Unshackled Echo ~ April 12, 2019 ~ Where Everybody Knows Your Name

I used to love to watch Cheers. And I loved that opening theme song. Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came. But you know what? I never had that at bar. Maybe some of you did, but I didn't. I had bartenders who knew my drink and had it poured before I reached the bar a few times, but they didn't know my name. And I never had anyplace, not a bar or a church or anything in between where THEY, implying everyone there, was ever always glad I showed up.

But I have found that in my relationship with Christ. He knows my name. Before the world began, He knew I would be named David Glyn Woodard Jr., and that I would be called Davy and then when older Dalyn by most who can let go of the the Davy. And that this body would go by David or Glyn or Tigger or various other things at various times throughout my life. He not only knows and knew every name by which I have ever been known, but He has His own special unique name for me, that I don't even know yet. I'll get it when I reach heaven. He has one for you as well.

And no matter the place, no matter the time, Jesus is ALWAYS glad when we come to Him. We can come in worship, with joy, in fear or in sorrow. We can come in any state mentally or emotionally, and it thrills Him. He loves us to be with Him. Something to be cheerful about is that there is a place where we can go where we are completely understood and accepted, where our name and very being are known and were they're always glad we came. That place is into the presence of Christ, and in that place is restoration, peace and freedom to replace our brokenness, our misery and our bondage.

Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on

March 10, 2016.

This site is free. If this blessed, helped and or informed you, the best thing you can do is pass it on via the social buttons below. And please subscribe or follow Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.

Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the daily Unshackled Moments, the weekly Unshackled Echo and or listens to the Audio Messages. I want to thank those who have clicked "like" on something that blessed or ministered to them on social media, commented on the blog or replied to an email subscription. It is encouraging to know that God is using this ministry to help and bless others. Please remember that if God used something from this ministry to help, encourage or bless you, it could also bless someone else. Would you help get the devotions and sermons to more people by sharing this? Hitting the share button or forwarding this to a friend will help us reach more people with the good news of freedom and the encouragement to live an Unshackled Life. Thank you and God bless.

Wax Build Up

There is a problem that is more dangerous and devastating than whatever circumstances we may face, even persecution. Dalyn Woodard continues the series, "Jesus Is Most Excellent: A Study Of Hebrews," with a look at the problem, its symptoms and the treatment. Thankfully there is hope not to drift and to continue to grow closer to God and to show who He is through our lives. The message, "Wax Build Up," is about an hour long, and was recorded at Nacogdoches Christian Fellowship on April 10, 2019. It's our prayer that you are blessed and ministered to as you listen.

You can hear the first message in the Jesus Is Most Excellent: A Study Of Hebrews series, "It's All About Jesus," here, the second message, "A Most Excellent Word," here. The third message, "Jesus Is Enough," here. The fourth message, "More Excellent Than Angels," here. The fifth message, "Defeating The Dangerous Drift," here. The sixth message, "The Most Excellent Man," here. The seventh message, "The Most Excellent Help," here. The eighth message, "Consider Jesus," here. The ninth message, "Don't Lose Your Rest," here. The tenth message, "There Remains A Rest," here. The eleventh message, "Living And Active," here. The twelfth message, "Hang On And Come Close,"  here, and the thirteenth message, "We Need A Mediator," here.

This site is free. If this blessed, helped and or informed you, the best thing you can do is pass it on via the social buttons below. And please subscribe or follow Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.

Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the daily Unshackled Moments and or listens to the messages. I want to thank those who have clicked "like" on something that blessed or ministered to them. It is encouraging to know that God is using this ministry to help and bless others. Please remember that if God used something from this ministry to help, encourage or bless you, it could also bless someone else. Would you help get the devotions to more people by sharing the Moments and messages that you read or listen to? Hitting the share button instead of or in addition to the like button will help us reach more people with the good news of freedom and the encouragement to live an Unshackled Life. Thank you and God bless.

If you would like to have notifications of new Unshackled Moments and messages sent to you via email, send an email to dalynwoodard@mail.com requesting to be added to the list. You can also follow Dalyn Woodard (@Dalynsmsings) on Twitter or Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.

Unshackled Echo ~ April 10, 2019 ~ Failure Is Not An Option

Failure happens. It is not an option because it is inevitable. Not every time. But no matter how hard we try or what skills we have, we have all fallen short, and we will all fall short again. Some failures hurt more than others, and some can be truly devastating to the point that they can haunt the rest of our lives, if we allow that. They can make us unsure of the point of trying again. But God loves to use people who have messed up and failed in big ways. Don't allow that devastation to be the end of the story. No, we can not do anything that will insure that we will never fail again, especially not on our own. But we can limit the magnitude and the devastation by going under the guidance of and in the power of the Spirit rather than trying to do it ourselves. But what about the times we've already blown it? God uses those times. He can use our defeats for His glory and to make us better and bring us closer to Him as easily, maybe more so, than He uses our victories.

Having failed does not define who we are. Messing up does not mean that we will never be able to do anything right. Falling short of the goal doesn't mean that we shouldn't take another shot. Don't allow condemnation to hold you back. The secret to overcoming the failures of the past is to surrender and rely on Him. Peter sank when he saw the waves around him, but he didn't run from the presence of Jesus and give up because of losing faith. He stayed until the end, or at least until after swearing he would never desert Christ, denied him three times. Even later he had had to be called out publicly by Paul for letting what other people might think override what he knew to be truth. And yet, He did much for God, and even has a couple of books in the Bible. He helped to build and establish the church. There is no one in Christianity who considers Peter a failure, but he did have some pretty big mess ups. No matter what or how you've fallen short, God can restore you and establish you in a life worth living that brings Him glory. Don't give up.

Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on

March 9, 2016.

This site is free. If this blessed, helped and or informed you, the best thing you can do is pass it on via the social buttons below. And please subscribe or follow Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.

Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the daily Unshackled Moments, the weekly Unshackled Echo and or listens to the Audio Messages. I want to thank those who have clicked "like" on something that blessed or ministered to them on social media, commented on the blog or replied to an email subscription. It is encouraging to know that God is using this ministry to help and bless others. Please remember that if God used something from this ministry to help, encourage or bless you, it could also bless someone else. Would you help get the devotions and sermons to more people by sharing this? Hitting the share button or forwarding this to a friend will help us reach more people with the good news of freedom and the encouragement to live an Unshackled Life. Thank you and God bless.

Unshackled Echo ~ April 9, 2019 ~ Who Holds The Leash?

Don't you ever tame your demons But always keep them on a leash. - Hozier

I love this line, and there is a part of me that agrees with it still, even though experience has shown me that's not how it works. There is nothing new under the sun, and none of us are dying of terminal uniqueness. We are all unique, created to reflect a certain glory of our Creator that no one else can quiet reflect the same way, but at the same time those feelings, temptations and fears that make us feel like no one has them are not nearly as unique as we think. And it's not always easy to tell if the unique part of us, that which drives us and makes us individually us, is a blessing or a curse.The idea I got from this line by Hozier is that you have to keep that fire alive but under your own control because it will leave destruction and ashes in your wake if you don't. How bad, how many and out of what those ashes are comprised of is what determine's you level of peace.

That's my interpretation of Arsonist's Lullaby anyway, and I tried to live that way for so long. Our gifts are a lot like our instincts. They are God given for a purpose, but when they are out of the banks, they flood through our lives and wash away all pretense of control or restraint. We do whatever it takes to in order to feed that instinctive drive or express that gift, no matter what it does to us or those we care about. The instinct to eat is a good one, but we can push others away and eat ourselves into an early grave if this instinct is warped. And the musician with a God given talent and drive, who has simply got to play or die, can move the world with his gift or lose everything as he walks away from family to pursue the passion of his curse.

It's easy to see why it would be comfortable to call those passions, drives and inner voices urging us on demons. First, they are so much a part of us, that they are very often what we use to define our core self, yet at the same time always seem to be a little other, as though it's a temporary gift just waiting to go to someone else should we fail to make use of it. The other reason it can feel demon or beast like is that our gifts and instincts alike, the ones that really effect and move us anyway, can never be tamed or leashed. What I have experienced and seen in others is that when we try to leash it, we either kill it or finally come to the understanding that we are the ones leashed and controlled by the tyrant drive, not the other way around.

But the One who gave us that gift can feed it, cause it to flourish, allow us to use it in a way that doesn't leave ashes behind us, that gives great joy to us and glory to Him. When we surrender our instincts, passions, gifts, talents and drives to Christ, we put the leash in the hands of the only one who can tame the tiger without killing it or turning it into a kitty cat. The gift can become all that it was meant to be and make life worth living rather than destroying us when we give it back to the One who gave it to us.

Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on

March 8, 2016.

This site is free. If this blessed, helped and or informed you, the best thing you can do is pass it on via the social buttons below. And please subscribe or follow Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.

Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the daily Unshackled Moments, the weekly Unshackled Echo and or listens to the Audio Messages. I want to thank those who have clicked "like" on something that blessed or ministered to them on social media, commented on the blog or replied to an email subscription. It is encouraging to know that God is using this ministry to help and bless others. Please remember that if God used something from this ministry to help, encourage or bless you, it could also bless someone else. Would you help get the devotions and sermons to more people by sharing this? Hitting the share button or forwarding this to a friend will help us reach more people with the good news of freedom and the encouragement to live an Unshackled Life. Thank you and God bless.

Unshackled Echo ~ April 8, 2019 ~ Need A Cup Of Coffee

Those who read Unshackled Moments regularly or who are friends/followers on social media are most likely not only aware that I love my coffee, but that I love my coffee cold. When I say cold, I mean room temperature. I usually make a pot the night before, turn off the warmer once it has brewed, and let the coffee sit and cool until the next morning. That's just how I prefer it. But as I write this, I have a pot brewing, and once it's done, I will be pouring some into a cup and drinking it hot.

Why? Did I change my preferences? No. Does it matter? I mean will any reader even care about the coffee drama going on this morning? No, maybe not, probably not. But I didn't prepare. I didn't make my coffee last night, so I have none ready this morning. I also have no substitutes in the way of sodas or other caffeinated beverages. So it's make a pot of coffee or do without.

Doing without is not an option if I can help it. I am honest enough to admit that I am addicted to caffeine. If I don't keep my caffeine level up, I begin to have headaches as I go into caffeine withdrawals. I don't worry about this  particular addiction because it doesn't make life unmanageable, and I never had to lie, cheat, steal or commit a major sin in order to obtain a cup. But I'm hooked, and if I can't drink it the way I want, the way I prefer, the way that is best for me, I will drink it hot, or on ice, or in the case of instant coffee I've been known to just eat a spoonful dry.

I can stress it to show in a slightly humorous ways, but we all do it in some way. How many have seen someone order a soda, and after being told that soda is out of stock or not carried, order a different brand and then say something about how they don't like that soda. Do you have Diet Dr. Pepper? No, but we have Diet Coke? Sigh. I hate Diet Coke. Oh well, bring me a Diet Coke. Well, if you hate that drink, or if it's really not what you want, why get it? Because you "have" to have something to drink with your meal? Because you "have" to have a soda over water? Because you need the caffeine? Or...?

What about when they don't have diet and you buy the one you don't need, the regular brand with all the sugar. Well, I just wanted a soda so bad I blew my diet, or ignored my diabetes or.... And by the way, I never drink diet soda, I always have my sugar thank you very much, I'm simply showing that we all have areas where we will quickly compromise to get our fix, whatever that fix may be.

So why don't we do that with God? It is essential to gain closeness with Daddy. We have no power to walk as we should if we are not infused with and surrendered to the Holy Spirit. Never mind the relationship aspects of ignoring someone we claim to love, but the necessity aspects loom large over our day. We can not walk with God without spending time with Him, time praying, time worshiping. It's not a rule thing, as in you must pray 30 minutes every day or else. It's a practical thing. I can't drink enough coffee on Sunday to get me through Monday morning, much less the whole week. I need more or I begin to feel the effects of not having it. And I can't worship enough, pray enough, read enough Bible on Sunday to last any longer than the coffee I drink. Monday morning I need a fresh cup of Spirit.

But I overslept, and I am in a rush. I don't have time. Or I'm just not feeling it today. Or some other reason why I am going to wait until tomorrow to do the most important thing on my need to do list, spend time with my Creator.  I'm not putting off my coffee any longer than I have to. Most of us don't just eat our meal without something to drink when they don't have what we want. And we can't go putting our time with God off because it isn't happening at the time, place or in the way that we like. I enjoy my last meditation time in the evening to be alone, sitting in a comfortable chair with my pipe, contemplating and praying. But if that doesn't happen, I will still lay in bed with my wife and review my day and pray. It's part of my necessary time. So is my morning time.

There are things I prefer to do, in the order and amount of time I prefer, with the background music I prefer, etc. God just prefers to have our heart from the start and whether you play music or don't or what kind doesn't really matter. But He wants us, all  of us, undivided us. And we need Him, His love, His power and His grace to live as our hearts long to live.

Maybe today, something happened and the way you prefer to get your daily dose of Jesus isn't happening or possible. Don't let that cause you to make Him wait another day to fellowship with you. Do what  you can, push in, make contact in a less preferred way. Less preferred is a thousand times better than not at all. You may not get a headache if you skip your morning cup of Spirit, but that power that helps you go through your day in a way befitting a free child of God, yeah that becomes less available. And if you have been struggling but have never made time with God a regular part of your day, I would encourage you to do so. It won't be long till you will wake longing for that contact with Him more than the first cup of coffee that pulls us from our beds.

Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on

March 7, 2016.

This site is free. If this blessed, helped and or informed you, the best thing you can do is pass it on via the social buttons below. And please subscribe or follow Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.

Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the daily Unshackled Moments, the weekly Unshackled Echo and or listens to the Audio Messages. I want to thank those who have clicked "like" on something that blessed or ministered to them on social media, commented on the blog or replied to an email subscription. It is encouraging to know that God is using this ministry to help and bless others. Please remember that if God used something from this ministry to help, encourage or bless you, it could also bless someone else. Would you help get the devotions and sermons to more people by sharing this? Hitting the share button or forwarding this to a friend will help us reach more people with the good news of freedom and the encouragement to live an Unshackled Life. Thank you and God bless.

Texas Tech And Jesus

Texas Tech has made it to the NCAA Basketball Championship game, and those of us who are fans are rejoicing and feeling a part of a great thing. Dalyn Woodard shares how this can serve as a lesser illustration of how we can rejoice and be a part of the work that Christ has done for us but how we need to remember that it is He and not us who is victorious. The message, "Texas Tech And Jesus," is about 13 minutes long, and was recorded at Nacogdoches Christian Fellowship on April 7, 2019. It's our prayer that you are blessed and ministered to as you listen.

This site is free. If this blessed, helped and or informed you, the best thing you can do is pass it on via the social buttons below. And please subscribe or follow Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.

Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the daily Unshackled Moments and or listens to the messages. I want to thank those who have clicked "like" on something that blessed or ministered to them. It is encouraging to know that God is using this ministry to help and bless others. Please remember that if God used something from this ministry to help, encourage or bless you, it could also bless someone else. Would you help get the devotions to more people by sharing the Moments and messages that you read or listen to? Hitting the share button instead of or in addition to the like button will help us reach more people with the good news of freedom and the encouragement to live an Unshackled Life. Thank you and God bless.

If you would like to have notifications of new Unshackled Moments and messages sent to you via email, send an email to dalynwoodard@mail.com requesting to be added to the list. You can also follow Dalyn Woodard (@Dalynsmsings) on Twitter or Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.

Unshackled Echo ~ April 6, 2019 ~ Contact High

I have a question for my Dear Readers who have struggled to be free from the chains of chemical addiction. Have you ever gotten drunk from smelling a drink? Have you ever managed to get drunk because those around you were drunk or did you actually have to drink, to take the alcohol in every single time that you ever became intoxicated? Well, it might have been a little easier with other drugs. Ever had a contact or secondary high? Was it ever enough to satisfy? If you're anything like me, the answer is probably not.

The scripture tells us to be drunk with the Holy Spirit instead of with wine. Real addicts and alcoholics learn that this bondage is a spiritual one and the answer and path to freedom is a spiritual one as well. To find freedom in any area, in every area, we must be filed with a spirit other than and greater than our own. The thing is the Spirit is also something that can't effect us, at least not in a full and satisfying way, until we take Him into us.

We can't have the Spirit of God override our old nature and set us free without desiring for Him to do so. Just like we had to drink and drug to get high, not just think about it. We must imbibe. We have to take Him in personally. Being near Him is not enough. A contact buzz from being around those full of the spirit can only increase our desire, not satisfy it. The relationship with God that sets us free is a personal one and must be achieved and maintained on a personal level. It's not about the relationship our parents, spouses, friends or any other relations might or might not have. It's not about what we did yesterday or the day before. It's about making contact, taking Him in today and surrendering to the effects of the Spirit as He fills us and changes the way we think, feel and act.  Let's take the Spirit into us again today.

Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on

March 6, 2016.

This site is free. If this blessed, helped and or informed you, the best thing you can do is pass it on via the social buttons below. And please subscribe or follow Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.

Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the daily Unshackled Moments, the weekly Unshackled Echo and or listens to the Audio Messages. I want to thank those who have clicked "like" on something that blessed or ministered to them on social media, commented on the blog or replied to an email subscription. It is encouraging to know that God is using this ministry to help and bless others. Please remember that if God used something from this ministry to help, encourage or bless you, it could also bless someone else. Would you help get the devotions and sermons to more people by sharing this? Hitting the share button or forwarding this to a friend will help us reach more people with the good news of freedom and the encouragement to live an Unshackled Life. Thank you and God bless.