I was recently asked do give someone a verse on a certain struggle they were having. The Lord brought to mind Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!” I then asked this person what they knew about Jesus so they could rejoice in the fact in what He could do for them in their current struggle.
They sat for a moment, thought, and then responded, “I really don’t know. In fact, I’m not sure I know much about Him at all.” Bingo! How can we trust someone we don’t know, not just with our heads, but from our personal experience? I went on to say that it’s pretty tough to know who Jesus is without reading about Him, who He is and what He can do, in the Word of God. Their response to that spoke volumes, “I haven’t been reading the Bible at all.” See the problem here?
We are to rejoice when challenges come as Jesus is more than up for those challenges. We have a God who is trustworthy, but we’ve got to know Him before we can trust Him. This can only be done by being in the Book and then putting into practice what we read. Jesus said that if we did this (Jn. 8:31-32) our challenges would head to the background and our peace would surface.
What do you have to rejoice about today? If you draw blanks, it’s time to dive into the Bible…go ahead right now get it out…seriously, open your Bible…to know Jesus.
S“E”t Fre“E” Nowww

On Monday here in the US a series of bombs were detonated in Boston, Massachusetts where three people were killed and many were injured. Let’s keep the families who lost loved ones and those recovering from their injuries in our prayers for the Lord to bring them comfort and to draw them closer to Him.
I found it interesting what the “commentators” had to say just minutes after the bombs went off. Some were calling it an act perpetrated by right-wing extremists, meaning someone like those who hold pro-life (anti-abortionists was their phrase) views.
At the same time, others were calling it a jihadist attack as it was done on a day Bostonians observe as Patriots’ Day, which celebrates the first battles fought for America’s independence from Britain.
Same event, two different views based on no factual information at the time these commentators gave their views. How is that possible? It’s the worldviews they hold. It’s the lens that shapes how they view and interpret life’s situations, which then forms the basis of their decisions.
We all have a lens through which we view life. The question is, “What lens are we looking through?” If we want to experience the joy and peace that comes through victory over our drugs of choice, our lens must be Jesus and the Word of God. He said that He is the truth and that His words are true. His way of interpreting life and making decisions, if followed, will set us free from all the negative consequences that come from our bad decisions that lead to taking our drugs of choice, like putting our foot in our mouth.
Let’s wait for the facts before saying who did what in Boston. Let’s pray that the truth does see the light of day and that justice is done. Even more important, let’s all choose to filter each day’s circumstances through the lens of Jesus and His Word. This way we will avoid any diseases that will come from licking our shoes.
Set Free Nowww

This is what a sports writer and admitted Tiger Woods groupie wrote about Woods the day after he lost at the 2013 Masters golf tournament. “Tiger’s weakness is adversity.” He goes onto to quote a noted sociologist, “There are three wells of strength people throughout history have drawn on in times of need. The first is family. The second well of strength has typically been religion. The third well of strength we as human beings tend to draw on is that long running, deeply rooted identification with a particular group beyond family and religious affiliation, and those tend to be ethnic or racial.”
The writer summarized this to identity. “An identity gives your personality an edge, an attitude.…When you don’t have an identity, you want to be loved by everyone, you’re afraid to have an edge and you don’t know what to do when you fall behind.”
I find it interesting that knowing who we are is a strong factor when it comes to experiencing victory over our challenges; the opportunities that make us want to choose our drugs of choice. It’s also no coincidence that the very first tool every believer needs to use each day is, “You’re secure because you’re God’s child.” We may not have the best family relationships; but the moment we put our faith in Jesus, He tells us who we are – a child of God, and puts us into another larger family– other believers here locally and around the world who can pray for us (Eph. 6:18).
If we want to stay in the freedom Jesus gave us, we must give others permission to speak into our lives (April 15 entry). Then we must be secure enough in the truth that we are God’s children in order to listen to and act on what they have to say. The Spirit has given us these wells from which to draw strength each day. Let’s pray for each other that we do.
“S”et Free Noww“W”

One of the activities I love to do while in Mammoth California is to hike and fish. There is one fishing hole where we catch some great tasting trout that’s not on a trail. In order to get there you have to look for markers along the way – a tree here, a rock outcropping there. It’s not always easy to see these markers, so I always go with another person. Hey, there’s enough fish to go around! The goal is to get there and enjoy the fishing, not to wander aimlessly through the woods.
It’s the same with my walk with Jesus. I need real transparent friends who will tell me the truth, especially when I can’t see the markers. My goal is stay close to Jesus, where the good stuff in life is found, not to aimlessly wander around looking for Him. Thus, I walk this journey with other brothers with whom I’ve given permission to speak into my life. I can’t see every marker along the path Jesus laid out. I need others to help me watch out for them. And so do you.
I once heard, “I can walk faster on my own, but I can go further and enjoy it more with someone else.” With whom are you walking this journey to be more like Jesus and have given permission to speak into your life?
Set Free Noww“W”

I was watching a favorite TV show last night about first responders. Two captions, one fire and one cop, both were about to make career ending decisions. They were driven in this direction by replaying their mistakes over and over again in their heads. What could they have done differently? Why should this person have died when they were able to save another? They both wanted to quit because they didn’t know what to do with the images that kept creeping into their minds.
This is the entire point of the FREEdom process. They are the tools to fight this kind of battle. We can process through these images instead of allowing the evil one to beat us over the head with them. The woulda, coulda, shoulda’s of life will not only destroy today’s peace, but can also lead you to make momentous decisions that could ruin many tomorrows.
Don’t play into your enemy’s hands. Run to Jesus’ outstretched arms of love! He knows every woulda, coulda and shoulda and still loves you! He knew them before you came to faith in Him. And He knows them now and tomorrow. He will help you sort through the lies to hang onto the truths. He will be there to give you the strength to exercise those truths next time. He will never give up you so don’t give up on yourself! Use your tools and take one more step with the one you love – Jesus.
Set Free “N”owww