We spent a great day in Jerusalem today. We only visited places where we know with great certainty that Jesus would have been; and, He most certainly would have been in this location – a mikvah. This ritual place of immersing in water was just outside the Temple Mount containing the Temple. It was a place every Jewish person would go before heading to the Temple.
The person (male and female – though in segregated mikvahs) lined up on the right side of the divider running down the middle of the stairs that led into the running/living water below. They would take off their clothes before they entered the water as there was to be nothing between them and God. Once they immersed themselves in the water they would come out of the mikvah on the opposite side of the divider making sure not to touch anyone on their way out. After drying off they would put on clean clothes. If they touched anyone who hadn’t already been immersed, they would have to get back in line and do it again. They went into the water impure and came out and were to stay pure. They were finally ready to head up to the Temple to make their sacrifice.
This is a great picture of the believer who wants to see their life changed. Before they are ready to be a living sacrifice and see their lives changed by the renewing of their mind (Rom. 12:1-2), they must first want to change!
They must strip themselves of what comes between them and their God – their way of thinking and living (taking off one’s old/dirty clothes). They must recognize that their way of living simply doesn’t work as it only leads to impurity. You can’t play games with your drug of choice. It must be killed (aka going under the water). No half measures will do the job. Only a commitment to stay pure will.
Are you really ready to change or are you still playing with the area that is coming between you and your Jesus? The Spirit is waiting and willing when you are.
Se“T” Free Nowww

Today’s tip takes two pictures. The first is a picture of farmland in the Negev desert. God said after bringing His people back to their homeland He would make the desert bloom (Is. 35:1-2), which is exactly what has happened. These are wheat fields and fruit trees being water in the desert! His word can be trusted.
I guess King Solomon trust in God’s word lapsed a little. He built an altar in the Negev city of Arad, which is seen in the second picture. Two things about this altar. First, he wasn’t supposed to build it! The only altar God ever wanted was to be the one in Jerusalem.
Second, the only place where atonement could be made for sins was on the altar in Jerusalem. God was not obligated to accept anyone’s offering made on Solomon’s additional or substitute altar.
Religious works can’t free us from our drugs of choice. Our substitutes for loving Jesus by listening to and doing what He says will never satisfy.
Don’t settle for the dry desert substitutes! Take the truths at the point of the lies and let them wash your brain so your life can bloom with peace. Today trust God’s word by exercising those truths in the situations that make you want your religious activities or the cheap substitutes that can never satisfy.
Set “Free” Nowww

Today we visited a Bedouin camp where we ate some great food and rode a camel. During our time here, our tour guide told us about the Bedouin culture and many of their customs. One such custom was to drink bitter coffee as a reminder of the harsh and often bitter life they lead.
We can learn something from this custom…what not to do! We seem to have long memories when it comes to our failures and the hurts others inflicted on us and short memories when it comes to God’s victories in our lives.
Why remember our failures? Why bring up old hurts? Doing both of these only makes our lives bitter! We need to instead forgive those who’ve hurt us and put up our shield of faith in that forgiveness when those painful memories come back. We need to focus on who Jesus is and what He has done in our lives knowing He can do it again. Oh how sweet the memories will be when He does so again and again!
Set Free N“O”www

This is a picture of the Jordan River. Not much to look at, but understand that all of the water for this end of the Jordan comes from the Sea of Galilee, which is the main source of drinking water both the Israelis and the Jordanians.
It’s also a picture of defeat and victory. A few thousand years ago, 12 men crossed into Canaan at this point to do some recon work for the Israeli leadership. Ten of these men lacked the faith in God and His promises to conquer this land and experience an unimaginable life. These ten men caused an entire nation to wander in the desert in defeat.
Fast forward 40 years. A group of men, priests, carried the Ark, stepped into the Jordan based upon God’s promises and saw God become very real to them. God caused the River to stop a few miles up stream allowing the entire nation this time to walk into Canaan – same place, different result.
We’ve all experienced defeat. We don’t have to define ourselves, however, by those defeats. Jesus came to snatch victory out of defeat. All He is asking us to do is to trust in Him and His promises – the truths at the point of the lies – and then walk with Him as we put those truths into action.
He is asking you to do exactly the same thing He asked the priests to do – step into the water and let Him do the rest. Using our biblical tools we can defeat our past defeats to experience an unimaginable life today.
Set “Free” Nowww

This is the view from what today is called Korsi. In Jesus’ day it was known as “the region of the Gardarenes.” This picture is taken from discovered tombs that were also found in the only area on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee big enough to graze a huge herd of pigs. Coincidence, huh?
Jesus left His “safe” base of operations in Capernaum and sailed across a huge lake to come deal with a very dangerous and lethal situation head-on – a couple of demon possessed guys, one of whom was chained hand and foot and kept under guard. Someone wanted to keep this guy from putting a serious hurt on others.
He could’ve let fear keep Him far far away from this guy. Yet, He went face to face with this very dangerous man and defeated the demons so the man could sit at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and in his right mind. Jesus brought victory by dealing with the situation head on.
If we want to sit calmly at Jesus’ feet throughout each day, we too must deal with our sin, our challenges, our drugs of choice head on. We have nothing to fear because we’re sitting in the lap of our King (Eph. 2:6). Victory is ours by running towards the battle, not away from it.
If the Spirit is asking for an area of your life, now is the time to deal with it. Trust Him by using your biblical tools to let Him remove whatever it is that’s blocking you from experiencing more of Jesus. Peace comes not through surrender to our enemy, but by facing him head on and defeating him through the power of Jesus.
Set Free No“W”ww