MORE ON FORGIVENESS

MORE ON FORGIVENESS

The other day I heard some very insightful words about forgiveness and holding grudges. For many of us, it may be time to take another look at our hearts and see if there are any people we still have not truly forgiven. How do you know? Ask yourself about who pops up in your mind. How often do you think about that person? How recent? What’s your first thought about them? That will tell you a lot about what you really feel.

 

Most likely, the people who hurt us have forgotten about it.  But the devil uses unforgiveness to torment us! In Matthew 18, Jesus speaks an important parable to his disciples:

 

“Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, ‘O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?’

 

“And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses” (Matt. 18: 32-35).

 

God promises that we don’t have to be concerned about people who wronged us getting what they deserve. Consequently, if we are still holding grudges against people who wronged us, then it's us who are hurting, not them. We don’t need nor want them occupying even one little part of our brains.

 

The only way to get rid of a negative person’s vibe in our brains is to forgive them. They did what they did, and that isn’t going to change.

 

The only change will be in how we respond. And for me, that has been the hard part.

 

I would say, “I forgive them.” I give them to God, but later on, when I asked myself the questions above, I found that I was still holding a grudge. Then recently the Lord opened a new revelation to my heart.  He first reminded me that when Jesus hung on the cross, he said: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

 

Then the Lord showed me that a big part of what they did was not only sin against Jesus, but brought more sin upon themselves if they didn’t repent. They opened the door for devils of all sorts to enter them and bring hurt upon themselves, the people around them, their children, and their whole bloodline!

 

So, as Jesus did, we follow in his steps: we forgive because, by sinning against us, they have brought evil upon themselves and their bloodline, and they need Jesus. So we pray for their salvation and restoration to the Lord, whichever is necessary for them to get right.  

 

This is a worthy challenge for us, but we can do it, and we must do it for our own wholeness and for theirs.

 

When his disciples asked Jesus how they were to pray, He said: “And when ye stand praying, forgive” (Mark 11:25). And in Matthew 6:15, He said: “But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” We know we do wrong things, and we want God to forgive us: we get mad, we say mean things, and sometimes we do wrong things that we don’t even know are wrong until later, when we find out. We want forgiveness, and Jesus says we don’t get it unless we forgive too.

 

The more intimately we get to know the Lord Jesus, the more we can operate as his followers, his disciples. Disciples are disciplined ones. The Lord strengthens us and doesn’t ask anything of us that we can’t do. Forgiving is one of those things the Lord requires.

 

Jesus says in John 14:15: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

 

We see a prophecy of the coming of Jesus in Isaiah 61, where it says of Jesus:

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.

 

“To give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified” (Isaiah 61: 1,3)

 

When we are obedient to what the Lord has asked of us, he takes our grudges and miraculously changes them out and replaces them with love. Our God is a God of miracles.  That’s part of the mystery and miracle of the Christ in us. We live for our God, and we are blessed with the privilege to glorify the one true God of heaven, our Jehovah, our Creator, with our actions. Forgiveness is a gift from God to us and a gift we are to pass on to others, for the glory of God to spread in the earth.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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A TIP TO ENHANCE YOUR SUPERNATURAL EXPERIENCE EVERY DAY

This is a preach letter I wrote last year, but I was led to put it out today, as a good reminder of how to walk with the Lord every day. 😊:

 

Genesis 24:40 is one of the scriptures I pray every morning. It gets me to expect the Lord to interact with me supernaturally every day, and He does.    

 

The context of this scripture is that Abraham wanted his servant to return to Abraham’s homeland to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Abraham was sending his best servant, along with other servants, and camels loaded with riches for the dowry. It was well known that there were bandits along the route, and the trip could be very dangerous.

 

We never know what a day can bring, but there’s a great thing God teaches us early in the Bible, in Genesis 24:40. It’s a very important, life-enriching key God wants us to believe and trust.

 

Abraham’s servant arrives safely in Abraham’s homeland and tells the story of what Abraham told him before he left: “And he said unto me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way’” (v. 24:40a).

 

We have angels available to us, too. And we have “Christ in us,” as it says in Colossians 1:27. God sent an angel ahead of the servant to “prosper” his way—no bandits stealing from him, no major injuries, but instead, a good and successful journey. Can you see why I pray this scripture every morning, for every day?!

 

But there’s another part of this scripture that is equally important to having a great journey. The second half says: “and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father’s house’” (v. 24:40b). The servant did find the perfect wife for Isaac. Not only was the journey good, but he reached his Godly destination! Isn’t that what our hearts desire from our life experience every day—to reach our Godly destinations?

 

What the Almighty God made available to Abraham’s servant is what he makes available to us today. God put this in the first book of the Bible for a reason, and He has not changed His mind about it one bit!

 

Here are just two incidents that happened this week, illustrating this important key of praying Gen. 24:40 at the start of our day:

 

On Wednesday of last week, we were delayed by just a few minutes getting out of the house at our usual time.  As it turns out, there was a huge accident at a busy corner near our house—three police cars, a fire engine, and the EMTs lifting someone into the ambulance. Had we been at that corner any sooner, we would have been in that accident!

 

Yesterday we went to our favorite grocery store. Our friend Stella has been promoted to a higher position at a different store, and when we didn’t see her on what we thought would be her last day earlier this week, we were super disappointed.  So yesterday, when we went, we were kind of down in the dumps about Stella not being there anymore. But then, out she came, and it happened that the Lord got us there only five minutes before she was leaving the store for good! So, we got to exchange numbers and say our goodbyes.

 

How does it happen that we were minutes from being in an accident, and got to see our friend in the few minutes before she would be gone?

 

I could give you several other incidents from this past week that illustrate this key point, but I’m sure you can think of wonderful things you have seen in your own lives as well. If you want to start seeing even more, I encourage you to start praying this scripture at the beginning of your day, and let me know what happens.

 

“And he said unto me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way [and get me to my Godly destinations] (my add)’” (Gen. 24:40).

 

I feel much the same way as Paul and Timothy express to the church at Philippi in Philippians 1:1-7:

 

 “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

 

“Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.”

 

Enjoy your journeys and successful outcomes this week.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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DON'T BE AFRAID TO FAIL - GOD IS FAITHFUL TO A HUMBLE HEART

DON’T BE AFRAID TO FAIL - GOD IS FAITHFUL TO A HUMBLE HEART

I remember the day when I discovered I was totally okay with my own failure. After three days of trying to make a piece of Masonite look like a piece of maple, I’d run out of ideas. I’d completed hundreds of wood samples that looked great, so I was shocked with myself when I realized I just could not do this one. I had to admit failure, and the result was surprisingly wonderful! In that moment, I was totally set free. I did fail, and I was actually happy for myself. Odd, yes, and yet this was a deliverance for me! I was very prideful growing up. Failure was never an option. I was good at almost anything I tried, and I avoided activities I couldn’t do well. No one really likes the idea of failing. But sometimes it can be a good thing – a lifesaver, actually.

 

Though I’d accepted Jesus as my Lord and confessed my sins, pride kept popping up in other categories. It’s funny how God can use the most mundane things in our lives to show us the most important spiritual things we will ever experience. This incident with the wood sample was one of those things.

 

Many of you have experienced similar awakenings. We go along in our regular life, no real “Las Vegas” moments to speak of, no bells and whistles, just plodding along, and all of a sudden we’re doing something we normally do, and God opens an amazing realization about a very big thing in our lives that we never expected.

 

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that if we are faithful to seek God and read His life manual, the Bible, He is faithful to us, to reward us with revelations, insights, and deliverances that we not only wanted but some we didn’t even know we wanted! A preacher once said: “God can make taking out the garbage the most exciting thing you’ve ever experienced.” I‘ve found this to be absolutely true.

 

The key on our part is to be faithful to Him. Jesus tells us a parable in Matthew 25 about a man going to a far country who gives his goods to his servants to take care of while he was away. 

 

“And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several [own] ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

 

“And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

 

“After a long time, the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

 

“And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, ‘Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.’ His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’

 

“He also that had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them’. His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’

 

“Then he which had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.’

 

“His lord answered and said unto him, ‘Thou wicked and slothful servant’” (Matt. 25:15-24).

 

The servant that received one talent was afraid of failure. He didn’t even try, didn’t risk anything, didn’t step out in faith to gain anything more. He buried what he had. He reminds me of Christians who stop reading the Bible, stop praying, stop exploring and questing after more of the Lord’s intimacy in their lives. They bury their desire for Him or get snared by fear that it might not work, or they may look foolish even trying.

 

In the above parable, the two servants who were faithful to do more with what they had, were the ones who were brave enough to step out. And look what the Lord told them: “Enter into the joy of thy Lord.”

 

As Christians, we are still human, and we are going to fail sometimes. But failure isn’t a crime. “As it is written, ‘There is none righteous, no, not one’” (Rom. 3:10).

 

We were failures when we came to Jesus the first time and admitted we weren’t very good at being our own Lord. Don’t be afraid of being a failure at something. It’s worth a try.

 

We must pick ourselves up when we fall and continue to seek the Lord’s guidance. Let’s be like David, who said to God: “Unto thee lift I up mine eyes” (Ps. 123:1).

 

Humility is a sweet smell to our God. And pride is a stinker. Shut it down by going back to the scriptures with a humble heart for truth.

 

God is faithful to us. “Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations” (Deut. 7:9).

 

In the New Testament, the Lord promises: “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). And God keeps His promises.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

THREE FRIENDS PRAYED

THREE FRIENDS PRAYED

This Preach Letter is very late today because the Lord wanted me to go on a hike this morning.

 

It all started a few days ago when my niece and I talked on the phone about her coming down to help me buy a new car. I’m short and fairly small, so salesmen tend to think they can take advantage of me. I always had my roommate Jane to deal with all the car stuff, and she didn’t mind it, and was great at it. But she passed away, so the idea of going to buy a car by myself was basically terrifying me. My niece offered cheerfully to come down and help. She is brilliant in business, likes car stuff, and has no fear when it comes to those kinds of business deals. So, I thought “Great!! I feel so relieved.” Then she called and said something like:

 

“Well, how about you go online and look at available cars in your price range and then go to a dealership and sit in the cars and drive them to see which ones you like? “OHHHHH, NOOOOO!!! And panic grabbed me!!

 

I’m usually brave in most things, but I cratered! I was basically terrified! So…… I texted my niece and two other friends and told them how scared I felt, and would they please pray for me. All of them said yes, and all of them told me I could surely do it.

 

Then the new church I started attending was having a hike on Mount Charleston today. I thought that would be good for me, so I thought about it, and it seemed like the Lord also wanted me to go. But when I came home yesterday and started really thinking about it, I started to panic again. I hadn’t driven that far by myself in years. The hike was an hour’s drive out of Vegas and up a mountain. Then the “what ifs” started: “What if I have a flat tire, what if I get caught out on the highway and some creep comes along, what if my car breaks down up on the mountain,” all kinds of negative thoughts flooding in.

 

I repeatedly asked Jesus: “Am I really supposed to be doing this?” And every time I asked, the answer was “YES, I want you to do this!” I even “forgot” to set my alarm last night when I went to bed, and HE woke me up about an hour into my sleep, and I knew I was supposed to get up and set the alarms on my phone and on my clock! I did it, but when I got up at 5:00, I still considered not going.

 

But something happened inside me. I felt an odd kind of new bravery that came from the prayers and belief of the three friends who prayed for me. Their faith and prayer lifted me into a courage I didn’t have before, and I just kept moving.

 

As I was driving on a practically empty highway, getting closer and closer to the turnoff up the mountain, I felt better and better. I wasn’t even a quarter of a mile up the mountain road, and I had to pull over to take some photos. It was so beautiful!! I was so early that I had the luxury to pull over three times! As the sun was coming up and shining on the mountains, there were wonderful white cloud formations in a brilliant sky! The Lord was showing off, and it was spectacular!

 

Then the Lord did a wonderful personal miracle for me up there. When I got near the top, I went past the dirt road leading to the trailhead. I got about a half a mile up the road and realized I needed to turn around, so I did, and right next to the road when I turned, was the most beautiful painted horse, a wild Mustang!! Anyone who knows me knows I love horses, and especially the wild Mustangs, so this was amazing, and I had the time to just stay there and watch her. Then I drove back down the road to the trailhead parking lot. I got out of the car, and who do you think I saw trotting down the path on the other side of the road, and toward me? The Mustang!! She passed close by and went over the edge and down into a flat area below. As she was just getting out of my sight, she let out a very loud neighing, as if she was saying, “Bye for now, come again.”

 

No one could ever convince me it was a coincidence. NO, that was my God adding to the gifts He wanted to pour on me, His child. And then He had more! He picked out the perfect people to go on a hike with, and I had a really super time. I got to know some new Christians, and we had some really great conversations.

 

The longest hike I was able to do recently was about three miles on flat terrain. This one was on an incline, six miles at an elevation of 8,600 feet. I was surprised that I had no trouble whatsoever and, in fact, was energized and felt even better at the end of the hike. The Lord had strengthened me, and my praying friends had a big part in that, too!

 

When my three friends specifically prayed for me to be brave, they set off the domino effect—I was brave enough to drive myself an hour away and up to the top of a mountain, do a six-mile hike, and feel great afterward, and be perfectly comfortable talking with new people that I don’t really know. If I could do all that, I now believe that I can definitely handle the car dealership as well! NO FEAR!

 

It’s funny in life how different things come up over the years, odd things that all of a sudden petrify you, or cause you to act in a way you don’t want to act. But it’s a journey, and the Lord will always have a way to help us, rescue us, and get us through victoriously. And then He puts the cherry on top and gives me one of my favorites, a beautiful painted Mustang girl 😊.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

LAST TWO DAYS TO GET MY FREE BOOK ON COMFORT :-)

Tomorrow, Saturday, is the last day to get the FREE booklet on COMFORT. There are some really good messages here that I think will really bless you. Get your copy today :-) Love in Christ, Carolyn

 

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FREE BOOKLET Tuesday June 30 through Saturday July 4th: SAMPLE BOOK D: COMFORT

My booklet, WINGS: Sample D: COMFORT, is this week from Tuesday, June 30^th through Saturday, July 4^th. .

 

This booklet contains 7 of the 61 chapters from the complete book. These chapters are true-life stories about the various ways God provides comfort to His people in the midst of chaos. Chapters include 1. RISE LIKE THE EAGLE  2. DO WE HAVE TO WAIT TIL WE DIE TO GET SOME HEAVEN? 3. HOLDING YOUR GROUND 4. LEARN FROM THE CICADA 5. WHEN EVERYTHING GOES WRONG 6. NO NAGGING NECESSARY 7. WHAT DOES JESUS WANT FOR HIS BIRTHDAY?

 

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IF WE SHOW UP, HE SHOWS UP

IF WE SHOW UP, HE SHOWS UP

I was telling my friend that I get a little nervous every time I go to write one of these preach letters, and sometimes have no idea what’s going to come out. I told her: “I do know this much, if I just show up, He shows up.” Later, I got to thinking about that statement. We all have certain places we can go where the Lord meets us, a certain chair we like, a bench out in the yard, a path in the woods, or behind the wheel of the car on a favorite roadway. For me, it’s in my chair where I sit and pray every morning. If we show up, He will be there every time.

 

Our Lord Jesus had His favorite places to go, where He could talk to God alone. One of those places was a mountain. “And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone” (Matt. 14:23). And John 6:14: “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.”

 

John 7:53 to John 8:1 tells us that after a long day of preaching and ministering to the people, “every man went unto his own house. Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.”

 

Just think about it a few minutes. When you're facing a really tough situation, where do you go to calm down or clear your head? Jesus had his favorite locations. You do too. You may not have recognized it as such, but let’s start paying attention to what touches our souls. Intimacy with the Lord has to look like something in our natural realm.

 

Jesus went to a mountain, and sometimes He went to a garden. “When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples” (John 18:1). “Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, ‘Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder’” (Matt. 26:36).

 

Where is it that you feel the closest to God? Sitting in your bed in the middle of the afternoon, when there’s no one else around? Or is it on a brisk walk around the block in your neighborhood? Or is it sitting quietly in your church on a day and time when hardly any people are around?

 

Inside of you, you already know where one of your special places is, a physical place where the Lord has met you before. If you are really trying to think of where it is, and you don’t really think you have one, that’s okay; this will be a new adventure for you to find it.

 

Prayerfully ask the Lord to show you, and then do the first thing that comes to mind. Often when we’re learning to hear the voice of the Lord, we practice by asking a simple question and then just doing the first thing that comes to mind. 99% of the time, it will be the Lord. You can even just walk around your house or be in a place that makes you feel comfortable and ask a simple yes-or-no question: “Is this the place?”

 

The Lord wants you to hear His voice even more than you do! Don’t second-guess yourself. Take the first thought and go for it. Don’t be afraid. If you just show up, He’ll be there the first time and every time after.

 

Our real-life intimate locations already exist. They are within easy reach of where we are. Recognize and report for duty. The Lord is waiting for you.

 

God is everywhere, but intimacy with Him needs to look like something. The relationship needs to be real to us. 

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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