I can’t make human society a lovely place; but with Jesus’ help I can make my own mind and heart lovely places. Let Jesus’ presence & power open like a flower in your life. A flower flows with inner life. It’s a flow-er. Be a flow-er with God’s Spirit.

Freedom is to overcome sin. Bondage is being overcome & controlled by sin. If you’ve produced enough pain & misery in your life, you may be ready for Jesus to heal you & set you free.

Can we make more room in church for the living Jesus to freely move among us? A tightly controlled meeting can restrict the freedom to be led by the Holy Spirit. Howard Thurman put it this way: “The testimony of the individual is always fresh.” Why not let people freely testify in church?

Christianity first met as informal support groups, not as formal religious meetings. However, open meetings can go off track without a commitment to be faithful to Scripture. Accountability to Jesus, to others in His body, & to the Bible; keeps me on track. That makes it safe for us to introduce design flexibility into church services & try new ways of meeting.

Expertise is good, but there’s no need for an expert when we meet for worship. Perhaps church could let people engage together in open community meetings. Ekklesia gives the Spirit design flexibility in the meeting yet stays with Scripture.

Grace doesn’t make me free to sin. It sets me free from my sins. God’s forgiveness is so much better than attempting to justify yourself. To continue doing what does you in is to pedal a cycle of defeat.

The solution to self-produced pain is to stop producing it. People who habitually do things that hurt themselves have trouble being happy. “To stop running cycles of self-defeating behaviors in your life is called “repentance.”

Jesus warned: “Beware of false prophets.” The Bible helps us recognize them. The Bible helps us to follow the real Jesus & avoid a counterfeit. To change the teaching of Christ & His disciples is to abandon the faith.

Don’t take one person’s spiritual views. Pray for God’s revelation & search the Bible. Avoid people who want you to believe what they teach & to ignore the Bible. Some people make bold theological statements that depart from Scripture. Be careful. People can reject biblical faith but they can’t change it. It is what it is. Before believing a theological statement, check it out to see that it is scriptural.

The wisdom of Scripture is a much more reliable guide than my feelings & whims. Christians who think they don’t need the Bible, need it the most. For solid spiritual guidance: Stay close to the risen Jesus & stay in the Bible. The Bible is the bellows that fan the flames of the Spirit in my heart! Like the first Christ-followers, I believe the Old Testament Scripture & Jesus words.(See John 2:22) The Bible will point you to Jesus & help you avoid false guides that lead to deception.

You can be as open to God (or as closed to Him) as you want to be. God won’t force anyone to be with Him forever. However, He invites everyone. God is so tolerant He allows people to turn away from Him & reject Him forever.

The most effective life coach is the living, resurrected Jesus. He transforms lives! There’s an inner flow from Jesus that lifts me up with hope & joy all day long! God’s way is the high way! Follow Jesus.