LETTER 7

My name is Marcus Girod,

To the believers in Berne, the ones who are called by His name, Jesus Christ. Romans 8:28-30 “And we know that in all things, God works for the

good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of

his Son that He might be the first born among many brothers and sisters. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified, those

He justified, He also glorified.”

Our ancestors gave their lives at the hands of the church leaders of their day. The State Reformed church and the Roman Catholics persecuted the

Anabaptists; many to their death. Today, the radical sect of the Amish people have made a 180 degree turn, becoming the persecutors of those who

would dare pursue the Lord Jesus on a personal level. If you are one who would like to pursue a deeper relationship with Jesus, but the threat of

excommunication looms over you; if you are torn at the idea of losing your family, because of running after Jesus, this letter is for you. Please read

Matthew 10:36-39. There are many religions, many beliefs and many so-called “faiths” in the world, but there is only one faith that can set a person free

from sin, guilt, shame, and condemnation.

Many years ago, I gave my life to the Jesus and was born again. Since that day, the Spirit of the Lord has never left me. Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 28:20

I have many testimonies of being delivered by the Spirit of the Lord, and today I would like to share one with you.

• Some 18 years ago, I became addicted to pornography. My heart was deeply convicted of wrongdoing. After a year of dealing with this, I got rid of my

phone and my computer in an attempt to slow or to wean me off the addiction. All this did not help. The lust of the eyes had me by the throat and I

could not get rid of it. Year 2 came and went and still I was addicted. Even though I got rid of my phone and my computer it did not keep me from lusting

with my eyes. Matthew 5:28 “But I (Jesus) tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

The harder I tried the more I would indulge. Lust of every kind passed through my mind seemingly unchecked. I would set up boundaries around me to

protect me from access to pornography, only to turn around and break through the boundaries.

I was beginning to wonder if I would have to be

consigned to a life with guilt, shame and condemnation constantly nagging me wherever I went. I felt worthless. This, in turn, made me very impatient

towards others. I treated others the way I felt. Demons of the mind would tell me, “you will never be free.... you will always struggle....there is no hope

for you.” The harder I tried the worse it got. This drove me to my knees in the secret place with Jesus.

Many hours were spent, pleading with Jesus for

deliverance and reading the Bible. I would read verses like Matthew 8:36 “So if the Son (Jesus) sets you free, you will be free indeed.” I knew I had given

my life to the Lord yet I was not free. How could both be true at the same time? Again, I would read 1 John 3:1 “See what great love the Father has

lavished on us that we should be called children of God.” I struggled with these verses, not knowing how God could see me clean when I looked so dirty. I

would then read verses like, 2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the

righteousness of God.” As I spent time with the Lord, He began to reveal to me.... ALL the things I had done in an attempt to gain righteousness were

worthless in God’s eyes! Isaiah 64:6 The only reason He accepted me to begin with was because He had seen the blood of his Son Jesus marking the

door posts of my soul. This in turn cast my sins from me as far as the east is from the west making me righteous before the Father. Psalms 103:12-19 By

year 4 I was beginning to see out of new eyes. 2 Peter 1:3 “His (Jesus) divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our

knowledge of him who calls us by his own glory and goodness.” I began to declare righteousness over my life, thanking the Lord for making me clean andwashing me white as snow. I began to thank the Lord that I was not addicted to pornography, but that He had set me free. Many times the truth of the

Bible did not make any sense in my head because of the facts of my life. What will you believe... the Truth of God’s word (what He says about you) or the

facts of life? One morning, I woke up and ran to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet. Afterwards I thought it strange because no one was sick in the

house or in our community. Three days after throwing up, I was at work when suddenly it dawned on me that I had not dealt with lust since I threw up

three days prior. Have you ever seen someone delivered from the devil? I was delivered that day. This devil was finally kicked out, not by working harder,

but by renewing my mind and spending time with Jesus. The day I threw up, the devil left me and from that point forward, I have had ever increasing

victory in many areas of my life, including freedom from pornography. Since then, I have gotten a phone and a computer. Now when lust crosses my

mind, it is something totally foreign to me. Thank you Jesus for your freedom!

Ephesians 2:4-10 “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in

transgressions —it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in

order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you

have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s

handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

I encourage all of you to seek the Lord in the secret place. Jesus said He has come to set us free so that we can be free indeed. Do not let your lack

of understanding or knowledge refuse you entrance to freedom. Hosea 4:6 says it this way. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Begin to

read and study the book of Ephesians. After that read the gospel of John and then Acts. As you read, pray that the Lord would open your spiritual eyes and

your spiritual ears so that you can see and hear what the Spirit is saying.

If you are dealing with depression, addiction or anything else that you would like to be free from, please call this number and through these messages

begin your journey to freedom today. 720-716-6157