PRAISE AND WORSHIP

PRAISE AND WORSHIP

Last night I was in a state of half-asleep and half-awake when I began to praise the Lord. I didn’t have my eyes open, but I was conscious of what I was saying. I told the Lord over and over: “I praise you; I worship you; I praise you; I praise you; thank you.” I went on like this for several minutes until I fell back asleep.

 

As I thought about this, it hit me that there are many Christians who no longer go to a traditional church building to worship and praise. But praise and worship still need to be a part of our lives. Praise and worship are an important part of our interaction with the Lord God. To praise Him doesn’t change Him, but it changes us!

 

When Paul and Silas were thrown in prison, they prayed and sang praises to God. And what happened?

 

“At midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed” (Acts 16:25-26)

 

Paul and Silas were free.

 

David was being chased and pursued by Saul, who wanted to kill him. When David was alone, he praised God. And God rescued him and gave him insight on how to get away from Saul. “I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies” (Ps. 18:3).

 

There are many verses about praise, but these two show us that praise opens prison doors. Praise can free us. David shows us that praise can save us from our enemies.

 

So even if we don’t go to an actual church building, and even if our Christian fellowship is only online or only a small group of people or even if we are by ourselves, we still need to take time to praise and worship God. We praise and worship Him for who He is and how thankful we are for Him being in our lives.

 

Even in awful circumstances: hurricanes, fires, jail, or persecution, we still need to praise and worship God. It’s probably our one and only true escape from our own self-destruction. David said: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance” (Psalm 42:5). David was a smart man. There’s a phrase we hear these days, “Pay it ahead.” But David knew that “Praise it ahead” was even better. He said: “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving” (Ps. 69:30).

 

When I woke up from praising and worshipping the Lord in my sleep, I realized I needed to praise Him even more when I’m fully awake. I need to make more time to worship Him. He is the absolute most important one in my entire life and I should tell Him more often!

 

Love, Carolyn

 

IT’S OUT!! My new book, BIBLE LESSONS FROM NATURE, and it’s in FULL COLOR ***! YOU CAN GET YOUR COPY TODAY AT:

https://www.amazon.com/BIBLE-LESSONS-NATURE-Carolyn-Molica/dp/B0BV4GC859/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QACB0S8NH0BF&keywords=bible+lessons+from+nature&qid=1676485121&sprefix=%2Caps%2C222&sr=8-1

 

 

 

GOD IS GOOD

 GOD IS GOOD

How can you change the world?

*By one random act of kindness at a time (even the smallest might change a person's life). THIS IS BEAUTIFUL!!!

https://t.me/JulianAssangeWiki/1494

(you may need to copy and paste this link to your search box to see - it's well worth it!)

I watched this video yesterday and decided to share it. I thought it was inspiring, and I think you will too. It made me think of these verses from the Bible:

Col. 3:12a: “Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”

And Rom. 2:4: “The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.”

And Mark 10:18: “And Jesus said unto him, ‘Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.’” But the truth doesn’t stop there. God infused us with His own goodness and kindness too. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:13).

Let’s let God inspire us to spread His kind of kindness and love around.

Love, Carolyn

And don’t forget that you can now get my new book on Amazon – in print or digital .

https://www.amazon.com/BIBLE.../dp/B0BV4GC859/ref=sr_1_1...

T.ME

Julian Assange

How can you change the wo-rld? *By one random act of kindness at a time  (even the smallest might change a person's life) Join @JulianAssangeWiki

A GOOD CONSCIENCE

A GOOD CONSCIENCE

The dictionary defines “conscience” as “the internal recognition of right and wrong, with the compulsion to do right; a moral judgment that opposes the violation of a previously recognized ethical principle.” But “blind ambition” will disregard conscience and go for what it wants, no matter what. The Bible tells us that “in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Tim. 4:1-2).

 

If we continue to act against our conscience, we get burned; repetition of wrong thinking numbs the brain reactors like scar tissue, and we are no longer sensitive to right and wrong. So we’ll do what we want rather than what God wants.

 

The end does not justify the means. God wants us to stay righteous today, not later, when we’ve accomplished what we think we want. Ambition is good, but only under the distinct leadership of the Lord.

 

The news is riddled with horror stories of what many actors in Hollywood, singers, and sports figures have compromised to get to the top. Morals, ethics, and a sense of right and wrong go right out the window because being a great star is what they want more than being a great person.

 

People get tempted to compromise on morals because they think they’ll lose something, like a job promotion or a boyfriend or girlfriend, for instance. We are so afraid of losing something that we do things we know are wrong and even harmful to us.

 

But honestly, we have nothing worthwhile to lose if we endeavor to live with a good conscience toward God. Hebrews 13:5 says: “Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” 

 

People misunderstand the part that says to be content with what you have. They think it refers to our present job, physical possessions, etc. But what God is talking about is what we really have: every desire fulfilled by Him. Psalm 37:4: “Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

 

The Apostle Paul gives us a great goal: “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day” (Acts 23:1). And when he was accused, in Acts 24:16, he answers: “Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God.”

 

No matter the circumstance, big or small, let’s keep our moral compass on the truths in God’s Word and decide to do the right thing without compromise. And if we think our conscience has been seared in any way, pray to God to be led to where we can be delivered of the damages we’ve suffered, and get clean of all things natural and spiritual that may be misdirecting or blocking our Godly conscience.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

My new book, BIBLE LESSONS FROM NATURE, contains lots of great true-life stories on a variety of things we see in nature that God uses to teach us about Himself and the principles of life.

 

https://www.amazon.com/BIBLE-LESSONS-NATURE-Carolyn-Molica/dp/B0BV4GC859/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3D1SUPRJPBT47&keywords=Bible+lessons+from+nature+carolyn+molica&qid=1678641583&sprefix=bible+lessons+from+nature+carolyn+molica%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-1

 

MAGNIFICENT TURNAROUNDS - ESTHER, JOSEPH, AND US

MAGNIFICENT TURNAROUNDS – ESTHER, JOSEPH, AND US

On my calendar, I saw that Tuesday is Purim. I don’t know much about Jewish holidays, so I looked it up. The Jewish holiday of Purim celebrates the preservation of the Jewish people from an edict given by Haman (Esther 9:1) during the reign of King Xerxes of Persia. In the edict, Haman plotted to destroy the entire Jewish population. Purim means “lots” in ancient Persian. The holiday was thus named since Haman had thrown lots to determine when he would carry out his diabolical scheme. Haman wanted to destroy the people, but God had something very different in mind.

 

God worked through Queen Esther to destroy Haman instead. It was a total turnaround for God’s people. I know you’ll enjoy the new insight the Lord will give you if you take the time to read the book of Esther this week. It’s only 10 chapters, and it’s right before the book of Job.

 

The story of the magnificent turnaround of the Jews in the book of Esther reminds me of Joseph in Genesis, where his brothers lowered him into a pit that they thought he could not escape from. They left him for dead. But God turned it completely around to where Joseph became the very rich and wise advisor to the Pharaoh of Egypt.

 

All of this above makes me turn to something I’ve been learning about this week in reading the book PIGS IN THE PARLOR. (I highly recommend it!) When demons are cast out of believers, their whole lives can be totally turned around, cleansed, sanctified, holy, and without blemish.

 

As it says in Ephesians 5:25b-27: “as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

 

This is the part that really got me, starting with 1 Peter 1:18-19: “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold. . ., but with the precious blood of Christ.”

 

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

 

Think about it: Our body and our spirit are God’s because Jesus paid for us. The rotten things about us as well as the good, became God’s. When we accepted Christ as Lord, we became sons and daughters of God.

 

As the authors of PIGS IN THE PARLOR so aptly describe: “The Christian should always consider indwelling demons as unnecessary and undesirable TRESPASSERS. A trespasser is one who unlawfully and stealthily encroaches upon the territory of another. Trespassers can continue their unlawful practices until they are confronted and challenged on the basis of one’s legal rights. Jesus has purchased the believer with his own blood and has made him a steward over his own life. [with authority over demons – my emphasis].

 

“The devil has no legal right to him; however, it is up to him to defend his rights. No demon can remain when the Christian seriously desires him to go! “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7b).

 

There are so many other great truths laid out in this book, but this first one I thought was really important to share. Since we are Christ’s, no demon has the lawful right to mess with us.

 

Like what happened at the original Purim in about 357 BCE, our body, soul and spirit can be completely turned around by not allowing demons to trespass. John 10:10 tells us the devil’s mission is to steal, kill and destroy, just like Haman wanted to do to God’s people in Persia. But one believer, Esther, turned everything around by obeying God. Same with Joseph in Egypt, The devil nearly killed him, but when God sent some nomad merchants along, Joseph was rescued and blessed by God.

 

We have the same privilege today to turn around our own lives as well as the lives of other believers by kicking the trespassers out of our lives in the name of Jesus Christ. As the scripture says in Philippians 2:10: “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.” God’s deliverance is for real.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

If you’re interested in learning more, the book I mentioned has been enlightening and helpful in this subject, and there are also many others available now. Several years back, I tried to find out about deliverance ministries, and I tried to find good books on deliverance as well, and there was next to nothing, but I thank God for what has been opened for us now. Also, I want to mention that there is a movie coming out next Monday, the 13th on Fathom Events. It’s called COME OUT IN THE NAME OF JESUS. I haven’t seen it, but a couple of friends I went to Bible college with are involved with this ministry, so I will definitely check it out. I think it’s only playing one night so far.

 

One more thing: My book is now out in paperback and Kindle: BIBLE LESSONS FROM NATURE. Lots of great stories of things God has in nature that teach us about Himself and His ways. 😊

https://www.amazon.com/BIBLE-LESSONS-NATURE-Carolyn-Molica/dp/B0BV4GC859/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QACB0S8NH0BF&keywords=bible+lessons+from+nature&qid=1676485121&sprefix=%2Caps%2C222&sr=8-1