By Kenneth Jackson

By Kenneth Jackson

Thursday, July 21, 2011

"Are You In Pain?"

As we enter into a relationship with the Father and begin walking and talking with Him, He takes us on many journeys---journeys to reveal Himself to us and teach us about His ways.  I recently have been on a journey to see others through the eyes of God---in two different ways.  One is about being in pain---this is more than physical pain--there is mental anguish, emotional pain, spiritual pain, grief and sorrow are types of pain--pain can be in any area.  One night as I was lying in bed with sciatic pain down my leg, I began to think of people in different types of pain.  I began to see something.  All those people in pain "just want to be free of the pain."  When people are in pain, they turn to many different things to get relief or to be comforted.  Some are addicted to pain medication, others are drug addicts, alcoholics, some addicted to food.  My "drug" of choice has always been sugar---using it to comfort me and even numb the pain I was in at the time.  Some are in such pain that they commit suicide--at that moment, not living looks like a better option than living.  I have been at that same place many times.  ALL of us just want to be free of some type of pain.  We as humans usually judge and condemn all these people---I have over and over---but when we judge others for what they do and say, we are actually judging the motives of their heart and ONLY God can do that.  We cannot see into a person's heart to know their motives.  The Father is the only just judge because He sees into the heart.  I began to see that when Jesus was walking this earth, when He came across people in pain, He was "moved with compassion" for them. As His followers, when we come across those in pain, aren't we also to be "moved with compassion."  On this journey to see others through His eyes, I was driving on a two lane highway behind a car who was driving about 50 miles per hour and driving with half the car on the shoulder and half in my lane---preventing me from passing the car.  I had a line of cars behind me, but there was a yellow stripe in the highway.  When I was able to pass the car and saw that it was an elderly woman who seemed to have a death grip on the steering wheel, I began to be moved with compassion for this woman and out of my mouth came the words "Bless her heart, she is doing the best she can." Judging the actions of others like this woman causes us to have "road rage" and then we begin to curse people instead of blessing them.  How do we look at others in some type of pain or people who irritate us by what they say and do-- and see them through the eyes of God?  Only if He does it for us, will we ever be moved with compassion and bless others instead of cursing them.  This is GRACE--God doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves.  As His grace flows into our hearts, then His grace will begin to flow out of us to all those who cross our path every day.
"Oh, Father God, cause us to see others through your eyes---eyes of grace and compassion--eyes that see people the way You do so we will bless instead of curse those whom you created and love."  Amen and Amen
Blessings!!!
Carolyn

Thursday, July 14, 2011

"Lay Down The Whip"

Have you ever beat yourself up over past mistakes, failures and sins?  I know this well because I have been the "queen" of carrying around a load of guilt and shame---a load so heavy that it is no wonder that I stayed in a pit of depression for years!!  Sometimes we wonder how we can live that "abundant Christian life" that we hear about.  Jesus said that He came to give us life and give it abundantly, but so many people go around with no joy, no peace and carrying heavy loads.  I believe that one reason is that we are continuing to live under condemnation and guilt even though we know in Romans 8:1 that scripture tells us that there is NO condemnation (guilt) to those who are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but the spirit.  We are meant to live "guilt free."  When we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from ALL iniquity.  Not only does He forgive us---He removes our sins as far as the east is from the west and casts them into the sea of forgetfulness and remembers them NO MORE!!! They are GONE!!  After living years of carrying such a load of guilt and shame, I had a "divine appointment" about two years ago with someone from another state who I had never even met.  I had no idea that the Lord would have me "bear my soul" to this complete stranger, but when I did, this is what she said to me---"I see you with a whip in your hand and you are taking that whip and beating yourself over your back until you are red and bleeding.  Every time you whip yourself, you are saying to Jesus that the beating that He took for you was not enough---that you have to continue to whip yourself; but, the beating He took was MORE than enough so that you do not have to."  This is pure GRACE--He did it for us.  This revelation brought life and healing to me.  She was telling me it was time to "lay down the whip."  Beloved, is it time for you to lay down the whip and drop that heavy burden you are carrying?  Hear His words in Matthew 11:28-30---"Come unto Me, ALL you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find REST unto your soul.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."  I pray today that we will all hear the still, small voice of His spirit saying to us "Lay down the whip" and I believe He will continue to remind us over and over---because we are slow learners---to not pick up the whip again, and I believe we will hear Him speak to our hearts-- "My GRACE is sufficient---you don't need the whip anymore---I have set you FREE!!!"  Amen and Amen
Blessings!!!
Carolyn

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

"Be Content"--but how Lord?

Has your path ever crossed someone else's path and you looked back and wondered if it was "chance" or a "divine appointment?"  This happened to me recently in Mardel's bookstore in Waco.  I looked up and there was my cousin, Karen, who lives in Brownwood, who I rarely ever see.  She had come to Temple to have her hair cut and heard there was a Mardel's in Waco.  She said she NEVER comes to Waco.  In her basket was a book--"One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp.  Karen told me about the book, and I bought one.  This book came to me during a time that the last thing I was being was "content." Due to swelling in the foot of the leg where I had surgery years ago, the only way I could get relief was to keep the foot elevated which then caused back pain and leg pain.  I had been throwing a big "pity party" about the whole thing and having to "rest" the foot.  You would think that "rest" is easy---it isn't--it is contrary to our human nature.  I did my share of "murmuring and complaining."  Then, I began to read the book---the author's story of her journey to the miracle of joy, trust and resting in the Lord.  She began to read in scriptures that "giving thanks" always preceded the miracle.  When Jesus fed the multitudes, He gave thanks, broke the bread and the miracle happened.  The night before He was crucified, He gave thanks and broke the bread, then the miracle of His death and resurrection happened.  Ann began her journey by starting a "blessings journal" where she began to write down one thousand gifts of grace--blessings--to give thanks for.  The result was not only the miracle of joy but "being content."  Paul tells us in Philippinans 4:11---"I have learned in whatever state I am, in this to be content."  We as humans are slow learners and we try to do it in our own strength, even saying "I WILL be content, I WILL be content--I WILL, I WILL!!!!--only to find out that our striving to be content never works!!  When all along, He wants to do it for us---Grace--God doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves.  Only the Father can teach us and take us to the place of truly "being content."  It is pure GRACE!!!  He does it!!  It is also "giving thanks" that comes pouring out of our hearts--not just words--and we find out that we cannot be murmuring and complaining at the same time that we are "giving thanks."  What are those "gifts of grace--blessings" that you and I can "give thanks" for today?  I am truly thankful to God for allowing me to share His life with you in this blog.  I give thanks to Him for each one of you taking the time to be part of this journey----this amazing journey of GRACE!!!  His grace is sufficient to teach us and take us to the place of "being content" in all things.
Blessings!!!
Carolyn

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

"Following Him Into Prison"

One recent "step" I took in following the Lord was going into the Boyd Unit---a medium security men's prison located between Teague and Fairfield--to bring the message at their Sunday morning church service.  When asked to do this, at first I remember saying that it would be a joy and privilege and yes, I would do it; however, as the time got closer and I began to realize the message that God was putting on my heart, I began to do what Moses did.  I began to argue with God!!  How could I go into a men's prison and speak to them about submitting to authority and dying to self?  He led me to Exodus 4:12 where Moses was arguing with God about why he could not do what God was calling him to do!!  He was telling Moses to just "take the first step--go!!" and God would do the rest!  I knew the Lord was wanting me to just go, and HE would do the rest, but He was also wanting me to take this step into prison with no notes at all!!  I began to argue that I needed an outline, cue words or something!!  What if I forgot to say something?---I needed to know where I was starting, where I was ending and all the points inbetween, but NOTHING would come except to trust Him.  I wanted to be in control of what I was going to say, and He wanted me to step out in faith and give me what I was to say at the time I was speaking.  In order to do this, I had to "die" to what I wanted to do, which the message to the men was "Out of Death, Comes Life."  In following Jesus, His path led to the cross--a place of death and dying, but out of His death, we live.  It is the same in our walk with Him, it will take us to the cross--a place of dying to self--and out of our willingness to die to what we want, then He lives in and through us.
Something truly amazing happened when I was willing to walk into the prison with nothing except depending on Him.  As I stood there looking into the sea of faces of 218 men, I told them that there was NOTHING that I had to tell them---nothing that I could say to them that would mean anything---it would be only words, but when I stepped out and began to speak, He did what ONLY He can do.  Almighty God took plain, simple human words and breathed Life into them and caused them to be Words of Life.  By the power of His Holy Spirit, He dropped into my spirit what He wanted me to say to the men that morning. After the message, I stood there humbled and amazed as man after man came up to me.  One man was crying so that I could not understand one word that he said.  Another had only been at the Boyd Unit three days.  He showed me the scars on his arms where he had tried to commit suicide.  He came up and gave His life to the Lord right then!!!  Another man said the night before he had prayed and told God that he had to know if He was real or not---this was it--he had to know, and what I said in the message was exactly what God told him the night before.  Another man said he had prayed and prayed three weeks before for God to send someone--and He sent me.  Man after man came up and told me what all the message meant to them.  When I got into my car to drive home, all I could say was "wow."  I was so amazed at what God had done by the power of His Holy Spirit.  I had just seen the miraculous happen and our amazing God of all grace had allowed me to be a part of it!!
I am telling you this for you to see what God is doing inside prison walls.  He is doing the miraculous---transforming lives by the power of His Holy Spirit.  That morning last month, I was NOT the message--I was ONLY the messenger.  Our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Messiah, IS the message.  He always has been and always will be the message. You and I are just "tag alongs."  He allows us to come along and see all that He is doing in the lives and hearts of people---not only in prison but out here in the "free world."
What a blessing to be a "tag along"-- to follow Him and see today what He is doing, but it is never us---it is ALWAYS Him!!  Don't you want to be His "tag along" today?
Blessings!!
Carolyn