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

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

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

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

How to Have a Relationship with Christ What is the way for us to have a relationship with God? Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me”. John 14:6 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. “For unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins” John 8:24 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will

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

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

Psalm 27:1b (KJV) the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Is God the cornerstone of your life, or is He delegated for just a few minutes on Sunday morning or maybe just a couple of times a year? Does God reign over your whole life or do you say, I won’t give up this area of my life. God loves us very much. He is there in times of trouble. He will comfort you in times of sorrow. God holds our breath in the palm of His hands. When we are weak, we can de

Out West you see rivers that have over time slice through rock, leaving canyons that are hundreds of feet deep. It isn’t necessarily because the river is powerful but because the river is persistent. It is the same way with the Bible. It takes time to read and reflect on God’s Word, and it will take time to impact our lives without us knowing it. In Psalm 19, David writes about some of the life changing effects of God’s Word. Psalm 19:7-8 (NIV) 7 The law of the Lord is perfec

When we celebrate a birthday, we have another year to reflect on the life we have led. Life is a journey that we travel with ups and downs and many turns that lead us to multiple destinations. The journey we take in our faith is different. The destination is far off, and we won’t reach it in this lifetime. It has many challenges that will last until we take that final breath. Our goal on the journey of faith is to get to know God. God is our destination and our guide. He has

Where do we find God? Good question. If we only find God on Sunday mornings and we leave Him at church, we are missing out. Don’t leave God inside the four walls of your Sunday School class. Attending church is great, but God wants to be part of our life every day. Life with Jesus isn’t a matter of dressing a certain way, singing a certain song, or telling people to behave a certain way. Being a Christian is about the way we live. 1 John 2:6 (NIV) 6 Whoever claims to live in

2 Samuel 22:2-3 (NIV) 2 And he said: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; 3 The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn[ of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence. Life has had its share of ups and down. We all have lost loved ones; we have come home from work with the frustrations of the day weighing us down. We have had days where the money jar has been empty. Days where it seems there is c

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” I grew up learning to be self-sufficient and I grew up in a culture that practiced that. The military taught being independent. I knew when my son went into the Coast Guard that our relationship would be changed, and it has. You become self-reliant as you mature in life. It is all part of growing up and getting older. It happens to people at different ages

Lamentations 3:25-26 (NLT) 25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. 26 So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. Life has its own timetable, and it doesn’t always follow our timetable. Therefore, life requires patience and a lot of it. I am sure we all can remember when this has happened. You might even be dealing with this right now. It can be very frustrating if we allow it and lose our patience. As Lamentations reminds u

Psalm 143:10 (NKJV) 10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Our days are full of many small choices that make up the fabric of our daily life. When we align our choices in harmony with God’s commandments, and when we align our lives with God’s will, we will receive His abundance, His peace, and His joy. However, if it was that simple. Many times, we struggle with wanting to do things “our way” and often that i