WE'RE SMARTER THAN WE THINK

WE’RE SMARTER THAN WE THINK

Many years ago, I read a book by Zainab Salbi, the daughter of Saddam Hussein's pilot. It's called BETWEEN TWO WORLDS: ESCAPE FROM TYRANNY: GROWING UP IN THE SHADOW OF SADDAM.

 

Zainab described the terror Sadam inflicted on those around him: “Fear of Saddam took over every Iraqi heart and mind. He was everywhere and anywhere, and any stray negative thought about him made us watch our backs. As a child, I grew up watching hours and hours of TV coverage of him surprising families in the middle of the afternoon by entering their kitchens and opening their refrigerators. I guess this was a dictator’s version of a reality show; the entire country could peer into people’s cupboards and see what they were having for lunch. I didn’t understand why he revealed the intimate lives of people on national TV until the night my family and I had dinner with Saddam."

 

“It wasn’t one dinner but years of lunches and dinners, because my father was his private pilot. At times, my parents would be in their bed falling asleep when suddenly they had to wake up and entertain Saddam in the middle of the night, making sure that they looked bright and excited."

 

“He was charismatic and engaging, but he also spread fear. In the midst of one family lunch, he asked everyone what they thought of Napoleon. At face value, you would think that’s just a lunch conversation among friends. And that is indeed how one friend answered, saying: 'Napoleon is a man who rolled down from the hill of power as fast as he rose up to it.' Saddam answered: 'Are you referring to Napoleon, or are you referring to Napoleon [referring to himself]?' If there is such thing as air leaving the room, then that was that moment. His switch from friendliness to anger was common, and we all knew he killed friends and relatives; no one would be spared.”

 

Zainab Salib’s book is fascinating, but it was more insightful to me when I experienced being in the presence of someone who exhibited characteristics similar to Hussein! This person knew very private things about the people who worked under him, and he used the knowledge of those things to intimidate and control. I believe evil spirits told him these things because they were intimate things that no one spoke about, and certainly not to him.

 

Ecclesiastes 1:9 tells us: “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” At first, this looks like it may be a contradiction to other verses in the Bible, like Isaiah 43:19, where God says: “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”

 

There are no contradictions in the Bible, just verses, concepts, and phrases we may not yet understand. This is one of those.

 

E. W. Bullinger tells us in his notes on Ecclesiastes 1:9 in the Companion Bible: “‘Under the sun’ is a phrase that is particular to Ecclesiastes and is used 29 times. It is equivalent to “upon the earth,” and it refers to all that is connected with earthly things as such, and with man apart from God.”

So, we see that the phrase saying there is nothing new refers only to basic human and demonic things, NOT the spiritually wonderful things that born- again believers and our Lord God and His son Jesus Christ are capable of.

 

Separated from God, there is and never will be anything new. The devil can’t create anything. So, when we learn to recognize a demon or a demonic mechanism, it will always operate in the same way as the Bible describes it – there are variations, but the basics are always the same. Demons exhibit the very same characteristics in leaders of countries as in leaders of three or four people or even less. The same kind of evil people and evil ways we read about in the Old Testament, exist today.

 

When we examine and recognize the evil we read about in the Bible, we will understand and recognize the evils we see today. Anything the devils do this world now has been done before.

The devil is not a creator. If we’ve seen him operate in a certain evil way once, we recognize when we see it again—nothing new. That’s why God reminds us in 2 Corinthians 2:11: “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

 

We’re smart! We actually know more than we think we know. We’re smarter spiritually than we give ourselves credit for! I remember an incident where I was having a conversation with a 16-year-old young man, and we happened to get on the subject of demons. He was not a born-again believer, but his knowledge regarding devil spirits was remarkable!

 

I also had the privilege of meeting a young lady at a movie once who was involved with her friends in a deliverance ministry, and ever since that encounter, I pray for the younger believers who are whole-heartedly now involved in doing the Lord’s work.

 

It’s astonishing to think about who we are and our creative possibilities. God has not stopped creating! What God was in the beginning, He is now. Yes, He uses the same elements that He originally created, but nothing in the Bible says He can’t create more.

 

An example from the New Testament is in Ephesians 2:10, where it says: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Did you know that the word “Christ” means “the anointed one”? That same anointing is in us. Think about that! It’s a spiritual anointing from God our Father, different from anything else.

 

In Psalm 51:10, David asks God to “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” He can do that. In Isaiah 57:18, God says: “I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord, and I will heal him.”

 

You see, God is still creating and even creating what we say. So, let’s dare to say what God says: “I have peace, and I am healed.”

 

With the devil, there is no new thing under the sun. It’s all old and rotten. Use the Bible to get smart. You’re already way smarter than you know, so believe what you see.

 

Contrary to the limitations of the devil, we have a creative God! If He can create a new heart in us, the possibilities are limitless. As we venture into this new year, let’s expect greater miracles, greater successes, greater movements of God, and more wonderful life experiences than ever before.

 

Happy New Year 2025!

 

Love, Carolyn

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FROM LO-DEBAR TO THE KING'S TABLE

FROM LO-DEBAR TO THE KING’S TABLE

God chose David when he was but a shepherd boy and ignored by the rest of his family. His father and brothers didn’t think he had the makings of a warrior, much less a king. But God saw it differently. God chose David, who others discounted, and David never forgot it: “Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Ps. 136:23). If you’ve been snubbed, ridiculed, or dishonored, don’t worry. God’s got good plans for you. A great example of what the Lord can is found in 2 Samuel 9, where God brought Mephibosheth from a very low place to a high one.

 

David and Saul’s son Jonathan became great friends, so when both Saul and Jonathan died, David wanted to bless their family. He asked: “Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2 Sam. 9:1 CEB).

 

“David called in Ziba, one of the servants of Saul’s family. David said, ‘So you are Ziba.’ ‘Yes, Your Majesty, I am.’ David asked, ‘Are any of Saul’s family still alive? If there are, I want to be kind to them.’

 

“Ziba answered, ‘One of Jonathan’s sons is still alive, but he can’t walk.’ ‘Where is he?’ David asked. Ziba replied, ‘He lives in Lo-Debar with Machir, the son of Ammiel.’ David sent some servants to bring Jonathan’s son from Lo-Debar. His name was Mephibosheth, and he was the grandson of Saul. He came to David and knelt down. David asked, ‘Are you Mephibosheth?’ ‘Yes, I am, Your Majesty’” (2 Sam. 9:2-6 CEB).

 

Two hidden secrets in the above passage will amaze and bless you. The first is the fact that this man lived in Lo-Debar. I looked up the meaning of this word. “Lo” means “no, or without.” The word “debar” comes from two words. One translates as a “pasture, or a flock or fold, as in a sheepfold.” The other is “dabar,” meaning “word, answer, speaking, teaching, and communicating.” Lo-Debar was without a  pasture, a place with no flocks, no answers, no teaching, no communication. Why is this important? You’ll see in a minute.

 

The second hidden secret in this passage is the meaning of the man’s name, Mephibosheth. This name translates as “exterminating the idol.” This poor man was a child of our God, stuck in a low place, Lo-Debar; a place where he couldn’t operate his God-given specialty. God gave him the distinct ability in his name: to exterminate idols, but he was spiritually imprisoned in a place where there was no one to listen. There was no pasture for the Word of God.

 

Maybe you have experienced a similar predicament, where it seemed you were thwarted on every side and had difficulty getting through. It reminds me of when our Lord Jesus went back to his hometown of Nazareth, and “he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matt. 13:58).

 

God didn’t want Mephibosheth, an exterminator of idols, to be in a place of spiritual bondage, and He doesn’t want you in one, either. God sent David to bring this man up out of Lo-Debar.

 

^“David said, ‘Don’t be afraid. I’ll be kind to you because Jonathan was your father. I’m going to give you back the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul. Besides that, you will always eat with me at my table.’ Mephibosheth knelt down again and said, ‘Why should you care about me? I’m worth no more than a dead dog’” (vv. 7-8).

 

We see from this passage that Mephibosheth’s self-image was terrible. He was dejected and miserable. People will lean towards anger, depression and despondency when they feel they can’t express who they really are. How many times have you or one of your children proclaimed: “Nobody understands me.” But the Lord does understand and will always answer our cries.

 

Through David, God rescued Mephibosheth from bondage to freedom and delight.

 

“David called in Ziba, Saul’s chief servant, and told him, ‘Since Mephibosheth is Saul’s grandson, I’ve given him back everything that belonged to your master Saul and his family. You and your fifteen sons and twenty servants will work for Mephibosheth. You will farm his land and bring in his crops so that Saul’s family and servants will have food. But Mephibosheth will always eat with me at my table.’

 

“Ziba replied, ‘Your Majesty, I will do exactly what you tell me to do.’ So Ziba’s family and servants worked for Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was lame, but he lived in Jerusalem and ate at David’s table, just like one of David’s own sons” (vv.9-13).

 

There are many other examples in the Bible of God delivering His loved ones from prisons of all kinds, bringing them from low places to high ones. Be expecting to personally experience being freed from the bonds of Lo-Debar to your new place at the table of King Jesus. Ask and receive.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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HIS WILL IS TO TAKE SICKNESS AWAY AND FULFILL OUR DAYS

HIS WILL IS TO TAKE SICKNESS AWAY AND FULFILL OUR DAYS

When we read in the Bible that God says, “I will,” we need to understand that God is telling us what He desires and wants for us. He asks, “Do you want to know what My will is? This is it.” In the original texts, God jumps directly to the action, which we find after the “I will.” “Put none of these diseases on thee,” “Take sickness away,” and “Fulfill your days” are three phrases to focus on.

 

The first phrase is in Exodus 15:26: “I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.” In this verse, “put” is a Hebrew word that means “place, set, bring to pass, lay upon.” Part of the meaning of this word is “consider.” God wouldn’t even consider laying any of these diseases on us. It wouldn’t even cross His mind! I found the following on some of these diseases:

 

God doesn’t put disease on us; it is His will that none afflict us. If they do, then there is a cure. Going to God and reminding Him of His will is certainly a good place to start. And especially since in the very same verse, He says: “I am the Lord that healeth thee.”

 

The next phrase to look at is in Exodus 23:25: “I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.”

The word “take” means “remove, to cause to depart, to come to an end, reject, abolish, pluck away, to turn off, behead, withdraw, and be without.” Those are powerful words, and those are what the Lord God, our Creator, wants to do to ANY sickness that attacks us from within or without.

 

The last verse to look at is Exodus 23:26: “The number of thy days I will fulfill.” We use the phrase, “they died before their time.” There is a time set for each of our lives, and the Bible says it is when the number of our days have been fulfilled. But let’s look at what that word “fulfilled” really means.

 

It’s the Hebrew word “male’,” which means accomplished, replenished, overflow, satisfied. It means fullness, abundance, complete. It means to fill any vacant place with abundance, like in Genesis 1:22, “fill the waters in the sea, or Exodus 40:34 “the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle.” It’s also used of satisfying the soul, i.e., the desire, the hunger. It means to do anything fully or thoroughly. In Jeremiah 4:5 “male’” is translated, “cry out fully, i.e., strongly. All of these great attributes are God’s will for fulfilling our days here on earth.

 

The above three “I will” verses are great ones to focus on and repeat back to our Lord out loud. Slowly re-read the paragraphs above, pausing at each definition of God’s action word. Think about what the Lord is really saying to you. Put the verse in your own words, then pray like God told Isaiah to pray:

 

God says to Isaiah in chapter 43, verse 26: “Meet me in court! State your case and prove that you are right.” That’s the Contemporary English Version. The Amplified reads: “Remind me [of your merits with a thorough report]; let us plead and argue our case together. State your position, that you may be proved right.” And in the KJV: “Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified” (Isa. 43:26). Sometimes I do like Mary did, and say to the Lord: “Be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38).

 

 

If we can believe, we receive. “Jesus said unto him, ‘If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.’” (Mark 9:23).

 

WE’RE SO THANKFUL THAT GOD GAVE US THE GIFT OF THE LIVING CHRIST. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Love, Carolyn

 

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WHEN GOD SAYS, "I WILL"

WHEN GOD SAYS, “I WILL”

When we say, “I will,” it’s often a weak or mundane response, like: “I will take a ride.” But when God says, “I will,” it’s much stronger and should be understood as: “THIS IS MY WILL; THIS IS WHAT I WANT.” I started in Genesis, looking up the usages of “I will.” But it wasn’t there when I looked for it in the original texts! Why not? God didn’t need to say, “I will.” The translators added it. God’s will was in the action word following the “I will.”

 

This seems to be consistent throughout the Bible. God doesn’t need a lead-up; He jumps right in with immediate engagement. I’ll show you by starting with the first place we find “I will” in the King James translation of Bible. (You men looking for the perfect wife will love this one.)

 

Genesis 2:18: “And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.’” When you drop the “I will,” you have a much more direct and powerful demand: MAKE, as in “make it happen; do it.” The original Hebrew word is “asah.” By the simple task of looking it up on your online Strong’s Concordance, you see that it means “to produce, to procure, to prepare, to put in order, appoint, ordain, bring about, to celebrate, and maintain!” WOW! What a great promise for any single man who admits to needing a help “meet for him.” God’s will is to MAKE it happen absolutely! God says it’s His will to perform, celebrate, and maintain it! It’s like He’s declaring to His creation: “Make it happen!”

 

You’ll see a further explanation of the word MAKE on the same Concordance website.  It’s “to create, to work a miracle, to make or produce it from oneself.” What a great and loving God. Three examples are how a cow makes milk, a tree makes fruit, and a grain makes flour. The product comes from the source. The explanation goes on to say that the things made are acquired by labor. It is prepared and made ready, like food. It is also trained and combed (not shaved). When we apply this to a human being, God is telling us that He is the one who produces this person. He prepares them; He labors in them to give them the best stuff. He trains them and combs them, bringing out the best, not cutting them off. When God picks a person for you, He does it right.

 

The above example is the first place we see God saying, “I will.” I also looked up Genesis 17:7, where God says to Abraham: “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.” Galatians 3:29 says: “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” So, the many “I wills” God said to Abraham after Genesis 17:7 apply to us, too. I highly recommend looking some of them up.

 

But in this verse, the action word after “I will” in this verse is “ESTABLISH.” It’s a firm, strong, and sure declaration, like the MAKE in Genesis 2. In this verse, God is talking about a personal relationship between Him and us. When we look up the word “establish,” it means “to prove, to fulfill, to validate, to raise up, stir up, stand up, make clear, and strengthen.” God’s strong desire is a personal, organic relationship with us every day.

 

In next Sunday’s post, I will look at three very powerful “I will” verses in Exodus 15:26 and Exodus 23:25-26. The verses read:

 

“I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Ex. 15:26).

 

“I will take sickness away from the midst of thee” (Ex. 23:25).

 

“The number of thy days I will fulfill” (Ex. 23:26).

 

Four steps - 1. We look up the “I will” verses in the King James Bible. 2. We jump right over the “I will” and go directly to the action God Himself declares. 3. We agree His action is our blessing. 4. We believe, and we receive with thanksgiving. And all the glory goes to God.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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CREATIVE MIRACLES

CREATIVE MIRACLES

Psalm 105:15 says: “Touch not my anointed; do my prophets no harm.” But verse 17 reads: “Joseph was sold for a servant, whose feet they hurt with fetters: his soul came into iron.”  A contradiction? No. Verse 19 tells us: “Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him.” Timing is a vital part of what we need to understand about how God works. “Time” in the original text means the “certain time, the proper time, the fit time,” and “word” means “the answer, the promise, the notable deed.” There is a certain timing for every answer, every promise to come to pass, every notable deed. Receiving new body parts and healing old ones are notable deeds.

 

I’ve never been in a service where a person has received a new body part, never seen for myself a hand grow or an eye develop where there was none before, but I believed it, and I trust that others have witnessed this kind of miracle too. I found a verse that documents how this kind of creative miracle works. It’s like the verse that tells us God knew us before we were born. The following verse shows us that He also sees us completely healed and whole! Read it slowly and concentrate.

 

Psalm 139:16: “Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book, all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”

 

The King James Version has a remarkable note on the phrase “in continuance were fashioned.” The note goes: “Or, what days they should be fashioned.” 

 

God already saw the end from the beginning, and in His sight, the part was already there; But in our time, not necessarily from birth. Just like God saw Joseph as the Pharaoh’s right-hand man, placed there for Israel’s survival in a time of famine, but that didn’t happen right away. Joseph was in prison for a while first. People who are missing body parts or lacking the healing they need are in a type of prison as well. But in God’s sight, there is absolutely a day for the unperfect to be perfected. God always knew what He had for Joseph, and He always knows what wholeness in body, soul, and spirit He has for us, too. We must faithfully believe and trust.

 

Joseph’s trust and faithfulness sustained him, and God was able to bless Joseph and turn around Satan’s plan entirely, at the right time. 

 

The older I grow, the more peaceful I am with God’s timing and the more aggressive I am with taking down demonic forces. We must trust the Lord’s timing for the manifestation of our personal word (as in Psalm 105:19, our answer, promise, or notable deed). Confidence that the Lord will do what He’s promised keeps our hearts healthy and at peace so that, in the present, we can remain calm and sure ambassadors for our Lord. 

                                                                                                                                  

Love, Carolyn https://www.amazon.com/s?k=BOOKS+BY+cAROLYN+mOLICA&crid=16D4X7I4BV76Z&sprefix=books+by+carolyn+molic%2Caps%2C450&ref=nb_sb_noss

 

GOD'S INVOLVEMENT IN AMERICA'S THANKSGIVING

GOD’S INVOLVEMENT IN AMERICA’S THANKSGIVING:  

THE STORY OF SQUANTO – A TRUE AMERICAN HERO

God inspires actions and interaction with people across the entire world. He is magnificent, intricate with details, and miraculous in all His ways. Following are the events of the first American Thanksgiving. This version of the story comes from two Christian-based historical references, and is an example of how deeply our God is involved in our human history. I love this Thanksgiving story and like reading it every year. I think you’ll like it too.

 

Within the first year, half of the 102 Pilgrims who landed in America, died. Of the 50 who remained only 6 or 7 were strong enough to care for the others. William Bradford was their leader. He survived the first devastating winter of 1620 and went on to serve as governor of Plymouth for 33 years. From his book, Of Plymouth Plantation, comes his perception of what happened; this amazing story of how God intervened so that the Pilgrims could survive in this new land. He writes in Old English which is a bit hard to navigate, but with a little patience, you will be able to figure out all the words and content.

 

“About ye 16. Of March a certaine Indian came bouldly amongst them, and spoke to them in broken English, which they could well understand, but marveled at it… He tould them also of another Indian whos name was Squanto, a native of this place, who had been in England & could speake better English then him selfe.

 

“Afterwards they (as many as were able) began to plant ther corne, in which servise Squanto stood them in great stead, showing them both ye maner how to set it, and after how to dress & tend it. Also he tould them excepte they got fish & set with it (in these old grounds) it would come to nothing, and he showed them yt in ye midle of Aprill they should have store enough come up ye brooke, by which they begane to build, and taught them how to take it, and wher to get other provisions necessary for them; all which they found true by trial & experience… And thus they found ye Lord to be with them in all their ways, and to blesse their outgoings & incomings, for which let his holy name have ye praise for ever, to all posteritie.”

 

Bradford added, “Squanto… was a special instrument sent of God for their good beyond their expectation.”

 

How God worked in Squanto’s life is really amazing. In 1605, a member of the Native American Patuxet tribe, Squanto was captured by an English explorer and taken to England where he learned to speak English. In 1614 Captain John Smith brought him back to America but he was captured again and taken to Spain to be sold as a slave.  Local Catholic friars rescued him and introduced him to Christianity.

 

He went back to England and got on a ship to his native America. But when he got home, he found that all of his tribe had been killed by a plague. The sudden death of the whole tribe scared the neighboring tribes and so they never went onto the property, making it available for the Pilgrims. Also because of the odd circumstances of the tribe’s annihilation, the other tribes didn’t attack the Pilgrims and Squanto facilitated a peace treaty that lasted over 50 years.

 

With Squanto’s help, the Pilgrims’ second winter was much better. To celebrate, Governor Bradford appointed a day of Thanksgiving and invited Squanto’s newly adopted tribe to come and give thanks to God with them. The chief and 90 of his men came and feasted. They ate deer, turkey, fish, lobster, eels, vegetables, corn bread, berries, pies and popcorn that the Native Americans showed the Pilgrims how to make.  They competed in games of wrestling, shooting and running. The chief had such a good time he and his men stayed and celebrated for three days.

 

This was the first official American Thanksgiving.

 

If you’d like to read more about this time in America, I recommend America’s Providential History by Mark Beliles and Stephen McDowell and William Bradford: Plymouth’s Faithful Pilgrim by Gary Schmidt.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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GUNPOINT

GUNPOINT

It was summer at the Bible college, and we were paired up for an outreach challenge. We had two days to get from our campus in Kansas down to an onion farm in Texas. We were sent out in teams of two. My partner was blind, so I took the lead in our venture. Neither of us had cars, so we had to hitchhike. An 18-wheeler stopped, and up we innocently climbed.

 

My partner folded his white cane and felt his way up into the back seat. I got in on the passenger side of the front seat.

 

The driver was a burly, unshaven man, around fifty-something, I guessed. He seemed okay at first. In a low, gravelly voice, he barked, “Where you kids goin’?”

 

“Down to harvest onions on a farm in Texas,” I answered.

 

“Uh huh, Uh huh.” He wasn’t much of a talker, so we drove on in uncomfortable silence. The A/C was on, but his forehead was red and sweaty and his brown hair was all greasy looking and sweaty too. He was getting fidgety, and I could hear him breathing louder and louder. His hand snaked down under the seat between us, and I saw the gun come up in slow motion. He pointed right at my face.

 

He drawled, “You’re gunna do whatever I want.”

 

I stiffened and gasped, holding my breath as my body froze for what seemed like forever. At that point I had no cognizance of my blind partner in the back seat. I was all alone, physically frozen in time, but my mind was racing frantically, “Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Help me!”

 

My body seemed to melt, but then I felt instantly strengthened from the inside as a palpable and powerful peace poured down over me and through my soul. I drew in a deep breath and slowly made myself as tall as I could in the seat, as I slowly turned sideways in the seat to face my aggressor.

 

My action obviously confused him, and he turned a little frantic himself, trying to hold the gun in my face and watch me and the road at the same time.

 

I spoke with loud and clear authority, “You put that down right now in the name of Jesus Christ!” He did it, obeying my words like a robot. “Now pull over.” He did. I knew he didn’t want to let us go, but under the authority of the Lord, it was like he was a prisoner to my words, and he couldn’t do anything but obey. “Now we’re getting out!” And we did.

 

Even as I write this, I’m a little amazed that it was real, but I shouldn’t be surprised. Jesus was in the midst of a group of Pharisees who wanted to kill him, and He walked right through. “They up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by” (John 8:59).

 

In another life-threatening situation, Jesus stopped a raging storm. “And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, ‘Peace, be still.’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:37,39).

 

When Paul and Silas went to Philippi to preach the gospel, the magistrates “thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks” (Acts 16: 24). But after Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises, a miracle happened. They were immediately able to walk right out of that prison. (Acts 16:24-34).

 

In John 14:27, 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.”

 

We can’t always avoid trouble, but we CAN walk through it with Jesus Christ as our Lord. When that man pointed a gun at my face, I cried out to Jesus, and instantly, he gave me his peace, strength, confidence, and the exact words to speak to attain my and my partner’s freedom.

 

Jesus lived on earth as a man. He knows how to do it right. As our Lord and leader, he often guides us away from trouble. But if we get into trouble, he will do amazing things to get us out. He loves us, and we can trust him.

 

Reading about his life in the gospels, we learn that he could get around and through every kind of situation, and we can, too, with his help.

 

Let’s pray to get to know him better, trust him, and love him even more.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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