Strong Man Of God Blog

          God’s salvation from my sins in Christ is the best thing that ever happened for me!  When I think about how by even at the young age of twenty I had lived such a sinful life and was still alive to tell about it, I am fully thankful to God for His longsuffering He obviously had graciously and mercifully shown me.  A wretch if there ever was one not a few who knew me in those days would hesitate to affirm, I marvel to this day that God forgave my sins, filled me with His Holy Spirit and took up residence in me on that Easter Sunday 1977 to begin the intended “forever” relationship He undertakes with all of those He saves (John 1:12-13, 3:1-8, 7:37-39, 14:15-24; Acts 2:36-39, NKJV).

          While it took the Lord another 22 months from when He entered my life to finally have me get real with Him during a time of fasting and consecration He commanded me to,¹ in the years since, I have been undergoing everything I wrote about from Scripture in a post earlier this month concerning the transformational renewing and regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.²  I am a living witness that when a professed Christian gets real with God in all submission and letting go of the world, the Holy Spirit will supernaturally act to begin transforming our way of thinking formerly governed by Satan, sin and self for example, to the bring it into line with “the mind of Christ,” (1 Corinthians 2:6-16, NKJV).³

          In The Scourge Of Racism, I write about experiences with racism from my youth that filled me with anger and futile bitterness.⁴  Having been made in the image of the perfectly just and righteous God (Genesis 1:26a) though it is fallen due to sin, all mankind at some level has an angry reaction to injustice and unrighteous wrongdoing.  For this cause, I can still be angered by the bigoted attitudes of racism and attending acts of discrimination I experience and/or see happen to others in the world.  But now, after years of the mind renewing work of the Holy Spirit I am learning to dispose of my anger properly (Ephesians 4:17-32).  When I do, bitterness cannot set up in my heart.⁵

          In renewing my mind, the Holy Spirit has also fully convinced me to trust in Christ’s defeat of racism and all sin on the cross (Hebrews 9:26b); His fiery victory over racism and all forms of evil in the coming vengeance of His and the Father’s wrath (Romans 12:19; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10; 2 Peter 3:10-13)!  Too, the Holy Spirit has given me the means through His spiritual gifts, calling and ministry to help His way in the right now struggle against racism and all of the harmful sins of humanity.  As a preacher of the Gospel, I am able to joyfully herald the salvation of God in Christ that made human and my inner regeneration possible; teach about it as a teacher to willing believers and as I have in The Scourge Of Racism, serve also as the Lord’s watchman/prophet calling His people to obedience.

1 Read the February 17, 2019 post, Surrendering All To Jesus, under the category, Glory To God!

2 See the November 12, 2023 post, Loving With The Love Of God, under the category, Instruction.

3 Aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ are taught in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics that having the mind of Christ is an absolute imperative!
   The book is available in the Hard or Soft Cover or E-Book Editions in the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.

4 The  Scourge  Of  Racism,  Copyright  2023, ODCM Publishing Division, Portland, OR, p. 31-32.  These cited pages briefly present my introduction to racism growing up in
   Seaside,  CA  on  the  Monterey Peninsula.  Get the recently released book in the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.  Watch
   the book trailer.

5 Bitterness  as  an entitlement right of victimization many blacks cling to is contrary to the will of God for the professed Christian (Ephesians 4:30-32).  If you are living in bit-
   terness    you  are  walking  outside  of  Christ.   He  bids  you  return  to  Him.  Understand  this  fully  by  watching  our  thirty  minute  Strong  Man  Of  God  Online  Rally,
   Return To The Lord, on YouTube.

          I am thoroughly grateful to be saved by God in Christ from my sins (Psalm 32:1-2)!  While my journey toward perfection at the end of this life continues, when I look back over the years since I first believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ (that He died on the cross for my sins, was buried and rose again on the third day) and prayed to receive Him as my Savior and Lord on Easter Sunday 1977, I can say with all who have gone on before me I heard say, “the Lord has brought me a mighty long way!”  What an amazing work of God salvation from sin is!  So, I thank the Lord today, every day and this Thanksgiving with all my soul, heart and mind for this work of His to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).  What about you?  Enjoy your Thanksgiving Holiday!