I recently received the following saying in an email. Filter it using your biblical tools. I did. See if we come up with the same result. Ready? Here goes.
“Let your dreams be bigger than your Fears, Your actions louder than your Words, and Your faith stronger than your Feelings.”
This is exactly as it was written except for the nice colorful background going from light red on the left to orange and then yellow on the right of the screen.
Here is what came out my filter. The focus is not right as it focuses on the problems rather than the solutions. It should have enlarged and bolded Dreams, Actions and Faith, which are the solutions to our challenges, which are fears, words and feelings. We become what we focus on and what we focus on only gets bigger.
Are you focusing on the problems, your challenges, which only get bigger over time, or the solutions, your Savior – the One who tells you who you are and what you can become (Dream), the One who gives you the strength to head that direction (Actions), and finally, the One who is the foundation and perfecter of your faith to keep you going even when the winds of life blow hard against you.
Filter life everyday everywhere so you can keep listening to and following Jesus, the One who brings victory!
S“E”t Free Nowww

What’s your frame of mind when you take your drug of choice? Physically and emotionally drained? Feel all by yourself? How about hungry? Maybe a little ticked? If we’re to fail forward, we must learn from our past mistakes. We would probably find if we examined those mistakes that we were feeling one of those four emotions when we chose our drug of choice over Jesus.
A friend of mine gave me a very valuable tool to help us keep listening to and following Jesus everyday everywhere. It’s called HALT. When we feel hungry, angry, lonely, and/or tired we should put extra emphasis on slowing down the decision making process. It’s usually at these times when we turn our backs, even momentarily, on Jesus.
Jesus said to “watch and pray so that you don’t fall into temptation.” (Matthew 26:41) We know the enemy will attack when we’re most vulnerable, like when we’re hungry, angry, lonely or tired. Thus, as we recognize or watch for these situations to come our way we can use our biblical tools through the Spirit’s power to stay close to Jesus.
If you HALT before you drop, you’ll be able to stand and say, “You have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.” (Psalm 56:13)
“Set Free Nowww”

While on a hike on the Lundy Canyon Trail my wife literally stumbled upon what we think is gold. We were on a part of the trail where miners used to work the hills. Recent landslides could have exposed hidden deposits of the shiny stuff. So we brought some samples home to find out whether it was really gold or pyrite “fool’s gold.” The only way to found out, though, is to test it by crushing or chemical methods.
It’s the same with our faith – is it the real deal or “fool’s gold”? The only way to know is to test it. “For a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)
In the Freedom process it takes the power of God to exercise the truth once you have processed out the lie. We must be in circumstances, however, which we can’t handle on our own – the life’s crushers – in order to experience this kind of power. Thus, we can look as trials as something bad, which only makes us want our drugs of choice; or, we can see them as opportunities to discover if our faith works in the real world in which we live. You’ll be much happier in choosing the later.
Set Fre“E” Nowww

On my prayer walk yesterday I climbed a rather steep hill. On the way up I was on a path that followed the power lines. It was quite sandy in some places so I picked my steps very carefully. Stepping in the wrong place would have landed me on my bottom and quite possibly lower down the hill. I certainly didn’t want to climb the hill twice!
I saw a different path to take on the way down that had plenty of rocks. It was not always easy on the feet, but stepping on them gave me solid footing so I could successfully make it downhill standing up.
Jesus is our Rock. He gives us the sure footing we need so we won’t go tumbling through life. Will it be easy? Not always, but it sure beats slipping and sliding through life on our rear ends! Ask Jesus to give you the truths you’ll need from your BIG reading to put into your shield of faith to know how to step through today victoriously.
S“E”t Free Nowww

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” This passage from Habakkuk 3:17-18 was the answer I needed to hear.
You have to understand how I read the Bible through each year before I can tell you what the question was. After completing each book I ask Jesus what book I’m to read next. I’ve sensed this is what He wants me to do as I’ve read through the Bible front to back many times.
This particular year I was reading the Minor Prophets and was stopped after Nahum. I was directed to go back and read 1 Samuel, then 2 Samuel, 1 Kings and finally 2 Kings. It would have seemed logical to finish out with I and II Chronicles. Instead I was directed to go finish the Minor Prophets picking up where I had left off at Habakkuk.
The Spirit of God is alive! I “just happened” to be reading the above passage the exact day I faced a pretty good test that could have led to great discouragement and the temptation to take my drug of choice. Yet, our God speaks to and cares about His children.
He knew the test and the exact day that test would come. He gave me the order of reading the Word to have me at the exact passage I needed in order to get the truth I had to put into my shield of faith to ward off the attack He knew was coming. I had the truth already in place to filter out the lies presented by my enemy. This truth was the answer to the question, “Would this discouragement defeat me or would I choose the Spirit’s power to defeat it?”
I chose victory! The smile on my face is owed to the awesome God that I love. You’ll experience this same victory as you practice listening to and following Him everyday everywhere for yourself, even in your Bible reading.
“S”et Free Nowww