RETIRED AND ON TO NEW ADVENTURES

RETIRED AND ON TO NEW ADVENTURES

No more hard hats, safety vests, or old work boots! At the end of this week, I’m officially retired! Many years ago, back in 2008, when I thought about future retirement, God gave me a picture of what it would be, and I made a quick sketch. He showed me that retirement was just what the word said, “re-tire,” as in getting new tires for a new journey. That made me smile, and I kept the simple sketch on my desk to this day! I’m excited about going forward! At first, I was a little sad about retiring, but then I realized it was just a new start. Life isn’t over; it just takes a new turn.

 

“This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before” (Phil. 3:13). One thing I’ve seen with the Lord is that once something is over, He forgets about it pretty much immediately and gives me a ton of new ideas and projects and things to do and pay attention to. I say to Him, “Can’t we talk about this?” And it’s like He doesn’t even hear me. He’s already over it and way out ahead of me, like the past never even happened almost! Then when I get over myself, I have to laugh, and just catch up to Him.

 

Jesus knows I like to belly-ache and complain sometimes, but He also knows that if He rattles off fun things for my future, I won’t stay in the past too long. I’ll be running to do the next thing. Yep, retirement is going to be better than just okay, it’s already starting to be amazing!

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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PROMISES KEPT

PROMISES KEPT

“What Mary found that first Easter morning was a miracle, an empty tomb, and the sweetest words ever spoken: “He is not here: for He is risen.” Mary came looking for her Lord and found hope. Where she thought she would find death, she found Life. This is why Easter means hope – because of Him, because of His promise of Life Everlasting. When Life seems empty and confusing, when the world seems dark and uncertain, when you worry and wonder how to carry on, remember the promise of Easter. Always, there is hope.” (Judy Byington)

 

Yesterday Jane and I were talking about the multitude who gathered for the feast of Passover when Jesus came before Pilate. Jane asked, “What about the blind man that Jesus healed? What about the woman who touched the hem of his garment? What about the lame man at the pool of Bethesda? And the boy who was delivered of demons, and the lepers? Weren’t some of them in that crowd?”

 

I realized, then, that the number of people in that crowd who didn’t want Jesus crucified was larger than I’d thought. And yet the demonic priests and their followers must have shouted louder and longer to do what they did:

 

“The chief priests moved the people, that he [Pilate] should rather release Barabbas unto them.

 

“And Pilate answered and said again unto them, ‘What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?’

 

“And they cried out again, ‘Crucify him.’ Then Pilate said unto them, ‘Why, what evil hath he done?’ And they cried out the more exceedingly, ‘Crucify him’” (Mark 15: 11-14).

 

Jane and I talked about how horrible it must have been for Jesus’ followers that day. Jesus taught them about the true God. He opened the Old Testament scriptures to them. He healed them, delivered them from devils, and showed them the way to a better life. And now he was gone. Who would teach them? Who would heal them? Who would comfort them? Would they now be enslaved again to Roman cruelty and a life without hope? How terrifying was it for them?

 

We see later that even the apostles were shaken. Peter went back to fishing. What else was he supposed to do? He was devastated just like the rest of Jesus’ followers. Very few of the true believers could even remember what Jesus promised them. When the soldiers led Jesus to the cross, “there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him” (Luke 23:27). That had to be one of the most horrible days any believer has ever had to face on earth! The people were sobbing and crying, beside themselves with anguish, but they could do nothing to change it.

 

I know you’ve been aware of how windy, cloudy, and dark the atmosphere can get sometimes, and you know it’s not normal, but it’s a spiritual churning, a feeling of loss and devastation is in the air. Luke tells us that just before Jesus died, there was such enormous darkness over the land that even the sun was dark:

 

“And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit’: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. (Luke 23:44-46).

 

To most of the people there, all was lost. It was over.

 

Sometimes even today, with what we know about God and Jesus and the Bible and with all the truth we know, we still end up in a hopeless place in our minds and hearts, just like these people did over 2000 years ago. But God didn’t forget about them then, and He will never forget about us now.

 

Jesus rose from the dead, just like he said he would. He made an end of death for everyone who believes in him. None of us will die. We only pass over into something more beautiful and new. Like Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2b).

 

Because Jesus did what he did for us, we never have to fear anything at all. We always can know that Jesus squashed death. The devil has nothing he can do to take that reality away, ever!

 

Even when we feel like those believers on the day that Jesus was crucified, there’s the promise of God, everlasting life. It’s a life without sickness, fear, sadness, and loss. Yes, we can experience those things right now too, but there’s a day coming when EVERYTHING will be TOTALLY FULL OF HIS LIGHT and TOTALLY FULL OF HIS GOODNESS. JESUS CHRIST HAS RISEN!

 

Love, Carolyn

Jane found the first quote in this preach letter this morning on the internet, written by Judy Byington (Restored Republic)

 

 

DEALING WITH DEMONS WHO TRY TO BREAK THE LAWS OF GOD

DEALING WITH DEMONS WHO TRY TO BREAK THE LAWS OF GOD

So what about when we’ve resisted a demon, and it’s supposed to flee as it says in James 4:7, and we’ve rebuked it with the powerful blood and name of Jesus Christ, like in Exodus and Philippians 2:10, and the evil spirit doesn’t leave, or it comes back? There are two things that could be happening. First, it could be that there are several spirits of the same kind that have lined up to attack you one after another. If that happens, you’ll have to rebuke each one. As far as I’ve experienced, if they see that you mean business and you are going to keep at the resisting and rebuking, they will give up on you because you are way too much trouble and way too powerful for them.

 

The second situation is where the demon disobeys God’s spiritual laws. God set it up where demons absolutely had to bow to God first in Old Testament times - blood on the lintels, etc. When Jesus came, devil spirits had to bow to the authority in his name or his blood. When demons break these spiritual laws of God, they can be chained and sent to prison in hell before the final judgment.

 

Let’s look at what some demons did at the time of Noah and what God did about it:

 

“God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment” (2 Peter 2:4).

 

Then in Jude 1:5-6, we see again what God did to the demons that disobeyed the rules He set in place.

 

“I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not” (Jude 1:5).

 

“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1:6).

 

When Jesus was crucified and buried, he went to hell and showed himself alive to the demons who were already in the prison God had for them there. We are told about this in 1 Peter 3:18-20:

 

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit” (1 Pet. 3:18).

 

“By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison” (v.19).

 

“Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (1 Pet. 3:20).

 

Early in Old Testament times, God Himself sent the disobedient spirits to be chained and imprisoned in hell. By the time of King David, God had given this privilege to all His saints, as we see in Psalm 149: 4-9.

 

“For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds (Ps. 149: 4-5).

 

“Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand” (v.6).

 

“To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people” (v.7).

 

How does this vengeance take place? By binding the demons and making them subject to what God has made available.

 

“To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute upon them the judgment written” (Ps. 149: 8-9a).

 

And who is to do this?

 

“This honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord” (Ps. 149: 9b).

 

Psalm 149 gives us insight into one of the greatest weapons we have against forces of evil. Verse 6 tells us we have “a two-edged sword in our hand” to bind people’s “kings with chains, their nobles with fetters of iron” (v.8).

 

That’s not referring to human kings and nobles but to those principalities and powers in high places, i.e., devil spirits. We are to “execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints.”

 

The “two-edged sword” we see in Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” And in Ephesians 6:17 we are to “take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

 

The “judgment written” comes directly from the Word of God. Yes, there will be a final judgment of men and demons. But if demons are judged disobedient now, we can bind them and, in the power of the Lord Jesus, send them packing to the Hell prison spoken of in Peter and Jude. It says that if demons do not keep their first estate, but are disobedient (1 Pet. 3:19-20), they are to be delivered into chains of darkness (Jude 1:6) unto the judgment of the great day.

 

In other words, we can get these demons chained up in the same Hell prison where other demons have already been sent. They must remain there until the final judgment, and they can no longer influence or enter any human being or other entity on earth.

 

God’s given us this authority in Christ Jesus, so every time I bind disobedient demons, I do it in Jesus’ name or I bind them and bring them to Jesus’ feet, and ask the Lord to have Michael and his warring angels escort these demons to their rightful hell prison, to everlasting chains till His final judgment on them.

 

“Jesus Christ: who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him” (1 Pet. 3: 21b-22).

 

So if you have determined that the demons plaguing you are not merely multiples of the same type of demon, you’ve resisted them according to James 4:7; you’ve demanded they leave in the name of Jesus Christ like it says in Philippians 2:10; you’ve applied the blood of Jesus, which kept even the spirit of death off of the Egyptians, and none of these things worked, then you are dealing with demons who’ve chosen to be disobedient to the laws of our Almighty God and Father. These demons have just cut their own throats because now you can take them out of the sky, off the earth, and send them into prison in hell, where they will never bother anyone anymore! They will be imprisoned in “everlasting chains” until the final judgment day.

 

We, as the body of believers, are the spiritual watchmen in the world today — what an awesome honor, blessing, and responsibility we have.

 

I hope you will take the time to look up the scriptures I’ve shared about what we can do when demons don’t obey. Let’s join together to get as many devils out of here as we can.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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GETTING RID OF FAMILIAR SPIRITS

GETTING RID OF FAMILIAR SPIRITS

Familiar spirits are spirits that are familiar with you. They are evil and concentrate on weaknesses in your character. Their main objective is to call in other spirits that will prey on those weaknesses. Familiar spirits are high-ranking demons in Satan's entourage. They knew your parents, your grandparents, and all your family history. They know what illnesses you may be prone to. They see how you act when you've had too many shots of Jack Daniels. They know your triggers. They know what sets you off, what makes you angry, sad, sick, and what makes you afraid. They are familiar, but they are not your friends. God has given us the truth about familiar spirits, and He's given us a way to get rid of them.

 

Jeremiah said: "All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, 'Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him'” (Jer. 20:10). Why revenge? Because if you are following the teaching of the Bible, then the devil hates you because he hates the true God, and he gets at God by going after God’s people.

 

How do the familiar spirits operate? They are like the coaches on the devil’s football team. They call certain evil spirits onto the field when they see there’s an open door. For example, when things go badly at work, they may call in spirits of dread or rejection and fear, whatever they know from the past, of things that negatively affect you.

 

Hypothetically they may say, “Hey, spirit of dread, come on over in the morning when he’s half asleep and lay heavy on him. He’s in the perfect frame of mind for you to really get some influence. You’re going to love it.”

 

Or for another person, maybe it’s hypochondria. “Hey, spirit of infirmity, Jesse is starting to see some people getting sick around him. Get a few of those people to walk by him and cough a little. I’m sure that’s just the trigger that will get Jesse to take the sickness. He’ll have the flu in a week, just like last year and every year since he was a kid.”

 

Familiar spirits know precisely what spirits to call into their game, to delay us, hurt us, or preferably kill us physically, or emotionally just wipe us out. They feed off our weakest mental, emotional, and physical characteristics, calling in other evil spirit players to “steal, and kill, and destroy us,” as Jesus said in John 10:10, the first part of that verse.

 

Just to name a few of those demons that a familiar spirit would call: cancer, arthritis, oppression, jealousy, covetousness, anger, depression, low self-esteem, addictive desires, arrogance, pride, rejection, animalistic viciousness, apathy, fear, etc. These spirits were the angels who sided with Lucifer when he turned against God and was cast out of heaven. But God had a plan for us and a way to send those spirits packing.

 

Many people are already aware of their weaknesses and the things that tend to plague them. But others do not recognize their own tendencies and turn to psychics for help, or for what seems just a fun thing to do. But beware.

 

God tells us to stay away from them: “Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God” (Lev. 19:31).

 

Why does it seem that some psychics really can see your past or predict your future? It’s a straightforward answer: They operate by communicating with familiar spirits. When you go to a psychic, they tap into the unseen world and hear from the familiar spirits watching and influencing you and your family for a lifetime and longer. A familiar spirit that followed your sister can tell the psychic precisely what she might tell you right now if she was alive. The psychic may even be able to know the exact phrases she would use, and the psychic can even channel a similar dialect and the voice of your sister. But it’s a counterfeit.

 

The psychic's familiar spirit uses just enough stuff to get you to believe that the psychic knows you and can even see into your future. Then the psychic can predict something for you. But what do they predict? They now know enough from the familiar spirits to know what kind of things you’ll believe. They will say some good things, but they’ll also say maybe even tiny things to mislead you and get you to walk into Satan’s traps.

 

Remember, your familiar spirits are only there to bring you harm. They do whatever the devil demands of them.

 

When I first learned about familiar spirits being the ones who rally up the demon troops against us, I learned that the familiar spirits have been around us all our lives, so I mistakenly thought that we couldn’t get rid of them. Also, I falsely believed that we only had one. After studying the Bible, I saw that the familiar spirits are usually in groups. So if you get rid of one, beware because you may have to get rid of more.

 

The Lord tells us how to get rid of these evil spirits: “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). And James 4:7: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Neither of these verses says that familiar spirits are excluded from the demons that must bow and flee!

 

If I am resisting and rebuking any spirit, and the Bible says it has to flee, then familiar spirits have to flee as well. And as I’ll show you in another preach letter, that if a spirit doesn’t obey, it’s off to chains of darkness with no “get free cards!”

 

I hope you’ll think about this and begin to recognize the evil spirits being summoned into your everyday life. God has given us the spiritual weapons to kick the demons out, including the high-ranking familiar spirits that keep bringing them in. Freedom is that close.

 

Jesus said: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Part of the more abundant life is making those familiar spirits bow to God’s Word coming out of our mouths. We are victorious!

 

Love, Carolyn

(painting by Duccio di Buoninsegna 1308-1311)

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TOXIC TRIO

TOXIC TRIO

I used to follow some of the teaching ministries of the megachurches until I realized I wasn’t getting the results they promised. After studying the Bible on some of the major demons, I could see that some of these mega preachers were operating under the influence of what I call the toxic trio: Leviathan, Jezebel, and Balaam. Leviathan is the father of pride and is like a snake; Jezebel is a charming spirit, and Balaam manipulates for money. I saw these demon spirits clearly in the megachurch set-up, but you will see them in many other categories of life as well.

 

Job 41 tells us many characteristics of Leviathan. A Leviathan spirit is arrogant. And sometimes Leviathan is called a snake. A snake can be very quiet and a master of camouflage. I’ve come upon rattlesnakes a few times and not known they were there until I was right up on them!

 

Sometimes the term “Leviathan” is translated “crocodile.” I watched crocodiles when I lived in Africa. They appeared slow moving, lying on the water’s edge or napping in the grass. Then when they see something, they can move amazingly fast! In a movie, I watched one crocodile barely raise his eyelids to get focused on the exact position of a young wildebeest on the far bank. Then with a sharp whiplash of the tail, he slid his reptilian body into the water. He was hidden for a time underwater as he crossed, then with a violent thrashing, he launched with unbelievable power, up out of the river, his open mouth dripping water. Then with a sharp snap, he closed down on the wildebeest’s leg. The crocodile pulled the struggling beast into the muddy water then began to roll, over and over until the wildebeest’s leg twisted off and tore away from its body. That’s gruesome, but a leviathan spirit is just that gruesome when it targets one of us.

 

A Leviathan spirit loves to be in a position of authority, telling his or her version of truth. When we look closer, we see that the truth has been perverted and twisted in some way. They make something sound kind of true, but there’s always a vicious motive, and often a lying spirit is a Leviathan’s companion. The Leviathan’s motive is to tear people up and abuse them without the victims even knowing it. They also work to tear up the body of Christ, humiliating some people, and praising others, all to split us up.

 

Some of the most pious-looking, soft-spoken, likable preachers are not as humble as they might seem. They convince themselves that they are right. Pride blinds them from being able to take correction from their fellow Christians, and they think they are above the law. They become unbudgeable.

 

Job 41:15-17 says: “His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal. One is so near to another, that no air can come between them. They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.”

 

Job 41:33-34 says the spirit of Leviathan “is made without fear. He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.”

 

Isaiah 27:1 says: “In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent.”

 

We see that a Leviathan spirit has a big ego and feels that he or she is beyond reproach. But to entice followers in the church, a Leviathan spirit often collaborates with a Jezebel spirit, the smooth-tongued, delightful, charming spirit. Jezebel is oh so convincing. In a man or a woman, the Jezebel spirit is the one who promises the world. “Follow me, and I will give you everything your heart desires.” A Jezebel tells you he or she has all the answers and that pleasures await if you will just follow.

 

In 1 Kings 21, Jezebel saw that her husband was sad. He had a problem, and she was going to be his savior to get that problem solved. 

 

“Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, ‘Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?’

 

“And he said unto her, ‘Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it:’ and he answered, ‘I will not give thee my vineyard.’

 

“And Jezebel his wife said unto him, ‘Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite’” (vv. 5-7).

 

The thing Jezebel didn’t tell her husband is that she planned to kill Naboth to get the vineyard! People operating under a Jezebel spirit are usually delightful in public, but horrific when you get to know how they really operate. They will tell you they will get you prosperity, long life, and many blessings, but they neglect to tell you what they have done to get your attention in the first place and that the prize is not what you think it is. Remember, this spirit of Jezebel works in social categories, businesses, health institutions, and so many other areas besides the religious organizations.

 

Then there’s the spirit of Balaam. Balaam would do just about anything for money. In Old Testament times, people paid the prophets to speak what they, the people, wanted to hear. People under the spirit of Balaam do the same thing today. In Numbers 22, we see where King Balak wanted Balaam to condemn the Israelites. Balak sent his men with money for the message they wanted to hear. Balaam was a God-fearing man so he prayed to God about what he should do.

 

Balaam was not a bad person. But money got the best of him. He tried his best to wait on God, but he slipped up. God told Balaam, “IF” the messengers came back in the morning, he could go with them. But Balaam was already counting his gold. Instead of waiting for the messengers, he conveniently left out the “if” and jumped up and went with them, seeking the money above the will of God.

 

Leviathan is a power-monger, twisting the truth for it’s own pleasure, which is to tear apart and devour all that is godly. Jezebel entices people by promising great things. Balaam’s priorities are money and celebrity. The TOXIC TRIO, Leviathan, Jezebel, and Balaam bring more than triple trouble to the world today. But we can spot them, and God promises that they will be taken down, and we can be a part of it.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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HOW TO DEAL WITH LOSS

HOW TO DEAL WITH LOSS

Several years ago, we hit hard times and had to cut down expenses. I cut back our TV service, which meant we lost all the sports channels. My roommate Jane said, “Carolyn, I gotta tell you, I’m really having a problem with this. I miss not having baseball.” At that moment, I realized that the loss of anything is like the death of it and as long as we live on this earth, grief and loss are realities. So how can we deal with them in the most positive way?

 

Trying to ignore the loss of someone or something is just as devastating as letting ourselves get overwhelmed by it. It’s better to face the loss head-on and admit to it. We especially need to acknowledge our emotional reactions, speaking them out loud, even writing them down, to answer the question, “How do I really feel about all this?” Most people know we need to give the grieving process time before we can move on.

 

Sorrow is universal. There’s plenty of studies on it, but still much to be learned about how it works, how long it takes, and the effects it has on a person. The one thing we do know is that it’s a process and it varies with situations and people.

 

We can see from the Bible different examples of grieving. Signs included tearing one’s robe, weeping, having disheveled hair, putting dust and ashes into one’s hair or shaving the hair or beard. Other indications of sorrow included wearing black or sad-colored clothing, removal of ornaments or neglect of person, fasting or abstinence in meat or drink, and wearing sackcloth. Sackcloth was made of goat or camel hair and was course and uncomfortable.

 

All of these reactions are manifestations on the outer man, of what is being felt on the inside. One Bible dictionary said that men were generally more silent in grief and women more vocal and demonstrative.

 

The grieving process hasn’t really changed much over the years. Just one example I can think of is female friends who’ve done something to change the style or color of their hair after a divorce. I don’t know if it’s even a conscious decision or an extension of the inward, inherent grief reaction.

 

In the Bible, the days of mourning also varied. In the case of Jacob, it was 70 days (Gen. 50:3). In Saul’s case, only 7 days (1 Sam. 31:13). In Moses’ time, the official period of grief was 30 days.

 

For everyone, there comes a time when the major grieving must discontinue, not the memory but the extended deep sorrow and negative effects on everyday life.

 

When Moses died and the allowable 30 days was over, God told Joshua it was time for him to get up and get going. I think that a lot of times we need someone with insight to help us get going too, to wake us up out of our grief and get us to move on before the sorrow destroys us or makes us someone nobody wants to be around.

 

I know I needed a push when my dog Spike passed away. I was so sad I couldn’t see getting a new dog and had convinced myself that I couldn’t get one because of our old cat. My friend Miki kept pestering me with pictures of rescue dogs that needed homes, and I kept pushing the idea away. Then, my roommate, Jane, rescued an abandoned starving chihuahua from an alley by our house. We made two failed attempts at giving him away and finally got the message: “Keep the dog!” My time of grief was supposed to be over, and God was working through insightful people, forcing me to move on.

 

When God pushed Joshua, it was a new thing for him. Moses was gone, and now he had the responsibility to lead God’s people. I’m sure it was a little intimidating. Any time we have to embrace something new after losing something we loved, it’s hard. But we don’t have to do it alone. God told Joshua: “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9).

 

When we lose our loved ones, our homes, our jobs, our 150 channels, it’s normal, and it’s right to grieve those things.

 

The most positive response to loss is to recognize and face the loss head-on, acknowledging it for what it is and letting all the corresponding emotions come to the surface and come out. Then lastly, wake up to know the loss has opened up an opportunity to seek and trust the Lord to fill the gap.

 

In Isaiah 48:6, God promises He will show us new things, hidden things that we’ve never known before. “I have shown thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.”

 

We put our hope in God and the Lord Jesus Christ that when the grieving process has run its course, there will be something wonderful and new to enjoy. And one day, all grief will be gone.

 

“God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain” (Rev. 21:4). What an amazing and awesome promise to all who have chosen to believe and accept Jesus Christ as Lord.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

You can find my books on Amazon: 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

 

 

REVELATION, UNDERSTANDING, INSPIRATION

 REVELATION, UNDERSTANDING, INSPIRATION

The late prophet, Kim Clement, explained that truth has three parts: Revelation, Illumination, and Inspiration. Revelation is something revealed. God has revealed Himself and His ways in the manual for life, the Bible. But the Bible is only words in a book until those words are illuminated. Illumination is when the proverbial light bulb goes on, and we all of a sudden understand what we’ve read or heard. It’s that “ah-ha” moment. It’s when things flow together and understanding takes place. This can only happen when God’s light turns on in a person’s heart.  

 

As Jesus said: “He that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it, which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matt. 13:23). In the New Testament, the Greek word for ‘understand’ is ‘sunesis’ or ‘suniemi,’ and it means “to put together, mentally to comprehend, understand.”

 

The Lord wants us to be illuminated with understanding, and like Matthew 15:10 tells us: “Jesus called the multitude, and said unto them, ‘Hear, and understand.’”

 

But without the light of the Lord illuminating what we hear or read, this is what happens: “Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: for the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them” (Acts 28:26-27).

 

Sunesis is what brings everything together and makes the Bible alive and real, and not just words on a page.

 

So, first, we have the revelation, then the spiritually-illuminated understanding, and the final part is inspiration.

 

The word ‘inspire’ comes from the Latin combination of two words: ‘in’ or ‘into,’ and ‘spirare,’ with means ‘to breathe.’ So inspiration is “a breathing into.” When we sneeze into the air, we make the molecules of air and dust in front of us take action. The sneezing moves the particles with force, and sometimes we can even see it. So when we breathe or speak into the air, we make particles in the air move physically.

 

When the things that come out of our mouths are inspired by the Lord, they move both physical and spiritual entities. It’s a principal God set up for us to be able to “will and to do of His good pleasure” in the world (Phil. 2:13).

 

God gets us moving first by revelation from the Bible in written, spoken, or living form. Then the understanding is something that comes by Him bringing things together to put light on what was revealed. Then inspiration is what we do with it, taking it into the world. These three in combination (Revelation, Understanding, and Inspiration) bring us to a higher, more positive spiritual level in life.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

Take a look at my publications on Amazon: You’ll find GREAT KEYS TO LIVING A CHRISTIAN LIFE.

 

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