APRIL FOOLS

W11  3.31.21

It’s APRIL FOOLS DAY tomorrow, and I thought I’d share a chapter from the HOLIDAY SECTION in my first book:

BEING AN APRIL FOOL

We all act like fools sometimes and embarrassingly childish. We make mistakes and do dumb things and wonder why we don’t seem to have it all together more often. But what makes me smile is that it’s very kid-like, and just because we may be older, it doesn’t always mean we are so mature and have to always be so serious and so driven and so together all the time. The truth is, we’re not. We actually are “April Fools” sometimes and do foolish things. But more foolish than doing stupid things is dwelling on them.

 

This past week when some of my family was visiting, we were in a whirlwind of activities—entertainment galore. I wanted everyone to really have a totally great time and do everything they wanted to do to have fun in Vegas. I got so wrapped up in trying to make sure that everyone else was having a great time that I forgot to get my daily fill of the Word of God. The Word of God is so much a part of who I really am that without getting my daily fill, I was getting parched. The water I drank yesterday can only keep me going so long, and then I need more. Well, I didn’t get into the Word of God for several days, and I literally ended up losing my voice, getting laryngitis!

 

I began to get down on myself for being so foolishly undisciplined. I shared that with my mom, and she told me to not be so hard on myself. When I started to write this, I heard in my spirit, “How long are you going to pout over this? How long are you going to feel bad and beat yourself up over this? Get over it! You’ve got a human part, and you’re going to make some mistakes!” I told the Lord I was sorry. He forgave me; I forgave myself too, and then I was okay again.

 

We have to forgive ourselves and laugh at ourselves once in a while. Dwelling on error just makes us more foolish. We need to give ourselves a break. God does. As it’s recorded by John: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).

 

God says: “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” (Ps. 103:12). Think about that for a minute. If we start off going east and just keep going east, we will continue going around and around the globe and never get west. That’s how far away, in God’s eyes, He’s put our sins from us.

 

Hebrews 8:12 records: “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” So if God doesn’t remember, what business do we have dwelling on past foolishness, sin, and error? Paul wrote: “All things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17b). Matthew reminds us to live each day, one day at a time. (See Matthew  6:34) In other words, we don’t drag all our guilty garbage around from day to day. We say what we did wrong, then tell God we’re sorry for doing it. We accept His forgiveness and move on.

 

Continuing to feel guilty is foolish when we know we’ve been forgiven. Beating ourselves up over a mistake, error, or wrong judgment and dwelling on it is foolish once we know that God not only forgives but also forgets. That’s an amazingly great thing!

 

Every day is not April Fools’ Day, but a new day, thank God! We realize we’re going to act foolish sometimes. We try not to, but besides having a spiritual side, we’re also human. There’s never going to be a day in this life on earth when we’ve finally made perfection in absolutely everything. So we need to smile, pick ourselves up and keep living for God the best we can, one day at a time.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

QUESTIONS FOR PONDERING OR DISCUSSION (April Fools)

 

Are there still mistakes, errors, and wrong judgments from your past that you tend to dwell on? What can you do to free yourself from guilt over these?

 

Can you think of examples of forgiving yourself?

 

When was a time that you felt “parched” spiritually? How did you rectify it?

 

FOR FURTHER STUDY

 

2 Samuel 24:10

Job 5:3

Psalm 42:1

Psalm 63:1-3

Psalm 69:5-6

Psalm 85:2

Isaiah 43:18-19

Jeremiah 31:34

Matthew 6:34

Matthew 22:39

Luke 6:37

Romans 8:1

Ephesians 4:32

Philippians 3:13

 

This chapter is from WINGS: A JOURNEY IN FAITH VOLUME 1

 

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WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT THE BIBLE

 WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT THE BIBLE

I had the opportunity to talk to a friend about the layout of the Bible, and it was thrilling. I explained how in the Hebrew language every letter has a number, and all the chapters were numerically worked out so that when the early Jewish scribes copied, there was a way to make sure everything was accurate. Also, I explained that when we read different translations, we can still go back to the original language to see how certain words were translated at the time they were copied; words don’t always translate accurately from one language to another, and we can easily find out the original meanings.

 

Second Peter 1:21 tells us how God’s messages in the books of the Bible got there in the first place: “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” The Bible is not the writers’ opinions but a direct download from the Creator Himself.

 

In my last preach letter, I showed you that Jesus Christ is the message of the stars and Constellations. He is also the chief message of the entire Bible. Every book represents one or more aspects of His personality, His interests, His actions, knowledge, and His wisdom.

 

He is the ultimate gift from God to us and the subject of the entire Bible, from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation.

 

We need to read the Bible ourselves or listen to someone else reading it in its entirety. And not just the New Testament. God says it’s important to know what happened before His son Jesus came to earth. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime [before Jesus was born] were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Rom. 15:4).

 

If you’ve read the whole Bible before, that’s great, but this time we need to read it, whether a small portion or a big one, read it specifically in light of what we can learn about the son of God, the man Jesus Christ! Right now, that is the most important thing!

 

The well-known heroes of the Bible—from Abraham to Moses to Joseph to Ruth, Esther, Peter, John, Paul, and David, and other big names—to the lesser-known heroes, including Micah, Nehemiah, Deborah, Elisabeth—to the unnamed heroes, sometimes called “a certain woman,” or a “certain man,” or a child. All these heroes teach about the ultimate savior of our lives, Jesus Christ.

 

Not only do the people of the Bible tell us about Jesus, but we learn things about Him as we hear the stories about other aspects of God’s creation such as the ants, the bright and morning star, the living water, the lion of Judah, the shield, the wings, the rain, the balm of Gilead, and so much more. We can look for these things when we read the Bible stories. They are hiding in plain sight if we only use our spiritual eyes and ears to experience what our Creator is telling and showing us about life and about His son Jesus Christ.

 

In the photo above, you can see my scribbled writing next to the names of the books of the Bible. I heard a preacher listing an aspect of Jesus Christ in each book of the Bible, and I wrote it down.

 

Who is Jesus?

 

In Genesis, He is the seed of a woman.

In Exodus, He is the Passover lamb.

In Leviticus, He is the High Priest.

In Numbers, He is the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day.

In Deuteronomy, He is the prophet like unto Moses.

In Joshua, He is the captain of salvation and the captain of the Lord of Hosts.

In Judges, He is our judge and our lawgiver.

In Ruth, He is the Kinsman Redeemer.

In 1 and 2 Samuel, He is the trusted prophet and the anointed one.

In 1 and 2 Kings, He is the reigning King and the King of kings, and the Lord of hosts.

In 1 and 2 Chronicles, He is the glory and the temple of God.

In Ezra, He is the faithful scribe, and the teacher come from God.

In Nehemiah, He is the rebuilder of the broken-down walls of human life.

In Esther, He is the protector of His people.

In Job, He is the day-spring from on high, the forever living redeemer, the only comfort in times of trouble.

In Psalms, He is the Lord our shepherd.

In Proverbs, He is our wisdom.

In Ecclesiastes, He is the preacher of the kingdom of God.

In the Song of Solomon, He is the lover.

In Isaiah, He is the Prince of Peace.

 

And the list goes on:

In Daniel, He is the fourth man in the furnace.

In Micah, He is the great intercessor.

In Nahum, He is the avenger of God’s elect.

In Haggai, He is the owner of all the silver and gold in the world.

In Malachi, He is the son of righteousness with healing in his wings.

 

In the New Testament, He is the wonder worker, the son of man, the son of God, the multiplier, the mediator, the faithful, the friend closer than a brother, the blood of the everlasting covenant, the word of life, the beginning and the end, the living word of God.

 

The whole Bible is about God’s greatest gift to humanity, His son Jesus Christ. Let’s get to know Him better—Read the Bible, or listen online.

 

Love, Carolyn

THE STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS SPEAK THE MESSAGES OF THE BIBLE

 

THE STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS SPEAK THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE

The human soul yearns to know the truth.

 

I could hear the hippos snorting in the river below as I looked to the great expanse of dark sky at the horizon and could see the large constellations Scorpio and the Southern Cross—brilliant, stunning like I’d never seen before! Pilanesberg, South Africa.

 

I’ve always been drawn to the sky ever since our family camping trips where we’d huddle around the last embers of the campfire and look up to see the stars. Sometimes we’d sleep out on the ground in our sleeping bags just to watch the sky until we fell asleep.

 

When I became a Christian I used to wonder how people before there was writing or people living in isolated cultures would be able to hear about Jesus if there wasn’t anyone around to teach them. Then one day someone taught me that the whole history of the universe is written in the stars. All anyone needed to do was look up!

 

The phenomenal thing is that the same message of the stars was across all ancient cultures. As far away as China is from Egypt, both cultures interpreted the constellations in the same way. The names for the constellations, the numbering of the stars within them and the names of the individual stars had the same meaning across all the ancient cultures. The Chinese, Chaldean, and Egyptian recordings go back more than 2000 years B.C.

 

Over time, the stories got corrupted, but the original meanings remained. God’s plans, purposes, and promises were written in the sky before they were ever spoken or written down. And remember that before all the big cities and indoor living, people were either nomadic, or if they lived in cities, much activity took place outside or on the roofs, so watching the heavens was a normal part of their lives.

 

Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylonia taught people how to read and interpret the stars the way God put them there. Psalm 147:4 says: “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.” There are references to the constellations and their messages throughout the Bible. They tell the story of Jesus, from before his birth to His life on earth, to His coming back in glory. That’s how the Magi knew to go to Bethlehem to find Jesus. They were taught how to read the heavens from their ancestors. The stars also tell about the devil and his ways, and his end.

 

The Constellation Draco (the Dragon) circles around the Polar Star which is at the tip of the tail of the little dipper, Ursa Minor. One of the stars in the dragon’s head is named “Ethanin”, which means “the long serpent, or dragon.” Another star in the head is called “Al Waid” in Arabic, which means “who is to be destroyed.” The Hebrew names of the other stars in the dragon’s head mean “the subtle, the punished enemy, the reptile, the fraudulent.” Isaiah 21:1 says: “The Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.”

 

I learned the most about the true meaning of the constellations from a wonderful book by E.W. Bullinger called WITNESS OF THE STARS.

 

There are twelve zodiac signs. Between each zodiac sign, there may be several smaller constellations. Each constellation tells a part of the story of God's plan. For example, Virgo (the virgin) is a woman holding a branch. The brightest star in Virgo is Al Zimach, meaning “the branch.” The branch in the Bible is Jesus the

Messiah. Zechariah prophesied: “Behold I will bring forth my servant the branch” (Zech. 3:8). And, “Behold the man whose name is the branch” (Zech. 6:12).

 

Another star in Virgo is Zavijaveh, (I pronounce it java java). It means “the gloriously beautiful.” It’s in Isaiah 4:2: “The Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious.” In Virgo’s arm is a star whose name means “he shall come down and shall have dominion.” When the ancient people looked up at the constellation Virgo, they understood that there was going to be a promised branch of God who would be born of a virgin and come down on earth to have dominion.

 

The Egyptians recorded the zodiac in a circle on the ceiling of the Temple Esneh. You wouldn’t necessarily know where to begin and where to end except that the figure of a sphinx connects the two signs of Virgo and Leo. The word “sphinx” means to bind closely together. The sphinx has the head of a woman and the body of a lion. The story of Jesus’ birth on earth begins with a virgin and ends with the King of Kings, the Lion of God. 

 

The constellations are rich with meaning. And no man can change their placement or their true meanings.

 

Psalm 19:1-6 says: “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.”

 

In all the turmoil of the world today, it’s great to have the assurance of heaven. When all else is dark, the glorious stars show brightest and their message is everlasting: Jesus Christ is the Messiah and the message of the ages.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

 

GOD - INSTIGATOR AND PROMOTER

GOD - THE INITIATOR AND PROMOTER 

If you’ve tapped into certain talents you were born with, and you’ve made great strides in life, that’s wonderful. But never make the mistake of thinking your talents or special abilities originate with you. If you’re good at something, give God the glory. Give Him credit for putting certain wonderful, inventive, creative, and insightful abilities in you, and give Him the thanks.

 

The older I get, the humbler I get. A while back someone told me, “You’re a much better gardener than I am.” It wasn’t as much of a statement of fact, as a concession speech, as if we were competing. I was flabbergasted! I had no idea this person was competing with me—over gardening? Crazy.

 

Gardening is a pleasure for me, a pastime, a hobby. The fact that things grow for me is not because of my great skill, but because of God. He loves me, and I love Him, and so my garden grows. God gives me the insight and the direction, and I just follow and have fun. It works the same with my painting.

 

I didn’t even start painting as a career until I was 40-years old. I don’t have a degree. The Lord Jesus gives me the ability to see and copy. He’s the one who put me on jobs with prestigious clients—projects other painters would be jealous of. But for me, it’s not about the client; it’s about the challenge and fun of succeeding in the painting itself. It’s the Lord who puts the “how to” in me. From my viewpoint, I’m never in competition with anyone, because I know the Lord is my promoter, and I look to Him. I don’t have to compete.

 

If it seems that people are trying to compete with you, don’t let it bother you. Be happy with who you are. You are only in a position that others may covet because God put you there. He can do it for them too.

 

Psalm 75:5-7 tells us promotion is from the Lord: “Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.”

 

David was a great warrior because God made him that way. And Saul started off with the God-given ability to be a great King, but Saul got covetous of what David had, and it drove him to mental illness.

1 Samuel 18:6-12 tells us:

 

“When the victorious Israelite army was returning home after David had killed the Philistine, women from all the towns of Israel came out to meet King Saul. They sang and danced for joy with tambourines and cymbals.

 

“This was their song: ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands!’

 

“This made Saul very angry. ‘What’s this?’ he said. ‘They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!’

 

“So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. The very next day a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave in his house like a madman.

 

“David was playing the harp, as he did each day. But Saul had a spear in his hand, and he suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David escaped him twice.

 

“Saul was then afraid of David, for the Lord was with David and had turned away from Saul.”

 

 

Saul was stubborn. Instead of being happy with the abilities God gave him, he wanted what David had. But he couldn’t have it, and because of his stubborn ambition, he also lost his kingship. 1 Samuel 15:23 says: “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity [sin in your ancestors, passed down to you] and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”

 

Meanwhile, God showed David how to avoid Saul, and David kept his heart in the Lord.

 

So don’t worry if you feel others may be a little jealous of you. Just keep looking to Jesus and be happy with yourself. Let’s be humble and thankful because all the good things we are, came from Him. Other people don’t need to be covetous. They can be just as happy as we are if they just do what we do—humble yourself to Him.

 

1 Peter 5:6 is the best step to promotion: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” It’s God’s Word. It always works.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

LIFE LESSONS * * * !!!    WINGS: A JOURNEY IN FAITH      Digital or in PAPERBACK;;;;;;;;

 

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THE BIRDS, THE BEAUTY, THE RESILIENCE OF BELIEVERS

 

THE BIRDS, THE BEAUTY, THE RESILIENCE OF BELIEVERS

 

Be as a bird perched on a frail branch

that she feels bending beneath her.

still she sings away

all the same,

knowing that she has wings.

--Victor Hugo

 

Two birds were singing the most beautiful duet; I was about to record it, and the world went quiet. I looked up, and floating overhead was a predator—some kind of raptor. All movement and sound stopped while the raptor circled, at first not that far away, but soon after, the circle expanded, and the bird floated higher into the sky until I couldn’t see it anymore. About twenty minutes went by, and the sparrows began a new song, a hummingbird reappeared, and a tiny silent vireo landed on an aloe flower for a sip. Not the same as before the predator, but beautiful none the less. The early Spring sun is starting its descent, and the mulberry tree is smoking, a bit late this year.

 

Some of us don’t exist well for long periods without some beauty to intrude and interlace with the sorrow we experience in everyday life. Our God, our creator, know this and continues to provide what we need most.

 

Today I looked at and read about Raphael’s preparatory paintings for ten larger paintings called “The Acts of the Apostles.” It was beauty and wonder for my soul. Tomorrow I go for a two-hour trail ride, my own private heaven on earth.

 

Today I changed where my table is on my patio. It changed my viewpoint so that I could see all the amazing flowers, plants, birds, and natural wonders God’s given me.

 

We are never defeated! The resilience of God’s people is a response to His love and concern. I spent time today reading the story in Acts 13, one of Rafael’s paintings for his Acts of the Apostles series. In this Biblical record, a few of the Lord’s Apostles went to the island of Cyprus. The ruler of Cyprus wanted to know more about Jesus Christ, but there was a false prophet there who wanted to turn the leader away from the real truth, but it didn’t work.

 

“And when they [the Apostles] had gone through the isle [Cyprus] unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus: which was with the deputy [ruler] of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.”

 

“Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, and said, ‘O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season.’ And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.

 

“Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. (Acts 13:6-12).

 

So, everything went well, and off the Apostles went and stopped in Antioch, which is in present-day Turkey. They taught the Jews first about the true God of the Bible and about Jesus Christ, and many Jews believed and:

 

“The next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.

“Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, ‘It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.’” (Acts 13:44-46).

 

“And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region” (vv. 47-49).

 

So, Paul and Barnabas blasted the Jews and spoke to the Gentiles, who responded to the truth. But then the Jews got so angry, they stirred up the celebrity women and the well-known leaders of the city and ran Paul and Barnabas out!

 

What was their reaction—not disappointment, anger, or revenge—but joy?

 

“They shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost” (vv. 51-52).

 

That’s what it means to be a spiritually mature person. We see things differently. We never fail. If we’ve helped one person to believe the truth, we rejoice! We are like the bird; we may be sitting on the bending branch, but we keep singing. We know we can and will fly, thanks to our God, our creator, and thanks to His son Jesus Christ, who leads and guides us through our every day.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

THE ADVENTURE OF PLANTING SEEDS

THE ADVENTURE OF PLANTING SEEDS

This is one example of the insight you’ll get in the free book that I’m giving out this week – WORKS OF FAITH.  

 

Genesis 8:22 “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest…shall not cease.” Genesis 1:11 “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.” Every seed produces after its kind.

 

Genesis 1:21 “And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:24 “And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.”

 

If a person wants a harvest of barley, he’s not going to plant apple seeds; he’s going to plant barley seeds. And when God talks about seedtime and harvest, He’s not just talking about agriculture. For example, in Proverbs 18:24, Solomon explains: “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly.” In other words, if a man wants to have friends, he should sew friendly seeds—be friendly himself.

 

This seed principle works in every category. I gave away some really nice pieces of clothing to the Salvation Army. I’ve checked out the Salvation Army, and I felt this was good ground for my clothing seed. My sister didn’t know a thing about me giving those clothes away, but when my birthday came, she had arranged for me to get a new pair of pants from my favorite dressmaker.

 

I’ve seen this principle work with so many things, including money, cars, and jobs, just to name a few. In the world, there is the system of buying and selling, but God set up the system of giving and receiving—seedtime and harvest. Whatever we might need or want, God has set it up so that if we plant that type of seed, we will get that type of harvest.

 

Of course we need to check out the ground we’re planting into, and also plant the best seeds we can. If we always plant the scraps (the stuff we don’t care about), that’s what we’ll get in our harvest.

 

One small seed can produce a huge harvest, good or bad, so we need to think about what seeds we’re planting. Take, for instance, this example: A good friend of mine had her car stolen. At that moment, she could have planted seeds of anger. But I told her a story of a preacher who had a camera stolen. Instead of getting angry, he changed his attitude about the stolen camera and declared: “I’m planting that camera as seed for an even better camera.” And he got it.

 

My friend followed suit. She planted the car as seed and, within weeks, was given a much better car. Had she chosen to plant seeds of anger over this incident, she would have received a much different harvest. In some categories, we may not be able to think of an appropriate corresponding seed to plant. For instance, if I had a broken arm and needed healing and wanted it faster than normal, I obviously can’t just go and give an arm away. But God said that His Word can be used as seed.

 

Genesis 49:23 says: “The arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God.” I can sow that verse as a seed. Jesus said about the sower: “The sower soweth the word” (Mark 4:14). I find the verses that fit for me. I write those down, meditate on them, and say them repeatedly, planting them as seeds into my own heart. Then I start looking for my harvest.

 

Let’s take some time to think about what kind of wonderful harvests we’d like to experience and begin planting our seeds. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal 6:7).

 

Love, Carolyn

 

QUESTIONS FOR PONDERING OR DISCUSSION

1. What kind of a harvest would you like to see in your relationships? Finances? Ministry? Health and fitness? Goods and services to you?

2. What seeds can you plant for each of the harvests you listed in question 1?

3. To you, what would be the difference between a significant seed you would plant and one that is less than your best? What kind of soil have you planted in?

4. Have you ever taken the opportunity to plant something that was stolen from you? What was it, and what happened when you planted it?

 

FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS SUBJECT:

Job 4:8 1

Corinthians 15:36-38

Psalm 107:36-38

2 Corinthians 9:6

Psalm 126:5 2

Corinthians 9:10

Proverbs 22:8

Ecclesiastes 11:1 KJV, MSG, NLT

Ecclesiastes 11:6

Jeremiah 4:3

Mark 4:20

Luke 6:38

 

GOD WILL SHOW US OUR PATHWAYS

GOD WILL SHOW EACH OF US OUR PATHWAYS

“So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another” (Rom. 12:5). Every person in the body of Christ is important, and we each have a path in life that our Lord Jesus leads us on if we are willing.

 

Personally, I have found that the Lord doesn’t want me to follow just one leader, one group. There’s nothing wrong with being a member of one church or one group; it’s just not what the Lord has for everyone. God has been leading me for several years now to listen to different preachers, different apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, and other regular members of the body of Christ who are not in leadership at all, in a conventional way, but have things to say that inspire me and connect with my spirit.

 

I’ve been putting my articles out on the internet for 13 years, and I’ve mentioned things I’ve learned from various ministers and sometimes included links to their sites. But please know that I am not indicating that I think you should follow them or become members of their group. That is entirely a matter between you and God.  

 

God knows who we are, and He knows what each of us needs as far as spiritual insight at any given time in our lives. The Apostle Paul saw in the first-century church that people were dividing up into different groups, and he told them they were judging carnally. He told them every Christian is a minister:

 

“Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

 

“So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

 

“Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor” (1 Cor. 3:5-8).

 

What is the “labor” God is talking about? Our labor is to walk by what the scriptures say and by what the Lord shows us through the Holy Spirit within us. It is our job to “try the spirits” in what we read or what we hear. Does it fit with what the Bible says? Does it resonate with the Spirit of God in us? “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1).

 

At the time when Paul was teaching Timothy to be a good leader, there was a teaching in the church saying that the resurrection of the future had already happened, so Paul gave this instruction, which applies today as well:

 

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

 

“But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

 

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Tim. 2:15-17, 19).

 

There’s a saying, “Take everything with a grain of salt.” It means that when we hear something, we can accept it, but we should maintain a degree of skepticism about its truth. For us, it means we can hear something new that we think is okay with the Word of God, and it may seem to resonate with Holy Spirit in us, but it has to be right with God. And He will always confirm the truth for us, or He’ll show us what’s wrong.  Just watch for it.

 

Mark 16:20 tells us that after Jesus spoke to the disciples, “They went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.” It’s important in our times, just like it was in Jesus’ time, to get confirmation, not from people, but from the Lord.

 

God tells us in Genesis 41:32, “And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.” Confirmation from God is always a very wonderful personal blessing.

 

We can’t just believe everything we hear from any preacher just because we happen to like them or happen to follow them. God expects us to be aware, be smart, be discerning. He will guide us to whoever or wherever we need to be as an individual. We are to trust the Lord to hear what we need to hear when we need to hear it and see what we need to see and experience what we need to experience to serve our God the very best we can.

 

Jesus said: “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (John 5:30). That means every decision we make as far as our spiritual pathway, needs to be judged by God first.

 

Periodically, we need to honestly check with the Lord to see if we’re still on the right road. And though we may make go down the wrong paths at times, (and everyone does it) it’s still an exciting journey, and we never give up on knowing that the Lord will always be right there to bring us back in line if we’ve erred, and He’ll always be ready to take us to new heights as well!

 

Love, Carolyn

 

INSPIRING STORIES: WINGS BOOKS AND BOOKLETS:

 

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COUNT TO TEN AND BE MORE CHRIST-LIKE

COUNT TO TEN AND BE MORE CHRIST-LIKE

I was sitting quietly in Starbucks with my laptop, notebook, and Bible, totally engaged in studying on dreams, when up out of my peripheral vision, a nightmarish face invaded my space. It startled me, and I grabbed ahold of my purse on the empty chair next to me and slid it onto the floor by my feet. I had earplugs in, so I couldn’t hear what the grizzly-looking man was mumbling. A few moments passed, and I heard Jane’s clear voice from the next table over, “We’re working here. We don’t have time to talk.” The man angrily mumbled something about the Bible, and in a matter of minutes, he got up and left.

 

Later on, Jane and I talked about it. She told me she was ready to fry the guy with her words the minute she saw him approach me, but she’s been practicing counting to ten before she speaks out of anger. It was amazing. Her quiet, honest words only got one low grumbled complaint before the nightmare man left.

 

I thought about a lesson I’d heard as a child: “When you get angry, count to ten before you speak.” Jane counts “one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand, etc.” I learned it as: “one dimension, two dimension, etc.” I think it works with any three-syllable word, but the point is, it does work.

 

My tendency is to sit there and boil on the inside until I can hardly stand it and can’t concentrate anymore. Either that or I fire off some snide remark out loud or under my breath.

 

Not Jane. She counted to ten and calmly and clearly told the man we didn’t have time for conversation. And it was true. I was studying for an article, and she was working on promotions.

 

There are several verses in the Bible that say God is slow to anger. We are to “be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Eph. 5:1).

 

Nehemiah 9:17 says this: “Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness.”

 

Counting to ten is one way to make sure we don’t fly off the handle in rage, but instead, be more like God, slow to anger. By calming ourselves, we give the Spirit a chance to work, instead of being led by emotion.

 

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve had a hot temper (maybe partly my Sicilian background?), but the truth is that no matter where it came from, only God can really change those built-in character bents. Unlike one who “flies off the handle,” the Lord is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy” (Ps. 103:8).

 

Psalm 145:8 tells us: “The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.” Anyone who knows the old Jane knows she can cut to the bone and turn a live person to sand (figuratively) with her words. But her answer to the scary man in the coffee shop was full of compassion. She spoke the words calmly and straight forward. After counting to ten, she had no anger, just truth.

 

The wisdom of Solomon on slowing down our wrath is found in Proverbs 15:18: “A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.”

 

And Solomon goes on to say, “Better to be slow to anger than to be a mighty warrior, and one who controls his temper is better than one who captures a city” (Prov. 16:32). These are some very strong words.

 

Is it worth it to count to ten to calm our anger? Definitely! It is God’s will that we do it, as we can see from these scriptures.

 

In Colossians 3:1-3, the Apostle Paul admonishes us as Christians: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” He goes on to say in verse 5: “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.” Among the things he lists is anger.  

 

If you know any other way to be slow to anger, God bless you. For now, since I’ve seen the amazing true results in Jane, I’m going with “one dimension, two dimension, three dimension, four dimension, five dimension, six dimension . . .  See, you’ve already gotten tired of reading, so, can our fiery anger also dissipate as fast? With the Lord’s help, I absolutely believe, YES!

 

A few days later, the same man walked by Jane in the same Starbucks, and the demon in him audibly growled at her! But Jane has no fear. I hope to report to you sometime in the future that because of the goodness of God, this same man becomes like the man of the Gadarenes in Mark 5:15: “ And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind.”

 

One dimension, two dimension . . .

 

Love, Carolyn

 

If you have any family members or friends who would like to get my weekly Preach Letters, let me know. I publish two articles every week, on FB, Wordpress, and Blogger and can send them to an email address, or physical address as well.

 

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CERTAINTY IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST

CERTAINTY IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST

When I first decided to buy a house in Las Vegas, the Lord blessed me with the absolute best realtor, Shelley Brown. She found the perfect house, and she knows all the right people. Just mention her name and you get great service. Shelley’s name has clout, and is a great example in the physical, of what the name of Jesus Christ is in the spiritual.

 

Philippians 2:9-11 tells us how powerful the name of Jesus is: ^“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

 

Since God created everything in the first place, if He says everything is in subjection to the power of the name of His son Jesus, then it’s true. And if anyone says different they’re lying. John 8:44 tells us the devil “was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

 

Sometimes at night if I have a bad dream, I wake up and say the name of Jesus over and over and then I go back to sleep easily. Just saying and believing in the power of His name gets the job done. There is certainty in saying the name of Jesus Christ, when you believe in it.

 

When I pray for someone or minister healing or deliverance to someone, I check with Jesus first, and then often He directs me to speak straight to a demon or demonic forces and tell them they must bow and obey whatever I say in Jesus’ name. I remind the devil spirit that it is not more powerful than the Son of God. Then I believe for wisdom and revelation and do whatever the Lord directs.

 

James 4:7 says: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” We’ve been given the powerful name of our Lord Jesus to use in making any demon spirit flee from around us. And we can also help others. Just like I’ve told friends about Shelley’s recommendations and they’ve been blessed, we can help others by sharing what happens when we use the name of Jesus Christ and we get blessed.

 

In the book of Acts, we have many examples of the believers using the authority of the name of Jesus. In Acts 3, Peter and John healed a man who was born lame and the people were astonished. “And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, ‘Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus” (vv.12-13).

 

Peter goes on to say: “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole” (Acts 4:10).

 

That’s a lot of power behind a name, the biggest power in the universe, in fact! And God loves us so much He’s given us the name of Jesus to flash at any force that is coming against us or the people we love. Let’s get more familiar with the power of Jesus and His name by reading the Gospel’s and the book of Acts too, and start to walk in even more victory than before.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

You can see some of my other writing if you click “LOOK INSIDE” on any of my books or booklets on Amazon 

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