Unshackled Moments ~ January 31, 2018 ~ Making Something Out Of Nothing

Making something out of nothing. When you hear or see some variation of this phrase does it strike you as positive or negative? I wonder what it says about me that when I heard it this morning in a positive light the unconscious change in perspective caught me off guard and sent me off on a mental expedition? I was sitting in my study, doing some reading and thinking about those things I try to think about in the mornings, you know things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely. worthy of good report, virtue and praise, things that help bring and keep freedom and a life worth living, things to share with you, Dear Reader.

I suddenly remembered that I have stations on my Pandora that I haven't heard anything off of for a while because I removed them from my shuffle to keep from subjecting Leah to them. When I am going to be listening to my Pandora shuffle with Leah I try not to make her suffer through the country, dance, hip-hop, punk, or Spanish stations. It's easier to leave it that way than to adjust the shuffle list every time. This morning I thought about going back to the full list and hearing some music that I hadn't heard in a while. I really thought this to be simply a random thought, but, now, I believe it was the guidance of the Spirit. Within a few minutes of changing the stations up, a Christian Hip-hop song I had never heard before by Andy Mineo came on. The song is called, Ex Nihilo, which is a Latin phrase that means out of nothing.

I shared it with a friend of mine who loves hip-hop and went back to my reading, or, at least, I tried to. It didn't so much work that way, because the lyrics kept grabbing me and sending my mind off on tangents. One of these wanderings was about how I had taken the phrase making something out of nothing as a negative idea along the lines of making a mountain out of a mole hill. I realized that to me it had a connotation of causing contention, strife and even violence over nothing that was truly worth fighting over. Maybe it comes from seven and a half years of incarceration where violence could erupt around you at any time over, well, nothing much at all. It struck me as odd and awesome to have this phrase used in a positive way.

The two lines from the first verse of the song that grabbed my attention and inspired me to think, really think, about making something out of nothing this morning were,

It's amazing

The most beautiful pieces of art come from the ugliest situations.....

I am not the artist, I'm the canvas that He's painting...

So, I set aside the devotion I had been trying to read, and Google and I went off across the web to see how it used by others. That's when I began to see that much, if not most, of the world uses the phrase in a positive way, as in to take nothing or very little and make something good, or even great. It is the foundation of many a success story. There are tons of DIY projects. I even regularly praise Leah for being able to make something great out of very little with her cooking. The trail led to an article from 2013 by David Gussak, Art on Trial Making Something Out of Nothing How art can reestablish self-identity for prison inmates, and why bother?

I read the article about using art in the prison system to help counter some of the negative results of incarceration. It began with a quote:

“The statement ‘I am an artist’ is a powerful counterweight to the negative associations of ‘I am a criminal’ or ‘I am a prisoner.’”

- Thompson, 2003.

And here I had finally come full circle. I see the truth from the article about the damage incarceration and objectifying prisoners can do. I have lived it. I also know that this type of destruction isn't confined to prisons or prisoners. So many of the messed up, broken and captive have had all sense of significance, self-worth and value torn apart until they feel worthless. How many of the walking wounded in society see themselves as nothing or worth nothing? I  know I did, and it's a fight I still fight from time to time.

It does counter that voice of valuelessness to be able to say, yes, I once was this, but now I am this. I am a productive member of society. I am an artist. I am clean and sober. I am a counselor. I am a mentor. I am something positive and am no longer what and who I once was. But what struck me between the song that started this and the secular article that ended it was the juxtaposition between the power in the two statements. I am an artist countering the statement I am a convict, verses the statement I am not the artist, I am the canvas.

We can do things to raise our self-esteem and sense of worth, but as long as the source is our power and from our ability and achievements it will fall short. We will never be able to silence that voice that says who are you trying to kid? You are nothing. You are not enough. You will always be trash, an addict, a felon, a whore, a... Because we are powerless to truly change and transform who we are. But God is the Master Artist who can truly make something beautiful from the ashes of our lives. He can take what we see as nothing, the mess we have made of ourselves and make something great and glorious. He longs to do it actually.  He declares that we do indeed have value, great value. He says we are fearfully and wonderfully made, worth dying for. He loves us as we are, not as we should be, but He loves us enough not to leave us the mess we are. He has promised to turn our mourning into gladness and to give us a life worth living that overflows into the lives of others. In short, He makes something beautiful and holy and righteous out of our nothingness, if we will only let Him.

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 Moments ~ January 30, 2018 ~ Living In A Construction Zone

It's getting late, and I feel under the gun because it's almost time for bed and I am only now starting to write what should have been done about 12 hours ago. I put off my writing this morning to have extra time during the day to do some more work on the house. And that's another area that feels a bit overwhelming. It's chaos. There's a saw in the middles of the living room. Saw dust is coating far too much of the interior of the home. There are scraps of wood, pieces of boards that have been cut, boards waiting to be cut, boards with stain drying on the plastic covered kitchen table, tools scattered here and there, and.... its a mess. Not to mention so much of the day to day cleaning and home maintenance has been left undone as the more pressing restoration work is being completed, slowly.

That said, if you can look over the mess, it is a construction site after all, there are areas that are starting to look awesome. It's getting there, and enough is now done so that Leah and I can see how wonderful the place will look once the work is done. and it's even more amazing when I remember what it looked like after the fire just before Christmas (see Joy That Doesn't Burn Away). It's been hard and time consuming and slow and costly and it's meant days of living in the midst of chaos and change. The work today was redoing some work done this weekend that didn't quite get done right. I had to do it over, but the second time was a little easier.

In three and a half months I will celebrate eight years clean and sober. And there are times I feel my life is still as much of a mess as my living room. There are still times of chaos and so much restoration work that needs to be done. But at the same time, I am able to see more and more what the finished product is going to look like, and it fills me with hope and joy. Even with the mess and the work that has to be done over from time to time and the work that hasn't even begun, it already looks a million times better than the wreck of a life that walked out of the Texas prison system nearly ten years ago.

It's easy to feel overwhelmed and discouraged when progress seems to come slowly, sometimes so slowly it's almost unnoticeable. But don't give up and don't lose hope.  He who began a good work in you has promised to complete the project, and it's going to be amazing. Jesus is not scared off or overwhelmed by the mess and chaos of our lives.

Jesus handled chaos better than anyone. Seriously. He ministered in the midst of multitudes where everyone crowded in and all were welcome to come to Him, even the lepers. He spent time with the uppity religious folks, and drunks and prostitutes and traitors and fishermen and the sick galore, and often all at the same time. Talk about chaos! And He never tried to make everyone behave, or get in an orderly line or anything. He just handled it as it came. And when the storms did become too much, He told them cease and they were still. The one thing He did to balance all the chaos around Him was spend time alone with Daddy.

So, if your life is feeling chaotic, overwhelming and out of control, if it still looks and feels so much like a mess that it is easy to forget how far you've come, remember the damage is paid for, the mistakes have been forgiven, the One made the world is working or remaking you and has promised not to stop until He's done. And don't forget to get off alone with Daddy for a recharge.

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 Moments ~ January 29, 2018 ~ Don't Lose Heart

One of my readings this morning happened to be Psalm 27. For those unfamiliar with it, this is one of the Psalms of trouble and lament. David, who was called a man after God's own heart, had a life filled with trouble and often had the blues. There are over 60 Psalms of lament, well over a third of his writing. If we stop and think about that, it goes quite contrary to what we often feel should be the case and, unfortunately, what we are often taught in modern spirituality, even Christianity.

Life is better with a relationship with Daddy. Only God Himself can fill the hole in our lives and satisfy our need. Nothing else works, and those of us who are in recovery should know that well. We surely tried to meet those needs ourselves in various ways, many of them destructive. Life is better when we place our lives in God's care and under His will. But that doesn't mean that life is always easy or goes our way, just because we are following Jesus and doing as the Spirit has led us to do. In fact, our circumstances may often seem and feel worse than ever.

It sometimes may feel like God is not there or doesn't care what we are going through as we face overwhelming obstacles, difficulties and even enemies. But God does indeed care for us and about what we are facing and going through. He does work whatever happens in our life to bring us into deeper relationship with Him and, ultimately, for good, no matter how bad life may get. But the benefit of having a Heavenly Daddy who loves us and cares for us and who is truly good is not just a hope for some time in the eternal future some glad morning when this life is over.

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.

- Psalm 27:13

David, looking back at his life filled with enemies, including a king he loved and served who tried to kill him, all kinds of family problems, and the loss of close friends and children, said he was able to hold onto hope, to not lose heart, because he knew he would  see and experience the goodness of God in this side of eternity. And he did.  And so can we and will we, if we keep our eyes on Him and turn to Him in our times of trouble.

It's so easy to get wrapped up in self when life goes awry. Why is this happening? It's not fair. It hurts and is frightening. When we focus only on ourselves and our circumstances, it's easy to feel alone. But do not lose hope. Turn your eyes on Jesus, and regardless of the circumstances and situation, the Spirit of all comfort can reassure our heart that God is indeed good and that we will experience that goodness in the land of the living when we put our hope and trust in Him.

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.

Guard Your Heart

Wally Flynt shares on how we must stay vigilant in following God and refusing to be tolerant of sin in our lives. There are no harmless sins. The message,  "Guard Your Heart" is about 5 minutes long and was recorded at Nacogdoches Christian Fellowship on Sunday, January 28, 2018. It's our prayer that you are blessed and ministered to as you listen. May God bless and keep you.

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 ~ January 27, 2018 ~ Not Before They're Ready

Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on

February 17, 2015.

They can be analyzed, counseled, reasoned with, prayed over, threatened, beaten, or locked up, but they will not stop until they want to stop.

- (Narcotics Anonymous) Basic Text, p. 62

One of the daily readings I use started today's reading with the above quote. It's such a sad truth for family and friends but a true statement for addicts and alcoholics. I know, because being raised in a Godly home and being loved by my parents wasn't enough to get or keep me clean and sober during my quarter century using career. But this quote is also very true for the Prodigal and the Stranger At The Kingdom's Gate, regardless of the form the shackles manifest.

Some may never use drugs or alcohol, but without a relationship with God find themselves just as imprisoned and trapped in an every tightening spiral of pain and misery as any addict. Prayers of family and friends do help. I may not have lived long enough to recover without them. But no matter the bondage, none of us can be free without surrender, and only as individuals can we lay down our arms (our will) and declare from where the sun now stands I will fight God no more, forever (a paraphrase of Chief Joseph's surrender to the United States). 

No one can surrender for anyone else.  Jesus lived in surrender to the Father in a manner that made it possible for us to surrender. An earthly example would be Lee surrendering to Grant. What Lee did ended the war for those who accepted it, but meant nothing to those who chose to still fight and raid in some areas. Until we get tired enough of the fight, the destruction and the death in our lives the war will never end for us, despite the fact that the war ended with an act of surrender on a cross long before any of us were ever born.

Father, thank you for making it so that Jesus' act of surrender covers my rebellion against you and brings me by grace into Your kingdom. But help me to remember that I have to take up my cross and follow Him, that I have to surrender this day and every day in order to keep from slipping back into civil war with You. Help me to remember that victory over the things that hold me captive and freedom from the shackles in this life comes from complete and unconditional surrender to You. Amen.

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 Moments ~ January 26, 2018 ~ God Equips Us

Da Vinci painted one Mona Lisa. Beethoven composed one Fifth Symphony. And God made one version of you. He custom designed you for a one-of-a-kind assignment. Mine like a gold digger the unique-to-you nuggets from your life . . .

When God gives an assignment, he also gives the skill. Study your skills, then, to reveal your assignment.

Look at you. Your uncanny ease with numbers. Your quenchless curiosity about chemistry. Others stare at blueprints and yawn; you read them and drool. “I was made to do this,” you say.

Our Maker gives assignments to people, to each according to each one’s unique ability. As he calls, he equips. Look back over your life. What have you consistently done well? What have you loved to do? Stand at the intersection of your affections and successes and find your uniqueness.

- from Cure for the Common Life

I read the above today, and while I agree with much of it, there's something to be wary of here as well.  It is true that each of us is uniquely made to be a unique reflection of God's glory. Even identical twins have their own individual aspects of personality and skills. I also believe that we all have a calling in the kingdom, something God has for us and no one else. And it is very true that whom God calls, He equips. It is likewise true that there are times that God creates us with talents, skills, aptitude and a heart for certain things, and it can be a source of joy when those areas mesh with what God would have us do.

I wrote my first story in elementary school about a fantasy land of chocolate. I still remember it, the idea anyway. I imagined myself being a writer of stories, and from time to time I still feel the pull to sit down and try to write a novel. But I set aside fiction for poetry sometime between junior high and high school. In college I studied journalism before leaving writing for photography. I have always had some skill with words though, and while the writing of these Moments is not remotely what
I imagined when I thought of being a writer, I guess it's safe to say that my gifts and skills are indeed used in my calling to serve Daddy. This becomes even more true when the fact that I competed in public speaking as a teen, where I learned how to stand in front of people and present my thoughts. It was training and a skill I find quite useful when I preach.

But that said and acknowledged, it is important to remember that God equips those He calls. It's not that He calls those who are equipped and qualified. We need to be wary of the idea of finding our aptitude and look at what we enjoy and determine that we have therefore learned what God wants us or has called us to do. This is my gift and passion, so God needs to use me this way. That's dangerously close to my will be done and let my will be Yours Oh God. It doesn't work that way. Yes, I have some ability to write, but this is not the kind of writing that is my passion. I love what God has called me to do and helping others find the freedom I have found. I wouldn't trade it. But still, I'd rather write best-selling novels if it were about my passion and not my relationship with Daddy. There are those who are called to write novels. I am not one of them. Now, that doesn't mean I can't, that God won't let me, or that I never will, but I don't think it will ever take the place of simply helping people find freedom and to know that Daddy loves them.

And let's not forget that we have some pretty big examples of just the opposite. Moses certainly didn't have a joy for or aptitude for speaking. He tried to get a pass on his calling because it didn't sound like something he'd enjoy or be good at. God ignored his qualifications and made it work.  David was a musician and poet who raised sheep. He showed so much ability and desire to lead that no one even thought about him when the prophet showed up to anoint a son of Jesse the next king. Yet He was called to be king of Israel. Peter was a quick tempered, rough, uneducated fisherman who showed no leaning toward looking right for the job of preaching the love of God to the world, and yet....

With the above idea taken as absolute right guidance, Peter missed his calling. He should have started a ministry feeding the poor with fresh fish or something like that. My father should be a bird hunting guide who shares Jesus with his fellow hunters, or maybe a taxidermist. But definitely something other than a pastor. Yet God equips those He calls, and my father is in the top few ministers I admire and respect. There's nothing wrong with using what you enjoy and are good at for God's glory and for service to Him and others. But let us always remember that God's ways are not our own and the secular teachings of visualize it and chase it down are not always the right way to go. It's not always true that God will call us to do what we are good at or enjoy. If it were, I can assure that I would never be walking into a jail to minister. I love those I go to see, but there is little on this earth that I hate more than the sound of those doors slamming shut.

We must always look to the Spirit to direct our paths, and then we will be where we need to be, where we will be most satisfied with what we are doing, even if it is something we may not feel qualified for or would ever pick as enjoyable. Whom He calls He equips, and there is nothing more satisfying than doing exactly what God would have you do. I dare say not even having as many best sellers as Stephen King. Your will, Oh God, not mine.

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.

The Missing Piece

Dalyn Woodard shares on how we often try to make life worthwhile and meet our innate needs. Jesus gave us the answer to filling the hole in our life. The message, "The Missing Piece" is about  23 minutes long and was recorded at Nacogdoches Christian Fellowship on Wednesday, January 24, 2018. It's our prayer that you are blessed and ministered to as you listen. May God bless and keep you.

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 Moments ~ January 24, 201 ~ Embracing The Calm

It's natural to want to be in control, or at least to have things controlled. As much as some of us seem to be chaos junkies, we do better and flourish when life is stable. I myself was a chaos junkie for most of my life, and I can relate every time I hear someone in recovery speak of how they are grateful for peace and content with boredom where once they chased constant distraction and created turmoil in their lives.

I can't speak for all chaos junkies, and I am no doctor, nor have I done any clinical research on the subject, but from my own experience, I think there are two main reasons I fed on instability until I believed chaos was normal and desired. First, there was such a sense of self loathing and emptiness that came with stillness and quiet that the easy distraction and the rush that came during and after moments of intensity, crisis and chaos became a high that made me glad to be alive and provided escape from the reflection in my mental mirror. Then there seemed to be a constant feeling that life was out of control and unsafe and learning to embrace that served as a survival mechanism that also conditioned me to believe that life was just that way. By my teens I felt more afraid in moments of calm, wondering what would blow up next and when, than I did in the midst of truly terrible circumstances. At least when the wheels were falling off I knew what the danger was and where.

Not surprising, when I quit drinking and drugging and sowing seeds of destruction, much of the chaos of life faded. I didn't know what to do with the calm, and one of my biggest complaints during early sobriety was boredom. I couldn't handle boredom, but the truth is that it wasn't so much boredom as simply stillness, quiet and calm, sitting alone inside my head and having to face things within that I had spent years avoiding, denying and hiding.

The breakthrough for me came with the completion of the dreaded Fourth Step and the subsequent Fifth. As frightening and sometimes painful as it was to finally look at that inner mirror and see the truth of me and feel all those feelings I suppressed, covered and medicated away, the sense of an enormous weight I had not even realized I was carrying falling from me left me feeling light and calm for the first time in decades. The night of my Fifth Step, I slept well for the first time in longer than I could remember.

Today I love and embrace the quiet and the calm. I am comfortable sitting alone with my thoughts and feelings unaltered. Even better are the times of communion with Daddy during the quiet times. I no longer have to always be doing something, and every moment doesn't have to be intense for me to feel alive. I don't have to subject myself to danger and chaos to produce fear in order to keep the terror of my emotions and thoughts silenced. And I can't remember the last time I felt bored, no matter how little was going on around me. I am content and comfortable in the stillness and have no reflexive need to stir the waters and create turmoil and chaos.

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 Moments ~ January 23, 2017 ~ Triage

I remember early on in my recovery being told that we can't waste time with people who aren't ready to do the work. It wasn't quite as blunt as that, but the point was clear. There is only so much of our time and resources to go around and so many people who need help that if someone won't listen or refuses to do the work of recovery then we need to let them go until they are ready and move on to the next person. The fear is that while we are wasting time and energy and getting discouraged trying to help someone who isn't ready or doesn't want it, we may miss the chance to help save someone's life who is ready.

It's a little more complicated than that though. When we decide to cut bait and cast for a success story we may be doing effective triage, stepping over one of the dying to reach another who can be saved. On the other hand though, we may be simply being selfish, unwilling to pour more of ourselves out without seeing a return on our investment. Sometimes it really does feel like we're wasting time with people who aren't listening and are never going to get it. This has been on my heart lately as I see the situation playing out, wondering what can be done.

I saw a young man the other day bravely walk back into a group of people he had hurt and wronged, and I prayed that he would be accepted and loved and that no one had completely given up on him. At the same time, there are several people in my own life with whom I have poured a lot of time and energy into trying to help who still just aren't getting it. Sometimes it seems as though they aren't even trying, and my experience says they are heading for the grave or a cage. Do I reach out even more, pour more into their lives or do I move on and let them go? According to t he advice I was given early on we can't afford to ignore the importance of triage. To waste time and effort on the ones who will die anyway means we won't get to some we could save, and we get so frustrated, discouraged and bitter that we lose the ability to truly care.

Then this morning, I read this:
Jesus’ call on our life is so important that to be true to his mission means guarding our time, souls and energy from “toxic people” who will never change and who will drain us and destroy us. It isn’t based on psychological health as much as it is on guarding our spiritual mission and purpose. If Satan can soak up your ability to care and love by distracting you with toxic people who will never change, he can cleverly make you less effective and have less of an impact.

And I am so grateful that I read it, because it slapped me in the face and woke me up a bit. Before I go on, I want to make it very clear that this is all I read. I have not read the book it is from  and can not say if the author agrees or disagrees with my response to the statement. It is out of context, and I understand that. So, I am not saying the author is wrong, just as I am not going to say that those people who have walked this path before me and gave me the triage advice are wrong. They not, and this statement is not wrong in and of itself. Here is what I am going to say, right or wrong, I am not qualified to do the triage, to make the call, to accurately evaluate who will never change and who will, who will get it and who won't, who is a waste of my time and service and who is not. Oh, and I firmly believe this, Dear Reader, neither are you.

No matter how much evidence we have, what results we do or do not see, we can not see into the heart and soul of another person, nor can we see the future. Shoot, without some help from the Holy Spirit, we can't even get an honest and complete look at out own heart and soul, much less someone else's. I drank and drugged through a quarter of a century, and my early recovery was severely hampered by repeated relapses. A man named Duke, who has since passed, encouraged me one night when I heard many people saying that I was hopeless and wasn't going to get it. His encouragement was his own story of how it took him five years to get his first year clean and sober. He was a long-sober man at the time he helped me and someone many looked up to. What if he had been given up on after the first four years of refusing to receive the help being offered? We might have both been lost, and who knows how many others he helped over the years as well?

And I can't help but think of my father. I witnessed him giving year after year, pouring his heart and time and prayers and counsel into the lives of plenty of people everyone else seemed to give up on. One of those broken people became a dear friend of mine who shone like the sun when she smiled. For over a decade I would have sworn she was incapable of smiling and she'd never find freedom and joy. But she did. Some took years, but the change did come. And yes, there are some that decades later it seems as though they will never get it.  I would have given up on them all. But my father never did, and many have found restoration and recovery and relationship with Jesus.

There are three things to keep in mind when trying to do spiritual triage in someone else's life. It is true that wasting time with the wrong people can hinder and harm us, and is a waste of our resources, not the least of which is time. We never have enough time to help all the people who need it or who are on our heart. But the first thing to remember is that we are the instrument and the tool, not the physician. The blood pressure cuff and the stethoscope can't do triage or tell if anyone will live or die. The doctor uses the tools and makes the call. It is the Holy Spirit who is qualified to do triage, not us. I have seen men I would have sworn had gotten it and would make it go back out, destroy their families and their lives. Some of those made it back. Some died out there. I had no idea which would be which, but God wasn't surprised. I've seen people I thought would never change find freedom and joy and a life worth living, myself included. I couldn't even do accurate triage on myself.

The second thing is that helping others, service, and ministry (having a cup of coffee and lending an ear to a friend in need and then praying with them is ministry - you don't have to preach to minister) is not about us. It's about them. And it's about Him. We serve Him. And we serve them. So, maybe the frustration and discouragement wouldn't be as much of a problem if we would stay out of it. It's not me they're refusing to listen to. It's not me they're rejecting. At least not if I am doing my part and letting the Holy Spirit guide my words and deeds as I serve. And if I truly declare Daddy I am Yours to do with as You please to help others and bring You glory and I am doing the ministry He has called me to, then it's not my time and resources that are being wasted. They're His. We must remember that we are not management. We could not manage our own lives, control our own carnal nature and break our own chains, so we surrendered our will and lives to His care. He is management. We are the workers. We don't make command decisions.

Finally, it's not so much about who is a lost cause and who isn't. I could be helping someone who is soaking it up like a sponge and will be a great success story and still be wrong. Maybe God had someone else in mind to help them, someone who needed to help them. Maybe they could be helped by someone else, but while I'm helping them, someone who could only be helped by me is dying. Maybe someone won't ever get it with me. But that doesn't mean that they won't get it with someone else. Some plant seeds that others harvest. Maybe we're just not compatible and the seeds aren't even sinking in. They need someone else. But that doesn't mean that they won't ever get it or that they are toxic and will never change. We're all toxic people. None of us will  ever change significantly for the better on our own. But with God, even the worst hazardous waste can be purified. And maybe we'll give into someone for forty years and never see results. If that is how the Manager wants us to use our work time, then so be it. Because that may be the person we are helping for us, to remind us that is is about Him and them, not us, to remind us to obey, even when we don't see results, to keep us doing what we have been called to do, love God and love others, and leave the results up to Him.

There are times when we need to move on and let people go. There are times when they will receive from others and can't because they have been set free from us yet. There are times someone needs to go hurt a little more before they can surrender. There are times we need to keep pouring water into the hole that never seems to fill up, because years later there will be a deep well that will never run dry. There are times when we see the perfect match and a sure success that we are not called to be the hand, and other times we are blessed with someone who responds to what we are offering as if it were a match made in heaven. But the simple truth is that we don't and can't know which of those is which. Not ourselves. Who do we try to help? Those the Holy Spirit directs us to For how long? Until He says stop. When we approach it like that, we stay out of the way and triage can be accurately conducted.

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 Moments ~ January 22, 2018 ~ Samson Wasn't Stupid

This morning my Scripture reading took me from Judges 15 through Ruth and into the second chapter of 1 Samuel, which includes the story of Samson. I don't know about you, Dear Reader, but I used to think Samson was an idiot. What was endangering him seemed so obvious that I felt he deserved everything he got just for being stupid. Part of me still feels that way, but now I also seriously identify with him, perhaps more than I identify with any other Old Testament Bible personality.

No, I've never been especially strong, and while my hair is long, God has not commanded me not to ever cut it. I identify with Samson because of the shared trait of seeming stupidity. I don't consider myself stupid, and I have to ask for grace to have much patience for stupidity in others, but I have shown the exact same epic stupidity in my life as Samson. I don't know any addicts who haven't.

I don't know if Samson was a sex addict, seriously co-dependent for some reason, was literally blinded by love and rendered stupid or what? If about all you know of Samson is he was strong, had long hair and loved Delilah, you can check out his story at Judges 16. The basic information is that Samson, a defender of Israel, fell for Delilah, a woman from the nation of his enemy. She asks him the secret of his strength and what wold make him weak. He feeds her a bogus story and goes to sleep. She does what he said would make him weak and calls his enemies. She wakes him, telling him his enemies are there for him, he wakes, shakes off what she did because it's not what really makes him weak and his enemies can't take him.

That should pretty much be the end of the story, right? The next verse should read something like, and Samson fled the house of Delilah, the untrustworthy harlot who tried to trick him, and never returned to her bed. But no. The exact same thing happened two more times with the only difference being that he gave a different false story about what would make him weak. Surely that would be enough so that Samson would get it through his thick skull that Delilah was no good for him, was only trying to hurt him and that he should stay the heck away from her, right?

She asks him again and says basically, how can you say you love me when you don't even trust me with the truth? You keep lying to me about your secret! And this is where Samson should say, how can you expect me to trust you when every time I tell you how I can be bound and made weak it happens!? But no, he breaks down and tells her the truth, that if his hair is cut he will be as weak as anyone. Sure enough, she shaved  his head, called his enemies and the next thing he experiences is being caught, chained, blinded and thrown in a pit to work as a slave for his enemies.

Stupid, right? But what if Samson wasn't an ignorant oaf? What if he wasn't stupid at all, or at least no more stupid than any of us? Haven't we all done as he did to some extent or another? Maybe we didn't get quite as harsh a result as him, but some of us may have, or come close. How many of us put our hands in the fire, got burned and did it again?

Every time I hang out with so and so trouble is the result. Stop going over there then, stupid. No, it will be different next time. When I drink I lose control and wind up embarrassing myself or getting in trouble or I'm sick and feel horrible half the next day. Then stop drinking and that won't happen. Whenever I stay up late to watch TV I struggle to make it to work on time and am dragging all day. Big things, small things. Horrible consequences like destroyed relationships, wrecks and prison. Little difficulties like running late or being worried about paying bills because of spending too much  on that great sale. Most of us have at least one area of our life where we are too much like our friend Samson. Seriously, anyone  around us could say, are you kidding? Don't you see that when you do this something negative always happens? Why do you keep doing it? Are you stupid or what?

I have come to believe that the answer for us and for Samson is or what. Samson was a slave before the Philistines put him in chains. I think that is part of why we are told two chapters earlier that Samson made a contest out of a riddle he came up with that stumped everyone.  He wasn't stupid. But powerlessness and stupidity look a lot alike sometimes. I think that's why we hate to admit that we are powerless. It's brings shame, because we feel stupid. We should be able to stop putting our hand in the flames, and we can't understand why we don't.

It's not a question of intelligence, no matter how it may feel. It's not a question of will  power, and no matter how many people in our lives look at us and say, just stop it already, or how much we agree with them, we can't simply stop the slide into giving ourselves over completely to the one or the thing that will turn us over to the enemy. We must have help. We need power beyond our own.

The good news is that Jesus came to set the captive free. There is help. We don't have to earn it or deserve it. God loves us as we are, not  as we should be, even when our actions are stupid, go against our own best interests and we deserve to get burned. He has made a way to protect us from ourselves. He wants to give us victory over our difficulties and stupidity. It is His desire to break our chains, not just the ones that happen after we've been foolish enough to tell Delilah the truth, but the ones by which we are drug back to her bed in the first place. We can surrender our will and our lives to His care, because He cares for us. And the ironic thing is that when we submit to Him and give Him control we finally find freedom and the power to say no.

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 ~ January 20, 2018 ~ Hurry Up And Wait

Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on

February 16, 2015.

Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.

- Psalm 25: 4-5

As I worked a spiritual program of recovery from alcohol and drugs and began developing a deep and personal relationship with God I learned that when I faced difficulties and indecision and do not know what to do that I should pause and ask God for direction. While waiting on that thought or decision inspired by the Spirit I should relax, stop worrying and fretting. Don't struggle and stop trying to fight the battle myself, after all the battle belongs to the Lord. This process is waiting on God.

But there is no reason to wait on the Lord only during times of difficulty, confusion or indecision. When we wait "all the day" as the above scripture says we learn His ways and His paths and we live constantly in the safety and security of His direction.

As a boy my father would take my brothers and I hunting. I could shoot well. I used to competition shoot, but I was never the woodsman my father and brothers were. So I learned to let my father lead while I waited. I kept my eyes on him. If he started walking, I walked. If he stopped, I stopped. If he got quiet, I tried to get quiet. I crouched when he crouched, got my gun ready when he did, relaxed when he relaxed. His path got me through the woods with little tripping, kept me from stepping in holes or banging my head on branches. By going where he went I found the best way to get through thorn patches that would've made the Brer Rabbit hesitate.

Sometime Dad would stop for a minute and then look back at where I had stopped when he did. He'd call for me to come to him. I'd get close and he'd whisper what to do. Other times he'd start walking again, and I would follow, step for step, on his path. This is how we wait on God all through the day. We keep our eyes on Him. We go where He goes and stop when He stops. Do what He does. Don't do things He doesn't do. The more we're able to do that, the more we stay in a place of His protection, the more we learn His ways and the easier it becomes to follow Him. We have less scratches from the thorns of life, and the holes we can't seem to avoid on our own no longer cause us to stumble.

Waiting on God sets us free, renews our strength with His and gives us peace and security in the midst of the scariest, most treacherous woods of our lives.  So if we want to learn to walk free of the things that have kept us stumbling from hole to hole, tripping over one thing and the next, cut and scratched from the thorns that ensnare, we need to stop looking for a way through the woods and start looking at He who knows the way. Hurry up and wait on the Lord.

Father help us to wait on You in an active way.  Help us to walk where You walk, the way You walk. When we wait on You this way, let us not be afraid or grow weary, but let us walk in the peace and security of who You are and Your great love for us. Amen.

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 Moments ~ January 19, 2018 ~ Nothing Is Too Small For God

Do you ever feel  like you have a need that is too small or unimportant to ask God for help with? I do. I must admit that some things seem too silly or frivolous to make a request to the Creator of the Universe about. Maybe it's something that isn't a real need, or won't matter much in the grand scheme of things. Maybe its something that isn't spiritual and feels outside His wheelhouse. Maybe it's a desire for something that isn't wrong but still simply seems like it's not a God thing.

I have learned though to take even those little things to Daddy and to the Lord who cares for us. God cares about our daily lives and desires, right down to the smallest detail. No, we don't always get what we want. Sometimes He has some better for us, sometimes what we want would not be helpful for us, and sometimes we do need to learn to be  content with what we have been given. But sometimes, Daddy delights in helping us and giving us things that give us pleasure, even when they are small, or won't make much difference in  the grand scheme of things or aren't in the least way spiritual.

I know Christmas is over but regardless  of the time of year, sometimes we seem to go from acting as though God is Santa and only there to give us what we want, if we're good enough , not true, to feeling like He's the relative that always gives us underwear and socks, only things we need rather than something  that would make us happy, also not true. When we lean toward the latter view we tend to evaluate our requests on a scale of need before we ask and if the desire doesn't rank high on the need scale we keep it to ourselves.

I think though that reminding us to take even  the frivolous to Daddy may be part of why Jesus, who only did the will of Daddy, kicked off His ministry tour with a miracle  that had no purpose other than to make His mom happy, bring pleasure to others and keep the party going. The first miracle Jesus performed wasn't giving sight to someone who was blind or making the lame walk or  something big and showy lie raising the dead. He turned some water into wine to help a couple celebrate their wedding.

Was this s real need? It's not like there had been no wine. They just ran out. Would it help others think about God or get closer to God to have more wine at the party? I dare say no. The guests and the Master of the Feast didn't even know about the miracle. Only a few servants and Mary knew what had happened at the time. By the time the couple's first anniversary rolled around would it even matter if they had run short on refreshments at the reception? Was this even something worthy of God in Flesh's time and concern?

Mary thought so, and so she took if to Jesus.  And He responded. The Lord cares about our lives. He cares about our concerns. We are told to cast our cares on Him because He cares for us. It doesn't say take the big things to God, the important things only. It doesn't mention only spiritual things that matter on the eternal scale of things.  It simply says our cares can be taken to Daddy. Let us not hesitate to take even the littlest things on our heart to the One who cares for us.

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.

Finding True Freedom

Dalyn Woodard shares on how we often attempt to find freedom and make ourselves free, but there is one way that makes us free indeed. The message, "Finding True Freedom" is about 40 minutes long and was recorded at Nacogdoches Christian Fellowship on Wednesday, January 17, 2018. It's our prayer that you are blessed and ministered to as you listen. May God bless and keep you.

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 Moments ~ January 17, 2018 ~ You Can't Honor What You Don't Know

I love the show Top Chef. I have seen every season, and I am grateful that my wife enjoys watching it with me. Somehow though we missed the start of the current season. I noticed a couple of nights ago that we are six episodes in, which is OK, because Leah and I pretty much stream everything after it airs anyway.  So, we've been watching this season where the chefs are in Denver, and so far it's good. There have been some dishes that I would seriously love to try, and as far as the sister show Last Chance Kitchen goes, I  can't believe no one chose the basket with licorice and peanut butter.

But getting back on topic, the last episode we watched the chefs were told to go back to their roots and cook a dish that honored their heritage. I'll try to do this without any worse spoilers than no one picked the licorice basket. The chef who fell short had difficulty because they (trying to avoid he or she just in case you, Dear Reader, are like me and sometimes watch shows after they air and hate to read spoilers,,,,,anyway, they) didn't really know their heritage. The chef knew just enough to try to incorporate some things in the dish but not enough to really bring honor to the dish and make it good. One of the judges commented that they would have been better to simply leave that side of their lineage out of the dish because it came out confused as the chef was. Leah and I were discussing our heritage, what we would do to honor it, etc. and I said, you can't honor what you don't know.

An that Dear Reader is the point of this Moment and why I brought up Top Chef.  The contestant chef truly wished to honor their heritage and wanted to do well, but since they didn't know it, they moved on to Last Chance Kitchen. And in so doing, they gave an excellent object lesson. We who have been given freedom and found a life worth living want tour lives to be a demonstration of God's power, love and way of life. We want to be a light of love and an instrument of service to others that brings honor and glory to Daddy. But if we don't really get to know Daddy well, we can't honor Him. You can't honor what you don't know.

If we only know a little about the One who saved us, then we can say we believe in Him, but what we do will often be more confused than honoring  I know people that I respect and think are pretty awesome, but I would dearly hate to be asked to speak in their honor because I don't know them well enough to do them justice. But I believe I could speak about  my wife in a way that honors her, because I know her well. And I want my life to bring as much honor to God as possible. The key to that is not in learning rules and rites and doing everything a certain way. It's not in never making a mistake or falling short.  The way to bring honor to Him with  my life is to really get close to Him and get to know Him in such a way that our association rubs off on me and shows in how I live and act and am.

Let us draw near to the Daddy who loves us and get to know Him so well that knowing Him influences our very being. Then the confusion of what He would or wouldn't want or approve of falls away, and our efforts to bring Him glory are not muddled and confused.

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 Moments ~ January 16, 2018 ~ No Need To Cut

I am fluent in sarcasm. It feels like a pretty natural second language to me most of the time. But I try not to use it like a knife these days. When I was younger, my friends and I frequently cut each other down. We called it having cut down wars. Now, cut downs are different than sarcasm, but the two often overlap, and a lot of sarcasm is pretty insulting, even if the person it is directed at doesn't realize it. I used to pride myself on being able to insult someone without them seeing the insult and on being able to win most cut down wars.

My mother however hated it. She is still quick to stop any cut down matches she hears if her sons, grandchildren or church youth are involved. She often would silence us with a look and a short statement of 4:29. That last part was Mom shorthand for Ephesians 4:29 -

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

Aw Mom, we're just playing. These were my friends, and no one took it seriously. Cut downs and sarcasm are funny. But my Mom was right. I've realized that, as I have come to realize she was right about so many things I once thought she was taking too seriously. As I think back on some of those moments with friends where sarcasm and cut downs were prevalent, I can remember several occasions where things went a little too far. Someone would make a remark that hit a little close to home, struck one of my many nerves of insecurity. No matter how able I might have been to laugh it off, or how much I told myself my friend didn't mean it because we were just playing, it hurt. And I am sure that I hurt my friends more than once or twice as well.

In truth, these harmless games weren't harmless. We ran each other down in order to feel like it made us look better. And God help the people who weren't our friends. Those were the easiest targets as we felt no need to hold back. I believe it's human nature to try to build ourselves up by tearing others down. I think that's a big reason why the tabloids are so popular. While we tend to envy the rich and famous, we also love to see them brought down, so that we no longer feel inferior. But tearing someone else down, whether in their presence or behind their back, never really works to strengthen our own sense of self worth. It certainly doesn't encourage anyone, build them up or impart the love and grace of God.

Criticizing and finding fault in others doesn't help make them better. It only angers, hurts and discourages. It also doesn't make us better. Pointing out the shortcomings and insufficiencies in others doesn't really raise our own esteem. There are times when we battle with insecurity and feelings of worthlessness, but the answer to those times is not in tearing someone else apart. It is in remembering that our worth is determined by Daddy who loves us and holds us in high esteem. Daddy delights in you and loves you as you are, not as you should be. There is no need for further validation when we realize how true that really is.

Today, let us be quick to show mercy, kindness and compassion with our tongues so that our words impart grace, and let us remember that someone else's esteem in their own eyes, our eyes, or the eyes of anyone else, has nothing to do with our own significance and value. That is determined by God's great love for us. When we need to feel better or of worth, let us turn to the Comforter for reassurance of God's love and acceptance and lay aside cut downs, biting sarcasm and gossip.

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 Moments ~ January 15, 2018 ~ Weed Killer

One exercise that I practice is to try for a full inventory of my blessings. . . .

- AS BILL SEES IT p. 37

For a few years I regularly made a daily list of five things I felt grateful for that day and posted it on social media. I stopped because a few months ago it occurred to me that such a list might be causing others pain. Like it might feel to someone who didn't have said blessing I felt grateful for that their nose was being rubbed in their need and lack. I am not sure if that is real or just some crazy thought that popped into my head, but I have not been publicly posting my list until I feel more comfortable doing so again. In the meantime though, I do still make a nightly gratitude list when I review my day, and it continues to be a source of strength and joy for me.

The idea of coming up with five things I'm grateful for every day, regardless of how rough the day may have been, came about five years ago while waiting to have a biopsy done on some growths in my chest. Fearing the worst and what might happen if the growths were malignant, I turned to Daddy for my comfort and refuge rather than blowing two years of sobriety by trying to escape that fear. The daily mini gratitude list was one of the things I did to remind myself of my blessings and Daddy's love and care for me. It worked well, and I managed to stay sober during the anxious waiting period to find that I have sarcoidosis and not cancer.

It hasn't always been easy, but I have never had a day, no matter how bad, where I was unable to find at least five things that happened or that I had in my life that were worthy of my gratitude. It really helps protect against the danger of falling into self pity when I can find a reason to be grateful. Speaking of gratitude, I am extremely grateful to a friend in recovery who helped me to learn the importance of a gratitude list. During my early days of sobriety as I struggled not to go back out and began to feel pain and hurt that I had numbed for years, an older man with decades of sobriety told me to sit down and write out an inventory of things I had to be grateful for when I felt like I couldn't do anything else to keep from drinking or drugging. He later received a diagnosis of cancer and went through that fear and the treatment staying sober, Every time I spoke with him during his battle with cancer he always brought up at least one thing he felt grateful for. What a great example he gave me.

Another old timer gave me an empty tin box early on and told me to take scraps of paper and jot down things I felt grateful for a place them inside. During hard times I could then open the gratitude box and read the many things I had happen that I could be grateful for. That also helped for a while, although I no longer keep a gratitude box, that was what helped me learn to keep an eye out through my day for things to be grateful for.

I can't describe how important gratitude has been in my recovery and how much of a help it has been in keeping me clean and sober. I have never known anyone who practiced looking for reasons to be grateful who wasn't able to find  them, and I have never known anyone who made a practice of expressing gratitude from the heart who relapsed. I know that in the three months before my last relapse in 2010 I quit all aspects of practicing gratitude, and with it came a distancing in my relationship with Daddy. Old hurts and resentments cropped back up, and I nursed and fed them rather than pouring gratitude over them like a spiritual weed killer. As the weeds of resentment and self pity grew, they choked out my appreciation for life and relationship with God. I went back out. I know of no better weed killer to control the growth of the things that choke out the fruits of the Spirit and destroy our ability to stay free than gratitude.

I would encourage everyone who wishes to be free and stay free to practice gratitude. But sometimes an attitude of gratitude is hard to maintain. During those times, taking a moment to physically write out a list is helpful, and at times when even that proves difficult, reviewing older lists can be a source of help and strength and a reminder of our blessings. It's amazing how many of the things I had to be grateful for five years ago as I went through some difficult times are things that I can still be grateful for today. Try it. You may find it works for you as well. And remember that the greatest thing we have to do be grateful for is Daddy's great love for us, and that is always true, even when life is hardest.

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.

Daddy Do You Really Love Me

Dalyn Woodard shares on how it is not a reason to feel condemned when we wonder if God is really who He says He is and if He really loves us. The message, "Daddy Do You Really Love Me" is about 42 minutes long and was recorded at Nacogdoches Christian Fellowship on Sunday, January 14, 2018. It's our prayer that you are blessed and ministered to as you listen. May God bless and keep you.

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.

God Is Not Missing

Wally Flynt shares on how the way we go through our difficult times can be a demonstration of His love, power and way of life. God is not missing. He Is here and cares for us. The message,  "God Is Not Missing" is about 4 minutes long and was recorded at Nacogdoches Christian Fellowship on Sunday, January 14, 2018. It's our prayer that you are blessed and ministered to as you listen. May God bless and keep you.

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 ~ January 13, 2018

Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on

February 15, 2015.

When I let go of who I am I make it possible to become who I might be, who I want to be and who God created me to be.


 Father may we let go of who and what we are without You and pursue Your presence today and every day so that we can become like Jesus and the people of love and liberty that You have called us to be. Amen

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 Moments ~ January 12, 2018 ~ Fighting My Shadow

I'm shadow boxing the phantom of my will

- Randy Stonehill

I heard the above line in a song this morning, and it created a vivid picture in my mind. Maybe that's because I grew up loving to watch boxing with my father, who himself loved it because he had a brother who boxed and who had a large influence and impact on him. I can picture my uncle shadow boxing in training for a fight, even though I never saw him do anything boxing related. He had quit before I was born, and even I long preceded the days before everyone began carrying a video camera around in their pocket.

If you are unfamiliar with the term shadow boxing and were to look up the definition, you would find something like to spar with an imaginary opponent as a form of training. In one sense pretending to fight may seem childish and silly. There's no one there. You can't fight your shadow. And this truth led me to the first thoughts on the idea of shadow boxing the phantom of my will. As hard as the struggle can be at times to keep the old man, old nature, the flesh, the carnal self, however you wish to define the who we were when we're talking about the what it was like portion of our story before we found relationship with the Power greater than us who loves us and cares about us enough to do for us what we can not do for ourselves and set us free, when we struggle with that nature, we're fighting a phantom. The old is passed away, and we have been made new.

As big and scary as shadows can be, they are only shadows. They are not able to hurt us if we don't react out of our fear and do something foolish. I do remember once as a child running into a door as I turned to run from what turned out to be a shadow in my room. That hurt, but it wasn't the shadow that hurt me but my giving in to fear and reacting without caution, thought or direction. Who we were before is just a shadow, a phantom, and there is no need to worry about him or be afraid of him, even if he looms over us. The amazing thing about our shadow is that if we change our position in relation to the light, it gets smaller and less substantial, even if it doesn't ever completely go away. If the phantom we of the past calls and taunts and makes us feel like we have no choice but to live and breathe and be the way we once did when we were slaves, we can simply reposition ourselves in the light of the Spirit and watch the threat shrivel and fade to thin and small and non-threatening.

But while the phantom we are fighting is no real threat if we remember whose we are and that it is His power and light that defeats our darkness and not our ability, strength or determination, shadow boxing is not silly, frivolous or pointless.

Most boxing trainers prefer that their fighters do their shadow boxing before engaging in any other daily exercise routines. The main purpose of this exercise, apart from getting the muscles ready for another activity, is usually to maintain a fighter's rhythm and show the fighter how they would look at that stage of training against a certain opponent. This could be important as fighters envision themselves facing their immediate future opponents: it usually gives fighters an idea of what is, and what is not, to be fixed.

- Jacob Stevens

While our phantom past is not a real threat when we remember that it is dead and gone and we have been made new in Christ, we are still living in enemy territory, in a fallen, contrary world with dangers, pitfalls and temptations. This shadow boxing our phantom is will is an important part of our training and readiness to face our real opponents and should be done before any other exercise or training.

I hope that I haven't taken the metaphor too far and lost you, Dear Reader. I know that not everyone is a fight fan. Our phantom will, our self, the way we were, is no real threat to us if we remember that we have been given a power beyond our own through Daddy's love for us, the work of Christ on the cross for us and the indwelling Spirit working in us. If we remember the grace, the power of God doing for us what we can't do for ourselves, we have and our identity as those who have been set free, then putting our self in its place is as effortless as slapping our shadow. But it is critically important to do so.

We are to daily deny self and follow Him. We have a daily reprieve contingent upon the maintenance of our spiritual condition. That means that first things first, we need to remember our position to and in the Light and make sure our form is good and we are surrendered to His will and care before we plan, strategize and prepare for the day by putting the shadow phantom of our will in submission to His will. When that is done, we can go through our day prepared for the fights we will face, because we are in the shadow of His wing, His will, and the Lord will fight on our behalf. No foe, not even the temptations of our past, can defeat us when we are walking in the light of the Spirit.

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.