Author: Kim Carroll

4 Elements of a Godly Vision

Posted on | by Kim Carroll

Why Does God Bless Us?

Psalms 8:4-6 TPT [4] Why would you bother with puny, mortal man or care about human beings? [5] Yet what honor you have given to men, created only a little lower than Elohim, crowned with glory and magnificence. [6] You have delegated to them rulership over all you have made, with everything under their authority, placing earth itself under the feet of your image-bearers.

Psalms 144:3 TPT [3] Lord, what is it about us that you would even notice us? Why do you even bother with us?

Psalms 144:3 NIV [3]  Lord, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them?

Job 7:17 NIV [17] “What is mankind that you make so much of them, that you give them so much attention….

Why does God bless us? Why is God committed to us? Why does He work with us even when we make obvious mistakes, failing many times, and no doubt flawed at times with doing life? Because we are His Plan A. 

  1. His Plan

Mankind is at the very top of His creation. We are  God’s plan. He has no other plan. Any other plan is not of Him, it does not belong to Him, there is no alternative plan, there is no 50/50 plan. There is only one plan, to be with us and work with us. 

We, as humans, are the start and the finality of God’s plan. He created all of life in the beginning, but cloned mankind from Himself. Mankind is His best work. To say or think any other way would be to say His likeness is not good enough, He made a mistake.

Genesis 1:26-28 NKJV [26] Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” [27] So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. [28] Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

We are the highest order of existence. In all the universe there is not one thing that holds the place of mankind. Not the stars, planets, sun, moon or the whole of the universe, and not the earth, or animals, or all the beauty found in nature. Mankind holds the top position. This is because God wanted us, as humans, to enjoy everything He enjoys. 

He created us to be like Him, and this is so we could do and act just like God intended, like Himself. This is so we could see the way He sees, think the way He thinks, be just who He wanted us to be. He created us for Him, so we could be with Him.

Now this doesn’t make us God, but it does give us the ability to be with God in all ways. We are God’s finest, in all of creation. His mold in creating us was Himself. This is so we could understand and be a true part of His plan. So we can fellowship and have the ability to know what He is doing and what He wants us to do with Him. So we can understand Him and be capable of sharing with Him and Him with us. So we can communicate in all ways just like Him.

All throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation God is only focused on one thing, mankind. Even after the fall God’s only plan was to save mankind. His Plan of salvation is for us, those created in His image. He never let go of His Plan which was us, and we are still the center of what He is doing on earth. We need to really understand how valuable we are to Him. We need to understand how much worth He has placed on us. 

Job 7:17 NKJV [17] “What is man, that You should exalt him, That You should set Your heart on him,

I will share an illustration I have used to show how much He values us, how He truly sees us. If I were to take a brand new penny all shiny and take a penny found in the street all dark, dingy, dirty, scratches and scars on it, then ask you which penny is worth more, you would say, they both are worth the same. Take both into any bank and they will value these two pennies the same. 

God sees the same value in every individual, and places the same worth on all of us. In fact, He values us so much, He sent His only child, His only Son, to come and die for us, to redeem mankind back to their rightful position with Him. 

What happened at the fall of Adam and Eve didn’t change how God saw mankind. He got together with His Son and they decided Jesus would come to earth and rescue/save mankind. The Son would come and be the perfect representation of how God saw us. He would show all of mankind how to live with the Father and what true life is, and how to enjoy all of the life He had planned for us.

When we come to Jesus and accept Him as our Lord and Savior He makes us a brand new penny. The point is He values you, He didn’t care how you were or how you looked. He saw the value in you, His creation. He wants you and knows exactly who you are and just how you are and knows just how you are to look. He blesses you. He works with you. He isn’t working with any other life form, or any other part of His creation. You are it in His eyes. He is watching over you, He is putting His heart into you, He is wanting you to be an intimate part of His life. This was always His plan. 

If we do not see ourselves the way He sees us then we are missing a portion of His plan for us. It is up to you and no one else, to see yourself the way He sees you. You and I are meant to live the life He planned for us. 

Living or Dying?

Posted on | by Kim Carroll

Living or Dying

Are you living or dying? I’m not talking about your physical life. All of us are either living life as Jesus wanted or we are dying, there is no in between, or neutral. This seems like a harsh statement but in reality, it is either one or the other. 

Growth Cycles

Mark 4:28

‘All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk,

 then the head, then the full kernel in the head. ‘

One thing I have learned in my own Spiritual walk, God is always causing things to grow, in particular, He wants me to grow. Sometimes it was easy and sometimes it was hard learning the lessons the Lord was teaching me. However, growth is a process built into the universe. Which means anything living will go through growth cycles. People are no different. Nothing with the Lord stops growing. I have also come to understand that growth is a great word. I can come through a failure, and if I learn from my  mistake, I will grow and eventually get it right. It is how we measure things in this life.

In the plant world we know when something is growing and when something is not, it eventually becomes apparent. As parents we can tell when our children are growing. From birth they are obviously getting bigger physically, they are learning to put more and more words together thus they seem to be getting more intelligent. As they get bigger they go from crawling to walking and then running. Being born again is no different. The actual term is birthed from above. We are growing into a mature man or woman in Christ. God wants us to grow spiritually. Growth is going to happen, it’s a fact.  All of us have witnessed something growing. It can be  seen in our physical world all around us. 

A few years back I bought an apple tree and planted it in my backyard. It was a single skinny 12 to 20 inch stick, with no apples. In fact apples didn’t grow until two or three years later and then only a couple of apples appeared. Now 8 years later it is 20 feet tall and in the spring covered with apples. Just observing the world around us we know growth is a way of life. Even scientists say the universe itself is still expanding. Everything created by God is meant to grow. Again, He built this into everything He created. It’s a sign which reveals something is alive. Everything was designed to grow. We need to understand that growth is good. The process of growth is great. It is always happening, and to understand how it works and learn how to work with it, is all part of living life.  

Part of the growth process is knowing how and when something has matured. We know a person or plant will physically grow older but this doesn’t mean they will mature properly. 

(Maturity; is the state of being fully developed,

 it’s the level of something or someone functioning right, which is attained through proper growth)

We can say someone or something matured when it appears to be developed. When it is not functioning at a certain level of development which is perceived as normal for its age, we say it is immature. We can see an apple growing on the tree, in the spring, it’s small and green and we say it is not yet ripe. We know this by what an apple looks like when ripe or matured. For an apple to mature it needs time through the summer sun and rain to get bigger and turn red. As the apple grows, we evaluate its ripeness based on certain perimeters we know as proper maturity.  If we know there has been the proper amount of time for growth, but it has not achieved a certain level which should be seen as normal, then we say it is immature or worse it is sick. This means we see the age, meaning the time period of growth, and know it should be functioning at a certain level, yet we do not see this. It is no different in the Spiritual realm. We are either continuing to mature or we are still immature. We are either growing or dying. 

Of course as we grow we gain knowledge of what works and what does not work. Life is a constant state of growth as we learn and mature. Navigating life can be tricky at times but as we gain the right knowledge we can grow properly. If we disregard this knowledge, we will stay immature which is another way of saying we didn’t grow. We need to learn, not just what works in life, but also how to continually apply these truths of growth and keep maturing. Life will have its ups and downs which is all a part of growth. However, knowing what and how to apply certain principles of growth through all phases of life keeps us moving forward.

I once met an older missionary in Mexico. He had been a missionary for decades. He started many years back as a Wycliffe bible translator. He had the most amazing stories, some funny, and some stories of hardships suffered. I was taking him down out of the mountains back to the airport in the city, which took a few hours by truck. I asked him this question, “Knowing all which you have done and accomplished, and all the things that failed and just didn’t work, if you could do it over what would you change?” He didn’t hesitate to think at all, and said, “nothing”. I was taken back a bit and looked at him in disbelief repeating “nothing”. I had already started a list of definite things I would do differently. He then said even the things I made mistakes on, or failures on my part in walking with the Lord and Him picking me up, helping me, correcting me, and times He ministered His love and mercy instead of  judgment. He was teaching me who He was, which caused me to be stronger not just physically and Spiritually but stronger in my relationship with Him. He helped me to grow and learn to be a better man, how could I take those times away to do it differently. After he explained, I felt I needed to check my attitude. I still pressed him asking him if there would be something he would do differently. He finally said, I would study the Word of God twice as much for it has all the answers to life. This was coming from a man who knew Hebrew, Greek, Spanish, Aztec, had 2 Phds,  and three master degrees, was an expert in Pauline Epistles and on the history of the early church. To do Bible translation he would have to take scriptures from Hebrew and Greek to Aztec. I now felt like I was in grade school.

This goes along with an account I read a few years back of a biosphere experiment. A biosphere is an enclosed climate controlled environment, with no outside influence. Many species of plants, animals and humans live in this self contained atmosphere. One phenomena they reported was the branches on the trees would droop. Eventually it was realized by having no storms or temperature changes, such as the cold of winter or heat of summer, the trees, although healthy, did not have any strength. The branches just hung down.   

With a Christian there is no difference. A person gets saved and many think this is all that is required. Sometimes they may grow a little and stop. Sometimes they start to grow and come against some form of hardship and stop.  To think nothing negative will happen in your walk is not a healthy mentality. Instead a healthier way to understand is, whatever happens in life the Lord will be there, standing with you to help, I can stand being positive and faith filled in Him. Hardships and difficulties are all part of living. Learning to trust and rely on the Lord through these times is all part of spiritual growth. Salvation is just the beginning, and to think there is no need to grow in our salvation is wrong, or immature thinking. Salvation is the start which puts a person on the right path of true growth. 

The person of Jesus, His Spirit, is now positioned within a person, helping them grow the right way. He is constantly going to push them toward not just growing but mature growth. The goal of this growth is to make them more and more like Jesus everyday. He is bringing them into the mature person of Christ. He will mold and shape this individual, which if you examine these words, means it is going to require pressure. To mold or shape anything requires a picture, model, or mold and then a pressing to shape the material being worked with till it looks like the mold or model. Jesus is the model and His Spirit is doing the shaping to be just like Him. If we are to be like Jesus, then you have to realize the threats, persecutions, and all the negativity towards Him was part of His doing the Father’s will. Now put the trial, cross and death into this picture. All of these were also just as much a part. We tend to think only of victories He had, the miracles and endless love and mercy He showed toward mankind. Yet it’s the whole picture which made Him Lord. We cannot remove any part of what He went through. The same is true with ourselves. We must trust the whole process of our journey and believe we are in His hands. His Spirit knows perfectly what to do with our life to get us where He wants us to be for Him. His Spirit works with our Spirit to gain the wisdom to know what works and what does not work. This is not just so we can navigate life properly, but also to show those around us who He is.

Looking at my personal growth over the years as a christian has been an amazing journey, and a journey I have realized never ends till I see him as He is (1 John). Yet I have met many people who have just quit, they didn’t see the need to keep growing. Growth slowly became not as important as it once was. They found a form of autopilot. They are sleepwalking christians. There have been times in my own life it was hard, and I even wondered if the area of growth was worth it. I was thinking of finding an autopilot for myself. I mean, I was okay, comfortable, so did I really need to press forward? However, inside I knew there was more, all the while knowing on the outside I could just coast. I had to keep in mind, God wasn’t finished with me.

Hopefully over the years we have seen how some things change and some things do not. If change is required, it will just about always be ourselves which will have to change. For change to happen in my heart I know some things around me will not change but will still require me to change. I know some things will change around me and again require me to change. Both will need my thinking to change. Change becomes the key element for growth. I once heard, as a young christian, this statement, “constant change is here to stay”. So the ability to keep growing is fully embracing change in our life. After all, He is the God who doesn’t change, so it’s obvious to keep moving forward we will be the ones to change, and this according to Him working in our lives.  This means to get to the mature man of Christ will require us to change many times in our lives here on earth. If we reach a place where we are not willing to change, this is usually the place where our growth stops as well. Truth is if we are not willing to change then we are choosing. Change can be something externally, or it can be something internally. Whichever it is, whether internally or externally without the necessary changes we will remain the same. This is where me, you, everyone must decide, do we want to change or ignore this and fool ourselves and think we are moving on. The sad reality is, if ignored, without making the necessary changes, life will not change, it will still be the same, and we are not really living but just existing.  

A couple of years back I planted 5 blueberry plants along my fence line. They seemed to do good for the first season, however by about the third season, I noticed they seemed to be struggling. They were not getting any bigger, at first I didn’t think much about it.  I just let them go. I did not want to take the time to do anything with them. Toward the end of this third season they were slowly dying. I knew I had to do something. So one afternoon I dug them up and transplanted them to a better section of my yard and within a week they were already looking healthier and by 3 weeks they were already growing again. I shared this illustration because this is just like us, if we  ignore certain elements in Spiritual growth we just slowly die. I don’t think anyone sets out to spiritually die, they just let it slowly and gradually happen. 

It seems ironic that by not doing anything, how easy it is to permanently change your life for the worst, yet it will require work to change things for the best. Simply put, we just do not want to take the time and energy to change things, it’s uncomfortable. Of course this is a choice we make, and if we choose not to, we become those branches that droop. Our outside appearance looks good but we didn’t let the right pressure produce what was needed for change. The greater truth is, by changing what needs to change we increase and grow in Lord. We are gaining more of His life in us. It is how He becomes closer to us and how we become closer to His heart with ours. He is continually sorting out what holds us back in being close.

We must always keep in our hearts and minds, the Lord has more for us. It was the Father’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom. It’s our inheritance and the Lord is continually trying to give this to us. It is Him giving us life in its greatest form. He is always wanting to draw us closer and closer. He wants us to know Him deeply which means we need to keep growing. He wants you to be as close as you possibly can to Him. This isn’t just His heart for us but should be our heart for Him as well. Do we truly desire more of Him, and if we do, then this desire will keep us moving forward on a path of growth. When I meet people who seem to be content, it’s as if they are saying this is all I want I don’t need any more, when they pass from this life to the next what does this look like to the Lord. I wonder if it’s like saying I don’t need all of your love, I didn’t need the things you wanted for me.  Truth is everybody wants all of He has for them, all of His love for them, which He freely gives, but again do they want to change to love Him with all they can give back. This is the whole path of growth.

In the navigation of life we need to understand there are certain truths and principles which if applied in the heart keeps a person on a path of growth, if not applied will hinder growth. It’s important to know what will change given the right circumstances and what will never change. These truths and principles have nothing to do with age, what ethnicity, or the country and culture where you live. They will work with everyone anywhere in the world and they work the exact same way. Remember, He is always working with you to give you the best life you possibly can have here and not just in the next life. He always has more for you.  This is what God is trying to do with us at all times. He is the greatest Father and just like any good parent He will teach His children right from wrong with the goal of growing them to a mature person. He wants to give them the best, because He is a great Heavenly Father.

A Word For 2025

Posted on | by Kim Carroll

What I believe the Lord spoke to me concerning 2025. I heard these two words “great” and “redemption”. 

It’s going to be a “great” year of change in the sense of above the normal or average.

Because I have placed My favor on your life I will redeem and bring about change in many areas. For you it will be a year of things being redeemed. I will bring redemption in new areas. Areas you haven’t thought of or seen. And I will bring redemption to those areas you have felt held back. It will be a new level of redemption for many. My hand of favor will overwhelm you in certain areas of life and living, giving you new strength. What was average will become greater, larger. Greater in quality and quantity. It will be for many a year of seeing greater fruitfulness, and a renewed strength in productivity. What seemed hard and you were not able to push through will seem effortless, easier because of My favor. What would be considered normal and what was considered average will change and there will be an increase in fruitfulness.  You will see how to rise and take it to a new level, one that will be above normal or average. You will have a new ability to see and will not look at the average or normal the same way you did before, it will be greater. This new level will now be considered what’s normal. Do not be afraid to look at those areas you felt defeated or not able to overcome, areas which seemed too hard, but look at them with My eyes and see what I can do. I will redeem and I will release you into a new level of greater in areas where you have felt stifled or captive. So lift up your voice, and say thank you Lord for your redemption and this new level of greater. For know this, with My hand of favor on your life, nothing is too hard .

Proverbs 3:3-6

Psalm 5:12

Titus 2:14, 

Psalm 107:1-2, 31-38

Psalm 130

Grace God’s grace is usually defined as undeserved favor. Grace cannot be earned; it is something that is freely given. It is approval or kindness that is freely given by God to all humans: it means gift, favor, benefit. Grace is God’s EMPOWERMENT that gives us the ability to go beyond our natural ability.

Redemption  is to gain or regain possession of something, to get or win back. It is to free from what distresses or harms. To free from captivity, to set free from confinement or danger, to redeem implies releasing from bondage or penalties by giving what is demanded or necessary.

Fruitfulness Fruitfulness is a state of being extremely productive or prolific. To be fruitful means to add or multiply to what is already there.

Favor approval, support, an act of kindness beyond what is due To show approval or preference for. It means preferential treatment of God out of His kindness toward a person. 

Sowing The Right Stuff

Posted on | by Kim Carroll

I was speaking at a conference and after my session I was approached by a young man, who had been obviously touched by the Spirit and asked me this question, “How do I get into doing the things of God, how do I get going in this life”. I knew he was meaning how do I start doing the work of God,  how do I use my life for Jesus. I responded with one simple word “SOW”. He instantly said he was going to sow some money into my ministry, however that was not what I meant. 

 While ministry support is always welcomed, I went on trying to explain what I meant, which was “sow his life”. I was instructing him to give away of his life for Jesus and His Kingdom. Now please hear my heart in this matter. While the systematic giving of one’s finances is sowing, it is only a part. Knowing how to give your life away for the Lord and His cause, to serve anyone in need, whether you like it or not, and especially whether you want to or not, is what I am referring to in my statement, sow. Learning to look for the opportunities and knowing how to give your life away sets up amazing events to bring forth the life of Jesus. 

Much of the time this word sow is over emphasized with the giving of money within the Christian community. So much so, we may have forgotten sowing covers all areas of life, not just your finances. Again, no question about the sowing of your finances being a solid biblical truth and we should be givers in this area. However, the Bible is clear, so a man sows so a man reaps and this covers all areas of one’s life.

Galatians 6:7-10 ‘Do not be deceived, God is not mocked [He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed, nor treated with contempt nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside]; for whatever a man sows, this and this only is what he will reap. For the one who sows to his flesh [his sinful capacity, his worldliness, his disgraceful impulses] will reap from the flesh ruin and destruction, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in. So then, while we [as individual believers] have the opportunity, let us do good to all people [not only being helpful, but also doing that which promotes their spiritual well-being], and especially [be a blessing] to those of the household of faith (born-again believers). ‘ AMP

In these scriptures Paul was referencing to be careful as to not sow to the flesh, carnal life, worldliness, thinking of self, living life by following your sinful nature and not God’s Spirit. When we see someone living a life of sin we do not instantly think they are sowing their money wrong. No, instead we think they are living wrong. We can see by the fruit of their life they are sowing the wrong things. If what they are sowing is selfishness, worldliness and sin, they will reap the consequences of this into their life. 

Whether a Christian or not, everyone will reap what they sow. No one gets out of this principle who lives on this earth. This simple rule, you sow you reap covers all of life on this planet. This is the way God set up life on this earth. Everyone living on the earth is under God’s system of sowing and reaping. It doesn’t matter if the person is a Christian or not. 

This scripture in Gal.6, reveals this truth, but He also states how we should be sowing. We should take the opportunities to do good to others, especially other Christians. Doing good to others is sowing your life. So is encouraging other believers, helping them succeed in life. Covering other believers in prayer is sowing. Praying for non-christians is sowing. Just in general being helpful and kind, doing what you can to assist others for their good is sowing. This is how you give your life away. God wants us to sow the right things with our life, because He knows our life will benefit greatly by doing this. He wants us reaping a Spiritual life, one linked to His eternal realm.

Look at this next scripture. 

Luke 6:37-38 “ Do not judge [others self-righteously], and you will not be judged; do not condemn [others when you are guilty and unrepentant], and you will not be condemned [for your hypocrisy]; pardon [others when they truly repent and change], and you will be pardoned [when you truly repent and change]. [Matt 7:1-5] Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over [with no space left for more]. For with the standard of measurement you use [when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return.” 

Again, Here in these scriptures Jesus is addressing the way we treat others. He is not referring to money. He specifically states that we should do good to others. Here in these scriptures before verse 37, He speaks of family and forgiveness. These are things you sow. How you treat others is something you sow. 

2 Corinthians 9:6-11 [6] Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. [7] Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. [8] And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. [9] As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” [10] Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. [11] You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. NIV

 Paul is referring to the giving of finances but look at the principles he brings out about sowing. These are truths in giving and not just with finances.

1. If you sow generously, this will be the measure by which you will reap. Scriptures in Luke state the same.

2. God loves a cheerful giver, when we sow or give away from ourselves, attitude is everything. Whatever we are sowing, do we have a cheerful heart attitude? 

3. Whatever is being sown with the right attitude. God makes sure it comes back to us or that we reap the same back except in greater quantity. This helps to keep us in a right relationship with Him.

4. When we sow from the right heart attitude, it causes others to Thank God. Others look at God as the one who helped them. The giving away of our life will bring glory to God. 

Just about all these deal with the attitude of heart and motive for sowing. Our attitude is something we sow as well. So when you hear the word sow or give, think about your whole life, all areas of your life and your attitude toward these areas. 

Can you give your time, other resources, tangible possessions  someone may be in need of, or your enthusiasm, energy/physical strength in helping others and the attitude by which you do this? 

Always be willing to check your mental disposition in helping others. According to scripture we will reap in these areas as well. 

Next time you sow with your finances ask yourself if you are showing in all areas of your life as well. Finances are just a part. Money is just a part of the whole understanding in giving away your life. 

So, returning to the beginning, how do you get involved in what God is doing right now,  how do you get into doing the works of God? Sow your life. The one who knows how to sow their life God will always use to bring His Kingdom here on earth.

Proverbs 11:25   Those who live to bless others will have blessings heaped upon them, and the one who pours out his life to pour out blessings will be saturated with favor. TPT

Never Forget The Amazing Power of Prayer

Posted on | by Kim Carroll

Never Forget The Amazing Power of Prayer

Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 

Have you ever said this to someone, “I will be praying”. Someone shared a situation they were concerned about and you said, “I will pray for you”. 

If I was to ask for a show of hands how many believe in prayer, the majority of people would raise their hand and say, yes. Even those who don’t go to church would say they believe in prayer. There have been times I have prayed with people who would probably admit they were not Christians, yet asked for prayer. It’s surprising how many do not realize the amazing level of faith they are moving in when they pray. 

This word prayer is thrown around in Christian circles until it has become a Christian buzzword. Many well intended people say they will pray but forget to follow through. I have been guilty of this myself. That’s why I try to do it right away so as not to forget. However, keeping our minds renewed in how powerful prayer is will help keep us on track. Many do not realize the level of faith they are moving in when they pray. Let’s review and look at your faith when you say, I will pray. 

  1. You believe Jesus, even though completely invisible, is right there present with you when you begin to ask, yet you cannot see Him or have you ever seen Him. That takes faith. When I get up in the morning to pray, I believe Jesus is there with me. That’s an amazing level of faith.
  2. You actually believe He hears you, that is, you personally, your individual self. This means you believe this invisible God which you cannot see and have not ever seen is literally right there listening to you as if you are the only one present talking to Him. That is an amazing level of faith.
  3. You actually believe He cares and wants to intervene in the affairs of your life, that He wants to concern Himself with you and He really does care about you, and your situation or circumstances that are affecting your life at this moment, out of 7 billion people on earth. You believe this even if you are asking for someone else which doesn’t concern you. You believe he still wants to help you with your request only because you asked. Your words in asking actually have the power to get God to do something. This is an amazing level of faith. 
  4. You believe He not only hears you personally but will answer your request, by literally changing the physical world around you. He will change people and physical events based on you asking Him. That He can and will from an invisible, heavenly realm come and move things surrounding you, others, and events in the natural physical realm. You are believing this invisible God can move and change physical, visible events you are involved with right now, just because you asked. Again, this is an amazing level of faith. 

To believe these four things takes faith. When we pray we are moving into a realm of extraordinary faith. To believe in and practice prayer you are stronger in your faith than you might have thought. Remind yourself what you believe. It’s not just some nice Religious thing you are supposed to do, or it’s not just what Christians do, a buzzword you throw around. Instead remember, your faith believes it is an invisible, all powerful God who is right there ready to move on your behalf. 

Jesus welcomes us to come and ask. He states by prayer, that is you asking, He will do the impossible things on your behalf. Praying connects you into the very power of God, who will move heaven and earth for you personally. So go ahead and ask, never forgetting the faith you are truly representing. 

Psalms 66:19 ‘but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. ‘

Proverbs 15:29 ‘The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. ‘

Mark 11:22-25 ‘ “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” ‘

1 John 5:14-15 ‘This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. ‘

Matthew 6:6 ‘But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ‘

John 15:7 ‘If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ‘

Luke 11:9-10 ‘ “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ‘

Set Your Mind

Posted on | by Kim Carroll

Set Your Mind

‭Colossians 3:1-2 

[1]  IF THEN you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [Ps. 110:1.] [2]  And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. AMPC

Mindset: a fixed state of mind, a habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations

Those who study the neuroscience of the mind and its thinking process, state we either have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.  Whether there are two or possibly more, when examined, they generally fall under a fixed or growth mindset. 

When we are left to think on anything, it’s amazing what our minds can dwell on and how long we can stay in a fixed thought process. 

Usually we see this more prevalent in older people. They have already made up their mind and are not going to change for anyone or anything. Even though at times this can be good, the majority of the time we find it limits or completely stifles any growth. 

When a person has a fixed mindset, they have decided or “they have made up their mind” and will never venture past this view. They have a set of parameters by which to think, which has worked for them for many years and this is where they live their life. It’s where they feel comfortable. 

This is not just limited to older people. Many times we find younger adults are no different. They have formed a mindset they like or have adopted, and so they decide this is where they will sit and generally with an attitude of “I know” and which feels comfortable to them. 

It’s interesting how often this concept of comfort plays such a significant role in our mindsets. Many times we don’t want to admit it but all of us, young or old, have a comfort zone and a fixed way of thinking no matter what comes our way in life. The important question for all of us, do we have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset?  

As a christian we should have a mind fixed on Jesus. He is now the author and finisher of our faith, which means there is always room to improve and grow. Of course author, meaning He is the one writing our story. If we let Him He will be in charge of our continual growth. Age has no barriers on this. There is always room to grow and keep growing until we see Him as He is, in His throne room, face to face.

This scripture at the start can be translated, “fix your thoughts or thinking on the things above”, “make the decision to focus on the things above. To  “deliberately think or set your mind on the things above”. It is to decide, to make a choice. This scripture reveals the individual has the ability to do so. They can have a fixed mindset on the things above. 

I know it almost seems like an oxymoron. However, we can have a fixed mindset which can continually grow based on how we set our minds on the right thoughts. To set our minds on the things above will cause us to grow in the right direction. It will allow us to expand who we are and how we respond.  

Set: To fix firmly; to make fast, permanent, or stable; to render motionless; to give an unchanging place, form, or condition to.

Like putting a post in the ground, you want to set it so as to never move. You want it to be strong and sturdy like putting a pillar into concrete, one you do not want to move.You deliberately set your mind with one way of thinking. It’s a fixed state of mind, where and how Jesus wants us to set our mind. 

‭

1 Corinthians 2:16 ‬

[16] …. But we have the mind of Christ [to be guided by His thoughts and purposes]. AMP

As I stated before, it is amazing what our minds can dwell on at different intervals of the day.  We can become so fixed on certain aspects of ourselves and the life surrounding us, yet if trained right, our mindset can cause us to grow everyday. It can be a self supporting base of power, keeping us filled with faith as God’s hands on our lives. 

The wrong form of fixed mindset can be like a steel trap door, shutting and not letting go of its catch. We end up continually going over and over with a negative view.  Things may or may not happen, yet we play them out as if they will. Sometimes we are dwelling and replaying something that has already happened as if we can go back and change it, which we cannot. A wrong mindset can keep us focused on a negative view of ourselves and dwelling in this area keeps us locked in to a wrong view of life.

The basics of our thoughts are conversations we are having with ourselves. We may say “I am thinking about it”. The reality of this is we are talking to ourselves, mulling over in words we call thoughts. In fact we are always talking to ourselves. The clinical term is called “self talk”. If we are thinking about something, whether we are aware of it or not, we are talking to ourselves and will run it by where our mind is set in our thinking. This will be the baseline of our thinking. In reality we are conversing with our judgements, and these are based where we have set our mind. These include our feelings, desires, and fears. We think we are engaging with the reality of what’s happening in our lives but the truth is we are really just having self conversations. We are examining how we think it should play out. We are going over different scenarios on what has been presented to us.

Again, these conversations are not based on reality, yet. Here is where we need to ask ourselves if  we were approaching the subject full of faith, setting our minds on the right things, or was it negative. This is also where we can see how our mind thinks or the basic mind-set we use. So what is your mind-set? 

Again, our mindset is the platform we springboard off of when we think about something. It is our standard or baseline from which we  think and then make decisions. We start there with our self-talk. 

Now, does our self talk include God? Does our thinking, our self conversation ask for God’s wisdom? What is our mind-set, what do we dwell on? Is our self talk negative or positive when we think about ourselves? Does it talk to us of something that has already happened, or negatively going to happen.

Setting our minds right requires faith. Faith is seeing the unseen things which come from above. We either look at things which have not happened with God’s view or our negative view. It all comes down to our mind-set. What we set our mind on when we think or dwell on anything will keep us growing or will stifle us and make us complacent. Are we looking at things, rehearsing them in our mind as if they are real as if they have happened? Did they happen with God or just yourself?

We are of course rehearsing in our mind what we perceive as reality. However, is it  God’s reality? What He says is always going to be reality, and we need to set our minds there. A good question to ask is how much of God is in your thinking. We need to check ourselves and look at how much of our thinking are God’s thoughts and how much are not. Go ahead and evaluate yourself as to the mindset where you live each day. The good news of the Bible is the Lord tells us where to set our minds, how to think, what we should be talking to ourselves about. 

Training ourselves to practice a positive, faith filled, Godly mindset is our duty as a Christian.  To think on anything should come from our foundation of His Words first. If it is not reality yet, then we need to talk to ourselves about what we would like to see happen which His Words teach us is possible, this is a Godly mindset and a growth mindset. These Words are like writing a story which hasn’t happened yet. We must train ourselves to write everyday the story of abundant life, after all this is the story He writes everyday. 

He wants our mindset to be so alive in Him, creating possibilities which keep us in a faith filled positive growth mindset. We are writing and setting up chapters in our story with Christ. 

Jesus has never written a negative story. His stories are about us, others, and circumstances. Anything is possible for us in our life with Jesus leading. What does Jesus want to write today? We need to keep practice talking to ourselves this way, the way the Lord would want it done starting right now. This is what is so powerful about our thinking process, we can change immediately and think differently by setting our minds in the right place. With Jesus being the writer and us learning to read His script, and coming from a mind set on the things above, our actions will follow.

So what is your predominant mindset? Here are a few principles to help with your thinking before you say, “my mind is made up”. 

It’s Fluid

Always remind yourself, reality is fluid, circumstances or problems and such so often seem locked in, set in concrete, or as they say, written in stone, and cannot or will not change. However this is so far from the truth, things really are fluid. Just like water can be diverted and change its flow instantly, so can our mindset. Things as we know them change. They change all the time. With the right mindset we can change how we view life everyday. We need to talk about how things can change for the good. If you have lived any length of time you know things around us change all the time. Scripture states the natural is temporary and the Spiritual is eternal. 

2 Corinthians 4:18

because we don’t focus our attention on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but the unseen realm is eternal. TPT

Think of how many things in your life have changed for the good which you honestly didn’t think would. The longer we live the more changes we have seen. Many times I have caught myself saying, “I didn’t see that coming”, meaning I had a preconceived mindset on what I thought the outcome would be, but was genuinely surprised by what did happen. You may also say what about those things that haven’t changed? This doesn’t mean they won’t. 

Look at your self talk, what are you telling yourself about these situations? Are you following the Lord’s script, or  dwelling on things as if they may never change. We cannot set our mind to dwell this way, it will keep us in a negative mindset. 

So the outward natural circumstances can change and will change, nothing remains the same, everything will change given enough time, or you change by deciding to let it go and not let your mind dwell there anymore. Of course things that happened in the past will not change but you can.

 Negative outlook of future events may or may not change but I can. We can grow and mature in our mindset by training ourselves to think properly with the Lord’s thoughts using His Words. Our thinking process is fluid and can change instantly, changing our reality. We can do this immediately.

 Thoughts are fluid. Don’t wait, start thinking the right way and set your mind on how He wants you to think. Take control NOW.  

Control

The energy of control always belongs to you and you make it grow in the right direction. You are in charge of how you want to think and what you want to dwell on mentally. You are and can stay in complete control. Think of your thoughts like a supercomputer. Your mind works on the parameters which you set, of which you and only you are in complete control. All minds work the same, they work on the set of parameters you give them. Set the right parameters. You are the only one who is in control of this. Does not matter what is happening around you, you and only you control what you set your mind on, what you are going to dwell on. 

‭Philippians 4:8-9 TPT‬

[8] Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God,  praising him always. 

‭Philippians 4:8 AMPC‬

[8]  For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

‭Philippians 4:8 AMP‬

[8] Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]. 

‭Philippians 4:8 MSG‬

[8] Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. 

Past is Past

You must train yourself to, at all times, let go of negative past events as soon as your mind tries to dwell on them. The second you start to think this way tell yourself immediately, let it go. Let things go. If it is past negative thoughts, stop them right away, do not let yourself dwell on them. Dwelling on these wrong thoughts keeps them growing in your thinking. Quit bringing them up and reliving them by rehearsing them over and over. They are not happening any more so quit dwelling on them as if something will change, it will not. You must move on. Circumstances do not matter now, all circumstances are actually in the past, even up to a second ago is still in the past.  The reality of the past is, it really has passed. It’s gone, and whether good or bad cannot be changed. Remind yourself it’s only what’s now that matters. The stronger we adjust and accept this, the greater the now will influence us and the more the past remains powerless. Check yourself as to what you are dwelling on, if it’s the past then let it go.

Eyes Which See

Train yourself to look for solutions and not the problem. Stop focusing on the problem. Problems will come and go but look for solutions and not just dwell on the problem. Setting our mind by dwelling the wrong way on a problem will only magnify it. Even if its  beyond your control, focus on how to look at it right now, today. 

Put your faith in His ability to give you eyes that see the answers today. The Lord always has an answer, He always has a plan. Teach your mind to think this way. Purposefully look for how His Spirit will lead and guide you away from the situation. This is looking for the solution. He is with us, living with us, He knows the next step. He always knows the right direction. He doesn’t want you sitting around continually dwelling on the problem or situation.  

‭Proverbs 4:18 TPT‬

[18] But the lovers of God walk on the highway of light,  and their way shines brighter and brighter until the perfect day.

Image

Your self talk is connected, of course, to how you see yourself. If you follow the path of these first four then your image will stay healthy. What you think about yourself is huge to mastering your thought life. Poor self image and insecurities are always a result of negative self talk. It’s you having a conversation about how you see yourself. If your mindset is negative then your image will be as well. Don’t tear yourself down. Set your mind on the right things. 

Remember, it can be changed right now. Instead talk about how Jesus sees you, why He saved you. Talk about all the positive things He said about being with Him. Be overwhelmingly thankful for all you do have. Think about all the positive things you have already seen and know to be from the Lord. Let your inward thinking (self talk) be about His love, goodness, grace, mercy, power, and as many attributes as possible which reveal how He sees you right now. 

Do not put words in His mouth about yourself. His image is your image. Let His Words be your predominant mindset.  As stated before, let Jesus do the writing. Let Him do the talking and allow yourself to rest from wrong words you may be dwelling on. It is the healthiest way to think and sure to keep you healthy. This is how we stay close to Him and this is where He truly can lead and guide us into His image for our lives. Let Jesus Words be the only guideline for your mind to set upon. Let your self talk be what your image is supposed to be and what He says it is to look like. 

‭Colossians 3:10-11 

[10] For you have acquired new creation life which is continually being renewed into the likeness of the One who created you; giving you the full revelation of God. [11] In this new creation life, your nationality makes no difference, nor your ethnicity, education, nor economic status—they matter nothing. For it is Christ that means everything as he lives in every one of us! TPT 

‭2 Corinthians 5:17 

[17] Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. AMP

The Extraordinary, Exceptional, Enjoyable God

Posted on | by Kim Carroll

Extraordinary: not ordinary, instead remarkable, amazing, basically over and above what would be perceived as normal. 

Exceptional: not typical, stands out among others or is seen as outstanding

Enjoyable: being delighted, bringing pleasure, to experience with joy

Heb 12:2-3 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. NIV

We look away from the natural realm and we focus our attention and expectation onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God! TPT

Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. AMP

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. NLT 

Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards; TLB

Everyday we get to experience God’s love for us. His love was not a one time event that took place when He saved you, but is an ongoing, perpetual, never ending, and an always encompassing attribute of His we get to enjoy every morning when we wake up. His love is always there and always will be there. From when our eyelids first pop open till we close them to go to sleep we get to enjoy our Lord. This of course then repeats itself once again day after day. We get up and get to enjoy Him all over again. However I know that occasionally I must remind myself how enjoyable God truly is.  I think it is easy to let this slip and take for granted the knowledge of His love for us and the fact we get to do this.

When we ask people about God it’s a given they know God loves them. I mean I know that I know this truth. It is part of my ongoing relationship with Him.  However, something that helps me in this truth is knowing joy is a two way street. 

God’s Two Way Street

God’s joy is something which we possess based on the work He did in saving us. However, it is also something He possesses based on His relationship with us. I put Heb.12:2 at the beginning of this article and highlighted a portion of the scripture from various translations to emphasize this point. While we get to experience and enjoy Jesus, He gets to experience and enjoy us. 

His sacrifice to purchase and save us provides an endless life of joy for us with Him, but He also sacrificed so that He could have an endless experience of joy with us. We get to enjoy the Lord and He is very enjoyable, but He also gets to enjoy us. We bring joy to His heart.

He draws pleasure, and joy when thinking of you. You bring joy to His heart. When we think of Jesus it’s usually joy we find or draw from in the fact He accepted us and saved us. However, because of the sacrifice of His on the cross and from nothing we did, He now finds joy in you as well. His sacrifice for us, which now brings us joy, now brings him joy as well. His selfless sacrifice for us also brought Him joy in us being with Him.

Think of it like this. I have some friends when we get together, maybe a few times a year, we sit and share with each other our true selves. We talk about His Kingdom, our problems, and struggles, or the latest things we were involved with which makes us happy. We encourage and edify each other and after a couple of hours hug each other say, “love you friend”, and after departing and going home I always feel full. I will even send a text sometimes stating how enjoyable being with them was. When I get home my wife will even ask me, “How was that?”, to which I reply, “It was good. It was a great time together”. 
Being with Jesus should be the same. We should enjoy spending time with Jesus and in our understanding know so does He enjoy spending time with you. Part of salvation is He gets to be with you and enjoy you. So next time you are with the Jesus, think how much He enjoys being with you. What an amazing, extraordinary, exceptional, and enjoyable Lord.

You are either Growing or Dying

Posted on | by Kim Carroll

If you are not Growing, then you are Dying

Having had the privilege over the years to teach, preach, minister, and travel here in the States, multiple countries, and in various kinds of churches, you do learn a few things. You see patterns of the same truths prevalent no matter how different the church structure, culture, or age may be. I have noticed these truths, no matter the background, these truths seem to enable a person to grow in their walk with the Lord. These truths also seem, if they are not applied in one’s life, to hold them back. Yet, if understood and applied to their lives properly, their spiritual man thrives. 

Growth is a fundamental which should always be happening in a Christian’s life. Since the goal is to be like Jesus, then none of us are able to say they have arrived and display the perfect example of Christ. Everyone has room to grow and mature toward His image. We should always be growing, if we are not growing then we are dying.

The following are principles I have seen, which hopefully, will help in a person’s journey of growth. Now I am not saying these are the only ones, but these are definitely worth examining in your life as you pursue continued growth to be like Him.

I title these, First Things First Principles. These will help a person check themselves on their personal growth with Jesus.  

1.Faith

Absolutely nothing can happen or grow without faith. Our start and eventually our finish is all based on our faith in Christ. It’s so important to keep our faith growing. We should always learn and grow in our faith with God. Do all you can to keep faith moving progressively forward, even if it’s just baby steps.  In our walk with Jesus our faith should always be increasing. It does not matter if you are new to the Christian faith or have been around for years,  always be thinking and acting on your faith, and take the necessary steps to grow in your faith. Never, ever let go of your faith. Four areas that serve as a gauge to check your faith are; Thoughts, what we think on, and are we thinking right? Speech, what do we let come out of our mouths, is it positive or negative? His Words, are they still the standard of absolute truth, which we hold onto and stand on as solid ground? Actions, do our actions line up and reflect faith in God? Continually evaluate your faith, never fear checking yourself, are you still believing everything with a radical passion for Jesus? Has your faith grown this past year? 

‭Galatians 2:20.  [20] I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. NIV

‭1 John 5:4  [4] For everyone born of God is victorious and overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has conquered and overcome the world—our [continuing, persistent] faith [in Jesus the Son of God]. AMP

‭2 Thessalonians 1:3 [3] We feel a personal responsibility to continually be thanking God for you, our spiritual family,  every time we pray. And we have every reason to do so because your faith is growing marvelously beyond measure. The unselfish love each of you share for one another is increasing and overflowing. TPT

2. Take Responsibility, for all aspects of your life in every area. Make No excuses, none, not one, do not give yourself any room to excuse yourself. You are not a victim, refuse to have excuses. Even if something happened to you beyond your control, refuse to stay a victim.  Work on any area to get past whatever happened. Take control of your life. There may be reasons and good reasons but do not let them become excuses for your life, and no blame shifting,  take full and total responsibility for yourself. Remember, this is your only life, don’t live by excusing away things and just holding onto them year after year. Taking responsibility for the life you have been given is a privilege, and a reward. Never fear taking ownership of your life. It matters what you believe about yourself. So take charge and do whatever is necessary to get rid of anything you are using to excuse yourself. 

Mat.25:14-30

3. Resist the Devil

We, as Christians, are to always, (always, always), resist the devil, always. I cannot emphasize this enough.  You must be aware of his schemes, which are to devour, steal, kill, and ultimately destroy you, so resist him. Never let your guard down and forget his one and only existence is to diminish your faith in God. The devil wants to weaken it and eventually take you away from believing. 

‭James 4:7 AMP‬  [7] So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. 

‭James 4:7 TPT   ‬[7] So then, surrender to God. Stand up to the devil and resist him and he will flee in agony.   

Refuse to stay weak in any area of your life where the devil has had the upper hand. Resist the devil, and keep resisting till you have the victory.  The devil does not have another plan. So neither should you. 

Next principle goes hand and hand with this thinking and is probably the number one area the devil works his greatest plot against a person.

4. Forgiveness.  

As a minister for over 40 years, it still amazes me what people will hold on to. Some will hold onto things for years. They stay hurt and bitter with what happened in the past, usually never realizing it only affects them. It holds them back from living life to its fullest. As stated in #8 and #7, the past is past, be extremely grateful for what you have now. Do what you need to do to release forgiveness. Examine and check out these 4 areas to make sure you have a clear and whole heart. 1. Know, without any doubt, God Forgives you.  He not only forgives you but releases and forgets. 2. Did you truly receive forgiveness? Many know God forgives but have never felt released because they didn’t think they were worthy and so did not receive His forgiveness. 3. Forgive others. This is very important. We must do whatever it takes to forgive others. Do not hold onto any resentment, bitterness, or unforgiveness toward others. This doesn’t mean they didn’t hurt you, however you still need to forgive. Jesus is the greatest example of forgiveness.  Ask for God’s help and let it go. 4. Forgive yourself, too many feel they have to earn it, so they inflict a form of self punishment on themselves. Again, God almighty, Lord of heaven and earth, King of all, forgave you, therefore  you need to forgive yourself.

5.  Quit limiting yourself. With Jesus you can do all things. Take the limits off yourself. The question to ask yourself is are you truly free to be yourself, the self God created you to be, or do you have self imposed boundaries? Are there areas in your life you do not push past to improve for whatever reasons? Some will say I’m just not good at that or I’m just not gifted in that, but did Jesus asked you to do it, then you can do it! You should be free to do all Jesus calls you to do. Do not fear the things you do not feel comfortable doing. 

Understanding our individuality, the individual self God wants us to be is so important. God wants to use the real you, the genuine you. He knows who you are and what you’re capable of doing. This is all part of how He grows His Kingdom. God made you an original. He created you different from everyone else to be used and contribute your uniqueness in His Kingdom. 

Think of it this way, God’s world is a gigantic picture and we get to paint in it. Every true artist has his or her unique style which distinguishes them, sets them apart from other artists. God wants you to add certain brush strokes to His painting. You get to paint in God’s living picture of His Kingdom here on earth. We get to leave our unique brush strokes, flair, and our personality in this painting if we want, but not if we limit ourselves. 

He has never created anyone like you and never will. You are totally and completely unique and He wants to use your distinctive thumb print in the progressive advancement of His Kingdom here on earth. At this time in history He wants to call on you to do whatever He asks of you, to leave your mark in His history,  because He sees you are the one to do it and with Him you can. 

‭Ephesians 2:10 AMP‬.  [10] For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].

‭Ephesians 2:10 TPT‬. [10] We have become his poetry,  a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works  we would do to fulfill it! 

When people were surveyed at the end of their lives, one major regret they had was they didn’t feel they were true to themselves. They limited themselves. They put the limits on what they did, and said they couldn’t do this or that and so they never tried. They let the world around them tell them what they should or shouldn’t do. They let fears or others’ expectations tell them who they should be, and never really felt free to be themselves. In shrinking back they set borders, boundaries, limits, and quit trying to be themselves. They stunted their own growth and in doing so never went past these self imposed limits. They limit their own true self. However the good news is right now, anyone can break past these limits and do everything Jesus is asking of them. 

It’s never too late, with Jesus, to take the limits off of yourself and start painting in His picture.  You must set yourself free and trust Him to do the work in your life He created you to do. He wants to use you, the you He created, the true self you have always desired to be. 

This means do not be afraid of new things or of failing the first time you decide to move past your comfort zone. If you try to do something by breaking past your self imposed boundaries and fail, this is still progress. Get up, brush yourself off, laugh it off and tell yourself how liberating that felt to try. Now, do it again and again till you have what you are trying for, this is true freedom. 

Do not fear failure, it’s the path of freedom if we do not quit and give up. Have zero tolerance for accepting failure. You cannot not fear this, and you cannot stay there either, you are going to make mistakes at times, You will fail at times, “so what” get up and go after it again and again. Never quit trying to be all God has called you to be.

6. Take the initiative to think ahead. If it needs to be done then go ahead and do it. Don’t wait to be told to do it especially if you see it needs done.  Don’t wait for someone to hold your hand. So many people just sit around waiting to be told what, when, and how to do something and If this doesn’t happen then nothing gets done. 

Initiative is willing to take action. It is  that first step toward getting something done. It’s to move forward progressively without being told what to do. However, not in an arrogant way as if you know and nobody else does or you’re the only one that can do it.

 Initiative will always create a path of growth.  A person with initiative matures and spiritually grows. People who think ahead and take initiative stand out and others are usually willing to follow them. 

7. Live with Jesus today. Ask Him, what can I do for you today? What can I do to follow you as close as I can, today?  The past is gone. Dump it and let it go as fast as you can. The past does not exist anymore unless you allow it and decide to live there instead of living for today. Do all that is necessary to forget it and live with the ever present Christ, today.

 Look to move forward-don’t ever look back-this doesn’t mean we cannot learn from the past or from what has already happened by  applying it to forward progress. 

Progress is progress and victory is victory no matter how small as long as you keep it and look at what’s next in moving forward from there. Even if it’s small baby steps you are moving forward, it doesn’t matter what others think about your progress and don’t compare your progress to anyone else’s.  Focus on today, and refuse to listen to yesterday’s faults, flaws, mistakes, failures or hurts. Do whatever it takes to get past them.

‭Philippians 3:12-13 TPT‬.  [12] I admit that I haven’t yet acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing, but I run with passion into his abundance so that I may reach the purpose for which Christ Jesus laid hold of me to make me his own. [13] I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this;  however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead. 

‭Philippians 3:13 NIV‬. [13] Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 

Image, image, image. Never stop striving to be more like Jesus, “Everyday”. Conforming to His image is every Christian’s goal, to mature and be like Him in every way. Do not stop growing. Learn to hear His voice, to communicate with Him, to talk to Him and listen as He talks back to you. 

Get past yourself, maybe even get over yourself. This is part of being His disciple. You must die to self, and pick up His image. Ask yourself, and be ruthlessly honest, do I have a healthy self image or am I still plagued by insecurities, feelings of inadequacy, unworthiness, nobody caring, or not measuring up, then you need to get over yourself. Get past this and take up His image. This is where the adventure begins and  this is where life truly takes off for you.  Keep Jesus’ image as your standard. To be like Him in every way, every day. Live for Jesus today, forgetting the past. 

8. Be Extremely Grateful. Always, always giving thanks to God and anyone else for what they have done for you. There is always something you can be thankful for. Willfully practice this. Go over and above in saying thank you and showing a genuine, grateful heart. It is one of the most liberating principles to engage in everyday. This type of practice will keep you free from so much baggage.

‭Ephesians 5:20 AMP‬.  [20] always giving thanks to God the Father for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 

‭Ephesians 5:20 TPT‬.  [20] Always give thanks to Father God for every person   he brings into your life in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

9. Always be ready to expand the picture of God’s Kingdom for others, don’t let these opportunities go by. Never pass up an opportunity to give away from yourself in serving someone. This is sowing your life and scripture teaches us this is where you find true life. Train yourself to look for opportunities, willfully seek them out, and give of your life. Look to sow, continually practice being generous with your life, this doesn’t necessarily mean giving money, although that’s part of it. It means giving of your time, energy, and other resources, which are all part of sowing your life. Sow your life into the building up of someone else’s life. 

In Conclusion

If you are not growing then you are dying. Evaluate yourself with these and be honest as to where you can improve to keep growing to fulfill all He wants of you. What areas do you need to challenge yourself in? Then challenge yourself. Tell yourself you want to paint for Him. “I want all of Christ and I want to be free to be the Person He knows and wants me to be!”

Candy Corn

Posted on | by Kim Carroll

Candy Corn

Ps 34:8  Taste and see that the Lord is good;

Every season my wife decorates our house. I mean spring, summer, fall and her favorite, Christmas. She puts out what is appropriate for the particular season. This being Fall, she puts out all the things she decorates with, lights, leaves, flowers, pillows, dishes, candles, and which color coordinates for this season. Every fall for many years now she has put out a small dish in the shape and color of a candy corn and will fill it up with a particular brand of, (you should have guessed it), candy corn. For those of you who do not know of this candy, it comes out in the stores during the fall and looks like a yellow and orange piece of corn. Now of course our girls and their children know about this dish.  When they come to the house they look for this dish and help themselves to the candy corn. Throughout the fall this dish will get emptied and filled several times. 

Recently my 2 old grandson was at the house with his mother and I gave him his first candy corn. I picked up the piece of candy and handed it to him. He looked at it and played with it a little not knowing what it was and then I took one, put it in my mouth and he did the same. At first he looked like he would spit it out but then the sweetness touched his taste buds and an overwhelming approval registered on his face. He looked at me almost instantly and motioned to me for more. Watching his face go from not sure to positively yes for more, his mother and I just laughed. A couple of days later they stopped by the house and as soon as they came in the door he went straight to the dish. It just so happened to be empty at this time but he would stare at the dish and look at me like where are those wonderful little candies? 

Now think with me for a moment, do we taste to see how good the Lord is? God with His overwhelming love for us is always wanting us to experience more. More of everything He has that He gives to us for our enjoyment. He doesn’t do things to leave a bad taste in our mouths but a good taste. A taste we approve of and look at Him with the same face my grandson had wanting more. Do we run to God looking for more of the candy corn of His words, character, and nature because we remember how good it tasted before?

In the scripture above the actual Hebrew word taste is referring to perception of a thing. Look at the definition of taste; to try with your taste buds, to excite a particular sensation, by which a quality of flavor is distinguished, to perceive with your tongue/taste buds, to experience and distinguish a flavor most likely for the first time. 

According to the scripture the flavor you are looking for is good. You are perceiving how good God is. You are wanting to experience this particular sensation. The best thing about this is God wants you to taste this too Because He knows once you have tasted a flavor and you have liked it you want more. 

I have had many steaks in my life but there is one place both my wife and I had a steak that to this day is the best. We still will talk about it.  When you mention this particular restaurant we both light up and overwhelmingly agree the best steak we ever have had. Our taste buds had a sensation that we would go back again and again to partake of. 

There was a time we did mission trips to Romania. Getting there we would sometimes have to stop in Zurich. I had gotten to know some of the things to do and try with overnight stays in Zurich. There was a particular chocolate shop and every time I would take a team through Zurich I had to take them to this shop and buy them their first Swiss chocolate. I would joke and tell them the first one’s on me. I would enjoy treating people to their first chocolate truffle and watching their facial expression. Of course they would want another one, and now you know why I would only buy the first one, because I knew they would want another. 

Do we have a spiritual facial expression with the things of God? Do we want more?  This is really how we should know our Lord. We should be wanting more, having tasted, we want another. Why? Because it is so amazingly good. He is so amazingly Good. 

I have said this many times and I am sure I heard it somewhere but God is never holding anything back from us but holding it for us. He isn’t hiding things from us but wants us to come and taste and see His goodness. He is holding them out for us to come and partake of all He has for us. 

We taste what is good by enjoying His Word, finding pleasure in walking with Him, growing in His abundant love for us. 

There are many things I have tasted and did not like. I did not care to taste them again. However, never have I in over 40 plus years of walking with God have I tasted anything bad from Him. Just the opposite I have only found that which is good and loving, caring and always willing to share every aspect of His life with me. 

The whole message about His Son is making sure we receive the very best He has to offer. He wholeheartedly gave us Jesus so we could enjoy all His goodness. The way Jesus enjoyed life with his Father, the Father wanted to make sure we received the exact same abundant life. Again, He is not keeping anything from us but holding out to us to come and taste and see how truly good He is. So think of all the good of God you have tasted and remember this every time you come to Him. Look for the dish with the candy corn of life in it and help yourself.

Luke 10:21

 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.  NIV

Eph 1:9-10

And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure,

which he purposed in Christ, NIV

Luke 12:32

32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. NKJV

Forget The Half Glass

Posted on | by Kim Carroll

Forget The Half Glass

We have all probably heard the saying, “the glass half full or half empty” and the meaning is pointing to how we view things, either positive “half full” or negative “half empty”. It reveals the attitude of the heart in how we see events unfolding in our lives as well as around us. However, why just half a glass?

 In Lam.3:22-23 states His love and mercy is brand new every single morning we get up. In Jn.10:10 states He gives us life in abundance, and the amplified states “till its full, overflowing.”  This means every morning we can start with an empty glass and fill it up with as much of Him as we possibly can. So everyday with God the glass can be full and even spilling over. 

So coming back to the glass being half empty or half full it’s only just half a glass. To be truly positive we will see the glass filling up with the life of Christ. Every morning we wake up, our quest should be to see how full we can get the glass with His life spilling out of us. Filling the glass up with our walk with Him, discovering the newness of Him filling up the  glass. He provides us with an abundant supply of life. He just keeps pouring till we stop it for whatever reasons. I mean, we determine how much of His life we will live today. We determine then how full our glass will be. Whether negative, seeing the problems, situations, and lack, or we’re thankful to be alive today, physically, mentally, Spiritually, and letting 100% of His life live in us today is our choice. 

Everyday He gives us the ability to be as alive as we want to be with Him, after all He is the author of Life. So start with an empty glass today and fill it up with as much of the life of Jesus as you possibly can. Live seeing Him adding all of what He has for you, today. Not negative, not seeing the lack or problems, even if they are there, no old dry religious ways of the past, nothing from yesterday. 

Today, right now, He is creating, producing new things. He is the only source of life, purpose and destiny. Let’s look with a heart that wants to be filled till overflowing. Forget the half glass, reach for the overflowing one. Now this is the attitude to have when looking at the glass. 

It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness. The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him. The Lord is good to those who wait hopefully and expectantly for Him, to those who seek Him [inquire of and for Him and require Him by right of necessity and on the authority of God’s word]. It is good that one should hope in and wait quietly for the salvation (the safety and ease) of the Lord.   Lamentations 3:22‭-‬26 AMPC

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].   John 10:10 AMP