One Sunday morning after the church service, something very unusual happened. Lue and I normally go home or eat out after church. But this time, we did something different. We decided to go for a walk in the park. We even went to a different park than usual.

As we walked down the trail, we saw a young man about 17 or 18 years old standing on the walking bridge holding a sign. The sign read FREE HUGS! The people ahead of us, going both directions, ignored him and just continued walking. That’s quite understandable in today’s world.

However, we stopped to talk to him. The Spirit of God impressed me that God was preparing him for a Divine encounter. I realized that he was hurting, and this was his way of reaching out for help.

So, I commented on his sign. I looked at him and said, “You are the one who really wants a hug, don’t you?” Then I gave him a great big hug. As I held him in that warm embrace, I sensed the Lord was enveloping him in His tender mercies and loving care. Tears began flowing from this young Hispanic male named Bruno. So, he opened up and shared his hurts, emotional trauma, and mental anguish with us.

I responded sympathetically to his condition. Then I told him about God’s love. I explained how God’s love for him was demonstrated through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, upon the cross. Bruno gladly accepted Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for his sins. He eagerly received Jesus Christ into his life as his Lord and Savior. And then he asked God to take control of his life and fill him with the Holy Spirit.

Praise God, Bruno found peace and comfort that day upon receiving new life in Christ. Bruno asked me to write some of what I had shared so he could review it later. Since he had tasted of the heavenly gift of Christ’s Spirit, he was eager to know more. When someone truly meets the Lord, that person will have a desire to know the Lord and grow in Him. The Holy Spirit will cause hunger and thirst for Him.

Since that was the case with Bruno, I was delighted to write down some things for him. I also told Bruno about my books translated into Spanish on Amazon. I explained that these books describe what the Christian life is and how to live it. I did that so he would have something to read as a follow-up since he had accepted Christ. Thank God for the privilege of making disciples!

It’s never just a walk in the park. Divine appointments are everywhere! Therefore, real ministry should take place in the everyday world around you! Christ instructs us, “As you go, preach . . . ” (Matthew 10:7). Jesus said, “I came to seek and to save those who are lost” (Luke 19:10). Jesus made this clear from the beginning when He declared, “I must be about My Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). Likewise, we all should be about our Father’s business! (11/19/23)

Dr Lewis W Gregory © 2026

(my testimony of knowing God)

After being a Christian for 10 years, even though I was very active in the life of the church I was still a frustrated, defeated Christian. I knew the Bible stories, theological doctrines, and church practices, but something was still missing. What I read in the Bible and what I saw happening in my own life weren’t the same. However, since Jesus is the same today as He was back then (Hebrews 13:8), I concluded that the Christian life should also be working for me.

So, I prayed, “Lord, why isn’t it happening? How can I see in my life what those in the Bible saw?” One evening, as my wife Lue and I were reading the Bible, I finally got it! “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26).

I thought, “All these years I have believed the Bible to be true. I have obtained information from it and attempted to apply its principles. But it hasn’t been working.” So, I prayed, “Dear Lord, what’s my problem?” God said, “It’s because the Bible is a Spiritual Book and only My Spirit can make it real in your life.” My problem was that I had been trying to read the Bible like an ordinary book. But the Bible is no ordinary book!

The Bible originated with God, who is Spirit. Therefore, as a Spiritual Book, it can only be understood by the Holy Spirit. “As it is written eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for them that love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). It is humanly impossible to know God or comprehend the things of God through our natural abilities.

Why? Because God is Spirit. So, we must worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). The Apostle Paul elaborated, “The natural person does not receive the things of the Spirit of God because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). The things of God are known only by the Spirit of God. He alone can make Christ real to us, in us, and through us.

Therefore, we must know God by the Spirit. Christ made it possible for us to do just! He told His disciples He would be going away. However, He promised not to leave them comfortless, but to send another comforter—the Holy Spirit. Jesus explained that although He would no longer be with them physically, He would now be within them by the Spirit (John 14:17). He would establish a Divine connection, an inseparable bond, a permanent relationship. The same relationship is available to us today.

Jesus made His Spirit available to us at His departure! So now, upon receiving Christ, His Spirit comes to live within you! Therefore, you no longer need to ask Him to be with you; instead, simply acknowledge His presence within you. Now that’s really good news! I know it was for me!

LISTEN:  https://www.sourceministries.net/go/2012/12/god-is-with-you/

MAY GOD BLESS your new year! May God grant you a year of exciting adventures as you follow His leading. He will enable you to go the right way and do the right thing at just the right time—in God’s time and in God’s way. He will lead you in the right path (the path of righteousness) for His name’s sake. God alone can bring lasting peace, order, and stability.

Regardless of what happens, as you walk in sync with the Almighty God, He will get you through and keep you going! The Spirit of the Lord will enable you to remain steadfast and unmovable in spite of your circumstances. He will make a way for you where there is no way. The Lord will open a door for you that no one can shut. He will preserve you amidst the daily challenges of your life. Therefore, you will be safe and secure in Him!

(excerpt from IN SYNC 365 by Dr. Lewis Gregory https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G4FW4F9Y)

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

Dr. Lewis W. Gregory

     All Saints’ Day and All Hallows’ Eve (commonly called Halloween) provide a fitting contrast between the change from the old to the new. All Saints’ Day, observed on November 1, celebrates the unity of the universal Church, encompassing all saints worldwide. The saints are all of the people who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Halloween, which occurs the evening before, is often characterized by devilish costumes of evil creatures with hideous, mean, and ugly features.

     This is indicative of the evil nature with which we are all born, inherited from our forefather Adam, who is the progenitor of the human race. However, All Saints’ Day is about the beautiful, kind, and gentle new creatures that we can become in union with Christ. Because of Jesus Christ, we can be changed from death and darkness into life and light. This change is as different as night and day.

     Such a change is revolutionary—at the very core of our being. It is a change of nature—from a sinner with an evil nature into a saint with a Divine nature. Once you have received Jesus Christ, you can reflect upon the old while celebrating the new! So, let’s focus on the new—the new creature in Christ who has now become a saint!

     “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all . . . . For by one offering He has perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”  Hebrews 10:10, 14

MORE: Life in the Spirit makes continuous revival possible. What is life in the Spirit? Life in the Spirit is living in a new dimension–the spiritual realm, which is the realm of God. Why is it relevant? What does it look like? How is it acquired? John 4:24, John 1:12,  Romans 8:4, 2 Corinthians 3:17

Watch LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – https://youtu.be/yg0ncWPLZPQ?si=Md_A88Nms5A14hGs

As a Vietnam DAV (Disabled American Veteran) I am HONORED to have served and GRATEFUL to have survived. I am also very THANKFUL for our country and the Good Lord who made it all possible!

I joined the United States Navy when I was 17 years of age. It was my honor to serve this country during the Vietnam War aboard the Naval Destroyer ship USS AULT DD-698. Once you have served in the military and/or have family and friends who have served (especially if they have paid the supreme sacrifice for our freedom), you view the United States of America in a whole new light. It causes you to have an even greater appreciation for our freedom and all the wonderful things we have in this country. If you have ever traveled outside the US, you realize that we have been blessed with so much more than most of the other countries around the world.

There is no perfect country, but America is certainly better than most. Thank God for that! This country began much later than most of the countries in the world. However, by the grace of God, because of the sacrifice and hard work of the military and the pioneers who have gone before us, we are now privileged to enjoy this wonderful country. America has given billions of dollars and sacrificed millions of lives on behalf of the rest of the world.

Therefore, as a Vietnam Veteran, I am grateful to be an American! I am grateful for all the men and women who have served in our military! I am especially grateful for those Veterans who died serving this country! And I am grateful to God for blessing the United States of America!

THE UNITED STATES MILITARY is an important part of God’s design to protect our country. “When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19). “For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:4).  Thank God for the standard bearers of today!

God bless the USA

Lewis Gregory, USN 1965

Dr Lewis W Gregory © 2024

The following is a three part series on Spiritual Warfare that I presented in December 2005 at First Baptist Atlanta for leaders (primarily the counselors and lay counselors at FBA, the counselors at In Touch Ministries and the counselors at North Point Community Church).

Ignorance of Satan’s devices (2 Corinthians 2:11) has resulted in large-scale spiritual blindness among God’s people. In Ephesians 6:11-12, the Apostle Paul described the spiritual warfare that we face. He specifically stated that our struggle is not with people, but rather with the spiritual forces of wickedness. These wicked spirits are actually Satan’s ministers, disguised as messengers of light in order to deceive God’s people. These Satanic forces are classified in the Holy Bible as “the powers of darkness.” The phrase, “powers of darkness,” is a reference to demons or evil spirits. Hence spiritual warfare is real.

So, how can you effectively engage in spiritual warfare against such demonic forces? Let’s find out:

1. WHAT IS SPIRITUAL WARFARE

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2.KNOW YOUR ENEMY

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3. DESTROYING THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Dealing with the Demonic

Dr Lewis W Gregory © 2005