Yesterday we saw that the truth helps us see through the pleasure of sin to its deadly core. In facing and defeating our enemy each day, Paul tells in Ephesians 6:10-18 to take our stand with our armor on. Notice that the armor – belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit – are truths!
Do you know how to use those truths? The truth that you’re secure because you’re God’s child no matter what others or you do (Rom. 8:37-39). You have a shield of faith, faith in specific truths at the point of the lies, which will stop Satan’s lies from rolling around in head and dragging you down.
This is why I believe God gave us one more truth-based weapon, which is connected to the previous pieces with a three letter word “and.” It’s called prayer! We are to pray in the Spirit at all times so He can show us how to use these truths to shred our enemy’s lies. You have The Helper to win this battle for your mind, heart and soul. Learn to pray, “Spirit help me see where the lies are and the truths at the point of the lies that I need. Spirit show me how to apply them and then give me strength to practice them.”
Set Free Now“W”w

We run a school for at-risk students. It’s funny how these kids think they can pull one over on us. Today was another failed attempt. We found a beautiful pipe on one of the kids. It wasn’t the end of the world. It was just another opportunity to help them process life through the Word of God.
What was interesting about this pipe was that it was both deadly and very intricate and beautiful at the same time. A tool that could destroy its user was very enticing to the eye. It was the same tactic Satan used with Eve and is still using with us today. He makes sin very pleasurable (Heb. 11:25). He makes the lie very believable.
The only way to see through the pleasure and the lie is with the truths found in the Word of God. We need an outside source to help us see through the beauty to the deadly aspect of the pleasure. I once heard a believer say, “I’ve read the Bible and know how it ends. I don’t need it anymore.” It is not about how it ends tomorrow, it about how it begins to help today.
Bible Impact reading is not about understanding everything you read. It’s about listening to Jesus speak to you. He wants to shine His light on your situation to help you see through beauty of your drug of choice to its deadliness so you can experience life.
S“E”t Free Nowww

I ran across a most interesting statement. “Practice makes perfect is not a cliché but in fact an axiom. Practice cuts new grooves into your mental wiring while your body develops muscle memory – performing the same action over and over until muscle and synapse work in unison and thinking was erased from the equation.” In other words, a new habit is formed.
This goes hand in hand with what I said earlier this week. Biblical Christianity is about replacing me with Jesus not adding Him to me. Practicing the Freedom process everyday is how the Spirit gets it done. We tend to make bad decisions, use our drugs of choice, when we’re in emotional, spiritual or physical pain. Our drug of choice is how we cope with the pain. The Bible calls this an unhealthy stronghold (2 Cor. 10:4), which the Spirit wants to pull down and replace with another stronghold – Jesus. Living His way is the only to find what we’re searching for in life – love, significance and security.
The more we practice (Phil. 4:9) allowing the Spirit of God to replace the lies in our thinking with and then practicing the truth at the point of that lie, He’s rewiring our brain. As this happens, we’re replacing us with Jesus so that when no matter where the pain comes from we’ll respond in a Christ-like manner. Victory over the sin-confession-sin cycle is done through Spirit empowered practicing the truth. Keep practicing!
Set “Free” Nowww

When I go to Israel each year, I have the opportunity to see Israel’s many sides. This country has so much to see that it’s almost impossible to soak it all in. Because of this, I find it interesting to see people scrambling to take pictures, and then running to the next spot only to scramble to take yet another picture. It appears they’re so busy taking pictures that they never stop to enjoy the place they’re visiting.
Christians can be the same way. We talk about heaven and going home so often that we forget that Jesus came to earth so we can enjoy life now, not just when we arrive at the Pearly Gates. Let’s not forget that He is the Way, the Truth and The Life. We’re not supposed to just hang on until we get home. We’re to enjoy spending life with Him each day.
Living with a biblical worldview makes this possible. The Set Free Nowww principles help us filter out the lies that rob of us Life so we can be an experiencer of Life, not a picture taker. Slow your thoughts down today. Have a conversation with Jesus as your go about your day. I don’t know about you, but enjoying Life is better than rushing through it.
Set Free Nowww

I love to read espionage novels. I found the following line most insightful, “Dress him up in a suit and tie and put him up in $1,000 a night suite, but once a terrorist always a terrorist.” Dressing up the outside does nothing to change the person inside.
I just got back from my MiniChurch that reaches people who strongly dislike church and would never go back (though they didn’t realize they were in church) where I asked, “What comes to mind when you think of Christianity, religion or relationship?” The instant reaction, to a person, was religion. I asked, “What does religion look like?” They all said Christians focus too much on outward conformance and following certain man-made rules. It was this mentality that made church repulsive to them.
To them the above quote could be said of so-called Christians. Dress them up in a suit and tie and put them in a church building, but they’re still not worth being around. If believers in Jesus want to make a difference in this world, we must start being real with each other and with those around us.
We must stop focusing on looking good on the outside and conforming to Christian or Church traditions and start being real with our challenges, letting the Spirit change us from the inside out and continue learning how to listen to Jesus and do what He says in our daily lives (i.e. living with a biblical worldview).
As this happens, not only will we get back to the Christianity of relationship, but those around us will also crave the One we love. And the perfect place to start is to be in a Bible Impact Group (see Resources). Make the commitment to meet with at least one person to let the Word of God and the Spirit of God change your life from the inside out.
“Set Free Nowww”