A forest fire not far from my home is still ablaze. Firefighters believe they’ll have what is now called the Falls Fire within the Cleveland National Forest contained within a few days. So far it has consumed 1,416 acres of forest land and over 6,000 feet of guard rail that runs along the Ortega Highway, a major commuter route for drivers from Riverside to Orange County. Local authorities will not let people on the road until the guard rail is replaced. Without it, there is no protection for motorists who stray.
The guard rails are not needed to drive on this road, but are there to protect motorists who while driving get a little sloppy, doze off at the wheel or act like race car drivers. The guard rails are there for safety reasons, not to use for or stare at while driving.
It is simply not safe to drive through life without the Word of God. It is our guard rail. Jesus is our road. We are to drive through life each day in relationship with Jesus while listening to and following Him. The guard rails, specific commands from the Word of God, keep us safe. We don’t focus on them, but on Jesus who would never tell us to hit or even come close to the guard rails, let alone drive off the cliff! Being in the Word, knowing where those guard rails are, keeps us safe. Listening to and following Jesus everyday everywhere makes the drive home enjoyable.
How is your listening to Jesus while reading through the Bible in a year coming along? Your safety and daily enjoyment depends on it.
S“E”t Free Nowww

I once heard, “My friend is so awesome when they’re in the Word. They’re happy. They’re at peace. But the moment their quiet time is over, it all goes out the window.” This describes the person who chooses to either compartmentalize their life or doesn’t know how to live with a biblical worldview. Hopefully neither one describes you.
Compartmentalization means that each area of life is lived separately from another. I have my God time. I have my work time. I have my family time. I have my recreation time. Etc. They think and act differently in each compartment of their life. This can be seen in the statement, “It’s just business, nothing personal.”
It can also be seen in one’s priorities. God is number one. Family is number two. Work is number three. I’m number four. There can be a subtle lie hidden in this system. If you don’t filter numbers 2-4 four through number 1, you’ve compartmentalized your life.
God doesn’t want to spend time with us. He wants to live with us. If we want the good stuff that can only be found in His presence, we’ll learn to daily retrain our brains to listen to and follow Jesus everyday everywhere. Jesus said He is the Life. If we want to experience real life at home, work, play, etc. we must choose to filter every area of our lives through Him and His Word. We must choose to listen to Him while we’re in the Word and let Him use what He said throughout our day wherever we go. As this happens, true living will be experienced.
“Set Free Nowww”

It’s been said, “Known routines, though painful, are at least known.” There’s never been a truer statement. We know our way doesn’t work, but at least we know what the outcome will be, however painful and disappointing. We’ve become comfortable and willing to put up with this known outcome.
This is where love comes into play as secure children of God. If we love Jesus, He is asking us to trust that He not only has a better life for us, but as God can deliver it as well. I’m not talking about the cliché Jesus, the Christian tradition Jesus or even the one you may have seen in your church experience. I’m talking about the Jesus of Scripture, the Jesus who died and rose from the grave to prove He could deliver on all His promises to all children of God.
This Jesus is asking you to trust Him by using your biblical tools to cut through all the voices telling you to stay in your unfulfilling predictable known lifestyle to venture out and listen to and follow Him to a life filled with love, significance and security. Jesus indeed has something better for you to experience – more of Him. Today is the day to venture out of the comfortable known to become more like Him using your biblical tools. Your new known will be much more fulfilling than your current one.
“Set Free Nowww”

“People don’t resist change, they resist being changed.”
If we’re honest, we like the benefits of change – earning more money, upgrading our electronic gizmos, downgrading the size of our clothes, etc. The part we don’t like is what it takes to get those results – effort to deal with our pasts and to process life in the present. Personal change is both uncomfortable and time consuming.
Yet, this is what being a follower of Jesus Christ is all about – change. Jesus isn’t adding Himself to us. He is replacing our character with His. He knows this type of eternal change will bring His followers everything they’re truly looking for in life – love, significance and security.
Yes, change is a process as it takes time to retrain your brain. The question is, “Will you trust Jesus that it’s in your best interests to surrender an area of your life to His life-changing process when He asks us for it?” It’s time to let Him change your life from the inside-out if you want the “abundant life” rather than the defeated life. It’s time, today, right now, to pick up and use your biblical tools.
Se“T” Free Nowww

“How am I doing? I’m doing okay. No, I’m doing great, especially compared to those around me.” Comparison can be a deadly game when it comes to walking in freedom.
Jesus, not those around you, is the source of love, security and significance. Only by walking in His presence will we ever experience the kind of life He came to give to those who believe in Him. Though we can learn through watching the lives of others, we are never to measure ourselves by them. All sin, no matter how small it may be, takes us out of the presence of God where the good stuff is found.
Who or what will you face and focus on today: Jesus, people or your situation? The outcome of this choice will determine how you’re really doing today.
S“E”t Free Nowww