REPENTING UNLOCKS THE DOORS TO GREATER FREEDOM

REPENTING UNLOCKS THE DOORS TO GREATER FREEDOM

I love this quote from T.L. Osborn, one of the great healing evangelists of the ’70s: “Jesus did enough! He did enough even to cover the worst thing we can do. He did enough for ALL mankind, FOREVER. There’s nothing we can do to shock Him, scare Him away, disgust Him so much He’d ignore us. He got tempted by whatever tempts us. And when He was crucified for all the results of giving in to those temptations, He took it to the devil and shook it in his face and dumped it off at the devil’s feet: ‘There, finished for all time!’”

 

Jesus paid the ultimate price for every sin against nature, against God Himself, against each other, and the things we do against ourselves, as well. But if someone doesn’t think they’ve ever really sinned, then they don’t believe the Bible, and they’re not going to ask the Lord for forgiveness because they don’t think they’ve done anything wrong.

 

People may not be concerned about changing anything they do or think. Some who can’t say they are truly sorry for anything they’ve done to God, themselves, or anyone else will not perceive any need for a savior. And they don’t think they need a Lord because they believe they’re doing okay by themselves. They think life’s full of necessary bumps, and they’ll handle it themselves in their own ways. These people have been taught to accept themselves as they are. This philosophy is deceptive.

 

God, our creator, accepts us as we are so that He can help us change into better. Anyone who believes they can’t be better is being deceived. And anyone who doesn’t want to be better is also deceived.

 

To be a better version of ourselves, we need to be genuinely sorry for things we’ve thought, said, and done in our lives that we know in our hearts were wrong. It’s not necessarily shameful that we did them, but it is shameful never to say we’re sorry about them. Jesus told his disciples to repent.  

 

The word “repent” is translated from a Greek word, “metanoeo,” meaning to think differently afterward, to reconsider morally. It means changing one’s mind for the better and heartily amending oneself.

 

Right after Jesus’ experience in the wilderness, where the devil tried to get him to say and do things against God, Jesus came back to the people, and the first thing he preached was repentance. “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). We learn from Jesus that repenting is paramount to one’s freedom from deception.

 

Jesus also said: “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matt. 9:13). And Matthew 11:20 tells us this about Jesus: “Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not.”

 

When a person first decides to believe in Jesus and want Him in their lives, repentance is essential. They say they’re sorry for all past sins, and they accept Jesus as Lord of their lives because they know they have not done a very good job at leading themselves. They believe He took their sins to the cross and that He even went to hell for them and then was raised from the dead to everlasting life.

 

But repentance is an ongoing thing. A lot of Christians think that repentance is for things like thinking evil of others, being rebellious, swearing, sexual sins, stuff like that. Yes, those things need to change, but we also need to repent for thinking too little of ourselves. We are not to be doormats that people walk over and wipe their dirty boots on! 

 

The older and wiser we get, the more we may reflect upon our past, which means we discover a few new things we need to think differently about now, things to reconsider Biblically. I know that has been the case with me. Things I’d written off, things I did where I thought I was right, and didn’t find out until I was 50 or 60 that I wasn’t right at all. But I found that when I told God I was sorry and repented of my past ways of thinking, I experienced new freedom, and it’s been awesome! Heavy loads I didn’t even know I was carrying were lifted off.

 

It is always God’s will that we have a better and better life physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Repentance is a significant part of freeing ourselves from specific ideas and deeds that God knew about, but maybe we didn’t, so they continued to burden us, popping up in our minds and holding us captive. Everybody has had wrong thoughts and done wrong things, so if they continue to bother us, let’s get free! Repent NOW and receive a renewed liberty and righteousness in Christ.  

 

“Stand fast therefore in the LIBERTY wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1).

 

Paul speaks to the believers in Corinth: 2 Cor. 7:8b-9a: “I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to REPENTANCE: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner” (2 Cor. 7:8a-9b). 

 

2 Cor. 9:10 “Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and INCREASE THE FRUITS OF YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Love, Carolyn

 

In my books, WINGS: A Journey in Faith Vol 1 & 2, you’ll find awesome spiritual adventures, and wisdom from the Bible that is perfect for applying to our current lives.

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WE'RE SMARTER THAN WE THINK

WE’RE SMARTER THAN WE THINK

Many years ago, I read a book by Zainab Salbi, the daughter of Saddam Hussein's pilot. It's called BETWEEN TWO WORLDS: ESCAPE FROM TYRANNY: GROWING UP IN THE SHADOW OF SADDAM.

 

Zainab described the terror Sadam inflicted on those around him: “Fear of Saddam took over every Iraqi heart and mind. He was everywhere and anywhere, and any stray negative thought about him made us watch our backs. As a child, I grew up watching hours and hours of TV coverage of him surprising families in the middle of the afternoon by entering their kitchens and opening their refrigerators. I guess this was a dictator’s version of a reality show; the entire country could peer into people’s cupboards and see what they were having for lunch. I didn’t understand why he revealed the intimate lives of people on national TV until the night my family and I had dinner with Saddam."

 

“It wasn’t one dinner but years of lunches and dinners, because my father was his private pilot. At times, my parents would be in their bed falling asleep when suddenly they had to wake up and entertain Saddam in the middle of the night, making sure that they looked bright and excited."

 

“He was charismatic and engaging, but he also spread fear. In the midst of one family lunch, he asked everyone what they thought of Napoleon. At face value, you would think that’s just a lunch conversation among friends. And that is indeed how one friend answered, saying: 'Napoleon is a man who rolled down from the hill of power as fast as he rose up to it.' Saddam answered: 'Are you referring to Napoleon, or are you referring to Napoleon [referring to himself]?' If there is such thing as air leaving the room, then that was that moment. His switch from friendliness to anger was common, and we all knew he killed friends and relatives; no one would be spared.”

 

Zainab Salib’s book is fascinating, but it was more insightful to me when I experienced being in the presence of someone who exhibited characteristics similar to Hussein! This person knew very private things about the people who worked under him, and he used the knowledge of those things to intimidate and control. I believe evil spirits told him these things because they were intimate things that no one spoke about, and certainly not to him.

 

Ecclesiastes 1:9 tells us: “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” At first, this looks like it may be a contradiction to other verses in the Bible, like Isaiah 43:19, where God says: “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”

 

There are no contradictions in the Bible, just verses, concepts, and phrases we may not yet understand. This is one of those.

 

E. W. Bullinger tells us in his notes on Ecclesiastes 1:9 in the Companion Bible: “‘Under the sun’ is a phrase that is particular to Ecclesiastes and is used 29 times. It is equivalent to “upon the earth,” and it refers to all that is connected with earthly things as such, and with man apart from God.”

So, we see that the phrase saying there is nothing new refers only to basic human and demonic things, NOT the spiritually wonderful things that born- again believers and our Lord God and His son Jesus Christ are capable of.

 

Separated from God, there is and never will be anything new. The devil can’t create anything. So, when we learn to recognize a demon or a demonic mechanism, it will always operate in the same way as the Bible describes it – there are variations, but the basics are always the same. Demons exhibit the very same characteristics in leaders of countries as in leaders of three or four people or even less. The same kind of evil people and evil ways we read about in the Old Testament, exist today.

 

When we examine and recognize the evil we read about in the Bible, we will understand and recognize the evils we see today. Anything the devils do this world now has been done before.

The devil is not a creator. If we’ve seen him operate in a certain evil way once, we recognize when we see it again—nothing new. That’s why God reminds us in 2 Corinthians 2:11: “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

 

We’re smart! We actually know more than we think we know. We’re smarter spiritually than we give ourselves credit for! I remember an incident where I was having a conversation with a 16-year-old young man, and we happened to get on the subject of demons. He was not a born-again believer, but his knowledge regarding devil spirits was remarkable!

 

I also had the privilege of meeting a young lady at a movie once who was involved with her friends in a deliverance ministry, and ever since that encounter, I pray for the younger believers who are whole-heartedly now involved in doing the Lord’s work.

 

It’s astonishing to think about who we are and our creative possibilities. God has not stopped creating! What God was in the beginning, He is now. Yes, He uses the same elements that He originally created, but nothing in the Bible says He can’t create more.

 

An example from the New Testament is in Ephesians 2:10, where it says: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Did you know that the word “Christ” means “the anointed one”? That same anointing is in us. Think about that! It’s a spiritual anointing from God our Father, different from anything else.

 

In Psalm 51:10, David asks God to “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” He can do that. In Isaiah 57:18, God says: “I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord, and I will heal him.”

 

You see, God is still creating and even creating what we say. So, let’s dare to say what God says: “I have peace, and I am healed.”

 

With the devil, there is no new thing under the sun. It’s all old and rotten. Use the Bible to get smart. You’re already way smarter than you know, so believe what you see.

 

Contrary to the limitations of the devil, we have a creative God! If He can create a new heart in us, the possibilities are limitless. As we venture into this new year, let’s expect greater miracles, greater successes, greater movements of God, and more wonderful life experiences than ever before.

 

Happy New Year 2025!

 

Love, Carolyn

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FROM LO-DEBAR TO THE KING'S TABLE

FROM LO-DEBAR TO THE KING’S TABLE

God chose David when he was but a shepherd boy and ignored by the rest of his family. His father and brothers didn’t think he had the makings of a warrior, much less a king. But God saw it differently. God chose David, who others discounted, and David never forgot it: “Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Ps. 136:23). If you’ve been snubbed, ridiculed, or dishonored, don’t worry. God’s got good plans for you. A great example of what the Lord can is found in 2 Samuel 9, where God brought Mephibosheth from a very low place to a high one.

 

David and Saul’s son Jonathan became great friends, so when both Saul and Jonathan died, David wanted to bless their family. He asked: “Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2 Sam. 9:1 CEB).

 

“David called in Ziba, one of the servants of Saul’s family. David said, ‘So you are Ziba.’ ‘Yes, Your Majesty, I am.’ David asked, ‘Are any of Saul’s family still alive? If there are, I want to be kind to them.’

 

“Ziba answered, ‘One of Jonathan’s sons is still alive, but he can’t walk.’ ‘Where is he?’ David asked. Ziba replied, ‘He lives in Lo-Debar with Machir, the son of Ammiel.’ David sent some servants to bring Jonathan’s son from Lo-Debar. His name was Mephibosheth, and he was the grandson of Saul. He came to David and knelt down. David asked, ‘Are you Mephibosheth?’ ‘Yes, I am, Your Majesty’” (2 Sam. 9:2-6 CEB).

 

Two hidden secrets in the above passage will amaze and bless you. The first is the fact that this man lived in Lo-Debar. I looked up the meaning of this word. “Lo” means “no, or without.” The word “debar” comes from two words. One translates as a “pasture, or a flock or fold, as in a sheepfold.” The other is “dabar,” meaning “word, answer, speaking, teaching, and communicating.” Lo-Debar was without a  pasture, a place with no flocks, no answers, no teaching, no communication. Why is this important? You’ll see in a minute.

 

The second hidden secret in this passage is the meaning of the man’s name, Mephibosheth. This name translates as “exterminating the idol.” This poor man was a child of our God, stuck in a low place, Lo-Debar; a place where he couldn’t operate his God-given specialty. God gave him the distinct ability in his name: to exterminate idols, but he was spiritually imprisoned in a place where there was no one to listen. There was no pasture for the Word of God.

 

Maybe you have experienced a similar predicament, where it seemed you were thwarted on every side and had difficulty getting through. It reminds me of when our Lord Jesus went back to his hometown of Nazareth, and “he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matt. 13:58).

 

God didn’t want Mephibosheth, an exterminator of idols, to be in a place of spiritual bondage, and He doesn’t want you in one, either. God sent David to bring this man up out of Lo-Debar.

 

^“David said, ‘Don’t be afraid. I’ll be kind to you because Jonathan was your father. I’m going to give you back the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul. Besides that, you will always eat with me at my table.’ Mephibosheth knelt down again and said, ‘Why should you care about me? I’m worth no more than a dead dog’” (vv. 7-8).

 

We see from this passage that Mephibosheth’s self-image was terrible. He was dejected and miserable. People will lean towards anger, depression and despondency when they feel they can’t express who they really are. How many times have you or one of your children proclaimed: “Nobody understands me.” But the Lord does understand and will always answer our cries.

 

Through David, God rescued Mephibosheth from bondage to freedom and delight.

 

“David called in Ziba, Saul’s chief servant, and told him, ‘Since Mephibosheth is Saul’s grandson, I’ve given him back everything that belonged to your master Saul and his family. You and your fifteen sons and twenty servants will work for Mephibosheth. You will farm his land and bring in his crops so that Saul’s family and servants will have food. But Mephibosheth will always eat with me at my table.’

 

“Ziba replied, ‘Your Majesty, I will do exactly what you tell me to do.’ So Ziba’s family and servants worked for Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was lame, but he lived in Jerusalem and ate at David’s table, just like one of David’s own sons” (vv.9-13).

 

There are many other examples in the Bible of God delivering His loved ones from prisons of all kinds, bringing them from low places to high ones. Be expecting to personally experience being freed from the bonds of Lo-Debar to your new place at the table of King Jesus. Ask and receive.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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HIS WILL IS TO TAKE SICKNESS AWAY AND FULFILL OUR DAYS

HIS WILL IS TO TAKE SICKNESS AWAY AND FULFILL OUR DAYS

When we read in the Bible that God says, “I will,” we need to understand that God is telling us what He desires and wants for us. He asks, “Do you want to know what My will is? This is it.” In the original texts, God jumps directly to the action, which we find after the “I will.” “Put none of these diseases on thee,” “Take sickness away,” and “Fulfill your days” are three phrases to focus on.

 

The first phrase is in Exodus 15:26: “I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.” In this verse, “put” is a Hebrew word that means “place, set, bring to pass, lay upon.” Part of the meaning of this word is “consider.” God wouldn’t even consider laying any of these diseases on us. It wouldn’t even cross His mind! I found the following on some of these diseases:

 

God doesn’t put disease on us; it is His will that none afflict us. If they do, then there is a cure. Going to God and reminding Him of His will is certainly a good place to start. And especially since in the very same verse, He says: “I am the Lord that healeth thee.”

 

The next phrase to look at is in Exodus 23:25: “I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.”

The word “take” means “remove, to cause to depart, to come to an end, reject, abolish, pluck away, to turn off, behead, withdraw, and be without.” Those are powerful words, and those are what the Lord God, our Creator, wants to do to ANY sickness that attacks us from within or without.

 

The last verse to look at is Exodus 23:26: “The number of thy days I will fulfill.” We use the phrase, “they died before their time.” There is a time set for each of our lives, and the Bible says it is when the number of our days have been fulfilled. But let’s look at what that word “fulfilled” really means.

 

It’s the Hebrew word “male’,” which means accomplished, replenished, overflow, satisfied. It means fullness, abundance, complete. It means to fill any vacant place with abundance, like in Genesis 1:22, “fill the waters in the sea, or Exodus 40:34 “the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle.” It’s also used of satisfying the soul, i.e., the desire, the hunger. It means to do anything fully or thoroughly. In Jeremiah 4:5 “male’” is translated, “cry out fully, i.e., strongly. All of these great attributes are God’s will for fulfilling our days here on earth.

 

The above three “I will” verses are great ones to focus on and repeat back to our Lord out loud. Slowly re-read the paragraphs above, pausing at each definition of God’s action word. Think about what the Lord is really saying to you. Put the verse in your own words, then pray like God told Isaiah to pray:

 

God says to Isaiah in chapter 43, verse 26: “Meet me in court! State your case and prove that you are right.” That’s the Contemporary English Version. The Amplified reads: “Remind me [of your merits with a thorough report]; let us plead and argue our case together. State your position, that you may be proved right.” And in the KJV: “Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified” (Isa. 43:26). Sometimes I do like Mary did, and say to the Lord: “Be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38).

 

 

If we can believe, we receive. “Jesus said unto him, ‘If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.’” (Mark 9:23).

 

WE’RE SO THANKFUL THAT GOD GAVE US THE GIFT OF THE LIVING CHRIST. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Love, Carolyn

 

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WHEN GOD SAYS, "I WILL"

WHEN GOD SAYS, “I WILL”

When we say, “I will,” it’s often a weak or mundane response, like: “I will take a ride.” But when God says, “I will,” it’s much stronger and should be understood as: “THIS IS MY WILL; THIS IS WHAT I WANT.” I started in Genesis, looking up the usages of “I will.” But it wasn’t there when I looked for it in the original texts! Why not? God didn’t need to say, “I will.” The translators added it. God’s will was in the action word following the “I will.”

 

This seems to be consistent throughout the Bible. God doesn’t need a lead-up; He jumps right in with immediate engagement. I’ll show you by starting with the first place we find “I will” in the King James translation of Bible. (You men looking for the perfect wife will love this one.)

 

Genesis 2:18: “And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.’” When you drop the “I will,” you have a much more direct and powerful demand: MAKE, as in “make it happen; do it.” The original Hebrew word is “asah.” By the simple task of looking it up on your online Strong’s Concordance, you see that it means “to produce, to procure, to prepare, to put in order, appoint, ordain, bring about, to celebrate, and maintain!” WOW! What a great promise for any single man who admits to needing a help “meet for him.” God’s will is to MAKE it happen absolutely! God says it’s His will to perform, celebrate, and maintain it! It’s like He’s declaring to His creation: “Make it happen!”

 

You’ll see a further explanation of the word MAKE on the same Concordance website.  It’s “to create, to work a miracle, to make or produce it from oneself.” What a great and loving God. Three examples are how a cow makes milk, a tree makes fruit, and a grain makes flour. The product comes from the source. The explanation goes on to say that the things made are acquired by labor. It is prepared and made ready, like food. It is also trained and combed (not shaved). When we apply this to a human being, God is telling us that He is the one who produces this person. He prepares them; He labors in them to give them the best stuff. He trains them and combs them, bringing out the best, not cutting them off. When God picks a person for you, He does it right.

 

The above example is the first place we see God saying, “I will.” I also looked up Genesis 17:7, where God says to Abraham: “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.” Galatians 3:29 says: “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” So, the many “I wills” God said to Abraham after Genesis 17:7 apply to us, too. I highly recommend looking some of them up.

 

But in this verse, the action word after “I will” in this verse is “ESTABLISH.” It’s a firm, strong, and sure declaration, like the MAKE in Genesis 2. In this verse, God is talking about a personal relationship between Him and us. When we look up the word “establish,” it means “to prove, to fulfill, to validate, to raise up, stir up, stand up, make clear, and strengthen.” God’s strong desire is a personal, organic relationship with us every day.

 

In next Sunday’s post, I will look at three very powerful “I will” verses in Exodus 15:26 and Exodus 23:25-26. The verses read:

 

“I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Ex. 15:26).

 

“I will take sickness away from the midst of thee” (Ex. 23:25).

 

“The number of thy days I will fulfill” (Ex. 23:26).

 

Four steps - 1. We look up the “I will” verses in the King James Bible. 2. We jump right over the “I will” and go directly to the action God Himself declares. 3. We agree His action is our blessing. 4. We believe, and we receive with thanksgiving. And all the glory goes to God.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

One of my books or booklets would be a great Christmas gift for a family member or friend 😊

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GOD'S INVOLVEMENT IN AMERICA'S THANKSGIVING

GOD’S INVOLVEMENT IN AMERICA’S THANKSGIVING:  

THE STORY OF SQUANTO – A TRUE AMERICAN HERO

God inspires actions and interaction with people across the entire world. He is magnificent, intricate with details, and miraculous in all His ways. Following are the events of the first American Thanksgiving. This version of the story comes from two Christian-based historical references, and is an example of how deeply our God is involved in our human history. I love this Thanksgiving story and like reading it every year. I think you’ll like it too.

 

Within the first year, half of the 102 Pilgrims who landed in America, died. Of the 50 who remained only 6 or 7 were strong enough to care for the others. William Bradford was their leader. He survived the first devastating winter of 1620 and went on to serve as governor of Plymouth for 33 years. From his book, Of Plymouth Plantation, comes his perception of what happened; this amazing story of how God intervened so that the Pilgrims could survive in this new land. He writes in Old English which is a bit hard to navigate, but with a little patience, you will be able to figure out all the words and content.

 

“About ye 16. Of March a certaine Indian came bouldly amongst them, and spoke to them in broken English, which they could well understand, but marveled at it… He tould them also of another Indian whos name was Squanto, a native of this place, who had been in England & could speake better English then him selfe.

 

“Afterwards they (as many as were able) began to plant ther corne, in which servise Squanto stood them in great stead, showing them both ye maner how to set it, and after how to dress & tend it. Also he tould them excepte they got fish & set with it (in these old grounds) it would come to nothing, and he showed them yt in ye midle of Aprill they should have store enough come up ye brooke, by which they begane to build, and taught them how to take it, and wher to get other provisions necessary for them; all which they found true by trial & experience… And thus they found ye Lord to be with them in all their ways, and to blesse their outgoings & incomings, for which let his holy name have ye praise for ever, to all posteritie.”

 

Bradford added, “Squanto… was a special instrument sent of God for their good beyond their expectation.”

 

How God worked in Squanto’s life is really amazing. In 1605, a member of the Native American Patuxet tribe, Squanto was captured by an English explorer and taken to England where he learned to speak English. In 1614 Captain John Smith brought him back to America but he was captured again and taken to Spain to be sold as a slave.  Local Catholic friars rescued him and introduced him to Christianity.

 

He went back to England and got on a ship to his native America. But when he got home, he found that all of his tribe had been killed by a plague. The sudden death of the whole tribe scared the neighboring tribes and so they never went onto the property, making it available for the Pilgrims. Also because of the odd circumstances of the tribe’s annihilation, the other tribes didn’t attack the Pilgrims and Squanto facilitated a peace treaty that lasted over 50 years.

 

With Squanto’s help, the Pilgrims’ second winter was much better. To celebrate, Governor Bradford appointed a day of Thanksgiving and invited Squanto’s newly adopted tribe to come and give thanks to God with them. The chief and 90 of his men came and feasted. They ate deer, turkey, fish, lobster, eels, vegetables, corn bread, berries, pies and popcorn that the Native Americans showed the Pilgrims how to make.  They competed in games of wrestling, shooting and running. The chief had such a good time he and his men stayed and celebrated for three days.

 

This was the first official American Thanksgiving.

 

If you’d like to read more about this time in America, I recommend America’s Providential History by Mark Beliles and Stephen McDowell and William Bradford: Plymouth’s Faithful Pilgrim by Gary Schmidt.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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PSALM 51:6 - WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

PSALM 51:6: “WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?”

The other night, I asked the Lord what I should read before bed. “Psalm 51.” I love that Psalm, but there are verses that I don’t fully understand. I know that happens to you, too. But there are easy resources online for doing a quick study or even an extended one. So, I decided to take a closer look and do a word study on verse six:

 

“Behold, you [God] desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part, you [God] will make me know wisdom.”

 

When we look up the words in their original language, we can better understand what the verse really means. It’s a way to meditate on a scripture and let it make a more profound impact, sinking into our hearts, because we take the time to focus on it longer than the time it takes just to read it and move on.

 

David says: “You, God, desire truth in the innermost part of me.” The first word I want to look at is “desire.” The Hebrew word “chaphets” means “delight in, take pleasure in, like.” But there’s more I wouldn’t have known about unless I looked it up: In the definition of “desire” is the idea of bending down toward someone, inclining yourself toward them. So this tells me God actually takes so much pleasure in us having truth that He bends down toward us, delighting in when He sees truth in us.

 

So, what is this “truth” God likes bending down to see in us? The word “truth” is the Hebrew word “emeth,” meaning all kinds of amazing things. Among them are: “faithfulness, reliability, trustworthiness, peace and stability.” But again, there is more to it. This is “truth that is spoken,” “truth as it pertains to divine instruction,” “truth in ethical knowledge,” and “truth in judgment.” So, God delights in leaning down toward us to smile at our faithfulness, our trustworthiness, His truth that we are speaking, our receiving the truth of His divine revelations to us, doing the right thing when we have ethical decisions to make, and truth in good judgment.

 

Where does God see these wonderful truths in us? The verse says He sees them in our “inward parts.” The Hebrew word for “inward parts” is “tuwchah,” and it means “the seat of the mind and thoughts.” In other words, these truths are not just flighty thoughts off the top of our heads but come from a deeper place in our minds. If someone took the time to seriously ask you: “What do you really believe?” you would go to this part of your heart and mind and say with the most conviction: “This is what I believe.”

 

God bends down lovingly toward us to see if we have embraced His truths and if they live steadfast and unmovable in the depths of our hearts.

 

The rest of Psalm 51:6 tells us what God does when He sees His truth in our hearts:

 

“In the hidden part, you [God] will make me know wisdom.”

 

The “hidden part” is one Hebrew word, “satam,” which is the ”secret part, storehouse, treasury.” The word “know” is the Hebrew word “yada,” which means to “see and know, to be sure of, discover and know by experience, feel, understand, and be able to teach.”

 

Then, the final word, “wisdom,” is “hakma” in Hebrew. Wisdom is always about applying knowledge. However, the definition of wisdom here is specific to certain areas.

 

It is defined as ‘wisdom in administration, prudence in religious affairs, wisdom in ethical matters, shrewdness or cleverness, and skill in war (both spiritual and physical).’ One example is Matthew 10:16: “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (AMP).”

 

In studying the words used in Psalm 51:6, we find that our loving God is inclining Himself down toward us. He delights in seeing what He’s taught us, dwelling in the deepest parts of our hearts. When He finds them there, He can attach the blessing of discovering, experiencing, understanding, feeling, and being able to teach, like David, excellent skill in war (physical and spiritual), administrative skills in all categories of life, cleverness, prudence in religious matters, and godly ways to handle ethical issues as well.

 

Studying the words God gave David to speak in Psalm 51:6 really helps us see the bigness of God’s heart of love toward us. He bends down to us, desiring to see His gift in the innermost part of our hearts and seeing us discovering and knowing by experience His wisdom in ethical matters, religious matters, and skills of spiritual warfare.  

 

Studying a verse is easy to do online. Just go to the link below, put a word or scripture reference in the search box, choose the Bible version, and click the arrow. Then click where it says “STRONGS.” That gives you the option of looking at the definitions of the original words. I found in this resource that I had to use the KJV or the NASB, but there may be other sources if you prefer reading a different version.

 https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/psa/51/6/ss1/t_conc_529006

 

Try this, even if you only look up a couple of words. I think you will really be blessed.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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