You are seeing a lit light bulb. You do, however, realize that the light bulb is not actually lit, right? It’s obvious that the sun is what is making the bulb appear lit when in reality it’s not.
On your journey to become more like Jesus, it will appear through our way of looking at life that nothing is happening or the Spirit is not working when in reality He actually is. It’s just that you can’t see it at the moment.
It’s at times like that that we often get discouraged. It doesn’t seem like a change life will ever happen. We think, “God where are You? I can’t see You here.” Thus, discouragement sets in that makes us want to handle life our way (aka take our drug of choice).
These are the circumstances when we’ve got to stop trusting our eyes and keep on trusting Jesus. Your God is a promise keeping God. The Spirit is always working to draw us closer to Jesus, even when it doesn’t appear that way to us. Don’t let what appears to be reality keep you from listening to and following what you know your God has already told you to do. In His time, the real reality will come to the surface with a whole of praise shouting along with it.
Set Free Now“W”w

This is a picture of a San Diego, California lighthouse. Notice how small the bulb is inside the glass enclosure. It’s not the size of the bulb, but the size of the magnifying class that allows the light to shine so bright.
The Spirit of God is the magnifying glass. As we allow Jesus to make even small changes in our lives, the Spirit can magnify that change to keep others from destroying themselves on the rocks of life.
I recently read a study that shows there is a growing interest in atheism among high school students. This was due to several factors, including disenchantment with organized religion because of recent scandals and the rise of the Internet, which gives young doubters a safe forum to ask questions.
These kids are not looking for theory or pontification. They’re asking, “Can Jesus really make a difference in my life?” They are looking for people who have an honest everyday faith that makes a difference in their everyday lives to ask their life questions.
Don’t underestimate the value of being a secure child of God. The Spirit of God can take even the small changes in our lives to make a big difference in the lives of those watching us.
“S”et Free Nowww

“It’s not that bad!” This kind of fuzzy thinking leads to our drugs of choice. It basically says that what I’m doing is not so bad or is just a little bad when it’s compared to something that is really bad.
Really, compared to what? And, who decides? We’re in deep trouble if we and/or our culture are the measuring sticks by which bad or good is measured.
From Genesis to Revelation God is bringing order to a chaotic world brought on by our enemy who controls a great deal of the messages we hear each day. Fuzzy “not that bad” thinking leads to failures. Clear biblical thinking leads to experiencing the good stuff Jesus has for us.
The source of clear thinking is Jesus and His Word. Fuzzy thinking gives us all the reasons we shouldn’t listen to Jesus. Clear thinking breaks through that fuzziness to listen to what we need to hear to experience victory. So, what did you hear in the Word today?
S“E”t Free Nowww

I remember playing baseball in high school. I also remember the day I put on my first pair of glasses. Wow, I didn’t realize that is what a thrown baseball looked like! Before what I thought was clear was actually fuzzy. Before I thought everyone saw the baseball like I did. I couldn’t have been more wrong! Now I was actually seeing what everyone else saw – a distinct rotating sphere of speed.
We believe what we’re thinking is sharp and clear. We make decisions based upon those “sharp and clear” thoughts as well. What if, however, what we’re seeing is fuzzy? This is why we need to be listening to Jesus in the Word of God. He and the Word are like my glasses. They expose that our thinking is not as sharp as it should be.
Jesus said, “I am the Way and the Truth.” He leaves no room for fuzziness with that statement. He is making a clear distinction between my way and His and our culture’s fuzzy definition of truth and His very clear and sharp definition.
The sharper image of truth, the more specific truths we put into our shields of faith, the more distinct our thoughts will be, which leads to a greater ability to defeat our enemy’s lies and experience victory over our drugs of choice. We’ve got to daily put on our glasses, the Word of God, if we want to experience the good stuff of the Life Jesus promised.
S“E”t Free Nowww

A friend of mine asked me today how I had lost so much weight. I said I don’t diet anymore. It’s really been about changing my eating lifestyle. Where is Jesus in that? No where. Bad me.
Yet, where did I get the biblical tools that helped me process life when I felt like eating like I used to – the seefood diet. I see it. I eat it. The Word of God. Who gave me the strength to pick up those tools when I was staring at a jar full of candy? The Spirit of God. Who gave me the ability to process my eating using those biblical tools to change my eating habits? Jesus. Therefore, who is the one who gave me the victory each step of the way? Jesus.
It’s easy to praise God when you see Him change other people’s lives or when you see an on the spot miracle in your own life. But what happens when it’s one faith step after another faith step that brings you closer to Jesus? It’s harder to see, but it’s still Jesus who was there every step of the way giving you victory over your drugs of choice.
The biblical life-changing tools come from the Word of God, without which there is very little hope for life-change. The power to pick them up comes from the Spirit of God, without Whom those tools stay in your tool belt. And the faith to exercise the truths when I don’t feel like it comes from Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. Therefore, when victory comes all credit and praise should go to Jesus, not any eating program or my will-power to exercise that program.
It didn’t this morning. Yet, I’ve since asked His forgiveness for not giving Him the credit. I am declaring His praise to you now. Jesus thanks for the victory!
As you give Him credit with every faith step you take you’ll be prepared with the right answer to the question, “How did you lose so much weight?” And you’ll say, “I’m glad you asked. Jesus gave me the faith and strength every step of the way. I praise Him for the victory.”
Set Free Now“W”w