s8nfighter

The point of being baptized unto Christ is when we move from the headship of Adam to the headship of Christ. But it is not the baptisim of the law nor of water which creates that relationship, but the baptisim of the Holy Spirit. Here is what Jesus said about the baptism of the law; "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean." Matt 23:25&26 And baptisim of the Holy Spirit is what David (A man after God's own heart) was searching for when he said, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, Renew a loyal spirit within me." Psalm 51:10 The implications of having died with Christ is we now have a new desire and new motives behind our desires. It is a desire to please God through action. Darrell

Paul is saying that sin came into the world by the trespass of one person, and he refers to that Original Sin as sin. Right or wrong, a death sentence was passed for all because of that Original Sin. (Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.) Of course there is sin without the law. The law only defined right and wrong and set clear cut boundaries. Cain was not as good at finding the shaded areas of the law as attorneys are today when he asked God, "Am I my brother's keeper?" I think Paul was stating that awareness of trespass increases with the law, that without the law and set boundries one might say that, "Hey! I didn't eat from the tree which is the knowlege of right and wrong, good and bad, so why am I held accountable? I didn't know." Sin increased even without the law. If it had not; Noah would have built a bigger boat. Darrell

Reconciliation is to reestablish a relationship between parties. Is anyone here married? I know the first thing to go between couples when one has done harm to the other is communication. Sin created an unworthiness feeling in me where I felt that I couldn't speak to God. In the beginning God gave the Law a a means for man to reconcile himself to God, not to drive man away. In a perfect setting this would have worked. The only trouble is man isn't perfect and the Law failed to do what God intended. Faith in Christ does what the Law could not do. Faith in Christ opens communication with God. If Christ had died on the cross and not risen to the right hand of God there would be no reconciliation. He was here with us now He is there with God, yet still with us. "Remain in me as I remain in the Father", is what he said. Darrell

Until the age of 37 I believed that Christ died for those who were raised up with church going families. I was in bondage to alcohol and the sins associated with getting drunk whenever possible. If it were not for God leading me to this very scripture and me believing it, I would still be in bondage to my past. I was sitting in church with my last big hangover when I picked up the bible in front of me and opened it to this very passage. If that passage had said, "Except for you Darrell, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." I would still be living my past life. Believing this was a turning point in my life. I now live the life I thought was reserved for only the chosen few, free from the bondage of sin. My past sins accounted for by the grace of God. When the devil tries to remind me of them I remind him of his future.. and I am good with that. I am good with that because I would much rather spend eternity in heaven knowing my sins were forgiven than eternity in hell believing that I was almost good enough on my own. If Christ didn't die for the sinner, then why did he die? There would be no purpose to the cross at all. If there was no heaven there also would be no reason for the cross. If there were no hope for us in the death and resurrection there would be no reason for the cross. It all comes down to the cross. God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son. If every life has a purpose then that purpose is to serve what you believe. Twenty years ago God presented me with a choice, believe in His Son or believe in my past. I chose His Son and left my past behind. I chose to believe in a "Can Do God" instead of a cannot do god. I chose to believe that by the blood of Jesus my sins were forgiven and no longer held against me. I chose to accept that my future was more important than my past so I repented and walked in a different direction, serving the one I put my hope and trust in. It is never too late to accept Christ. At what point in traveling down a road going the wrong direction is it too late to turn around. Darrell

I don't believe that Paul was referring to the sufferings of daily life, but of that which Christ points out in Matthew 5:10, 11, and 12--Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.. Or maybe he was even referring to the perseverance Christ describes in Luke chapter 6:27."But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28.bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29.If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30.Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31.Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32."If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33.And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34.And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. This kind of attitude not only causes sufferings because of financial, time, and energy constraints but also produces character. This kind of true commitment to Our LORD is lacking in the church today, esp. in America where we are so dependent on our prosperity instead of the God who gave us the means to be prosperous. It is time for reflection where hope is concerned.. What am I hoping for? Am I hoping for a fun filled and carefree life or am I hoping to spend eternity with our Lord and Savior? I find it easy to fall back into Satan's trap when I take my eye off the goal. I say it is o.k. to live for self and not be so concerned about others and what God's word says in Luke chapter 9:23.Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24.For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25.What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self ? Darrell

To answer these questions I need to begin with chapter 3:31. "Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law." To justify in a nautical sense means to adjust course, to set on right headings. In a manuscript setting; to justify means to adjust the spaces so everything lines up straight on the edges. My key to understanding is believing in God. God instructed Abram to leave his family, land, and all the comforts of home to go to a land he would show Abram. Abram believed God and set his course according to God's instruction. When God credited Abram's belief as righteousness, he was a little off course when he believed it was Hagar who was to be the mother of his children. Abram still needed to justify his course to line up with God's intentions, and that happened when God changed Sarai's and Abram's name to Sarah and Abraham. God set them on a new course, a course through which the blessings and everlasting covenant would be through Isaac and his descendants. For me the relationship between faith and justification comes in the everlasting covenant through Christ Jesus. Through faith in Jesus, a sinning gentile like myself is now set on a right course, a course justified through the life of the Son, given to me by the Holy Spirit, and only available because of the grace of the Father. Here is what justification means to me. If I was to set sail for Hawaii, using the stars as a guide, I might get off course during the day. At night when the stars were visible I could make any course corrections needed thereby justifying, making right, my course for the next day. If by lack of faith I didn't make any corrections who knows where I could end up. Look what happened to Columbus. Darrell

The danger of running ahead "of" the truth is exactly what Jesus says. " Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 (NIV) People and ministries running ahead of the Truth do so only in an attempt to glorify themselves. Well what about John? Wasn't he before Christ baptizing with water? And John says this, "This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me." John running ahead of the Truth only to proclaim the truth, not to glorify himself. To abide in Christ is to do so through actions as Christ did. This is the true witness of Christ a brotherly love kind of action. Jesus said this concerning his teachings: Matt. 23:2 "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3 So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 8 "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. Many run ahead of the truth to gain reputation and money in this life but have forsaken the eternal life, that is not only the risk but the consequence. Jesus asks, "What good is it to have all the things of the world and lose life in the process? If we don't keep our eye on the goal it is easy to lose oneself. Darrell

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 2:9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him. 1 John 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 4:20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. This pattern of teaching is the same that Christ taught. The problem is not in the faith but where we place faith. For too long the church has been teaching everything but the cost of brotherly love. We all know what John 3:16 says but how many know the rest of the verses which follow. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." Through half teaching; which is sometimes worse than false teaching, the church might not have turned out the light but sure has dimmed it quite a bit. Luke17:20 "Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."" If we truly have life through Christ then it should show in the life of the church. If there is no life in the church then there is no life in Christ. This life should be shown by accepting the teaching of Christ. 1 John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. Darrell

How many people do you think believes it is wise to remove the steering wheel from a car and drive that car on the freeway at sixty? I know I wouldn't do it. The guidance of the Holy Spirit is like our steering wheel. Without it the recklessness of the ride might seem exciting but ultimately it leads to death. Matt. 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (NIV) I think it was Mickey Mantle who was given a blank check to play baseball for the Yankee's. The owner tore out a check, handed it over to him and said fill in the blank. That was his contract with the owner, "TRUST". God has given us a blank check and we can fill it in any way we want. We can fill it in with greed, envy, and every desire of the eye there is. We can also fill it in with the things that please God, charity, compassion, and love. Mickey's mom overheard him telling someone about the things that he needed to improve on to be a better ball player. After listening to the list grow bigger and bigger she interrupted Mickey and said, "Ever since you were a little boy, you were never satisfied with your performance, there was always something you felt you needed to improve on." Mickey replied, "Ma, is that what pa would have wanted?" She said it was and Mickey said, "Well that's the way I want it and I won't be satisfied until that's the way it is." God's favor is not earned by our obedience, God's blessings are not earned by our obedience, God's love is not earned by our obedience, but His trust sure is. If we prove on that trust there will be an added comment to the blank check some day. [b]"Well done, good and faithful servant."[/b] Darrell

If I have a picture of the perfect person next to a mirror on the wall where I can compare myself to that picture; and if my desire is to be like the image of that picture, I have to make a choice. I can choose to work to become like that image, change the image, or try and destroy it. I don't know what Cain did first. Maybe he tried to overcome the sin in his life as God instructed him to do. (Gen. 4:7 But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.") NIV Maybe he tried to shift the blame like his parents did. Gen. 3:11 "And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" 12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me--she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (NIV) All I know is that he finally decided to destroy the image of the person he felt he could not be, that image was his brother. False teaching tries to change the image of Christ Jesus. To deny Christ is to try and destroy the reality of Him. If by the grace of God someone sees the image of Christ in me and hates me for it, it is not me that they hate but the image of Christ and their comparisons to that image they really hate. Darrell

The law deals mostly about how we treat other people. If you cause damage to someone's property repair it or replace it. Cause injury to a person offer yourself as a servant till that person gets better. And if you see someone in need of anything if you do not offer aid that is like doing wrong. This is a sad sad generation we live in today, as Jesus says, "It is a wicked and adulteress generation which looks for signs and wonders." That is the generation we are in now. We ignore the law and look for miracles. We ignore charity and seek signs. We take grace for granted, claiming we love Jesus, and ignore what he says, "This is how I know you love me; follow my commands." And one half of what he commanded is to love one another. How hard is that to understand? Only in a wicked generation would tolerate what happened last week-end in California. A teen aged girl was beaten and raped many times while dozens of people looked on. Uncaring is like a cancer. It starts out slow and by the time it is full blown it is too late. The cancer is eating at the American population now and too many people not only don't care about their neighbors they don't even care to know them. Kids going to school with guns and shooting up the place and we say it is the governments fault for taking prayer out of the school. In truth we have taken God's law out of our actions. These kids can see the hypocritical actions of their parents and are at a loss; not knowing what to believe. How many people want revival? If you asked that question in church there would be lots of hands raised. The hands go down if you ask how many want the revival to begin with them. Darrell

I need to work this session back-wards, because I guess I am a back-wards guy. I grew up not going to church or knowing anything about the Lord or His way. By the time I was 17 I drank almost every day. By the time I was 18 I hated the thought that alcohol was a part of my life, I went to my first AA meeting at the age of 19. My life was like a roller-coaster ride from 17 on with it's good and bad, it's ups and down. Finally on the downhill slide it seemed like I was headed into a bottomless pit. That is when God called me three times. What looked like a pure coincidence,God placed me in another AA group. From there He led me to a bible teaching church. I was still drinking at this point. What happened next is what some would call a miracle. I was attending a communion service, I was hung over, and I was feeling so so guilty. Guilt was going to keep me from taking communion until I reached for the bible in front of me and opened it up. Not knowing a thing about where anything was in the bible I began to read. I read Jesus' words, I am the one who takes away the sins of the world. He didn't say except your's Darrell but all. When the Holy Spirit filled me I no longer felt guilt, or shame, I no longer blamed God for my weakness, but I began to thank Him for His Son and went up and took communion. This is the common thread you will find in Acts about being filled with the Holy Spirit; They all began to praise God. That was the end to my drinking. From that moment on I had no need to drink to cover the guilt. That is Satan's biggest weapon; guilt. I could not purify myself, AA could not purify me, nothing I do makes me pure thereby taking credit for the cross. I give that to Christ and I thank Him for that which I could not do. I learned this saying in AA. (Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.) But Jesus taught me this just like the woman who was caught in adultery, Jesus said, "You are healed. Now go and sin no more." You ask why I want to stay pure, my answer to this is the answer to Christ's question, "Who do you think loves me most, the one who's sins are little and frogiven or the one who's sins are great and forgiven?" And theses three remain, faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor. 13 Darrell

I read a daily devotional several years ago which stuck to me and I would like to share the point of it because I relate to that devotional well. It went something like this: After a nice family get together and all the guests had left John decided to go to the local bar for a few drinks. As he was walking through the freshly fallen show toward the bar he began to feel guilty. But he quickly justified his actions with the thought that he had spent an afternoon with the family and they all had a good time, so there should be nothing wrong with going. Well as he sat down to enjoy his first drink his 4 year old son walked in and stood next to him. He asked little Johnny how he knew that he would be at this place. His son said he didn't know where he would be. He asked him how did he find him and little Johnny said, "The snow was fresh and yours were the only tracks so I just followed your footsteps." That was the direction my footsteps went for a long time. But because of the anointing of the Holy Spirit and my choice to obey the leading of that spirit which is guiding my steps my direction has changed. My footprints didn't become larger, I don't make a bigger impression with a changed life, just a better one. After I had quit drinking for about ten years my daughter called me up and said, "Dad I am proud of you." I told her thanks, but asked her why. She works in the emergency room at the hospital and has seen the effects of drugs and alcohol on many lives. She said after seeing people end up there time after time, she knows how hard it must have been to quit. Ain't that something, a life that my daughter is proud of. There are many many people chasing after the same thing, a phone call from their loved ones with a voice on the other end saying, "I am proud of you." Darrell

That is a good question, why do we need teachers in the church? Jesus says that there will be many who come to lead His sheep away with false doctrines. Paul was in prison, because he taught the truth about the gospel, when he wrote to Timothy. He answered both your questions here. Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me

In Galatians Paul gives 9 characteristics a fruitful Christian. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These characteristics are not words of feeling but words of action. A fruitful person will have a brotherly love like the Good Samaritan who reached into his pocketbook and paid for the care of a stranger. The joy of the Lord will always comfort him. The "Joy of the Lord" is the obedience to His laws. The peace we have comes from the knowledge we have that by doing what is good and right will lead to a great reward in heaven. We are patient in our suffering knowing that the world will take advantage of and even hate (a hatred that comes out of envy) us at times. Even my seven year old grand-son is a judge goodness. When he returned home Saturday from golfing with me and his dad B.J. asked him how he played. He told her he played good. She asked how I played and he said good. Then she asked how his dad played. He said, "Not so good. He hit a car." Jesus explains in John chapter 15 that He is the vine and we are the branches. He says that a branch that produces no fruit will be cut off. Then He goes on to say that if we lack anything to make us more fruitful ask and it will be given. Peter instructs us to add to our faith in ever increasing measure the fruits of the Holy Spirit to make certain our election, that we will be productive and effective in our knowledge of Christ. What might those who are abiding in Christ be doing. Sometimes they will be doing the things that seem boring to others. When there is no reason, except that they love their family, they just might be doing the laundry, cleaning the house, or scraping together a meal from nothing. They might be going off to the same old mundane job and working harder than most just because that is what God instructs them to do. But in all of this they will be giving thanks to the Lord and expecting His return. Darrell

After Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they realized that they were naked. They were ashamed and hid from God in their nakedness. What changed? They were always naked, never needing a veil to stand before God until then. Two things changed I believe, the desires of the flesh and the guilt that Satan placed in their heart. As time went on the desires of the flesh grew and grew and the veil which allowed His people to stand before Him went from a fig leaf to the Ten Commandments and from the Ten Commandments to the Law of Moses. We have been adding to that veil ever since. The veil of the law has become so thick, those who stand behind it can no longer see the Father. The more laws we make the more we try to clothe ourselves with some sort of external righteousness and falsely giving a sense of confidence before God. John says do not forget what you heard in the beginning. The Law is what they heard in the beginning; not to be a veil to hide from God but a guide to come near God. If we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which changes the desires of the heart, we strip away the Law because the Law is no longer required. The parable in Luke 18 when the religious leader asked Jesus, "What do I have to do to inherit eternal life?", is not about money. The parable is really about the striping away the veil, the changing of the heart. Let's go back to the beginning for a second look and see what could have been different that resembles what God's desire for us is. The most often asked question is, "What would life be like if Adam and Eve had not eaten from the tree?" I wonder that too. But I also wonder what life would be like if they had stood before God in their nakedness and said, "God forgive us because we have disobeyed you." Do you think their hearts would have been changed from fear to love, from a desire to hide to a desire to respect? I think God would have said your sins are forgiven and yes I believe that is why John says that if you remain in the Son you also remain in the Father. If the desires of the heart are changed the veil is no longer there and the only way for that veil to come down is through the Son. Matthew 5:3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Isn't this what Jesus is talking about? When we remove the veil of serving the law, and quit comparing our worth according to how much clothing we have on and realize we all are naked befor the LORD we can then start helping one another without the fear of "being just like them". We are all sinners and need a constant renewing of the spirit because the world often gets us off track. Darrell

The anointing is the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. God did not sprinkle the Holy Spirit on a few thus calling only some, for many were called according to Matt.. To live by that calling is another matter. To chose to answer the call and not deny the Holy Spirit, the only unforgivable sin, is the key to your question. Who can understand the ways of the LORD? In Isaiah 43 he reminds us that he destroyed the armies of Egypt to set Israel free. Then he says to forget all that because he is going to do something new and wonderful. He asks, ""Don't you see it?", I have already begun." He began to lay the cornerstone which many would stumble over, and still do to this day. Don't you see it? A way in the wilderness with a river of living water. Jesus says the Holy Spirit will come to convict the world of sin. The word convict does not mean condemn but to point out or to make aware of. In that aspect we all have been anointed with the Holy Spirit. The other aspect of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit is that we all are forgiven of our sins. This is what kept me in bondage to Satan for many years. I thought forgiveness of sin was only for a few so I kept drinking from the age of 17 to 34 not knowing that Christ died for all. The spirit of the antichrist kept me believing this far too long. You see some will say that you are not filled with the Holy Spirit unless......... (you fill in the blank). But the truth is Jesus began a good work in us long before we knew Him. We are instructed to fan into flames that good work which He began. I believe what Paul says, that there are two spirits within us. An evil spirit and a spirit from God. The spirit we feed is the one that becomes victorious in our lives. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is not a matter of what God has given to me personally, because He has poured out His blessing on all. It is dependent upon whether or not I choose to serve Him. Darrell

The Antichrist John writes about is the prince of the world, the evil one, or the devil. Whether we like it or not the time will come when Satan will set up his rule for a short time. How do I know, it is written in God's word. Rev. 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit[a] and a heavy chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon

There are times I like to relate the teachings of God to today, and I think this is a good time for that. There is a heated debate across America about health care reform. Some that have good insurance ignore the fact that 22,000 people die every year because of the extreme cost of health care. I have what I have and it is in God's hands that others don't is not a good enough reason not to care about our friends and neighbors. At least that is what Jesus teaches in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Much praise and honor is given to celebrities when they donate their time and money to worthwhile causes such as cancer research, AIDS research, and other health care related organizations. This is good and also so sad that most only donate their efforts after they themselves or a close friend or family member has suffered a relating illness. Isn't it much more honorable to give before, to give out of love for one another not even knowing who? Isn't this what Christ did for us, He died for our sins long before we knew Him. Jesus says that all the law and all the prophets hang on two principles, not one then the other but both. The two principles are these, "Love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself." Why is it harmful to any of us to abandon either one of these principles? A swing is hinged on two sides, if you unhook either side it becomes a rope. I find it much easier to sit in a swing than to dangle from a rope. Darrell

I think that John is still speaking of brotherly love here, or the lack of it in our society. "The boasting of the things we have and the things we do are NOT of the Father but of the world", he says. Job faced this same criticism when God allowed Satan to take away everything Job had. His friends and neighbors believed that God was angry with him because of his losses. Satan was able to take from Job everything except the love and respect he had for God. In prosperous times we tend to measure the love of God according to what we have accumulated instead of what we share. What we have and what we do is not the measure of the goodness of God. God is good simply because of His righteous ways, His love for us, and His willingness to forgive our sins. He asks a lot in return. He asks that we do the same, Deuteronomy 30:8"You will again obey the LORD and follow all his commands I am giving you today. 9 Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul." (NIV) Darrell

John sees the walk with Christ a journey where we are at different places with Him. When I was young in my knowledge of the Lord I relied on the truth that my sins were forgiven on account of his name. I needed that reassurance often, I needed that encouragement when things of my recent past came up to haunt me. As time went on and my walk with the Lord went a little further down the line I realized that I was in a battle. The battle raged within me, to give in to temptation but with the help of the Holy Spirit I was victorious in many of these battles. The more times the Spirit within me beat down my evil desires the the more praise I gave to God. It is now twenty years later, from when I first accepted the forgiveness of my sins through Christ and the Lord took away my dependence upon alcohol. This life isn't easy but that is o.k. because I know the Father and his plans for me. Isn't it wonderful to know what awaits at the end of a long journey? To know that we will spend an eternity with the Father, the one who created us out of love is what I am encouraged by most now. Have a blessed day all Darrell

I don't like digging up the past, but maybe this is a good time. I cannot remember ever hating with a passion, but I do remember the longing to be accepted just for me. I was born and raised in a small town. We didn't have much, guess you could say we were poor, and because of this we were treated different. It is a little hard to have to learn to fight with your fists as a ten year old just because of the holes in your shoes. I fought most of my fights defending my little brother. He was one year younger than me and quite a bit smaller; early on, life seemed to give him the worst of all that it had to offer. I think that is when I came to hate (if you will) the arrogance, pride, and judgements of people. I tell you this because it is the separation from others that leads to separation from God. You might think that is an odd thing to say, but do you have a coin in your pocket? One side has tails, the other heads. You cannot have one without the other. You cannot love the Father and hate his creation, you cannot be separate from people and united with God. You can go, like Moses, and seek God in solitude. But God will always send you back to the people. Even God says that it is not good to be alone. Ronald's road and mine went different paths. He stayed in school, getting his masters degree in chemical engeneering. He chose to show them by becoming more wealthy than they were. He chose to fit in by being on top. I fit in by being a week-end drunk, which lead to many problems, and that is a whole different story which leads me to where I am today. Sitting in church I learned the love of God is what unites us, in Jesus there is no separation. That has become my focus on life the past twenty years, with this new understanding of God I fit in. No need for alcohol, no need for things, I am accepted by the One who matters most just for who I am. Ronald passed away from cancer a few years back. One year before he died, he said to me, "If I had it all to do over, I would do what you are doing, I did it just to show them." Before he died, I had a chance to share my love for the Lord with him and tell him of the love God has for us. The moment he passed away, separated by fifteen hundred miles, he came to me in a vision. In this vision, he said to me with a comforting voice, "I have to go now." Just the way he said it I knew he had accepted Christ and let the past go. Darrell

I believe what he is saying here is that if I walk in darkness I also walk alone, not even the prince of darkness will be at my side. Also if I choose to walk in the light I will choose to have fellowship with other Christians. This fellowship is necessary for two purposes, for aid and instruction. 2 Tim. 2:4 1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage

I believe that there are a few reasons our fellowship is only superficial. The number one reason is because we live in such a fast paced society now, we have little time for one another. Every relationship requires of us time and energy and there seems to be so little left after a days work of attempting to secure the good life. Our quest for more things to give us more free time and more things to enjoy our free time has somewhat replaced what we once had. The second reason is our relationship with God lacks our attention. I think we have too many soccer moms and football dads and not enough praying families. Who knows the ways of the Lord? Joshua reminds us of this, " But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul." When we seek first His kingdom and all His ways then we will have a deeper, more meaningful relationship with one another. Darrell

Hi My name is Darrell and I live in Washington State. I am nearly sixty now, wow. Most didn't think I would live this long, and I wouldn't have if I had not surrendered myself to Christ. Thank you Lord. I am a self-employed painter, been in business for almost 20 years, and the Lord has supplied enough work to keep me and my help working steady. Thank you Lord. I used to be an alcoholic but the Lord healed me from the desire to drink in one heartfelt moment. Thank you Lord. I have a wonderful wife whom I love very much, and she loves me toooo!!! And I am glad to be here. Darrell