Beneath the Veil no. 7 Peter and the Pigeon in the Chimney

I was sitting in my living room early in the morning and I heard a flapping in my chimney. “Oh no, a bird’s caught.” I prayed that it would somehow get out. When I was praying I listened and the Holy Spirit told me to put some bread in the fireplace so the bird would come down and be able to get out. I guess I didn’t really believe it because when I went off to work, I left the door open where the cat could get into the living room. When I got home, to my surprise the bird had gotten out. It was bedraggled looking and shivering up on a shelf where the cat couldn’t reach it and the cat was prowling around below. I was able to rescue the bird, put it outside and it flew off. The next day I happened to find a plaque at a garage sale of the same type of bird God saved for me. I hung it up on my bedroom wall to remind me God always answers my prayers.

There’s a story in Acts 12 similar to mine, where people didn’t expect God to really answer their prayers. Peter got thrown into prison and believers had gathered at Mary’s house to pray. We can pretty much assume they were praying for Peter, that he would get out of prison somehow. God answered their prayer. When Peter showed up at the house, a girl named Rhoda answered the door. She saw him and was so excited and amazed she ran in to tell the others and forgot to let him in. When she told them Peter was there in the flesh, they said she was crazy and decided it must be Peter’s angel. They were definitely familiar with angels, but they failed to really believe God was answering their prayer for Peter’s flesh and blood release! Peter kept pounding on the door and finally they came to the door. They were astonished and must have all been talking at once because Peter had to quiet them down to tell the story of his escape (Acts 12:1-17). 

Even though I prayed, I didn’t really believe God would save the pigeon and these people didn’t really believe God would save Peter. My experience with the pigeon was a turning point for me. It showed me that God ALWAYS answers my prayers. We can trust that He will do it. Jesus always tells us the truth: “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24).

Love, Carolyn

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, THE QUEEN OF SHEBA?

My dad would say to me, “Who do you think you are, the Queen of Sheba?” That was when I wanted to order the most expensive thing on the menu. I didn’t know then but I could have said, “Yes, according to the Bible I have authority like a queen.

Romans 5:17 says: “They which receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” Making Jesus Christ our Lord enables us to reign like a king or queen. We reign over our own lives with our faith words and corresponding actions.

The Bible is filled with all kinds of people in all kinds of circumstances with all kinds of needs, desires, and hopes because God planned it that way. Every kind of situation that mankind could get into is covered and there is a passage of scripture for every single thing we could desire. And

God will give us the desires of our hearts, (Ps 37:4). Getting them to manifest often means that we need to take charge over our rebellious minds.

The other day I was claiming my God-given right to be trusting and at peace about my work and finances. I was praying, “I cast my care on you Lord because you care about me. (1 Pet 5:7) You always take care of my work.”

My mind was fighting this truth and wanted me to worry instead. But my actions were following my heart. The next morning I just felt like I should go pick up the sweatshirt I left at my friend’s shop. The idea didn’t come from my mind, but from somewhere deeper in me. I went to get the sweatshirt and when I got there my friend had work for me. Then I went up to the paint store to get some supplies and walked out with another job. I was thrilled to see that my actions were following the Spirit of God reigning in me, and not my doubtful, worried mind. I had to tell my mind to quit worrying, start lining up with my heart, and believe the actions coming from my heart. “My spirit is reigning, so get in obedience.”

We reign like queens and kings when we yield to the Holy Spirit within us. Having God-given authority we bring good things to pass for ourselves and others.

Love, Carolyn

Beneath the Veil no. 6 Prayer and Open Heart Surgery

One of the preemie twins (weighing in at just a little over 4 lbs) was having open heart surgery. I texted back that I’d pray. Then I went on to check my other texts, posts and e-mails. A few minutes went by and I caught myself, “Carolyn, you need to pray NOW!” It’s way too easy these days to go through e-mails, social network posts, texts, etc. and take the messages in as mental information without really engaging and DOING something about them. When it comes to prayer we need to change this bad habit.

Prayer is a very powerful force that gets things done and it needs to be taken seriously. Mark 11:24 says that when we pray we are to believe – right then, not later, not pray and hope there will be an answer, not pray and wish, but focus enough when we pray – focus on the answer we want – the end result. When we pray, believe. We need to stay in pray until we are convinced, persuaded, and sure that God has heard and is answering.

Too much praying has been, “If it be your will.” If we spend time in the Bible, then we won’t have to say “if” because we will know what God’s will is. Heb 1:14 tells us that angels are there to minister for us and Psalm 103:20 tells us angels go out on God’s word, so if we speak God’s words in our prayers, we have angelic forces that help to get those answers into manifestation.

When we pray for someone it’s a serious matter. It means something. It is not casual or frivolous. According to God’s written word, prayer can heal, get people delivered from devil spirits, alter weather conditions and many more things. It’s powerful and effective.

My roommate and I prayed about the baby’s heart surgery. We already knew and believed what the Bible says about children being a blessing (Ps 127:3-5). We also believed in God’s ability to work through the surgeon’s hands. We knew that the parents were standing in faith for the little girl to live and grow strong. We knew that the Bible says that the power of two is powerful and if two agree in prayer God will do it (Matt 18:19). So when we prayed together we were totally persuaded God would answer – and He did. She went through the surgery with flying colors, had a speedy recovery and all the tubes were taken out in only a few days.

Prayer works. The Lord willingly and lovingly answers our prayers. So the next time someone asks for prayer on something let’s pay attention, stop a few minutes and take the time to pray. And if we ask people to pray for us, we should expect to get results too.

Love, Carolyn

I'm Just Going to Ignore It - NOT!

I was upset about something and I tried to ignore it and not talk about it, telling myself I had already handled it. But it just kept brewing inside me and wouldn’t go away, even though I tried to be very rational and logical in my attempt to talk myself out of it. 

It’s not healthy to keep those “chronic” problems to ourselves. They will show up somewhere in our spirit, soul or body if not taken care of.

Jesus Christ says we can come to Him to get things fixed: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace” (Heb 4:15-16). 

Jesus has experienced every emotional and mental problem known to man. He understands every difficulty that any person has ever had or ever will have. There is a solution for every problem and the Lord Jesus is willing to give it to us without any guilt attached. He is full of mercy and full of love. “We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ” (1 John 2:1).

When we are hurting, we often need to talk out loud to the Lord or to a Christian friend we can really trust—someone who will help us get God’s answers and not put judgment on us. James 4:16 says: “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.”

A lot of times if we keep things bottled up inside, they just torment us more or we get muddled about what the problem really is. When we tell someone out loud, we hear it ourselves and get a clearer picture of what we’re really thinking or feeling.

I was taught that if we say things out loud that are upsetting us, devil spirits can listen too and so I was afraid to voice my problems. But then I realized I could pray to God to protect me and keep the devil spirits away while I’m talking!

We can’t just keep ignoring our problems. We need to face them straight on, obviate them by speaking them out loud and get on with the next great things God has for us.

Love, Carolyn

Beneath the Veil no.5 The Gifts Clarification E-mail

I was so glad to get an e-mail from a friend who had some questions about my last article on gifts. It made me realize I needed to do a better job of clarifying some things I’d written. This was my reply:

“I called these characteristics gifts, but maybe that's not the best word to use. They are abilities, long suits, talents, anointings, qualities, things that people excel in. You've seen waiters or waitresses that just thrive and are super good and absolutely love what they do, and others in certain areas of life where you say to yourself, ‘They need to get out of this business. They're not cut out for this at all!’ That's what I'm talking about. Like the story that I sent out - The Salad Maker - she loves to have people over to her house. She has a special ‘gift’ for making the person feel at home, relaxed, taken care of, etc. But she is NOT a pastor-type person. She doesn't want to counsel them at all. She doesn't want to hear their problems. She just provides a great environment for them. Me, well I don't have that hospitality thing at all. Thinking that people are coming over even makes me nervous - weird, huh?

People's ‘gifts’ are not only the specific gift ministries of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers listed in Ephesians 4:11, but also things like hospitality, mercy, administration, prayer and intercession, music/praise and worship, wisdom, discerning of spirits, craftsmanship, marketplace ministries, healing, miracles, giving aid to people in distress, encouragement, helps and services, the ability to be a good leader, deliverance and much more—all found in the scriptures. For instance, if you’ve ever watched Billye Brim you can easily see that she excels in teaching. Teachers instruct. They have the ability to grasp truth and concepts, arrange them in a pattern and present them with simplicity and clarity. 

I would think that if you do the evaluation, one of your top three long suits would definitely be Music. But you would also find other talents that maybe dove-tail into the music or how the music is connected in a specific way to something else.

PS: We watched the first four days of Billye Brim with Gloria Copeland on the internet and WOW - she's totally getting into the book of Revelation. That's another specialty. I heard Ken Copeland say he wasn't led in that direction at all when it comes to what God has him teach. He said he leaves that Revelation book to others who have a real anointing in understanding and teaching that particular subject.  

Well, I hope that helps a little. Love you, Carolyn”

GIFTS

GIFTS MAKE FOR LESS STRESS AND MORE MONEY

Recently I did a multiple choice spiritual evaluation questionnaire. It took about thirty minutes, only 130 questions. I was able to quickly see and confirm the top three areas and gifts God called me to. I made the deliberate decision to study more on these gifts and diligently do them. Now things aren’t nearly as hard as before, the stress is less and the money is more.

In the beginning Adam and Eve were given gifts, work to do that they would enjoy. When they resisted and ended up out of their garden, that's when real toil and stress began. 

The Hebrew word for toil is amal.  It is defined as a wearing effort, worry of body or mind, grievousness, miserable, painful, sorrowful, and full of  trouble. Any time we get out of our intended Eden, our lives end up in hard toil. Peter told Jesus, “Master, we have toiled all night, and taken nothing” (Luke 5:5). Peter was a fisherman by trade, but it was time for him to make a change. When he toiled, it was night. He toiled in darkness and caught no fish, no provision for his family, no profit for himself or his crew, just hard labor that got him little to nothing. How often have we felt like Peter that night?

Jesus asked to use Peter’s boat. Even though Peter was at the end of a long and frustrating day at the job, he took the right step by letting Jesus use what he had.

Jesus told Peter to go out a little ways and throw in his nets to catch some fish. Peter was skeptical and only threw in one net—the old, rotten one. It was daytime now. Everyone knows you don't catch fish at midday. But in spite of his doubts, Peter tossed in his net and caught so many fish that his one net broke and he had to call his crew over to help bring in the overflow of fish. 

What happened is that Peter went from toiling in darkness to easy fishing in the daylight.  He profited so much from that one catch (some sources say six to eight months’ worth) that he was able to take care of food, taxes, bills, and other needs of his family, so that he could spend the next several months with Jesus.

Joseph, in the Old Testament, left behind the stigmatism of being the despised brother. Instead, he embraced his gifts received of his Heavenly Father, Who made him a highly respected, wealthy ruler in Egypt, the most prestigious nation of the world at that time.

Proverbs 18:8 reads: "A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth." God has put certain gifts in us that require some work to find, develop and refine, but they are not full of stress, mental weariness and hard toil and our gifts will prosper us. Like the scripture says, the “gift is like a precious stone.” At first it may be buried in the dirt, like a diamond in the ground. But when it’s found, it’s cleaned, cut to show off its greatest features, turned, and polished. It gains luster and value.

We can allow the Lord to utilize what we have, like Peter letting Jesus use his boat, Joseph embracing his God-given talents, you and me discovering and committing to our gifts. In return the Lord puts us in the perfect environment to refine and polish those gifts. We experience less stress and the Lord multiplies our supply.

Love, Carolyn

Beneath the Veil no. 4 How long can we live

HOW LONG CAN WE REALLY LIVE AND THE AMAZING TRUTH ABOUT DEATH

My friend was in surgery and was starting to come out of the anesthesia when she hit a distinct point of decision. She saw the male nurse walk across the room calling her name. At that moment she knew that she had the choice to wake up or just let go. Then she said to herself, “I’m not done yet. God has more for me to do.” And she made herself wake up.

In Psalm 91:16 God promises us a long satisfying life if we will take a hold of it: “With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”   

People in certain church groups have been taught that 70 or 80 years would be considered a good long life and they base it on Psalm 90:10, which says “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” But if you’ll notice, this Psalm was written by Moses. It was regarding the Israelites who disobeyed God and their lives were cut short in the wilderness. Since people in our times have believed this was concerning them, they’ve missed out on so much wisdom and great insight that comes with the ages beyond 70 to 80.

Genesis 6:3 tells us God’s will for mankind’s lifespan on earth after the flood: “Yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”

God wants us to be satisfied with a long healthy life, so we don’t have to give up if at 70 or 80 we’re not quite full yet. According to Genesis 6:3 we can certainly live a little longer, until we’re totally satisfied.

Now I want to lift the veil and show an amazing truth about death that so few people really know. It’s such a great comfort for us to be assured of and will get rid of any fears we may still have about death.

Hebrews 2:9 says Jesus tasted death for every man. Taste is in the five senses and represents all the five senses. Since Jesus went through the physical experience of death for us, we won’t even know the moment when we die. We will never taste it, feel it, smell, see or hear it. Suddenly we will just be there with Him and go on with our spiritual life in heaven.

My friend has had three distinct near death experiences and in each, she never had any five senses feelings of death. It was always just a decision to live or die, and not based on any five senses horrible feeling of death. This is documented in the Word of God. For the believer, death is only a passing from this earthly realm to a heavenly realm. What a comfort and what a blessing to know that for us there is absolutely nothing to fear in death! Amazing and wonderful.

Love, Carolyn

DIG AND DUNG

God often compares people to trees. “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon” (Ps 92:12). “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Ps 1:3). Prosperous trees need some attention.

 I was reading in the Gospels last weekend and the Holy Spirit directed me to this passage:

He [Jesus] spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?

And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. (Luke 13:6-9)

If our lives are spiritually dull, not vibrant, and not producing the kind of fruit we desire, then it’s probably a good time for us to do some digging and some dunging.

I have a fig tree in my yard that I’ve had for 13 years. I’ve been pretty good about fertilizing it every year, but this year when I thought about doing it, I remembered how hard it was last year to dig up the ground around the tree to even be able to put some fertilizer in there. After a period of time, the ground gets so compacted that it’s a difficult job to put anything new into it.

That’s how our spiritual lives get sometimes—compacted and hard. We need to stir things up, breaking up some of our old ways of thinking and old ways of spending our time. We need to ask some questions as to why do we think the way we do? When a person digs around a tree, he or she aerates the ground and gets things moving. That’s what we need to do spiritually. Paul tells Timothy:

Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Tim 1:6-7)

We can never be afraid of digging. It may be exactly what’s required to get rid of old thinking patterns.

Then there’s the matter of dunging. I thought about what it means to dung a tree. Dung is manure, a type of fertilizer. It’s organic, alive, not watered down, not genetically engineered, but good, rich, hot manure. The dictionary defines “fertilize” as “to make fertile; make fruitful or productive; enrich.” Fertilizer is “any material put on or in the soil to improve the quality or quantity of plant growth.” 

 

When a person fertilizes a tree, he gives it an extra boost. Right now is the time to give our lives that extra boost of the Word of God, whether in study or application. We can read new sections of the Bible we’re not familiar with or do a word study on something other than the usual things we look at.

 

How about testing out a new principle like the laying on of hands for healing, or confronting a devil spirit with the name of Jesus Christ? Whatever we see Jesus or any other believer in the Bible do, we can ask the Lord to teach us and help us to do the same and He will be perfectly willing to help and guide us into it.

There are choices we make every day on how to spend our time. A good gardener digs and dungs at least once a year. The man in Jesus’ parable hadn’t done either in three years, so his tree quit producing fruit. Let’s be diligent to take better care of our spiritual trees, digging and dunging a little more often with the result of more fresh delicious fruit in our lives.

Love, Carolyn

QUESTIONS FOR PONDERING OR DISCUSSION

1.      Do some digging by asking the questions: “What do I really believe about Jesus? God? Holy Spirit? Angels? Devil spirits? Healing? Miracles? Wonders? End times? The Bible?” And, “Why do I believe this way?”

2.      What new sections of the Bible do you think you’d like to look at this week?

3.      When was the last time you took a word from the scriptures and did a word study on it? Did you look up where it was first used? What did you learn?

4.      Have you taken some time in the past six months to go to a bookstore, Christian or otherwise, to look at some new Christian inspirational books? What about new Christian websites? Have you ordered any new CDs or DVDs on subjects you may not know too much about?