Walk With Darrell

1 John 1:9 (NIV) 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. As believers we still must deal with the sins, we commit to renew our fellowship with God by confessing our sins. 1 John 1:9 tells us that God will forgive us our sins. It is good news for us! My first Sunday School lesson I ever taught was “Walking in a constant state of repentance”. Once we confess our sins, we need to change our ways. Whe

Ephesians 2:8 (NIV) “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” God’s grace is unmerited favor and is not because of anything we have done to earn it. We experience God’s grace in our salvation as we did nothing to earn it. We experience God’s grace in living the Christian life. Today, we live in an environment where cancel culture is making the news every day. Thankfully, we have a Savior that did not cance

Terri and I participated in a great study a few years ago. Rick Warrens “40 Days of Purpose”, what a great study. The church we were attending had a church-wide study with small groups. Rick’s study guided us in a study of why God created us and what is our purpose in living. Exodus 9:16 16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. Have you ever wondered what God’s purpose is for you i

Deuteronomy 5:33 (NIV) 33 Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. God promises that obedience matters. The bible is full of God’s commands, these are not “suggestions” they are not “helpful hints”. These are God’s instructions that lead to repentance, salvation, and an abundant life. God loves us and is committed to us. He commands our obedience, not because

Matthew 15:11 (NIV) 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” One of my early lessons I received from my dad was on watching my language. My dad would spend a lot of time with us kids. He would shoot hoops with my brother and me. He also would hit fly balls to us boys. I can remember when I was probably in the 4th or 5th grade, my dad was hitting us fly balls. I let the ball get by me and let a word

Matthews 11:29-30 “29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Sometimes we can feel like we are running on empty. The demands of daily life can drain us of our strength and rob us of our joy that is rightfully ours. We all have been there and some of us might be there right now. How many of us are tired or troubled? God did not intend this for us. God d

Romans 12:11 (NIV) 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Terri and I watched the “The Chosen” season 3, which is the series about Jesus and His chosen disciples. I enjoyed both season 1 ,2, and 3 very much. The writers and producers do a great job of showing Jesus and the disciple’s passion for life and their faith. It makes me appraise my passion for life and faith. Where does it stand? Believers should be passionate about life, our l

Jesus of Nazareth was a penniless teacher from Galilee that changed history. There has never been another human like Jesus. He led a life that we still read about today. His goodness, His courage, and His love has had more of an impact than any other human in history. Jesus did not come to impress us, but He came to save the lost. God came down as a human to live among us to die on the cross for our sins, then rose from the tomb. He simply wants us to reach out to Him and tru

Psalm 56:3 (NIV) 3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. We all must walk through the door of fear in our lives. The bible tells us not to fear for anything, but if we are honest then there are times that we must deal with fear. It is these times that we need to draw upon a source that is bigger and stronger than ourselves. Don’t try to go it alone but call upon our Heavenly Father for help. He is there waiting to help us. That is what fathers do. I remember as a little bo

Life can be difficult if not brutal. It can be marked by pain, loss, grief, broken relationships, and ill health. No one can avoid all of these as they are part of life’s journey. We would not be human if we did not have times when we didn’t feel desperate and in need of help. These are the times our faith gives us hope. We know that we can lean on our Heavenly Father for power, peace, and confidence. He knows what we are going through and exactly what we need. Matthew 5:3

Isn’t it amazing how God can take an ordinary person with faults and empower them into a person whom He can use. I think of Jesus’ Disciple, Peter. Peter was a simple fisherman who had few other skills. The thing that set Peter apart from others. He was willing to hang up his fishing nets and follow Jesus. Was Peter perfect? No, he wasn’t, just like us, we are not perfect. Peter made some mistakes in his following of Jesus. He almost drowned when he took his eyes off Jesus. H

Have you ever thought about the trials we will face this upcoming week? It isn’t about if we face trials, it was about when we face trials. As Christians we will face trials in our life. James the half-brother of Jesus, tells us to count it all joy. He goes on to tell us that there is a benefit in our Christian walk to face trials. The scripture in James tells us that the testing of our faith will strengthen our faith and make us mature in our faith. James 1:2-4 2 Consider it

Romans 12:11-13 (NIV) 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Has the busy pace of life robbed you of the peace that should be yours through Jesus Christ? If so, then you are too busy for your own good. The bible tells us in Philippians that we can have peace, which transcends all understanding. Philippi

Terri and I were asked how we handle worry. Worry is a form of fear. First question for us was do we ever worry, and the second question was should we worry? The bible teaches us not to worry and Jesus talked about fear and worry a lot. To answer the first question, of course we worry; we raised two boys; had a grandchild that faced an illness; parents that faced life-ending illnesses; I have faced serious illness in the past; both of us have faced challenges in our careers;

John 3:16 “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Does it seem like life always throws you a curve ball? It always seems like things are going along just fine and then we get hit with a trial. Life is full of trials and once we get comfortable… “Look out”. God uses trials to teach us. Once the trial hits it seems like we always need to be reminded of God’s love. If yo

Does life ever feel like it is spiraling out of control? I am sure we all have had times in our lives where we felt like things were spiraling out of control. I know I have had those times. Thinking about those times. Maybe it is a child that is struggling in life. Costs of things keep going up and your income is not keeping up. Maybe your marriage has conflict, you both love each other, but there is conflict in many areas of your marriage. The job can be going along great an

Psalm 16:11 (NIV) “11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” I have always been a planner in my life. I planned for a profession, I planned for my retirement, I try to plan for as many things as I can. However, I discovered I can plan all I want, but God has an over-arching plan for my life. In Jeremiah it says God has plans for our life. Jeremiah 29:11(NIV) “11 For I know the plans I have

Psalm 97:1 (NKJV) “The Lord reigns; Let the earth rejoice;” As believers, God promises that we can experience abundance and joy. Okay, you might ask, Darrell, I am a believer, so how do we claim this abundance and joy? Answer: by trusting God and being obedient to His instructions and following the footsteps of His Son. When we do this, He fills our hearts with His power and with His love. When this happens, we experience peace in our life that surpasses human understanding.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV) “3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” We live in a world that is at times a frightening place. It can also be a discouraging place. We have family and friends fighting health issues. Then around the world there are terrible events that are very d

Philippians 3:13-14 “13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Whenever life takes an unexpected turn, it can be a slippery slope into traps of worry, self-pity, and bitterness. God intends for us to do otherwise. There is an old saying,” Forgive and Forget”, there