I was grinding on some
fiberglass sculptures. It was really hard work; there was lots to do and we
were in a rush to get the project done. I was taking it way too personally,
like I had to get it all done by myself and I was stressing out. There were
only two of us working on it and my partner was feeling sick, so he wasn’t able
to work as quickly as usual.
My arms were getting so
sore from grinding and I noticed that my shoulders were super tense. I had them
raised up by my ears in a tight and pinching way. Mentally and emotionally I
was worrying and stressing out, questioning whether I could keep this up. Was
this going to end in total failure?
Then I remembered the
scripture we repeat every morning in prayer, “And it shall come to pass in that
day, that his burden shall be taken away from off they shoulder, and his yoke
from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing”
(Is 10:27). Instantly I let my shoulders ease down and the thoughts rolled in: “This
is not my responsibility. I am a worker, not the one in charge. The burden is
off my shoulders.”
For the rest of the day I
continued grinding and the whole time my physical shoulders were at ease,
relaxed. At the end of the day, the painting boss came over and told me he was
sending all his guys over to help with the grinding so we could get the project
done on time. It was amazing. I quietly thanked Jesus for what happened.
From that time on I
noticed that I stopped the mentally stressing and my shoulders stayed at rest.
The few times I started to hunch them up, I quoted the scripture again and they
instantly released.
To literally have my
shoulders relax back down from being hunched up around my ears, was a sign—a confirmation
that I was truly released from all the stress.
In the next week and a
half of work there were more opportunities to get stressed out but my shoulders
weren’t hunching. I had a physical confirmation that I was free mentally and
emotionally and it was GREAT!
As Christians we should be
expecting righteous signs and confirmations. The Bible tells us that when Jesus
gave instructions to His 11 apostles to preach the gospel, “they went forth and
preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word with
signs following: (Mark 16: 20).
We often just hope we’re
doing the right thing and never really ask for the Lord to confirm it. Here it
says that He confirms. We have a relationship with our Lord Jesus where we can
ask Him to kindly confirm. And here it is in scripture saying that He is
totally able and WILLING to do it! “He confirms with signs following.” Isn’t
that so great?!
As I was thinking about
Christmas coming in a few days, the Lord showed me that even Mary needed to get
some confirmation about what the angel told her about having the Christ child. She
went to visit her cousin and sure enough Elisabeth confirmed the angel’s words
with a prophecy over Mary, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the
fruit of thy womb…that the mother of my Lord should come to me” (Luke 1:42-43).
Mary believed in her
spirit but it was only after Elisabeth’s confirmation that Mary got her soul in
line and in her entirety really truly believed. “And Mary said, ‘My soul doth
magnify the Lord” (vs. 46). Her mind, emotions and decisions were now settled
and in solid agreement. (Read Luke 1:26 – 56).
The Lord Jesus confirmed
that the work burden is off my shoulders. He gave me the physical sign of
releasing those tight shoulder muscles. Mary, the mother of Jesus, got a
confirmation in the form of a prophecy from a relative.
Jesus Christ is our
personal Lord and a master at life. He knows that being human we often have difficulty
in believing the awesome things God has for us and that we can greatly benefit
from confirmation.
It’s my prayer that in
this upcoming year our relationship with Jesus Christ becomes more intimate. I
pray that as we do our best to live and preach the gospel, we will be asking
Jesus for true confirmation as we go. I pray that we will receive more of the
deliverances and healings in spirit, soul and body that we need and desire. And
I pray that we will enjoy our discipleship and our freedom in Christ more than
ever before.
Love, Carolyn
Have a Merry Christmas
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