GOD'S BIGGER PICTURE

  

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Jane and I met Wendy for breakfast yesterday. I prayed over the food and thanked God for the opportunity to get together. I began to get teary-eyed and barely finished. I was so grateful for our 20-year friendship. I’m a staunch right-wing conservative and Wendy is staunch left liberal. We each wish the other would be different, but we know there’s no profit in discussing or arguing. God loves us, and to Him, we are both the most wonderful daughters He could have. It’s at times like these when there’s no budging on actively going forward on our conflicting political agendas, that I remind myself to stand back and look at the bigger picture. I trust with all my heart that God’s got the best figured out for all of His children. If I don’t believe that, I could end up like John the Baptist.

John started off so strong. He was the one to announce the coming of the Messiah, baptizing Jesus in the Jordan. He saw with his own eyes, and heard with his ears the blessing of God Almighty on His son Jesus: “The heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And low a voice from heaven, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’” (Matt. 3:16-17).

But when Herod put John in prison, something happened in John’s heart. He stopped trusting God. He began to lose faith. Why? He started looking at his immediate circumstances, instead of the bigger picture God had in mind. Like Peter when he was walking on the waves to Jesus: “When he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me” (Matt. 14:30). If our natural circumstances don’t seem right and we only look at what’s immediately around us, we begin to sink.

There’s a big difference in how Peter reacted and how John the Baptist reacted. Peter cried out for help, and Jesus lifted him out of the water. But John didn’t call out at all. Pride took over instead. He didn’t think it was right for him to be in jail. Why wasn’t Jesus getting him out? John allowed this downward spiral to continue and pretty soon he was wondering if Jesus was even the real thing. How quickly we can go down the negative sinkhole!

John called two of his disciples and sent them to Jesus, not to ask for help, but to ask Jesus: “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” (Matt. 11:3). WOW! John had seen the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus, and he’d heard God’s voice endorsing Jesus, and now he was going to question Jesus as if all this stuff previously was a big mistake?!

I think this shows us how important it is to keep bringing ourselves back up to trusting God for the bigger picture that only He knows. If we don’t believe God, who are we going to trust? Let’s get real.

Wendy and I will continue to speak our different opinions, and God isn’t telling us not to. I don’t believe any one person is always correct all the time. As long as we continue to love each other while allowing different opinions, we’ll be okay with God. But let’s be more like Peter and trust the Lord for His help. Let’s not be like John the Baptist, hot and strong at first, but then letting pride take over. We can’t ever stop trusting in God’s bigger picture.

John never repented after he went to jail, and he ended up going from bad to worse. He made Herod’s mistress furious, and she maneuvered to get Herod to behead him. A sad end to someone who was so amazing in the beginning. God bless him.

No matter how staunch we get about our opinions and beliefs, let’s always remember to stay humble before God. Trust Him to the end, and all will be well.

Love, Carolyn

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SAMPLE BOOK A: THE WORDS WE SPEAK

WORDS https://www.amazon.com/WINGS-Journey-Faith-Sample-Words-ebook/dp/B00BLS8SOU/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1546194534&sr=8-11&keywords=WINGS%3A+A+JOURNEY+IN+FAITH 

This is a booklet with 7 of the 61 chapters from my complete WINGS: A JOURNEY IN FAITH book 1.  

The chapters I chose are stories about the words we speak, specifically about the power of words to direct our lives. These chapters are true life stories about the tremendous and varied benefits of choosing words wisely.

There are pertinent questions that go with each story to further help the reader look at his or her life and see how to apply the keys for a more satisfying and victorious life.

WHAT DOES A BOAT HAVE TO DO WITH THE CRUCIFIXION?

He sat on the edge of the boat’s railing, gripping the side as he brought his legs over, one at a time. “Is it really Jesus out there?” He questioned himself. “The man did say to come, right?”  Peter took a deep breath…. “Okay I’m going to do this.” Both feet ready and eyes focused only on the figure out there on the water, he lowered himself down and stepped into it. But he didn’t need to flap his arms and try to swim because somehow his toes were the only part of him experiencing the splash of cool water. The first step of faith was to touch something he really didn’t understand, but it worked and he was walking on water to Jesus.

That’s how it is with all spiritual things. We step out in faith first, then the understanding comes later. Especially when it comes to difficult concepts, we just have to forget about trying to wrap our brains around them. Instead, we need to let go and say, “Okay, I believe. And I know the Lord will give me understanding later.” It’s refreshing and takes the burden off.

So, with that said, I want to introduce some truths about Easter that you may not understand yet. Let yourself believe and the Lord will give you the understanding.

It’s important to realize that when Jesus was born, his blood was extraordinary. It was not from his mother. A baby’s blood doesn’t come from the mother and never mixes in the womb. Jesus’ blood came from his father, God, making it spiritual and perfect.

The Bible tells us life is in the blood. So by bleeding out his perfect blood Jesus made his blood, touched by God Almighty, available to anyone who would believe. And this is where we, like Peter, need to step out of the boat and onto the water. Take it by faith. Believe and receive (Mark 11:24).

Jesus bled seven times. Seven is the number for perfection. The seven places cover every aspect of our lives. The first blood was in the garden of Gethsemane. “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:41). This is where Jesus said, “Not my will but thine be done.” Jesus was willing to do God’s will no matter what. His blood gives us the willpower to choose God’s way. Like it says in Philippians 2:13, “to will and to do of His good pleasure.”

The next time Jesus bled was when he was beaten and whipped by the Roman soldiers. The Bible says he was “scourged.” That means he was given 39 lashes with a whip made of leather thongs, each tied with jagged pieces of metal or bone that tore and ripped open strips of flesh on his back. We know that in the end this terrible beating had no effect on him. Having faith in this aspect of the blood makes it so that our bodies can be impenetrable to any sickness or disease. This has been documented with John G. Lake in Africa. They put diseased matter on his hand and it just died.

Also, because God made it so that every cell in the body has the same original DNA, through the blood, the body has the capacity to restore any missing or broken parts. Spirit in the blood can go anywhere in our bodies and change anything physical. This can happen instantaneously (a miracle) or can be a process. The pure qualities of his blood are able to clean out foreign matter, cause growths to wither and die, kill off cancers and arthritis and restore and refresh anything that has been effected by disease or malfunctions. I know this is a lot to take in, but if you read and study the gospels, in faith, God will show you these things.

The third place Jesus shed blood was from internal bruises. Isaiah tells us: “He was bruised for our iniquities.” Jesus was mocked and beaten. There was distress and swelling caused by broken capillaries and dislodged blood beneath the surface of the skin. The other day I got blood drawn. It hurt a little bit and two days later I looked down on my arm and saw a huge bruise. I didn’t even know it was there. That’s how it is with emotional, mental and spiritual bruises, even more than physical ones. Some of those bruises are so deep within us, we don’t even know they’re there, but the blood of Jesus can even remove those. We believe and receive freedom from the deepest wounds.

The fourth place Jesus bled was when they jammed a crown of thorns into his head. This was for our minds. We can think right thoughts and make wise decisions. First Corinthians says “We have the mind of Christ.”

Next they nailed Jesus’ hands and feet to the cross. The blood from his hands is the fifth place Jesus bled. The blood for our hands gives us unique power. Think about what we do with our hands—we touch, write, make things, give things, stop things, clap, lift, and much more. Believing to let the blood from Jesus’ hands pulse in our own can change everything we touch.

Number six is the blood from Jesus’ feet. Matthew 7:14 tells us “strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life.” Though narrow, it is the path of dominion like God says in Deuteronomy 11:24 “Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours.” And like it says in Psalm 23: “He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.”

And lastly, number seven, perfection. When the soldier came to see if Jesus was really dead he took his spear and pierced Jesus through the side—through his belly, his lungs and his heart—making sure his entire life force bled out. That blood was so that we could receive Jesus’ life force when we believe in him. How perfect is that? We receive his holy spirit into our innermost belly, new life in each breath and best of all, not only the ability to receive the Almighty’s love, but to also give it.

I’m so thankful that Jesus made the decision to go through the crucifixion for us. I pray God’s will be done in our lives as well.

Love, Carolyn