Unshackled Echo ~ June 30, 2018 ~ More Better

Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on

March 12, 2015.

O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

- Psalm 63:1

I am not a morning person, and verses like the one above have made me grateful not to be under the law more than once. Whenever I have tried to make myself get up early to pray or read Scripture because I start feeling like that is what you're "supposed" to do I have failed miserably. But not too long ago, I felt not a "should" get up early but rather a desire to really get to know Jesus more and to spend more time with Him. I prayed and asked that if He would provide the grace to meet with me that I would get up as early as it took to both start my day with relationship time and to more faithfully in frequency minister through writing these moments. Those who may have noticed that for a while now these Unshackled Moments have been close to a daily occurrence can note that some progress has been made. It's definitely been a blessing in my life regardless. It's  not about the frequency of writing going way up. It's about more, one of my favorite words. More. More of Jesus. More time with Jesus. More power. More of God in my life. It's about more better. And yes, I know that is atrocious English, but it's a great goal.

I have felt better. My days have been better. I've seen an improvement in multiple areas of my life and walk. That's made it easier to keep getting up early. I had even started often getting up and turning off my alarm before it went off on most days and getting up without hitting the snooze on the other days. If you only knew what kind of miracle that is, you'd be greatly encouraged, but while all this has happened, there is still the me who is not yet changed. The old me, the natural me, the natural body rhythms that God gave me when He created me and my natural reactions to those tendencies are still there.

And that last sentence is why I hate Daylight Savings Time. I had enjoyed the progress I had made. I loved that I didn't have to struggle to get up that hour early any longer. It had almost become natural in that it had become a part of the routine. Suddenly, for no reason, I had to start over. I have to get up an hour earlier than my body thinks it should to be in the same place I was in less than a week ago. I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't get complacent. My attitude hadn't changed, and neither had my motivation. It hadn't become a should. But it did become hard again, at least as hard as it was at the start.

My reactions, who I am, had to be overcome again. It hasn't been instant. The first morning I had to get up after the change I hit the snooze button six times. Horrible performance. If this were a legalistic should thing I probably would've felt like a failure all day. Instead I just felt like I'd had to rush through my morning conversation with Jesus, and I didn't like that because it felt like something missing. It felt as though I hadn't eaten breakfast spiritually, and I went through the day trying to play catch up with my hunger and energy levels. So I asked for help to get back to the place I had been. This morning I only hit the snooze three times. Already I have cut the delay in half. I'm 15 minutes away from where I want to be. Today I can rejoice in the progress and not beat myself up over the lack of perfection.

This is not a boast. Oh look, I get up early to spend time with God, you should too. No. I don't really care when you spend time with God. Those late night hours can be a true blessing. When you spend time with Your best friend is between the two of You. I just hope that you can see Jesus as the best friend you've ever had and want to spend time. But we all have goals to improve our relationship with our Creator. I hope that our motives are about that relationship and not anything to do with "shoulds," or that they'll grow into the right motivation. Regardless though sometimes we start to make progress in whatever area and WHAM, something happens. Before we know what hit us we feel as though we're right back at the start or worse. But we're not. We've already seen what works. We've learned to take the steps to surrender that lead to victory.

The war is won, but we may lose a battle here and there. It's not always something we've done or allowed by falling short in any way. It can simply be a fact that life happens. But as long as our motivation is to get to know God better and better, we can see these setbacks as something that temporarily caused us to see our friend less and renew that closeness as quickly as possible. It doesn't have to be something to beat ourselves up over. It doesn't have to involve "shoulds." And whenever we want more of Jesus, He honors that.

Thank You Lord that it's about relationship not requirements. Help me not to feel condemnation when I feel I fall short in my side of the friendship between You and me but rather simply instill a desire to get back together like I would with a great earthly relationship and friendship. I want more of You Lord. More relationship. More time. More closeness. More better. Amen

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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 ~ June 29, 2018 ~ God Is Not My Co-pilot

I carried a bag of dog food today. This should not be a big deal. It's only 40 pounds. Last week I carried 100 pounds of chicken feed at least twice as far as the dog food and hurt less. When my back is acting up I can't do as much, and I need to adjust and act accordingly if I want to keep walking. The key is balance. When I  am carrying something I have to get the load as balanced as possible. It doesn't make it lighter. 40 pounds is 40 pounds, but off balance makes it take more effort. It doesn't make the load heavier, but it makes it feel heavier. It makes it harder on my body. Instinctively we know this. If you need to pick up and carry an eight foot board it's much easier to do and feels lighter when lifted in the middle instead of grabbing one end and muscling the other end off the ground.

Life is like that as well. We are all going to go through things. They don't necessarily change any more than the weight of that board or my dog food changed, no matter how we react or approach them. But balance can make them feel lighter. Now when you start talking about life and balance, there are many directions a mind might go. Balance work and rest, responsibilities to others and ourselves, doing the majority when others are in need and letting them do the majority when you are in need, etc. Balance can have different connotations when the subject turns to spirituality. But as I write this, I am thinking of balance in a very specific way, so let me explain so that we are on the same page.

There are those who live as though nothing matters but the flesh. By that I mean our thoughts, emotions and physical senses, needs and desires. This is what we are and what matters. Then there are those who say no, we are spirit, and all that matters is the spirit. We are spiritual beings on a journey that happens to be taking place in a body, and the flesh is no more us than the car we ride in on our journey to work. Both of these views are like picking up that board from one end and trying to walk with it. Life becomes much more difficult and strenuous, regardless of which end is grabbed.

God didn't create us as only spiritual beings. That wasn't His intention. The flesh was not an accidental side effect. We are not spirits. And we are not merely flesh. We do have souls. We can not ignore or pretend away either aspect because God created us as spirits in a body with physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs. The weight of life is easier to bear when we listen to the needs of the body and the soul. When we grab it in the middle remembering that our body is just as real as our spirit and vice versa.

I am not however saying we need to give our instincts as much control as our spirit. I am saying that we need to care for all aspects of who we are, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. But there is one area of life, no matter how you look at balance, where we tend to try for balance and shouldn't. Balance is not always the goal. There doesn't need to be a balance between Daddy's will and way and mine. When I throw out the idea of a co-pilot role and give Daddy complete control, then I don't have to fear my own instincts causing problems. Those things we sometimes fear about the physical when we try to make life a spiritual journey become blessings rather than curses. God gave us those instincts. He gifted us with senses for pleasure and as tools. When they are under His control, our physical, mental and emotional drives can be sources of joy and service as much as our spiritual drives. We are not on a spiritual journey, not a mental, emotional or physical one. Each of those aspects is like one tire on our car. We need all four, and they need to be maintained and filled or life is going to be a bumpy ride. That balance is not dangerous when we remember that contrary to a popular bumper sticker, God is not our co-pilot. And it's not that He's the pilot and we're the co-pilot. He's the pilot and the navigator.


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.

Redirected By Love

God created us with personalities and character traits that can be either weaknesses or strengths depending on their direction. How can we turn our weaknesses into strengths? Dalyn Woodard shares on the life of John the Beloved and how we can know Jesus better because of his life and how his life is an example of God's gracious redirection of our lives. The message, "Redirected By Love," is about 51 minutes long, and was recorded at Nacogdoches Christian Fellowship on Wednesday, June 27, 2018. 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 Moments ~ June 27, 2018 ~ Be Careful Saying I'm Praying For You

I have a friend who messed up. It happens. We've all done it. See Romans 3:23-26. The periods of struggle and clean up from serious missteps, mistakes and prodigal behavior can be especially difficult and embarrassing. I spent some time this morning praying for my friend, as I have often since becoming aware of the situation. It is my desire to see this person happy, joyous and free, with a deep and amazing relationship with Daddy, and from our talks I know that is their desire as well. After praying the thought came to me that I would tell them I'm praying for them the next time I see them, and, yes, I'm playing the pronoun game. The point of this is not to give clues about who I may or may not be praying for or who is struggling.

The point is that simple phrase and desire to tell someone that we are praying for them. Be careful with that. I  have had times of struggle and suffering in life where I felt blessed, loved and encouraged when someone told me that they were praying and would pray. This is especially true when the person saying it is someone I know cares about me and has a rich prayer life and goes to war for the people they have on their intercessory prayer list. But that positive feeling upon hearing about the prayers is not always there, and there are reasons for that.

I've had people tell me that they have heard about what I am going through and they are praying for me. Did you hear love? Maybe you did, and maybe it was there. After all, it's hard to hear tone and motive in the written word sometimes. But often, what I  heard was, we're talking about you. You're a source of gossip and ridicule. What I heard was you're messing up. Shame on you. More than once, someone telling me that they were praying for me came across to me that they didn't approve of me or my choices and that they were conspiring with God to beat me into line.

Now I'll be honest. During many of these times I was nowhere near spiritually, mentally or emotionally healthy, so my perceptions may have had little to do with reality when  it comes to the other persons motives and feelings. That said, attitudes often speak louder than words, and I am sure that I was not totally wrong all the time.

Before telling someone that we are praying for them, let us ask ourselves why. Motives matter. First, are we really praying and interceding on their behalf? Sometimes saying I'm praying for you is about as meaningful as have a blessed day. It's just the spiritually polite response. Don't do that. Don't say you're praying unless you are. It's not being polite or encouraging. It's a lie, and it can lead someone to believe that they have prayer support that they don't. It's like telling someone at a restaurant that you'll get the tip and then not tipping at all. You cheat the server, make the other party an accomplice and act like a selfish jerk. Just don't.

I sometimes wonder when I see twenty comments promising prayer in response to a request or tough situation on a Facebook status how many people actually are or will pray. Maybe we mean it with the best of intentions. I will pray for you. But then we forget. Oops. If we tell someone that we will pray we should take action to make sure that they don't slip our mind and we actually pray for them.  Jot it down. There are free apps to keep track of prayer requests if you're an app lover. Better yet, instead of saying I will, just do it. Right then, right there. Say a prayer. But if it's something serious where in-depth intercessory prayer might be called for, do something to remember the need. Prayer requests can be like dreams. They feel important and we are sure we will remember, but within minutes of moving on with our day they begin to fade from our awareness.

But let's assume that the issue isn't a polite lie, and we are not being judgmental and critical couching our disapproval and condemnation in manipulative spiritual speak. We do care. We are concerned out of love, and we are praying. Do we say anything? The first question is why do we want to? If the answer, get honest with yourself here, is so that you look good, look caring, look spiritual, etc. then shut up and pray. If it is to add a good deed to some tally, look what I did for you, now we are even for what you did for me or now you owe me, then don't say anything. Just pray.

And let's stop using a promise to pray as an excuse not to do anything. We are the hands and feet of Christ, and there is only one instance that I can think of where Jesus told anyone He would be praying for them and didn't take some form of action to help and meet their need right then and there. Jesus told Peter that He would pray for him because the enemy wanted to sift him like wheat. But Jesus didn't make a habit of walking by people in need and saying I'll pray for you.

Promise of prayer isn't an escape card. Intercessory prayer isn't dismissive. It is I'll fight for you, not I'll pray but I'm really to busy to care. You aren't as important as what I need or want to do right now so I'll tell you I'll be praying and leave. It isn't condemning. I'll  pray, but you need to just shape up and act right or get over it already. And it isn't a response to fear. This makes me uncomfortable so rather than give a listening ear and a shoulder to lean or cry on, I'll say I'll pray and run. There are times when all we can do is pray. But they are fewer and farther between than we like to admit.

Let's have a lot more I'll pray and.... I'll pray you get some rest and help you with what you need to do so that you have more time to rest. I'll pray you get well, but in the meantime I'll help by..... I know you're scared about what the doctor might say, so I'll pray and be there with you so you don't have to hear it alone. I don't know how to fix what you're going through, but I will pray and sit with you as you cry and cry with you. Prayer is an action verb and most times should be combined with other acts of compassion to truly express the love and care of Christ to someone.

I am not saying don't tell someone you're praying.  If they ask for prayer, it's a good thing to do so that they know that someone cares and their request is being heard. But if you say it, pray it. Bringing it up again later can show true love and concern. I have been praying about that situation, how are things? I am sure Peter felt loved by Jesus and sure that Jesus truly would pray. We can't control how a wounded person may perceive our actions, but if we are being moved by love, then letting someone know they are loved and being prayed for can be an encouragement and blessing. So tell them. But if our reason for telling them is about us instead of them or in any way to manipulate them into cooperation with our prayers, then it's best to leave it in the prayer closet. Prayer is not  a weapon to beat someone into compliance, it is not a way to express our opinions about them or their situations or to condemn while trying to mask our unChristlike and unloving attitude behind religious superiority, and it is not a get out of action free card. It is spiritually standing in the darkness and the mess with those in need. It is opening ourselves empathically to their struggle and going to Daddy with them and for them. Let the Spirit guide you in when they need to know, if they need to know, that you are in the pit praying with them. But whether you tell or don't, pray for those who are in need and are suffering and struggling. Prayer is real and powerful and the fervent prayer of someone in relationship with Daddy accomplishes much.


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 ~ June 26, 2018 ~ The Best Way

I would have died unless the Lord had helped me.

- Psalm 94:17

I can look back over the years and see instance after instance where despite my rebellion and willfulness God's provision and protection kept me. This ability to say I should have died, but God is something I have witnessed in the lives of many in recovery. Yet, we still have a tendency to be afraid to go to Him at times because we feel we do not deserve His help. Our Daddy desires to be our guide and helper. He wants the best for us.

Do not be afraid to surrender to His will and to look to Him for direction. Sometimes we feel like we should do it all on our own. That we have to put forth maximum effort first, and then ask God to take care of the rest. God helps those who help themselves. But that's just not true. God helps those who understand that they can't help themselves. If we will seek Him and His way first, before we fall short,  we will be spared so much confusion and struggle. When  we acknowledge His right to guide and direct us and His ability to keep us, we don't have to put ourselves in a position of needing to be rescued. Instead of doing our best first, and then asking for Daddy's help and direction, let us remember that the best thing we can do is to totally surrender to His will and care first and foremost in every situation and all our ways.


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 ~ June 25, 2018 ~ Missing Dixie

It's been nine and a half years since the brass gate at the Walls Unit in Huntsville rolled open and I walked out of prison an almost free man. I felt awesome, better than I had in seven and a half years, that's for sure. I felt happy to be outside the wall and on the right side of the razor wire. I felt determined to get my life together, to do it right this time, and to never, ever become of ward of the state of Texas again. I also felt a tad terrified, a bit overwhelmed and a little angry, or so I thought.

As part of that whole do it right thing, I reported to my parole officer within 24 hours of my release, as instructed, and jumped through every hoop he placed in front of me, even the ones that seemed to be on fire. One such burning hoop was recovery meetings a few times a week that I absolutely did not need. All you had to do was ask me, and I could tell you. I didn't need them. About eight days after I sat in a room full of drunks and dope heads, crossed my arms and declared to them all that I was not an alcoholic and graced them with my presence only because of parole, which would be over in six months causing my disappearance from said group, I sat on my front porch in broad daylight drinking Bacardi straight from the bottle. I had a moment of clarity and called myself several names, none of which are synonyms for wise one.  I hadn't even bothered to pour the rum into a glass with a little soda and make it look like tea. Had my parole officer driven by, a distinct possibility considering I'd barely been out a week, I could have been on my way back to a cage.

All I had to do was stay clean and sober for six months and I was home free. Then I  could party. Just leave it alone for six months, but I couldn't, I began to consider getting honest enough to admit I hadn't had control in a long time. Perhaps I needed that room and the program after all. But not much hurts more than rejection, so if they were going to hate me, reject me and cast me aside, I would rather it be sooner than later. I flaunted what made me an outcast in East Texas. I sat in a meeting and threw out what society and the state said was the worst thing about me. They didn't run away or to gather stones. They praised me for my honesty and courage. But I wasn't brave. I just wanted to get it over with so I wouldn't have to sit with  the fear of everyone finding out hanging over my head like a guillotine blade.

For the next few months my life became a relapse rumba. I would determine to stay clean. Grit my teeth and white knuckle it for about two weeks and then go out and drunk and or high.

Then, terrified of going back to prison, I would run back to recovery and try again. Early in this dance I made some important and special friends in recovery. One was Dixie. She came up to me after a meeting one evening and introduced herself. We talked and became friends. It turned out we had some things in common, not the least of which her being a fellow Texas Tech Red Raider.

Over the first six months or so of my recovery process I went through three sponsors. The first laid a foundation that I continue to be grateful for before he had to take a job out of state. The second lasted about two weeks and was called temporary from the start. The third took me through the steps and listened to my fifth step for hours. I will always be grateful. With their help I did what I needed to do to allow God to do the work that gave me freedom from the obsession to drink and drug for the first time since I was 13. I was 38. But through all that time, Dixie and I became best friends and spent hours hanging out and talking. She knew more about me than anyone at that time, including the person who listened to my fifth. When I needed to replace sponsor number three, I asked her. Graciously she accepted, and my life became enriched and blessed beyond what I imagined.

Dixie was far from perfect. She had wisdom that helped me more than I could say, but had trouble seeing it and applying in to her own life at times. Within a few years, I still called her my sponsor and leaned on her, but she claimed our roles had been reversed. I don't think so. It wasn't that I was her sponsor. I wasn't. We were just equally friends who knew a lot about each other and cared about each other and listened and then gave suggestions that usually helped.

Dixie was one of those special people who could truly be open minded and caring enough to set her feelings aside and be honest about what was best for others. Few people I know have been as hurt by the organized church as her, and yet as she saw my relationship with God grow, she told me one day that I had a gift that I needed to quit running from. She said she had never met anyone who should be a minister more than me and that I had too much to offer in the way of help to others to still be shirking that calling.  I broke down in tears and told her the story of how as a teen I had been told by a minister's wife that I was "ordained" to minister and how I had looked her in the eye, said no, and fled the sanctuary to go behind the church and get high. She looked at me and said, don't you think it's time you quit running from what God wants you to do? That night I began praying and stopped running. A couple of years later I began preaching, and now I am a full-time minister. Anyone who has been helped or blessed by Unshackled Life Ministries has also been blessed by Mama Dixie.

She got friends to take her out of the hospital for a few hours after knee surgery so that she could present me with my chip for my one-year recovery anniversary. She surprised me that night both with her presence and by telling everyone there that she had been too scared for two weeks to say hi to me because I was the angriest person that she had ever seen. She hugged me and let me cry a minute before telling me to stop feeling sorry for myself and do the work after my relapse three months later. She took me back through the steps, refusing to let me skimp in the areas where the foundation had been weak the first time. She advised and encouraged me as I began courting Leah, and after Leah and I were married, she became as special a friend to Leah as she was to me. In recovery, relationships, and every other aspect of life, she quickly and and consistently reminded me to seek God and to put God's will first, before my fears, before my desires and before any and every other relationship.

I recently celebrated eight years clean and sober. I am looking forward to my eighth anniversary with Leah. I have been ministering for five years now. My life is blessed and full and worth living, and the recovery, ministry and marriage I love and that bring me such joy would not be what it is without Dixie's wisdom, care and influence. No one who doesn't go to church has ever had as much positive impact on my walk with God as Dixie did, and few who do attend, including ministers, have either.

Last week we lost her after an accident. My heart continues to ache, but at the same time I am grateful. I love you Dixie, and while I missed you terribly while you were gone, I am so grateful that you were able to travel the country and enjoy your relationship and retirement as you wanted. I am so thankful for all that you have done for me and for Leah, and I am proud to be a small part of your amazing legacy of love and service.

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 ~ June 23, 2018 ~ Getting Close

Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on

March 10, 2015.

As a child I had some friends whose attitudes my mother didn't exactly approve. They seemed a little too smart alecky, rebellious and talked back too much. I think perhaps my mother disapproved of their parents more than the children themselves, but she didn't like the way that they acted and felt determined that her son would not act in such a manner. She never said that these friends were a bad influence on me, but I do remember multiple times where she would comment that I'd been hanging out with them too much as evidenced by the fact that I began talking and acting like them. Her observation usually proceeded an adjustment of my attitude.

Even today I have a friend that if I spend a lot of time around, my wife immediately can tell. "How much time have you been spending with him?," she'll ask me. "Why?," I ask. Her response is most often along the lines that I am starting to sound like him.

The point is that when I spend a lot of time with a particular person I begin to act a little like them, to like some of the things that they like that may not quite be within the normal parameters of my likes, and even my gestures and expressions can be effected. I guess it probably goes both ways with others seeing me in the friends that I spend a lot of time with.

The point of the Spiritual life we live is relationship with Jesus. We constantly strive to improve our conscious contact with God. How can we measure that closeness? Attitude and behavior. We can talk a good talk, but what do others see? If we're spending a lot of time with God, if He has become our friend and not just our bail bondsman, others should see Him in our attitudes and actions. It's nothing we have to try to do or force. It's a natural by-product of closeness and time. Let's get so close to Jesus that those around us see Him in us more and more.

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your love and friendship. You have promised to be closer than a brother if we will draw close to You. Help me to get so close to You that  others see You as much, if not more, than they see me in all I do. 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 ~ June 22, 2018 ~ Seasons Of The Day

Summer has officially begun, although I don't believe that nature pays much attention to the calendar. Summer has been here in my area for about a month now. I am sure there are areas where it still feels like spring. Some places have mild summers that bear little difference between late spring and early fall. Some bake the life right out of you, if you aren't careful. But the earth has seasons.

Personally, I believe God created it that way in order for the planet to survive the effects of death entering into the world.  There is a time of birth and growth, a time of warmth and work, a time of harvest and a time for hibernation. Winter may feel and look like death, but it's really just a cooling down period of rest and recuperation. It's followed by the warmth and new life of spring, which is followed by the heat of summer where everything is intensified.and spent before gradually cooling and exploding into color and heading toward rest after the work is done. There are cycles of work and rest, growth and decline, life and death, and what is true of the earth to create balance and not have the planet constantly stressed and striving is also true of us.

We have seasons, or should. There are times of quiet preparation followed by times of action and intensity, times to slowly unwind and reflect and times to rest and recoup. This could be seasons in a single day, from the new life of morning spring preparing for the heat and labor of the day, followed in turn by the color and rest that follows the effort and finally ending in rest and recuperation through the night. But we have longer seasons of life as well. There may be periods of growth, new life and preparation for what is to come. There are times when the heat is on and everything is work and effort and giving everything we have while the sun is high. There are times of reflection and beauty and color where the work is winding down and the rewards of the labor are being realized. And there are times when we must cease the work, rest, hibernate, replenish the soil of our soil and recuperate. If we do not have the rest, we can not have the growth, work and the reward. If we do not have the work, we also can't have the growth or reward and rest becomes death. All the seasons of life are necessary in order for balance and life to be maintained.

Don't neglect or become stuck in any one season. Growth must be used. There is a time for labor and intensity.  Wisdom is birthed in the times of reflection and harvest. And without rest and replenishment, there would be nothing in us to give for service and new growth. Don't despise rest. Don't worship it. Don't sacrifice your entire life on the altar of effort and labor, but also don't run from the heat. There is a purpose for every season under heaven, even the seasons of our lives. Learn to appreciate them and use them to create the balance and flow in life that enables us to be most effective in our service to God and others.


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 ~ June 21, 2018 ~ Staying Dry

Leah  and I went to Longview for her follow up after heart surgery, and as we sat in the exam room, the bottom dropped out of the heavy gray clouds outside. What had been an intermittent light sprinkling on our way to the office became a down pour of large, cold rain drops that quickly turned the parking lot into a shallow lake. We had another stop to make in the building next door before we left, but walking through that rain would not be fun, especially since Leah really needed to keep the compression hose that keep her safe from post-surgery embolisms, dry.

The heart surgeon's receptionist kindly told us the best way to go. There is a back way that isn't obvious from the front of the hospital complex that is covered, although the walk is a little farther. We went that way and stayed dry. The wind blew us, there was some moisture in the air, and there were places where the dry areas of the walkway seriously narrowed. But we stayed dry.and comfortable as we walked together.

Into every life, good and bad, believer and unbeliever, rain will fall. But there is a way to get from where we are to where we need to be that will keep us dry, even in the worst of storms. It isn't the obvious way, and it may not even be visible from the pace of normal travel, but it is there. It is under the shelter of God's wings that we can walk through the storms of life without being drenched. We may get a little damp, may be buffeted by the wind, but we stay safe and dry in His care. So, when the storms of life begin to rage, look for the shelter of God's grace, and if you know where it is and see someone trying to figure out a way of escape, be like the kind receptionist and volunteer directions.


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 ~ June 20, 2018 ~ Whole Wellness

Over the past almost two weeks I have been watching, and trying to help, my wife recover from open heart surgery. She is doing amazingly well, and everyone is impressed and very happy with her progress, except perhaps her. She wants to be able to be comfortable, pain free and able to do all the things that she expects to be able to do now that her heart is repaired. I can't blame her one bit for that.

It's not just the place where they cut her open that is an issue. There is a lot more limiting her right now than trying not to pull stitches. Her muscles ache and are still weak from what she's been through. Her lungs have yet to fully recover from the intubation. There are other issues as well, because it's not a heart problem, or a respiratory one, or a muscle issue, or any other single area problem. It's a wholeness and core recovery process.

This is true because whatever may be a weakness in one part of our body effects our entire body and also our mind and emotions. This is also true for us spiritually. If there is a major problem, we may concentrate on it short term, but we need a core spiritual workout to stay healthy and strong overall. Jesus said that we are to love Daddy with all our heart, mind and soul, showing that all three of these areas are interrelated. We can not ficus only on one without the others growing weak and adversely effecting even where our focus has been.

If we grow stagnant, complacent or weak in even one of the three we could hinder what God wants to do for us and through us. Strengthening our spiritual core helps us  to have a life worth living and to stay free, but it also helps others. Staying  fit in all three areas helps us to remember who we are according to Daddy and to see ourselves as He sees us. It also helps us to see others as He sees them, enabling us to love and serve them. If we love God with our mind, hear and soul we become able to love and value ourselves because of who He has made us to be. And when we see the grace by which God loves and values us, we can then love others and treat them with the value God has placed on us all. It is from the place of a strong relationship with Daddy that we can love Him in return, we can love ourselves in a healthy way and love others. Our relationship is not only in and by the soul. It is not simply mental or emotional either. If we approach it as a single focus issue, the whole will suffer, but when we exercise and strengthen all three pillars, we build something strong and stable and become holistically healthy and free.


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 ~ June 19, 2018 ~ Our Forgetful Father

Kirk: "Names, Lieutenant!"

Valeris: "I do not remember."

Spock: "A lie?"

Valeris: "A choice."

- Star Trek VI

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

- Ps. 103:12

You  can't do that, not with your past. Who are you trying to fool with the new person act? Don't you remember what you've done? Who are you to try to help anyone? Then comes the list, the long list of all the mistakes, failures, wrong choices and reasons to be ashamed. Or maybe it's just one item from the list flashed in extra-large neon on the billboard of your mind blinding you to the promises of the cross and making you feel worthless and unlovable.

Where does that message come from? Does it feel like it's from God, always reminding you of who  you were and are and how that is not ever going to be good enough? We have all messed up. We are all co-conspirators in a traitorous rebellion against the Lord of All. Our best intentions have failed and our best attempts have only made matters worse. Our accuser stands before us, screaming that we deserve death and should be rejected and discarded. Jesus answers that He does not remember what we've done. He doesn't remember us as enemies and traitors. It's not a lie, for God does not lie. It's a choice.

It is against Daddy's nature of love to remember forgiven sins and hold them against us. I am grateful for his loving forgiveness and His graciously forgetful memory. He has made us new, and in so doing He has chosen to forget the old. Because of this, we don't have to face eternal judgment for our past, and we don't have to listen to, be defined by or limited by it today. We can stand in the face of accusation and not crumble, because if the only example of a perfect being says we are worth everything to Him and chooses not to remember our past nor define us by it, perhaps we should give more weight to His choice than to the voice of accusation that haunts 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.

Unshackled Moments ~ June 18, 2018 ~ Great Kindness

It is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance. That doesn't sound right does it? I bet most of us would be more likely to say that it is guilt, shame and or fear. Guilt that we failed. Shame over what we have done. Mostly fear. Fear of God and fear of retribution. Too many times the call to repentance has gone out in some form of turn or burn. Repent or God will get you. But Jesus never said that.

He told stories about Daddy welcoming home the prodigal son, about the Shepherd searching for the lost sheep until it is found and restored, and about the Master forgiving the overwhelming debt. That last one also served to remind us to forgive in the same way that we have been forgiven. Romans 2:4 states that it is His kindness that leads us to repentance. It may not sound right, but it does sound wonderful. Daddy is gentle with us when we are out of line. He calls us to Him, and it is His desire to heal us and restore us to relationship with Him. He has no desire to get us for what we've done. In fact, He did everything needed and possible to make it where we could escape the judgment we deserve and be given another chance and a clean slate and the power to be different.

No, we don't deserve yet another chance. No, we have no hope of getting it right this time, not on our own.  But when we can cling to the truth that Daddy does love us as we are, not as we should be, that He is good and kind and merciful, then we can be quick to turn back to Him when we wander away. When we find ourselves unable to change and act, love and serve as we should, when we can not deny self, we can surrender to His care and receive help from the Spirit to do for us what we can not do for ourselves. This is because we can trust that He wants to help us, to restore us and to make us into the best us that we were always meant to be. He is the loving Daddy we can turn to for help because He cares and not the cruel father just looking for an excuse to cuff us if we stumble or stray an inch.


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 ~ June 16, 2018 ~ Pick Yourself Up

Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on

March 10, 2015.

Social media is full of inspirational, positive quotes to inspire self-improvement and persistence. They've become so standard it's easy to agree with the message and go on without even thinking about it.

Quotes like:

Take a deep breath, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again. ~ Frank Sinatra

Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.

Your life only gets better when you do you. Work on yourself and the rest will follow.

Failure doesn't come from falling down. Failure comes from not getting up.

There are many more, usually printed on a pretty picture or eye-catching design, but I think  you get the idea. I've realized that these seemingly positive memes and quotes are dangerous to me. They are s subtle invitation to exit my road onto another where the bridge is out in a few miles. But they sound good! Surely I am over reacting? Aren't I just being picky? Yes, I am being picky. There is a map that shows me how to get where I want and need to go, and which roads don't get there. I don't want to waste time on my journey, or worse wind up lost. So, I need to pay close attention to the map and be picky about my route.

Just because 2 roads both go North in general does not mean that they end up even close to the same location. I take a northern route from here to Seattle and one from here to New York, but they are on opposite ends of the country. It takes more than general direction to be the right road. And what is wrong about these quotes, these ideas and the philosophy behind them is subtle but serious.

I admit that I am powerless, on my own strength, to manage my life, to overcome my own bondage, to live life as I want to and should, to walk with God. I need a power outside myself, the grace of God, to have success, victory and a life worth living. So, I surrender my will and life over to the care of God to be infused with said outside power. This is the truth that has started me on a journey to freedom. I have never seen it fail. But the above quotes, and ones like them, are not about reliance on God's power and strength. They all rely on me looking and finding somewhere in myself the power and drive to get back up and keep trying. Success doesn't come from continuing to try. It sounds good, but it's a lie. Success in the things that matter comes from absolute and unconditional surrender.

The power within myself may help me get back up, but it will never keep me from failing again. I am not God, and I can't pull myself up by my bootstraps. Determination only makes failure hurt more. Continuing to get up and try to walk on the power of my inner strength and determined will only prove insanity by repeating actions that always give the same result, failure. But surrendering the fight, refusing to try to get up on my own and calling out to God, these things make a difference. His power leads to freedom and victory and a life worth living in a way that my fortitude and determination never can or will. People may say that I am weak or less than because I am using God as a crutch. No, God is not a crutch. In my experience, God's power is a stretcher, because I can't even limp my way into a life worth living and into freedom without Him and His power and grace.

Failure is not falling down. It's refusing to see that I need to be picked up and carried to get where I need to be.

- Dalyn Woodard

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 ~ June 15, 2018 ~ Marching Backwards To Progress

Sometimes going backwards is progress. It's not usually easy, and it can be quite uncomfortable, perhaps even painful, but it is a truth we need to remind ourselves of. Many of us in recovery have made a motto out of the saying progress not perfection. It comes from an admonition not to become discouraged when we fall short of the spiritual principles of surrender, love and service. "Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection."

This is an awesome truth based on the fact that Daddy loves us and is quick to forgive, that His mercies are new every morning, and that He will restore us and help us when we fall short. We can then forget what is behind and press on toward the goal. But there are times when it can be easy to fall into self-condemnation when progress seems to halt, or, even worse, to go backwards. If we let go of unhealthy perfectionism and make progress the goal, what happens when we can't even manage that or we begin to slide backwards? There are two times this might happen. The first, which is the conclusion we often assume all such regressions are, could mean that we have gotten off track and returned to a life ruled by self and marked by self will run riot. If that is the case, we need to be quick to repent, admit our wrong and surrender to the love, care and guidance of the Spirit in order to return to the right path before we go off a cliff to our destruction. It's important to note that said destruction is not a result of God's anger toward us but rather simply a result of reaping the consequences of our actions.

But there are times when the cause of going backwards isn't so clear. We might beat ourselves up trying to figure out what we did wrong or where we got off track. And the answer may be that we haven't. Sometimes a wound may have to wait to be treated until the rest of the body is well enough to stand the treatment. So the body heals, and the patient begins to feel better. Still, the underlying situation has not changed and must be addressed. When doctors are then able to treat the problem the physical recovery may appear to be failing. It certainly feels and looks worse than it was. But the end result is wholeness and more complete healing.

The same is true for us spiritually. There are wounds within us that we can not handle messing with when we first surrender to God's care. His love and grace gives us relief from the symptoms as the rest of our soul is restored. As our relationship with Him becomes deeper and our restoration strengthens us, it becomes time to go back and get that old problem taken care of so that our growth and health might continue. Often we know it's time to begin this work when symptoms of old spiritual, mental and emotional sickness come to the surface. It feels wrong. Why am I having this problem? I thought those days were over and this was behind me! What did I do wrong? Where did I get outside of God's will? It could be as simple as the spiritual symptom blocker has been removed like the stone being rolled from away the grave. When it happens we smell the stench that has been there all along. It feels like regression, but in truth it is still progress. The problem is no longer buried, covered up or pushed to the side. This is a good thing, because now it can be dealt with and we can be brought to a place of true healing and wholeness in that area.

Don't beat yourself up at those times. Don't think that you've gotten sick again. You didn't. You were still sick and didn't realize it. Now the sickness can be treated. Don't be discouraged. Daddy knows that now you are ready to let Him do the work to make you whole. It's not the mark of weakness and failure. Instead it's a sign that you've grown spiritually healthy enough to be able to work on the deeper issues.


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 Disease Of Hate

There is a contagious disease bringing destruction to the world. Wally Flynt shares on how hate is getting worse and bringing so much pain, but there is a cure. The message, "The Disease Of Hate," is about 5 minutes long and was recorded at Nacogdoches Christian Fellowship on Sunday, June 3, 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.