“Encouragement from Phillips Craig & Dean”
Phillips Craig & Dean give an encouraging talk about what it was like becoming a Christian and how the gift of salvation is free.
SHAWN CRAIG: Well, I can remember something, I don’t even know if I’ve ever told the guys, but when I was nearing the age of 30, which was just yesterday, just a few days ago, I was wrestling with depression, actually, and had even contemplated suicide. One of the keys of my life really turning around was God’s Word. I had someone who gave me a list of scriptures I began to meditate and memorize and say over and over. One of the key verses was Deuteronomy 31:8 from an amplified version, which is harder to memorize because it has so many words, but it says, “Do not fear, don’t be discouraged, don’t be afraid, it’s the Lord who goes before you. He won’t fail you, He won’t forsake you, He’ll never let you go.” Something about that phrase, “He’ll never let you go,” became a key in my life, to remember that even when you feel like you’re alone, you’re forsaken, that God has left you, He doesn’t know where you are, that reality, God was speaking to Joshua actually at that point, but that in every situation God will not let you go. That was powerful for me, and I actually wrote a song on our first album called “He’ll never let you go,” so that’s been a really a key verse for my life, a key point in my life.
RANDY PHILLIPS: There’s a number of scriptures I’ve loved through the years. One is Psalms 139, “Where can I go from your spirit, where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to the heavens you’re there. If I make my bed in Hell, you’re there. If I take the wings of the morning to fly away or dwell on the outermost parts of the sea, even there your hand will hold me, your right hand will sustain me.” I think we’ve all, if you live long enough you know what it’s like to make your bed in Hell, and you know what it’s like to feel isolated. Yeah, the truth of the scripture is, His hand will hold you, his spirit’s there. And if you base it on emotion, you might not always feel like he’s there but his Word says He’s there, and if His word says He’s there then you can believe it, because He never lies. He’s there, he’s right there with you wherever you are, no matter if you’ve taken the wings to fly away or if you’ve made your bed in Hell. He’s there. David said that, and that’s the word I’ve stood on for many years.
DAN DEAN: We’re saved by faith, by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is a gift of God. And the day that I realized that I did not have to work to get God’s grace in my life and to be saved, it was probably one of the greatest awakenings in my life, personally.
Please note that the views expressed in this story are not necessarily the views of the American Bible Society. Story posted on August 31st, 2007 and filed under Phillips Craig & Dean, Video Stories, Conversions.









September 11th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
Thanks for sharing with us. It was a good reminder that I’m to stay focused on the will of God rather than working for God.
No sweat!