You should have seen the surprised look on my face. The other day I was at my “office” for a discipleship appointment. I was ordering a re-fill of my favorite beverage when I noticed the manager had given me a 10% discount on my entire order.
He saw the puzzled look on my face and said, “I’ve been watching. You could go to the machine and refill your cup and no one would notice. But, you come and pay for your refill each time you come in. Most people don’t. In fact, people will ask for a water cup and put soda in it. Thanks.”
With a smile on my face I said, “No, thank you! My integrity is worth more than a $1.28,” and off I went to re-fill my cup, still saving myself over a buck by bringing my own cup! But there’s more to this story. As I went into my office the next time, he just waved me over to the soda machine!
This is an example of what means to listen to and follow Jesus ever day everywhere – even at a local restaurant. People are watching us, even though we don’t know it. Was my witness worth a buck 28? You bet it was and is.
“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.” (Proverbs 10:9) This goes to the heart of having an everyday faith, not just a Sunday one. Secure children of God walk securely by listening to and following Jesus everywhere they go, no matter what time it is or who is or isn’t watching.
“S”et Free Nowww

Why is that we focus on who we are not rather than on who we are? Most people can go on and on about their weaknesses, but are stumped when asked about their strengths. Focusing on our mistakes and failures, though, only leads to greater frustration and more mistakes and failures.
Colossians 2:10 states that “you are complete in Him.” You are, not will be, already complete. The word “complete” is the same word used when an Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled. It’s a done deal. And it’s meaning is like a glass filled with so much water that the water curves on top of the glass whereby adding just one more drop the water will spill all over the place.
As children of God, this is who we are right now! We are full of everything we need at this very moment in time, whether the Spirit ever changes another thing about us, to be satisfied, significant and secure, not tomorrow or someday down the road, but right now.
So stop dawgin’ on Jesus, who died on the cross and rose from the grave for you, by focusing on who you’re not or what you don’t have! Instead, start praising Him for who He is, God, and whose you are, His. Because you’re in Jesus, you can choose to be satisfied right now. Because you’re full of Jesus, you can choose to be and feel significant this very second. Because Jesus is all over you, you can choose to be secure this instant. Now that’s something worth focusing on, isn’t it?
“S”et Free Nowww

These flowers are called Forget-Me-Not. It’s interesting that another name for it is Scorpion Grass, which is quite apropos as forgetting is a great weapon of our enemy. If he can get us to forget what our God has done for us in the past or what our drugs of choice have done to us, we will end up in failure.
The Israelites confessed their sin Nehemiah 9 after having read the Book of the Law of the Lord their God. They praised God in verses 6-15 for all the wonderful things He had done for them. How soon the people forget all this by rebelling against Him and His Word. They repeated this cycle in verses 19-25 where God is gracious and awesome in power only to fail again in verse 26-27.
Freedom comes from remembering God’s greatness, whereas forgetting allows the scorpion to bite! It’s as we remember what Jesus has done for us, how He’s changed our lives and makes us feel as we stay close to him that we’ll continue to experience victory over our drugs of choice.
S“E”t Free Nowww

Something to think about. Do you believe Jesus has everything you need in life? If yes, do you attempt to go to Him to met those needs? If yes, your enemy will use everything in his bag of tricks to keep this from happening.
Paul told Timothy as much in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
The moment you place your faith in Jesus, the evil one can’t change your eternal destination, but he will do everything within his power to wreck havoc on your road to sanctification – becoming more like Jesus. And if you answered “No” to any one of the previous questions, your enemy’s tricks have worked.
Understand that your enemy wants to destroy your peace and joy. Therefore, expect hassles. Know that trying times, some harder than others, are coming your way. This is why Jesus told us to “watch and pray” for such attacks so we can be calm in the midst of life’s storms. This can only happen as we do exactly the opposite of what our enemy wants us to do – keep listening to and following Jesus throughout our day.
S“E”t Free Nowww

I heard this one the other day, “A beer is cheaper than a chiropractor.” It was much easier and less expensive for this person to drink in order to ease their pain than it was to pay a chiropractor to get rid of it.
Paul calls this an “argument” that must be demolished in 2 Corinthians 10:5. The Spirit tells us to take captive our rationalizations and justifications for the things we do to Christ and evaluate them. Are they true or a lie?
Is the above rationalization for drinking biblical? Not in the least. One, beer only kills the pain temporarily. Once the alcohol wears off, the pain will come back. It’s a short-term feel good fix (Heb. 11:25). Beyond that, I’ve never heard of someone wrapping their car around a tree after going to a chiropractor. Yes there is freedom of choice, but not in consequences.
We must examine why we do what we do if we want to become more like Christ. Take a look behind the curtain of your behavior and examine your reasons for the things you do. Do they match with the truth of God? If not, it’s time to demolish them using the FREEdom process. If so, it’s time to exercise the truth asking for the Spirit’s power and for your BIG partner’s prayer to bring victory.
Se“T FREE” Nowww