Change me already, Lord! Ever said that or a variation of it? I know I have. I want to be more like Jesus…yesterday; but at times, it seems like I’m up and down. I walk. I fall.
This describes what’s called the sin-confession-sin cycle. It’s where one loses or fails to be or do what Jesus is asking them to be or do. The person then confesses their sin to Jesus (hopefully quickly), asks His forgiveness, and gets back up to walk with Him again (hopefully just as quickly), only to fall again, which starts the cycle all over again.
The first step to stop this frustrating cycle, after wanting to change (if you don’t want to change, nothing will help!), is to slow down and listen to the Spirit. Life change starts by rooting out the lies behind the behavior, not by focusing on the behavior itself (Rom. 12:2). And it’s the Spirit’s job to get at that lie. He can do it all by Himself, through His Word of Truth and/or through His people speaking truth.
It’s hard for many of us to slow down and listen, however, let alone expose ourselves to the Spirit’s examination. Yet if we don’t, what hope do we ever have of stopping that frustrating cycle to experience the sweet taste of victory? Work harder or run faster? Give up and live with the endless cycle?
Want off? Your God loves you and wants you to be like Jesus, the only who can give you what you’re looking for in life; therefore remember, it is for freedom from this cycle that Jesus came!
Begin the process today by getting on a daily Bible reading schedule with the intent to hear the Spirit speak to you, and making sure your BIG partner is both listening and talking to Jesus on your behalf in this specific area (James 5:16).
Se“T” Free Nowww

Kind of says it all! We don’t go to church, we are the church everywhere we go.
“SET FREE NOWWW”

Jesus prayed in John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” Eternal life is not a destination, it’s an eternal relationship. It’s not about what we get later, but about knowing Jesus and the Father right now and forever. It’s just not about life after we die, but living while we live. This is not head knowledge, but life experience. It begs the question, “Do I know my God in the real world in which I live?”
Jesus goes onto pray for His disciples, both then and now. What’s the connection? One of them is that we need other believers to know our God in the here and now. This process, however, will cause sparks to fly.
Proverbs 27:17 states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Knowing Jesus in community causes sparks to fly. This process can make believers want to separate from each other, which is why Jesus said that as we do the exact opposite, stay together despite the sparks, the world will know we belong to Him (17:23). Walking together in the midst of conflict is one of two ways those around us will see Jesus. And when this happens, guess who wins? We do, as we all get to know our God together!
Sparks are good! Let the heat forge you into a team experiencing eternal life now.
“S”et Free Noww“W”

It’s a full moon where I live and the dogs are going crazy. It seemed like every where I walked tonight, dogs barked at me. I heard one particular animal rushing towards me at full speed by the way their claws dug into the dirt. I knew it couldn’t hurt me, though, and kept right on walking.
Where did this peace come from? I knew there was a fence between me and that dog. No matter how fast it was going or mean it might be, it could only go so far – that chain link fence.
This is the power of belief. If I didn’t first know that fence was there and then believe it could protect me, I would have handled the situation much differently. But I could peacefully keep walking because I knew and believed in that fence.
We can know the truth, but peace only comes as we believe enough to act upon that knowledge or what I call, exercise the truth. What truths are you putting into your shield of faith today? Once you have them ask the Spirit to empower you to actually use them on your daily walk. There’s tremendous power in belief.
S“E”t Fre“E” Nowww

The Lord is trying to drill this into my head. Be fully where I am when I’m there, not where I’m going next. Yeah my body might be here, but my mind can already be thinking about the next item on my to-do list even while I’m doing what I’m doing; thus stealing my peace.
This mentality is based in a lie: I have to get a lot done for Jesus to be significant. He needs me to do xy and z, right now!
This lie leads to a schedule crammed full of activities that can never be finished in one day. This lie leads to a day arranged so tight that the least “unexpected” (life always has them; thus, they’re not really unexpected) interruption can cause anxiety, a path to my drugs of choice. This lie leads to pushing the limits of time, causing me to hurry from one thing or being late to the next thing causing stress, another path to my drugs of choice.
Truth: Jesus doesn’t need me to do anything for Him, but everything with Him. Truth: I’m already significant as a secure child of God this very second. Truth: I only have the moment, not the next minute, let alone the next day. Truth: Jesus is God, not me.
Therefore, I can relax and be fully present in the moment. It’s His job to take care of the next one, not me, which brings peace. I can be fully in the moment because I don’t have to put so much into my day to prove anything to anyone, which brings peace. I can relax, not rush, to the next activity while being with Jesus, who brings peace.
Life is not about doing for, but being with Jesus. Be fully present in the moment. Jesus will take care of the next one. Who knows, you just might touch another life for eternity in this moment.
“S”et Free Nowww