questions, your enemy’s tricks have worked.
Understand that your enemy wants to destroy your peace and joy. Therefore, expect hassles. Know that trying times, some harder than others, are coming your way. This is why Jesus told us to “watch and pray” for such attacks so we can be calm in the midst of life’s storms. This can only happen as we do exactly the opposite of what our enemy wants us to do – keep listening to and following Jesus throughout our day.
S“E”t Free Nowww
Is that So?
I heard this one the other day, “A beer is cheaper than a chiropractor.” It was much easier and less expensive for this person to drink in order to ease their pain than it was to pay a chiropractor to get rid of it.
Paul calls this an “argument” that must be demolished in 2 Corinthians 10:5. The Spirit tells us to take captive our rationalizations and justifications for the things we do to Christ and evaluate them. Are they true or a lie?
Is the above rationalization for drinking biblical? Not in the least. One, beer only kills the pain temporarily. Once the alcohol wears off, the pain will come back. It’s a short-term feel good fix (Heb. 11:25). Beyond that, I’ve never heard of someone wrapping their car around a tree after going to a chiropractor. Yes there is freedom of choice, but not in consequences.
We must examine why we do what we do if we want to become more like Christ. Take a look behind the curtain of your behavior and examine your reasons for the things you do. Do they match with the truth of God? If not, it’s time to demolish them using the FREEdom process. If so, it’s time to exercise the truth asking for the Spirit’s power and for your BIG partner’s prayer to bring victory.
Se“T FREE” Nowww
Stop Your Cycle!
Change me already, Lord! Ever said that or a variation of it? I know I have. I want to be more like Jesus…yesterday; but at times, it seems like I’m up and down. I walk. I fall.
This describes what’s called the sin-confession-sin cycle. It’s where one loses or fails to be or do what Jesus is asking them to be or do. The person then confesses their sin to Jesus (hopefully quickly), asks His forgiveness, and gets back up to walk with Him again (hopefully just as quickly), only to fall again, which starts the cycle all over again.
The first step to stop this frustrating cycle, after wanting to change (if you don’t want to change, nothing will help!), is to slow down and listen to the Spirit. Life change starts by rooting out the lies behind the behavior, not by focusing on the behavior itself (Rom. 12:2). And it’s the Spirit’s job to get at that lie. He can do it all by Himself, through His Word of Truth and/or through His people speaking truth.
It’s hard for many of us to slow down and listen, however, let alone expose ourselves to the Spirit’s examination. Yet if we don’t, what hope do we ever have of stopping that frustrating cycle to experience the sweet taste of victory? Work harder or run faster? Give up and live with the endless cycle?
Want off? Your God loves you and wants you to be like Jesus, the only who can give you what you’re looking for in life; therefore remember, it is for freedom from this cycle that Jesus came!
Begin the process today by getting on a daily Bible reading schedule with the intent to hear the Spirit speak to you, and making sure your BIG partner is both listening and talking to Jesus on your behalf in this specific area (James 5:16).
Se“T” Free Nowww
Be the Church Everywhere
Sparks are Good!
Jesus prayed in John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” Eternal life is not a destination, it’s an eternal relationship. It’s not about what we get later, but about knowing Jesus and the Father right now and forever. It’s just not about life after we die, but living while we live. This is not head knowledge, but life experience. It begs the question, “Do I know my God in the real world in which I live?”
Jesus goes onto pray for His disciples, both then and now. What’s the connection? One of them is that we need other believers to know our God in the here and now. This process, however, will cause sparks to fly.
Proverbs 27:17 states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Knowing Jesus in community causes sparks to fly. This process can make believers want to separate from each other, which is why Jesus said that as we do the exact opposite, stay together despite the sparks, the world will know we belong to Him (17:23). Walking together in the midst of conflict is one of two ways those around us will see Jesus. And when this happens, guess who wins? We do, as we all get to know our God together!
Sparks are good! Let the heat forge you into a team experiencing eternal life now.
“S”et Free Noww“W”
