The Man Upstairs

Last week I was asked if I believe in "the Man Upstairs".  It was a sincere question I think, so it deserves a sincere answer.

OK, no one can know if there is a God or what He is like, unless the Lord God reveals Himself to us.

Uh oh.  It sounds like He's unknowable.

Well, the scripture does give us hope when it says in Jeremiah 29:

'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,' declares the LORD.

And then the Lord gives us even more hope by making this statement in Isaiah 65:

I was sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me.

Which makes it sound like He's very active in the process of establishing a relationship between Himself and us.  And He is.  The Lord God is drawing all to Himself, through Jesus.

So how does the Lord God reveal Himself?

Through the written Word of God, which becomes alive in us.  It becomes the living Word.
Through the honest testimony of other people that have experienced His presence, and this also produces life in us.

Then we see Him as He is - beautiful beyond description.  This makes us hunger for more.

Oh taste and see that the LORD is good!  (Exceedingly good!)  Psalm 34:8

And He wants you!

More, LORD!


LarryCarroll

Psalm 150:6 Hallelujah!

Psalm 150:6
Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD!  Hallelujah!

Well, I have breath, so...  Hallelujah!

pause...

Hallelujah!

Good.  You got it.


Larry Carroll

Why Get Baptized?

Why get baptized? -or - One way to demonstrate your faith.

Romans 10:9,10 says we should confess and believe.  (only)
Acts 16:31 says we should believe.  (only)
The thief on the cross did not get baptized, as found in Luke 23:39-43.

Then what need is there to get baptized?

However,
Acts 2:38 says we should repent and be baptized.

Yes or no?

One way to connect or reconcile these two thoughts is found in James 2:14-26 "Show me your faith by your works."

The idea I'm pulling out of James 2 is this:
Faith needs to be demonstrated and baptism demonstrates faith.

Larry Carroll

God's Presence

God's presence is heaven itself.

Heaven on earth (the promise, the down payment, the guarantee of our inheritance as stated in Ephesians 1:14) is God's presence, or more precisely, the presence of the Holy Spirit.

And know this, Psalm 16:11 says, "In Your presence is fullness of joy.  At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Larry Carroll

A Forshadowing or Harbinger Of The Gospel

What is the gospel, or "The Gospel"?  It is the very, very good news that the Lord God has made a way to restore each of us individually to Himself, as His child, through the payment made by Jesus on the cross.  He has made a covenant with us, which is now called the New Covenant, and He has fulfilled His part of this new covenant/agreement by paying our penalty for us.

And in the process, he is changing us, which is not just icing on the cake.  This is new life.  This is freedom.

Why did He do this?  Because He loves us, each of us.

Now as a forshadowing of that good news, the Lord God set up a system with His chosen people that demonstrated the process of sacrifice or payment for sin.  That was also a covenant, and is now called the Old Covenant.

OK, even from the beginning, the Lord God wanted to restore us to Himself, and bless, not curse, His sons and daughters.  We see this in Deuteronomy 28 where the Lord God shares the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience.  Both the blessings and the curses are quite comprehensive.

Psalm 103:3-5 summarizes the the Lord's blessings or benefits this way

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:

3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,

4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.  (NKJV) 

Some folks have found that forgiveness of all our iniquities is so wonderful (and it is) that they ignore the other blessings.  Alas.

Some other folks have then overcompensated by calling verses 3 through 5 "the Full Gospel".  Well, that's OK, but the Gospel itself really does include the whole package.

The New Covenant really is better than the Old Covenant, since the Old Covenant was impossible to keep.  But what was promised in the Old Covenant is even better than the expectation of many believers today.  I believe the primary reason believers limit the Gospel to forgiveness of sin (and the hope of heaven) is circumstances in their lives.

Circumstances argue against the promises of God.  However, if we walk by faith and not by sight, then we choose to believe the Word of the Lord rather than anything else, and eventually circumstances give way to the power of the Lord to save.

The enemy keeps saying to us, "Did God really say ...?", as he said in the Garden of Eden.  Rebuke him.

Hey, if you can't believe these declarations:
"He heals all your diseases,
He redeems your life from destruction,
He crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
He satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s",
then how can you be sure He is sharing the truth about:
"He forgives all your iniquities" ?

Hey, stop believing only a part of the Gospel.  Jesus loves you.

Larry Carroll

Babysitting My Granddaughter

I was blessed to babysit my 22 month old granddaughter today.

She was much more active than I was, but we laughed together and enjoyed each other's company all day.  Of course this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't spent many, many hours with her in the past, during which she got to know me, and dare I say, love me to the extent that one her age can love.  "Papa!", she calls out when I come in the door.  It's really nice.

Well, this afternoon she had trouble falling asleep at nap time, so I came into her bedroom and turned the sleepytime music on and leaned on the side of her crib for a while.  She decided she wanted out of her crib, so eventually I got her up and held her.


After holding her a while, both of us hugging each other, I had a feeling.  Yes, it was a feeling, and I knew this feeling of love I had for her is the feeling of love my Heavenly Father has for me, only His is so much more, of course.

This feeling or knowing is indescribable.  It's impossible to explain.  Parents and grandparents know what it is, and I understand that aunts and uncles and anyone who truly loves a small child (or even a pet) can also feel this love.

Many of you know the feeling. This illustrates how Jesus loves you - so tenderly and passionately.

Another blog post I recently wrote on August 30, 2014 entitled, "Touch Works Both Ways" deals with this topic, focusing on John leaning on Jesus' breast.  I'm sure they not only knew they were loved but they both felt it.

Larry Carroll

Our Car Was Totaled Last Wednesday - And Yet I Will Rejoice In The Lord

I guess there's a lot I could say about this, but I'll just briefly share that Helen and I were in a four car pile up on I81 in Harrisburg, PA - seven miles from our destination.  I was driving.

Since it is an eleven year old car, we did not have collision insurance, and wondered what to do.

But some friends were two hours behind us, going to the same conference, and they offered to tow our car home that night, behind their pickup truck with a trailer I rented.  God's grace - really, really.  And our friends' grace, too.

Well, I have had some internal dealings, as you can imagine.  There has been a pull in me toward feeling blue and guilty and stupid, but I am fighting it with praise, using the praise language the Spirit has given me.  And in spite of the accident, in which I am charged with following too closely, I know I am beloved of the Lord Jesus, and beloved by my Father in heaven.  I know how I would treat my own kids if they messed up like this.  And I trust they do, too.  So I will bless the Lord at all times, as it says in Psalm 34.  And I will rejoice in the Lord always, as it says in Philippians 4.  And that means now, of course.  Hallelujah.

Larry Carroll

Get Serious

In the book of The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 12, when the disciples "got serious" about praying for a Christian in danger, he who was in danger, (in this case it was Peter) was delivered.

(OK now, I am limiting my discussion to the Bible accounts.  I am aware that there have been Christian martyrs throughout the last 2000 years.  That's not the point.  What the Lord has deemed worthy to include in His book is the point.  It's His story, His lesson.)

OK, really?  Did they only "get serious" about praying for Peter?  Were they not serious about praying for Stephen or James?

Well, maybe they were, but there was no prayer meeting recorded in scripture for these two men.

In the book of Esther, when the queen (and let me emphasize that she was the king's BRIDE) pleaded for her people, the king listened, granted her request, and saved her people.

Can we not also plead for our people who are in danger?  Do we not have a special relationship, as the bride of Christ, to the King (the King of Kings)?  Is He not compassionate, gracious, and merciful?

Yes, we can plead for our people.  We do have a special relationship with the King.  And He is compassionate, gracious, and merciful.

OK, so what do we have to do to "get serious"?  Let's start with repentance.  If I am too busy, or too apathetic, to pay attention to the desperate situation people are in, I need to repent.

If I don't believe my intercession with Father God will "avail much", I need to repent of my unbelief.  For it says in James 5:16, "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man/person avails much".

Get serious.  Pray.

Larry Carroll

Touch Works Both Ways

My youngest granddaughter sat right next to me for a half hour yesterday.  I was blessed.

In the evening I realized that Touch, as a love language, works both ways (assuming a good functional relationship).

And that made me realize that both John and Jesus felt loved and blessed when John leaned against Jesus' breast during the Last Supper.  Yes, Jesus felt it, too.

OK, since Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday and today and forever, He will feel your love too, as you press in and get close to Him, or try to get close to Him.

Hey, try.  He knows your heart.  You will bless Him just by trying to press in to Him.

Larry Carroll

Just Ask, It's That Easy

Recently I was talking with my neighbor, and he told me about his cancer treatment and recovery from the treatment.

Chris said it took him only three weeks for him to recover what commonly takes others four to six months.

People remarked about this difference and he told them that "he has God".  He asked Father God for healing and substantially received it in the aforementioned three weeks.

Then he said something which I found very profound, "Ask.  Just ask.  It's that easy!"

Thank you, Chris.  Ask.  Just ask.  It's that easy.

OK, is this documented?

Well, I believe you're asking about his rapid recovery.  I can say I saw him a few months ago, after he started his radiation treatments, and I saw the mark they have made on his neck.

But I will give you some other documentation.

Matthew 7:7-11
7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

John 14:13,14
13 whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

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.

Aren't you taking these promises out of context?

OK, read them in context.  It won't change the essence.

Are there any conditions on these promises?

Well, there is this matter of believing the Lord God's promises.
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

And there is this thing about forgiveness.
Matthew 6:14,15
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

OK, this last condition concerning unforgiveness needs to be expanded a bit.  Unforgiveness turns a person's attention inward, towards himself/herself.  One would never say it, but one is then acting as if he/she is the most important person of all.  What the world system claims, "I'm number one!" then becomes true in his/her life.  Very unhealthy.

Larry Carroll

All scripture quoted is from the New King James Version.

Not Enough Evidence

Recently I came across an apparently famous quote made by Bertrand Russell.  When asked what he would say when facing God on judgment day, Bertrand Russell famously replied that he would say "Not enough evidence, God! Not enough evidence!" 
 (From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_nonbelief)

I'm sure others are thinking the same thing, too.

Well, it was early in the morning and I had some time to think.  I thought about the wind, as described in John 3:8.  I thought later about Psalm 19, that the heavens declare the glory of God.  And Romans chapter 1:20 says His invisible attribute are clearly seen, too.  But I know to Betrand Russell and others like him with hardened hearts, these mean nothing.

Then I thought about Jesus Christ.  He is the exact representation of Father God as it says in Colossians 1:15 and Hebrews 1:3.  The question then should be, "What do you think of Jesus Christ?"

So we will start with that for now.

Now here's a thought.  With the Holy Spirit inside me, I should also be (OK, be becoming) the exact image of Father God, and, of course, so should every other believer.

So again, we'll start with the question, "What do you think of Jesus Christ."

But then as we are more and more conformed to the image of Jesus, we will demonstrate godliness in our lives, which will be the greatest evidence of all.  Then the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea, as it says in Habakkuk 2:14.

In fact, the whole earth is full of His glory already, as it says in Isaiah 6:3.

Evidence?  The evidence is inside us.  He's the Holy Spirit bubbling up as a river of life out of you and me, believer.

One more thing, just remember, there is no such thing as hopelessness, when the Lord God is involved.


Larry Carroll

Tell Him You Love Him - Again

Do you know that joke - where a wife says to her husband, "Honey, do you love me?"  And the husband answers, "I told you I love you when we got married, and if I change my mind I'll let you know."

Well, initially it's funny, but in the long run it's really very sad.  Could that really happen?  I'm sure it has, alas.

Don't do that to the Lord God, to the Lord Jesus Christ.

What?

Don't say in essence, "Well, I let Him in when I got saved, so I can check that off as complete/done (I got my ticket to heaven so I know where I'm going.)", and then go about living your life as best you can.

He's still knocking at the door of your heart, as we see in these two verses.  He wants to know if you still love Him.

(1) Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. (NKJV)

Isn't that written to unbelievers?

Yes and no.  It's written to everyone, but here Jesus is speaking to seven churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.

(2) Song of Solomon (Song of Songs) 5:2
I sleep, but my heart is awake;
It is the voice of my beloved!
He knocks, saying,
“Open for me, my sister, my love,
My dove, my perfect one;
For my head is covered with dew,
My locks with the drops of the night." (NKJV),

See how the beloved (Jesus) views YOU - my sister, my love, My dove, my perfect one.  His heart is longing for you.

In His presence is fullness of joy.  Reach out to Him.  Let Him in.

Blessings,
Larry Carroll

Father's Instructions

Instructions from Father God are full of godly wisdom - obviously.

So how might we describe "godly wisdom"?  Let's start with James 3:17:
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.

OK, so if what we hear is not pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, and without hypocrisy, then it does not contain godly wisdom, and it is worthless.

OH, but this wisdom we are rejecting might be pretty good (or fairly good, or kinda good).

Yes, I understand, nevertheless, not godly.  This is analogous to the story of the brownie mix made up with just an ever so slight amount of doggy poop mixed in.  You wouldn't even notice the poop mixed in since it is such a tiny amount.  But knowing it is there will keep most everyone away from it.

OK, the above is written primarily to the listener.  How about the speaker?

Speaker, guard your heart, for out of the heart the mouth speaks.

Read Matthew 15:1-19, which ends as follows:
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man(person) ... (NKJV)

Proverbs 4:23,24
23 Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth,
And put perverse lips far from you. (NKJV)


How?  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.

Larry Carroll

Good Friday

The good part of Good Friday is in Matthew 27:51: "the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom".  This is a clear picture of what was happening in the heavenly realm.  It illustrates that everyone now has full access to the Holy of Holies.  We can come into God's presence at any time, all the time, in fact, right now!  As the song says, "Just as I am, without one plea... I come."

On the cross, a great 'swap' took place; Jesus took our sin and we received His righteousness and His access into the presence of Father God.  This was the best 'trade' anyone could ever make, and it was Father's idea!

Enjoy God's presence right now!  (How? Start by praising Him.)  Psalm 16:11 says, "In Your presence is fullness of joy..."  He wants you to come to Him.

There is also a Good Friday blog entry below from 23 April 2011.

Larry Carroll

He Shall Reign Forever And Ever

Yesterday evening I was reading about how "The Church" is losing relevance and how it is impossible for it to have both relevance and moral authority simultaneously.  The inevitable result is supposedly a decline into total insignificance.  (Alas)

Well this morning I was sitting in bed, praising the Lord, and praying in tongues.  A vision came to me of a stone on the top of a hill that got loose and rolled down the hill.  As it rolled it grew larger and larger.  When it got to the bottom of the hill it crushed an image (a statue) that represented all of the kingdoms (governments and cultures) of this world.

Many of you know this vision is written up in Daniel 2, verses 31 through 35, with the interpretation following in verses 36 through 45.  (Well, there is no mention of a hill or the stone rolling down the hill.  Where did I get that idea?  Well, it doesn't matter - the stone was cut without hands, and struck the image.)

Especially take note of verse 44:

And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

This is like Psalm 2:

1 Why do the nations rage,

And the people plot a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves,

And the rulers take counsel together,

Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,

3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces

And cast away Their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;

The Lord shall hold them in derision.

5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,

And distress them in His deep displeasure:

6 “Yet I have set My King

On My holy hill of Zion.”

Numbers 14:21 says:

but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord—

And Habakkuk 2:14 says nearly the same thing:

For the earth will be filled

With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,

As the waters cover the sea.

In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said:

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Upon Peter?  It doesn't matter to me.  The end result is total victory for Jesus and His kingdom.

And He shall reign forever and ever.  End of story.

So yet again we see the importance of focusing on the Lord God and His truth.

Larry Carroll

Scripture above is from the New King James Version

Why Even Try?

I know of at least one person, (and probably more than just one), who has given up without even trying, when it comes to personal wealth.

"I'm never going to have real money."  So the next thought is, "Why even try?"  The one person I know who said this explicitly then took her $15 and spent it on after school snacks to take her mind off the situation.  Others spend what little they have on entertainment.

I'm concerned that there are people that regard faith the same way.  They say or think something like this, "I'm never going to be able to live and believe the way these giants of the faith lived, and for sure I'm never going to be able to live as Jesus lived, SO WHY TRY?"

Well, try because it pleases our Father God.

And try because you are not in this alone.  You have the Holy Spirit in you, right?  I hope you do.  And you may have, probably have, other saints living this out with you.  Believer, are you in Christ?

And try because you won't have any real peace if you give up.

I'm told that sanctification is a process.

Winston Churchill, at the beginning of World War Two, gave a speech in which he said in part, "Never give up, never give up!"  Good advise for the Christian Pilgrim.

Larry Carroll

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.