The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Tuesday, September 17, 2019.

So if the son sets you free, you are truly free. John 8:36

The Great Escape

Harry Houdini was probably the greatest escape artist of all time. During the early twentieth century, Houdini time and time again took on difficult escape challenges. Each escape that Houdini performed was more difficult than the last. If Houdini escaped from handcuffs, next he would escape from handcuffs while trapped in a giant milk can. After escaping from a giant milk can, Houdini escaped from a Chinese water torture cell. After escaping from the Chinese water torture cell, Houdini decided to escape from a coffin, submerged in a swimming pool for an hour and a half. Each escape was more dangerous than the one before, but Houdini always escaped.

What has always been fascinating to me is that after each escape Houdini, willingly bound himself up again, to try to escape again. You would think that after one death-defying escape Houdini would have counted his blessings and moved on, but he kept coming back for more because he thought he could escape. Many of us are like Houdini in that we keep getting trapped in situations and problems and trying to escape. When we do escape, as opposed to counting our blessings and changing our ways, we oftentimes will go back and find a new problem to entangle ourselves in and try to escape all over again. The funny thing is, we think we are trapped by our problems but we are really trapped by the cycle of getting into and out of trouble. We are trapped by freeing ourselves from one issue, only to repeat the process with a different issue.

Friends, it is important to remember that Houdini wasn’t really and escape artist, he was an illusionist. The illusion was that he created over and over again was that could escape from his perdacaments on his own. That is the same illusion that many of us live under. We escape from one thing on our own, simply to put ourselves into another problem to get out of. We present the illusion that we are free, but we are simply just changing in and out of being trapped in the cycle of being trapped and freed. When we truly want to break free we have to do something different. We can’t just get in and out of problems but we have to break the cycle that puts us into problems. That is something that can only be done with the Lord. You see when the Lord frees us, he does not free us from the problem, he frees us from the cycle. The Lord does not just get us out, he makes sure that we never go back, making us truly free indeed. So when you are ready to be free, call on the Lord and let him break the cycle and set you free indeed.

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Monday, September 16, 2019.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:8

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

When on vacation I am not a really adventurous person. Give me a beach, a pool, and someone who will drop off food and a coke at these places and I am good. The only thing is, when you go on a group trip, everybody does not see vacation the same way. A few years ago my buddies and I went on a vacation together. We all needed a chance to relax and recharge so we booked the flights and went on vacation. While I had my typical pool, beach and food plan, one of my buddies had something else in mind. You see he is an adventurer and he planned an adventure day for the whole crew.

The next thing I know we are on a rickety bus headed into what can only be described as the jungle. As we get there my buddy is explaining that we are going on an adventure hike. What sets an adventure hike apart from a normal hike is that on an adventure hike, there may or may not be an actual path along the way. We might from time to time have to improvise. So as we are hiking, we come to an old wooden rope bridge. As I walked up to the bridge I realized that this was going to be a life or death situation and no matter how adventurous we wanted to be, this was a bridge too far. So we turned around and went back to the bus and returned to the resort.

On the way back to the resort I started thinking about the bridge that we were going to go across that day before we turned back. When that bridge was built it probably was sturdy. That bridge had probably gotten people across that valley before. The problem was it was meant to be a temporary bridge that had taken on permanent use. I wasn’t willing to risk my life or that of my friends on something that was going to be here today and gone tomorrow. Unlike that bridge, the word of God is permanent. It is not here today and gone tomorrow, it stands forever. It can be used generation after generation, time and time again, to get us from where we are to where we want to be. So today, take a minute and evaluate what you are building your life on and trusting the lives of your loved ones to as well. Is it here today and gone tomorrow or is it the word of God that will stand forever?

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Friday, September 13, 2019.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20

Always There

It is funny how you get used to things. Not too long ago my wife and I received a digital assistant for our home. So whenever we need something we just call her name and ask for it. If we need a kitchen timer we call her name and she gives us the time. If we need to know the weather, we call her name and she gives us the weather. If we need a movie time, we call her name and she gives is a movie time. We became so accustomed to being able to call her name and ask for things that we got multiple digital assistants so that no matter where we were in the house we could call her name and get access to whatever we needed. It was great until it wasn’t.

My wife and I have gotten so accustomed to having our digital assistant around that we just mindlessly depend on her for what we need. The problem that this created is that she is not always there. When the internet goes down in the house, no assistant. When the power is out, no assistant. But worst of all, when we travel, no assistant. My wife and I found ourselves in a hotel room calling for our digital assistant and wondering why she didn’t answer. We had become so accustomed to her always being there that it didn’t occur to us that when we left home, she was no longer there to help us.

One of the joys of the Lord is that he promises to always be there. When we commit ourselves to do the work and the will of the Lord, he commits himself to always be there. He commits to being there in good times and bad times. His commitment is not contingent on internet access or the availability of power. Most of all, no matter where you go, He is always there. So never be afraid to call on the name of the Lord, for those doing his will, he promises that he will always be there.

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Thursday, September 12, 2019.

The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly. Isaiah 60:22

All Of  A Sudden

If you have ever been to the Department of Motor Vehicles in any state you know that it can be quite the long affair. No matter what you are going to the DMV for you know there will be a long line. You know that you will be asked to take a number and then you will sit and watch the counter waiting for your number to come up. What you also know is that you don’t have time for this and if they would just open all of the windows this would go a lot faster. We all sit there wondering why “they” won’t just hire enough people to fill all of the windows and get people in and out of here in a reasonable amount of time since nobody wants to sit here waiting.

One day while sitting at the DMV the most amazing thing happened to me. I was “patiently” waiting for my turn when all of a sudden all of the windows opened up. All of a sudden they were calling person, after person, after person to the windows and people were getting in and out. I was absolutely amazed. When I got to the counter I had to ask the person assisting me what happened. How did there suddenly become all these new windows open? She told me, that they had been in a staff meeting and then their supervisor released them everybody was now available to serve people.

As I walked back to my car, with my new driver’s license in hand, I realized that sometimes waiting on God can seem like being at the DMV. We see God moving but He seems to be going way too slowly. We wonder why He just won’t open up a window and pour out the blessing that we need. What we don’t realize is that God opens windows when He is ready to open a window, but when he does open a window everything changes. When God opens a window all of a sudden a little becomes a lot, small becomes big, and what you have been waiting to see suddenly becomes a reality. So take heart, you may be waiting, but God, in His time, will open the windows and all of a sudden everything will change.

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Wednesday, September 11, 2019.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2

LifeGuard

I learned how to swim late in life. When I was younger it wasn’t a priority, but I hit a certain age and decided that I should know how to survive should I ever be on a luxury cruise and it hit an iceberg and I wound up in the water. So I decided to take swimming lessons to make sure that if I ever wound up in the water I would be able to survive.

Swimming lessons were not what I thought they would be. I assumed that I would be in a class of people all learning together. As the only person in my “age group” learning to swim I was given a personal instructor. My instructor could tell that I was a little apprehensive about the water and learning to swim. He took me aside and looked me in the eyes and said, “I’m 6’2”, I weigh 200 pounds, and I am in Marine training. I won’t let you drown.” And with that, he threw me in the water and taught me how to swim.

Friends, like my Marine swim instructor, God promises he won’t let you drown. No matter what you are facing, going through or dealing with, He will always be there with you. He will make sure that the waters do not engulf you, the fires do not burn you, and nothing that that comes against you will prosper. So fear not, you will survive the water and the flames because you have a personal lifeguard that will always be there.

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl lL. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Tuesday, September 10, 2019.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and the one who knocks, the door shall be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

Just Ask

I have a cousin who has always been terribly shy. From the time that we were children he never liked talking to people that he didn’t know. It was as if he was two different people depending on the occasion. When he was around the family he was quite a little chatterbox, always talking and laughing and outgoing. By contrast when he was around people that he did not know he became a shy, shrinking violet, who always asked other people to speak for him. As he got older his reticence to speak for himself began to bother my aunt so she decided to do something about it.

My aunt took us to a restaurant for lunch one day. Not just any restaurant but a sit down with menus restaurant. It was a big day for all of us. When the waiter came to the table my aunt told us to tell the waiter what we wanted to eat. Each of us gave our orders except my shy cousin. When it came to him he told my aunt what he wanted and she told the waiter on his behalf. But then it came time for dessert. When the waiter asked us for our dessert orders we all placed our orders and when my cousin turned to my aunt, what he didn’t notice was she had slipped away to the restroom. This left him with a dilemma did he want dessert enough to speak for himself or would he miss out by being shy? At that moment he pulled himself together, asked for the cheesecake and we have not gotten him to stop talking to us or anyone else since.

Friends, many times in life we miss out on the things that God has for us because we are afraid to ask for them. We have to remember that while God is powerful and mighty He is also our father. He is not some stranger off in the distance that we have to be reticent about speaking to or troubled by His response, we simply are told to ask. So the next time you are in need take the time to ask for it and see what God will do.

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Monday, September 9, 2019.

Hear my prayer, Lord; let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. Psalm 102:1-2

Call Waiting

Do you remember life before telephones had call waiting? It was a strange and dark time in the land. You see now we are used to being able to “click over” and see who is on the line while we are on a call, but that was not always the case. Before the invention of call waiting, if someone was on the phone there was no getting another call. If someone called while you were on a call, they simply got a busy signal indicating that the person you were calling was already on the line and you should call back. The problem, of course, what that the incoming call might be more important than the call that you were already on, but you’d never know.

The invention of call waiting may very well have saved my life, or at least my social life. You see as a pre-teen and a teen I spent a lot of time on the telephone. Spending all day at school with my friends was not enough. When we got home we had to spend the evening on the telephone recounting the past day, and planning for the day ahead. These were very heady and important discussions in our minds, but suffice it to say our parents did not agree. One day my mother informed me that she was not getting important calls because the phone was always busy, therefore she would be limiting my phone time to ½ hour an evening. Such limits would make me a social pariah. How would I possibly be able to choose who to use my 30 minutes on and for that matter what if I was over my time and there was an emergency? I was stuck. But then we got call waiting and all was right with the world again. The limits were off, I just needed to make sure that when I heard the beep I clicked over.

Friends, one of the great things about God is that He has always an open line for you. No matter who he is talking to, He can always take your call too. If God is chatting with someone about just their daily goings-on, he can always grab a line for your emergency. The great thing about God’s call waiting is that to pick up your call, he doesn’t have to abandon the one that he is already on. When he clicks over he simply takes another call and keeps going. No matter what is going on in your life, if it is just a regular day or an emergency situation, you can always call on God and know that he will answer. He has enough lines for all of us at the same time and we never get a busy signal.

Be Blessed,

Rev