MUSCLE MEMORY: NO WAY TO PLEASE GOD!

Praise the Lord everybody! for He alone is worthy to be praised. I pray everyone is enjoying God's blessing. I know my wife and I are truly this time of refreshing God has bestowed upon us. I can not describe how good it is to wait on the Lord.

The other day I experienced something I have experienced many times before but this time it had special meaning because God opened up something to me. I wonder if this has ever happened to you. Have you ever began to do something like making a phone call for example, a call you often make and when you reach in your wallet for the number you can't find it no matter how hard you try. You sit there trying to remember the number and all you can remember is the area code. Finally just before you give up you start punching in the area code and all of a sudden your finger develops a mind of it's own and dials in the rest of the number seemingly without your help. That;s called MUSCLE MEMORY.

Muscle memory is associated with motor learning, which is a form of procedural memory that involves consolidating a specific motor task into memory through repetition. When this behavior or movement is repeated over time, a long-term muscle memory is created for that task, eventually allowing it to be performed without conscious effort decreasing the need for attention. according to Wikipedia.
When I first read this I said to myself "this is a good thing" but God corrected me saying to me by His spirit "This is not a good thing for my people" and He began to show me churches filled with people going through empty religious ceremonies, singing empty songs and praying empty prayers. Jesus said in Mark 7:5-7King James Version (KJV)

5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Some of us have been in The Way so long, doing the same programs year after year, singing the same songs speaking the same cliche's that it doesn't take a conscious effort anymore they are on auto pilot, muscle memory. They are no longer in The Way they are in the way, potential stumbling blocks for new believers and hindrances to ministry.

It can happen so fast, I often have to catch myself, I have had to repeat prayers over two sometimes three times because I said the first one without thinking and can't even remember what I just prayed or if I prayed at all, so I pray again until I give God a proper focused prayer from my heart and not my muscle memory. Jesus said in John 4: 23+24  23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

God does not want us to just go through the motions when it comes to worshiping Him. He wants spirit and truth and you can't do that on muscle memory. So when you find yourself going through the motions in church or in prayer shake it off and give God something real, Amen?

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

THE ROOTS OF ALL EVIL!!!

Praise the Lord everybody, because He alone is worthy to be praised!! I pray everyone is enjoying God's blessing. I was blessed just to get up this morning but I was especially blessed to attend the "Hour of Power" service at my church yesterday for the second time this month. Pastor Green allowed God to use him to bless us with a powerful word and the spirit flowed. It felt great to be able to get out and fellowship. My sciatica which I have come to believe is my "thorn", reared it's ugly head but I was able to push through the pain long enough to enjoy the service by God's grace.

The other day I was reading The Word and began to think about something John the Baptist said in Matthew chapter 3 verses 7-10   7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

The key words here for me were "The Axe is laid unto the root." As many times as I have read this passage of scripture it was like I was seeing it for the first time. I thought about how when we are gardening we use weed whackers to chop down weeds and a few weeks later they grow right back as big as day, mocking us. Why? because we did not deal with the real problem, The Roots!!

John the Baptist was letting the Pharisees and the Sadducees know that God was about to deal with the "root" of His peoples problem, which was them, and that they would have to repent or be cut down. God is also telling His people today that it is time for us to take the axe to the root of our sins. But first we must realize there is a root cause for our sins and we must examine ourselves and identify that root. Are we harboring unresolved Anger, jealousies, pride, forgiveness and lust issues to name a few. If we do not remove these "root" issues from our lives they will continue to pop up disguised at times as all types of sinful behaviors. You may cry out to the Lord "Where is my deliverance?" Your problem may be that you are using a weed whacker when you need to take an axe to the root of the problem.

Then you ask God "where is my axe?"

Jesus once told His disciples in Matthew !7: 16-21   16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Sometimes we try all kinds of superficial means to rid ourselves of our besetting sins but sometimes just as Jesus said we have to fast and pray, turn down our plate and starve our flesh so that our spirit man can thrive and be able to pray with power and authority. We need to deal with those deep seated issues that are the root cause of our behaviors. First we must submit ourselves to God and be led by His spirit and then He will lead us to forgive those we need to forgive, make amends to those we must make amends, show love towards those we hate and to those who hate us and pray and believe God for deliverance from those desires and compulsions that go against God and what He requires of us.

Brothers and sisters let us search for our roots, not to embrace them but to put the axe to them.

        GOD BLESS YOU ALL, BROTHER DARRELL, SPEAKING OFF THE WALL

  

DON'T BE ALARMED: BRUISES COME WITH THE JOB

Praise the Lord everybody! because He alone is worthy to be praised! I pray you all are enjoying God's blessing. My wife and I are still experiencing a time of refreshing, praise God. He has opened some doors and answered some prayers, Hallelujah! allowing us to start making some plans for the first time in our marriage, like looking for an appropriate size apartment on the first or second floor. We need so many things and God is providing for some of those things and what He is not providing for I guess we don't need it right now. God knows what we need and when we need it.

In the past three or four months there has been much unrest in the world especially in America. there have been protest and riots due to the rash of young black men being killed in what appear to be unjust shootings by police. People are angry and crying out for justice. Even the Church in America is divided in what it's roll is in these volatile times. Should we be praying or should we be marching? or should we be marching and praying?

I have been vilified by other Christians for being more concerned for one victim's soul rather then the manner in which he was killed. My one question is why is everyone so surprised by the events of these last and evil days? Are these things new? People are being murdered unjustly everyday in other parts of the world. was not our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Himself unjustly killed? Yet the word says "It pleased the Lord to bruise Him..." read Isaiah 53. Why was God pleased? because these things had to happen and still have to happen to fulfill His word and His plan.

When Jesus knew his time was near He told Peter that after His death to "feed my sheep," not stir them up to fight and rise up against Pilate and the government including the religious leaders of that time but to realize the problem is not that we wrestle against flesh and blood but against Powers and spiritual wickedness.   Ephesians chapter 6 states For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

God's word also says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5King James Version (KJV)

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

So yes prayer is a very important part of what the church should be doing in these times. We need to pray that God's will be done in all these things, ask God what He would have you do and If He says march then march. We are to be seen as a peculiar people, when the world gets hysterical and paranoid we must be at peace, sober minded and even tempered. Jesus said in
John 16:32-33King James Version (KJV)
32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

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.

So we who have the mind of Christ should have that peace because Christ has over come the world and so have we, through Him.

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

THE STANDARDS OF GOD

Praise the Lord everybody, for He alone is worthy to be Praised!! I pray you all are enjoying God's blessing. My wife and I are now in a season of refreshing. God has opened the windows of Heaven and poured out a blessing and relieved some of our burden, has the storm completely passed over us? No, but God has reminded us that  He has heard our cry and that He will see us through to the other side. Praise His holy name,

the other day I was meditating and the Lord brought to mind one of my favorite scriptures, Isaiah 59:19 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. 

This is a scripture I turn to a lot when I'm going through a particularly strong attack from the enemy. I often ask God to "raise up a standard for me against Satan as you promise in your word. When I feel I've been waiting too long for Him to move Sometimes I wonder "where is your standard Father?" In His time He would answer me by delivering me out of the hands of the enemy. This time when I asked "where is your standard oh God?" He revealed to me that He had raised up standards for me throughout my life in Christ and that I had just finished speaking to one on the phone, my Pastor, Elder Johnny Green.

God began to show me that the "Standards" being raised have been the men of God He has put in my Life. True, uncompromising men of God who I could look to in the time of trouble as living examples in order to gain strength and hope to help carry me through my "flood."
These men not only upheld the standard, they were the standard.
The Dictionary says a "Standard" is a flag or emblematic figure used as a rallying point for an army, fleet, etc. The "standards" God has raised and placed in my life over the years let me know just how much He loves me. They were and are men of integrity, gap standing men, men whose one desire in life was and is to live in holy obedience to the Lord. 

Even in my struggles with addiction they taught me how to trust God and never give up, no matter what. When the storms come I think of their testimonies, the testimonies that allowed me to create my own testimonies. Paul once said "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ."( 1st Corinthians 11:1) He was a "standard" raised by God, an example for the Church's he planted among the Gentiles and even for us today. He endured many trials and indignities yet he remained steadfast and immovable in his faith walk with God. 
God wants to raise us all up as a "standard" of strength and victory over the enemy, a person other Christians can rally around as a visible example, proclaiming " If God can carry me He can carry you through too!" Let's not just be standard bearers but standard bearers and "standard" all rolled into one, worthy representatives of Christ who can be viewed as a role models by those in need.

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

  

LEST WE FORGET: GOD WANTS TO REMIND US OF SOMETHINGS

Praise the Lord everybody! because He is worthy to be praised! I hope and pray you all are enjoying God's blessing. God is truly moving in my wife and I's life right now. He just blessed us after much prayer, trials and tribulations by opening the windows of Heaven and sending down some financial relief, Praise God. No we did not hit the Lotto or anything but at least we will be able to pay our monthly bills. Now we are waiting on our physical healing to manifest.

Over the past few years God has used me to bring forth some challenging and timely messages for the body of Christ Here in America. They truly blessed me and moved me at the time being the first partaker of the fruit. I like many others, was moved to promise to make changes in my life, and I did, but as time passes the messages and the feelings fade. The commitments we made wane. The Lord says it is time to look back and revisit some of those messages that blessed and moved me and I am asking you to do the same thing.

For me all of them touched me but some really stood out like: "The Weight", "love for god vs legalism", "AT PEACE IN BABYLON", "THESE ARE THEY",  "THE ICHABOD" PARTS 1+2, "THERE WILL BE BLOOD", "DON'T LOOK NOW BUT YOUR SHEEP ARE SHOWING" and so many others. There are well over one hundred life changing messages are available for review on our archives. Go back and re visit those that have blessed you or read something that you may have missed and be blessed.

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

"...HIS CHILDREN", PART 3: TALKING THE TALK AND WALKING THE WALK

Praise the Lord everybody!! because He alone is worthy to be praised! As always I pray everyone is enjoying God's blessing. God blessed me and my wife last week. We were able to go to church last week for the first time in six months. We  went to Wednesday afternoon's "Hour of Power" because it is a Short service and that is all my sciatica can tolerate right now, it may have only been an hour but God showed up in full power. We were truly blessed and we are believing God for a healing that allows me to go and enjoy a full Sunday service without pain.

In my last post "I know why God calls us His children, part 2: Bar Mitzvah" I talked about coming into the age of accountability where I had to learn there was a price to be paid for disobedience and sin. I talked about how God saved me and cleaned me up and discipled me and gave me a hunger and thirst after His righteousness. He also gave me a love for His word and a gift that allowed me to have knowledge beyond my years in Christ. But some things have to be LEARNED by experience.

As a babe in Christ I studied the Bible all day long at Timothy House, there was no television or movie watching allowed not even the News. I carried my Bible everywhere I went and even studied while eating meals and I loved it. I could quote scripture and "scripture whip" with the best of them. Raining down scripture on anybody who happened to "step out of line" in my presence. bringing down my own instant judgement. I knew how to talk scripture but had trouble walking scripture.

In Hebrews 5: 8+9 it says,     8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

This scripture is talking about Jesus, how He "learned" obedience by the things He suffered. You might ask "Why would God who is all knowing and who made everything have to learn anything?" Jesus says in John 8:29  “I do always those things that please him,”  and He never had to be chastised for disobedience as a child as the verse seems to be saying on the surface, but He had to become obedient through actual experience. He “became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). That was the ultimate act of obedience and is past our human understanding yet even in this Jesus said  “nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done”(Luke 22:42)

In the same way I had to learn what obedience and living holy meant by actually walking this walk . In theory I had vast knowledge but in practice I had none. It took me twelve years after I got saved to learn how to put the drugs down for good after many falls, recoveries and restorations. I learned quickly to stop judging people and stick to judging sin. Not only recognizing other's sin but also my own sins. In the eleven years since then I have continued to "learn" obedience in what I know will be a life long education.

I was a child who was trying to run before I could walk. Like most children I learned "talk" first but I learned "walking" is more important.

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

  

I KNOW WHY GOD CALLS US HIS CHILDREN, PART 2: "BAR MITZVAH"

Praise the Lord everybody!! God alone is worthy of all glory, honor and praise. I pray everyone is enjoying God's blessing. He is truly blessing my wife and I. He is healing our bodies and strengthening our faith. I'm beginning to lose the weight I gained during the months I was bed ridden, I'm exercising and last week I went out for the first time in six months. I saw my doctor and had blood test and physical. I am waiting on test results please keep me in prayer.

In my last post (I know why God calls us His children) I told the testimony of how I first heard of God and from God. How I turned away from Him and went my own way thinking I knew what was best for me. As I said in my last post I was running again toward the edge of my "roof" chasing what I thought was important to me but this time instead of "commanding" me to "stop" God allowed me to fall off the edge and face the consequences of my disobedience. It was time for me to come of age.

The Jewish people have a ceremony called a Bar Mitzvah when a male child reaches the age of religious accountability. Before this the child is not obligated to follow the Commandments even though they are encouraged to do so so that they will be prepared when they have reached the appropriate age. before that they can not be involved in leading or being a part of a religious ceremony.

I started doing drugs because of my disobedience, I refused to come when God called me. I felt this hole in my soul and instead of filling it with God I chose to seek love in all the wrong places, bars, even though I did not smoke or drink and sought after woman and sex. To the world and my family it looked like I had it all, education, great career and money. Something was missing though and I could not figure it out. Soon I was drinking and hanging with the wrong crowd.

Over a two year period I went from appearing to have it all to having nothing but a title, R.N., a title that I thought would fix everything. I lost my apartment, my job and the respect of family and friends. I slept on park benches and in the Staten Island ferry terminal. I knew nothing about the streets, I came from a stable lower middle class family with both my parents and three siblings, we ate dinner every night together while my father would entertain us with funny stories about his job. I had a stay at home mom who was strict and made sure we went to school and did our home work, she even tried to get us to establish a relationship with Jesus even though she barely knew Him herself.

Still Here I was, in the street, homeless and still I did not call on God for help, I thought that at any moment I would be able to pull MYSELF together if I just put my mind to it. Like a rebellious child I chose to go down my way rather than admit I needed help from my Father. God allowed me to stew in my own juices as I made a wreck of my life. I had reached the age of accountability and a day of reckoning was coming, I was either going to be my father in Heaven's child or a child of the devil.

No longer could I skip through life oblivious to the the spiritual warfare going on around me I was being drafted by both sides. The word of God says in Proverbs 22:6   6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it
I Thank God for a mother who loved us enough to drag us to Church on Sundays when we were young because one day in the midst my self inflicted trial and tribulation I remembered the Lord and I cried out to Him. That day the Lord heard me and brought to my remembrance all the things He had done for me that in the past I had taken credit for. He broke my heart and my will and I cried for what seemed like a month.

During that time God sent true believers my way who prayed with me and blessed me with Bibles and words of testimony. I opened up God's word for what felt like the first time and suddenly the same book I had found unreadable as a child now I could not put it down. God then opened the door for me to be discipled at Timothy House, a ministry of Times Square Church in New York where I was set apart and cleansed through prayer and His word for full time ministry. It was a blessing I will be forever grateful for. That was twenty years ago and I have been pressing toward the mark ever since. Has my walk been perfect? No, I have made mistakes, bad choices and I have paid dearly for them but God has been faithful in that if we confess our sin and repent He will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness and I will continue to serve Him until He calls me Home.

Abba Father I am not worthy to be called your child but you have overlooked my shortcomings and saw my needs. You have given me eyes to see and provided me with a vision, provided me with ears to hear and an obedient spirit. when I was a child I thought as a child but when I came of age you helped me put away childish things and I thank you. Lord continue to mold me and shape me into the image of your son Jesus and I will be careful to give you all the glory, honor and praise, in Jesus name I pray, Amen.  It's "Bar Mitzvah" time for the body of Christ!!
          God Bless you all, Brother Darrell, Speaking Off The Wall