THE HANDS OF A FISHERMAN

Praise the Lord everybody! because He alone is worthy to be praised!! I truly pray that everyone is enjoying God's blessing. The last few days have been good for me because my sciatica is starting to show some improvement and I'm believing God that I'll be able to go to church before the month is out. IN JESUS NAME!!
 I was meditating today on something Pastor Green(First Church of Christ Holiness) posted today on Facebook about Christian Soldiers and those who would pose as Soldiers in the army of the Lord. This is my favorite analogy of who we Christians are and I have many early post that attest to that. Then I began to think of another analogy that Christ Himself used in Matthew 4:18-19 18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.  

We are not only soldiers in the Army of God but we are also called to be Fishers of men. In order to build an army, you must go out and recruit. When I think about fishermen back then I think of strong, rugged types, hard-working men with big strong hands, gnarly and scarred from hauling up nets and wrestling with fish all day at times to bring them in, and Sometimes they would have to launch out into the deep waters where other men feared to tread to make their catch. That's also how I see Fishers of men. This is not for the wimpy, in the natural or in the spirit.

There is not a lot real fishing going on these days. Megachurches are just like today's mega fishing boats that just sail out to a spot and just suck up hundreds, thousands of fish at a time and process, package and freeze them all before reaching shore. Today's churches just invite everyone to come up and be "saved" walk them through a prayer, give them some literature and slap the label "Christian" on them and send them on their way. Where are the gnarled, scarred hands from doing the work of discipleship, launching out into the deep to pull in the deep running fish like addicts, alcoholics and the homeless? those who have nothing to tithe but still need Jesus and His cleansing life-changing word. Jesus told his Disciples in John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 

Are today's churches just large processing plants turning out canned or prepackaged Christianity? Once the meeting is over and everyone starts heading there own way who is making sure the new convert is alright and comfortable with what just happened? Who is reaching out? When is the fisherman through with his catch? He has to keep them fresh and viable until they are ready to be sold at market.
We must prepare our "catch" for the market, the world market where they will be seen and observed. The well prepared go on to bring in there own "catch" because what they have is appealing to those in the world who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness.

The hands of Fishers of Men should not soft from lack of work or effort but the bumps, the bruises, and the callouses should be soothed by the Balm of Gilead, the love of Jesus Christ. The job of the fisherman just like the hands of a fisherman is rough but what we do for God is nothing in comparison to what He has done, doing and will do for us.

               God bless you all, Brother Darrell, Speaking Off The Wall

IT MAY BE DARK BUT I STILL SEE JESUS!!: REVISITED

Praise the Lord everybody! I pray you all are enjoying God's blessing. I must admit that I and my wife are going through what some might call a dark time. Not so much in our marriage as it is in our everyday lives. The trials and the hindrances we face now are approaching biblical proportions, any day I expect Moses to come knocking on my door crying "let my people go!" The light is flickering at the end of the tunnel. It may be dark  but I can still see Jesus and that's enough for me.

I wrote the above and the following paragraphs two years ago and I must say in the physical realm nothing has changed but in the spiritual God has used these trials to stretch out our faith to another level. I must say I am not the man I was before these trials and that encouraged me to revisit this post and see where God has brought me from and if you are experiencing the same things I pray it blesses you. BACK TO THE POST:

It is my faith that keeps me putting one foot in front of the other. Faith gets me out of bed and into the shower and starts me on my way, to make matters worst my wife and I have to endure this trial apart from each other having to combine our faith by long distance. Right now it's just me and God holding things down here at home. Sometimes I think of what Paul wrote in 1st Peter 4: 12+13
¹² Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
¹³ But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

I Start to meditate on this and I stand up a little taller, then I think about Psalm 30:4,5,6
⁴ Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
⁵ For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
⁶ And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.

As I meditate on these verses I begin to smile "In his favour is Life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning and In my prosperity I said I shall not be moved"Praise God! you might say "what favour? what prosperity? your in the middle of a fiery trial." But I am reminded of whose I am and who I serve, I have favour because I am covered in the blood of Jesus and that makes me a son of God from that comes my prosperity, I am a joint heir with Christ and in that I will not be moved! I then begin to think of Gods grace, the grace He gives us so that we can stand during these times of tribulation. Romans 5: 1-4 states

1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

² By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
³ And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
⁴ And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

This is just another experience, something I can look back on and use as a testimony to the power of God. It's part of that amazing grace we have through faith in God. My trial by this time is now whittled down from a mountain to a mole hill and I can now see over it into the valley. I see times of refreshing and a peace begins to overtake me, Jesus said in John 16:33
³³ These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Praise the Lord! by now my mood has changed, I have encouraged myself through God's word. and I'm ready to stand firm one more day as I wait on Him to deliver me out of this trial.
Remember there is no place so dark no light can be found, you just have to look.

                     God bless you, Brother Darrell, A Watchman
PS: I may be still going through the trial, still basically home bound and bed ridden again after a season of improvement physicaly but the light of Jesus still lights my way, God bless

THE DEVIL WANTS ME DOWN: BUT MY SHIFT AIN'T OVER!!!

Praise the Lord everybody! He is truly worthy to be praised!! I pray everyone is enjoying God's blessing. This is Revival week at my church and I hear God is doing amazing things for His people. Unfortunately I am still laid up with a bad case of sciatica and have been missing all the fun. It has been almost two months since I was last in church. At times I feel myself getting a little frustrated and then the Enemy tries to come in and talk me down off the wall.

You see even though I am down physically spiritually speaking I am still up on the wall, on my watch, I am a Watchman. For those who don't know it most of your cities in biblical times were surrounded by high walls for protection and on those walls they had walkways. The watchman would walk those walls and keep watch over the city, inside and outside the walls, every hour or so he would announce what time it was, make pronouncements from the King and if all was well or not.

The wall I am on is not contained in a building because God and his people are not contained or constrained to a building. As I stand my watch, seeing things through God's eyes, (see Psalms 32:8) and speaking what He wants and writing what He gives me to write even as my own life is full of trials and tribulations the enemy of our souls is near by urging me to "come down from the wall, take a break and focus on yourself and your troubles."

The devil is always trying to make God's people "come down" to his level. In Nehemiah 6: 1-4 the enemy comes and tries to talk him down.1) Now it came to pass when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;)

2 That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.
3 And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?
4 Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner. 

Nehemiah recognized the enemy and did not fall for his deception or the "okey doke" as we used to say back in the day. The enemy tried to talk Jesus down twice, once in Matthew 4:5-75 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 
Then again in Matthew 27: 39-42  39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

Like Nehemiah and Jesus I am not going to be talked down by the enemy! Jesus did not come down off that cross and I'm not coming down off this wall. Come what may I have been called up on this wall by God and the devil might want me down but I'm letting him know "I'm working for the Lord and my shift ain't over!" Through the storm and through the rain, through sickness and through pain I am going to serve Him till He calls me down to say "well done".

 The next time the Devil calls out to you "come on down the water is fine" remember there is no water in hell! Stay on the job till your shift is over!

           God bless you all, Brother Darrell, Speaking Off The Wall