I Boldly Confess: The Key of Life

By Regi Ross Rayfield

I stood in Belize among inattentive and talkative young Lambs of Christ all week long, while elder Lambs for Christ were ministering. But when I spoke that last day of the mission, I could hear that pin fall while I delivered my first message from God to those same young but quiet and attentive Lambs of Christ. It was then that I knew He would use me again.

I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

A spiritual and inspirational life story of overcoming modern-day trials and tribulations through Gods infinite charity and the salvation of Jesus Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449741877

Regi Ross Rayfield

Regi has written this book in an attempt to reach God's people that do not know Him, are confused about Him, or have lost their way from Him; that they will return to Him or seek His face. He writes this book in an attempt to reach those in need of salvation, that they will be saved. Regi has written this book in simplicity to give clarification of God's purpose to all that read it, be they youth, young adult, or elder. In spite of Regi's transgressions, he has done that which puposeth God, and will prosper in this thing which he was sent to do. Regi declares and claims all of these things of God, and by his faith in his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, So Be It! (Amen) Regi was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was raised in Washington, DC. Regi now lives in Redondo Beach, California. He is a child of God and Jesus Christ is his Lord and Savior.

Book preview

I BOLDLY CONFESS

The Key of Life

Regi Ross Rayfield

9781449741860_txt.pdf

Copyright © 2012 Regi Ross Rayfield

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1-[phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4497-4186-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-4187-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012904202

WestBow Press rev. date: 3/12/2012

Contents

Chapter 1: Presence of God

Chapter 2: Good Against Evil

Chapter 3: Secret Desires

of the Heart

Chapter 4: Roots

Chapter 5: Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

Chapter 6: A Time to Fall

Chapter 7: Your Own Personal Relationship

Chapter 8: Gifts of Giving

Chapter 9: Due Season

Chapter 10: So Be It!

Chapter 11: That’s Life

Chapter 12: They Know

Not What They Do

Chapter 13: By Faith

Summation

THE SPIRIT of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed and me to preach the good tiding unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to then that are bound (Isaiah 61:1).

I Boldly Confess

(The Key of Life)

Dedicated to:

My Mother, Mary O. Rayfield

and the

Memory of my Dad, Clinton L. Rayfield Sr.

My Children,

Brooke R and Myles R Rayfield

and to my

Seven Brothers & Sisters:

Clinton Jr, Miriam, Michelle, Michael, Kenneth, Myra, and Edith Rayfield.

Happy Easter!

Chapter 1: Presence of God

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater (Isaiah 55:10).

Born April 13, 1959, at 12:01 a.m., he shall be called a child of God. This child of God will live and confess the Word of God so that those who see his life experiences and seek God shall find Him. This child will live and confess the Word of God again and again, that those who see his experiences and seek God shall find Him.

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations (Jeremiah 1:5).

Emanuel Baptist Church was my first introduction to God and Jesus. Who are these people, and why don’t we ever see them? Shut up and listen when Pastor is speaking, uttered Mother with conviction. I knew then that this God and Jesus shouldn’t be reckoned with, but respected. And even if I wasn’t able to see or talk to them then, I was to know everything about them. At the time, though, I did not know that through His Son, He would shape and mold me to accomplish that which pleases Him and meets His purposes.

I was striving to figure out who I was at such a young age with seven other siblings in the way. Why was I different from my brothers and all of the other guys in the neighborhood? Why didn’t I like to do the things that brought them all so much fun and pleasure? As for me, I was happy with going to school every day, homework in the evenings, choir practice on Saturday morning, and church on Sunday. I attended vacation Bible school and church with Grandma for summer vacation—not your typical pastimes for a boy’s childhood. My dad did not know how to cope with differences in behavior. He shut it out as if it were a disease or simply because he did not want to understand it. He was not to blame. A parent only knows what he or she has been taught. Being born in the 1930s, they found that life was not as it was in the ’60s and ’70s—and nowhere close to how it is today.

And, ye fathers provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).

Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers (Proverbs 17:6).

But nonetheless, I was being molded into who I was to become according to the plan that God had laid out for me. I was unable to lean on my own or anyone else’s understanding of God at such a young age. It wasn’t to be discussed or questioned. There is not one who knows the plan that God has for him or her, nor can anyone comprehend His majesty, His greatness, or His purpose in and for one’s life.

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou should go; I will guide thee with mine eye (Psalm 32:8).

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy path (Proverbs 3: 5-6).

We, as parents and grandparents, must put God first in our children’s lives. We must not ignore God and let them find out for themselves. We must lay the foundation and keep them focused through their wonder years. It is our duty and responsibility as parents and grandparents, one of our purposes for God. For there will come the day when they will need Him—not us, but Him. And when we speak of God with our children and grandchildren, we must speak of Jesus. He is the Light that God sent to lead us so that we might follow Him. He is salvation, offering grace in the time of need that is surely to come. This is true—not because I say so, but because it is written.

And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sitteth in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou riseth up (Deuteronomy 11:19).

Not only did my mother know this, but she also lived through it and understood the importance of God and Jesus Christ at an early point in her children’s lives. She knew through her life experiences that there is too much uncertainty, too many temptations, and too many distractions along the way. She taught us how to pray, saying,

Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed it be thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. And, give us this day, our daily bread. And, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

She knew that prayer would sustain us, as it did so many times for her in the time of need.

At a young age, I got into all kinds of mischief, having to prove my place in life, because I differed from so many others. I had to make a stand for myself and wanted acceptance from those I thought I needed it from, especially Dad. I found my spot to stand in the world and took the only path that I knew to survive. Who is God, and why can’t I talk to Him? Why am I subjected to these differences—these paths in life?

I thought we served a good and loving God. Why am I imperfect? Why is she always ridiculed? Why is he dying at such a young age? Why don’t they have food to eat, a place to live, doctors to heal? Why was he assassinated, and why was he, and he? Why did she have to sit in the back of the bus? Why are they rioting? Who created that tyrant? Was that God, and why did He allow him to persecute others? I thought that we served a good and loving God. Then why is He allowing these things to happen to His people? Can anyone explain that to me? At a young age, I had to endure the tragedies of the world, seeing the imperfections from one whom I deemed as a perfect God. I did not know that these times, events, and experiences were molding me into who I am today.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that love us (Romans 8: 35-37).

We, as parents and grandparents, must teach our children about God and Jesus Christ when they are very young. Don’t let the world and all that’s evil in it distract them from the Word of God, the life of Jesus Christ, and all the good they stand for—the meaning and purpose of it all. We, as parents and grandparents, have a responsibility to be able to explain it to our children when those questions arise. We need not to be ashamed of the past or have them grow afraid of the future. For it was written and has come to pass. So it is written and shall be again.

My siblings and I sat intensely in front of the television every Christmas Eve, watching and learning about Mary, Joseph, and the wise men, whose stories led into the birth of Jesus Christ in the manger. I sat in front of the television every Good Friday, watching and hearing of Jesus’s teachings, His parables for understanding the miracles, and the betrayals—all leading up to his unbearable death and resurrection. I would lose control and cry the same tears, year after year. My parents and grandparents instilled this into me, and I learned about this at a young age, but all teachings that I was learning about Jesus, I did understand.

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4: 10).

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:17)

God was molding me then to experience the things in life that would bring me to this point. This happens at the point when He can use me to tell and speak of His goodness with boldness through my life experiences, that others that are lost or in need may seek and find Him—may know of His goodness and forgiveness, as He is a loving and caring God. God brings everything into its proper place at the proper time to suit His purposes and to bless us.

At a young age, I listened to my mother praying and asking that we would be able to pay the mortgage and pay our bills. I listened to her pray while she made the call to my grandparents for help that month, thanking God before she ever asked, receiving the blessing before a word was even uttered out of her mouth to my grandparents. My mother knew the meaning of prayer and the goodness of God. My mother knew the concept of Ask and it shall be given unto you. She knew that her faith would help survive her family then and through the years to come.

I looked intensely into my mother’s face to see her smile of thanksgiving. She bowed her head to give thanks to God, knowing that I was watching intensely. She understood God’s principle—His way—and the fact that it brought no shame was what I was intended to see. I did not know then that those moments and situations were molding me into who I am today. Those moments and situations prepared me for similar times further down the road. My dad provided his best for his family of ten, but my mom’s faith in God pulled it all together. The family of ten never went without a Christmas, birthday, Easter basket, or outfit for back to school. We lived in a house like everyone else, with food on the table every day, regardless of what we had to eat.

It was God who sustained our family of ten. It was my mother’s mother who instilled the Word in her, and her mother’s mother in her, that the generations to come would have that foundation. Yes, it is our duty as parents and grandparents to lay that foundation in our children’s lives—and yes, at a young age. Children grab on to those things in their wonder years; those things mold their way in life. It was my mother’s purpose to accomplish this, as it pleased God. It was my mother’s purpose to bring me to where I am today. I confess God’s mercy and grace to His people who have stumbled, fallen, or simply never known of Him or the way to find Him.

So shall My word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent (Isaiah 55:11).

And yes, as my Father God has written, my mother does prosper, as she has accomplished that which pleases and purposes my Father. She instilled in me and my siblings His way for us to go, that we spread the Word to His people so that whosoever hears it and turns not away shall receive His mercy and glory. God’s way in her was in turn instilled in us at such a very young age that it would save us from the perils of the world yet to come.

And I say these things to you that you do not deprive God’s children the opportunity to know Him. I hear some say, I will let my children decide their religion. Fine, but give them the opportunity to know of the choice that comes with serving God. How can one make