WHEN GOD CLOSES YOUR MOUTH

WHEN GOD CLOSES YOUR MOUTH

Jane needed to go into the Department of Motor Vehicles office to get her driver’s license renewed, but when she called the DMV over a month ago, the only available appointment wasn’t until this week, only one day before her license expired! We were both a bit nervous about it. And then an amazing thing happened.

 

The Lord silenced us completely about the driver’s license. He didn’t tell us not to talk about our hesitations or fears, but He just silenced us about the whole business. It didn’t hurt or anything like that, and we kept talking about many other subjects as usual, but neither of us expressed even one negative word about the appointment and what was extra odd is that we didn’t even try to say any positive affirmations about it either! It just wasn’t in our parameters of speech. The silence just happened supernaturally with no thought or effort at all!

 

I went with Jane to her appointment, and everything went smoothly and congenial—so congenial, in fact, that the fellow forgot to ask Jane to do the eye test. He gave her the temporary license and sent her over to get her picture taken for the permanent license and off we went!

 

When we got in the car, we rehearsed what the Lord had done, and Jane was rejoicing, “Jesus rocked it, Jesus rocked it, JESUS ROCKED IT!! She was so happy she called her sister right away to give her the good news. After rejoicing, we finally confessed our unspoken fears and found out we both had the same thoughts: “What if she didn’t pass her eye test? And what if she couldn’t drive?” Since she uses the car every morning to go out and do her internet work, what kind of hoops would we have to go through if they didn’t give her a license on this last day before her old one expired?” We never spoke a word of this until that moment after the appointment when the license was secured. Of course there is a good chance that Jane would have passed the eye test, but if God had allowed us to speak our hesitations and fears, the devil would have heard them too, and all kinds of mishaps could have taken place. God wouldn’t allow that to happen and so He orchestrated an awesome miracle for us.

 

God, of course, knew that we both are very strong in believing together, and what we both agree on, comes to pass. This principle works in the positive for us, but it can work in the negative too, as God explains regarding the rebellious ones who sided with Nimrod’s defiance of God in Babel.

 

“And they said, ‘Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’ And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

 

“And the Lord said, ‘Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

 

“Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.” (Gen. 11:4-8).

 

Here in Genesis, we see that the people spoke the same language. Not only did they speak the same dialect, but they agreed, and God said that because they agreed with each other, they could accomplish what they agreed upon, and in this case, they were building a city and a tower to exalt themselves above the true God. So the Lord confused their language so they no longer could talk to each other and had to stop building their evil city.

 

We see this same principle working with Zacharias in the book of Luke. Like with Jane and me, God needed to shut us up for a bit, to get His loving blessing to us.

 

Zacharias and his wife, Elisabeth “were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years” (Luke 1:6-7).

 

Zacharias was a priest, and it was his turn to burn incense in the temple. And as he was praying, “there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, ‘Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord” (Luke 1:11-15).

 

God had great plans for Zacharias, Elisabeth, and especially their son, John the Baptist. But the angel quickly detected the fears that this couple would discuss, and God wanted them blessed, so He couldn’t let the fear take over. 

 

“And Zacharias said unto the angel, ‘Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.’ And the angel answering said unto him, ‘I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season’” (Luke 1:18-20).

 

So, sure enough, Zacharias got the message, and he was unable to speak until his wonderful son, John, was born.

 

God needed to perform a miracle for Zacharias without Zacharias interfering, and God needed to perform a miracle for Jane without her interfering as well. This is just one of the ways that our Lord uses to keep the blessings flowing to His people. So don’t be afraid if one day you find that the Lord has shut your mouth for a time. He’s just in the process of getting an amazing blessing to you, His beloved son or daughter!

 

Love, Carolyn

https://www.amazon.com/BIBLE-LESSONS-NATURE-Carolyn-Molica/dp/B0BV4GC859/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QACB0S8NH0BF&keywords=bible+lessons+from+nature&qid=1676485121&sprefix=%2Caps%2C222&sr=8-1

 

 

PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD

PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD

Last night I was in a state of half-asleep and half-awake when I began to praise God. I didn’t have my eyes open but I was conscious of what I was saying. I told God over and over: “I praise you; I worship you; I praise you; I praise you; thank you.” I went on like this for hours until I actually woke up about 5 a.m.

 

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” (Psa. 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” (Psa. 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” (Psa. 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

https://www.amazon.com/BIBLE-LESSONS-NATURE-Carolyn-Molica/dp/B0BV4GC859/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QACB0S8NH0BF&keywords=bible+lessons+from+nature&qid=1676485121&sprefix=%2Caps%2C222&sr=8-1

 

 

PART 2 - LIFTING UP OUR HANDS IN VICTORY

 LIFTING UP OUR HANDS IN VICTORY

Last week I talked about Moses lifting up his hands while Joshua fought the enemy below. God told him that he was to lift up his hands for victory even before the physical battle began. That reminded of another Preach letter I wrote in 2021. Here it is. Enjoy 😊

 

When I was working on a special finish for a hotel in California, I had to match an existing piece. I worked at it, but it was difficult. I started to feel the pressure, and I was getting more and more fearful as the day went on. The deadline was growing bigger than the possibility of a solution.

 

Finally, I had to get both of my bosses outside to take a look at the pieces I’d done and get some suggestions. All the suggestions included mixing more paint, starting from scratch, and going through all the steps again. Yikes!

 

But at least I was going to have help. We all went our separate ways for lunch, and I took the opportunity to pray. I prayed for Jesus to help me. I really needed Him, and I told Him so. His first direction to me was to look at the story of Ruth in the Bible. As I was soaking in her story, the scripture came into my head: “Lift up the hands that hang down,” from Hebrews 12:12.

 

That scripture coming to my mind was evidence to me of the love of Jesus and the mercy of God to answer my cry for help.

 

I remembered a TED talk I saw on the internet. It was about nonverbal communication, and they did a test to show how nonverbal communication could affect a good outcome. The challenge was to lift your hands in a show of victory. You had to keep your hands up for two minutes. As it turned out, when the people did it, their blood levels of testosterone went up, and their level of the stress hormone of cortisol went down and they felt more confident.

 

 I decided now was the time to try it.

 

I went into the restroom. I laid down my cell phone on the sink and looked at the time. I lifted my arms above my head as if I’d just won a race, and I said out loud: “I have the victory through Jesus Christ, I have the victory through Jesus.” I snuck a look at my phone, and I’d only done it for one minute, so I stretched out my arms a little more and said it a few more times till 2 minutes were up. I left the restroom and doggone it if I didn’t feel more confident. I really did! I felt invigorated and even a little carefree.

 

It worked! I lifted my hands like it says in the Bible. And the experiment shown on the TED talk showed me how to do it for two minutes straight.

 

When my one boss came back from lunch, he started working on the pieces with me, and we had some good laughs as we both came up with almost the same exact colors. We took them outside to see how they looked against the sample; they were way off! We both looked at each other with wrinkled brows. We shrugged our shoulders, and off we went to try again.

 

The goofy thing is that the piece we were looking at appeared to have mustard color in it when we saw it outside, and the same color appeared reddish when we had it inside! We got out a fan deck of colors and took the piece outside to match it up. We were sure we’d do better the next day. At least, I knew I’d have a better attitude, and I’d start with my hands lifted in victory.

 

As well as lifting my hands, I prayed for God’s mercy and kindness to me. I knew He would help me come up with a solution to our problem. “With everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer” (Is. 54:8).

 

Sometimes it’s difficult to keep working on something that seems so hard. God knows this, and speaks plainly to us. He says in Hebrews 12:11-12: “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands.” We can do it, and we are victorious!

 

I finished the sample; it was approved and now decorates the outer walls of a major hotel in Southern California.

 

That was the past and now it’s time once again to employ this 2-minute victory pose to some new situations. I hope you will try this out too. The victories we see in our own lives will help us to teach a victorious life to others as well.

 

Love, Carolyn

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=WINGS%3A+A+Journey+in+Faith+by+carolyn+molica&crid=3GBPN2RO8RZMF&sprefix=wings+a+journey+in+faith+by+carolyn+molica%2Caps%2C257&ref=nb_

FAITH FOR VICTORY - MOSES AND JEHOSHAPHAT SHOW US HOW

FAITH FOR VICTORY – MOSES AND JEHOSHAPHAT SHOW US HOW

Before I got out of bed in the morning, I used to pray, “Lord, with You, it’s going to be a great day.” Then I hit some hard times, and my prayer became “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, help me, help me, help me.” Not that it’s necessarily a bad prayer, and of course I do need His help always. But this new prayer was motivated more by dread than hopeful expectation. So when I realized what I was doing, I stopped and changed my prayer back to the “It’s going to be a great day” prayer.

 

The Bible tells us we should always expect a victory of some sort or other if we are walking in alignment with God. And if something isn’t going to be good for us, He lets us know and shows us the way out, around, through or over. And in the end, we still get the victory with Him.

 

One of the names for God in the Old Testament is Jehovah-nissi, “the Lord our Banner.” The victory banner is what we are to hold up BEFORE going into any battle. Moses and Jehoshaphat show us how to do this. Exodus 17 gives us a great example of how Moses claimed God’s triumph before and during the battle.

 

The Amalekites came to attack Moses, and God told Moses to go and take the same staff with him that he used for parting the Red sea. The staff represented the presence and victory of God. Moses had faith in God’s presence. Whenever Moses held up this rod, he had faith that God was there to give him victory. Holding up this rod, Moses absolutely believed he already had the sure triumph of God, even before anything happened.

 

The Amalekites came to attack Moses and God’s people. “And Moses said unto Joshua, ‘Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand” (Exod. 17:9). Moses had faith before the battle even started that with God on his side, he would win. 

 

“So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.  And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed” (vv. 10-11). Right here is an amazing lesson for us: Keep lifting the rod of God; keep saying, “I have the victory.” Even though we may get weary, we hold fast to the conviction that we are going to be winners. We can’t let dread get the best of us. God says: “I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isa. 43:19).

 

“But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun” (v. 12). Another great lesson: Lots of times we need help to keep our faith for victory its strongest. We don’t have to always do it by ourselves.

 

“And Joshua discomfited [overthrew and flattened him] Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi [the Lord our banner]” (vv.13-15).

 

By faith, we go into every battle shouting the victory from the beginning, and seeing it manifest in the end.

 

We find another great example with Jehoshaphat in Second Chronicles 20. In this record, three different armies collaborated to defeat Jehoshaphat and his people, and take over their city and all its profits. The enemies even brought much wealth with them in the form of jewelry and other riches, probably intending to bargain after overthrowing Jehoshaphat. They would split up the spoil and sweeten the pot with their own riches if they wanted something specific.

 

But they weren’t going to win. Jehoshaphat got the people together, and they prayed to God about what to do. They acted on their faith.

 

“Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go ye down against them” (v.15-16). “And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa” (v.20).

 

Then look at this amazing act of faith. Before they even started the battle, they began singing and praising God. They had faith that they would win, and they began to sing about it and praise God for victory. And look what God did:

 

“And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten” (v.22). This is awesome! The people didn’t SEE what God was doing; they had faith He would do it. They praised Him for the victory BEFORE they saw any evidence. And it was at the moment of their pre-evidential praise, that the Lord ambushed the enemy. And look how He did it:

 

“For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another” (v.23). Wild, huh?!

 

And when the people came to see what happened, “behold, dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much” (vv.24-25).

 

Many other Bible records show the blessed results of having faith for our victory before we experience it. And like in the case with Jehoshaphat, it was AFTER they had faith for success and praised God for it, that God set up the ambush where the three armies killed off each other!

 

So don’t be like I was. Be more like Moses and Jehoshaphat. We can’t let dread get us down. Instead, let’s hold up that victory banner. God wants us to be His champions every day.

 

Love, Carolyn

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=WINGS%3A+A+Journey+in+Faith+by+carolyn+molica&crid=3GBPN2RO8RZMF&sprefix=wings+a+journey+in+faith+by+carolyn+molica%2Caps%2C257&ref=nb_sb_noss
 

GOD IS THE PROMOTER

GOD IS THE 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 demon infiltration.

 

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 15:23says: “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

https://www.amazon.com/WINGS-DEVIL-EVERY-Faith-About-ebook/dp/B01IJ95MME/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3EAU7Y3D62SWQ&keywords=carolyn+molica+A+devil+on+every+door+knob&qid=1694973477&sprefix=carolyn+molica+a+devil+on+every+door+knob%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-4
 

CHASING PHANTOMS AND THE SPIRIT OF OBSESSION

CHASING PHANTOMS AND THE SPIRIT OF OBSESSION

I had difficulty figuring out what I wanted to do for my vacation. I wanted to go on one, but I couldn’t settle on anything. It shouldn’t have been so hard, but somehow it was. I had such an idealized picture of what a vacation should be that I had a hard time letting go and letting God open a door for what would be best for me. It turned into a major problem.

 

In my mind, the image of the ideal vacation was from the past—an image, a phantom from my youth—having a great time camping, fishing, and floating down the rapids. But every time I tried to duplicate that kind of vacation, it didn’t measure up. The image pulled at me so much that I was getting really aggravated, and everything I planned fell through. I needed a vacation so desperately that I was exhausted just thinking about it. It started as a desire, but I let it become an obsession and idolatry. I’d put it on a pedestal and focused on doing everything I could to make it happen.

 

The Holy Spirit interrupted me in the middle of my intense aggressiveness and let me know what I was doing, so I instantly stopped seeking the vacation and sought God instead. I looked up the word “idol”: “a phantom, an image in the mind.” I told myself that I had to just let the old phantom image go, that past vacations with the family are now memories, and really great memories, but still memories. I couldn’t continue chasing ghosts. I had to trust that God would open doors for new kinds of vacations. I knew He would want me to have a great vacation, so I quit trying to figure it out myself. It ended up that God gave me an amazing vacation on an island trip with my sister and my mom.

 

Chasing a mirage doesn’t deliver true results. The Bible calls this “vanity.” “Walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind” (Eph. 4:17). The book of Job puts it this way: “Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; For emptiness will be his reward” (Job 15:31). The vanities (illusions) are all around us, promising things, looking good, baiting us, but they don’t deliver. They are only air. Living in Las Vegas, I see this all the time.

 

There’s one casino we’ve nicknamed “the sex hotel.” The young guys come in, and you can see the hunger and expectation on their faces. I watched one guy in a restaurant start flirting with a waitress in a way that he fully expected her to take him in the back room for sex right there on the spot. It was kind of hilarious but sad, too. The billboards advertise sex, so the guys come in expecting to get it, but it’s a phantom. They can look around the casino’s main floor and restaurants and be sorely disappointed. Visions of their imaginations trap them. 

 

I had been caught up in chasing the illusion—a mental and emotional image I had of the perfect vacation. But my picture was something that really wasn’t available in the same way as I saw it in my mind. I wanted to understand how this delusion was working on me so if I got tempted in this way again, I would be able to recognize it and stop it more immediately. I thought about how being obsessed by this phantom idea made me feel and act; I had become totally crabby and irrationally irritable. I felt like I was being squashed in a vise grip.

 

The dictionary says a vise is a “screw, that which winds, consisting of two jaws opened and closed to hold or squeeze with.” That’s exactly how I felt. The idol, the image, the vacation mirage had me in its jaws and was squeezing. Obsession is a demon that makes people feel pressured and unsatisfied until they get what they want (or die trying!) The spirit of obsession follows the devil’s objectives, as stated in John 10:10a: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” Obsession is just one of the demons that Satan utilizes to destroy as many good people as he can.

 

When I looked up the word “vise,” the dictionary said it could also be spelled “vice.”  I realized that a v-i-c-e (a fault or harmful habit) works much the same way as a v-i-s-e with people’s minds. The vice gets a grip on the mind and won’t let go. We usually don’t even know the real reason we got trapped by it in the first place.

 

God tells us that His desire for us is to be free. Paul wrote to the Galatians: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1). The “yoke of bondage” is the obsession, the vise grips of the unprofitable bondages the world puts on people, rather than the freedom that comes with Christ and walking by the Spirit.

 

The world is a big billboard of phantoms, and we’ve been bombarded with them since we were young—things we were led to believe were right for us to seek and seize. They were presented to us through all kinds of media, including books, magazines, TV, the internet, religion, our parents, teachers, peers, and our cultural and ethnic backgrounds, to name a few of the sources of these phantoms. We have even combined what these sources put out and developed our own versions of certain ideas or pictures of how we think we’d like things.

 

My recent picture was of a vacation I idolized and obsessed over. Another example comes from when I was twenty-one. I had the idea of having twelve kids. I figured since I really liked teaching Sunday school classes with lots of kids, I would love having twelve of my own. But that was my imagined scenario, and I didn’t check it out with the Lord. I also dreamed of being married by the age twenty-five, and I felt devastated when that didn’t happen.

 

One of my friends used to envision herself having one perfect job—one that she would absolutely love and would do it all her life. It didn’t happen. Women often fantasize about what they want in the perfect husband and take the chance of missing the best husband for them—the one God sends. People get an idea of what they see as their perfect family, but then they end up as a single parent, step-mom, or a step-dad, and they may feel that their dreams have been forever shattered, and they have a hard time coping with the reality of the new family they’ve been given. And then, if a person does not cast out that spirit of obsession, the obsession spirit is glad to bring in the more domineering spirit of addiction if it can, and we all know what sorrow and destruction to individuals, families, and friends a spirit of addiction renders.

 

We’ve all had dreams we thought were our own, but sometimes those visions of what we want don’t come from God, but rather from the world’s enticements. When we insist on pursuing these things without really checking them out with the Lord, our thoughts and actions can turn un-Christ-like, and we get further away from God’s good path for us. It gets harder and harder to see the truth. Paul says: “I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:21 AMP). That’s because when we’re chasing phantoms we’re off track and can’t be enjoying God’s great inheritance at the same time. Paul isn’t saying that we’re not going to heaven if we get trapped by a delusion. It’s just that our lives aren’t going to be as free and satisfying in this life.

 

Unfortunately, many of us only find out that something is wrong for us after we’ve repeatedly sought it out, and it still isn’t doing what we wanted. These illusions disappoint and fail us so many times we finally just can’t ignore them anymore. That’s when we need to take some bold action.

 

It’s no time to be apathetic. Romans 13:11 says: “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation [wholeness] nearer than when we believed.” It’s time to examine what we think we want and make brave changes if necessary. Philippians 4:13 says: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Why wait when we can turn some things around right now?

If we truly seek the Lord Jesus Christ, he will not fail us.

 

He will help us to recognize what ideas and visions are dangerous illusions and what images are solidly from Him. If we let Christ be with us when we take a closer look, we’ll see where the visions come from: tradition, family, culture, peers, the media, the Lord, or some other source. Once we know where they come from, it’s a lot easier to deal with them. If they’re not from God, we must get rid of them. He’ll provide us with something better for sure!

 

Love, Carolyn

https://www.amazon.com/BIBLE-LESSONS-NATURE-Carolyn-Molica/dp/B0BV4GC859/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QACB0S8NH0BF&keywords=bible+lessons+from+nature&qid=1676485121&sprefix=%2Caps%2C222&sr=8-1
 

LET'S TALK ABOUT RAIN

LET’S TALK ABOUT RAIN

In the past few days, Las Vegas was pelted with rain. It traveled around the valley and hit some areas more than others. At our house, we were blessed. My yard received a good watering, which was a blessing because I have gotten warnings from the water authorities that I use too much! I am grudgingly cutting back, but my grass covers a major part of my yard, and I love my grass, so I know the Lord was the one who gave me the extra heavenly water this week, and I’m really thankful. I got to thinking about God and rain and remembered a couple of miraculous incidents involving rain that I thought you’d like to hear about today. Enjoy.

 

Driving to my appointment, I came closer and closer to the nearby mountains. Huge red and black clouds piled high into the sky, and I could see the hot red and yellow flames. They swelled fatter and taller, and I felt smaller and smaller.

 

The black clouds crawled slowly and powerfully up into the sky like some thick, ghostly monster. The heavy, acrid smell of smoke filled the air. It was like the times I started a fire in my fireplace and forgot to open the flue. I had to throw open the sliding glass door to my patio and run out to get some fresh air.

 

This time, I was already out in the big open Las Vegas valley, but there was no fresh air to be had. It was eerie and claustrophobic, and I didn’t like it.

 

I had a vision of what it might feel like being up there at close range with the firefighters; our heads tilted back as we looked straight up, a wall of gray and red thick heat forcing us backward. The vision was threatening. I knew I had to do something before the mountain fire became more serious.

 

I felt that many people were praying, and I asked God to send rain to our desert and put a stop to the red and black monster. He answered that prayer. The rain came, drenched the fire, and the remaining embers were totally out in three days.

 

Our God is GREAT and MIGHTY. “The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool” (Isa. 66:1 and Acts 7:49). He made all the planets, all the stars, all the heavenlies. He is in charge of the winds, and He set the boundary of the oceans. He is God Almighty and the Lord of Sabaoth (Lord of all the elements). He can do LARGE!

 

Our God created all the existing elements and gave Jesus Christ power over all. “And Jesus spake unto them, saying, ‘All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth’” (Matt 28:118).

 

Those clouds were huge, the smoke suffocating and the fire fearsome. But our God is BIGGER! We need to respect HIM. He gave Jesus, His son, so much power, and in turn Jesus made it available to us as his brothers and sisters in Christ. He said: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14).

 

That’s why we can command the elements to obey. They are subject to their creator God and He set it up “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth” (Phil. 2:10). In ministering, I often use that scripture. It works, and it’s powerful, and I love it.

This means that ANY element or combination of elements—abnormal cells, a set of muscles out of place, a dropped bladder, a storm, a demon, a fire. ALL elements must be in submission to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And for any computer-controlled hurricane or any other unnatural weather phenomenon that is started, we need to pray that the people who are involved and the equipment be destroyed or changed by the power of our God.

 

And God will honor our faith as we step out on this truth about His authority and dominion. “And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following” (Mark 16:17-20).

 

When other believers and I prayed for rain to put out the fire on Mt. Charleston, God answered.

 

Another time, I had the opportunity to pray for God to stop the rain. I was on a Christian survival adventure. It included rock climbing. I had gone with several “city folks” who hadn’t even done much camping. When it came to the day we were to do the climb, the leaders went to set it up as we waited below. Dark clouds built up over us, and it began to pour. I found shelter under a big rock, began to pray, and got a revelation: The people’s fear brought the rain so they wouldn’t have to do the climb. I knew it was true.

 

Scrambling up to where the leaders were, I told them we had to pray. I prayed in the name of Jesus Christ and used Philippians 2:10 as I took dominion over the clouds and demanded a clear sky. The clouds dissipated, and the sky opened up over us. We were able to climb, and there were great personal victories for all of us.

 

These things are not just for preachers to do, but for all believers who will dare to believe in the power over the elements that God gave to Jesus and us when we use our God-given authority in the name of Jesus Christ.

 

Love, Carolyn

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=WINGS%3A+A+Journey+in+Faith+by+carolyn+molica&crid=3GBPN2RO8RZMF&sprefix=wings+a+journey+in+faith+by+carolyn+molica%2Caps%2C257&ref=nb_sb_noss