As he stands in the corner talking to his mom over his shoulder, little Denise the Menace says, “I guess saying ‘I’m sorry’ over and over…isn’t helping.”
There is freedom in choice, but not in consequence, no matter how many times you say, “I’m sorry.”
Jesus will forgive us when we ask, but some choices result in immediate consequences. We lose our joy over saying something we shouldn’t. Money will fly from our checkbooks as the officer writes us up for running that red light.
Dennis is a boy a cartoonist created who is constantly getting into trouble where he always ends up saying he’s sorry. He’s a cartoon character, we are not. He was created to be like this, we were not. We were created in Christ with a new nature, His, and a new mind, again his; therefore, we have been given the ability to break this sin-confession-sin cycle.
Pick up the biblical tools Jesus gave you – the ability to think and choose His way of living life – and start exercising them by faith today. Do this and you’ll do what’s pleasing to Jesus, keep your joy, and spend less time asking for forgiveness. There is so much more to talk with Him about than, “Lord, forgive me.”
Set Fre“E” Nowww

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do,” said the famous painter Leonardo da Vinci. What a great way to say what James 2:17 states, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
An unchanged believer in Jesus is an oxymoron. Biblical belief is not just agreeing to set of statements. It’s also about putting those statements, those truths, into life action. A true believer in Jesus will exercise the truths the Spirit gives them from the Word of God; and thus, their life will be changed.
You need your life to be changed. Those around you need to see your life changed so they can believe Jesus can do it for them as well. So today ask yourself, “Am I a believer in Jesus?” Talk is cheap. The proof is in the action steps you take each day.
Set Fre“E” Nowww

Isn’t that a beautiful picture? This flower is just like the daisies my wife and I have in front of our house. As the sun rises, they begin open. As the day progresses, they open further and further until their pedals are fully extended outward. It’s almost like they are saying, “Come on in. I want more of this!” Then they begin to close as the sun sets and are fully closed by nightfall.
Shouldn’t we learn from my daisies and only open up to the light of the Son and close to the darkness of our enemy? Your daily success as a believer is based upon who you listen to throughout your day. I hope you’re spending time listening to Jesus in His Word and then meditating upon what He said throughout your day today. If not, darkness can creep in and ruin your day.
Decide right now to act like my daisies and chose to open yourself only to the Son, the one who can best meet your needs for love, security and meaning in life.
S“E”t Free Nowww

I’m still paying the price this afternoon for the choice to eat pancakes this morning. They tasted awesome going down, but they don’t taste so great throughout my day again and again.
I knew during the holidays that my eating choices would not be the best and had planned for it. Yet, here I am ten days into 2014 and I’m still saying to myself, “Just this once. It won’t hurt. I’ll get back to eating right this afternoon.”
I’m paying the price for that just once more attitude. I knew I should have substituted fruit or cottage cheese, both of which I love, for the pancakes. But I thought, “I want them and just this one time won’t be a big deal.”
It’s the same with the sinful behaviors the Spirit wants to remove from our lives to draw us closer to Jesus. We want to do them and tell ourselves, “Just once more and I’ll quit.” Right. We forget that it’s this “just once more” attitude that provides the heartburn for the rest of our day.
We must keep up our shields of faith at all times. The choices we make in the morning, could come back to adversely affect us in the afternoon. Ben Carson once said, “The person who has the most to do with what happens to you in life is you. Nobody else gets to determine that except you.” So choose to exercise the truths the Spirit of God has given you in the Word of God today.
Set Fre“E” Nowww

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness,” writes the author of Lamentations. Did you catch that? The author of the book was one singing a bummer song; and yet, in the midst of that song was hope. The love radiating from His Lord was a forever thing. His God came each and every day to rescue those who mess up. Despite the lousy situation, His God faithfully gave him the love and mercy he needed every morning!
That is indeed good news! Each day is a new door to walk through. Each door is the process of getting closer to the One we say we love and need. And with each door that pops up before us, we have three options to take. We can retreat, standstill, or go through it. One is bad, one leaves you wanting and the other is the ability to experience your Jesus.
Retreat means you’re handling life your way by not going where Jesus wants you, which only brings negative consequences. Standing still is where you’re using your biblical tools to walk with Christ, but you’ve stopped going forward and you’re missing out on what Jesus has for you, today.
No, the best option is to go through the door Jesus has put before you. Each day can be a new adventure with Jesus. Could you mess up? Yup, but there is mercy waiting on the other side. Could you be taking the walk alone? Yup, but there is love waiting for you on the other side. Your God is faithful. Keep walking with the Spirit through each door Jesus places before you.
Set Free Now“W”w