ANIHILATING OCTOPUS TENTACLES

Something was terribly wrong. I was consistently sending my tithe to help fund an airplane for one of the preachers I watched. It seemed like a good thing, so I sent money with the hopes he’d get the plane and fly to Las Vegas so I could see him in person. What happened swamped me.

When the preacher came here, God told me I couldn’t go.  All that money toward the plane to get him here and then for God to tell me I wasn’t supposed to go. Wow did that get my head spinning.

I’d also heard a teaching about the correlation between giving directly to the head of a ministry and prospering mightily. So, wanting to be a richer Christian, I did that too. When I wasn’t seeing results, I asked what was going on. God told me, “I didn’t tell you to give to him.” Swamped again!

There are things we know intuitively that can’t be ignored, no matter who tries to teach us differently. I think tithing is in that category. Preachers in all different denominations are teaching lots on tithing, but I think they’ve gone way overboard and error has crept in like the tentacles of an octopus. Good people are confused about tithing and even more squeezed when they do tithe and aren’t seeing the wealth the preachers seem to promise.

I knew something about this tithing message was terribly wrong and I waited for God to confirm it. He led me to read a few pages from Fred Wolfe’s book, Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth. In my opinion it is the best writing on tithing and giving that I’ve ever read. Fred puts it in a way that is easy to understand. He documents what he says with the scriptures and takes away confusion. Reading what follows will set you free, make you feel good about yourself and inspire you to be a better person.

NOTE: I’ve taken the liberty (with Fred’s permission) to shorten it somewhat, but I encourage you to get the book and read the entire section for yourself. Scroll to the end to see the link to his book.

“The sharing of what you have is a biblical principle that not only blesses the recipient, but the giver as well. It has come to be known as ‘tithing.’ Abram was the first one in the Bible to give away a tenth ‘of the spoil’ from a victory in battle, as is recorded in Genesis 14. As time went on, the practice of tithing was incorporated into the Law of Moses and was designated to support the Levites. (See Num 18:24).

The tithes were always represented as something to eat or drink.... We know by now, that Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law and that we are no longer under the Law, but under Grace. The obligation, the expectation to give the tithe, was for Israel, not for the Church of the Body of Christ. Church leaders have no right or authority to expect or encourage anyone to give a tenth or any other percentages. When people who are regular ‘tithers,’ because they have been taught to do so as an obligation, do not or cannot tithe, they feel guilty and begin to condemn themselves, as if they were somehow sinning.

The Christian Church did not exist when tithing was instituted as a law for Israel. New guidelines would apply. The principle of giving and receiving has replaced the obligation of the tithe. But, what did not change was the reciprocating purpose for which giving was instituted.

For as touching the ministering to the saints... every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let him give] not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. (2 Cor 9:1-2, 9:6-8)

The first thing to note in these verses is that one of the purposes of giving is to minister to the saints, not to maintain or build buildings, much like the tithe was for the needs of the Levites. Second, the analogy of sowing seed like a farmer is used: whether a lot or a little is sown or planted, the sower will reap accordingly. It does not say, ‘if you don’t give at least this much, it won’t do you any good.’ These verses go on to say that sowing (giving) is a matter of the heart, but should absolutely not be undertaken out of sorrow or a feeling of obligation. Indeed, it says that God loves a ‘cheerful’ giver! We are to give hilariously! This is the only place in the Bible this word hilaros is used. If it hurts to give, you should not do it. There is no obligation to give anything to anyone, ever. But, it would be foolish not to. There is one thing that every one of us has the same amount of: time. You do not have to have money or possessions in order to give. What you do have to have, no matter what you give, is the right attitude.

See 2 Corinthians 8:1-15. These are some wonderful verses on the subject of giving. Firstly, the Macedonians were not only able, but willing to give of themselves. No influences from outside of themselves made them willing to give. In order to help anyone with anything, these two ingredients must be present. If one is not willing, the ability to give does not matter. Secondly, again we have the support of our fellow believers, who are called the saints. It says that giving to one another in the household of God is to prove the sincerity of your love. And finally, we can help supply the needs of other believers with our abundance, not from our lack thereof; not out of our own need. Someday, their abundance may supply our needs, as well....

There is no biblical evidence that money was ever a part of tithing in the Old Testament and it does not specifically say that money played any role in giving in the New. But, it does not need to because it is a principle. You can give time, talent, money, food, clothing, shelter, mercy, grace, peace—just about anything—and reap whatever you sow.... The important things to know are that you are free to give whatever you purpose in your heart to give and that you give with unburdened cheerfulness.

Some other key scriptures on this subject are Romans 12:13a: ‘Distributing to the necessity of saints;’ and Philippians 4:16, where the key word in the KJV is “communicated(d):’ See Phil 4:14-17 and 2 Cor 9:9-15. ‘He will make you rich in every way so that you can always give freely.’ What a promise! We have already seen that giving is proof of the sincerity of our love for God, and now we see that it is also proof of our faith in God, to supply our need in abundant excess, above all we can ask or think! What it comes down to is how much we believe in God’s ability to multiply the seed we sow. No one gets left out when we give of our abundance, especially not the giver. The purpose of giving is to supply the needs of the saved. Whether they are the ones teaching you the word or they are feeble. And of receiving, that fruit may abound to the account of the giver. When you give, you will receive a greater supply to give from. It has been said that you cannot out-give God. When we give with the right attitude, there is no limit to what God can supply.

It would be wonderful if the Church actually took into account the needs of the saints, especially the poorer ones, when it came to deciding where to spend the money it collects. The needs of the saints should come before those outside of the church. The poor who received those gifts in the Old and New Testaments were always the poor of Israel and those of the body of Christ. See Ex 22:25, 23:11, Deut 15:11, Rom 15:26....

There is no obligation to give anything to anyone. Some say the reason the Dead Sea is dead is because it has no outlet. There are many blessings available to us when we give of what we receive. Once we see and understand these, we will want to apply the principle of giving and receiving, cheerfully.”

1. Fred S. Wolfe II   Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth pgs.  68-75  http://www.amazon.com/Rightly-Dividing-Word-Truth-Understanding/dp/144974933X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372006160&sr=1-1&keywords=Fred+S+Wolfe

Beneath the Veil no.24 Everyone's Dirty Laundry

I took a pair of my work pants out of the basket and hung them on the line. I’d washed them and used lots of bleach. But when I pinned them up, sadness came over me and I started to get choked up.

There were dozens of paint spots and stains from all the recent projects. There were more than I even realized. I thought of how many stains are in our lives. No matter how we try to bleach them out, they remain a stain. And no matter how open we think we are about our lives, if we take an honest look, we’ve all got something to hide, something we don’t want shared.

God already knows every one of those things. The Lord was right there with me when I stole that makeup. He was there when I ganged up on that girl and threw her bike in the creek. He was there when I broke a friendship by saying something hurtful. God said to Jacob “but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins. Thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities” (Is 43:24). Instinctively we know that God is omnipresent, but still we do stupid and wrong things in His presence. Why?

Because we don’t really BELIEVE He’s there. In our bedrooms, in the bathroom, at the bar, the casino...you name the place or situation, He’s there. The Lord is with each of us everywhere, whether we like it or not! There’s no hiding from God. “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there” (Ps 139:7-8).

God sees all our stained laundry, but He loves us so much for believing in His son Jesus, that He’s willing to overlook all our sins and miraculously wipes them out, for His own sake! He doesn’t WANT to look at our stains. He only wants to see that we believed in His son Jesus and for that alone, He “blots out and cancels your transgressions, for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”

I went out and got my painter’s pants off the line, smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. Yes they’re stained, but as clean as they can be for now. Though God was there when every splash of paint hit them, He doesn’t care. He only sees who wears them—me, the one He loves.

Love, Carolyn

Check out the book I published last year

My book has similar true stories to the ones you read here on the blog. It's available in English in paperback at Amazon.com under my name, Carolyn Molica, for under $12. The Kindle full book is only $9 and sections of several articles for less. Check it out. If you read or have already read one of these, I need some reviews if you have the time. Thanks and thanks for all your prayers too! Love, Carolyn
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Carolyn+Molica

THIEF AT THE BUS STOP

We waited for the last bus out of downtown Johannesburg, South Africa. We had just moved there from the States and I had my passport with me in a large purse hanging at my side. It was nearly dusk and we were anxious to get back to the house because downtown was emptying out. The bus was taking entirely too long. “Did we miss it?” “I don’t think so, but maybe the buses don’t run regularly, so I don’t really know.” We waited longer. We were the ONLY ones waiting, which made it more difficult because we had no one to ask. What we did next was not a very good thing.

Our impatience prompted us to move. We went down the street to another bus stop closer in the direction of home. We waited there impatiently until we could take it no more and we moved down the street again. We did this three times, getting further and further away from the more populated area. The sun was just starting to go down and we were getting a little worried now—new country, unfamiliar ways, alone on an empty street and no bus in sight. Then Jane saw him coming!

He bolted toward us from about 75 feet away. Jane had seen him but all I saw was a blur.  She jumped in front of me, grabbed me with both arms around the middle, as I clutched my purse to my chest. The guy hesitated, then ran to about 30 feet away, stopped and continued to just walk down the street as if nothing unusual had happened at all. We were shaken up. When we settled down a bit, we started to breathe a little easier and prayed that the bus would show up soon.

In just a few minutes it was there—the very last bus leaving the city—6p.m. For our next three years living in Jo’burg, we never pulled a stunt like that again!

God didn’t tell us to move down to the next bus stop. We should have just stayed where we were, but we let our impatience drive us into trouble.

How often have you left the Lord at home while you go to work? Haven’t consulted Him on a new endeavor you feel strongly about? Didn’t even consider that He would be interested in who you go out with over the weekend? Sometimes our actions say, “I’ll go ahead and handle this one.” Even if we don’t mean to, we leave the Lord behind and find out later it was a BIG mistake.

Proverbs 20:22 tells us: “Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.” The way He saves us is to give us wisdom. Don’t be hasty and impatient like we were. Wait on the Lord.

Love, Carolyn

Beneath the Veil no.23 Frozen at Gunpoint

1978 hitchhiking from Kansas down to the onion farm in Texas. I was responsible for our team. The two of us climbed up into the 18-wheeler. I got in the front. My blind friend folded up his stick and felt his way up into the back seat. What happened in the next half hour was something I’ll never forget.

Down the road a ways the driver pulled over, pulled out a hand gun and pointed it at me, “You’re going to do whatever I want.” I froze...... for what seemed like forever!

Then a palpable peace poured down over me and through me. I turned in my seat and faced the driver directly, “You put that down right now in the name of Jesus Christ!” He did. “Now we’re getting out!” and we did.

Even as I write this today, I’m a little amazed that it was real, but I shouldn’t be really. Jesus was in the midst of a crowd who wanted to kill him and He walked right through. He had peace. (John 8:59)

On the Lord’s instruction, Paul and Silas walked right out of prison. They had peace. (Acts 16:24-34)

Jesus said, “My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John14:27)

Psalm 23: 4 says: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.”

We can’t always avoid trouble, but we can walk through it with the peace of Jesus in us.

Love, Carolyn

THE MAP AND ME

Have a wonderful Father’s Day all you dads—you do an awesome job! And a big THANK YOU to all of you who read my articles on my FB Christian writing page or on my blog! I put a map up by my computer and put push pins in every state and country where you’re reading what the Lord’s inspired me to write (71 countries, 23 languages). I can hardly express how grateful I am to God and how thankful I am to have you as my friends and family.

PS: The book I'm holding is the one I published on Amazon last year. This one is in paperback and has sixty some stories similar to the ones you read here on my blog. It's called WINGS: A Journey in Faith from the Earthly to the Heavenly. You can get it for $12.85 in paperback or download it onto an electrical device for $9.99. I've also broken it down into smaller sections of about 9-14 chapters for $.99 and every two weeks or so I make the smaller sections available for free.

See my next blog on Tuesday night or Wednesday.
Love, Carolyn

Beneath the Veil no.22 Wood Ticks and the Angel

I woke up and felt something on my back. I thought it was just bumps from the rocks I’d slept on, but no.

It was ticks! Three of them that I could feel and they’d imbedded themselves into my skin and were getting fat from my blood. I could get my hand around to my back to where they were and tried to twist them out. I probably didn’t get the heads, but I’d deal with that later. I was lost in the hills, had slept on the rocky shore of a lake all night, and I needed to get home. But I wasn’t afraid because something wonderful had happened the day before.

I was walking up in the hills behind my apartment. I took my Bible and thought I’d hike a little and then sit down to read. I hiked a lot more than a little, sat down to read and when I got up, I realized I didn’t know which direction was home. It was getting late and I started to get very scared and hungry. I prayed and walked on. In about an hour I found some berries and that satisfied my hunger somewhat. I sat down again and started to cry, “God, You’ve got to get me out of here. It’s going to be dark soon and I’m afraid.” I cried some more and then through teary eyes I looked up into the sky and saw an amazing sight.

A real angel! It was in white and was blowing a trumpet. I didn’t know if it was male or female and I didn’t see any wings either, but what I felt was peace. In my spirit I heard, “It’s going to be okay, don’t worry.” At that moment I knew which way to go and I wasn’t afraid anymore. It was dusk when I looked down the hill and about 100 feet away I could see a lake. I was so thirsty by then, it was a really welcome sight. But what now?

It was getting too dark to go any further and I didn’t want to go back up into the trees so I decided to sleep where I was. The ground was rocky and kind of slanted, but I found what I thought was the best spot, curled up and slept.

When I woke in the morning, after pulling out tick bodies, I started around the lake. I walked a ways and realized the shoreline went in and out a lot. I knew the lakes up in that area, so I knew if I walked around the lake I would come to something I recognized and I could get home. Then I spotted some fishermen across the way. I yelled over to them and they saw me. But how was I going to get to them?

I would have to swim across. I wrapped up my Bible in the jacket I was wearing and began to swim across the lake. It was a very long swim, but I was a good swimmer so I knew I’d make it. I was a wet rat when I got out of the water and exhausted. The fisherman and his two sons kindly gave me a ride back to my home.

In Genesis 24 God sent an angel ahead of Abraham’s servant to protect him and prosper him when he went to find a wife for Isaac. The servant took ten camels laden with precious gifts including jewels of silver and gold, clothing and other costly things. Even with robbers along the way, the angel cleared the path and the servant got there with all the camels and gifts protected.

Miraculously my Bible didn’t get wet with the swim across the lake; I had food and water, a ride home, and best of all, I had my very first vision of a real angel, who went before me and protected me on my way.

This experience happened many years ago but it’s just as real to me today.

Love, Carolyn

DEVILS, MONSTERS, AND HOLY SPIRIT

He told me he didn’t really like horror films and then asked me if I did. What happened next surprised me.

I barely got the first words out when I felt a powerful stirring from within. It was from my belly and not my brain. I felt strong and energized as these words came out of my Spirit: “Yes. I like to watch sci-fi, monster flicks, superheroes and movies about the devil—I need to know what he’s up to so when he attacks my friends I’m ready and I know how to back him off!” I had no idea I was going to say that, but when I did....

I said it with conviction and I knew it was from the heart of God within me. Sometimes truths get confirmed straight out of our bellies because that’s where the Holy Spirit dwells. The words bypass the rationalizations and limitations of our minds. I love it when that happens. In what I heard myself say, I realized another aspect of my work as a Christian minister.

I recognized my part as a scout in the body of Christ. I go into tangled territory, see what the devil’s up to—where the slippery places are, where the monsters are—and find the clearest paths through.  

In this situation, the Holy Spirit in me had connected to the words of my friend and when I opened my mouth a spiritual truth came out. This happened to Elizabeth when Mary came to stay with her. Mary said a few words of greeting and “when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she spake out with a loud voice” (Luke 1:41-42). What came out of her mouth was a prophecy regarding Mary and the birth of Jesus.

It’s thrilling when we speak out of the Holy Spirit. God has a great sense of humor and often what we hear ourselves say is even a surprise to us! This kind of energizing is something we can keep in mind when we read about men and women of God this week. Also I’m praying that even if you haven’t, you’ll soon have the exciting opportunity to experience this energizing for yourselves.

Love, Carolyn

Beneath the Veil no.21 The Garage Incident

I got in the car and started backing out. The passenger-side mirror got caught on the side of the garage door so I moved up a little and tried again. And it got caught again. Then I pulled up a little and in to the left as far as I could go without hitting a stack of boxes. I tried backing out again, to no avail. Then I got angry, cranked the steering wheel to the left with a jerk and hit the stack of boxes.

Eventually I did manage to get the car backed out, but I was mad: “Who moved the boxes so close and who the heck parked this car anyway?!

I got about two blocks away and I was still all fired up, mad as heck. Then I caught myself: “Wait a minute, that’s not me!” Those thoughts aren’t from the Christ in me. Luke 17:6 came to mind: “Say unto this sycamine tree, be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” I said out loud, “Anger I rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ. Get out. I’m not having you. I call you plucked up by the roots. And anger you don’t have any good fruit so I call you dried up from the roots.” I thought of Jesus talking to the unfruitful fig tree. And “in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots” (Mk 11:21).

The insane anger I had over the silly garage incident immediately left and I had a great day.

Love, Carolyn

CRUELLA’S COMING

We held our breath. My sister and I thought that this year we were going to be free of Cruella. (I’ve changed the name to protect the not-so-innocent).It was December 18 and so far she hadn’t called to invite herself to Christmas dinner. I drove up from Las Vegas and pulled into the parking lot of a local store. I happened to see my sister so I got out and went over to talk. She looked down at the ground and told me the bad news, “I just heard Cruella’s coming for Christmas.”

“Oh no, this is not good!” I started to picture Christmas day. I was living out the whole dreary scenario in my head. Suddenly I realized that I was basing my plans totally on what someone SAID. It was an event that, so far, was only predicted with words. Since it hadn’t happened yet, there was a possibility it never would. And my words against it happening could be just as powerful as the words I’d just heard. What a realization!

I learned right then if someone says something predicting a negative future, unless it’s told to us in the Bible, or the Lord confirms it, there is a definite possibility that a negative outcome can be stopped, reversed, or changed. We don’t have to succumb to something just because it’s set in motion by certain words. We have the inherent power to change things, as the Lord directs.

He will tell us what words to speak or actions to take. This is the revelation He gave me about Cruella coming to Christmas: “This hasn’t even happened yet and it doesn’t really have to happen at all. Just pray against it as I tell you.” So I prayed what the Holy Spirit gave me:

“I come against the words that predicted Cruella’s coming and I send out angels to stop her at every turn, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Two days later my sister told me, “Cruella’s not coming.” And she never arrived.

I’ve been able to use this powerful key in many circumstances. I hope you will start to use it too. You’ll recognize negative predictions and go to the Lord so He can teach you how to overcome events way before they have a chance to materialize!

Love, Carolyn