Unshackled Moments ~ January 17, 2017 ~ Mostly Harmful

Last Friday, the 13th, I took a look at some of those things that many, including those in bondage to them, might not call real addiction or not consider them serious enough to warrant working a spiritual program of recovery. It's like we've finally realized that for a true alcoholic, there needs to be help to break the chains, a Moses to lead you from Egypt through the wilderness to the Promised Land of freedom and sufficiency in relationship with God. But when it comes to other issues, perceived as not that bad or deadly, or a habit rather than a addiction, then far too often we return to that useless pull yourself up by your bootstraps bull....Unshackled Moments ~ January 13 ~ Mostly Harmless.

Today, I felt direction to go a little deeper into some reasons to walk away from those little things. Some may not be a sin in and of themselves, but in the search for a life worth living, no chain is too small to break. Don't you mean to big to break? No. Those big ones that make us feel like Ebenezer in hell with his immobilizing heavy chain in the 1971 musical Scrooge (if you haven't seen it, you should) are easy to spot the need to escape. I can't move. I can't breathe. This chain is killing me. Help! But what about those little ones? The ones we just slide around our neck and sometimes even think make us look cool or smart or a valued part of culture but still are a reminder that we are slaves? What about the ones so small that they don't kill us as fast or hinder our breath and movement as much but are indeed still killing us?

They're doing more than killing us at a snails pace, trying to come across as harmless, they are making you unhappy and bored with life. Even those little things that aren't that bad, when we regularly indulge and give ourselves to the thing or activity, the comfort and relief it provides fades faster and faster, but the after effects increase. Those with even harmless bad habits have higher levels of anxiety and depression and lower levels of self esteem and more insecurity. There's not much that can be done to stop this trend, other than break the bondage, because we're wired that way. As we artificially stimulate the pleasure center of the brain with a particular pattern from a routine escapist activity it weakens the brain's ability to respond to naturally occurring situations of pleasure. Real life with real pleasure is forced to compete with fantasy and forced injections of false comfort, and it often loses. Which of course makes us run to the fantasy and false comfort once more, which increases the damage and continues the cycle perpetually.

These minor addictions incapacitate you and lead to impotence. I'm not talking about sexual performance, although, especially with certain issues, that could be a part of it. But impotence in life, the inability to take effective action. I know I need to clean, but I just can't get off the couch and turn off the TV and put away the snacks and it happens all the time. It goes deeper than laziness. It's not that I don't feel good today, it's that I never have the energy to be productive and I never feel good. My life has been reduced to inaction. I hate it, but it just seems to hard to change anything. That's bondage. That's a miserable way to spend the day, and it can happen in a lot of mostly harmless areas.

Studies show that those who commonly practice habitual and frequent escape from pressure, stress and life become more and more isolated from family and friends. Rest and recreation are not bad. We need time to recover and experience joy to balance the grind, but when we are looking to avoid the grind altogether and become stuck in R&R mode too often and too long, we also turn into hermits. We find it more and more difficult to connect with real people, even when we surround ourselves with a crowd, because we are connecting with real life less and less. It leads to constant battles with distraction and inability to focus on the present and reality. We are thinking instead how nice it will be to sit down with that bowl of ice cream, wondering what's happening on social media, planning strategy for when we can finally load up our game, remembering the porn we watched at lunch, etc. rather than focusing on our responsibilities. Work suffers right along with relationships, leaving us more anxious and overwhelmed by the problems of life with less and less energy and and knowledge of how to handle them.

Even minor addictions and regularly engaging in bad habits kill empathy. When we feed our selfish and self centered drives we starve our drive to care for and help others. Other people only matter in conjunction with meeting our own needs. Others are simply supporting cast in the story of ME.

But none of those are not the main reason to walk away from even the smallest chain. We are all going to struggle and fail as we follow Jesus, but habitual sin, even little harmless sins, is letting the enemy build a base of operations in our heart. It's one thing to have sin overcome us and win a little skirmish for which we repent, access grace and continue on pursuing God, but to kill the voice of conscience in an area, allow that sin to become entrenched and a regular part of our life and routine, makes us vulnerable in every area of serving God and others. When we leave a stronghold of self, then surrendering to the will of God becomes struggle and battle. When we starve empathy, we make it difficult to love like Jesus and see others through the eyes of God. When we drink and eat a little poison every day we weaken and become increasingly vulnerable in every area. Suddenly we find ourselves no longer wading in the surf of sin but caught in a rip tide being pulled helplessly out to sea to drown, unable to stop it, unable to navigate back to shore. We can stay safe by remembering that there is no rip tide and there are no sharks on the sandy beach. Walk with Jesus and throw away even the tiniest, mostly harmless sins, habits and selfishness, and you will, after initial adjustment, enjoy life so much more and feel so much more secure in your relationship with God.



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 16, 2017 ~ An Open Letter To Jerry Jones

Jerry, I seriously doubt that you will see this, doubt more that you will read it if you do, and I doubt even more that you will care about any of it, but I'm sorry. Truly, I am sorry. I have done you wrong, and I have been publicly evil towards you. It won't happen again.

Now, part of me feels that this is stupid. Part of me feels like while I may have done you wrong, there's no chance that I have done you damage. It's easy for broke boys like me to imagine your money and position protecting you from the pain of rejection and the pressure of people's opinions. It's easy for me to say that if I had the kind of money that you, some of the players, rock stars and movie stars have I wouldn't care what anybody thought about me. They could hate all they wanted. I'd be laughing all the way to the bank.

But the truth is, I don't really think that. I know better. There is only one thing that has ever been able to free me from the bondage of pressure to please people, and money is not it. Another truth is that I imagine you are much like I always wanted to be, and I'm not talking about rich. I mean that you're a strong-willed man, who acts on what he wants and thinks, quickly and decisively, and if someone doesn't like it, they can step off. You never seemed to care one little bit about what people thought about you, what you did or anything else. I so wanted that freedom for so long, and yet, when I saw that in someone else, I hated.

But who knows? You may not be like that at all. Landry was not a cold, emotionless man who didn't care what people thought. Many believed that of him because of his sideline persona. When, in fact, the opposite was true. Landry cared very much what people thought, which is precisely why he practiced self discipline and self control of his emotions in public and especially on the sideline. It was awareness of people's opinions that influenced his choice of dress, right down to the fedora he is famously known for. And maybe you are similar. Perhaps you love the positive attention and praise of happy fans. It's possible that you learned from experience in the oil business that once you make a choice you stand by it and act like you are fully confident come hell or high water, but in private that hate spewed by a fickle and uncaring public and commentators may break your heart.

Maybe not, and it really doesn't matter for the purposes of my part in adding to the problem. There is a problem with our fame and celebrity based culture. We make heroes and villains out of almost anyone in the public eye. It's almost like we forget that they are human beings. I have done it even here. If I were addressing a letter to any non-famous 74-year-old that I didn't know, I would never have begun with Jerry, or even Dear Jerry. And I am sorry that I did it with you, but I will leave it to help illustrate the point and continue from here showing the respect that my momma raised me to give my elders.

Mr. Jones, I don't know you. I don't know you any more than I know Ms. Clinton or Mr. Trump or any other people who are so often in the public lens that we, the public, began treating with the contempt of the familiar. I am sorry. I know, when I stop to think of it, that you are more than the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, more than your business decisions, and most of all more than the man who fired Tom Landry in his own home the first time you met him.

But even if I'm wrong, and the two-dimensional personality and public caricature we see from your public actions and decisions coupled with the sales driven statements in the press are exactly who you are, I have wronged you. I have been evil, and I am sorry for that.

You may wonder why I am bothering to say that and why I am doing so in a public, open letter. You probably don't, actually, but I will answer that question anyway. My sin against you has been open, proud and public. I have been publicly wrong towards you many times, and in many places. Acknowledging that publicly is the only way I know to make amends. It's not like I can retrace 27 years and apologize for my wrong in each of the places I have done it, to every person who may have heard my character assassination of you.

I don't know what you may or may not believe, Mr. Jones, but I am a follower of Christ. Of course, few would know that if the only picture and knowledge they had of me was my attitude and actions regarding you and the Dallas Cowboys. Entertainment, sports and politics may be so public and galvanizing that we polarize those involved as heroes or villains, worthy of praise or deserving scorn, as good or evil, and feel that freedom of speech gives us the right to trash and tear into any public figure we feel deserves it, even as Christians. But that's not true.

You may or may not know this, Mr. Jones, but Ephesians 4: 29 tells those who profess to follow Jesus to "let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers." Criticism and condemnation are not often necessary for edification, nor do such things impart grace and the love of Jesus to those who hear it. In the way that I have spoken of you and the Cowboys over the past 27 years, I have not only done you wrong, but those who heard it. I did not speak with or in the love of Christ, or with grace.

Mr. Jones, if you knew me, you most likely wouldn't have wanted to associate with me. I have been forgiven much. I have done some seriously evil and despicable things over my 45 years of life. I have hurt people and brought destruction into the lives of those I claimed to love and care about. Jesus has forgiven me, and even more miraculous in some ways, many of the people I hurt have also forgiven me and relationships have been restored. I used to be a drug addict and alcoholic with all the selfishness and wrong that you would expect to accompany such, but I have been given an undeserved new life. Now, as a minister, I often speak and write of the need to forgive. Those of us who have been forgiven much, should be even more quick to forgive than the average man.

And yet, it has been less than two weeks since I last publicly explained to someone that I quit being a Cowboys fan the day you fired Landry and that I don't care how many rings Dallas wins, I won't be a fan again as long as you are the owner. That's not very Christ-like is it? I can't imagine that anyone could see Jesus in any of that, nor was it in any way gracious. If Jesus picked one moment, one decision I made that was wrong and offensive and judged me by that alone, refusing to forgive, the least bad thing on the Top 100 evils Dalyn has done would be far worse than what you did. And yet, I have resented you and refused to forgive, and I have wished you, your endeavors and your team ill because of it. That is wrong. It is evil. It is an anti-Christ spirit, and the conviction of that in my spirit broke me last night as I lay in bed unable to sleep.

And another messed up thing about that is I never disagreed with your decision to fire Landry or cut him loose from his contract a year early. I agreed the three decades he'd been head coach were enough. It was time for him to go. The Cowboys needed a change in those late 80's losing years. But part of what made me so mad was the disrespect shown the only coach the Cowboys had ever had. It wasn't firing him but how he was fired.

Gossip and bearing false witness is also a sin. Back in 1989, on a sports talk radio show in Dallas I heard the host claim that Landry learned of his dismissal by walking into his office and seeing his belongings boxed up. When I looked into that this morning, (yes, it took me nearly three decades to do a little research and discover if the tale were true, and I'm sorry for that too) I discovered that I have been spreading falsehood for years, as recently as last week.  I rebuke people for reposting stories on social media without taking a minute to check the facts, and yet I have been repeating this lie as fact for nearly 30 years. Just call me Plankeye. It does look like the way it happened, the truth as far as I could find, still could have been handled better, but I am not sure how. If I had been Landry I would rather have you come up to me and say I was fired than pretend to be nice and talk about it first. I'm not sure that in my home would be my chosen location, but the 45 minutes it is reported to have taken would probably have been about 40 too long. Just rip the band aid off already. Tell me the bad news and leave me alone. But if you had simply said, "Tom, I want to go a new direction with someone I know and have a relationship with. You're fired," and left (about 10 seconds needed), we Landry fans would have really have wanted you crucified. Yet, it would have been honest, straight-forward and quick as possible.

The truth is, there was no good way to do what had to be done, fire Tom Landry. What an unfortunate and uncomfortable position to be in. I wouldn't have wanted to do that. And I respect that you were man enough to do the hard thing yourself, face-to-face. I want to say that since I have called you a coward while repeating the box-in-the-office lie.

I don't know what really happened. I don't know if it's true that you made Landry cry as three articles I read this morning stated, but whatever happened, I forgive you. What I have done in reaction to your choices has been far more evil and hypocritical than anything you did or may have done. I have asked Jesus to forgive me and remove this area of sin from me, and now I ask for your forgiveness as well.

It's not just entertainment, therefore being cruel and crucifying perceived villains with our words is OK. It's not OK. There is no area of life where we are exempt from the call to love as Jesus loved, to speak truth, and to have our words and actions edify, glorify God and be full of grace. There's nothing wrong with rooting for the teams we follow, but we are never called to rejoice in the suffering of others. We are to love our true enemies and bless them, not hope they are destroyed. How much more so must that be about a game that does not matter in the eternal and with rivals who are not enemies but simply on the opposite side of the ball? We should love those on the other side and bless them. Rejoice with and root for the teams we love, but doing that is different than rooting against a team, and hoping to see someone stumble and fall.

My tweet to encourage the Texans to look forward to next season became opposite the truth and teachings of Christ the moment I added the hashtag #anybodybutDallasNE. I chose to repent publicly to you, Mr. Jones because of the length of time and frequency of my wrong to you. The truth is that I could have also written much the same letter to Mr. Brady and the Patriots organization. I am letting go of resentments that I thought didn't matter and weren't real and were OK because they were over a game. I am forgiving perceived wrongs to people, teams and fans. I am repenting of acting a fool, of refusing to forgive and failing to act and speak in grace, I am admitting I was wrong in spreading falsehood and speaking out of maliciousness and anger rather than love and truth and grace. I will endeavor in the future, by the grace of God, not behave in such a manner in the future in any area of life, including but not limited to, entertainment, sports and political personalities.

Mr. Jones, the Cowboys had an awesome season and played a great game last night. They came up short by so little. That was perhaps the best game of the post-season so far. Congratulations to Green Bay, but credit to you and every person in the organization for a season worthy of praise. And while I'm at it, congratulations to Mr. Brady and everyone who is a part of the New England Patriots organization on a great season that is not over and six straight appearances in the AFC Championship game. I will be rooting for Pittsburgh because I am a love the underdog kind of guy, but this year, for the first time in a very long time, I will not root against you, Mr. Brady. I may not ever be a fan of either of these two teams, I don't know, but I will not be a hater any longer, not even in jest. I am sorry.

Dalyn Woodard

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 14, 2017 ~ Unfailing Love

Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on

June 1, 2013 as Unfailing Love.

"Just a face in the city

Just a tear on a crowded street

But you are one in a million

And you belong to Me

And I want you to know

That I'm not letting go

Even when you come undone"

~ Matthew West

We were created for relationship, and because of this we all, even the most devoted loners, have an innate need to be wanted. It is all too easy to determine our value and worth based on how we perceive we are wanted and cherished by others. It is easy to see the destruction in the lives of adults who have felt unwanted and unloved during childhood. How many of us feel better about ourselves because we are in a romantic relationship or have been blessed enough to find a marriage partner? How easy is it to find our self-esteem crash when our partner is critical or does something to make us feel unloved or unwanted? 

And no matter how old we get we often still feel like children around our parents. It's like there's a natural part of us that still wants to please them and make them proud of us because deep inside we need that validation. These feelings can extend to bosses and other authority figures in our lives. For some, especially those that feel wanted and valued by those important to them, this need may not seem to affect their lives much. For others who have had little or no approval from others, or who have experienced the devastation of losing that approval because of mistakes and hurts, it can be devastating. 

That need for approval and to be wanted can be a driving force in our lives to the point where we choose spouses, careers and possessions based not on what God wants for us or even on what we want but instead on what we think others want from us. It's a dangerous road to travel, and it often leads to failure, emptiness and terminal loneliness. The places that people go and the things that they do to erase the pain of failing to gain approval from others can lead to addictions of all kinds and a miserable existence.

But the answer for all of us, whether we feel the approval of others or not, is in the acceptance that never fails, the acceptance that isn't based on performance. We have to find that place where the love from parents, or spouses or siblings or children or anyone else no longer defines how we see ourselves, either from having that love or not having it. We have to realize that the approval of bosses, teachers, pastors or any other authority figure is not the measure of our worth. 

And the way to do that is to come to an understanding of the awesome, unearned love and acceptance found in God. That's the relationship we were created for. The others are just a bonus. So, whether we have love from people or don't, we are not built upon shaky soil to crumble when people fail or left adrift on an ocean of loneliness because approval never was there. The truth is that approval and acceptance has always been there for all of us. And it always will be. We just have to receive it.

The theme of the Scriptures is God's love and pursuit of relationship with us. God, wanting to win our hearts and have us as a part of His life, gave everything to make that possible. He didn't wait for us to be good or religious or healthy or anything else. He saw us as we were when He formed us and as we were at each moment of our lives since, in all our wounded, needy brokenness and said "You are beautiful to Me and I love you. I want you. I desire to walk with you and spend your life with you." And unlike the love of parents, spouses and others, His love never fails because God never falls short of loving us the way that we need to be loved. The way we were created to be loved.

The freedom from the bondage of being slaves to the approval we have or haven't had comes from accepting God's awesome love for us. We may have the blessing of love from others. We may not. But either way, we can be well and content, because His love is big enough to be enough. He loved us at our worst as much as He does at our best. He doesn't change toward us based on how we perform or respond to His love.

But just as a person who is totally and completely loved by another can not feel the joy and benefits of that love if they keep the lover at a distance, we can not experience all that comes with being loved by God unless we allow Him into our lives to love us. If we let Him, He will show us His love in a way that will change our lives for the better and even change how we feel about ourselves. His love can free us from all other needs and remedies for the emptiness we feel without it. That love is there, whether we choose it or not. But life is only worth living when we do choose it. When the need to feel loved arises in us, let us turn to the source of all love and accept the only love that never fails.




Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the Unshackled Moments, Unshackled Echoes 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 13, 2017 ~ Mostly Harmless

There are some areas of addiction and bondage that people seek to recover and find freedom from that get downplayed and belittled some, often even by the very people that are in bondage. Put a tweaker in front of a camera, and you have a poster for why people shouldn't do drugs that's far more effective and real than the munchie-inducing egg frying up ever was. Serious drug users and drunks seem to almost have a perverse pride that they are or were on the fast track of the slow motion suicide routes. They were at rock bottom. If they didn't quit, they were all going to die. It was recovery or be covered. That's real. That's what the steps were created to prevent.

Whatever. Look, I did drugs... hard, soft and everything in between, and I did them for years. I drank myself stupid. We are not recovery elite, OK, and we do not have the right to look at the slave of another master and say anything like that what they are in bondage to isn't real bondage, isn't a real addiction, and we sure have no business telling them to find their own route through the wilderness and that they have no need of or right to the 12 Steps because they aren't killing themselves quickly enough, or at all, and therefore don't qualify.

The truth is that the 12 steps were expanded from steps or concepts of the Oxford Group, a Christian organization founded by Christian missionary Dr. Frank Buchman. Dr. Buchman believed that the root of all problems were the personal problems of fear and selfishness. Further, Dr. Buchman believed that the solution to living with fear and selfishness was to surrender our life over to God's plan. Sound familiar?

If you have been in an organized step-based recovery program at any time, it probably will. Bill Wilson went to the Oxford Group. He tweaked their program a little, breaking things down into 12 Steps. Thus was Alcoholics Anonymous birthed out of a Christian group who's aim was to "create a new world for King Christ." The steps are based on first century Christianity and are designed to bring us out of self and selfish, self-centeredness (deny self) and into conscious contact with God, creating a spiritual awakening (following Jesus into relationship that brings new life). They are not an antidote to the worst of us, but the answer for all of us.

And no, I am not saying the Steps themselves are the answer or the only way. Jesus is the answer. Period. There is one way to the Father, and that is by Jesus, but how we get to Jesus is varied. Even the original 12 were called by and found Jesus in different ways. But the Steps are something that anyone, from someone who struggles with walking with God, fear and selfish, but isn't too bad by the world's standards to gutter crawling junkies who have killed men because of their addiction (one such as this became a great friend of mine and an awesome example of the life-changing power of God), and anyone and everyone in between.

No, it's not the only way, but if you have ever struggled with doing what's right and finding relationship with God, realizing 1. you need Him desperately 2. He is there and loves you and is good and trustworthy 3. surrendering to Him, letting Him be Lord 4. examining your heart and life by the guidance of the Holy Spirit 5. confessing your sin to yourself, God and another person 6. humbling yourself and becoming ready to have God remove the things that interfere with serving Him 7. asking Him to transform us and remove the sin in our life 8. looking at who we have harmed 9. making amends 10. continuing to examine your walk and life and when wrong quickly repent 11. seeking closer consciousness of the presence of God and deeper relationship with Him through prayer and meditation and  12. now that we have new life, freely giving what we have received to those who are still hurting, is most certainly not a bad or non-Biblical path to take to a deeper relationship with Jesus.

So you never did drugs, and you've never smoked or been drunk or anything like that. But there is something that doesn't feel right. You got scared or stressed or frustrated or whatever and thought something would make it feel better or provide relief or escape and something happened. Maybe you wanted a taste of something sweet or salty and ate the entire bag, or just wanted a break and turned on the TV and blinked and you'd watched 6 hours of infomercials or some stupid show you don't even like, or you ran to the store for a little treat, just a little something, and spent a month's salary, or got on the computer to check Facebook and ended up online all night with nothing you need to do getting done and no rest, or a quick glance at Instagram led to hours wasted looking at porn, or, or, or, there are who knows how many other things like these we could name. Some are not even wrong, in and of themselves. Some are. Few would have any chance of getting you arrested or killing you, but they are running your life anyway because it happens far too often.

Some of you have found freedom from drugs and alcohol only to find a slightly gentler slave master. Recreation is fine, as is entertainment and pleasure from our senses and the things that bring that pleasure and comfort, as long as God is the one in charge of our life and not that person, place, thing, situation, activity, etc. If it's not bringing destruction to your life, interfering with relationship with God, keeping you from doing what He has told you to do or being used as a substitute solution instead of Him being your refuge and strength, it's fine. Seriously, as long as it doesn't violate one or more of those four things, you are free in Christ to do whatever you want!

So you know that the things that do violate one or more of those four are wrong, but you don't know why they are so hard to stop doing. You hesitate to ask for help because it's not a real addiction, it's not that bad, and you're not really hurting anybody. I know this is getting long, but please bear with me, because this is important to having a life worth living. Some of you had the bad addictions before and it just never occurred to you that whatever this is is even an issue compared to what used to be. Or you have never had something that was considered addiction, and wonder is this really even something worth so much fuss, time and energy to try to change?

OK, first, let us remember that what is outside the will of God for us is sin and sin leads to death. No matter how small or harmless the activity or whatever is, if it's sin it leads to misery. destruction and death. if it's causing us separation from God or preventing us from obeying Him, it's going to bring misery, pain, fear, confusion and all sorts of fun emotions like that. And if it has taken that place of God and being used as a substitute for His provision or has control instead of Him, it's idolatry. Look at the issue as mostly harmless if you choose, but it's serious, and it's killing you.

I don't care if you work any steps or go through any set process or not. Just seek Jesus. I don't care if you call it sin, bondage or addiction, or bad habit, or something else. Look to Jesus as your answer and your help. I don't care if you never read or listen to me again, if you will only let Jesus trade you a new life worth living for the one that's making you miserable and feels so pointless. But if you want a life worth living with more days filled with peace, joy, love and purpose than not, I'll be happy to share with you how I found it. It worked for me, and it will work for you, from the worst criminal and junkie to the sweetest near innocent, we all need Him.

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.

Joy From Lonelines

Dalyn Woodard shares Part 2 of the series on Philippians and its major theme of joy. The problem of loneliness is universal and a big part of why joy can be so hard to find.  In Philippians 1:2-11 demonstrates how joy can replace loneliness, even in the darkest times. The message,  "Joy From Loneliness" is about 1 hour and 7 minutes long and was recorded January 12, 2017. It's our prayer that you are blessed and ministered to as you listen. If you missed Part 1 of this series, "Pursuit Of Happiness," it can be found here. May God bless and keep you.

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 12, 2017 ~ Powerless Doesn't Mean Victim

What do you think of when you imagine powerlessness? Do you think of someone helpless, completely hopeless and unable to escape or protect themselves? The image to the right is a digital art piece I created years ago in attempt to express my feelings of powerlessness when my world was beyond out of control and death seemed the only way out. And this was nearly a decade before I admitted I was powerless over the alcohol and drugs. It was life I couldn't manage.

But if you imagine something similar to what I described or created when you think of powerlessness, if you imagine a victim, then you, like I was, are wrong. Let me clarify. There are powerless victims, so the two are not mutually exclusive. But there are victims who are not powerless over who or what is victimizing them. If they would use the power they have, they would not be a victim. And there are those who have no power and are helpless who are not victimized.

Jesus became a victim for us and chose to allow Himself to be beaten and killed. But He was never powerless. He could have come down from the cross. He could have called down angels. As a boy, not long after I got the boys don't hit girls for any reason, no way and no how, lesson from my father, I made one of the neighborhood girls mad at me. She attacked me, and believe me when I tell you that she hit every bit as hard as her brother, whom I was best friends with yet had fought several times. I curled up in a ball and let her pound on my back. I ended up her victim that day because, well, first because I was a jerk, but also because I refused to run and wouldn't fight back. I had the power to flee or fight and did neither. Choice, not powerless.

And there is the flip side, like the girl who isn't victimized growing up not because she has power but because she has five big brothers who will stomp anyone who messes with her and everyone knows it. And something similar is what I now think of when I think of powerlessness. There are multiple movies where some poor kid is being tormented and abused and bullied by some brat and no matter what he tries, how he runs or even if he stands up to the bully, he never escapes or defeats his foe. He's powerless. He can't win. He is a potential victim with little hope of it ending any other way. Then, someone bigger and stronger witnesses what is going on and steps in. He has a new friend that the bully is afraid of and can't beat. So now he is safe from the bully. The bully won't mess with him because of the friend.

That's powerlessness without victimization. And that is possible for you and me. Now, I am not saying that we will never be beaten by a person or situation again. But we don't have to play the victim. Jesus said that He is a friend that is closer than a brother. What's the difference between being beaten and playing the role of victim? A victim is constantly in fear, fear of being beaten and abused but never  flees or fights. Many in recovery, especially early recovery, think or feel that their addiction is just waiting to take back control and destroy them. I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone in recovery say that their addiction is out doing push-ups, getting stronger, waiting for them to relapse. It seems that at the least provocation, the slightest opening, the smallest vulnerability will have the addiction returning to take them for a ride, and there's nothing they can do about it because they are powerless.

We are not powerless, as in unable to flee or fight or without resources. We are powerless only in the meaning that we do not have the ability on our own to defeat the bully of our bondage. But we act like our powerlessness is the former rather than the latter at times. We act as though we had no choice in the matter, as if there was nothing we could do. My will is never enough to defeat sin, selfishness and addiction, not for long anyway. Making a choice not to do those things is not going to give me victory, because I don't have the power to stop or to stop starting. But the choice is still a part of it. That powerlessness doesn't mean that I don't have a part or a responsibility or a hope of escape. If it did, no one would ever get free.

I made a choice not to run or fight as a boy and got beat up. And if you use whatever excuse, I was hungry, angry, lonely, tired, too stressed out, I was triggered, I went to the wrong place, whatever, to choose not to run from a beast you can't defeat, you will get beat up by your addiction/bondage. But there is another choice. We can run, flee, and not just randomly, but to our friend who is closer than a brother, who is not, never was and never will be powerless, who has the power we need to defeat the enemy.

We are promised that with every temptation, and every includes the temptations associated with addiction, there is also a way of escape. You don't have to have the power to beat the temptation, but you do need to choose to take the escape route. In all things, the grace of God, which is the power of God freely given to us because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, that we don't deserve and can't earn but which becomes ours to use in order to walk with God and defeat sin and self, that grace is sufficient to meet our needs. No, I will never be strong enough to control or defeat my addictions. I am powerless. But I am not a helpless victim and my addictions can't touch me. Because it's not about my strength and power but His. My adopted brother and best friend, Jesus, is always with me, and my addiction doesn't stand a chance against Him. He provides me a way of escape and fights the battle for me. But I, as someone who is not a victim to sin and self and addiction and the past any longer, must choose to avail myself of that grace and that escape. As long as I choose His way, will and love for me, I can never lose. And yet, I am not personally any more powerful than I have ever been. But I have a friend. He wants to be your friend too. You don't have to be a victim of bondage and addiction, regardless of your powerlessness.

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 11, 2017 ~ Waiting For The Miracle

No matter what we are trying to learn in life it takes practice, patience, commitment and time. The longer you've done something the "wrong" way, the harder it is to learn to do it the right way because you have to unlearn the bad form/habits as well as learn the better way. As an example, many college basketball coaches recruit from other sports to find athletes with talent and ability but who don't play basketball. This way the athlete is a blank slate ready to absorb the coach's technique and the coach doesn't have to try to break their bad form. But even if you've spent years doing something one way, new ways can be learned with work and grace.

The same is true lasting and meaningful recovery from addiction. If your past is one of using something other than God to try to fill the emptiness, to self medicate feelings of unworthiness, rejection, fear, loneliness, etc,, for years, it will take time to rewire your body and brain to respond to life, reality and pressure differently. It's not likely to happen over night.

We need to have patience with ourselves and our recovery. That's not always easy. In truth, it seldom is. Most of our go-to solutions and the things that have us in bondage are one form of an instant gratification/fix or another. We will often do things that will make us feel worse later if only they will ease the suffering and discomfort in the short term quickly. But patience is necessary. True freedom and relief and peace may not come quickly but it is so much better.

We often want the results of long term sobriety and freedom in days, and it doesn't happen. While it is true that we may feel better almost immediately of getting clean, that "pink cloud" can fade and leave us with a lot of not fun work to do before life gets better again. We have to learn not to reach for our default answer and comfort and reach instead for the relief of God's presence. Turning to God first takes time to develop, because we've done it other ways for so long. Something within us still says if I just take one drink, use one time, look at a little porn, eat one piece of cake, make a bet, buy something......I'll feel better. But experience tells us that it only leads to misery, shame, guilt and other negative consequences moments after the rush of instant relief fades.

The painful truth is that we need to keep working and take the time to let the miracle happen. Recovery must grow as a fruit of our relationship with God, and that means a season of caring for the soil and the plant when we can't see the budding fruit before we can enjoy the results of the tree of life. But we have to take the actions that produce that fruit now and not look for shortcuts. God's timing is perfect, even when it doesn't feel like it. The more we actively choose to do the things that take us closer to God instead of choosing instant gratification, the more we rewire our reactions and the closer we get to the fruit of life we crave.

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.