I love what Christian author A.W. Tozer said about challenges, “When I understand that everything happening to me is to make me more Christ-like, it resolves a great deal of anxiety.” Hebrews 12 talks about a loving God who draws us closer to Himself (i.e. holiness) by sanding off our rough edges and eliminating our drugs of choice through challenges.
As believers in Christ, challenges will always be part of our journey as we will not be completely like Jesus until we see Him (1 John 3:2). Since this is true, we might as well relax and enjoy the journey while Jesus cleans us up.
You are more than the sum total of your experiences because you have Christ living inside you. Yet, you are who you are and know what you know when you came to Christ and at this point in history. Think on that one for a second. Until you come into contact with the Word of God, Jesus and the Bible, how would you know to do anything other than what you are currently thinking or doing? You can’t act contrary to the way you think. Your behavior and thus your life will not change until your thinking is changed.
Our loving God has to bring challenges into our lives in order to get us to see that our way of living and thinking doesn’t work and needs changing. Once He does this, then we really have choices for the first time in our lives. We can choose Him or ourselves (Rom. 6:13).
If you love Jesus and want to be near Him, the Source of the good stuff, challenges will be the norm. Therefore, don’t fight the tough times. Choose to let Jesus use them to draw you closer to Him. Make the small choices each day, and guess what? You will taste the good stuff.

S“E”t Free Nowww

We have a tradition in our house where we watch a movie that covers each holiday. I know, Hollywood loves to take a kernel of truth and explode the story from there, which is why we must keep our filters in the “On” positions at all times.
This particular movie was about America’s War for Independence. There were quite a few memorable scenes in the movie; and one that fits with our discussion of freedom from our drugs of choice.
A young man enters a church asking for volunteers to fight on the Continental’s side. The pastor objects to the timing of the request as the British had just hung three men. No man stands up. At this point, a young woman stands and gives an awesome speech.
“I heard you often speak of freedom at my father’s table, including you Reverend. Will you now, when you are needed most, stop at only words? Is that the sort of men you are? I ask only that you act upon the beliefs of which you have so strongly spoken and which you so strongly believe.” Quite a few men stand up to volunteer, including the pastor!
We say we believe the Bible and what it teaches. We say we love Jesus. We say Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We say we want freedom from our drugs of choice. Today, right now, will you stop at only words? Real joy, real significance, real security and real peace comes only to those who put their beliefs into action (James 2:14-19). Remember, it’s the small daily faith choices we make that lead to big freedom changes in our lives.

Set Fre“E” Nowww

Chaim Weizmann, who knew something about independence as the first president of Israel said, “Independence is never given to a people, it has to be earned; and, once earned, must be defended.”
Another famous Jewish man wrote, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” True independence, freedom from our drugs of choice, is given by Jesus, who earned it through His victorious life, death and resurrection. This is the first part of Galatians 5:1. We can’t earn our independence as it is already given to us.
We can, however, go back to slavery! We must defend ourselves by using our shield of faith in the truths found in the Word of God from going backward. Each day’s small choices can keep us free or lead us back to slavery. Today, the 4th of July (to my American readers), continue to trust and walk with your true Freedom Fighter (hint: it’s not the government or yourself) to stay free!

“S”et Free Nowww

I remember as a kid going to the local high school for junior lifeguard training. The instructors had you start in the “little pool” and work your way up to the “big pool” where two springboard diving boards awaited you – a “low dive” and a “high dive.” If you wanted to jump off the high dive (I never dove off – too scary. It was cannon ball city!), you had to climb rung by rung up a ladder that seemed to go way up into the sky. At least that’s what if felt like to a 10 year-old kid.
It’s the same way if you want to experience freedom from your drugs of choice. You don’t just end up repeating that sinful behavior, you’ve been making small choices along the way there. I read the other day, “The small choices in our lives are the rungs of the ladder of the high diving board from which big choices make their grand leap.” You don’t just jump. You’ve chosen to climb each rung of the ladder. You don’t just fall into your drug of choice. You’ve been thinking about it long before you took it.
If you want to experience freedom you must first decide that you want it. Then you must choose to make the small little choices throughout your day that will either lead you toward your drug of choice or toward Jesus. It’s the little choices that lead to the big decisions.
Some of the little decisions can be where you go (to a computer in a room where everyone can see you or one in your room), who you hang out with (friends who will fight for your freedom or make it easy to fall), what you listen to (build you up or make you mad), what thoughts you allow to roll around in your head (I’m a loser or a child of God), etc.
Keep your running conversation going with God so you can ask for His help with each step of the climb. Remember, big freedom comes from the small choices you make throughout your day.
Set Fre“E” Nowww

“A young lady confidently walked around the room while explaining stress management to an audience; with a raised glass of water, everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, ‘Half empty or half full?’ She fooled them all. She inquired with a smile, ‘How heavy is this glass of water?’
“Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.
“She replied, ‘The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance. In each case it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”
“She continued, ‘And that’s the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.”
This is a wonderful illustration of why the Bible says we need other believers in our lives. If we want to walk in freedom, we must let others into our lives as life happens to everyone, no matter who you are. And when it does, if we have someone to carry those challenges with us (Galatians 6:2), we can experience freedom from our drugs of choice.
Yes, fellow believers can be prickly at times. Yes, they can cause us occasional discomfort. I want you to look at the picture, though. Yes the cactus has needles that can hurt, but it also has a beautiful flower to view and is a source of water to drink and nourishment to eat once you get past those needles.
James 5:16 reveals that if you want victory over your drugs of choice, you’re going to need at least one prickly person in your life. Who will it be and when will you let them get close? You’ll be on your road to freedom as soon as you answer those two questions.

Set Free Noww“W”