It is one thing to be debt free. But does that make you financially free? Not necessarily.

Debt implies you don’t owe anything to anyone. That’s good – for most people. Especially for those who have less control over their finances. It keeps you out of financial traps. That’s safety. Safety is good.

But financially free implies something different. It means the determining factor in your life is not finances. You are able to do the things you love to do without being limited by financial limitations. Your life doesn’t revolve around financial considerations.

Financial freedom does not equal freedom from debt. It means freedom from the limitation of finances. It’s a mindset, knowledge, and discipline.

A financially free person may have debt but they have learned to use debt appropriately in their favor. They have acquired the knowledge, developed the mindset, and disciplined themselves to become financially free.

Wouldn’t you prefer freedom?
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Here are some principles that I observe from the ministry of Jesus.

Evangelism should be…
Consistent
Find a convenient pace and place. It’s best to reach out weekly. At least once a month is critical for effectiveness. The consistency is important as people do not respond the first time they hear a message. People hear the message and take time to process it in their minds.
If you go to the same place repeatedly, you’ll gradually build relationships with people in that locality. It’s great when people begin to recognize you and look forward to your return to their area. Some have come to me and mentioned they were looking forward to the next time we return.

Natural
Evangelism is best when it’s personal and natural. An “official” approach is fake, and at best impersonal. After all, we’re all human. Let’s be natural with our approach. People appreciate the genuineness.

Non-Judgemental
A judgmental approach will turn people off. We are not called to judge. That’s God’s job. Allow people to be who they are, and present Jesus to them. Our aim is not to change people. We want to present Jesus to them. He will put the Holy Spirit in them and the Spirit will change them. That’s the better approach.

Giving-focused
We’re not trying to get anything from people, or even trying to get them to come to church. Our approach should be a giving mode. Jesus said to his disciples “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” Look for needy people and reach out to them in a giving mode. What can we give? Healing. Deliverance, Forgiveness. Listening. A kind word. We’ve received all that and more from Jesus and he asks us to give out the same freely.

Invitational
Once people’s minds were “opened” as a result of what they received from Jesus, he invited them to follow him (Luke 9:59). The invitation is essential.

But following was just the first step. Many followed Jesus because he gave them lots of good things like healing, deliverance, food, and lots of great practical teaching on how to live the Kingdom life. Yet those who followed him, he invited them to go a step further. He said they must “take up their cross” and follow. For those who heard those words of Jesus in the first century, they knew that meant to be ready to die. Once Jesus began placing such demands on them, many stopped following him.

Jesus never called them back and reduced the terms of his demand on their lives. He let them go, along with all the blessings they received from Jesus. Only a few committed their lives and became His disciples.

So as you evangelize, be consistent, natural, non-judgemental, giving, and invitational. This seems to be what Jesus did. And it works.
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It’s a command.

The Lord said to Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

Yes, but that was a command to Joshua.

Now, look at the basis for being strong and courageous.

For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

The command to be strong and courageous is predicated on the fact that God is with us wherever we go.

So, yes. Be strong and courageous.
God is with you.
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Lack of integrity creates a leadership vacuum that’s difficult to overcome. Leaders are only as strong as their personal integrity will allow. We may see examples on the contrary, but in the long term, this stands true for all time.

In 2 Samuel 12:27-28, the commander of the army makes an alarming challenge to David, the king of Israel: “And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, ‘I have fought against Rabbah, and I have taken the city’s water supply. 28 Now therefore, gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called after my name’” (2 Samuel 12:27-28).

What? take the city and name it after yourself when kings only have such rights? Was Joab delusional? No, Joab “earned” the right to speak to the king like this because of the task he was commanded to accomplish.

No king would ever put up with such a response from the commander of his army. For him to say “…lest I take the city and it be called after my name” was unthinkable in those days. Kings were the final authority and could not be challenged in such a manner.

Joab was the one who had to do the “dirty job” of causing the death of one of his loyal soldiers. He did this as a cover-up for the lustful actions of a king without self control. The murder was orchestrated in response to the written command of the king.

But the lack of integrity displayed by the king’s actions caused this unfortunate situation. Although the king, David could not stand up to such a challenge by Joab.

He had given up that right.

There were countless other losses that David incurred in his family and the kingdom as well. He certainly didn’t think of the loss of authority within his kingdom when he allowed his lust to take over.
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During a recent conversation, the topic of sin came up. This person was quite focused on living a holy life and abstaining from sin at all costs. That’s good. But his emphasis was so heavy on the individual, that I asked, “won’t that attempt move one toward perfectionism and eventually pride?”

That evening, I read from 1 John 3:9 “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him, and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” I understand this to mean that since we are born of God, we have the “seed” of righteousness in us. Our natural “leaning” is toward righteousness, not sin. Thus we avoid sin at all costs, but that should not be our main focus. The focus should not be on sin and the pursuit of avoiding sin.

Maybe we should pursue our relationship with God and what it means to have his “seed” in us. More time with the Lord, and increased intimacy with him can be a great asset to us. In addition to that, a greater understanding that without him, we cannot live a life of righteousness and avoid sin. Thus we’ll do much better if we focus on our relationship with the Lord, and enjoy his presence throughout the day.

Focusing on the avoidance of sin will eventually lead us to covering up our sins and trying to present ourselves as sin free and righteous. Forget that.
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It seems that greater the pain, the greater the intimacy with the Lord. At least, that’s my experience. As we experience more struggles, we tend to lean on God more than at other times. His peace floods our hearts and we experience his presence more. As we cry out to him, we naturally spend more time with him. That’s good.

But the pain is not good. Should we desire the pain to gain intimacy with God? I’m not so sure of that. Of course, regular time with God is surely an asset for us, no matter if there is pain or not. You can still experience the Lord’s presence even where there’s less pain and struggles.

But…

There’s something different when you’re being consoled during your painful moments.
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Maybe He wept because of the death of Lazarus. That’s what most think, and on the surface it seems to make sense. Sort of.

I see this differently, as Jesus already knew he was going to resurrect Lazarus from the dead. Thus I cannot imagine him crying because he missed his friend. Because soon he would speak the words that would bring life back to the dead man.

Jesus wept because of the lack of faith that was all around him. Especially because of the lack of faith of his friends Martha and Mary. They should have known better, and believed deeper. Rather they allowed the situation to overtake their emotions and their reason.

Maybe even today, Jesus continues to weep because of our lack of faith.
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Protecting what we believe becomes a priority. Sometimes we are ready to “put up a fight” of various types for what we believe. But we may have friends, family, and other believers who believe differently. That creates a problem.

The root of the problem is that our beliefs become so important to us that they become our identity. Thus the difference in belief becomes much more than a difference. It becomes a point of contention rather than just a disagreement.

Can we agree to disagree? No. Not when it touches the very essence of who we are (or who we think we are). Since our identity gets tied up in our beliefs, we find it impossible to love our fellow believers.

So, what should we protect?
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What’s in a name? For many people, nothing. But for the ancients, it was a treasure of value. 

For all of us, it’s a given name.

Our parents or other relatives might have chosen our name. They might have thought it sounded good, cute, unique, or it rhymed with names of other children. Or, they found meaning that they wished for their children. These names are just given to us. 

For others, it’s a self-made name. 

It’s great to make a name through achievements. Others make a name through popularity and influence. Many spend their entire lives striving to create a name for themselves. 

For some, it’s a name acquired by a life of purpose. 

Those who live their lives with purpose leave an impact that lasts generations. This is different from those who make a name for themselves – as this is not for themselves, but for others. Such a purpose of living a life of service to others is an amazing life to live. Greater still, is a life lived for the glory of God, living out the purposes or God in this world. 

I’ve always treasured the words in Proverbs 22:1-4 regarding a good name. Here it is: 

1 “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
Loving favor rather than silver and gold.

2 The rich and the poor have this in common,
The Lord is the maker of them all.

3 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself,
But the simple pass on and are punished.

4 By humility and the fear of the Lord
Are riches and honor and life.”

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The story of Gideon is intriguing when you observe the multiple obstacles facing this man who was the one choice above all others in Israel. Was this the best God could find? 

At the time of his calling, Gideon objected doubting how God could be with Israel when all the negative things are happening to their nation. Then, he goes on to state how he could not be the right choice for God, implying that God made a mistake in selecting him. 

Then, Gideon goes on to ask for a sign, and God answers him with fire out of the rock that consumed the sacrifice. After this, God asks him to build an altar on top of the rock from where the fire came. But he had to do it at night out of fear of the people of the land. And when the men of the city objected and wanted to kill his entire family, his father stood up and was able to avert this retaliation. 

Then again, He asks for another sign, where he presents a fleece before the Lord. But here, he reverses his request, in effect doubling his fear and doubt if it is really the Lord that called him. In Judges 7:10ff, we see that after all this, he is fearful to take steps that God asks of him. 

Couldn’t God find someone with even a minimum level of confidence? This Gideon seems to be so weak that he might not even be capable of taking care of his own personal matters. 

God chooses the least. He doesn’t need any help. He can take care of his own matters. And he does it well. That brings more glory to God.

Do you know someone similar that’s weak, fearful, and full of doubt, and God somehow decided to call and use that person?

I saw one this morning. In the mirror. 

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