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In this episode of Call to Freedom, delve into the prophetic insights of Micah and the importance of ethical living. As Barbara shares her thoughts on social justice and political engagement, we are reminded of the enduring relevance of ancient prophecies in today's world. Through historical context and present-day parallels, find inspiration in the mission to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to Call to Freedom with Barbara Carmack. This is Jimmy Lakey, and I'm delighted that you are joining us for this half hour. You can reach Call to Freedom at Box 370367, Denver, Colorado, 80237, or by going to the website at www.freedomstreet.org. If you want to leave a message or order a Word Power Daily Reading Bible Guide or a Freedom Street Express newsletter, you can call us toll free at 1-877-917-7256 and leave your name and address, including your zip code. If you want to talk to Barbara right now, she is expecting your call. You may call that same toll-free number, 1-877-917-7256 to speak to her. And now, let's join Barbara in the studio.
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Welcome to Call to Freedom. Well, you know, ready or not, and if your throat has a little frog in it, you just got to go on. You can't say, well, I need five minutes here. I need to go gargle. So bear with me as I'm getting this little frog out of my throat. I don't know what happened, but it's there. May the Lord remind you that he is for you. He's for you. Oh, God is so for you. He loves you. And if God is for us, who can be against us? Nothing outside his will can stand against you. Nothing. You are covered by forgiveness and grace, loved, thought of constantly, and chosen to fulfill his divine purpose. Just think of the last four years. Think of the high prices going to the grocery store or the gas that you had to fill up your car. with the money that God had given you, and sometimes it just came squeaking to the end of the month, and you had two pennies to rub together, but you paid your bills, and you got through those four years, those impossible four years. As I looked on 2021, I thought, oh God, how are you going to get us through this? And he said, I will. I will. I'm holding you in my hand. You're in my hand and I will keep you. Read Psalm 121. Oh, what a blessing it is for all of us who know that God is our keeper. And in the shade, he's our keeper. In the sun, he's our keeper. In the storm, he's our keeper. In the wonderful weather, he's our keeper. So remember that, friend. You are blessed to dispense, for in him you live and move and have your being. And I'm so glad that you joined me in these programs. I feel like you're with me here in the studio, which is always a blessing. Our memory verse for this week is Psalm 33, 12 and 15. I'm going to read from the message. It's verse 12. That's your verse for this week. Psalm 33, verse 12. and in the message i'm going to start at the 12th verse and go to the 15th blessed is the country with god for god blessed are the people he has in his will from high in the skies god looks around he sees all adam's brood yeah we're all part of adam's family from where he sits he overlooks all us earth dwellers he has shaped each person in in turn and now he watches everything we do From the Passion, Psalm 33, 12 through 17. His destiny plan for the earth stands sure. His forever plan remains in place and will never fail. Blessed and prosperous is that nation who has God as their Lord. They will be the people he has chosen for his own. Verse 13 through 15. The Lord looks over us from where he rules in heaven. Gazing into every heart from his lofty dwelling place, he observes all the peoples of the earth. The creator of our hearts considers and examines everything we do. Oh, we can't hide anything. So don't even try. Just have everything out in the open, my friend. Even if a king had the best equipped army, it would never be enough to save him. Even if the best warrior went to battle, he could not be saved simply by his strength alone. Human strength and the weapons of man are false hopes for victory. Remember that. Even though China looks like they have millions, and they do, millions in the army, it's nothing to God. It is nothing to God at all. And if they're anti-God, he's going to see that they are defeated. They may seem mighty, but they will always disappoint. They will always disappoint. Praise God. Oh, and our lesson plan, trusting in God is our lesson plan for life. And as Tim Tebow says, it's mission possible. And it may take a lifetime to truly trust God in every area of our lives. Our lesson plan is not to make a million or even paying off your house. Nope, that's not your plan. Your lesson plan is trusting God. Trusting God in everything that you do every day. Yesterday, we looked at Daniel, who was opposed on every side, how God delivered him when no human being could. Remember, the king put the seal on the boulder that kept the lion's den closed, and Daniel was in there with the lions, and they did not eat him. And then when they threw the guards in, and their families... They ate them. So we know that they are ferocious and vicious animals. But God closed their mouths. Praise the Lord. The book of Micah, one of the 12 minor prophets in the Old Testament, and I don't like to call them minor prophets because... They're so jam-packed, full of anointing. It's attributed to the prophet Micah himself. Now, there's not a whole lot of information about Micah. He was a contemporary of other biblical figures such as Isaiah and Hosea, prophesying 800 years before Jesus was born. And we're going to talk about one of the prophecies that he gave in Micah. He hailed from the town of Moresheth. And it's located in southern kingdom of Judah, which shaped his perspectives on both local and national issues. His writings reflect a deep concern for social justice and the moral decay of society, making him a pivotal voice in the prophetic tradition. Now, some people say, oh, we shouldn't get mixed up in politics. Well, it's not politics. It's our lifestyle of living in a republic. America is a republic for the people, by the people. And so we've got to be engaged in knowing what is happening in our country. And that's why I am one who watches not only Fox News, I don't watch it as much anymore, but Newsmax and some of these outlets which give us the truth because it's so important that we know the truth. We know of social injustices and we know of the moral decay. And President Trump, as he's going throughout the country, sees the moral decay and how the people are asking for help from him, especially Trump. For instance, Chicago, 51,000 illegal aliens are in Chicago. Can you imagine how that's going to change the face of that town? Chicago used to be beautiful. John and I went for a piano conference when he was with Baldwin. And we just had a ball even going on the L line across Chicago, going to the aquarium, going along the seaside there. Oh, beautiful town. And going into the tallest building there, it was just wonderful. So that's why we need to be really involved in the social injustices so that We can pray for the truth and God's justice to take place. And so that's why the majority of Americans knew that in order to achieve social justice, we must look to a man who's willing to give his life to make America great again. And he truly was. You know, when he got hit in the ear with the bullet, he didn't just sink down and have them carry him off the platform. Maybe I would have done that. I'm bleeding, I'm bleeding. No, he just pumped his fist and said, fight, fight, fight. And what a wonderful phrase that we used until he was elected president, 47th president of the United States. Praise God. So here's Micah's background. We're going to see a little bit about him and the parallels that he had with what we are going through in our country right now. Micah's prophecies emerged during a tumultuous time in Israel's history, characterized by political instability and social injustice. The kingdom was divided with Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Samaria was the capital of Israel, Jerusalem the capital of Judah, leading to varying degrees of corruption and idolatry. Boy, we've seen that. The burning of Minneapolis, Chicago... And Oregon, Portland, Seattle, Washington, these are gorgeous. It used to be that Portland was called the Rose City, City of Roses. And it was beautiful. When John and I went there to sing, it was absolutely beautiful. And sometimes when that... Evil takes over for a time. They're going to bring really bad situations and conditions. But God is going to bring about a fair and wonderful result. And Micah's message addressed all these things that we're talking about. His unique background as a rural prophet allowed him to speak with authenticity about the struggles faced by ordinary people. setting him apart from the urban cities of Jerusalem and the elite. And we've seen this lack of representation in the rural areas, like in Colorado. A huge county is Weld County of Colorado, very conservative. So we've seen the lack of representation of the rural counties in just the state of Colorado, let alone all over the United States, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, parts of Idaho. And we've seen this lack because areas such as Denver have been ruled by left-wing politicians who seem to have their way in getting horrible legislation passed. Let's pray for a new day in these blue states. I remind myself almost daily, Barbara, what does Colorado mean in Spanish? And I say, oh, Lord, it's red. It's red. Colorado means red state. I'm going to go for it. I am. So let's pray for these blue states that the people of that state will be heard and they will hear them. The most quoted passages from Micah, and you probably have heard this over and over again, and it's one of my favorite. It's like God has shown you, oh, mortal, what is good. This is from Micah 6, verse 8. I think all of us should memorize this. God has shown you, oh mortal, that's us, physical, what is good. What is good? He is a good God. Sometimes in my car I'm just going, oh God, you are so good. You're a good God. You're a wonderful God. So what does the Lord require of you? What does he require of us who believe in him? To seek justice, to love mercy. Oh, mercy surrounds us. And when we do something that is wrong or we commit a sin, that mercy takes over and God sees us as just people that are fallible and we're going to fall. We are going to fall, but God picks us up, praise the Lord, to seek justice and love, mercy, and walk humbly with your God. This verse highlights Micah's emphasis on ethical living as central to faith. Micah's influence extends beyond his immediate historical context as his prophecies foretell the coming of the Messiah. His predictions regarding the birthplace of the Messiah in Bethlehem have significant implications in Christian theology. Moresheth, the town where Micah grew up, was very agricultural, with implication that Micah might have been a farmer. It was totally destroyed, but is said to be six and a half miles from Bethlehem. So when he prophesied about Messiah's birth in Bethlehem, he had some idea about of what the village looked like. It's like I've moved from Greeley. I was in Greeley for over 20 years growing up at Pierce. And so I knew Greeley really well. When people talk about Greeley, oh yeah, I know where that is. I know where the courthouse is. I know, yeah. And so we say, oh yeah, I know where that is. Well, I'm sure that Micah, when he heard about Bethlehem, yes, I've been through Bethlehem. I know where it is. Here's Micah 5. 2 through 5, and here's the prophecy about Jesus being born. But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. That means you're minute. You don't really... rate with other cities in israel it's like when you're from a small town like i was from pierce colorado what's pierce 365 people and so you're feeling small but there's no small in god's eyes no small no small you're not small you're only a small village among all the people of judah yet our ruler of israel will come from you one whose origins are from the distant past off from the beginning of time and forever the people of israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the woman in labor gives birth c israel was under roman rule when jesus was born they weren't free They were under a Roman dictatorship. Then at last his fellow countrymen will return from exile to their own land. This took thousands of years from the time of Micah's prophecy. Thousands of years for us to see Israel in 1948. Become an independent state. Praise the Lord. And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord's strength in the majesty of the name of the Lord, his God. Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored around the world. And this is yet to come. But there's going to be a day when Jesus is ruling in Jerusalem. Oh, and his love. and truth that people around the world will come to worship him. Oh, what a day! And he will be the source of peace, Prince of Peace, Shalom. When the Assyrians invade our land and break through our defenses, we will appoint seven rulers to watch over them, eight princes to lead us, and that's a completion. Seven is a perfect completion. He's gonna have all of the armies that he needs to keep that state of Israel safe. And as you're seeing Israel right now being surrounded by the enemy and they are fighting north and east and south and even into the Mediterranean, parts of the Mediterranean, we're seeing how some countries are just wanting to squash Israel. Do you think they are going to do that? No, no. I want to read a little bit of Micah here in the seventh chapter. Great chapter. And he's just telling us, aren't you glad that they had journals then that they were writing how they felt? And some of the prophecies like the Bethlehem of Ephrathah. Here he's saying how miserable I am. Haven't you ever said that? I am so sick. I'm miserable. Oh, I can't believe how bad I feel. Well, you know, as Darren said, feelings and symptoms are liars and God's word is truth. And he goes on to say, Micah goes on to say, I feel like the fruit picker after the harvest who can find nothing to eat. Just think he's done his harvest. He's taken everything to market and he's left with nothing. not a cluster of grapes or a single early fig can be found to satisfy my hunger the godly people have all disappeared not one honest person is left on the earth there are all murderers setting traps even for their own brothers Now, here he says, all people have all godly people have disappeared and all the people left on the earth are murderers. All, all, all. Boy, it would be a really good idea if you don't use generalities to offset your faith walk with God. And I used to do that. All people in this area don't believe in God. I'm the only one. I remember Elijah saying, God, I'm the only one on this earth. And God says, there's 7,000 who have not bowed to Baal or Asherah. So we remember that and we don't do all anymore. They aren't all murderers. There are some who trust God. And Micah goes on to say both their hands are equally skilled at doing evil. Officials and judges alike. Boy, judges in this country have been unfair and evil alike. They demand bribes. And I'm sure there have been many bribes under the table. The people with influence get what they want. And together they scheme to twist justice. Wow. Wow, this sounds just like the last four years, folks. Even the best of them is like a briar, a briar bush full of those needles. The most honest is as dangerous as a hedge of thorns. But your judgment day is coming swiftly now, Lord. Your time of punishment is here, a time of confusion. Praise the Lord. Oh, and here he goes on to say, don't trust anyone, not your best friend or even your wife. And for that, the son despises his father, the daughter defies her mother, the daughter-in-law defies her mother-in-law. Now, Jesus quoted this verse in the New Testament. And he goes on to say in the seventh verse, But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Oh, I love this song. Yesterday we played one song by Chris Tomlin, which is My Chains Are Gone, I've Been Set Free. He's an anointed composer. And right now we're going to hear Unfailing Love.
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God of grace and power. And everything you hold in your hand. Still you make time for me. I can't understand. Thank you. How beautiful is your unfailing love. I can't understand.
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Oh, praise God. Praise you, God of earth and sky. How beautiful is your unfailing love. Unfailing love. And you never change. God, you remain the holy one. And my unfailing love. unfailing love oh go around your home in your car today just singing of god's unfailing love i hope you can say with me god you have my heart and i am yours forever you are my strength God of grace and power and everything you hold in your hand, everything he holds in his hand. Can you imagine? Sometimes you say, well, I hope it rains here. If it rains in Los Angeles, they're going to have mudslides. So he's got to think of everybody's benefit. Is this going to be good for this part of the country or that part of the country? And what's going to be good here in this part of the world and that part of the world? He's got responsibility for everyone. Oh, and he still makes time for you. And he still makes time for me. Isn't that wonderful? Oh, I love that song. And I'm going to go on with Micah 7, verse 12. Micah is writing about Israel and the cities will be rebuilt and your borders will be extended. We're going to see in the future yet that Gaza is going to be Israel and West Bank are going to be Israel. In fact, the original Israel, which was Canaan, which Abraham had, gotten from god as a promise it went clear into iran that's the borders of the original israel and up into lebanon so we're going to see the borders extended just like micah says in the 11th verse People from many lands will come and honor you, from Assyria all the way to the towns of Egypt, from Egypt all the way to the Euphrates River, and from distant seas and mountains. Tourism in Israel is their greatest asset. Millions walked the paths that Jesus walked when he was on the earth. So we're going to see many, many countries come to Israel, as we are seeing now. God, protect your people with your shepherd's staff. Lead your flock, your special possession. Though they live alone in a thicket on the heights of Mount Carmel, let them graze in the fertile pastures of Bashan and Gilead as they did long ago. Yes, says the Lord, I will do mighty miracles for you like those I did when I rescued you from slavery in Egypt. All the nations of the world will stand amazed. what i will do for you they will be embarrassed at their feeble power they will cover their mouths in silent awe deaf to everything around them oh i'm telling you it's going to be remarkable it's going to be better than anything you can ever imagine that's why i believe we're going to have new bodies when we see all this And he's got such compassion over each and every one of us. Remember that. You are the righteousness of God in Christ. And you have the mind of Christ today, my friend. You truly do. I want you to know that God is there for you. Anything. Tell him. Be honest with him. Father God, I've got this need or I've got this issue in my life and I'm just going to lay it out on the table and do that for yourself and for him. God loves you so much. God bless you and take joy and take care of yourself today. Bye.
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877-917-7256
SPEAKER 01 :
Call to Freedom is a listener-supported radio ministry. Barbara and her power partners invite you to come on board with us and become a network of hands holding up Call to Freedom ministry. Our partners support Call to Freedom with prayer and monthly financial support. You will be blessed supernaturally. We invite you to visit Call to Freedom's website, www.freedomstreet.org, where you can hear Barbara's daily radio broadcast 24 hours a day or order materials. You may share your praise reports and heart cries by mailing them to Call to Freedom, Box 370-367, Denver, Colorado, 80237. Or you may email us at barbracarmack at freedomstreet.org. Until next time, remember, Jesus loves you, Barbara loves you, and take joy.
SPEAKER 1 :
Thank you.
Join Barbara and Darren as they explore the importance of seeking new opportunities and stepping out in faith. Listen to testimonies of individuals finding miracles on their journey and learn how changing your environment can lead to new beginnings and fulfillment in life. Through candid conversations, they emphasize the transformative power of prayer, the necessity to leave comfort zones, and trusting in God's perfect plan for our lives.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to Call to Freedom with Barbara Carmack. This is Jimmy Lakey, and I'm delighted that you are joining us for this half hour. You can reach Call to Freedom at Box 370367, Denver, Colorado, 80237, or by going to the website at www.freedomstreet.org. If you want to leave a message or order a Word Power Daily Reading Bible Guide or a Freedom Street Express newsletter, you can call us toll free at 1-877-917-7256 and leave your name and address, including your zip code. If you want to talk to Barbara right now, she is expecting your call. You may call that same toll-free number, 1-877-917-7256 to speak to her. And now, let's join Barbara in the studio.
SPEAKER 02 :
You will be listening to a Darren Live broadcast today. By the amount of calls and emails I've received, you have enjoyed hearing shows from the past. On this program, Darren and I talk about the negative effect that fear has on a person's life. And we discuss the fact that God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind. Thank you for joining us today. approach it as an opportunity to see God at work in your life. As we join the broadcast, Darren is talking about our special friends, Jack and Nancy. Let's join this Encore Darren Live program now.
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And we've been doing those meetings there for over three years. And we probably should have kept a Tuesday miracle log because we've had so many. And people getting born again, set free, finding new friends. The list could go on and on. And, you know, even Jack was mentioned in the newspaper out in Strasburg.
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Yeah. Yes.
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Jack the meter man.
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Yes. The meter reader.
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It was really, really a neat article about Jack. Jack and Nancy are frequent visitors to our class. In fact, not just visitors. They're kind of old timers. But we have a good time and we see people growing in the Lord. And that's so exciting to me to see people that are fighting that great big monster, the big main monster the devil throws against us as that monster called fear. And it's not just called a monster in scripture. It's called a spirit monster.
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That's right. And it is sin. When we give into those things, so many of us, we give into fear or we give into anxiety or worry. And I know some people don't believe those are sins, but those are sins. And it says God didn't give us the spirit of fear. And it's because it is so detrimental in our lives. God isn't that kind of God to give us that fear. But he gave us power and love and a sound mind. And Darren, that's such a reassurance. Praise God. I need to apologize. I need to apologize to you and the listening audience. You're speaking to me? Yes, I'm speaking to you. I need to apologize to all of you because yesterday Holy Spirit was nudging me saying, you know, you had a couple of prophetic words for people and he was saying ears, ears. and someone has a problem with their ears, and they just cannot hear. It's either a big vacuum, it's like they're inside of a drum, or it's ringing, or something like that. And I didn't say anything on the show. Of course, we had three calls, and half an hour just goes boom, boom, and it's gone. And so all afternoon, he kept... telling me about ears last night. We get to the meeting and we had such a great time. And I'll tell you, over 50 people came during that. It was windy and cold. I mean, and I'll tell you, I was amazed. We have some really true diehards in the Lord. I just, I love all of you. Praise God.
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What's your apology?
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So, and then I get there and during prayer, Holy Spirit is saying ears again. And I didn't do it. And I just ask your forgiveness because I got home and I started reading the envelopes. And one of the prayer requests was, please pray for my ears. I have ringing in my ears. So in Jesus name, I thank you, Father God, that if this person is listening or any of you that have problems with your ears this morning. Put your hand over your ears in Jesus name. I know Holy Spirit wants to heal you because he was nudging me all day yesterday. I asked his forgiveness and he is ready to heal you today. And in Jesus name, I thank you, Father, that you are going by the unction of Holy Spirit to everyone that has a problem in their ears so that they can open their ears, their natural ears in here. And Father God, I ask also that you open their spiritual ears. to hear the word of God. In Jesus' name, thank you for this healing. Hallelujah. Amen.
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Well, we also had a marvelous miracle shared with us last night. A lady who received a tremendous miracle in the class probably two months ago has been coming alone by herself the last few weeks because her husband was working night shift. Well, he held up his hand last night. He said, I had a major miracle. I got a new job and twice the pay that I had before.
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Isn't that great?
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And, you know, we prayed for things like that, that God would just bring around the best employment possible But he's the type of guy that will go out and ask, make himself available for those openings. And, you know, you can pray and pray in your prayer closet, but some days you have to get out and go out and fill out a job application. You have to go out and make a move. And I have a letter in front of me here, and I'll let you put the name on this guy that you want to put on him. I mean, if you would describe this guy.
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Well, we can just call him Single Guy.
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Single Guy. Okay. In fact, that's the way he signed his letter. Now, I'm not going to tell you whether he's in Garden City, Kansas, Georgetown, Colorado, Carr, Colorado, Otis, Joe's, Raton, New Mexico, down in Canadian, Texas. I'm not going to say where this guy's from, okay? But he's from a small town. Okay, here's what he says. Dear Darren, I'm writing to you because during your show I'm working. I don't always get a chance to listen to your show. I don't have a computer. Now here's my details. I'm 36 years old, a male. I've never been married. I have no kids. That's good. Darren, I'd like to be, well, I mean, you shouldn't probably have kids if you have never been married, right?
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That's true.
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I would like a miracle because I live in a small town and all the Christian women here are in high school. Well, he probably should draw a line through that option.
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I don't think that's the total truth, though, either. I think there are other single women who are Christians.
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He said, yes, I am a born-again Christian. I want to meet the soulmate of my life. Pray for me. Would you write to me and let me know? Well, instead of writing, I'm going to send him a copy of this tape. But here's what I'm going to say. You know, I've driven up and down I-25 for many, many thousands of miles. I've never seen anybody catch trout in the middle of I-25. Well, you say, how stupid an illustration. Well, no, it's not really stupid. The reason you don't catch trout in the middle of I-25 is there's no trout there.
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That's right.
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So if you want to find trout, you're probably going to have to get off the highway and drive up in the mountains and find a stream where there is some trout.
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And we're not saying there are no single Christian women there, but he just hasn't met them.
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Well, it sounds like it. But here's my point. If I want to catch catfish and I'm fishing for catfish, I've just got to have catfish. Probably I'm going to have to maybe go to Kansas or down in Oklahoma or down into Texas. I'm going to go down where they have a lot of warm water. If I want catfish, if you're going to catch what you're after, you got to go where they are. That's my point. And I, you know, we have a lot of people talk to us and they give us, they give us, they just think they've got an impossible situation. No, you know, there are no borders there. keeping you from driving to Denver. And there are a lot of single, wonderful Christian ladies here in Denver.
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Job opportunities are absolutely wonderful. Job opportunities are wonderful. In fact, probably better than in this little town.
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In this little town. Okay. Also, I know a little bit about Tulsa, Oklahoma. I mean, there's an abundance of singles there, both men and women. And if you're not finding what you're looking for where you are, guess what? Get yourself in the vehicle and get going.
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That's right. There's Bible school there, and I'll tell you, there are people that are 45 and 50 going to that Bible school.
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And some older than that.
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And I know two men from this exact area where he's from. After graduating from high school, they went to Tulsa, and they found their wives in Tulsa. I mean, we just read here in Genesis, Darren, about Isaac. He didn't have a wife, and Abraham sent the servant to the foreign country, Haran, which was many days east of where they lived. to find a wife for him. Also, Jacob, he ran away from home for fear of his brother Esau, but he found a wife in another country also. So they left home and they found a wife. Now, if you say, well, I can't leave home, then you are limiting God because there's no such thing as I can't. I know I lived in the Greeley area for 40 years. And Darren, when you were talking about moving to Denver, I said, oh, this is home. I can't do that. And God almost had to kick me out of there. But he did. And praise God that he did, because our life has changed. And I'm so fulfilled and satisfied.
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And you like Denver.
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Oh, I love Denver. Yes. A lot of people in like city.
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We happen to like it.
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Well, I'm from the country. I was raised on a farm.
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Now, here's what we're saying, folks. Some of you are where you are, and you're complaining because there are just no opportunities. And I would agree with you. In some communities, there are very limited or no opportunities, maybe for marriage or for job, for employment, for advancement. Don't let fear keep you there. You may be in a very comfortable paralytic. Now, I want you to hear me, paralytic loop situation. Some of you are in a paralytic loop in the middle of Denver saying, oh, I just can't find a good church. Oh, I just can't find anybody to fellowship. I can't find anybody to lay hands on me and pray the prayer of faith and put their faith with mine so I can get healed. Or I could find a better job if somebody just agreed. Oh, I can't find any good friends. Hey, try Tuesday night. We have some delightful people on Tuesday night.
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Well, or try so many times in these apartment complexes, there's community centers. Try getting out of your little four walls and meeting the person across the hall or meeting the person down the street. It does take effort on your part. You cannot sit at home, watch television and expect to find somebody or a job or be in fellowship. That is impossible. And so we encourage you. You must make a decision. God has the best for you, but you have to believe that if he sends you somewhere, it's the very best for you.
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You know, I've talked to quite a few people that were doing the loop, and they were paralyzed in their situation. And they said, oh, Brother Darren, would you pray for me? And they'd give me a request, something like this. You know, I need to find a wife, or I need to find a husband, or I need to find a better job. And I have a rather creative mind, so I'd stand there for a little bit, and I'd say, well, have you thought about it? Oh, no, I couldn't. No, no, that wouldn't work. And, you know, you go through six or eight or ten options. And then they got all the reasons why that wouldn't work. And then I walk away saying, well, guess I just found out why it just won't work for them. They're going to be locked in. Or I might tell somebody, you know, you could be healed. Oh, let me tell you about my family. They start giving me their family medical history. And I say, now I know why you're not healed. is you have accepted the limitations of your situation, and that's tragic. That is really, really tragic.
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It is.
SPEAKER 06 :
Don't allow the devil to get you in a corner and plaster up all the walls and do all that kind of stuff, and then you tell me, well, I just can't get out of here. Yes, you can. Mm-hmm. Yes, you can. And praise God, we still live in a free country. Bless God. And there are no fences across I-70 or I-25 or I-80. We flew this weekend down to Phoenix, and there weren't any doors on Phoenix keeping us out of there or out of Tucson. And when we got back to Denver, there were no barbed wire fences keeping us out of Denver.
SPEAKER 02 :
Praise God.
SPEAKER 06 :
Now, come on, folks. There's a way to change your circumstances, and it might be that you have to put down your pet little idol called fear. Now, I have been there. I know what it's like to feel fearful. I know what it's like to say, well, there's new territory. I mean, could I get a job? Yes, I've driven clear across the country and found a job in a brand-new city.
SPEAKER 02 :
I think it also involves laziness, too, because we get into a rut or we get into a schedule or a routine. And the very idea of getting out of that is just absolutely impossible for us to think about. And because we're so familiar with what we're doing, we can't possibly get into any new adventure or area. And I say, wow, that is that's tremendous to be able to think about. Hey, I'm going to do something brand new that I've never done before and get excited about it.
SPEAKER 06 :
And you've got to know this, that God is in your town, whether it's a little town, a big town, or a big city. He's there. But he's also down the road and around the bend and over the hill. He's there also. And if you give him a chance, and I look at it this way. When I drive through the farming communities, I look at a grain elevator, and sometimes I see these trucks that drive in for a load of grain. And you know that grain is not going to come out in the middle of the street. It's not going to be half a mile down the other end of town. You have to get under that spout in the elevator for that grain to drop in your truck. Some of you are trying to get God's glory where you are. And God says, look. My glory is going to be on your life and my blessing is going to be on your life 50 miles down the road. And you're going to have to move. If you're going to find that place of blessing, you're going to have to move.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, that's what he did with Abraham. That's what he did with Joseph. That's what he did with many, many.
SPEAKER 06 :
Abraham's father was an idol maker. They had to be very wealthy, but God says, Abraham, you're moving. And he didn't have a map. He didn't really know where he was going. He just believed God and went for it.
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, and he had much more success than if he would have stayed there. Also, I have a verse from Genesis 28, verse 20 through 22, when Jacob had run away from home to go to his uncle Laban's house, his mother Rebecca's brother. And he saw a ladder going down from heaven and angels up and down the ladder. I think that was God telling him, I'm going to take care of you, Jacob. And Jacob said something to God. God, if you will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take and give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I can return to my father's house in safety, which he did many years later. Then this stone, which I have set up as an altar, as a pillar will be God's house. And of that thou does give me, I will give you a 10th of all that you give me. Now, this is the second time that this tide is mentioned once with Abraham meeting Melchizedek. Now with Jacob, I believe Darren, when we put God first and we say, God, I'm going to get to know you and you're going to bring all of my desires together. If this young man can say, Father God, I'm going to give you the first part of my day. I'm going to make sure that I tithe and I give you what is yours. And I'm going to make sure that my life is congruent, Lord, the way you asked me to do it. Then God will bring the woman in his life. I truly believe that.
SPEAKER 06 :
Now, I believe this too, Barbara, that many times God just gives us a choice. And let me give you an example. We talked to a lot of people are from North Dakota. So let me pick on North Dakota for a minute. If you don't like real cold winters and real hot summers, you probably shouldn't live in Bismarck, North Dakota. Now, I haven't lived there, but that's what they tell me. They have hot, hot summers and they have real cold winters. Well, guess what? You have a choice. And if you don't like cold weather, why don't you move south? And, you know, God may just be saying, you know, I don't care whether you live in Albuquerque or whether you live in Riverside, California, or whether you live in Tucson, Arizona. I don't really care. Or maybe you want to go down to Brownsville, Texas. I just don't care. But see, I believe that he gives us many times that choice.
SPEAKER 02 :
I know. I've always wondered when there's a great flood along a river or something and all their houses are absolutely flooded. And this doesn't happen just once in 100 years. This happens maybe every 25 or 30 years. Or every 10 years. They've got to rebuild. Or on the slopes of California and their house goes down to the sea and they build there again. I'm going... Are they stupid or something? I mean, I would get up on the shore far away, at least two or three miles away, if I knew that might happen again. And people are, what are they, creatures of habit? They have got to go and rebuild again.
SPEAKER 06 :
You know, many people tend their life, I should have, would have, could have, you know, I could have done better, I should have moved, and they didn't move.
SPEAKER 02 :
They didn't move.
SPEAKER 06 :
They didn't move.
SPEAKER 02 :
And they got destroyed, man.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, let's talk to, there's a lady on the phone, Pam in North Glen, how are you?
SPEAKER 04 :
Hi, Darren. Hi, Barbara. Hi. How are you? Doing good. Great. Last night when I left the meeting, and I was talking to you, Barbara, last night about my husband.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 04 :
And a ton of bricks fell on me as I was turning the corner into the driveway. My husband is a reasoner and a planner. And I know you're supposed to ponder. And that's a lot different than reasoning, isn't it?
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
And... How do I go about praying that reasoning thing away from him?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, I believe that Ephesians 1, 17 and 18 is really good. And I would really pray to know that he is, I mean, born again. I know sometimes it's really hard for a wife to sit down with a husband and Honey, do you really know that Jesus is Lord of your life? If you know that, then you can read Ephesians 1, 17 and 18 and pray that for him, that his eyes, the spiritual eyes would be open for him. Because I know you and I have talked about it, that he just doesn't believe in giving to the Lord. And that is a real important part of being a born again Christian. And so we need to ask God to change that mindset that he has, because it is really carnal. It is a carnal mindset that he has. So change those patterns of what he grew up thinking and hungering and thirsting. That's another thing you need to pray for him. Matthew five, six. Oh, good. Good. That's great.
SPEAKER 06 :
I would bless your husband with the thirst for righteousness. And Pam, let me say this to you. I spent several years in college. But if the colleges had the answers, you know, we'd be lined up from here to Boulder trying to break the doors down to get in there. And the answers for mankind are not really found at the mind and the reason level. They're found in the heart. And one reason we have so many metal breakdowns in the United States is we try to reason and we're trying to make the mind do something God didn't create it to do. The mind really needs to be a servant of the spirit. So can I read a little scripture to you? Sure. Okay, in Romans 8.6 it says, For it does not subject itself to the law of God. It's not even able to do so. And those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, that's good.
SPEAKER 06 :
And, you know, we try to get people to have a spiritual identity, and many people try to have a mental identity. They say, above all, I have to reason, I have to think, I have to figure things out, I have to deduct, I have to, you know, all that stuff. And that person is really bound that does that. So I suspect your husband is bound just because he's depending on his mind too much.
SPEAKER 04 :
That's what I see here more and more that I've been home. Right.
SPEAKER 06 :
So then fear, of course, is right there at the door to paralyze a person's thinking. And this is a scary world. If you don't really trust in God, this is a scary world. Because all you have to do is read just the headlines. If you didn't read the paper, just read the headlines. Just listen to a little CNN news. I mean, you'd freak out. And it's no wonder that there are a lot of people committing suicide today. And a lot of the younger people today are taking that option of suicide. They're saying, hey, the adults haven't figured this out. They've screwed up our world. And I just think I'm just going to check out. And a lot of them do. And that's because they're trying to reason it out, trying to figure it out. And there are a lot of things, very honestly, you just plain won't figure. Know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah. Now, he won't let you give your tithe, right?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, we go around and around about it. I'm trying to be a submissive wife, which is hard for me to do sometimes. But he's a money handler, and he does it really well. Except for that.
SPEAKER 02 :
Does he do it really well? Yes, he does. Do you have everything that you desire?
SPEAKER 04 :
Um...
SPEAKER 02 :
90% of it, yes. Do you? Okay. I'm saying if you would talk to him and say, could I take the money that I earn and give that 10%? You're not asking him to give you all the paycheck to God, all your paycheck to God. You're just asking for 10% of your paycheck. And let's do an experiment for 90 days.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. I was going to suggest that, but. With me not working for the past couple of months, I know that's a lame excuse.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, but now you are working again, right?
SPEAKER 04 :
I'll be starting here at the end of the week. Okay.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, I would agree with Barbara there. I believe God will just do things for you.
SPEAKER 04 :
I do, too.
SPEAKER 06 :
Your husband needs to see something.
SPEAKER 04 :
That's right.
SPEAKER 06 :
God's not beyond being challenged there. In fact, this is one area and only area in Scripture where he says, test me. Try me out. Try me out.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. Because I think he's a reasoner and he's overwhelmed by that fierce thing going on. We're not going to have enough money.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, I tell you what, when you pray for your husband, buy him the spirit of fear.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, and bless him with peace and with righteousness.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 06 :
All right, Pam.
SPEAKER 03 :
God bless you. God bless.
SPEAKER 06 :
We love you.
SPEAKER 03 :
Love you, too. Okay. Bye-bye.
SPEAKER 06 :
Let's talk to Seal and Greeley. How are you?
SPEAKER 03 :
I'm doing pretty good. Good. I've looked into you guys off and on for quite some time, but this is the first time I actually got through when you were actually there. Oh, well, good to know.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, we're glad you called.
SPEAKER 03 :
I was... I was listening, and I just came out of an appointment and heard you talking about going and getting a job somewhere else and getting out of the four walls. Right. I just wanted to share with you an experience that my husband and I had. We were living in Minnesota, and we were planning our vacation to northern Minnesota. And the night before we left, we really felt like the Lord was telling us to come to Colorado to visit his mother. And so the next day, instead of going to northern Minnesota, we came to Colorado. While we were here, we had been thinking we'd always wanted to move back here so he could be by his mom. And it's been, it was, I think, like 10 years. And while we were here, all of a sudden we thought, you know, Oh, let's see if there's jobs. And we were here for a week. During that week, I called on a job position, got a job. My husband went back, or we all went back. I quit my job that I had. and we moved to colorado did your husband get a job here too yes he did actually he came here on the promise of a job oh and um he didn't even know for sure if he'd get it or not um but if you trust that god is faithful and he is telling you that that's where you need to be um all it's going to work out exactly so has he taken care has he taken care of you Oh, yes. I mean, it did take time for my husband to get here because we had to sell our other home. But we had time to see each other like we met in between for a couple months. But the good thing was within two weeks of my husband getting here, Here, we bought a new home.
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, praise God.
SPEAKER 03 :
And I think it was just the timing, because the people whose home that we bought had been thinking about selling their home, and so God wanted to place us in the place where we were.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 03 :
And He didn't want us to get a different home, so there were other things that had to fall in line. So it's really been wonderful.
SPEAKER 05 :
Good.
SPEAKER 03 :
We've been working and doing... Well, actually, now I'm a stay-at-home mom, so... God's blessing us tremendously because we listen.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes, that's right. And you obeyed. You did more than listen. Shema. That word Shema is in Deuteronomy 6.4. And it's a Hebrew word meaning listen with the intent of obeying. That's what you did. That's what you did.
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, I was listening yesterday with Dr. Zodiati.
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER 03 :
It was so wonderful. And I had always wanted a Hebrew-Greek study Bible. I had Dr. Sodiatis, and I gave it to my pastor because he'd always wanted one, and I just gave it to him as a gift.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, you blessed your pastor.
SPEAKER 03 :
So do you have one? No. Well, I got a cheap one, and it wasn't the same one. I didn't realize that. I thought I was getting the same one, and I don't like it as much, but... It'll work until I can get a different one.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, we'll pray that you get a Dr. Zodiani's Hebrew-Greek study.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes, thank you. Yes, I'm going to be looking for the New Testament one that he was talking about. The Greek one.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes, the Greek one.
SPEAKER 06 :
You know, we were so honored to be able to interview a man of that stature on our show. I mean, that's like a dream for us. We've had his Bible for a number of years, and that was actually a rerun that we did on Monday. because we weren't able to get on the plane. All the planes were full coming back from Phoenix. So we did rerun that show, and so many people are blessed.
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, I'm glad you did because I would have missed it because I didn't get to hear it before that.
SPEAKER 02 :
God bless you. Listen, if you're not on our mailing list and you haven't gotten a devotional from us this year, we'd be happy to send you one if you give John your name and address. Okay. All right. Wonderful.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you so much.
SPEAKER 02 :
Delightful call. It was great.
SPEAKER 06 :
Thanks, Celia.
SPEAKER 02 :
Bye now. Bye. Wow, what a great praise report. Yeah.
SPEAKER 06 :
Amen. It's important. Amen. I'll tell you, we have just about a minute to go. And folks, we want to tell you, we absolutely love doing these radio shows. And more than that, we love watching our listeners grow in the Lord. Yes.
SPEAKER 1 :
877-917-7256
SPEAKER 01 :
Call to Freedom is a listener-supported radio ministry. Barbara and her power partners invite you to come on board with us and become a network of hands holding up Call to Freedom ministry. Power partners support Call to Freedom with prayer and monthly financial support. You will be blessed supernaturally. We invite you to visit Call to Freedom's website, www.freedomstreet.org, where you can hear Barbara's daily radio broadcast 24 hours a day or order materials. You may share your praise reports and heart cries by mailing them to Call to Freedom, Box 370-367, Denver, Colorado, 80237. Or you may email us at barbracarmack at freedomstreet.org. Until next time, remember, Jesus loves you, Barbara loves you, and take joy.
SPEAKER 1 :
Thank you.
Join Barbara Carmack and Kimberly as they delve into the rich narrative of Job, exploring the human experience of loss and the divine promise of comfort. Through personal anecdotes and scriptural insights, they shed light on the importance of empathy, the role of divine grace, and the journey towards spiritual redemption. This episode provides hope and inspiration, inviting listeners to embrace faith as a source of strength and understanding in the face of adversity.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to Call to Freedom with Barbara Carmack. This is Jimmy Lakey, and I'm delighted that you are joining us for this half hour. You can reach Call to Freedom at Box 370367, Denver, Colorado, 80237. or by going to the website at www.freedomstreet.org. If you want to leave a message or order a Word Power Daily Reading Bible Guide or a Freedom Street Express newsletter, you can call us toll-free at 1-877-917-7256 and leave your name and address, including your zip code. If you want to talk to Barbara right now, she is expecting your call. You may call that same toll-free number, 1-877-917-7256 to speak to her. And now, let's join Barbara in the studio.
SPEAKER 03 :
And on this blustery morning, I know in Kimberly's territory there, it's raining and I wish it were raining here. It snowed overnight, but this is winter folks. So welcome to call to freedom. The Lord bless you with the riches of his grace, the treasures of his love, the comfort of his mercies, the strength of his presence and the touch of his care. I know that most of us have heard about the crash in the Potomac River and the deaths that occurred. And several, I know of one skating couple, teenagers with their mothers were killed. And also a Russian coach who were champions in 1996. They are also dead, along with precious friends and loved ones who were just about ready to land there. and hug their friends and their loved ones. And I think of all the times that we thought, God, why couldn't you stop this? Why couldn't you do it, Lord? And we've got to come to the conclusion that there is an enemy. And we don't know what caused this, but we know that God is going to work all things together for good, even for those precious families that lost loved ones. And I think of 2 Corinthians 1. Oh, God is so good. I go to the Word. I go to the Word. I go to the rock of my salvation. And in 2 Corinthians 1, verse 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, the Father, the God of all comfort, all comfort. When these families look to God for comfort, He's going to wrap His big, wonderful arms around them and give them perfect peace. And it says, the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with a comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. So what an opportunity we have as believers in Jesus Christ to comfort those who are asking questions right now and just telling them we serve a God who is loving, merciful, kind, gracious to all of us and we are at the point where we're just about to go to be with Jesus Christ and be taken up with him would you like to join would you like to join and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior there's always that opportunity and much more now than ever before so I'm so grateful that you're joining me today that we can be a comfort to one another because you are a comfort to me and Kimberly you are a comfort to me
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, you are to me as well, Mom. Yes, I think you brought up something that does. It does enter our minds when we hear of some kind of suffering or tragedy like this. We tend to wonder, why didn't God stop that? And that question, it never gets us to good places.
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, that's so good, yes.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes. We end up angry. We end up full of self-pity. We end up depressed. We just take it too far. And we forget how much grace our God has. Yes. The thing is, we imagine how hard it is for the people who have experienced this loss. Anytime we put ourselves in someone else's shoes and imagine, that can be a good thing. Because... then we're feeling compassion and we're feeling empathy for others. And that's a good thing. Compassion and empathy are good. We want to approach people with compassion. That is how God approaches us, with much compassion.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes, yes.
SPEAKER 02 :
At the same time, we can forget, when we put ourselves in their shoes, we can forget how much grace they have for what they're going through. We don't have the same grace because it might not be us that's going through it. We might not be experiencing the loss the same way they are. I think that's been playing out for my friend Holly, who had just such a great loss. It's still so young. feeling angry at first and then realizing if I choose not to blame, if I choose not to go down the path of complaining, grumbling, and being bitter about this. If I choose instead to keep having a conversation with God, keep asking him about everything that I find in the house, everything that I'm doing, if I stay in love with him, She decided to go ahead and go down that route of let me try it. If I do this, then what will happen? Grace upon grace upon grace is poured out on her. And I am believing for that same grace that will bring so much comfort that we can't comfort other people. unless we ourselves have experienced something broken. And the whole world is broken. Wouldn't you like to be able to truly bring solid comfort to other people? We can only do it if we've experienced some kind of tragedy, some kind of suffering, some kind of pain in our lives that needed comfort in the first place. So we comfort others with the comfort that we have been given. And then it just continues to spread, hopefully like ocean water, you know, just flood in with comfort upon comfort upon comfort. And that's what we pray for these people who have just experienced great loss.
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, thank you, Kimberly. Yes. And when we look back, we're going to go back to Job 33, folks, because there is so much in this little chapter. And I just identified so much with some of the things that were said that I said, Kimberly, we've got to go over this again. And I'm reading it in the message today. And this is Elihu. He's the youngest of the friends that Job had. And he doesn't talk until the very end. And he says, maybe he went through some real tragedy in his own young life. Maybe something happened to him. You know, like, for instance, even when you and Dana lost your father. Dana was 19 and you were 22. That's a great loss. And you were young. So he says here to Job, please, Job, hear me out. Honor me by listening to me. What I'm about to say has been carefully thought out. I have no ulterior motives in this. I'm speaking honestly from my heart. And this is from the message. The Spirit of God made me what I am. The breath of God Almighty gave me life. And if you think you can prove me wrong, do it. Lay out your arguments. Stand up for yourself. Look, I'm human, no better than you. We're made of the same kind of mud. So let's work this through together. Don't let my aggressiveness overwhelm you. So here was a man that came alongside Job. He didn't accuse him of being a sinner or wicked. This was the consequences of him sinning a great sin. And that's why he's sick now. And he says in verse eight, here's what you said. And then he brings up Job's very words. Here's what you said. I heard you say it with my own ears. You said, I'm pure. I've done nothing wrong. Believe me, I'm clean. My conscience is clear. But God keeps picking on me. He treats me like I'm his enemy. He's thrown me in jail. He keeps me under constant surveillance. And that's one thing I've done in my life, Kimberly. I've defended myself. Well, I'm a good woman. I've been reading the Bible all through for the last, you know, I'm going to say for the years that I had been reading the Bible when I was younger. And I don't know why this is happening to me. And see, that's what Elihu is trying to bring These words of Job as defensive words rather than saying, okay, God, your will be done in my life, not what I've achieved in my own life.
SPEAKER 02 :
You know, yeah, I'm so glad you wanted to talk about this again because you're right. There's a lot for us to learn in this. And if we go back one chapter to chapter 32 and look at verse 2, this is where Elihu first starts speaking. And he's introduced on the scene. He's not even mentioned before this. You know, he just... he he was just a silent partner in the whole book of job until chapter 32 and in verse 2 it says that he became indignant that his indignation was kindled against job because job justified himself rather than god yes yes i don't know how it says it in the message but Anytime that we are trying to justify our own position, our own ideas, our own opinions, rather than asking God what his is. That's right. His opinion is superior to ours. God will always be superior to man.
SPEAKER 03 :
And Kimberly, I am so grateful that there were people in my life that came to me and they were pretty hard on me. I think of two or three in particular, really hard on me. And they said, Barbara, you should not be so critical and judgmental of others. And boy, I was really upset by that. And I can see how Job is saying here with Elihu, I am innocent, but I'm grateful that people come alongside us, and friends especially, people that we know. You know, you should be looking at this, Barbara, in another way. You're kind of focusing on the left side instead of right down the middle and what God is doing in your life. So we need those friends to come along. And yeah, sometimes be hard, be harsh, but have our best interests in their minds in mind.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes. Yes. You know, for those who who are maybe not as social and don't have a whole lot of friend groups. That's why we want to make this a conversation with the Lord. He is our best friend. And to keep talking to him and asking him, what do you think? He will answer. He will find a way to give you an answer. It might be through a book or a song, or it might be through somebody else, but it might be through a movie. So being able to just stay open to other answers rather than your own idea. Yeah.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes. And like he said, like I was saying yesterday, Job is thinking that God treats him like his enemy. He says, he's thrown me in jail. He keeps me under constant surveillance. Well, that's not the God in the very first part of Job. God had given him so many blessings and he didn't recognize the enemy in his life that was trying to take from him, which he did accept his life. And God said, you can do anything you want to, but don't take his life. Well, he did just about everything he could.
SPEAKER 02 :
And in verse 12, before you get to that, I just you said he didn't recognize the enemy. And I think you might have mentioned that yesterday, too. That's such a good point. We've got to recognize that we do have an enemy. And instead of pointing a finger to God and saying, you didn't work this out. Wait, there's an enemy. God is not the enemy. God is our comforter. So when we're just blaming and angry, we're actually pushing away the greatest comfort that we could ever have. And he is in this world with us, not as this, wow, how did we end up with this idea that all of us are just a bunch of puppets? And he's just making good stories for some of the puppets and bad stories for other puppets. I don't know how we got that idea. He's walking through all of this brokenness with us. It's broken for him, too. His heart aches, too. He's grieving with those families today. As well, we're feeling grief for them, and he's feeling even more grief. These are his people. We are his people. And when he sees his people suffering, it's just like being a parent. When you see your child suffering, it just tears you apart. It almost hurts you worse than it hurts them because it's so hard to watch them go through it. When we go through our own suffering, that's one thing. But when you have somebody really loving you, watching you go through it, that's another thing. There is a certain grace on the life of the person that's going through it and walking through it. And sometimes that grace looks like shock, just utter shock. You can be in shock when you have experienced an accident or a loss that's really great. And that is a form of grace in our lives to help us make it through, to help us take the next steps. So we don't want to be pushing our great comforter away from us. We want to be having more conversations with him and asking him, what do you think about this? How do I go on from here? What do I do with this that's left over? These are pieces of my life now that's left over. Now what do I do?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes. And so, you know, Job has just tried to defend himself or justify himself, as you said, for his life that had been a life, a good life. And he had been everything he thought he could be, a great father and husband. And then Elihu says in verse 12, but let me tell you, Job, you're wrong. Wow. God is far greater than any human. So how dare you haul him into court? You know, how dare you charge him, accusing him of being wrong when you've explained, Kimberly, that he's God? He's so much superior than anything that we have in this world. And then complain that he won't answer your charges. God always answers one way or another, even when people don't recognize his presence. In a dream, for instance, a vision at night when men and women are deep in sleep, fast asleep in their beds, God opens his ears and impresses them with warnings. Now, this is good because many times we think of God as a God of love, which he is. But many times he's warning to turn them back from something bad they've been planning or from some reckless choice. And God is so merciful, he kind of takes us and redirects us into a path where we're not going to be harmed when he does discipline us and correct us. Yes.
SPEAKER 02 :
You know, it's true. That is what he does. And some people choose to ignore that. So we don't know what went wrong with that airplane. We're talking about that accident that happened last night. And what went wrong for the airplane and the helicopter to collide? We have no idea. But it's pretty... obvious to me that somebody wasn't listening to some kind of instruction.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 02 :
Or they took it. There could have been instructions, yeah, or misunderstood the instructions.
SPEAKER 03 :
Misunderstood, yes, or took it for granted that somebody was watching from one angle when they weren't watching. I believe it's going to bring changes, especially with a busy airport like Reagan, Ronald Reagan, that they're going to, At least I know President Trump was alluding to this, that this the helicopter should not been should not have been in that area at that time, because, I mean, planes were.
SPEAKER 02 :
So, I mean, there was some kind of instruction, right, that was missed. And whether it was somebody not listening or the just a misinterpretation, there was some instruction. That's that's what we do with God. We do it all the time. We misunderstand an instruction. And that's why we have to keep asking questions. Keep approaching him with curiosity and wanting to know what's next. And make him your best friend. Make him your father that you would go to, your loving father. Abba, what's next, Abba, Father? What do we do with this? And he does give instruction so that he can turn us to a better path and give us a better purpose. He's constantly cutting pride off of us. And pride in us would say, I have the better idea here. And I'm right and you're wrong. That's what pride does. And that's what Job was falling into that category. And that's why Elihu had to come in and say, how dare you? Your ideas are not better than God's.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yep, we have to humble ourselves to that absolute fact. And, you know, he is saying, like you were saying, to turn them from something bad, from something, maybe a bad choice, a reckless choice, to keep them from an early grave, from the river of no return. Verse 20. Verse 20.
SPEAKER 02 :
But then he introduces the amplified version. I just wanted to say the amplified says disgusting him with his own disappointing self-sufficiency. And the Lord lets us be self-sufficient and get to the point where we are wasting away in our self-sufficiency that we end up disgusted with ourselves because it brought us here. We don't want to stay self-sufficient. We want to be dependent on God at all times.
SPEAKER 03 :
Keep going. Oh, no, that's good. And then Elihu introduces angels. An angel could come. There are thousands of them, he says to Job, to take up your cause. A messenger who would mercifully intervene. How many of us call on our angels? I don't think a whole lot of us do. And canceling the death sentence with the words, I've come up with the ransom. Praise the Lord. You talked about that. That's a wonderful thing. That's amazing to me. That ransom in Jesus Christ. And this was thousands of years before Jesus came. And they're introducing a ransom for their souls. And I love the part where they say, you know, he's throwing some of us on a bed of suffering. But before you know it, verse 25, you're healed. The very picture of health. When we look to Jesus, Kimberly, he changes everything. He turns everything around. Oh, or you may. Yeah, you may fall on your knees and pray to God's delight. God delights that, you know, he lives in our praises and he delights our prayers. But how many of us really pray to him? I mean, we can pray, you know, about this happening and praying. But Father God, I'm asking you right now today. So we need to pray more.
SPEAKER 02 :
The Lord has so many wonderful things to share with us and ways to restore our lives and rebuild and help us heal. And this, the amplified version in verse 25, again, we're talking about Job 33. It says this man's flesh will be restored and become fresher and more tender than a child. And he returns to the day of his youth. The strength that we have in our youth is so wonderful. And I know that the Lord wants to share with us. Cause that kind of reaction to our flesh, that kind of strength to be renewed. And we know other scriptures that talk about our strength being renewed like the eagles, making us so strong that we overcome and we are soaring above. the grief, above the anger, above the suffering. And yes, our hearts have been touched with some things very, very sad. But when we turn to our Heavenly Father, He redeems in such a way, gives us beauty for ashes.
SPEAKER 03 :
And don't you think that right there, Elihu was giving a prophetic word to Job. You're not going to be here very much longer, Job. God is going to restore you. He's going to bring you back to health so that your skin is like baby skin. Because he had been scraping the boils off of his skin. I can't even imagine. But scraping the boils off of his skin. Yeah. And so Elihu comes along. Don't you love friends that come along and say, it's going to be better. It's going to be good. We just got to hold on for a little bit longer. It's going to be all right. Yes, it's going to be all right. And you'll see God smile and celebrate finding yourself set right with God. Verse 27 of Job 33, you'll sing God's praises to everyone you meet, testifying, I messed up my life, and let me tell you, it wasn't worth it. But God stepped in and saved me from certain death. I'm alive again. Once more, I see the light. And I'm sure Job went around telling people how God had healed him. It's just so good.
SPEAKER 02 :
This is so good. Oh, wow. Yeah. Yes. The way that God restores and redeems, the way that he rebuilds, it's double. It's double back, you know, and that's what happened with Job. And I love how he is saying that we can recognize we don't see it rightly. We can recognize, okay, I was on the wrong path. And you know what? I am made of flesh. This human part of me, this flesh part of me is constantly making mistakes. But God is not holding it against me. He is constantly working to rebuild and restore and redeem. And he's not holding blame above my head. That is not why he sent his only son to die, to hold us in judgment. He sent his only son. To hold us in forgiveness and to redeem our lives.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes. And probably in that time, Job was the most righteous man alive. And he had a great life, great kids, great home, beautiful herds. And yet this could happen to him. So we might say, I want to stay close to God. That's exactly where God wants you, friend. He wants you to stay close to him, trusting in him and everything. That's the way God works. Verse 29 says over and over again, he pulls our souls back from certain destruction. So we'll see the light and live in the light. And Kimberly, who is the light? Right. It's Jesus. Oh, praise God. Yes. So keep listening, Job. Don't interrupt. I'm not finished yet. But if you think of anything I should know, tell me. There's nothing I'd like better than to see your name cleared. And on part, it was partly Job who was in the condemnation mode. Well, why did this happen to me? Why am I here? And we all go through those times. We do. Yeah.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes, we do. And we have a lot of friends that will agree with us. Yeah, you must have done something really bad. But coming back to knowing our God of grace, coming back to knowing him, that he is our comforter. that he is our wonderful counselor, that he is so full of love and restoration, redemption, that he wants good things for us. He wants to share secrets with us that will cause us to laugh out loud for pure joy, even in the midst of the greatest sorrows.
SPEAKER 03 :
This has been so good. I've just so enjoyed this study of chapter 33 of Job, Kimberly. And I think we need to do more studying, kind of like that. Just kind of piece together all these verses. And sometimes we just go, oh, I've got to do my devotions. I've got to read this scripture today. And we just kind of read through it instead of stopping and allowing Holy Spirit to explain things to us. So thank you. Thank you for being with me today. It's been a blessing. It truly has been. And God bless all of you.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thank you for having me. And we hope that you all have a wonderful weekend. God bless you and take joy.
SPEAKER 1 :
877-917-7256
SPEAKER 01 :
Call to Freedom is a listener-supported radio ministry. Barbara and her power partners invite you to come on board with us and become a network of hands holding up Call to Freedom ministry. Our partners support Call to Freedom with prayer and monthly financial support. You will be blessed supernaturally. We invite you to visit Call to Freedom's website, www.freedomstreet.org, where you can hear Barbara's daily radio broadcast 24 hours a day or order materials. You may share your praise reports and heart cries by mailing them to Call to Freedom, Box 370-367, Denver, Colorado, 80237. Or you may email us at barbracarmack at freedomstreet.org. Until next time, remember, Jesus loves you, Barbara loves you, and take joy.
SPEAKER 1 :
Thank you.
In this enlightening episode of Call to Freedom, hosts Barbara and Kimberly dive deep into the timeless story of Job, exploring themes of suffering, divine justice, and the human inclination to assign blame. By examining Job's trials and the unhelpful counsel of his friends, the discussion illuminates the mistaken belief that hardship is always a direct consequence of wrongdoing. The conversation encourages listeners to embrace a more nuanced understanding of life's challenges, recognizing the brokenness of the world and the strength found in divine promises. Listeners are taken on a journey of perspective-shifting as the hosts advocate for finding beauty in the ashes, leaning into God's superior wisdom, and breaking free from the constraints of pride and self-righteousness. With personal anecdotes and scriptural references, the episode resonates deeply, reminding us that God's love and guidance are ever-present, even in the midst of overwhelming trials. Through stories of real-life resilience and biblical insights, this episode offers a comforting reminder that God's grace is indeed sufficient for every heartache and struggle.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to Call to Freedom with Barbara Carmack. This is Jimmy Lakey, and I'm delighted that you are joining us for this half hour. You can reach Call to Freedom at Box 370367, Denver, Colorado, 80237, or by going to the website at www.freedomstreet.org. If you want to leave a message or order a Word Power Daily Reading Bible Guide or a Freedom Street Express newsletter, you can call us toll free at 1-877-917-7256 and leave your name and address, including your zip code. If you want to talk to Barbara right now, she is expecting your call. You may call that same toll-free number, 1-877-917-7256 to speak to her. And now, let's join Barbara in the studio.
SPEAKER 03 :
Welcome to Call to Freedom. And you can call that number 1-877-917-7256 anytime, day or night. And I've gotten them at night. But I don't usually get my messages until the next day. So don't expect for me to call after 7 o'clock at night because I'm out of the office. I am home, usually eating. So thank you so much for your wonderful attention to this program every day. I appreciate you so much. And you're praying for Call to Freedom and also you're giving into the ministry. I appreciate that so much. If God is for us, who can be against us? God who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all. How will he not also along with him, along with the Lord Jesus Christ, graciously give us all things? Oh, I love that. We know Romans 8.31. If God is for us, who can be against us? I hear it all the time. But how many of us know God who did not spare his own son, his beloved son, his most prized child? gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with Jesus, graciously give us all things? And that's what he's promised to us. And if you believe, if you believe, you will receive what God has promised for you. Oh, what a blessing it is to know that. Oh, I'm so happy to know that God is for us and he is not against us. And Kimberly, I know that you have a great program today, so I'm going to let you go.
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, you're right that he is for us and not against us. And we just have our own ideas of what life is going to look like. And we have our own goals and we think they are the best. We just think that way as human beings. And we forget that he existed before we did, that he has better ideas than we do. That's right. And I was reading in Job today, and Job, his friends, they just weren't very helpful. Job was really suffering. He was feeling just very confused. There was so much loss. And Job's name, I had never looked that up before, but today I looked up the meaning of Job in Hebrew, and it means persecuted or he who weeps. So someone who is feeling persecuted, someone who's feeling grief, here's Job. He's confused. He doesn't know why any of this happened because... he does believe in his heart that he has remained close to God, that he has done no wrong. And he was trying to explain that and just say out loud, I know that I haven't done anything wrong. Well, There's kind of an overall idea that all of us in religion in general, it can be all religions, we have this idea that when we've done something wrong, we're gonna be punished. When we've done something wrong, there's gonna be consequences. We all have this overlying idea of that. Job was simply saying, I know that my heart is right and I'm still experiencing this suffering and this grieving. And so this world is so broken that we know we can experience that brokenness even if we haven't done anything terrible. And that is simply what Job was talking about. Well, Bildad and Eliphaz and Zophar, those friends, I am putting quotes around the word friends, you know, and they were good friends. Let's be kind to them because they sat with him for seven days just in the ash heap. You know, they did sit with him without saying anything at all, just listening to him, just sitting with him, being with him. When they did finally speak up, they took that position that you must have done something wrong for this to happen to you. They were thinking in the place of retribution, you know, like there's a retributive justice kind of a... If you've done something really bad, then your consequences are going to be really bad. You must have done something really bad, Jobe.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, don't we believe that now, today? We hear that from people. Well, you know, he got in this accident. He was always prone to do that. Or, you know, did you hear he has cancer? What did he do to deserve cancer? So we all are still in that kind of mode. Accident, consequences, that kind of thing.
SPEAKER 02 :
Right. I think that's why I wanted to talk about it, because this beautiful story of Job is actually pointing out that we don't have to do anything wrong to experience the brokenness in this world. This world is broken, and we are going to experience that brokenness in one way or the other. And we might form our own opinions on how we're going to handle that. When we form those opinions, we take a position on something, right? And that's what was happening with Job's friends. Each one had a position that they were holding to. And Zophar, I think, was maybe the one that was harshest. He was the harshest friend, just really rebuking Job. And in the end, God rebukes all of those friends and said, none of you were speaking rightly. So the position that they took, the position they held that you must have done something wrong. Therefore, you are now experiencing these consequences. Now you have to suffer because you did something bad. God rebuked that and said that wasn't right. I think we all need to go ahead and just embrace that. You know, just look at that and say, oh, God was rebuking that. Yes. And he alone is right. God is looking for relationship. And Elihu, Elihu was the young one who stayed quiet the whole time until the very end. And his name, Elihu, means my God is he or he is my God. Yeah. And he started speaking rightly of God, that God alone is righteous, that God is superior to man. So God's ideas and the way his perspective, the way that he thinks is superior to ours. We might be thinking in rights and wrongs and justice and whatever we see as being a consequence or a punishment for something. Those are our ideas. God wants relationship. And he alone has the right perspective. He alone is the one who can educate us on what relationship really looks like. It's not just a bunch of rights and wrongs and consequences and punishments.
SPEAKER 03 :
And yet, today, Kimberly, we see people who, if something terrible happens, they blame God. They don't see an enemy. They don't see Satan who is trying to usurp everything from out from under us. It's like a story I heard about North Carolina, the flood region of North Carolina. This one man who lost his home, he lost his son in the flood, and he just, I give up. There is no God anymore. And he had been a churchgoer until he saw the orange shirts coming down the road where his house used to be and taking all of the junk and everything out of there so that they could rebuild. Then he realized there is a God. We've got to realize there's an enemy there. who is out to get us, steal and destroy from us. And I don't believe that Job gave that a moment of thought in his life that, you know, Satan is doing this. In fact, I copied what you're talking about in Job 33. It says, God is picking a quarrel with me and he considers me his enemy in verse 10. And so Job didn't consider Satan, who was the one who was responsible for all that.
SPEAKER 02 :
Right, right. Yeah, you're right. Many times we do not consider. We just look to God and say, why would you allow this to happen? If you are a good God, if you are a loving God, why would you allow this? And you're right. Those questions come up. My friend Holly, who just recently lost her husband, and I know some of you have heard me talking about her. She has been such an inspiration to me. And she's so honest and transparent. She's just so authentic in her anger the first couple of days. You know, she was really blaming God. And yet she put that anger in check. She chose to put it in check and to believe that God had something better for her. And just recently I had a conversation with her. She was telling me how she's walking through the house now and all the things that they had bought for Gary, for her husband, all those things that are sitting there, every subscription he's had. and the puzzles that they bought for him to do, and the medications that were brand new, and the different foods they were going to try. She's looking at all of it now and realizing, I don't need any of this. And she had this temptation to hold onto some of it, but very quickly realized that She was wanting to hold on to her beloved. She was wanting to hold on to the memory of her husband. But if she chose to hold on to these things, they were not him. trying to hang on to a routine or any of those things that were in the home was not hanging on to her beloved. It was, it was a lie. And she recognized it as a lie that she shouldn't be hanging on to the lie, but just looking forward. And she was so brave. She told me, I saw in that moment that I just need to sweep up these pieces and put them away. Put them all away. Yes. Yes. How brave. I saw her resigning. And I know resignation can hold kind of a negative context, but I saw it as a sweet surrender, kind of resigning. Like it was a resignation to, okay, life is different now. And I'm going to resign my position that I had before. I'm going to resign that routine and all of the things that were attached to that routine. I'm just going to resign them over to the Lord. Yes. And let him take precedence.
SPEAKER 03 :
It's like that song that Evie used to sing. Give them all. Give them all. Give them all to Jesus. Shattered dreams, wounded hearts and broken toys. Yeah. A beautiful song. Yes. It is beautiful. Yes. So we've got to really listen to the Lord, especially when we've gone through loss. Okay, Lord, what do you want me to do? Yes, what do we do now? What do we do now? two or three on one side and two on the other side and were in arms against each other. That must have been a terrific, traumatic time for you, Kimberly.
SPEAKER 02 :
It was difficult. It was very confusing. And there was a lot of grieving, really. And in the middle of those ashes, because that's what it looks like. It just looks like something got blown up and there's just a bunch of ashes left. Yes. In the middle of the ashes, we have a choice. Are we going to stay focused on the ashes? Are we going to stay focused on our self-pity? Grieving is good, but if we let it go so long that it becomes self-pity, and then you just get stuck in that cycle of pity, poor me, poor me, that's not good anymore. No. And are we going to be angry and let that anger? We can be angry. That's not a sin, but we can sin in our anger by letting it become rage, hurting other people with it, by letting it become resentment and bitterness and having a root of bitterness in our lives. We don't want anger to become that. That's when it becomes sin. And what are we going to focus on? Are we going to focus on the ashes and all of the feelings that come with loss and in the brokenness? Or are we going to choose to believe that there's beauty? God promised us beauty for ashes. And that's in Isaiah 61. When we choose to believe that God's promise is never going to be broken because he's not a man that breaks promises. He's not a man, he's God. He does not break his promises. And he told us he's got beauty for ashes. We just have to look up. We've got to look to him and see the beauty. Are we gonna choose that? What am I gonna do in the middle of this loss? Am I gonna stay focused on the ashes or am I going to choose the beauty? I love what Corrie Ten Boom had to say, that there is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still. I love it. Yes. That is God's beauty going down to the deepest, darkest places of our lives. And he is the one who knows how to work all things together for good. I know we say it a lot. We're going to keep saying it until we all get on board and believe. that God is at work to make things beautiful in our lives. One of Corrie Ten Boom's stories is about all these fleas in their housing, in the barracks. There were fleas that infested every bed and every person that lived in that place. And they were all getting welts and they were itchy. And the soldiers, the way they handled it was just to shave everybody. And so those precious women had all their heads shaved. It was just a horrible, I know it was horrible. It was an ash heap. We were looking at brokenness and ashes. And Corrie was just so fed up and hated the fleas and was mad. She was mad. And her sister Betsy said, we need to thank God for these fleas. We need to thank God. We need to see the beauty of the fleas. They didn't see it right away. But turns out that their particular barracks, their place was the only one that the soldiers never went into. So everybody would crowd in there to have devotions and to read the word of the Lord and to sing worship songs. But the soldiers never went in to bother them or stop them.
SPEAKER 03 :
I know.
SPEAKER 02 :
And the reason why was the fleas. The soldiers did not want to go in there.
SPEAKER 03 :
So sometimes we must endure some real discomfort, Kimberly, in this life, knowing that God knows the plan that is ahead and He provides the light in our Lord Jesus to bring us into the light again.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes, I like picturing Corrie Ten Boom resigning her position on the fleas. Okay, let me resign here. Let me take your position, God. And let me say thank you. Let me have a heart of gratitude. And we can do that in every situation. Our circumstances truly are transformed when we choose to view them differently, when we choose a new perspective. So if we come to a conclusion that our new boss at work or our new pastor in our church is immature and we need to get rid of them, you know, if the boss were thinking, no, we just can't work with that person or we cannot work with this pastor. we have got to remember they are there because God is on the throne. God allows these movements in life, you know, and he knows what to do with them. And if it is a broken person that needs to move on, we need to take that to the Lord first, not come to our own conclusion. When we come to our own conclusions, wow, I was talking with a, I consider her a friend. She goes to my church and she is not happy with the pastor. And she started telling me all the reasons she wasn't happy with the pastor. And I knew that if I walked away from her, I was just gonna let her drown in her own opinions. I don't want to let my friends drown in their opinions. I want to help. So I was asking Holy Spirit, what would you have me say right now? What do you want her to hear? And he reminded me of the story in 2 Chronicles 20. and how there was war going on. And Jehoshaphat had gone before the Lord and spread out all of the other Kings, the enemies, all of their rantings and their threats toward Israel. He spread that out before the Lord and said, God, we don't know what to do. We are too weak, but you know, you know, Every time we do that, our Father comes through for us. Every time. And so I said to my friend, don't forget that when you feel like there's a war going on, our Heavenly Father sends out the praisers, the ones who will worship him. He sends them out first. And that's what happened with Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20. Oh, if it's been a while since you've read it, pick it up and read it today. It's such a good story. In that chapter, we are looking at Israel who really feels trapped. But when the king consulted and took counsel with the people, he appointed them and that they should sing unto the Lord and praise the beauty of holiness. That's the revised standard version of second Chronicles 20 verse 21. He sent the people out to sing unto the Lord and praise the beauty of holiness. And they went out before the army. Yeah. And they said, give thanks to the Lord for his mercy endures forever. That can be us in every situation. And so when I told my friend, don't forget that the worshipers, the praisers go out before the war, before the soldiers. And she's at this place right now where she just said to me, oh, no, no, no, we're not on the same page. We really just need to get this pastor out. And I was thinking to myself, wow, we really aren't on the same page.
SPEAKER 1 :
Wow.
SPEAKER 02 :
It's time to resign our position. We need to resign and get on the same page with who our God is and what he tells us to do and how he wants to lead and guide. He has something really perfect for us in the middle of our situation that seems imperfect.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes, and sometimes all it takes is one person, Kimberly. It's like, I'm going to go back in the 20th chapter here. to verse 14 all the people were standing before jehoshaphat king jehoshaphat and they were probably weeping and crying and all the emotions were being seen and the spirit of the lord came upon jahaziel the son of zachariah and he said listen all judah and inhabitants the lord god says do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude for the battle is not yours but god's And they listened to this one man, Kimberly. That's how one person can change the hearts. If he's got some ungodliness in his heart, he can change a whole crowd of people against the leader, or he can change a whole crowd for the leader. So we've got to listen to the right words from the right people. And God gave him a plan, and then Jehoshaphat went to prayer. Oh, this is one of my favorite chapters. It's just so good about praise. You know, Psalm 22, verse 3 says, God inhabits the praises of his people. He lives there in our presence. He doesn't live in our complaints. He doesn't live in our, you know, greediness and grumpiness. No, he lives in our praises. That's so good.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes. Yes. Going back to Job 33, where we started out. The young man, Elihu, And His name means, let me say it again, He is my God, or my God is He. When we choose to look at how supernatural our God can work things out, He's not limited to our natural realm here. So He can take a situation and work it out supernaturally. Our worship and our praise will come alongside that, and it'll cause it to happen faster. So what you're talking about there in chapter 20 of 2 Chronicles, that is a bunch of people who could have turned against... the Lord and blamed him and said, why would you put us in this position? But instead they start praising and worshiping and quickly that enemy was defeated very quickly. They were routed, you know, that's, that's what we want to see. We want to see that our God can turn something so miraculously. And in Job 33 verse 17, we see God is the one who turns man from his wrongdoing. It's not about us turning to God and saying, you've done me wrong. No, no. God is the one that turns us from our opinions and our wrongdoing. And he keeps us from pride. He cuts pride off of us. Pride is the one that would stand up in the way and take a position and say, I know I'm right. I know it needs to be done this way. But God is the one who's constantly working to get us away from that pride so that we can turn toward Him.
SPEAKER 03 :
turned back to him we were made for him not for our reckless choices yes and they are reckless choices that we may are if one person could really uh complain about his situation it's paul the apostle he you know he went through beatings he went through scourgings he went through stonings he went through being in the ocean or the mediterranean sea for so many days And he could have said, I'm through. I'm done. This is it. I'm over. I'm through with this. Instead, he just said, my God delivered me out of all of this. I'm so glad he gave that in 2 Corinthians. He really described what he had been through physically. And he says, my God delivered me from this. So when we have the right attitude, Kimberly, it's just so important that
SPEAKER 02 :
It is. We can declare that God's grace is enough. His supernatural grace in our circumstances is enough. It's more than enough. And just to finish out with Job 33 in verses 27 through 30. It says that the man who has been saved from his reckless ways, because God, God did that. God pulled him out of those reckless ways and showed him the truth. That man looks upon other men and sings out to them. He says to them, I have sinned and perverted what was right. And it did not profit me yet. God did not. requite me according to my iniquity. Instead, he redeemed my life from going down to the pit.
SPEAKER 03 :
There is so much here in this chapter. You bring out singular chapters, Kimberly, and I go home and I'm studying them. Wow, this is so good. And we've got to go back. I hope you can come tomorrow because we've got to go back into Job 33 and talk about people that hear from God, people that are on their deathbed or their sickbed and how God delivers them up out of it. So I hope you'll join me again tomorrow. I look forward to it. Thank you. God bless all of you listening. I hope you receive something from this. Oh, take joy, my friend. Take joy.
SPEAKER 01 :
Call to Freedom with Barbara Carmack. You may get in touch with Barbara at Call to Freedom, Box 370-367, Denver, Colorado, 80237. Or you may leave your message at 1-877-917-7256. Call to Freedom is a listener-supported radio ministry. Barbara and her power partners invite you to come on board with us and become a network of hands holding up Call to Freedom ministry. Power partners support Call to Freedom with prayer and monthly financial support. You will be blessed supernaturally. We invite you to visit Call to Freedom's website, www.freedomstreet.org, where you can hear Barbara's daily radio broadcast 24 hours a day or order materials. You may share your praise reports and heart cries by mailing them to Call to Freedom, Box 370-367, Denver, Colorado, 80237. Or you may email us at barbracarmack at freedomstreet.org. Until next time, remember, Jesus loves you, Barbara loves you, and take joy.
SPEAKER 1 :
Thank you.
In this enlightening episode of Call to Freedom, Barbara Carmack reflects on recent political events, drawing profound parallels with biblical stories and spiritual lessons. As she delves into recent occurrences involving President Trump and their impact on the nation, Barbara calls on listeners to find solace and strength through prayer and faith. There is emphasis on the transformational power of biblical figures such as Daniel, encouraging individuals to look beyond immediate circumstances and seek divine guidance.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to Call to Freedom with Barbara Carmack. This is Jimmy Lakey, and I'm delighted that you are joining us for this half hour. You can reach Call to Freedom at Box 370367, Denver, Colorado, 80237, or by going to the website at www.freedomstreet.org. If you want to leave a message or order a word-powered daily reading Bible guide or a Freedom Street Express newsletter, you can call us toll free at 1-877-917-7256 and leave your name and address, including your zip code. If you want to talk to Barbara right now, she is expecting your call. You may call that same toll-free number, 1-877-917-7256 to speak to her. And now, let's join Barbara in the studio.
SPEAKER 02 :
Welcome to Call to Freedom. Oh, the sun is out. Finally, it was a cold, cold week last week, even though, wow, last Monday, just a week from today, last Monday was the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump. And what an exciting week this has been. He has just kind of turned the world upside down. And to add attention to his words, even the World Economic Forum that was at Davos, Switzerland, He zoomed in and he talked to them about having equal trade and having them give their fair share into these organizations and not United States paying for everything. I'm so grateful. It's just really been a wonderful turn of events. And as we have prayed, friend, you and I have prayed that God would turn this around and help. I realize that as our prayer goes up, he begins to do his will in this world. So many times I've tried to make it happen. Well, God, we've got to go out and do this and we've got to do that. And God says, I want you just to pray. I want you to pray. I will go to work for you. I will make sure that it is done. And I'm going to be talking about Daniel today because he's the kind of person who, that did not fight back. He did not try to defend himself. He prayed to God and God absolutely delivered him. We're going to read more about that in this program. Let's do our Monday Bible slogan. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I do what it tells me to do. This is my Bible. It has given me new life. It is the word of God. I hope you're involved in some kind of reading your Bible this year and not just jumping from one verse to another. Let's go from Genesis clear through to Revelation. And even though you may not understand some books, um, Do it. Just do it. And you will understand. Even into four or five years, I was reading some of these books like Haggai, Zephaniah. I was reading Numbers. I was reading books that I really didn't truly understand. And it's becoming clearer and clearer to me as I'm reading and I'm reading. I'm asking Holy Spirit to help me to see the clarity of these verses that were given to us. Remember, These men gave their lives. They sacrificed so much that we could have the word today. And don't you think it would be good if you just respected them and honored them by getting into the word? I pray that you will today and this year. 2025, a year that we're going to read through the Bible. Praise the Lord. You are blessed to dispense, for in him you live and move and have your being. And if you would like to listen to programs of Call to Freedom, you can go to freedomstreet.org and click on Radio Show. You can also give at that time at the Donate button. It's so ready for you to hit that button and give to Call to Freedom. I hope it's been an encouragement. I hope this program has been an encouragement to you. And if you've been listening to Call to Freedom for longer than two or three years, why don't you think about giving a donation? I really appreciate it. God has blessed us so much. And, you know, just like you and your household, the bills just keep coming through. I realize that this is going to change. And I know that we're in a blue state here in Colorado. And it just seems like everything is going up and up and up. But God will take care of you, my friend, when you begin to give. because you are a cheerful giver and you want to give into the kingdom of God. It was such a joy to see Franklin Graham standing beside President Donald and Melania in the cold January weather in Asheville, North Carolina. What President Trump said brought relief to many people of that devastated region because some of them had been living in tents and others had no electricity until the week before. Many did not want President Trump to visit North Carolina. They just want to get it going to California and we're going to take care of this situation in California. He has a lot of conditions. After he talked with a council in California, and especially to Mayor Bass, I mean, they were sitting at the same table. He came down pretty hard, and he says, you've got to accomplish some conditions here before you get aid from the government. Really good. I'm so grateful to him. But he decided to visit North Carolina, and I appreciate that. Melania had this wonderful knit cap over her long hair and these aviator glasses with this heavy, heavy coat. And she looked so good. She looked like a soccer mom. It was really precious. But these people needed relief, and they needed someone to bring them hope of the relief. They've been living in tents and had no electricity until the week before, and many did not want President Trump to visit there. But he wanted to show the nation what had not been done in 120 days. Yeah, 120 days since Helene and all the floods came through. And some of these people were still without electricity. FEMA had not stepped in and given sufficient aid to those Americans and yet had spent billions of dollars to put up illegal aliens, and we can call them illegal aliens again, in expensive hotels and given them free medical aid and provide for them three squares a day, which many of them threw into the trash. Now, how would you like to get free food, lodging, and medical aid without paying taxes? By the way, my property taxes, which the Lord is going to help me pay, he always has, he always will, they went up $400 over the last year. So they're going to continue probably to rise until we see some relief from our president. But we're living among greedy politicians. And I'm saying this about this blue state that I live in. And Barbara, why are you living there? Well, because some of us are called into a wilderness area. And I am so pleased and grateful to God that I have the opportunity to tell people about Jesus. And so, you know, those greedy politicians will keep increasing and increasing and increasing on homeowners. His justice, friends, is going to prevail in his perfect timing. And I'm really believing for that, and I'm going to see it someday. Praise the Lord. And, yes, I've applied for all kinds of senior citizen stuff. And, in fact, the last time I called, did this apply to the heritage or whatever it's called for senior citizens? Yes. And you got into that program in 2021. I said, well, why is it increasing every year? Well, we have to do it according to inflation. They have an answer for everything. So what do you do? You go back to the word of God and you pray. Yes, you do. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, Father God. Our memory verse for this week is Psalm 33, verse 10 through 12. And I love the 12th verse. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen for his inheritance. Oh, I'm in his inheritance right now. We're going to start in the 10th verse of Psalm 33 in the New American Standard. The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations. He does away with the counsel of the nations. He frustrates the plans of the people. And we saw that at the World Economic Forum last week in Davos, Switzerland. when President Trump did a Zoom call to the council sitting there, and they listened, and if they don't join with the land of the free and the home of the brave, they will get left behind. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation. This is verse 12 of Psalm 33. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance. And in the living translation, I just love these different translations. And Kimberly had given me a Bible guide with all these translations. So I can just kind of zoom into there and copy and paste. I'm a copy and paster. I am. So here's Psalm 33, 10 through 22. The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations and thwarts all their schemes. It's as if, like President Trump says, you don't take these illegals back and you won't get aid, or your tariffs are going to go up to 25%. He's got all the marbles now, and he can really tell people what they need to do. The United States of America has totally been treated unfairly, and your taxpayer dollars have gone to things that were not even planned. Praise God that he is now in office, and I'll be talking about him quite often. But the Lord's plans stand firm forever. That's in Psalm 119 as well. His intentions can never be shaken. What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance. The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne he observes all who live on earth. You can't hide from God. Nope, you can't. I don't care where you are. You can't hide from God. He made their hearts so he understands their motives. The best equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior. Don't count on your war horse to give you victory. For all its strength, it cannot save you. But the Lord watches over those who honor and reverence him, those who rely on his unfailing love. And that's from the living translation. He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine. We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him, our hearts rejoice. Yes, we say the Lord be exalted. The Lord be magnified. Oh, praise his holy name. For we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone, in you alone, on Christ alone. Our hope is built in Christ alone. Oh, he's such a wonderful, wonderful Lord and Savior. And there was a time in my life that, yes, I counted him as a savior for saving me from my sins. But now I've made him Lord, master of my life every minute of every day. And I hope he's that for you, too. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. And there are many times when I haven't been the happiest I knew I could be because I wanted my situation to be different. I had my plans and Lord, why are you thwarting my plans? It took me a while, but learned that God can use me in whatever situation I'm in. Even if I'm not thrilled about it, God is so merciful. Even when I'm kind of stubborn about it, I want this. I want it this way, Lord. No, he's going to be very gentle and merciful. The Bible is replete with heroes who were in situations they didn't like, but were able to live mission possible because they chose to trust in God, who then used them greatly. I'm going to go to Daniel. It's such a marvelous book, and especially about the end times which we're in. And in Daniel 6, 1 through 18, we read where Daniel was opposed on every side by jealous administrators, kind of like we've seen in the last four years in our government. Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province. The king also chose Daniel and two other administrators to supervise the high officers and protect the king's interests. Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel's great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. Ah, but here is where jealousy enters the picture and plans for Daniel's demise. They couldn't find anything to criticize or condemn, so they made it up. He was faithful, always responsible, completely trustworthy. And so they concluded our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion. And we saw that. We saw people who are great spiritual people arrested at the Planned Parenthood clinics. They were arrested and they were still in jail when President Trump pardoned them last week. So, verse 6 of Daniel. Is it 6? Yes. So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, Long live King Darius. Give orders that for the next 30 days, any person who prays to anyone, divine or human, except you, your majesty, will be thrown into the den of lions. This sounds like the January 6th committee. And I believe that's why Liz Cheney was pardoned by Biden. They knew that they had planned wicked schemes against President Trump's supporters. So King Darius signed the law. But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room with its windows open toward Jerusalem. That's the holy city. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. Then wicked officials went together to Daniel's house and found him praying and asking for God's help. And they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. I know, we've done that. We've gone to our lawyers. We've gone to our therapists. We've gone to psychiatrists. We've gone to the banker. We've gone to the loan officer. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. But at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. Then the king said to him, May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you. A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles so that no one could rescue Daniel. No human being, no human being could get in there and rescue him. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. Here's a wicked king, an ungodly king, and he fasted the entire night. Now, probably in their world, they were eating until all hours. Kind of reminds me of the cruise we were on last. We went to a cruise sponsored by the company that had our piano and organ store, the pianos and organs for our store. And you could go to the buffet at midnight. You could go to the buffet at 2 o'clock in the morning. It was always open, and the ship was always ready for anybody to eat. So it was probably the way they spent, you know, these rich people, they just spend the night eating and drinking. And you know the rest of the story, this story. You know that God delivered him and in the morning the king came running and said, Daniel, has the Lord delivered you? And he said, yes, the Lord has delivered me. And the Lord delivered Daniel. You know the story of Joseph because of the jealousy of his brothers. He was sold to a caravan going to Egypt. Was this all in God's plan? Yes, it was. Yes, it was. It was all in God's plan. And maybe the rough times that you've had, the hard times you've been through, the challenging times you thought, oh, I'm going to rebuke the devil. I've done that. I've done that. I'm sorry. I'm kind of laughing because we thought the devil was in all this. Well, God sometimes pushes us against a wall because we will not bend to his plan. We will not submit. And remember what James 4 says. Submit to God. Submit to God. Be obedient to God. Resist the devil and he will flee. So we first of all must submit to the plans that God has for us. And each one of us has different plans. So just as Daniel was seeing injustice every day of his life as a captive in Babylon, he saw Babylon fall and the Medo-Persians take over and Cyrus ruled then. There is another prophet who lived a lifestyle as a farmer until the Lord called him. He lived around Judah and he gave prophecies about the world he was enduring under the Assyrians and Sennacherib. And we see here his name is Micah. And the prophecies of Micah are divided into three parts. Number one, the condemnation against Samaria and Judah because of various sins the people committed. It sounds like the last administration with DEI ruling no matter what those people in the Civil offices knew what they were doing. I mean, they just appointed people. And remember, DEI, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Equity is not the same as equality. Equality means all men are created equal. Equity is give everybody the same playing field. Every level of economy. There won't be any economy. It's like Russia right now. There's the rich, rich ruled by Putin. And then there are the poor, poor. So that's what equity means. D.I. are gone. Praise God. And also, Micah saw the future punishment of these negative actions, including the the doom that the Assyrian armies would bring about. And number three, the hope for a restoration of Israel after their repentance. Remember, it's repentance, folks. And that's why we prayed 2 Chronicles 7.14. If my people who are called by my name, that's us, that's those people in the United States that are spiritual, but we've got to see revival in our own souls, in our own hearts first. Not spread our hands out and, oh, everybody has to repent. Everybody has to have a revival here. No, you must have revival in your heart. So my people that are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways. Then God says, I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sins and I will heal their land. Throughout the book of Micah, condemnation and punishment and hope for restoration repeatedly and consistently follow each other. And I want to say right here that you will not see reconciliation of any kind until you see equality, as Abraham Lincoln said so eloquently. All men are created equal. Let's look to a God who is a loving God, a merciful God, and say, oh, amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. Here's a Gaither vocal band.
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Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind, but now I see. This was grace that taught my heart to fear. And grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear. My chains are gone, I've been set free. My God, my Savior, has ransomed me. And like a flood, His mercy rains unending love. The Lord has promised good My chains are gone, I've been set free. My God, my Savior, has ransomed me. Unending love, an amazing grace. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow. The sun forbear to shine. But God who called me here below will be. Forever
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He's forever ours, friend. He's forever ours. Oh, what a loving God we serve. He's truly remarkable, wonderful. It's like an old Lanny Wolf song that John and I used to sing. You're more than wonderful. You're more than wonderful. There are no words to describe God. He's out of the box, out of the universe, bigger than what we could describe. He's wonderful. And in God's eyes, we are all equal. Galatians 3, 28 through 29 says, "...there is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female." For you are all one in Christ Jesus, and now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you. So we're equal in God's eyes. We have different economic levels in this world because of our appointments in this world, our assignments in this world. And God still prospers and blesses each and every one of us who are obedient to his call. And that means, you know, I can't look jealously at someone who has more money than I have or bigger home than I have or a beautiful car and a newer car than I have. No, we praise God for what he has done in our individual lives. And then one day we're going to see him and understand all of this, just like I'm going to read on about Micah tomorrow. He's a farmer who came out of nowhere. Nobody knows too much about him. And yet he presented the plan of God to the people so that they could repent, be born, not born again, but know God, seek him again and know his name. God bless you and keep you and take joy.
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877-917-7256
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Call to Freedom is a listener-supported radio ministry. Barbara and her power partners invite you to come on board with us and become a network of hands holding up Call to Freedom ministry. Power partners support Call to Freedom with prayer and monthly financial support. You will be blessed supernaturally. We invite you to visit Call to Freedom's website, www.freedomstreet.org, where you can hear Barbara's daily radio broadcast 24 hours a day or order materials. You may share your praise reports and heart cries by mailing them to Call to Freedom, Box 370-367, Denver, Colorado, 80237.org. Or you may email us at barbracarmack at freedomstreet.org. Until next time, remember, Jesus loves you, Barbara loves you, and take joy.
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Thank you.
