Meet Edward Barrett

The first time I witnessed the hands and feet of Christ was when a great friend of mine shared Romans 8:1 with me: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." After considering all that I had done in sin, this was the turning point in the life I now try to lead as a follower of Jesus.

Now that I know I am not condemned, how do I change who I am? How do I live a life that looks different? How do I have peace? These are just a few of the many questions I had.

Before I truly put my trust in Jesus, I found all my worth and value in female relationships. I lived and died based on what women thought of me, and, in the end I was always completely defeated and left with so much hopelessness. I drowned my sorrows in anything that numbed me. Then, after some time, I would go back to the same pattern of life that always ended the same way. I lived this broken-record life for many years.

Six years ago, a friend invited me to re:generation, a recovery ministry of Watermark Community Church. There, I came to realize that when I found all my worth and value in a broken person (as we are all sinners), then, of course I would always be left disappointed and heartbroken. At this point, my friend shared Romans 8:1 with me. It was like the weight of the world was lifted off of my shoulders! So now what? How do I keep from falling back into this old pattern of hopelessness?

Romans 8:2 gives a wonderful illustration of sanctification. What is sanctification? According to dictionary.com, it means “to make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate"; or "to purify or free from sin.” When we trust in Christ, He gives us His Spirit to help us be transformed continually into the likeness of Jesus.