Around 1990 or there about I was invited to "preach the word'
on a television program in the Colorado Springs and Denver area. I really
didn't know what to preach on, so when the red light came on and the
television cameras lights blinded my sight, I started talking about
something that to this day I don't even remember what it was.
About 2 minutes into the message I remember telling the show producer,
while motioning with my right hand across my neck: "Cut me off
and stop the taping." "I just thought of a better message
to preach on." The producer did as I asked, and when he turned
on the red light and the camera lights blinded my eyes once again, and
the film began to role, I introduced myself, and asked the television
audience to turn in their bible to 2 Peter 1:5-9.
I entitled my message "A Matter of Mathematics." I shared
with the audience watching by television that if they want to see results
out of their faith, they need to add that which strengthens faith and
delete from their faith that which weakens it. I preached on so many
'hoops and loops' of the good that we need to add our faith and the
bad that we must delete from our faith, that at the end of the show,
I was probably just as confused as the people watching, or perhaps more.
The program was aired about 5 days later, and when I saw myself and
heard myself I became sick to my stomach. However, the next day many
in the church who had watched the program, and even the producer of
the program were saying: "Man, that was awesome. I never knew that
those were the keys that we need to use in order to live an effective
faith. I then thought to myself: "Are these people crazy?"
However, being that I was hoping to become a Jimmy Swaggart or a Kenneth
Hagin, I went along with the compliments, soaked in my pride, put my
head and shoulders back, and said within myself" This is just God
confirming to me that I am headed for the big times, so move over Jimmy
and Kenneth, here comes Eddie." Thank God, that something within
me kept saying: "There's just something that isn't right about
all of this."
For many years, after being molded and modeling after every television,
radio and church preacher, I kept saying to myself: "There's got
to be something easier and better about this bible mess and faith message."
"Something just don't jive and click with me." Then along
came the same friend and producer of the show saying: "Hey Eddie,
I've heard these tapes before but they don't really do much for me,
maybe you could use them."
I thanked him, took the tapes, played the first tape as I was driving
home, and there was this man talking about how he had been set free
by the "Wisdom of God's Grace." Yes, it was Mike Williams.
It wasn't until about the middle of the tape that I got scared, turned
it off, a big lump of fear got stuck in my throat, and my first reaction
was: "Its a cult!" "This guy is out of his mind."
All of a sudden my mind and heart felt as if one was in fast forward
and the other one in reverse.
For about 3 days I left the tapes sitting on the passenger seat. I
kept much of what I had heard inside of me. On the fourth day I decided
to rewind the first tape again, and as I patiently listen with some
hesitation and apprehension, a lot of what was being said on the tape
all of a sudden described many things I had been thinking and questioning
all along. It felt as if someone had read my mind. So I decided, although
struggling with fear, to go for the gusto and hear the rest of the tapes.
After a few weeks I said: "Man, I didn't know that there was someone
else out there besides me that felt and had gone through the same doubts,
fears and deception that I always somehow believed and felt I had been
under?" Friends, the rest as you can see from what I write, teach
and expose today is history. If ever the Holy Spirit spoke to me and
confirmed many of what I had been doubtful about and suspicious about,
it was confirmed by the tapes that were given to me by this friend and
television producer.
Unlike the friend, preacher and television producer, I never went back
to the old deadly and works oriented religion of legalism. Today, after
meeting with Mike face to face some years ago, and having breakfast
with him on that one particular year and day, I cannot thank God enough
for the change that God through the grace, peace and love that has been
shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit, and clearly revealed in
the words of Jesus, I cannot thank God enough for my freedom.
Many religious people get scare when they log on to my website and
read my articles. But did you know that as time went by and I grew in
grace, and things began to make more sense to me, I finally realized
that I had been delivered from what had controlled and had kept me in
deception all of those years that I had participated in organized religion?
Yes, my friend, that lump in my throat, that heart pounding fearful
feeling, the confusion and all sorts of weird fearful feelings that
came over me when I first heard the Gospel of God's grace, was my deliverance.
I finally learned that I need to add nothing and delete nothing from
anything. I finally realized that Jesus had deleted the law and added
His grace in order to set us all free from the lies and demonic bondage,
religious legalistic message of organized religion. I cannot begin to
describe to you what it was that I all of a sudden felt when I found
out that what I needed deliverance from, was from the very thing I had
been told it would set me free...'religion.'
In all of the years that I served under the legalistic doctrines of
religion, I was told that the things that weren't going right for me
had to do with some spiritual stronghold, or some spirit, or some demon,
or some devil that was trying to keep me from serving God and being
faithful to His word and will. Boy! -- what a lie! Little did I know
that the real stronghold, the real demon, the real wicked and deceiving
spirit was none other than the deadly witchcraft, confusing and manipulating
doctrines of organized religion.
Oh, don't get me wrong. I do admire the zeal that religious people
have for God and the faithfulness that they demonstrate towards their
denominational church and belief system. The people aren't evil, and
they aren't the enemy. It is the doctrine that I am concerned about
the which I constantly expose. It was 'Louis Brandeis' who said: "The
greatest danger to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of
zeal, well meaning but without understanding."
Friends, if anyone be possessed by anything or should be worrying about
anything that will bring them fear or affect their soundness of mind,
is when religion plays the mathematical self-righteous game of performance
that you need to add this, delete that, subtract it and divided by this
in order to get God to do His part. If you want freedom from whatever
it is that you've been religiously told that you are bound or possessed
with, it is freedom from the lying doctrines of religion.
Friends, there is only one way out from the manipulating and mind controlling,
fear induced games of religion... "GRACE." The only thing
that is possessing the religious world, hindering and keeping them from
the liberty and freedom that only Christ can offer, is the demonic doctrines
of religion. Once you come out from under their legalistic lying bondage,
of out of context preaching, that's when your deliverance and freedom
begins. I can't thank God enough for freedom! Grace is all the deliverance
you'll ever need!
Grace N Peace
Eddie