Before you can finish the sentence, “I’ve been set free by Christ, and now…” some spiritual hall monitor is going to remind you that “Your liberty in Christ should not lead to license.”

Okay. Got it.

Is there anyone who has been in a church more than a few hours who doesn’t know that our freedom in Christ isn’t freedom to sin?

Is there any way the Holy Spirit isn’t going to convict the holy stuffing out of a believer who is using his or her freedom to excuse their sin?

Come on, man.

Why are we so afraid of our freedom in Christ?

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Here’s the 2nd promised installment of daily devotions from the Book of First John to help you and encourage you in your walk with the Lord Jesus. You’re going to need your Bible and I’ve provided the Study Notes on this website that you can either bookmark, or print.

I hope this helps those of you who are committed to journaling this year.

Week 1: Overview of 1 John

Day 1: Am I missing something?

Day 2: What’s the big deal about heresy?

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Here’s the first promised installment of daily devotions from the Book of First John to help you and encourage you in your walk with the Lord Jesus. You’re going to need your Bible and I’ve provided the Study Notes on this website that you can either bookmark, or print.

I hope this helps those of you who are committed to journaling this year.

1 John Overview Day 1: Am I missing something?

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Most mornings I fill at least one page of my trusty Mead Notebook, add a few specific prayer requests to my prayer log at the end of the notebook, and grudgingly close my journal when it’s time to start my day.

But, melancholy depresso that I am, some mornings it’s jut not in me.

After I wore myself out guilting and shaming over what a sorry Christian I am and wondering why I can’t just be Spirit-filled and happy jounaler guy, I decided to just be honest with Jesus.

But I always record it:

Not Today, Lord

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Definition

Franchise Player is a term used in sports, especially the NFL, to describe an athlete who is more than a player the team needs, he’s the athlete the team cannot survive without. He’s more than just “the best player.” He’s the guy the entire franchise depends on.

If you’ve been listening to any news the last few weeks, you’re probably as sick as I am of hearing about Brett Favre. I’ve always liked Brett Favre, but enough is enough. One of our missionaries grew up rooting for Brett’s team. He’s such a fan that he even named his son, Brett! But even he is fed up with all the drama surrounding their franchise player.

Church as Franchise

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Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know (Jeremiah 33:3).

A few years ago we dedicated ourselves to moving our vision forward by prayer—learning how to pray daring, world-changing prayers that ask the Lord to do what we know we could never do.

We call them Breakthrough Prayers. Those Christians and churches experiencing God’s grace in extraordinary ways know the power of prayer. Every prayer ever uttered by a child of God is an exercise of grace. If He did not love us in grace our prayers would fail. But there are those who want more. For these, there is the option of breakthrough prayer.

Breakthrough Prayer?

Many have asked me, “What makes a breakthrough prayer different from other prayers?

• Breakthrough Prayers are our collective community prayers—we pray these together.
• Breakthrough Prayers are specific—we ask God to take us beyond a precise ministry threshold our leaders feel God wants us to reach in His time and in His way.
• Breakthrough prayers are persistent—we keep on asking, every day, all the time, throughout the year.
• Breakthrough prayers involve fasting—those who are able fast and pray together during the year asking God for His answer.

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Spendthrift Disciples?

If someone asked you to describe the financial choices and spending habits of a sold-out, revival-hearted Christian, what words would you use? Here are a few I’m sure you’re thinking of: sacrificial, unselfish, generous, purposeful, responsible, cheerful, trusting, obedient, and transcendent. Here are a few that are not coming to mind: self-indulgent, miserly, impetuous, reckless, grudging, independent, rebellious, and myopic.

In the early years of the church, the first list of words described the Christian community. They had very little and gave away most of the little they had. They were primarily members of the “left-out” community. If they were one of the privileged few who came to Christ, they were known for the amounts of money they gave away, not the portion that they kept.

Today the embarrassing words of the second list could explain the financial attitudes of too many of us. We drive luxury cars and spacious SUV’s, live in expansive homes in the suburbs, eat in the top restaurants, play on premium golf courses, shop in trendy stores, cruise the seas and fly with the beautiful people to faraway places while most of our churches struggle to meet bare-bones budgets and cross-cultural Christian workers live hand to mouth.

Empty-Handed Arrivals in Heaven

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What is your least and His much?

“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10).

The big questions in this verse are, “What is our least, and what is God’s much?

We’ve all heard some fundraiser or TV preacher tell us that if we’ll just give our little to God then He’ll give us a lot more money.

That interpretation may work to manipulate people into giving, but it’s not at all what Jesus is teaching in this passage.

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