“Recent neuroscience research shows the brain works in a protective way, resistant to change. Therefore, any goals that require substantial behavioral change or thinking-pattern change will automatically be resisted. The brain is wired to seek rewards and avoid pain or discomfort, including fear. When fear of failure creeps into the mind of the goal setter it commences to be a de-motivator with a desire to return to known, comfortable behavior and thought patterns.”
Paul describes this battle perfectly in Galatians 5 as a war between the flesh and the Spirit. The Spirit wants to change our lives in a substantial way by separating us from ourselves to make us more like Jesus (aka sanctification). This will hurt as it demands change.
Yet, your brain will attempt to block this change! This isn’t completely bad news! Why? One, you now understand where the real battle lies. Two, you can change your thinking by exchanging your old thoughts with God’s thoughts from the Word of God. And three, you have the Spirit of God to give you the power to overcome the brain/flesh’s powerful resistance..if you choose to use it!
Work through the brain’s blockage by choosing to believe the Word and Spirit of God will make your life better. It’s not going to be easy, but it can be done.
Set Fr”E”e Nowww

I read about a gentleman who actually enjoyed leaving the safe confines of a perfectly good airplane to fall through the air. They call this skydiving. On this particular jump, he left the plane on a very windy and rainy night. Why, oh why, would someone do that, right?
After descending to his desired altitude, he manually pulled his “rip cord” to release his main shoot. That’s when a good night all of a sudden went bad…quick. He had fewer than fifteen seconds to get his situation righted; or, well, let’s just say he would be scraped off the ground with a spatula.
He would later say, “I knew whatever I tried might well be futile, but I was going to stay with this problem and fight it until I opened a parachute or I bounced.” He realized he had two options. One, he could resign himself to the inevitable and bounce; or, he could fight to keep mentally processing the situation through his training to have a shot at living. Needless to say, he lived.
You too can experience the life Jesus came to give you, if you choose to fight and stay focused on Him in every struggle, in every difficult situation, you face. With the Spirit’s help, you must keep processing every situation, even the “hopeless” ones, through Jesus and His Word. As you choose the fighting option, you too can land on your feet and live. Where will your focus be today?
Set “FREE” Nowww

I’m paraphrasing something I read the other day, but here it is. If discipleship was simply about giving people biblical knowledge, then the demons are the best disciples around!
Western Christianity has adopted the lie that knowledge equates to a mature faith. Yet this simply is not true! The author of Hebrews says a mature believer is one who knows how to use biblical truth to discern good and evil and then attempts to live it out (“trained in righteousness”). They know how to actually use biblical truth to make decisions that draw them closer to Jesus. Folks, you haven’t learning anything until what you’ve heard changes your life, until then you’ve just been exposed to information.
This goes right along with the biblical meaning of the word disciple. It means a person who takes the data they’ve heard from the teacher and lets it change their life. In fact, a disciple is not a disciple until their live has been changed! Believe me when I say that demons have not been discipled! Their lives have not and are not being transformed by Christ. Is yours?
If so, biblical information is freeing. If not, it’s dangerous as it leaves you with a head filled with data, but an empty heart and an unchanged life. Is that why you trusted Jesus in the first place? I don’t think so; and if you’re honest, neither do you.
It’s hard to walk what you know because there is nothing more challenging and empowering than to say no to yourself and yes to Jesus. Real eternal living starts with saying yes to Jesus. Please say yes today!
S“E”t Free Nowww

Out of the mouths of babes strikes again. I was teaching a Sunday school class of seven 3rd – 5th graders on Daniel and the lions den. I asked them to give me a situation where it was difficult for them to do something they knew they should do.
I had to refrain from laughing at some of the answers, while others were quite serious. We then read the story of Daniel who continued to do what he knew he should do, even with a death sentence hanging in the air for disobeying the government.
Then one of the kids spoke up about Christians being killed for their faith in Syria, which sparked a wonderful conversation. (I’ll save you the details.) All the children, save one, immediately said they would be like Daniel, even though it would cost them their life. Keep in mind this was a group of 3rd-5th graders.
I said, “Want to know if you’d respond like Daniel?” The Lord had their attention as all eyes were riveted on me. “Obey your parents now, even when it’s hard to do. You obey now when it’s tough, you’ll do it later when it’s tougher.”
This lesson is true for all of us. Obey your Father now when it’s tough, and you’ll stand up for Him in times of crisis, even deadly ones. Learn to exercise the truth by faith Spirit empowered now and you’ll be prepared to do it later if and when the stakes are higher.
Set Fre“E” Nowww

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
The key to this passage is found with the word and. First, a witness is someone who knows something from personal experience. Second, believers would be indwelt with an incredible power source, the very Spirit of God. And connects these two thoughts.
You can only experience God change your life through the power of the Spirit of God. When you do, you have something to share, something to witness about, as you’ve personally experience God work in your life. A changed life is a powerful witness.
I heard the story of a person who built a relationship with a self-avowed Satanist, who knew the Bible better than most Christians. He brought a very gifted Christian apologist to sit down and share with this Satanist, but the apologist made absolutely no headway. The Satanist had a rebuttal for the apologist’s every argument.
Then one day a very young believer was sharing with the Satanist. She said, “I can see in your eyes that you’re lonely. I’ve been there, especially as a formal occultist. But I’m no longer lonely. I began a relationship with Jesus Christ, who came to live inside me…now and forever.”
The Satanist eventually came to faith in Christ. Was it wise and persuasive arguments that led him to faith? Nope. It was the power of the Spirit through a changed life. Let the Spirit change your life and you’ll have a very power witness to share with those He leads your way.
Set Free Now“W”w