IN THE CASE OF ANGER: SLOW IS GOOD!!

             
Praise the Lord everybody! Let everything that has breath praise His holy name. Again I can not begin to give God enough praise for what He is doing in my life. My wife and I are about to go through a three-week trial that I know will require much prayer and grace. But I know God will see us through.

I'd like to share with you an article I was asked to write for another site. I pray it blesses you.

 There are several things that I have found that can stunt our growth as Christian men and woman and one of those things is anger. Anger and unforgiveness are a deadly combination. Let’s focus on ANGER for now. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:26+27 26 “In your anger do not sin”[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

 This lets us know that anger in of itself is not a sin. It is one of our God-given emotions. God is letting us know that there is a Godly or righteous anger that is acceptable to Him. God gave us our emotions to help us control and express our feelings, and not the other way around, as when Jesus threw the money-changers out of the temple in Matthew 21:12. Jesus was angered but did not sin. God warns us not to sin due to our anger and commit an act like disobedience or hurting someone physically. Moses struck the rock out of anger and because of his disobedience was not allowed into the promised land along with the Children of Israel. Read Numbers chapter 20.

The bible addresses anger also in James 1:19+20 19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

If we follow those instructions we will find that we will encounter fewer opportunities to get angry or sin in our anger. God is letting us know that man’s anger stems from the flesh and does not encompass the righteousness of God. If we are quick to listen, listen to what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell us when we find ourselves in various situations that can lead to frustration and anger. At the same time, we must be slow to speak, making sure we measure the impact of every word we speak and making sure that our every word is seasoned with salt and grace toward the hearer.(see Colossians 4:6) Then we must be slow to wrath or anger, examining the reason for our anger as to whether it is Godly righteous indignation or of the flesh.
Ephesians 4:29-32 states 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

This scripture puts it in a nutshell. As Christians, we must remember to do these things out of obedience and also in appreciation of what God has done for us. When feelings of anger begin to well up inside us think of these words always remembering also that we have the mind of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us.

God Bless You All, Brother Darrell, Speaking Off The Wall

CHRISTIANS AND MARRIAGE: HEAVEN OR HELL? IT'S UP TO YOU!

Praise the Lord everybody! Because He alone is worthy to be praised! I can't even begin to tell you how good God has been to me. Some who are watching my life from the outside might disagree, but they don't know like I know what God has done and is doing for me.
I have been a little slow when it comes to posting recently because God has been blessing me through my freelance writing business lately through a site called Fiverr.com. I'd like to share with you a teaching God blessed me to write for a client on Fiverr.

   HOPE FOR THE CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE

Praise the Lord everybody, for He alone is worthy to be praised.
I guess everybody knows by now that the divorce rate in the church has reached the point where it has drawn even with that of the World. Ever since Moses men have sought to get out of their marriages, Jesus was asked about this in Matthew 19:3-9  3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.  9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

Jesus makes an important point all married couples need to remember, and that is when a man and a woman come together in marriage the two become one flesh. A married couple can no longer see themselves as two separate entities, they are one being working together in love and in service to the Lord. No man or woman has the right to come between them. Fornication is the only grounds for divorce in Gods eyes, and He only allows that because of the hardness of men’s hearts.

The first step to a successful Christian marriage is this from 2nd Corinthians 6:14  14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

This is the jumping off point to a good marriage. Make sure that you and your partner are both on the same page spiritually. If you are married to a nonbeliever then your first task is to get your partner saved.
Next Paul advises married couples in Ephesians 5: 21-25 21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Husbands and wives must first submit themselves and their marriages to Christ and to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and then to each other remembering that the man is the priest of his home with his wife serving beside him as helpmate.(see also Colossians 3:17-19)
If you find yourselves at odds with your partner, don’t let a day go by without addressing the situation, keep the lines of communication open at all times. Ephesians 4:26,27  26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
27 Neither give place to the devil.

God has ordained marriage and family from the beginning and the Devil has been on a mission to destroy marriages from the beginning. You must take timeout to pray together, study the word together and fast together in order to stay spiritually strong and leave no opening for the enemy to come in. If God is truly the Lord of both your lives, and you keep him first and foremost in everything you do, maintaining an obedient spirit toward Him you will find God will guide you safely through the trials and tribulations of life and marriage. Your marriage will be, and is, as strong as your faith.

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


     

TO THE CHURCH IN AMERICA: "OUR FLESH WILL KILL US ALL!!"

Praise the Lord everybody! because He alone is worthy to be praised! The Lord is in His holy temple and He has His eye on the Church in America and He has given me a message for the body of Christ here. Why God has trusted my little blog ministry with this message I do not know but I must be obedient so here it is.

The Lord spoke to me clearly saying "tell them YOUR FLESH WILL KILL YOU ALL" God gave it to me short and to the point and I pass it on to you the same way.

God's word states in 1st John 2:15-17 15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.


His word also states in Romans 13: 13+14  13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

God spoke again saying "time and time again I have warned you through my word not to Love this world or anything in it and not to make any provision for the flesh yet we have done just that." God does not always speak to me so plainly but this time, he did. He is concerned that We have brought worldly thinking into the Church and made Church policy based on worldly trends and the desires and the lust of the flesh. some of these offenses are not new but have been going on for centuries.

Homosexuals and pedophiles in positions of authority and in ministries. Bullying, gossiping, backbiting, classism, "clicks" and out and out robbery, the list of offences goes on and on and yet there are no signs of turning back.

True men of God are preaching Holiness and the full council of God preach to empty pews while those preaching a more "user-friendly" Gospel preach to overflow crowds of luke warm and carnal Christians. God's word warns of this in 2nd Timothy 4:2-4  2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

We can no longer ignore the fact that Our fleshly desires and lust have no place in the life of those who claim Christ as Lord and savior. We are called to be holy, a royal priesthood, and a peculiar people. While God by His spirit was dealing with me He did not offer a way to appease His anger and make things right. He did not have to, we should already know what we have to do. If you are not sure of what to do then you need to examine yourself and make sure you are really saved.

God is speaking to the elders of the church and to those veterans of the pews who have been sitting on the sidelines of service for years. We are in the last of the last days. Let's get right Church so we can all go home.
       God bless you all, Brother Darrell, Speaking Off The Wall

SHAKEN BUT NOT FORSAKEN

Praise the Lord, and to God be all the glory. I pray that all that are reading this are enjoying Gods’ blessing, but even as I write these words I know that there are Christians out there that feel that they have somehow been separated or even forsaken by God. This is not abnormal. Many believers go through such periods, even Jesus Himself had a moment of pain and doubt as He hung on the cross and cried out “, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?(see Mark 15:34)
Jesus was able to go on and complete His mission because He knew in His heart that His father would never leave Him because God promised He wouldn’t. The same promise that was made to Jesus was also made to us. God said “my people perish for the lack of knowledge.”(Hosea 4:6) I just want to share with you just a few of the scriptures in the bible where God promises that He would never leave us or forsake us. God gave us his word so that we can use it to empower ourselves in our walk on this earth.
Deuteronomy 31:6 - Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he [it is] that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Hebrews 13:5 - [Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Joshua 1:9 - Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose. 

1 Chronicles 28:20 - And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do [it]: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, [even] my God, [will be] with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

Those are just a few of the scriptures God has given us in His word to let us know that He never leaves us or forsakes us. We as believers have to stand on His word and not allow circumstances or fear cause us to doubt whether God is with us in any situation we may find ourselves in. It is the enemy who tries to bring fear and doubt into our lives but Got tells us in 2nd Timothy 1:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Even in our darkest moments, when there seems to be no one there to help us we who call ourselves, Disciples, believers and followers of Christ, must grab hold of Gods’ word believing that He who said it will carry out and keep His promises. That is the hallmark of those that are called out to be His. Remember God gave us His word, and His Son the “living word” to let us know that His promises are real.
I hope this will give you a little something to hold onto whenever the enemy seems to be coming in like a flood. I'd like to leave you with the following scripture from Romans chapter 8,  35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
AMEN.
             God Bless You All, Brother Darrell, Speaking Off The Wall

THE GOSPEL OF THE FLESH

Praise the Lord everybody! because He alone is worthy to be praised! Oh it is great to be alive and in Christ, especially in these last and evil days. God is moving by His spirit and so is the enemy and the spirit of the anti-Christ. We as believers must remain steadfast and diligent as we await our day of redemption. As the gospel of Christ continues to be spread throughout the world there is is another gospel that is competing for our attention, and that is the gospel of the flesh.

The word "gospel" means "good news" and the Gospel of Christ is certainly that, but the flesh has it's own "gospel" that it preaches. It whispers in our ears the "good news" of how you and it can live happily together forever, you taking care of it and it taking care of you.

God's word tells us in Galatians 1:6-9     6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Your flesh is what drove your old nature but the word says that anyone who is in Christ "is a new creature, old things have passed away behold all things have become new."(2nd Cor. 5:17) In order to be in Christ, you first have to die to self, and your flesh does not want to die. It wants life and that life more abundantly, but the abundance it wants is not the same abundant life Jesus talks about in the tenth chapter of the book of  John.

  Jesus himself said in Matthew 26:4141 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Paul also said in Romans 13:13+14  13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

The flesh lusts after things, even things we need like food, shelter, clothing, and that lust leads to things like obesity, stealing, murder, and all the health and legal problems that go along with that. The lust of the flesh is the root cause of all kinds of addictions, fetishes, and compulsive behaviors. that is why Paul also said in Romans 8:13   13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

I don't know about anybody else but I want to live! Throughout my life, I have listened to the gospel of the flesh, and it has led me down the path of various addictions. I have struggled over the years with my weight, drug addiction, pornography, and masturbation. I had to stop listening to my flesh concerning those things, I became deaf to the flesh and its' siren song. I am still dealing with the aftermath of these struggles especially the weight I gained over the years.

One thing I know, and that is that there is only victory in the spirit and only failure in the flesh. Paul writes in Galatians 5:19-2419 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

This is the true gospel of the flesh and it is not good news unless you use it as a warning. Take it from someone who knows that the flesh is the "root of all kinds of evil."

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

RELIGION, RELATIONSHIP AND GOD

Praise the Lord everybody. If you are saved or if you have been around Christians you have heard about the importance of having a relationship with Jesus Christ. You may ask yourself “how do you have a relationship with God? Why would God take time out from His busy schedule to spend time with me?” First, we must define a relationship.
The Dictionary states that Relationship: means, 1. the condition or fact of being related; connection or association.
2. Connection by blood or marriage; or kinship.
3. A particular type of connection existing between people related to or having dealings with each other: has a close relationship with his siblings.
4. A romantic or sexual involvement.
Let us look at numbers 2 and 3; these are the two that come closest to describing the relationship we should have with God.
 First of all, having religion does not mean you have a relationship with God. See Matthew 7:21 – 23   21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Religious works and/or ceremony do not equal a relationship. First, we must be covered and washed in the blood of Jesus before we can even be recognized by God. A real Intimate personal relationship with God starts with accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior and then a strong prayer life. How much time you spend with God in your prayer closet is an important factor. Jesus prayed every chance He Got. See Matthew 26:37-39. We must realize that God wants to fellowship with us see Genesis 3:8 and John: 16+17, we are his creation.

The number one benefit of being in right relationship with God is it comes with a gift, and that gift is salvation from our sins, allowing us to have everlasting life in His presence. Without this, we would die in our sin and spend eternity in Hell. Romans 6:22, 23 states 22 but now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When we are in a relationship with God we not only receive the gift of eternal life but He gives us the power to live a Christ-like selfless life and a helper to lead us on our journey. See John 14:26.

Being in a right relationship as opposed to being on the outs with God is the most important thing a man can do for his eternal security and for his family. David said in Psalms 37: 23-25 23 the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.
24 Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

The benefits of a relationship with Jesus are too many to count, this is just a little something to get your attention,

         God Bless You All, Brother Darrell, Speaking Off The Wall

THE PASTOR OF PRAYER

Praise the Lord everybody, I pray you are all enjoying God’s blessing. I have been sitting here for a few hours now thinking back to when I first got saved. It was a hot summer day in August 1992, I had been running the streets of New York for almost four years chasing the “dragon” known as crack cocaine. This day I walked into a large church someone told me about called Times Square Church, with the hope of scamming them out of some money but God had another plan. As I told the lady at the desk my story she looked deep into my soul and then she said: “We don’t give money out anymore.” My heart dropped and then she picked up her bible and read to me “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you”(Matthew 6:33) I immediately broke down and began sobbing uncontrollably. I was a broken man. As I cried she led me through the "sinners’ prayer" and I gave my life to the Lord and then she sent me to see a man that would change my life, Pastor Billy White.

Pastor White was a true believer and a man of Prayer. He held the unofficial title of “Pastor of prayer” at the time and also pastored the churches homeless outreach and soup kitchen. Billy White taught me the importance of prayer and the power of prayer. He taught me how to “pray through” in other words to pray until something happens. Pastor White was a little pale looking man about 35 years old who was constantly fighting off some kind of cold, drinking hot tea and knocking back ginseng and cold medicine. Despite these things he was a powerful man of God.

Before we would open the doors to the soup kitchen / coffee house ministry he pastored to let the homeless and those in need come inside to eat, Pastor Billy would give us a sort of pep talk sermonette and then he would lead us in prayer for what seemed to be about two hours. We would be in their corporately praying, tearing down strongholds and binding up dark spirits and losing the power of the Holy Spirit so that our outreach would go forth without incident. Pastor Billy taught me the importance of spiritual warfare. After all the prayer that went on in our little Chapel/ cafeteria you could feel the prayer as soon as you walked in and we never had an episode of violence there in all those years.

Pastor white was the first to recognize my calling and it is because of him I am known as a praying man today. Billy White passed away about ten years ago but I will never forget his zeal and his fiery prayers. He had a burden for the homeless and addicts. Getting them into discipleship programs including myself who he got into a place called Timothy House, one of the best programs in New York at the time. I flourished there as God groomed me for such a time as this. I thank God for Billy White and the training I received under his ministry and that training is still with me today. I pray you all find your own Billy White someday and if yours is still alive send them some love their way while you still can.

              God Bless you All, Brother Darrell, Speaking Off the Wall