In Romans 8:1&2, we read "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." KJV

• Do you have joy in your life or do you feel sadness as a result of feelings of condemnation by others?

• Can you hold others accountable for their actions when they have wronged you or another, in a loving manner?

• Do you live by the Spirit’s Leading, or by the leading of other’s Strongholds and Defenses, the bible refers to these as the flesh or sin?

• In other words, do you make choices that are best for you, or "bad" choices based on other’s wants and desires?

• Or, do you know someone who manipulates others to get their desires met by placing blame, assigning guilt, being too critical, or trivializing things of importance to others (their pain or success)?

Most likely you haven’t given these fleshly tendencies much thought. However, I can assure you that God has. These are all fruits of condemnation stemming from our carnality; our fleshly tendencies.

To explore further, let us take you on a day-long adventure in which we will explore these topics and many more that will, I promise, start you on a path of new discovery. First we will examine bottom-line motivations, the source of our carnality and why it rules in our hearts; producing our actions and reactions. We will even go way back when "fear" was first introduced in the Bible and how that same type of "fear" influences our decisions today.

We will focus on the personality characteristics of 8 Biblical Characters; their God-given talents and abilities known as "Strengths," as well as their fleshly tendencies, known as "Strongholds" and their defense mechanisms "Defenses" which they used to protect their own carnal ways.

From this close examination, we expose how we, today, function and fail in the same areas as our Biblical counterparts; promoting various forms of condemnation through the use of our own Defenses.

Understanding our carnality-based Strongholds and Defenses and the damage they inflict on one another, we set out to embrace 12 truths, our"God-Given" rights and their importance in establishing Boundaries, protection necessary for healthy mental and physical well being. As Boundaries, these truths will empower us with God’s love to deal with stressful situations resulting from other’s condemning behavior. To better understand, we will consider "Boundaryless" people and how they "hurt," and can even be on a path of self destruction, leading to suicidal tendencies without realizing their plight.

The rest of our journey is the Renewal/Re-Programming process; replacing the old "carnal" way of living and getting our own needs met with a program of embracing Unconditional Love; of understanding and kindness for ourselves as well as others, and allowing the Lord to take us by the hand and help us face our fears, looking for new opportunities to share His love with others along the way.

By "putting" on the "Full Armor of God," understanding the role of a Peacemaker, developing some techniques for making better decisions, learning to face conflict and confrontation with confidence (in this life conflict is inevitable), and an in-depth exploration of responses that other’s have when confronted along with developing choices one has no matter another’s negative response, taking a closer look at Repentance, as well as Safe People (for those who have been harmed and don’t know who to trust), and forgiveness; these all lead you to the path of freedom from condemnation and God’s best for your life.

This is a journey of the heart; examining the carnality that is prevalent and hidden in each of us. And we can’t help upon this examination to see the pain we inflict on one another, and how we must grieve the Holy Spirit. It is a time of exploring, first, ourselves and then those around us; not for the purpose to condemn or judge anyone, but in order to love and help one another obtain God’s desires for all our lives.

In closing, if we are willing, God will set us free, but first we must be honest and let Him reveal the sad truth that like our Biblical counterparts, most of us are filled with pride, are spiritually blind and enslaved by hurt, pain, fear, etc., having little room in our hearts for God’s bountiful, unfailing love. Let God’s love set you free!

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. (Matthew 10:16 KJV)

 *Instructors and Staff are not licensed counselors. Seminar is based on personal experience and research.