Psalm 13, A Change of Focus

In Psalm 13 we read:

1 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?

How long will You hide Your face from me?

2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

Having sorrow in my heart daily?

How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;

Enlighten my eyes,

Lest I sleep the sleep of death;

4 Lest my enemy say,

“I have prevailed against him”;

Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

5 But I have trusted in Your mercy;

My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord,

Because He has dealt bountifully with me. (NKJV)

What do you see here?

Well, I see a change of focus, and a change for the better.  It reminds me of Second Corinthians 5:7 which says, "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

The author (David maybe, probably) of Psalm 13 started by sharing from circumstantial truth and ended by sharing from the higher truth revealed by the Spirit, a solid truth, a much better truth.  He shifted from walking by sight to walking by faith.  And faith in what?  Faith in the promises of God which the Lord God shared previously.

If the Lord God has shared promises with you, to ignore them is called unbelief, and that is displeasing to the Lord God.  It hurts Him, too.  Don't ignore the promises of God.

In Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5, when He said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you.", did He mean it?  Yes He did.  Don't ignore this promise.

 Remember this old chorus:

Turn you eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

It's true.

Larry Carroll

More Than "Just Say No"

From Mark 15:8-11
8 Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them. 9 But Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them. (NKJV)

It looks like the chief priests knew that just saying "no" was not good enough.  They needed to suggest an alternative.  This incident occurred when Pilate suggested Jesus as the one to be released at the feast.

"No" was not enough.  They had to say "Yes" to someone else, and in this case it turned out to be Barabbas.

This is a good lesson for us when harmful or wasteful suggestions are made.  Do more than just saying "no" (though that is a good start).  Say "yes" to something better, hopefully much better.

Or if you are warning another person (or yourself) about a harmful activity, suggest a positive alternative.

Don't do that.  Do this better alternative.

Larry Carroll

Psalm 27 - In the Second Person, Except Verse 14

Psalm 27 is written partly in the third person (about the Lord God) and partly in the second person (to the Lord God).  If it were totally in the second person, it might sound like this.  If you are one that prays the scriptures, this might help.

Psalm 27 - In the Second Person, Except Verse 14

1 Lord, You are my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
You are the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

4 One thing I have desired of You, O Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in Your house
All the days of my life,
To behold Your beauty,
And to inquire in Your temple.  (Verse 4 is worth memorizing.)

5 For in the time of trouble
You shall hide me in Your pavilion;
In the secret place of Your tabernacle
You shall hide me;
You shall set me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in Your tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to You.

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”  (Do it.  You'll never regret it.)

9 Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me, (He won't.)
O God of my salvation.
10 When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then You will take care of me. (He will.  He promised.)

11 Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see Your goodness
In the land of the living.

(So don't lose hope.  We will see His goodness.  Pray for eyes to see it.)

(I am leaving verse 14 in the third person.)

14 Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Larry Carroll
Based on the New King James Version

Believer, You Are In Christ Jesus

Romans 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus," (NKJV)

Believer, you are in Christ Jesus.  Your sins are forgiven.  Jesus' blood has washed you whiter than snow.  You are clean, you are holy, and you have every right to enter the Holy of Holies, which is God's presence.  Do it!  This is a great privilege.  Use it.

Father wants you to come into His presence, no matter how you feel about yourself.  He loves you, He loves us all, He really does, more than anyone could ever know.

Larry Carroll

Correction By Delegated Authority - Living a Supernatural Life

This is a two part blog post, although the second part could be appropriately connected to many topics.

Part 1.
The question came up in one of the groups I'm in:
How do you deal with a response to a "concerned and loving confrontation" that says in essence, "Who are you to tell me I'm doing the wrong thing?"

Well, OK, if I'm taking it upon myself to correct a person, then that person has every right to blow me away.  But if I have been delegated by a higher authority to deliver a warning message to someone, then whether he or she recognizes that authority or not, I know I have not spoken out of turn.

So, that person who is confronted should properly ask, "By what authority are you telling me this?"  Yes, I know, this is not a likely response.  But YOU can respond this way (gently, lovingly) if ever you are confronted, unless it is immediately obvious who the higher authority is.

Are there some Biblical guidelines?
Well, I can think of two:

Proverbs 9:7-9
7 He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,
And he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself.
8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,
Reprove a wise man and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

Matthew 18:15-17
15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16 But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 

As I'm reading this, it looks to me like verses 16 and 17 address the confrontation of a scoffer, which shows that scoffers do have to be confronted, too.  Just be aware that you will most likely be insulted for it - or worse.

OK, now if the higher authority is the Lord God Himself, then all the better - even better than a police badge (which is itself an example of delegated authority).

This leads to:
Part 2.
Hearing the voice of the Lord
Or more generally:
Living a supernatural life

Where to start here?  Well, ask the Lord to bring you to a place where you can, in fact, hear or sense or recognize the word of the Lord inside you. What does that mean?  A voice?  Not likely.  It's just a knowing. "How do you know that?", someone might ask.  "I just know" is all you can say.  It's a sanctified gut feeling. (Oh, but you might be wrong when you start out.  That's correct, so start out in a community with more mature believers.)

OK, do you know you are baptized in the Holy Spirit?  Make sure of it.

And being baptized in water is a statement to the community and to the world that you are really serious about your relationship with the Lord God.  At baptisms, we often sing, "...I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back..."

Do you know that you love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength?  Sort of?
(Well, I want to.)  OK, that's a good start.  Ask the Lord for a fresh revelation of His (exceedingly good) goodness.  And ask Him to show you how much He loves you.  It's overwhelming.

Larry Carroll

I will bless the Lord at all times

Psalm 34:1 says:
I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

OK, "all times" and "continually" include "now".  And I believe it.

So, what happened to me recently.

After fighting it for a while, my tooth started to hurt so much I knew I had to have it (and the adjoining wisdom tooth) out.  But I couldn't get an immediate appointment.  What came to me was Psalm 34:1.

Well, I don't recall it easing the pain much, but it's the truth, so His praise was in my mouth (off and on) while I waited.

The two teeth were extracted and I felt better.  Two days later, Helen and I went to the second of two kindergarten graduation ceremonies, which was 35 miles from home in Morris County.  Nice.

However, when we got in the car, the "check engine" light was on.  Alas.  Well, the last time that happened it was just a loose gas cap, so we decided to see what would happen.  Maybe it was OK.

What happened was the temperature gauge went up to "hot".  So Helen and I pulled over to the side of the road, called AAA, and found a shady spot to bless the Lord.

The car got towed home and fixed that afternoon.  How nice!  We drove it about 70 miles that evening, so it seemed good.

The next morning we went down to Union County on the Garden State Parkway and, near our destination, watched the temperature gauge go up.

Time to bless the Lord again.  Well, it's always time to bless the Lord.  Even the good times are times to bless the Lord.

In the New Testament, this is written in Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
This is saying the same thing.

So how do we get to a place where we can bless the Lord or rejoice in the Lord always?
1. We need to know His love for us.  We need to really, really know His love for us.
2. We need to know He has not abandoned us, and is still with us, right here right now, walking through this trial with us.
3. We need to practice blessing the Lord at all times.  We can practice in traffic jams and traffic detours and any other annoyance that comes our way.

Larry Carroll

The scripture above is from the New American Standard Bible.

The Gift of Tongues

OK, in First Corinthians 14:5 it says:
Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues...
I believe the author really meant it.

In first Corinthians 14:14,15 we find a use for this gift which is different than the use it had in Acts 2.
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 
What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.
This is true even alone at home.  For me it's true, especially when I'm home alone.

Now we come to a verse that show me that the author really values this gift, First Corinthians 14:18:
I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all...
I believe the author really meant it.

As for me, I really value it, too.  There are times during the day when I catch myself, seeing that I seem to be out of touch with the Lord.  When I then start to pray in tongues, the effect is like a shot of spiritual adrenalin to me.  Really.

I also find this gift so valuable when I want to pray about something or someone but don't know what to pray.  I am so very thankful for this gift from God.

Larry Carroll

The scripture above is from the New American Standard Bible.

Holy and Holiness - What Do They Imply?

Holy and Holiness - What do they imply?  They imply all things good, exceedingly good.

Here are some descriptions and attributes which they imply:

Alive and life
Beautiful and beauty
Clean and cleanliness
Courageous and courage
Delightful and delight
Dignified and dignity
Encouraging and encouragement
Faithful and faithfulness
Fascinating and fascination
Free and freedom
Gentle and gentleness
Glorious and glory
Good and goodness
Great and greatness
Healthy and health
Honest and integrity
Intimate and intimacy
Joyful and joy
Just and justice
Kind and kindness
Loving and love
Merciful and mercy
Passionate and passion
Patient and patience
Peaceful and peace
Perfect and perfection
Pure and purity
Refreshing and refreshment
Righteous and righteousness
Self-controlled and self-control
Shining and light
Sweet and sweetness
True and truth
Virtuous and virtue


And:
Precious
Admirable
Infinite
Spectacular
for which I presently do not have good noun/attribute forms.

So when we ascribe holiness to the Lord God or to the Lord Jesus it is no surprise that we should be drawn to Him as the maiden was drawn to the king in the Song of Solomon.  And, it should be no surprise that Jesus Christ is drawn to us, too.

And when we are told to love the Lord with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength, this should be a natural response to one who loves us with all His heart, all His soul, all His mind, and all His strength.

Larry Carroll

When We See His Face

On November 16, 2012 my mother died.  What did she see and experience that day?

From Revelation chapter 1 we read,
"12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.

So we see here that John was overwhelmed when he saw the Lord Jesus as He is now, in all His glory.  He fell down at Jesus' feet as dead.  And this is what my mother saw and experienced when she went home to glory.  She, too, was overwhelmed.

And this is what we will all see that day.  No exceptions.  The beauty, the glory, the love of Jesus will totally overwhelm us all.

But it doesn't end there.  Verse 17 continues,
"But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last."

Do not be afraid of death.  The Lord God wants to establish a relationship with you, too, through the death of Jesus Christ and welcome you home to live with Him forever.

"Yes, Lord, save me!"  He will. He loves you.

Larry Carroll

Scripture is from the New King James Bible.

The Joy of Marriage, The Joy of Surrender

In 1906, O. Henry wrote a short story called "The Gift of the Magi".  The story tells of a young married couple both of whom sacrificed their dearest possession for the happiness of the other.

It was Christmas time.  The man had a gold pocket watch, but sold it to buy combs for his wife and her beautiful long hair.  The woman sold her beautiful long hair to buy a gold chain for her husband's gold pocket watch.  And when they found out, they discovered something much more precious than either the hair or the watch; they discovered how much they truly loved each another.

I recently attended a wedding and advice was given to the newly married couple, which got me thinking about advice I'd give, if I were asked.
1. Serve each other.
2. Submit to each other.
3. Forgive each other.
4. Die for each other.
I see all of these in Ephesians chapter 5.

But what if only one party wishes to enter in here, only one party is willing to serve, submit, forgive, and die for the other?  Is it still worth it?

Yes, it is.  This is what Jesus Christ did, and is doing, for His bride, His church.  And look what it says in Hebrews 12:2:
"looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (NKJV)

And I'm finding it true in my life, my marriage, too.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Blessings,
Larry

Never A Solo Flight

We have heard that the teaching or mentoring process goes like this:
1. Book learning and basic concepts
2. I do it, you watch.
3. I do it, you help.
4. You do it, I help.
5. You do it, I watch.
6. You do it all by yourself.  So for example, at this point, a pilot will make his or her first solo flight.

But in God's kingdom, it's not this way.  For He has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  (Hebrews 13:5)

So you're never alone or on your own anymore.  You never have your first "solo flight".

And that makes me very happy.

Larry Carroll

They Weren't Faking It

Paul and Silas demonstrated that they really meant it, as was later written by Paul in Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always..."

Always.

In Acts 16:25 it says, "But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them...".

"The prisoners were listening to them" says that they weren't just barely, almost inaudibly, praising the Lord God in a whimper, licking their wounds so to speak.

No, Paul and Silas weren't faking it in the cold Philippian jail, with bloody, stinging backs and little creatures crawling all around.  No, they meant it.

They knew something that many others don't know:
The Lord God was still with them.
The Lord God is an exceedingly good God.


Oh, well we know that.

Yes we do.  We also need to know that, even though present circumstances are real, the presence and the promises of the Lord God were, and are, more true than present circumstances.  They are a superior truth.

Oh my.  Now don't get weird on me.

OK. Yes, I know, present circumstances can hurt really badly.  The enemy can use pain to argue that the Lord God has forsaken us, or is angry with us, or doesn't love us, or all sorts of bad things.

People have felt like that from the beginning.
Psalm 13 starts with "How long O Lord?  Will You forget me forever?"
Psalm 22 starts with, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?"

And yet by the end of each of these two Psalms, the author has crossed over to praise.

And we can, too.

Blessings,
Larry Carroll

The Fourfold Witness

In John 5:31-39 we have what is commonly called Jesus' fourfold witness:
1. v33 John the Baptist
2. v36 The works that Jesus did
3. v37 The Father Himself
4. v39 The scriptures

I believe we need these same four witnesses today:
1. The anointed testimony and anointed teaching of others
2. Signs, wonders, and other compassionate works
3. The internal witness of the Holy Spirit, including dreams and visions
4. The scriptures

Do you believe we need 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or some combination thereof?
Or do you believe we need 1 and 2 and 3 and 4, as I do?

Larry Carroll

12/14/13 - OK, thinking about this further, I will backpedal a bit and say that "1 and 2 and 3 and 4" as stated above, and in that order, is ideal, in my opinion.  However, I realize the Lord God can do whatever He wants and break any pattern I might set up for Him.  So, as an example of doing it differently, I recall hearing about the Lord God (the Lord Jesus) appear to people in dreams as a first witness.  And I rejoice to hear such things!

Psalm 116:11 - All Men Are Liars

Recently I was reading through Psalm 116 and I came to verse 11 which says, "all men are liars." That jumped out at me, remembering what I had seen the night before while watching a nationally televised political debate.

(Hey!  That indictment about all men includes you, Larry.)

Yes, it does.  But there is hope.  See below.

I also recall Pilate's very telling question which was, "What is truth?" The context seems to indicate he was in a very cynical mood at the time.  I suspect he had heard enough lies in his time to know from experience that truth had no value to the average speaker.

Jesus had previously addressed that question with the statement to Thomas, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

So truth is a person.

Putting it all together, I see that truthfulness will elude us unless the Spirit of the Lord God reigns in us. Yes, really!

(What does that mean?)

OK, this is what I want you to remember.  It means I need to be aware of His presence continually, lest I slip up during those times when I've drifted away, and think I need to be my own savior by telling a "white" lie.
  And I've experienced this both ways.

Larry Carroll

Lost And Found

Luke 15 is called the Lost and Found chapter by some, which I believe is apt.  Let me focus on the first of three parables, about the one sheep that left the flock and wandered away.

We read:
3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?
5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

At first, this sheep was not caught, but merely distracted by good looking stuff (probably food) somewhere "out of bounds", so to speak.  Life was still "good".  It wasn't until quite a bit later that it found itself lost, or worse, caught somehow.

And for people it's the same pattern.  Just because life is good, or OK, or not bad, doesn't mean I'm fine, no worries.  If I'm out of the presence of the Shepherd, and can't hear His voice calling to me, I'm in danger.

I'm in trouble before I know I'm in trouble.

So I need to do everything I can to stay connected with Father God.

But how?  How to pursue the Lord if my heart is lusting after other things? (aka idols)  I can't.  It's impossible on my own.  Alas, then I will end up in a thicket or a pit or the mouth of a predator.  Alas!

For many, the point of desperation comes when our idols fail us.  Too bad we can't see it before then.

But Jesus is a savior here, too!  He can and He will save.  But the first step is for me to realize I'm in trouble, lost, or caught by my own unhealthy appetites and desires.  When this realization comes, call out to Jesus to save.

It's better to call out to the Lord to change our hearts now, before circumstances make it all too evident that we need a savior, because we already need a savior if we're out of the presence of the Shepherd, and can't hear His voice calling to us.

Hallelujah!

Larry Carroll

To Know the Voice of the Lord That Well

God's written word is good and that includes His Law. It sets up good and just principles for living.
Psalm 19:7 says: The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul...
And in Romans 7:12 it says:
Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

Also, in Luke 10:25-28 it says:
25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”  26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”  27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”  28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”

Therefore, we should study and meditate on the scriptures, that is, the Bible, as it says in Second Timothy 2:15:
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (KJV)

However, this is only a framework for life, not an end in itself.  Why do I say that?  Well, in the same way that one can read "How To" guidebooks, one can read, live, and benefit from the principles in the scripture without ever knowing the author, and that is a tragic loss.

For example, if a person takes to heart what is written in Luke 6:38:
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.
That person will benefit by the material blessings that come his or her way.

A person does not have to check in with the Lord, or commune with the Lord, to live by some of the principles in the scripture.  And in the end might He say, "Depart from Me, I never knew you."?  We don't want that!

But to know His voice and experience His presence is a whole new dimension to life.

OK, now usually our understanding of the Lord's instruction, His guidance, His peace, will totally line up with the written word.  And if something comes to us that doesn't, there should be a big warning sign flashing within us.

However, occasionally the presence of the Lord, the voice of the Lord, the spoken word of the Lord, overrides the common understanding of the principles of the Lord.  There are examples in the scripture in which people were told by the Lord to disobey the common understanding of the Law.  Here are three examples.

1. In Acts 10:9-16, Peter was in Joppa on a rooftop praying.  He fell into a trance and had a vision of unclean animals offered to him for food.  Then a voice came to him and said, "Rise Peter, kill and eat." But Peter objected.  (The warning sign was flashing.)  The voice spoke to him a second time saying, "What God has cleansed you must not call common [unclean]."

So someone will say, "Well, that was just a figurative way of speaking.  Peter never really had to eat unclean animals."  This is true.  But what Peter was told to do was just as offensive -  to enter the house of a Gentile, and associate/dine/fellowship with him.  He was scolded for this contact when he came back to Jerusalem.

If something like this happened to me, I think I might have said, "This can't be the Lord God.  It is not consistent with the scripture I know."

Nevertheless, and this is really, really important, Peter knew the voice of the Lord well enough such that, even though this message was so totally contrary to all that he ever heard before, He still knew it was the Lord God speaking to him.  (Acts 10:14, "Not so, Lord...")  (How did he know?  Time spent with the Lord.  And that's how we will know.  And here's some good news - the Lord God wants to spend time with each of us, too.)

2. Although this occurred before the Law was given, another example is the episode where Abraham was directed by the Lord God to offer Isaac as a burnt offering.  I probably would have said, "What?!  This can't be God!".   But it was, and Abraham knew it.

3. And Jesus Himself knew the voice of His Father well enough to know Father's will, which was to offer Himself as an offering for us!  Peter said, in essence, "This is a terrible idea!  This can't be what the Lord God wants."  And we likely would have said the same thing.

So the point of this posting is to encourage us to become so attuned to the voice of the Lord God and hear the Lord God with such certainty and clarity that we will "turn on a dime" if so directed by the Lord.

Someone will say, "This is dangerous.  God does not contradict His word or change His mind."  Yes, the Lord God does not contradict His word and it is especially dangerous to live outside a community of believers thinking that one can and will receive fresh revelation without submitting it to others.

However, we have some examples above where the Lord God contradicted the common understanding of the Law with His spoken word.  And just generally in life, we need fresh revelation from the Lord, else life gets stale.  Yes, this fresh revelation more often than not builds on what we already know rather than seemingly contradicts it.  But, is everything we "know" truly from the Lord?  Have any of us ever picked up the traditions of men and thought them to be the correct interpretation of God's word?  I dare say most of us have.

Therefore, until we get to the place where Peter was, to guard against deception, when and where possible, believers should be open to new revelation, BUT live in communities in which they can submit what they hear to mature believers. (Yes, we need more than just one.  We need a plurality of elders/leaders.)  Then these mature believers can go before the Lord to evaluate what was heard.  Hopefully the mature believers will hear the spoken word of the Lord regarding the issue at hand and be able either to agree or to disagree that what was submitted is from the Lord, or not.

Open my eyes, Lord, I want to see Jesus.  Open my ears, Lord, and help me to listen.  Enable me to press in.

Larry Carroll

Unless otherwise marked, all scripture quoted is from the New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

^{John 16:23,24}
23 And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.  24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Are there requests which are just too trivial to ask?  When people pray, "Lord, where did I leave my glasses (or my keys)?", is this a waste of time?  No.  Father God is concerned about all of the details of our lives.  Luke 12:7 says "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Are there requests that shouldn't be asked?  Yes, if one is aware of a Biblical principle that addresses a request such as, "May I be unfaithful to my spouse?"  Don't!

How about if the answer seems obvious?  If there is no Biblical principle addressing an issue, then don't assume anything is obvious.  In Joshua chapter 9 the leaders of Israel did not ask the Lord about a matter which seemed obvious.  But they were deceived and suffered for it.

And finally, are there requests which are too big, too immense, too grand for us to ask?  For example, is it a waste of time to pray for our nation or even for world peace?  No.  First Timothy 2:1,2 says,
I urge, then, ... that prayers, ... be made for ... all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives ...

So should I pray about everything?  Well, yes.  But praying can be quick.  You don't have to explain anything to the Lord God, or convince Him of anything, or argue a case, or bow your head and close your eyes.  He's right here, He loves you, and He's been watching over you as a father or good shepherd.

So ask, and receive, and experience the joy of the Lord.

Larry Carroll

The Power To Forgive

The Power To Forgive

At my church we have been blessed to have the subject of forgiveness addressed from the pulpit for several weeks, starting with Mike Ferris’ presentation on January 8.  Mike addressed this from several angles and exposed the big lie of the enemy which is:

“If you forgive, you are implying that this offense was really nothing much.  It’s OK.”

And he went on to say, rightly so, that there are many abuses, offenses, and even crimes, especially crimes, that have happened, and they aren’t OK, and they never will be OK.  Nevertheless, we need to “let them go” for our own well being, for our own benefit.

Jesus went further when He said in Matthew 6:14,15

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

We see here that we really must forgive – and we know this to be true from experience, too, since we’ve seen unforgiveness damage people, and bitterness destroy people.

But how?

When we experience an offense and then look within ourselves we find that the power to forgive is not in us. What to do? Are we trapped in unforgiveness with no hope?  It seems as if forgiveness is not humanly possible.  Is the Lord God asking too much of us?  Well, He’s asking too much of ordinary mortals, that is, people operating in their own strength.  Martin Luther wrote:

“Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing,”

(From the hymn:  “A Might Fortress”)

Alas…"O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Romans 7:24.  Well we know who will: Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

How does this deliverance work?

There’s an old song I love:
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
It’s true.

So the first step is to “turn your eyes (the eyes of your heart) upon Jesus”.  Then ask Him to save you from your prison of unforgiveness.  Ask Him to wash you clean.  Ask Him to enable you to repent, that is, acknowledge that you (we all) are needy people and that your pride, greed, fear, and unbelief must be renounced (crucified, if you will).  Jesus is a savior and a redeemer, not just from hell, but from all that binds and torments us.

But what will keep us free?

Will we just slip back into our old habits?  Oh, Jesus will save us yet again, but this is no way to live.  We desperately need to be operating in the power of the Holy Spirit. And to be operating in this power, we must be baptized in and filled with the Holy Spirit.  Mark 1:8 says that Jesus is the one that baptizes and fills with the Holy Spirit.  So, pray to the Lord and ask Him to baptize and fill you with the Holy Spirit.  He will do it.

Notice that the word baptize is used here, as it is with water baptism.  Is there any connection?  Well, water baptism signifies to all that we’re totally in, no turning back.  Same thing with being baptized in and filled with the Holy Spirit.  He’s totally in us and we’re totally in Him.  This is not just a Sunday morning activity anymore, this is life itself.

Now forgiveness is not just a hurdle to get over occasionally so we can get on with life – it is a core element in life itself.  Does that sound depressing?  Well, then turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face.  Paul and Silas sang praises to the Lord God in the Philippian jail.  Why?  They were aware of God’s presence.  In the same way, you too can do things that are humanly impossible.

Larry Carroll

Ask, Seek, Knock
Matthew 7:7-11


7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.


The promise in verse 8 is quite evident - everyone who asks receives.  "Why" is addressed below in verses 9 through 11.  "When" a promise will be fulfilled is not stated.  So, for example, Abraham had to wait 25 years to see God's promise to him fulfilled.


9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!


So the question is, "How much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?  The answer is "much, much more".  Why?  Because He is your Father, and He's an exceedingly good Father.


So ask, seek, knock, and receive - and experience the joy of the Lord.


Ah, but the tempter is still at work, as he was with Eve in Genesis 3, where he said, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?”


And today he will use circumstances to say the same thing, "Did God really mean what He said?"  Circumstances often say "No, He didn't mean it."  The Spirit of God inside you says "Yes, He really meant it."


Whose report will you believe?  Choose wisely, choose life.


Larry Carroll


All scripture quoted is from the New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Christmas, 2011

11 December 2011

Christmas is a time when we celebrate the very precious gift that the Lord God gave to humanity, which is His son Jesus Christ, born to the virgin Mary.  We celebrate His birth.

However a few days ago, the thought came to Helen that when we celebrate birthdays for family and friends these days we celebrate all that they have become.  We celebrate and rejoice in who they are today.

There is a place to celebrate the gift of the baby in a manger, as the angels and shepherds did that first Christmas night.  Nevertheless we also need to celebrate Him as He is today.

And how is that?

Revelation 1:12-18 describes Him as He is now.
12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.
14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;
15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters;
16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

So we see that John fell at His feet as dead when he saw the Lord Jesus as He is now.  And we will, too.  But the Lord Jesus will raise us up and say, "Don't be afraid." as He has done so many times in the scripture.

Today, Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Yet He loves us tenderly as a shepherd who loves each one of His sheep, as a shepherd that would leave the ninety nine back in the sheepfold and go out at night and search for us, anyone of us, who wandered away and became trapped, seemingly hopeless.

Today, Jesus Christ is a savior, as it says in Psalm 34:6
This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.

Why?  Because of His great love for us.  Rejoice!

Larry Carroll

All scripture quoted is from the New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Hopeless?

12 September 2011

There is an account in the scripture in which the circumstance has all the signs of hopelessness, until the Word of the Lord Jesus turns the situation around 180 degrees.

Mark 5:35
While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

These same thoughts will come to us saying, in essence, "It's hopeless.  Why bother to pray any further?"  However, Jesus stepped in with these words:


Mark 5:36
As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”
 
Jesus then proceeded to raise the little girl from the dead.
 
Are your circumstances hopeless?  Is there no point in praying anymore, since things are too far gone?
 
No circumstance is hopeless.
 
Jeremiah 32:17 says:
Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.

"OK", you say, "He can rescue me, but will He rescue me in this situation?  Or will He ignore me?"

The Lord God is called Father all through the scripture for a good reason.  He loves His children.

Psalm 103:13
As a father pities his children,So the LORD pities those who fear Him.

The Lord Jesus reveals the nature of our Father, as it says in Hebrews 1:3
who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power,...

And Jesus turned no one away who asked for grace, mercy, or healing.

He will save us, too.  Don't be afraid, only believe.

Larry Carroll

All scripture quoted is from the New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Apple Picking Time In July

July 6, 2011

It's apple picking time - for the squirrels in my backyard!  Alas.  I saw them steal my apples with my own eyes.  They started in earnest two days ago and pretty much have taken them all now.  The squirrels are also taking many of the blueberries, and I believe the chipmunks took all of the gooseberries.

Vermin: "small common harmful or objectionable animals that are difficult to control or manage."
Do you think squirrels and chipmunks fit this description?  I do.  There are so many it's like a plague.

And yet, and yet - Habakkuk 3:17-19
17Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
18Yet will I rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.

So I am at peace.
 
Larry Carroll

Psalm 23 - In the 2nd Person

18 May 2011

Psalm 23 is so often read at funerals. And that's OK, but it's a psalm for living moreso than for dying. I was reading it and noticed how easy it would be to rewrite it such that it addresses the Lord God all the way through (2nd person), since more than half of it is already written this way.

The Lord God is good - is exceedingly good - is wholly good - is only good - is absolutely good. And He loves us.

See what happens when you pray this psalm and/or declare these truths.
Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.
1 O LORD, You are my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 You make me to lie down in green pastures;
You lead me beside the still waters.
3 You restore my soul;
You lead me in the paths of righteousness
For Your name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in Your house, O LORD,
Forever

Blessings on you,
Larry

All scripture quoted is from the New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Good Friday

23 April 2011

Good Friday

Was Good Friday a good day?
Is this a trick question?  No, it isn't. OK, maybe it is.

There are two sides to this. On the one hand, our precious Lord Jesus suffered extreme torture on Good Friday. So, we can all certainly understand why so many people would say that Good Friday was definitely not a good day.

On the other hand, it is called Good Friday.  There must be a reason for this name, and the only reason that comes to my mind is:
As of that moment in time, we were and now are all allowed into the presence of our most holy Father, the Most Holy Lord God Almighty. We are allowed into the Holy of Holies. We enter by the blood/death of Jesus, the Lamb of God.

Not only that, we are welcomed in! This is exceedingly good news! Whoever wants to come in is welcomed in!

Now, why do I say, "as of that moment in time"? All three of the synoptic gospels tell us that the temple curtain was torn open from top to bottom at the time of the crucifixion. This signified that the separation between God and people (us) was and is no longer there.

Matthew 27:51
51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
Mark 15:38
38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Luke 23:45
45 Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.

So to me, Good Friday was a very bad day, but now is a very good day! Hallelujah!

Larry Carroll

All scripture quoted is from the New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Lord Jesus, Please Drive

05 April 2011

Lord God, Lord Jesus, You Can Drive

Lord Jesus, please drive.

I have a friend who wanted to spend time with me, but had other things he wanted or needed to do, too. So he asked me to come along with him as he attended to his errands. It was sort of OK, but was not really a good time of fellowship. He was quite distracted, and conversation was interrupted frequently. I was just tagging along after him. We won't be doing that again, well, probably not.

I don't want to treat the Lord Jesus like that.

 Lord Jesus, I want and need Your presence, where You're the driver - where You're not just tagging along after me or with me while I'm driving.

As the song by Brian Johnson says - Lord Jesus, where You go I will go, what You say I will say.

Where You Go I’ll Go
[Where You go I go
What You say I say
What You pray I pray
What You pray I pray

Jesus only did what He saw You do
He would only say what He heard You speak
He would only move when He felt You lead
Following Your heart following Your spirit

How could I expect to walk without You
When every move that Jesus made was in surrender
I will not begin to live without You
For You alone are worthy and You are always good

Though the world sees and soon forgets
We will not forget who you are
and what You’ve done for us]
To see more -> http://brianandjennjohnson.com/

 We know that our Lord Jesus was not too busy to spend quality time with Father. I can think of two places where this is documented.

1. Mark 1:35 says, "Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed."

2. After the feeding of the 5000, Matthew 14:23 says, "And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there."

(Interesting - I see Jesus prayed both morning and evening.)

And we know that the time He spent alone with Father was joyful, since Psalm 16:11 says,
"You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

We have found this to be true when we are alone with Father, too, haven't we?

Larry Carroll

All scripture quoted is from the New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers.