Last week I acknowledged that July 4, 2026, marked my 50th anniversary as a believer in Jesus Christ. I was subsequently challenged to describe what exactly it was that I was freed from. I have reflected on that challenge for a number of days now.

I immediately thought of a passage from Scripture in which the Apostle Paul describes the life before salvation. “But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.” (Romans 6:21, ESV) Indeed, there was much to be ashamed of even though it was readily accepted in the culture at the time.

I was delivered from sexual promiscuity. As a child of the ‘60s, I lived during the “sexual revolution” only to discover sexual freedom isn’t really freedom at all. “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” (1 Corinthians 6:18) The broken families and broken children in this nation give ample witness to the accuracy of Scripture about sex outside of marriage.

I do not claim to have been an alcoholic, but I was definitely a “problem drinker.” I would go out drinking with the guys after work, and when I came home late and inebriated, I had a problem. Scripture does not condemn alcohol, only the excess in its use. God gave me wisdom and strength to maintain moderation in regard to drink.

I was delivered from self-sufficiency. I am thankful that God brought me to an end of myself fairly early in life. I was a few months shy of my 29th birthday and about halfway through the 22 years of my Marine Corps career. I was what the Marines called a “Mustang” — someone who rose through the ranks. I was highly decorated and always given the assignments that needed a “fixer.” By all outward appearances, I was a rising star, but in my heart, there was an emptiness that success could not fill. Each achievement brought the proverbial “15 minutes of fame,” but it also left me wondering what it would take to fill the emptiness.

When my twin brother Roger visited us at Christmas in 1975, he shared his amazing story of what God had done for him. Something resonated in my heart, and it started a six-month journey that led me to salvation in Jesus Christ. Marines don’t give in easily, so it was a long journey, but I learned the truth of Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” The “all these things” are everything we need in life (Matthew 6:25-32). My only regret was that I didn’t surrender more fully early on.

I was delivered from pride. Success achieved through your own strivings can cause you to have a higher opinion of yourself than is healthy. You tend to look down on those who haven’t made the grade yet. While I made some progress in dealing with pride over the years, it wasn’t until God put a call on my life that I realized I was not up to the task. One night I lay prostrate before the Lord and I cried out to Him: Father, I’m not the man I need to be to do what You have called me to do. Do whatever it takes to make me the man I need to be. You say a prayer like that, and you can be confident God will take up the challenge. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you.” (1 Peter 5:6)

Lastly, I was delivered from what we now call post-traumatic stress. War changes you. You cannot escape the horrors of war: death, sacrifice, the inhumanity of man’s fallen nature. There are nightmares that alcohol, sex, and drugs cannot diminish. BUT GOD! From the moment I asked Jesus to come into my life, the nightmares ended. The guilt of things done in war was washed away and my heart was, for the first time, truly free.

My prayer for you is that it doesn’t take you 50 years to fully surrender your life to the Son of God who gave His life so that you could walk in the fullness of the life He desires for you.

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!