WALKING IN THE NEWNESS

Cue Leaderless and Enlisted by Norma Jean. And cue blog!

"I've been delivered. I've been delivered. The hold the devil had on me, he ain't got no more. I've been delivered. I've been delivered. I've been delivered by the hands of the Lord!"

Not only did that song save me from a spanking when I was little, true story, it's also the story of my life. It's one thing to say that I've been delivered, but to know that you're delivered it's something to be joyful about. About a month ago I wrote a blog titled, Time To Know That You're Free.  I wrote that blog still bound. I'm not going to lie. I guess I was just trying to motivate myself to get better, but I didn't want to let go. Let me say this, I wasn't in a struggle. It's not a struggle when you want to do it. You're not struggling with smoking when you're buying cigarettes. You're not struggling with drinking when you're still buying the drinks. You're not struggling with sex--need I go on?

So what's next? For one, I cannot go back. I can't go back to the way I did it before. Which means if I can't watch the same things I used to watch? If I can't stay subscribed to the same YouTube channels? If I can't stay friends with the same people on FaceBook? If I can't follow the same people on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr? The Bible says, "Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17, GNT) So, why can't I go back? Because God has something new for me. Can't expect new in old situations. New way of thinking. Can't think the same way. The Bible says, paraphrasing, that we should not conform to this world's thinking but we got to be transformmed by the renewing of our mind. In other words, we got to change our thinking. "Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God--what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect." (Romans 12:2, GNT)

We got to get past lip service and put some action into it. We keep saying we got to let go and let God. How long is it going to take for us to actually do it? God is waiting. I'm telling you that when you actually let go and let God, that's when deliverence truly comes. That's when freedom actually comes. But it's not going to come until you change your way of thinking. It's not going to come unless you open your heart and let God in to clean you up. When you really learn to praise God outside of the four walls, that's when true deliverence comes in. When you get to the point where you can literally say I don't need an organ, piano, or praise team to get my praise on, I'm telling you, it'll change you.

I'm ready for the new. The old life was not really fun. It was not really satisfying. Can't wait to give back to those who's help mold me to where I'm at right now. Can't wait to travel and meet new people. Can't wait to get out of the oridinary. Can't wait to get my career started. Can't wait to really walk in my calling. Can't wait to connect with that one woman that is just for me. It's a new season for yours truly Big Dusty, D-Rich, Big d...call me what you will. "So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God's call through Christ Jesus to the life above." (Phillippians 3:14, GNT)

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson
@Big_Dusty
Facebook.com/bigdusty

TIME TO KNOW THAT YOU'RE FREE

Cue He Reigns by Ricky Dillard. Made a change to the blog. Used to be I’d moderate all comments. Too much work. I’ve lifted that off. Comment one, comment all.  And now…

This past Sunday was life changing. I’ve cried in church before. When I was a little kid, it was an every Sunday thing. The spirit would get high in service and I’d be crying and sometimes screaming. No lie. So needless to say that still happens on occasion. This Sunday was different though. All I was thinking of was the song I’ve sung plenty of times. Grew up hearing my mom singing it. First heard it sung by Donnie McClurkin on an old Carlton Pearson CD, but it never hit me like it did on Sunday.

“Living He loved me. Dying He saved me. Buried He carried my sins far away. Rising He justified freed me forever. One day he’s coming back. Glorious Day.”

Wow. I mean really think about it. Living He loved us. For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten, right? Dying he saved me. What he save me from? Death. The wages of sin is…death. Buried He carried my sins far away. Far away, so why am I struggling with what Jesus already taken care of? Burying my sins, so I don’t have to be buried with them. Rising He justified freed me forever. Whom the son makes free is what? Free indeed. What are habits? What are struggles? What are insecurities? Not only am I free, but I’m free forever. It doesn’t end there. One day he’s coming back. And it will be a glorious day. I mean if that’s not enough to cry out, what is?

So I choose believe that Sunday was an expression of God really freeing me. I wrote a blog some years ago called Off The Chain. The chains are broken now. With that I can’t watch the stuff I used to enjoy for the wrong reasons. I can’t do stuff I used to do while at the same time knowing it was wrong. If I’m free, I got to live free. If I’m delivered, I got to live delivered. I can’t call myself free while still living bound. Some of us have been bound so long that we don’t even know that we’re free. Like Morgan Freeman’s character in Shawshank Redemption. When he finally got out of jail, he was still bound. He asked to go to the bathroom not knowing that he was free to go whenever he had to. Time to know it. Know that you’re free. The chains are broken. Walk in it. Live it.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson aka Big Dusty
Follow me on Twitter @Big_Dusty
Facebook.com/bigdusty