THE WONDERFUL BURDEN OF THE LIGHT!

Praise the Lord everybody, let everything that has breath praise His holy name!! For He has done great things!! I love the Lord, and if loving him is wrong, I don't want to be right! I can't say it enough, these are exciting times we are living in if you have ears to hear and eyes to see what God is doing in these last and evil days. God is pouring out His spirit and old men like me are seeing visions and young men are dreaming dreams.

I just want to share a little something God dropped in my spirit the other day. It started when I heard a preacher on TV read the scripture, Matthew 11:28-30  28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

I love this scripture but it was verse thirty that got my attention, especially the last five words, "... and my burden is light." It hit me like never before "GOD GIVES US A BURDEN!" I said to myself
God gives us an individual burden when we get saved, and He also gives us a general burden that we who make up the body of Christ all share. God has given us all a burden for souls as we carry the gospel of Christ to the world and we are also called to be a light to those lost in the darkness of this world. Jesus says in Matthew 5:14-16                                                                                        
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Not only is Gods burden light, His burden is light. The "light" of God that shines through those of us who are walking in His light, must not be snuffed out by sin or hidden under a "bushel" of religeous ceremony or practices. Our burden is to carry that light wherever we go so that it can be seen by others causing them to want to glorify God with their lives also.

1st John 1:4-7 states   4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

This is the wonderful burden that God has given us, to be the carriers of the light in a dark world and to live a life worthy of that task.
         God Bless You All, Brother Darrell, Speaking Off The Wall

JESUS IS COMING SOON: ARE YOU LIVING LIKE YOU BELIEVE IT?

Praise the Lord everybody! Let everything that has breath praise His holy name! The Lord is in His holy Temple, praise Him. The Lord is revealing himself more and more in these Last and evil days. God is beginning to pour out His spirit upon all flesh.

I'm an okay singer, but I still love singing God's praise. I love worshiping Him. The other day I was at the "hour of power" service at my church and we were worshiping and rejoicing in the fact that Jesus was soon to come, based on the "signs of the times." As I sat there praising His coming, I heard a voice speak saying "are you really ready for my Son to come back? are you really living like He could come back at any time?" I had to stop praising and think about it.

I asked myself, "If Jesus came back right now, would I be caught up to meet Him, or would I be left behind?" When I thought about it I realized that I like many in the body of Christ, was not always living as if I really believed that God was coming back any day now. I prayed about it and sang about it but I did not always "live about it."

Matthew 24: 37-46 states       37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,

39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.  

Jesus is coming back soon and God is warning us that if we have not been living like we truly believe that, then we better start living like we believe starting now. The signs of the times are everywhere, these are the last of the last days and God is warning His people and pouring out His spirit. When I think about it I realize there were many times I was doing some things or saying some things I would not have wanted Jesus to catch me doing or saying.

It's easy to sing songs and spit out words, but even the world knows actions speak louder than words. I want Jesus to find me doing what I've been called to do and LIVING in grateful anticipation of His return.

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

IN THE CLEFT OF THE ROCK: REVISITED

Bless the Lord, oh my soul! God is great and greatly to be praised! I love the lord and I strive every day to be the man of God I am called to be. Sometimes during that process, I have to look back at some of the lessons God has taught me, lessons I have shared with you all here in my blog. The following is such a lesson, there is a place I need to get to in God and after reading this, I believe you all will want to get there too.

 So here is "IN THE CLEFT OF THE ROCK" I pray it blesses you and re-ignites your fire as it did me.


 I've been very close to some mighty big blessings over the years, then I would self-destruct and miss out on a long awaited blessing that came so close I could taste it. Not this year, this year I want to feel Him all over me like I used to. This year I'm not asking for a little more Jesus, I'm giving Jesus more of me. In other words all of me.

A little over a week ago as I was meditating during my weekly consecration I told God these things and He brought to mind the following scripture and at first I did not get the connection, Exodus 33: 18-23  .18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

21 And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

After awhile I realized God was letting me know that if I desired to get to where I wanted to be in Him,  that there was a place near to Him from which I could see His glory at work in my Life. A safe place where I could stand upon a rock, a rock Named Jesus and God would put me in a place in that rock, a cleft, a hiding place where I could stand and watch God work in my life.

Many times we who name Christ Jesus as our Lord and savior want to see God's full glory pass through our lives but we do not want to get in the place that God wants to put us so that we can watch him work for us and in us in His fullness. we have to get in a cleft of the rock. A cleft is a crack, a crevice, a split in the rock, a small place with just enough room for you to stand with no room for a lot of movement. To many of us want to move around trying to handle our own business along with our friends business instead of doing what God wants us to do "stand still and watch me work". Getting to these clefts is no easy task, it requires much dedication to prayer and fasting, denying oneself in order to experience God's fullness in our lives. When I was younger it was easier to reach those clefts but as I get older it seems to become harder.

I'm tired of just saying and singing "God is my all and all" I want Him to BE my All and All. I want to again abide in the cleft of the Rock, how about you?

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

MARTYR OR SELF-MARTYRDOM: EITHER WAY WE ALL HAVE TO DIE.

Praise the Lord everybody, let everything that has breath praise His holy name. God is moving by His spirit in these last and evil days. I look forward to being a witness as Gods plan unfolds and God willing, I live to see it all happen.

 today I’d like to share with you on the subject of death and dying as it pertains to those of us who are Christians or as I like to call myself a “true believer.” I think every Christian at one time or another has searched themselves over the question of martyrdom. We all wonder what we would do if we had to make that choice of living for self or dying for our faith in Christ.

The thing is God has already called us to die. The dictionary describes a “martyr” as these two things: One who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce religious principles.

2. One who makes great sacrifices or suffers much in order to further a belief, cause, or principle.

Let’s look at number two; this describes what makes all true Christians a “martyr”. Jesus said in Mark 8:34-35  34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

Paul also states in Colossians 3:1-4

 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where ChIf ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 For ye are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

God has called us to be “self-martyrs.” To Commit self-martyrdom. Paul tells us that we no longer live but it is Christ who lives through us and in us. (see Galatians 2:20) Once we as Christians grasp the fact that “we” no longer live and no longer are subject to our fleshly desires, it becomes easier for us to live a sacrificial life. Romans 12:1 states I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

If you have read Acts chapters 6 and 7 then you are familiar with a true believer named Stephan who was the first Christian martyr. The bible says he was full of the Holy Spirit and his ministry was followed by “signs and wonders.” He was put on trial by the Pharisees and Sadducees for preaching the “blasphemy” of the gospel of Christ. He was found guilty and was taken out and stoned to death. Acts chapter seven states that Stephen did not deny Christ nor plead for his life verses 59 and 60 states 59 and they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord; lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

You see Stephen was already a martyr, he had died to self a long time before this happened. His flesh did not cry out to live because he had already mortified his flesh and all he could see was Jesus as he asked God to forgive his accusers.

When we can get to the point in our relationships with Christ that Stephan had achieved we won’t have to question ourselves about whether or not we would be willing to die for our faith.  We will be ready willing and able to lay our lives down for our faith, and then we will know what Paul was feeling when he stated in Philippians 1:21 for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Finally my Brothers and Sisters, I say give your lives totally to Christ and let Him decide what to do with it.

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

JESUS CHRIST: A LEGACY WORTH PRESERVING

Praise the Lord everybody! Let everything that has breath praise His holy name!! I bless the Lord, I bless the Lord, and His praise shall forever be in my mouth. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate what God is doing in my life. The fact that I woke up this morning in the land of the living is reason enough to praise God, He alone is worthy to be praised.

As I left the weekly "hour of power" service at my church this week began to gaze out the window of the Access A Ride vehicle, and as we rolled through the streets of Harlem on our way home to the Bronx, I began to feel something stir up in my spirit. I began to take notice of all the refurbished BrownStone buildings, some were show pieces while others were still in the process of being renovated. I watched as people struggled to maintain a legacy, an earthly history and something that would bring a certain historic charm to their world.

The Lord began to speak through His spirit, telling me how these people were struggling to maintain a history that can not be saved. He reminded me of what Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 24:1+2   And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

I began to see man as God saw us, struggling to hold on to what can not be held on to, holding on feebly to the natural when we needed to be holding onto that which is spiritual. We are not concerned as much about our spiritual legacies as we should be. Our lives here on earth have become too precious to us, our own creations and ideas fill our hearts and minds. Being out and about our fathers business is something the world rarely thinks about and Christians are following the world instead of Christ.

Paul states in Colossians 3:1-3 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

We need to remember who's we are and whom we serve. For the short amount of time we are here on earth God has a mission for us, It's not about establishing our legacy, it's about building the legacy of Jesus Christ. Jesus died for us so that by His blood we could be saved from ourselves and reconciled with God. The only thing Jesus was concerned about leaving behind as His "legacy" was His Gospel, and the Holy spirit to empower man to spread the Gospel and to live Godly lifestyles.

As men and woman of God, our concern should be that we bear spiritual fruit, rather than worldly fruit. Jesus states in John 15:1-5    I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 

Let us bear the fruit that God requires and not the fruit that flesh desires.
             God Bless you all, Brother Darrell, Speaking off the wall

WHAT KIND OF CROWN ARE YOU LABORING FOR?

Praise the Lord everybody! let everything that has breath praise his holy name. I was going to say that "God is doing a new thing in the church" but that would not be true. God is doing what He has always been doing, trying to bring His saints up to a level of acceptability for the Bride Groom. Time is short and God is getting ready to gather His children.

God has instructed us through His word in 1st Peter 5: 5+6  5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

God has called us to walk in humility and not pride. but when you walk into Churches all over this country and you see what appears to be a competition for which sister or brother has the best outfit on that particular Sunday you begin to wonder.

You see the Saints of God battling over positions and titles like employees at a Fortune 500 company. Unfortunately, I find this to be more prevalent among the woman in our Churches. breaking off into different "sororities", Alphas with Alphas and Omegas with Omegas, each group eyeballing the other and commenting on everything from each others' shoes to who has the better hair.
Well, it's time out for that. It is time out for separation in the congregation, this is not the Miss America contest where they compete for a fake diamond crown of approval, God has called us to something better.
Paul tells us in 2nd Timothy 4:7+8  7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

James 1:12 also tells us,  Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him

We need to stop competing over what we physically wear and be more concerned about whether we are "clothed in the spirit" or not.(Luke 24:49) Brothers and Sisters, it is harvest time and time to make up our minds about what we are laboring for. Are we in this to be seen and approved by men, or are we in this to serve God and show Him our love for Him because He first demonstrated His love for us? Are we seeking a corruptible crown made by human hands or an incorruptible "well done" crown from God? The choice is ours to make.

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

PASTOR CAN YOU TONE THAT DOWN A LITTLE: REVISITED

Praise the Lord everybody!! let everything that has breath praise His holy name! Because He has done great things. Today God has put it on my heart to share again a post I first posted over six years ago, it was relevant then and unfortunately, it is still relevant today.
I pray that one day that will no longer be the case.


        PASTOR CAN YOU TONE THAT DOWN A LITTLE!


 Through it all God has been faithful regarding His ministry, Speaking Off The Wall. Giving me eyes to see and giving me what to write concerning the Body of Christ. Lately, I have seen Preachers and Pastors like my own Pastor who preaches about living holy and forsaking sin, no matter if that sin is homosexuality, fornication, lying, or stealing. They are preaching Holy Ghost messages straight from the Throne and heart of God. Yet their Churches are not thriving, people are leaving and going where they can hear a more "user-friendly" message just like the children of Israel in Deuteronomy chapter five.

Deuteronomy. 5:22-27    22 These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone and delivered them unto me.

23 And it came to pass when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;

24 And ye said, Behold, the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.

25 Now, therefore, why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, then we shall die.

26 For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 27 Go thou near and hear all that the Lord our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee, and we will hear it, and do it.

They could not stand before God and His Holy glory because in their hearts they knew that they were carrying with them the idols and sin they picked up in captivity and they were not willing to forsake them. They knew that no flesh could stand before God and live and they wanted to continue to feed their flesh and not die to it. They were hoping that the sheer holiness of His glory would get lost in translation. "You speak to God and then you speak to us for Him so that we don't have to die!" meaning die to their sin.

God is raising up a remnant of holy men of God, Holy Ghost-filled and uncompromising to preach to his people. Preaching with power and authority and the convicting power of the Holy Ghost. Now just as then there are those who count themselves as part of the body of Christ, Christians, who when they hear the anointed word of God coming from the pulpit with conviction and power refuse to die but rather say " Good word Pastor, that's telling them!" and continue on in their sin, or they say "Pastor can't you tone all that fire and brimstone down God is a God of love." Others just up and leave saying "It doesn't take all that, God knows my heart."

Even though the Children of Israel said they would do everything that God would tell them through Moses God knew better and said in verses 29, 29 O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever!

News flash! We must be willing to forsake our flesh and die to sin, God has called us to that. Paul said "I die daily" The things that Paul went through he could not do in his flesh. He had to die to self
 We must not run from the Holiness and majesty of God and the convicting power of his spirit and word but embrace it, asking God to deliver us from our secret sin, to help us mortify our flesh and appreciate the Godly sorrow we feel when we fall short of the mark.
You Holy Ghost Pastors keep preaching Holy Ghost fire until that day when God closes your mouth and says "well done".

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