HEAVEN

HEAVEN

For those of us who are fighters, what’s more thrilling than winning a battle against the enemy of God’s people? Not much, right? And yet Jesus tells us in Luke 10 that there is something even greater.

 

“And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, Behold, I give unto you power over all the power of the enemy. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Lk 10:17-20).

 

What does that mean? Well, for one thing, there will be no more battles to fight in heaven! Everyone who’s born again has true peace and joy to look forward to forever.

 

Revelation 21:4 tells us, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

 

And Isaiah 65:25 paints a beautiful picture for those of us who are animal lovers: “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock.” In the Bible, there was a donkey who talked to a prophet, so many of us believe that in heaven, animals will be able to talk too, and what stories they will tell!  

 

According to our Lord, heaven is something we as Christians need to focus on at least as much as we focus on fighting those battles.  

 

It’s dangerous to be a warrior without taking time to revel in the hope of heaven.

 

If we spend most of our time getting all hyped up over the battles, what about when there are no more battles? If we’ve not practiced just being happy in the Lord’s presence, we might not know what to do with all the free time.

 

King David of the Bible was a warrior, and yet his psalms are salted with verses in which he basks in the visions of heaven. Look at Psalm 16:8-9, “I have set the Lord always before me: Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.”

 

The concept of going to heaven is not a new one. David, way back in Old Testament times, knew from God and His written Word that he would be with the Lord forever. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever (Psalm 23:6).

 

And in Psalm 21: 4, David refers to himself when he says: “He [I, David] asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days forever and ever.”  David knew he had forever with the Lord, and we need to be equally at peace, knowing it too.

And lastly, “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God” (Psa. 146:5).

 

It’s no secret that the world’s in a mess, and we are the ones letting God work in us to fight against Satan for the health, deliverance, and blessing of God’s people. But let’s take at least as much time to be happy in the Lord, focusing on the great reality of being with the Lord forever in heaven. It’s what Jesus said we should do.

 

In fact, it wouldn’t even be a bad idea for us to memorize some of those verses about heaven and about being with the Lord forever. We can put one or two in our list of scriptures we pray every day, or we can write them out and put them up in the bathroom. With all the negatives that bombard us each week, we might benefit from having some heaven to focus on!

 

Love, Carolyn

 

Discover how the principles of the Bible still apply to our lives today. The short, true stories in my books address current issues in a Biblical way.

 

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PRAISE AND WORSHIP

PRAISE AND WORSHIP

Last night I was in a state of half-asleep and half-awake when I began to praise the Lord. I didn’t have my eyes open, but I was conscious of what I was saying. I told the Lord over and over: “I praise you; I worship you; I praise you; I praise you; thank you.” I went on like this for several minutes until I fell back asleep.

 

As I thought about this, it hit me that there are many Christians who no longer go to a traditional church building to worship and praise. But praise and worship still need to be a part of our lives. Praise and worship are an important part of our interaction with the Lord God. To praise Him doesn’t change Him, but it changes us!

 

When Paul and Silas were thrown in prison, they prayed and sang praises to God. And what happened?

 

“At midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed” (Acts 16:25-26)

 

Paul and Silas were free.

 

David was being chased and pursued by Saul, who wanted to kill him. When David was alone, he praised God. And God rescued him and gave him insight on how to get away from Saul. “I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies” (Ps. 18:3).

 

There are many verses about praise, but these two show us that praise opens prison doors. Praise can free us. David shows us that praise can save us from our enemies.

 

So even if we don’t go to an actual church building, and even if our Christian fellowship is only online or only a small group of people or even if we are by ourselves, we still need to take time to praise and worship God. We praise and worship Him for who He is and how thankful we are for Him being in our lives.

 

Even in awful circumstances: hurricanes, fires, jail, or persecution, we still need to praise and worship God. It’s probably our one and only true escape from our own self-destruction. David said: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance” (Psalm 42:5). David was a smart man. There’s a phrase we hear these days, “Pay it ahead.” But David knew that “Praise it ahead” was even better. He said: “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving” (Ps. 69:30).

 

When I woke up from praising and worshipping the Lord in my sleep, I realized I needed to praise Him even more when I’m fully awake. I need to make more time to worship Him. He is the absolute most important one in my entire life and I should tell Him more often!

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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PRAISE AND WORSHIP

PRAISE AND WORSHIP

This week I found myself praising the Lord and thanking Him over and over for all the great things He did for me. He showed me how to paint some of the flowers and leaves on a new painting; He led me to a new song to listen to for relaxing my nerves; He blessed me with new baby watermelons starting to grow. I got to go with a friend and speak to children at a Catholic school about the artwork we did there. And I got to go with another friend to a new opera. There were new spiritual revelations for me this week too, and so many good things that I found myself praising the Lord and worshipping Him even when I thought I was sleeping!  I didn’t have my eyes open, but I was conscious of what I was saying. I told the Lord over and over: “I praise you; I worship you; I praise you, and I thank you so much!”

 

Praise and worship are important parts of our interaction with the Lord. To praise Him doesn’t change Him, but it changes us! We praise the Lord for the things He’s done for us, and we also praise Him ahead of time, BEFORE He does them. We see examples of “praising it ahead” both in the Old and New Testaments.

 

In the New Testament, when Paul and Silas were thrown in prison, they prayed and sang praises to God. And what happened?

 

“At midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed” (Acts 16:25-26).

 

Paul and Silas were free.

 

In the Old Testament, David was chased and pursued by Saul, who wanted to kill him. When David was alone, he praised God. And God rescued him and gave him insight on how to get away from Saul. “I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies” (Ps. 18:3).

 

David was in a bad situation, and he asked himself: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?” Then he answered himself: “Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance” (Ps. 42:5). David was a smart man.

 

David experienced many times that “Praising it ahead” was one of God’s solutions.

 

These two examples show us that praise can set us free and save us from our enemies.

 

We praise and worship the Lord for who He is. We praise Him for the many benefits we’ve already received, the blessings as we receive them, and the benefits He continues to give us into our futures.

 

Love, Carolyn