DISOBEDIENCE: A HARD HEAD MAKES A SOFT BEHIND!!

Praise the Lord everybody! for He alone is worthy to be praised! I love the Lord, He has been so good to me and my wife, even in our trials, our tribulations and our acts of disobedience. God's grace and mercies are new every morning. We have tasted and seen that the Lord truly is good. Our feeble works are as "filthy rags" to Him as we try and earn His love and His favor. We alone cannot do it.

As I read through the Bible I see example after example of how disobedience can cause the man or woman of God to suffer many trials and afflictions. I am also a witness to that fact. The trial my wife and I are going through right now is due to me not totally obeying the instructions God gave me years ago, now I am reaping the fruit of my disobedience.

Just as Jonah had to spend three days in the belly of a fish because he didn't want to go to Nineveh, just as Sampson suffered at the hands of the Philistines because he let his hair be cut and he married outside of his people against his parents wishes. There are many more accounts of the consequences of disobeying God, David, Paul as Saul, Moses at the rock and the list goes on and on.

Being obedient is more than just going to Church, paying your tithes and offering and saying all the right things. Being obedient is listening to that still small voice and doing what it says when it tells you to put another $20 dollars in the plate when it comes around, when it says "don't take that job offer" when you've always wanted that job, when it tells you the one you love is not the one for you, when it tells you to quit your good job and go into full time ministry,this is obedience to God.

Fifteen years ago God spoke to me and told me it was "time to get my house in order" meaning my physical body, the temple of the Holy Spirit, I was over weight and my body was just starting to break down. He put me in a position to do so, He gave me favor with the ministry I was \involved with and they provided me with everything I would need, diet, exercise equipment and encouragement and I took advantage of it. Then I was offered a job, a job I really wanted but God said "no". I convinced myself that I had misunderstood and  God's "no" was really a "yes" and I took the Job.

To make a long story short, that was the end of the weight loss program, I eventually relapsed on drugs and my body broke down to the point where I couldn't work anymore and had to get on disability. All Though the relapse on drugs was short lived, I am still on disability and suffering in my body and struggling to lose weight. I am believing God for my healing but all this could have been avoided if I had just done what God had told me to do back then. God knows our future outcomes and what lays in wait for us around every corner. We can avoid these pit falls if we would only take heed of His warnings.

Isaiah 1:16-20 states    16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

If you truly want to be blessed and favored of God learn to be obedient in all things. Like my mom always says "a hard head makes a soft behind."

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

THE LIGHT OF GOD DOES NOT DIVIDE: IT UNITES!!

Praise the Lord everybody!! Because He alone is worthy to be praised!! I pray every one of you is enjoying God's blessing. God is in the blessing business, every time He wakes us up in the morning He's blessing us. Every breath we take, every move we make, every bit of food we eat it's by His grace and His mercy that we have these things. This week He brought my wife through three simultaneous surgical procedures safe and sound, hallelujah!! He gave us a new air conditioner before another heat wave came along. He has taken us to a higher place in Him. Getting here was not easy but it was well worth it.

I noticed something over the past ten years or so about being a holy man of God, filled with the Holy Spirit of God to the point where the glory of God is shining brightly from your face, and that is people try not to spend too much time around you. That includes other Christians. I'm not talking about myself in particular but other men of God like my Pastor, Elder Johnny Green and other strong men of God I've known over the years. People have a tendency to cross to the other side of the street when they see them coming and I was reminded of Moses in Exodus 34:29-33   29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come nigh him.

31 And Moses called unto them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them.

32 And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in mount Sinai.

33 And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.

The glory of the Lord is a bright, sin exposing, convicting, holy light that emanates from God and those who spend quality time in His presence and are filled with His spirit. I can understand the world running away from the light. The Bible states in John 3: 19+20    19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

This is why the world avoids the light but the children of Israel were Gods chosen people and today just as then many of God's people, Christians, prefer not to spend to much time in the presence of those who are spending quality time in God's presence. They not only cross the street, if they can when they see them approaching but they do their best to assault their character behind their backs. Why does this happen when the opposite should be happening John chapter 3 verse 21 states    21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

In other words, if you are living right before God there is no reason to hide, you want people to see what God is doing in you and through you. Also, let me say this, it is a wonderful thing to be able to freely enjoy the fellowship with the men and women of God when you are not concerned about how bright their light is shining on you because it just means more of God's love and warmth in your life. If and when you are overtaken by a fault, confess your sin, repent and continue to stay in the light. God's word says if we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Brothers and sisters don't "hate" on those who have given themselves over to God to the point where they are filled with His light shines brightly through them, seek them out, emulate them, encourage them because there is a high price they have paid for such an anointing. Just a little something to think about.
                             God Bless You All, Brother Darrell, Speaking Off The Wall

THE OLD LANDMARKS WILL NEVER LEAD YOU ASTRAY!

Praise the Lord everybody!! because He alone is worthy to be praised!! I love the Lord, and He is my all and all. My wife and I are learning more and more to accept what God allows and totally trust in the Lord. Right now the going is rough and whatever can go wrong has gone wrong, but what do I know, God IS in charge, He knows best.

As I sit and watch and wait on the Lord I notice that there are  more and more people walking around this country aimlessly, seemingly lost and a lot of them claim to be Christian. The Church is losing it's way and turning aside from the path of Holiness, distracted by the glitter of this world. We are losing sight of the pathways forged by our Church forefathers.

PROVERBS 22: 28 states    28 Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

It started when This country, which considered itself a God fearing Christian country began changing it's so called "blue laws" in the 60's allowing stores to be open on Sundays and sell beer even on Sunday mornings encouraging people to go shopping or drinking on Sunday mornings instead of  encouraging people to go to Church, which the "blue laws" were created to do. They've taken prayer out of Schools, taken down the Ten commandments in court rooms, taken down Nativity scenes from public displays and are taking "In God we trust" off our money.

Our Church's have lost faith in the power of prayer and the Holy Ghost and are turning to the world for things and ideas to draw the people in to fill their seats. Jesus said in John 12: 32 32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
We have to stop lifting up men, concerts, fish fries, the rich and the famous and huge edifices, etc,  which all have their place in fellowship. The time has come for us to lift up Jesus and let the Father send His anointing and draw them in, after all it is the anointing that destroys the yoke.(Isaiah 10:27)

If you want to just draw a crowd of people then give them free anything, but if your trying to save souls give them Jesus and Him crucified. Make our lives living testimonies, become that peculiar people we are called to be. The lost should be flocking to follow us not us following them so that we can both fall in the same ditch.
The old land marks are tried and true and stood our forefathers well and will stand us well till He comes.
                    God Bless You All, Brother Darrell, Speaking Off The Wall