TAKING THE BRAVE NEXT STEP

 

TAKING THE BRAVE NEXT STEP

Have you been tempted lately by anything that tried to get you off track? I have. the place I usually go to write has changed. I had been going to the same place for quite a while and the atmosphere was perfect for studying the Bible and writing. It was awesome. “WAS” is the operative word here.

 

More and more distractions came up; the atmosphere changed. I noticed it, but I thought it would work out and everything would be okay. But finally, I had to face the fact that it just wasn’t working. I was fidgety nearly the whole time I stayed in the same place and tried to work. I had a harder time getting into the Bible, and it was a struggle to write.

 

Oftentimes our temptation is not the one that lures us out into other places but the one that gets us to stay where we are. Generally, people are more apt to go with the status quo, with what they’re used to, rather than venturing out into the unknown. No matter how bad the situation gets, our tendency is to stay put. The unknown just seems too scary or too hard. But that is exactly what our adversaries want. The situation gets slightly worse, then gradually gets so bad we wonder what happened. Satan manipulates to delay us and hurt us.

 

Wisdom is to become aware of a deteriorating situation as soon as possible, and if we haven’t got the authority or revelation to fix it, get out. You will probably be surprised to know that Jesus our Lord often walked away from bad situations. Check it out. Here’s one poignant example:

 

Matthew 4:12-13: “Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast.” There was no confronting the authorities to get John out of prison. God gave Jesus the message to get out of there. Jesus knew 1 Samuel 15:22: “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” Jesus got a word from God to leave and Jesus obeyed, even though his cousin John was stuck there in prison.

 

Another example is in John 8: 59: “Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”

 

And look at John 7:1: “After these things, Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.”

 

Jesus just moved on to do God’s will for his life in another place. That’s exactly what we’re supposed to do, too.

 

I don’t have to keep going to the same place I used to study and write just because it’s convenient for me. I don’t have to think I can stay and make it better either. I just have to pick myself up and say: “Jesus, where to next?”

 

Let’s be brave. Let’s believe to see quickly and clearly if a situation is one we need to remove ourselves from, and then be willing to step away if Jesus says go. That goes for people too. We need to recognize that in the big picture of our lives, some relationships are going to be on a time limit, and we need to be willing to let go without animosity or blame. As with many events in our lives, we go to the Lord to help us to step out courageously into the unknown with our hand interlocked in the hand of the One who knows it all.

 

I’ve found a new place to study and write, and I love it!

 

Love, Carolyn

 

You can get my books on Amazon. The two most recent ones are books with stories about what the Lord teaches us from nature.

https://www.amazon.com/BIBLE-LESSONS-NATURE-Carolyn-Molica/dp/B0CQ8PQNVG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=29RDC1SXA1TMA&keywords=bible+lessons+in+nature&qid=1703276435&sprefix=%2Caps%2C171&sr=8-1

 

WHO WAS OBADIAH?

WHO WAS OBADIAH?

Everyone knows what a great guy Obadiah was, right? Well . . . Probably not. But yesterday the Lord wanted me to find out about this amazing man—a brave believer and a hero. Obadiah worked for King Ahab as “the governor over his house” (1 Kings 18:3a). But in spite of Ahab’s disobedience, “Obadiah was a devout worshiper of the Lord” (v.3b GNT).

 

King Ahab had turned so far away from God that 1 Kings 16:30 tells us he “did evil in the sight of the Lord.” “And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him” (1 Kings 16:32-33). Because of this, God had Elijah call down a famine in Samaria where they lived, speaking the words he received from God: “There shall not be dew nor rain these years [until I say so]” (my paraphrase of 1 Kings 17:1). After three years of famine, it was really bad there, but to Ahab, the most important thing to him was that he thought for sure he would lose his valuable horses.

 

In the meantime, Obadiah was still running Ahab’s household, which put him in the presence of the evil witch Jezebel, and Jezebel hated the true believers. But somehow she either wasn’t aware of Obadiah’s beliefs, or she felt he was insignificant, and in her mind, not important enough or powerful enough to pay any attention to.

 

She was carrying out her mission to “cut off the prophets of the Lord” (1 Kings 18:4a). She hated the true God, and certainly did not want God’s prophets trying to influence Ahab in any way. The Benson Commentary gives us some good insight on this:

 

“1 Kings 18:4. When Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord – The name of prophets was not only given to such as were endowed with an extraordinary spirit of prophecy, but to such ministers of religion as devoted themselves to the service of God, in preaching, praying, and praising him. There were schools of these prophets, it is likely, still remaining in Israel [at the time]; but Jezebel endeavoured both to destoy the school, and those that were brought up in them, in order that none might be left to instruct the people in the true religion.”

 

Now back to our hero Obadiah. “Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed then bread and water” (I Kings 18:4b). As per the Benson Commentary: “At the hazard of his own life, and against the king’s command; wisely considering that no command of an earthly prince could overrule the command of the King of kings [the Lord our God]…. See how wonderfully God raises up friends for his ministers and people, where one would least expect then!” Obadiah, even through the famine, made sure God’s own were taken care of.

 

But God had another important task for the brave Obadiah. When Ahab was so bothered about his horses, he decided he and Obadiah should go out beyond the city and gather up some grass for them. So off they went.

 

“And Ahab said unto Obadiah, ‘Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.” And God orchestrated it so that Obadiah was on a path that brought him right to Elijah, and Elijah wanted Obadiah to go back and give King Ahab the message that Elijah was there in the king’s land, and he was ready to talk.

 

But remember that it was Elijah that told King Ahab the famine was his fault and there was going to be no rain and not even dew in the land until Elijah said so. So, for three years, Ahab had been in hot pursuit of Elijah to kill him. Obadiah knew Ahab was ferocious and desperate, so he told Elijah that if he went back and told the king that Elijah was there, and he didn’t show, King Ahab would surely kill him. Obadiah was afraid. He knew how furious Ahab was. Obadiah pleaded, “And now thou sayest, ‘Go tell thy lord, ‘Behold, Elijah is here:’ and he shall slay me” (1 Kings 18:14). But Elijah reassured him: “As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him today” (v. 15).

 

Brave Obadiah trusted Elijah and so he went to deliver the message. And when he did, nothing bad happened to him, but instead, Ahab rushed off to meet Elijah and that was that.

 

There’s more to the story, including the destruction of the 450 prophets of Baal, the people turning back to God, and Elijah speaking God’s will to bring back the rain and end the famine. But we don’t her too much about Obadiah after this until we see he is the author of one of the later books of the Old Testament.

 

Obadiah was a brave believer and was called by God to the unique commission: to be right in the midst of two of the most evil people of the Old Testament, Ahab and Jezebel. He lived around evil people without ever compromising his faith. He knew how they thought and acted. He saw and understood their wickedness, was face to face with their demons, and yet maneuvered around them and kept himself pure.

 

Obadiah was just the kind of guy God needed to speak of the evil people, and to them directly. He knew what he saw and learned that he needn’t be afraid. Obadiah called things as they really are, and thus, the book of Obadiah. It’s only one chapter, a battle cry against Edom, its evil partners, and its evil ways. And it ends the way all good battles should: “and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s” (Obadiah 1:21).

 

So that’s some of what we see about the life and maturity of a unique and brave believer, Obadiah. There’s not a lot about him in the Bible, but he sure made a big difference, and we all do.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

 

 

HONEST TO GOD

HONEST TO GOD

When I was an executive assistant many years ago, my boss gave me a letter to type to a client and sign. It wasn’t an unusual request, but this time I was faced with a dilemma. He lied in the letter. I didn’t want to lose my job by confronting him, but in my heart, I knew I didn’t want to sign my name to a lie. After debating with myself, I decided I’d rather say no to my boss and yes to God. As it turned out, I kept my job, even though my boss didn’t like me much after that.

 

That incident was a long time ago, but today there are many more opportunities to be dishonest: get a handicap card for our cars when we’re not handicapped, not go back and pay for the extra item that showed up in our shopping cart, tell someone we’re going to do something, but then don’t do it and hope everyone just ignores it, buying way more than we really have the money for, and so many other things. These things may seem silly, or small infractions, but we must accept that like a small fracture line in a baseball bat can end up splitting the bat in two, the principle applies to our lives as well.

 

We get very good at coming up with rationalizations as to why we “need” to be just a little less honest than the Word of God would have us be. Saul had that same problem. The Amalekites were constantly a threat to the Israelites. They were sneaky and when they attacked, it was usually not a full-on battle, but always the small attacks from the side, attacks that would not seem too horrendous, but nevertheless, people always got killed. So in God’s foresight He already knew the Amalekites would never stop their will to kill His people.

So So at the right time, God told Saul, through the prophet Samuel, to go up against the Amalekites and kill them all, their men, women, children and their livestock too.

 

Saul didn’t feel he needed to completely wipe them out. He decided to go by his own way of interpreting God’s will, rather than be honest and do God’s will to the full extent.

 

“But Saul and the people spared Agag [king of the Amalekites], and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly” (1 Sam. 15:9).

 

“Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, ‘It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments’” (v. 10).

 

“And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, ‘Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord.’ And Samuel said, ‘What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?’” (vv.13-14). 

 

^“And Saul said, ‘They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed’” (v.15).

Here Saul is totally telling a big fat lie, making up the excuses as to why he didn’t do what God told him to do. First, he tried to blame it on someone else—the people made me do it. He must have realized that was not going to go over well, so he came up with another bigger lie. He tried to convince Samuel that he really did it for God! Now that’s a good one!

 

Did he really think God was so stupid as to believe what he said his motive was?

 

“Then Samuel said unto Saul, ‘Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night.’ And he said unto him, ‘Say on’ (v. 16). And Samuel said, ‘When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel? And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?’” (vv.17-19).

 

“And Saul said unto Samuel, ‘Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal’ (vv. 20-21).

 

“And Samuel said, ‘Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king’” (vv. 22-23).

 

We’ve all heard the phrase: “The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.” But most of the time it’s used out of context. In this case it is used in the correct way. God had given Saul the honor of being chosen to be king. But Saul’s disobedience got him booted out, and soon after that incident, Saul died. In this world, there are always going to be consequences to sins against God. As we, the body of Christ, are told in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I believe that our sincere repentance softens the blow of those consequences. I know that for some of the sins I’ve committed, the consequences could have certainly been way more severe than they were, due to the mercy and loving kindness of our God!

 

Though Satan’s temptation to be dishonest never seems to go away, we do have the ability through Christ, to repent and change, thank God! “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13). God wouldn’t tell us to be honest unless He already knew He’d given us the inner strength to do it. And as an extra bonus, He rewards us for having the faith to just “man up” and carry it out, in spite of our fears or rebellion.

 

“But without faith, it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11:6).

 

Of course, sometimes people are ignorant of their deception. We tend to follow the crowd. And what we see other people do, we do it too. But we should always be taking our actions to God, not to what others get away with.

 

David was able to say: “Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide” (Psalm 26:1). In other words, when we don’t walk in integrity, we will slide! Who wants to slide away from God, for a few meager rewards from the worldly realm? Not me!

 

Proverbs 19:1 says: “Better is the poor that is walking in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool. The word, “perverse” means “twisted, distorted and crooked.” In other words, an honest poor man with God is better than a rich fool without Him.

 

What about our children? “The just man is walking in his integrity: his children are blessed after him” (Prov. 20:7). What are we teaching our children, if they see by our actions that we lack integrity and we’re not honest people?

 

And what about our businesses? What kind of people do we want working for us? Unfortunately, if people are dishonest in one category, they are most likely dishonest in more. Acts 6:3 is an excellent verse for doing a job search: “Wherefore, brethren, look you out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.”

 

And finally, the Apostle Paul exhorts us: “Brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” And do them.

 

I pray that the rest of this year 2024, we live honesty, in integrity and truth.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

 

 

GOD GOES TO THE NTH DEGREE

GOD GOES TO THE NTH DEGREE

Thursday was a beautiful sunny day with a few fluffy white clouds left over from the shower on Wednesday. In the morning when I went out to my backyard, I saw that many flowers had started to bloom: paperwhites, lavender, snapdragons, pansies, and others. I noticed one yellow daffodil that was just about ready, and by noon, it was fully open. In such a short time, it was opening up its face to the sunshine! God is the sunshine in our lives, and He goes to the nth degree to show us.

Lately, my thoughts have been racing, my emotions fickle and unreliable, but the Lord has done so many things to wake me up, get my attention, and bless me. And God is a very personal God. What delights me may be way different from what delights you, and vice versa. As I walked around my yard, I saw that there were buds on a mulberry tree, and a new hummingbird visitor. These things made me happy, but it was kind of short-lived.

Yesterday, I got in a mental muddle again. But then when I went out to study and write, a woman sitting close by asked about the big book I was looking at. It was the Strong’s Concordance to the Bible. I usually look at the Concordance online, but sometimes I like the feel of a real book, and this was one of those times. We got into a really delightful conversation and talked about how inspiring it is to see the meanings of Bible words in their original language. She said she used to do that, and I hope our conversation inspired her to do it again.  We’ll see. Anyway, it was great to talk to a stranger about God’s word, and I do expect to see her again.

God was working hard to get my attention! Psalm 37:4 says: “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

I don’t believe we are the ones who decide, all the time, what those desires are. Why does one person thrill at working on a motorcycle, and another person get so excited about refinishing a kitchen, and another person finding delight in simply walking a dog? I believe God is the one who gives each of us those desires in the first place. Then He makes sure He gives us opportunities to enjoy them.

The Lord had to pour on the delights this week, so I would wake up and take a look at what He was doing personally for me. God definitely has a sense of humor, and the scripture I was studying happened to be from the story of Elisha and his servant when the army of Syria surrounded the town of Dothan where they lived.

 ^“And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, ‘Alas, my master! how shall we do?’ And he answered, ‘Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them’” (2 Kings 6:15-16). 

Then in verse 17 is where I looked up some of the words: “And Elisha prayed, and said, ‘Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see.’ And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”

The word “open,” in the Hebrew is to open the senses, especially the eyes, and be observant. The Hebrew word for “eyes” is a word that indicates one is to see as a fountain, as in the eye of the landscape going outward, looking beyond, looking well. It is to see beyond and think about what one is really seeing. Then the word “see” means to behold, to consider, discern, and enjoy the experience. It means to stare at, think about and perceive, to be near.

This is what Elisha was praying for God to do for this young servant who was initially afraid of what he was superficially seeing with only his natural eyes. Do you see why I love so much to look up the meanings of the words, in their original language? When translators did their work in going from Hebrew to English, they often picked just one word, but the meanings are so much richer, and thank God we have a Concordance so that we can see it for ourselves!

Well, God answered Elisha’s prayer, and even when the enemy came right to the door, God did a miracle and blinded the discerning eyes of the Syrians. They did not even recognize Elisha, and instead, they let this strange man and his young servant lead them right down into Samaria where they could have all been killed. But God had mercy on them. Read the rest of the story in 2 Kings 6. It’s a good one!

So, God blessed me in my study and used it to show me that He was pushing me to open my eyes too! I got the message.

I realized other things He’d done this week to bless me, and at last, I woke up, cleared away the fog, and got thankful!

I’m so glad our God and our Lord Jesus don’t give up on us. God will go to the nth degree, to the extreme, to wake us up and show us how much He loves us as individuals. 2 Corinthians 5:14 puts it this way: “For the love of Christ constraineth us.” In other words, He keeps coming back and coming back and coming back to show us His love.

Like the gentle rain watered my flowers and the sun warmed up the dirt, and they opened up their faces full-on, let’s do the same. God hasn’t forgotten us.

Love, Carolyn

 

REVELATION, UNDERSTANDING, AND INSPIRED ACTION

REVELATION, UNDERSTANDING, AND INSPIRED ACTION

Truth has three parts: REVELATION, UNDERSTANDING, AND INSPIRED ACTION. Revelation is something revealed. God has revealed Himself and His ways in the Bible. But the Bible is only words in a book until those words are illuminated, or we could say, Understood. Illumination is when the proverbial light bulb goes on, and we all-of-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, and only God or His son Jesus Christ, can give true understanding.  

 

This morning, I looked up the word “understanding” in an online Concordance and there were so many great scriptures. The following are only a few of them: “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures” (Luke 24:45). Proverbs 2:6 says: “For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.”

 

Solomon specifically asked God for understanding and this was God’s answer: “Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and understanding heart “ (1 Kings 3:12). 1 Chronicles 22:12 tells us: “Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding.” And David said: “Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord: give me understanding according to thy word” (Psalm 119:169).

 

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

 

But without the light of God 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).

 

In the New Testament, the Greek word for “illuminate” is ‘sunesis’ or ‘suniemi,’ and it means “to understand, put together, and mentally comprehend.”

 

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 illumination, or the understanding, and the final part is inspired action.

 

The word ‘inspire’ comes from the Latin combination of two words: ‘in’ or into, and ‘spirare’, to breathe. According to the dictionary, the word was originally used of a divine or supernatural being, taking the action to impart a truth or idea to someone. So God takes the action to breathe into us an understanding of His will and His ways, and then we are to take the inspired action to share it with others. In this way, God’s truths, His will, and His ways spread out to bless all the earth. 1. REVELATION 2. UNDERSTANDING 3. INSPIRED ACTION

 

Love, Carolyn

 

IT'S A RELATIONSHIP, NOT A FORMULA

IT’S A RELATIONSHIP, NOT A FORMULA

About a week ago, I read a message from a friend telling me about some of the healing patches she uses. In the middle of her message, she included one sentence that seemed a bit out of place with the context of the rest: “Speaking in tongues also clears my ears.” But it sparked my mind, and a week later, God used it to heal me.

 

One morning, I was in a hurry and quickly grabbed my pajama bottoms and threw them in the washer with the rest of my laundry. Unfortunately, my phone was in the pocket, and it wasn’t until I went to put the laundry in the dryer that I heard a clunking in the washing machine and found my phone at the bottom of the tub! Bummer!! I tried putting it in rice and then drying it with the hair dryer, but neither worked. When I went to get a new phone, it turned out that they couldn’t put my old SIM card into the new one. Now, what do I do?

 

I bought a new phone but knew I’d lost all my contact numbers. I wanted to keep my old phone number, so I called the company. I tried talking to one of the customer service people, but it was frustrating because I couldn’t understand their English, and they were talking really fast. It took a while, and finally I got the message: I couldn’t get my old number back until I first put a service plan on the new phone. So, after being on the phone for about 30 minutes, I still had procedures to go through to get everything going.

 

I went back to the store and got a new service plan. But then I had to call the phone company to put the service plan on the new phone and change the new phone’s number to the one I had on the old phone. Once again, I got a customer service person whose English I could barely understand. At this point, I would have ordinarily asked to speak to a supervisor. Still, after explaining my situation twice, I really didn’t want to go through all that again, so I stayed on the line and annoyed the customer service person by asking her to repeat, repeat, repeat. She was very patient, and after an hour on the phone, I finally got what I needed. However….

 

I had to lie down because I had a huge headache. You know those clamps you use to fix a garden hose? You cut the hose, put the clamp on, and tighten it with a screwdriver. Well, that’s what I felt like I had on my head—a giant clamp, squeezing and pinching my head tighter and tighter. And then it came to me: that out-of-place sentence from my friend’s message: “Speaking in tongues also clears my ears.”

 

Instantly, I knew that it was God using that sentence from a friend to make the headache disappear, so I rehearsed in my mind how speaking in tongues is perfect prayer, from Romans 8:26-27:  “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

 

And I also knew from Isaiah 28:11-12 that speaking in tongues is perfect peace and rest: “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, ‘This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing.” I pondered for a few minutes on these two wonderful characteristics of speaking in tongues, perfect prayer and perfect peace. I fell asleep, and 30 minutes later, when I woke up, I felt no pain. My head was perfectly fine, and I was refreshed.

 

I believe God talks to us all the time. He’s our Father, not a mere formula we apply at will to aggrandize us as human beings. He’s given us many practical instructions in His Word that we practice, practice, and practice. But as we continue faithfully seeking Him and His ways, we grow up in Christ to see our Father with our spiritual eyes, communicating with us in just about everything.

 

It wasn’t random or coincidence that my friend wrote what she did, and I caught it a week before I really needed it. God was working in her to write it, and He worked in me to hear His word through her writing. Then, when I needed it, God nudged me, and I remembered what was said, believed it, pondered it, and was healed.

 

Our Father, God, works in the body of Christ through His people to get His answers, His healings, and His deliverance to us. God’s voice is hearable if we only pay attention. We yield to Him in even the smallest details, and they become some of the biggest blessings.

 

Thank you, Judith B., for hearing and sending the message. And thank you, Wendy P., for the plaque you gave many years ago, with the poem about those seemingly “little things.”

 

Love, Carolyn

 

BIBLE LESSONS IN NATURE is out now in paperback and Kindle. I think you’ll really like it 😊

. https://www.amazon.com/BIBLE-LESSONS-NATURE-Carolyn-Molica/dp/B0CQ8PQNVG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=29RDC1SXA1TMA&keywords=bible+lessons+in+nature&qid=1703276435&sprefix=%2Caps%2C171&sr=8-1

 

 

REMOVING THE DARK SHADOW WITH THE CLARITY OF THE LIVING CHRIST

REMOVING THE DARK SHADOW WITH THE CLARITY OF THE LIVING CHRIST

Satan shook his ugly finger at God and perverted the hearts of God’s people. They began to see their creator as severe and unforgiving. They were sure He was constantly watching them. Looking to find fault, pass judgment, and delegate harsh punishment. But, as E.G. White puts it: “It was to remove this dark shadow, by revealing to the world the infinite love of God, that Jesus came to live among men.” Jesus said of himself: “He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18).

 

Love, mercy, and compassion were evidenced in every aspect of Jesus’ life. He took on mankind’s nature to see and relate to what every person needs and desires. The poorest and weakest were not afraid to approach him, and children responded to his love. He didn’t hold back on speaking God’s truth but always spoke it in love. Jesus exercised tact, kindness, and thoughtful attention when interacting with people. He was not afraid to denounce hypocrisy, unbelief, and sin, but tears were in his voice as he uttered scathing rebukes. Even when he raised his voice to cast out demons or commanded the storms to cower to his authority, he did it with love for the people.

 

Every soul was precious in Jesus’ eyes. His mission was to bring all people back together with their creator, to be in God’s family forever. Jesus saw that many people were damaged souls and was there to save them.

 

In everyday circumstances, we’re not smart enough to figure out the right thing to do every time. What we think is good may not be. What we think is bad may not be. We guess and hope we’re doing it right. But only God has perfect foresight and hindsight. The bravest thing we can do is abandon our self-constructed ideologies of what it takes to be a good person. Whether we are born-again Christians or not, we need to drop the idea that we alone can devise the standard of what it means to be good. The Lord of heaven, our creator, has already given the parameters.

 

We need to jump off the cliff of “ME” into the arms of HIM! When we know what the Bible says and have Jesus as our personal Lord, we access true standards of ethics for every circumstance.

 

When God got a bad reputation in the Old Testament times, He sent Jesus to be a man like us, to relate to us, to understand us, and be among us forever. “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matt. 1:23). He is the only Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6b), the only Lord of lords. “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for his is Lords of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful” (Rev. 17:14). Jesus is the presence of love and the conduit of all God’s grace.

 

Isaiah 9:6a says: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder.” That’s the government of our souls! What a relief! Whenever I get stressed about money, I recall that I gave Jesus the government of my finances. He takes the stress away and gives me peace and wise instruction. Jesus is pure and genuine.

 

Going into this new year, let’s make an effort to recognize and allow Jesus into our everyday activities, setting the rules for our lives from this day forward with the written word and revelation. It will definitely be more exciting, versatile, loving, and satisfying than anything we can come up with on our own.

 

Even though we are now in the aftermath of Christmas, I want to share the lyrics of this beautiful hymn written in 1739. Read to the end and slowly. It’s packed! And it will bless you.

 

Love, Carolyn

Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new born King,
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with th’ angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new born King!”

Christ, by highest heaven adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
late in time behold him come,
offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail th’ incarnate Deity,
pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new born King!”

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that man no more may die,
born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give us second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new born King!”

Come, Desire of nations, come,
fix in us thy humble home;
rise, the woman’s conquering Seed,
bruise in us the serpent’s head.
Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface;
stamp thine image in its place.
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in thy love.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new born King!”

Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”