Read Online Forced Out of the Darkness by G. Wayne Jackson Jr - Free Book Online

churches, Cameron’s was a place to meet other
men of like minds.
                This Sunday
the choir sung like they have been through the storm. They sang a song about
this being only a test that you are going through. They encouraged the
congregants by saying it is going to be over real soon if we keep the faith and
never let go because it is only a test. The soloist was truly a COGIC woman. She
did not wear any make-up but you could feel that she had a relationship with
God. As she ministered in song, it reached Cameron’s soul. It was not a fake or
made up praise, she truly worshiped God from experience. This experience with
God connected with Cameron’s relationship with God. She sang so well until
Cameron got goose bumps on his arms. He knew that this was going to be a
service where he would go home feeling empowered and renewed and not beat down.
                The pastor
came up to the podium to deliver the sermon for the service. The pastor was a
young pastor. One could tell that he was raised in the church because he had
mannerisms of those that had been in church for years. He was 42 years old but
his demeanor showed that he had an old soul. Despite the salt and pepper in his
goatee he was quite attractive. He was charismatic and educated which helped
him articulate the sermon skillfully.
    “Turn to the 37 th Division of Psalm, the 4 th verse. The Word says: Delight thyself
also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
    This scripture was very
familiar to Cameron.
    “If I were to take a
title for the sermon today…it would be… What does your heart desire?”
    This title immediately
caught Cameron’s attention. Was the Pastor sitting on the phone with Cameron on
one of his phone calls? This sermon was going to be right up Cameron’s alley.
    “There are many
different types of desires. For the purpose of this sermon, we will talk about
three of them. The natural desire, separation desire, and holistic desire. The
natural desires are the desires that are needed for survival. These are the
ones that when we notice we do something about them. The separation desires are
those desires that you want and you know you can’t have. These cause you to
feel bad and to mourn the loss of something that you never had in the first
place.”
    Cameron was listening
intently to the sermon because he needed a clear understanding about what his
desires were and how to ensure that they were under control.
    “Money and relationships
are often in this category. People desire to be loved, accepted, and
acknowledged. When people find out they have this type of desire they do not
believe that it can happen to them and then they believe that they need this to
be happy. It is this inability to have it that causes the separation, which
brings about the undesired emotions. The last desire is the holistic desire. People
who have everything experience this. These people are whole and complete. Whether
they have it or not, they are ok because they feel good right now.”
                The
congregation was giving each other high fives as the preacher continued down
desire lane, explaining in detail how the different desires affect the person. Many
people were taking notes as the preacher was explaining.
                “Your
character is the true identifier of what you truly desire. Our desires are
revealed through our character, our self-esteem, our purpose and our thinking. You
cannot have worldly cravings or desires for corrupt things and corrupt people
if you have the mind of Christ. The Bible says, let this mind be in you, which
was also in Christ Jesus. If you take on the mind of Christ, your desires would
line up with those of the Father. These are the desires that he promised to
give you when you delight yourself in him. God has a great amount of blessings
and promises for you if you delight yourself in him.”
                 The
message today was a