BTZ Blog

The greatest hindrance to our freedom in Christ is not legalism, tradition nor religious obligation so prevalent in institutional religion today. As binding as those things can be, a more powerful tyrant holds us captive from the true depths of Father's life and joy.....SELF! We can be free of all the others and we should be, yet remain captive to this one that matters most. Many people are discovering just how much bondage organized religion has become in our day. While it promises a dynamic relationship with the Living God, it too often only offers a program of behavioural conformity that leaves many empty, manipulated and disillusioned. Watching God set people free from that bondage is always a joy. However, freedom from those things without also finding freedom from the tyranny of self only becomes an excuse for greater bondage to the flesh. Paul warned the Galatians just how true that is. Our greatest captivity is not to any other person or system; it is to self. And the great

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17 James 3:2 says that we all fall in many ways. It's true, isn't it? No one could ever say, "Well, I've never failed the Lord." But what do you do when you're confronted with your sin? When God by a messenger, a circumstance or His Word holds up a mirror to you and you are made aware of some fault what do you do in that critical moment? Because we all are prone to fail the Lord, the issue then becomes, how do I respond when my sin is revealed to me? That is the great dividing line in all of humanity. In 1 Samuel 15, the life of King Saul is under the microscope. We meet him at a pivotal moment when he is confronted with his sin. Tragically, rather than admitting what he did was wrong, he attempts a major cover-up. First he blamed it on the people. Then, he rationalized, "Yeah, I did most of that, but then I sacrificed to the

“Find out what pleases the Lord.” Ephesians 5:10 If you do not know what pleases the Lord then find out what pleases Him. Some of the greatest pain that we know in life is brought on ourselves by attempting the impossible: pleasing other people. Just think of the effort and anxiety we extend every day trying to get others to like or approve or affirm us. Don’t be fooled-people-pleasing is a dead-end street. Whether the people you crave recognition from is your boss, your parent, your friend, your pastor, your denomination or someone from your past-when you position them as judge and jury over your life, you’re putting yourself in bondage. Jesus came to set you free from this painful pattern of living. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed,” (John 8:36). May I suggest two things that will help you to please the Lord: #1. Minimize your focus on what others think of you. Paul faced the temptation to people-please. Notice his response to people comparing his and Apollos’

Why do prayers go unanswered? For family devotions a child had just read, “you shall ask the Father anything in my Name and He will give it to you”....”no, no that is not true” said the child. “Most of what we and other people ask for in prayer doesn't get answered.” The child was honest in his assessment that most prayers are not answered, at least not in the way we prayed for. When you think about it most of what we pray for as a believer or as a body of believers do not seem to get the results asked for. How do we dispel the idea that many people have that prayer is just a wishful notion and not a vital connection to God? I am sure most of us have heard the pat answers given to us by leaders as to why prayers go unanswered and, if you notice, all the reasons point to some lack in the individuals wanting the answer to a prayer. Here is where some of the blame for unanswered prayer is pointed. Yes it is a fact that the following can and do hinder our prayer, but is there more to