Join Barbara Carmack and Kimberly in this heartfelt episode of ‘Call to Freedom’, as they discuss the beauty of God’s love and how His mercies are renewed every day, just like the ocean’s waves. They explore the profound impact of scriptures in our lives and the importance of carrying God’s message of love and peace into our everyday experiences. Whether it’s the warmth of shared scriptures on Valentine’s Day or the hope and prayer for those missing, this episode will inspire you to intertwine faith and action.
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 04 :
Welcome to Call to Freedom. I feel like I’m in Florida or someplace. It’s so warm. Oh, my goodness. It’s wonderful. And Kimberly is expecting to come either this weekend or next week. And it’s beautiful. It’s just beautiful weather. So praise the Lord. God’s love is like the ocean’s waves. constant steady and sure he says his mercies are new every morning oh that’s uh jerem no no no that’s lamentations i know it was written by jeremiah lamentations 322 his mercies are new every morning great is his faithfulness every day we get a new wave of his mercy grace and love Oh, praise the Lord for that. I hope that you are praying for Nancy Guthrie and the whole family. Somebody came and took her right from the front door. Her parents had gone on a little errand. Her sister was at, I believe, a game at school, and she was taken, and everybody was praying. Oh, for years, for years they were praying. Revealed, Janelle, that night she was murdered, and they found her bones 35 years later. But I know where Janelle is. I know her parents. They’re beautiful Christian people. And I just pray that Nancy is willing to, all right, Lord, I’m with you. Whatever happens here, I’m going to be with you. The moment that I take my last breath, I’m going to be with you, God. I hope that. So, Father God, I thank you for revealing the things that need to happen for those people, the investigators, to find Nancy. in great condition in Jesus’ name. When I think that I’m only three years younger than she is, that’s a little serious matter here. So, oh, I just pray that they will find her. Also, I just want to tell you that next week, February the 14th, Valentine’s Day, I’m going to have a little box. And if you come to the meeting, when you come to the meeting, bring a Valentine’s card with you. And you can sign your favorite scripture and just have the card. And we’ll put it in the box. And then you take a different scripture from someone else. And that will give you a scripture. I remember we went to an aglow meeting. And I’ve told you this before. In Boulder in 1980. And it had been an awful year. I’m telling you, an awful year of rejection and persecution. And we were at the table, and it was a banquet for Women’s Aglow. We were singing for it. And a lady gave me the scripture, Galatians 6, 9. It was just on a little card. Do not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season, if you don’t fate, you will reap a great harvest. I have had that card and that scripture for, oh, my goodness, for 45 years? Yes. So we think, oh, that’s just a little thing. When you put scripture on anything that counts, That word that comes forth is alive and active and sharper than any two edged sword. So remember that when you come to the meeting on Valentine’s Day, February the 14th, bring a card and your favorite scripture. And I know it will bless someone. You are blessed to dispense for in him you live and move and have your being. I want to also tell you that the 1015 program has been changed to nine o’clock. because Crawford is doing a prayer vigil. And so I’m going to be switched, not me, but Call to Freedom is going to be switched to 9 o’clock at night. Also, you can go to freedomstreet.org. I’ve got a little frog. Thank God for water. God was just telling me the other day, Barbara, you need to drink more water. And see, I’ve been telling some of my friends, have you been drinking water anymore? Neglecting that. And so you can go to Freedom Street dot org. You can find the radio shows, Bible guides, newsletters, sessions, Kimberly’s blogs, so much there. And you can also email if you want to leave a message at Kimberly at Freedom Street dot org or Barbara at Freedom Street dot org. And we will return that email. And if you have a request, I’ve just sent out some power packs. So you can request a power pack from there at Barbara at FreedomStreet.org. And I will send you… Power packs, yes, they’re wonderful little things that you can keep in your purse, in your pocket, in your car. And if you feel someone has a need, here, would you like to have this little packet of scripture cards? It’s marvelous and it will bless you. So remember that. Also, you can donate on freedomstreet.org. So I just want to remind you. Thank you, Kimberly, for joining us today. Praise God.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes. Some of what you were talking about reminded me of Psalm 126, verse 6. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed will return with songs of joy, carrying the harvest. Oh, yes. And I just want to remember that in every circumstance that we see in this world, there’s some Sad things in the news and remembering that we may have this season of weeping and this season of sadness, but we will see a great harvest of joy that we will be able to rejoice in. For this is just a practice. It’s just a dress rehearsal for us. We have real life waiting for us. And I’m excited about that. Yesterday we were talking about 2 Corinthians 2. Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ. Yes. Yes, we need to be thankful all the time that he is leading us in triumph. And it might not look that way. It might not feel that way, but he is in control. He is God. And we forget that in the midst of our situations, in our circumstances, in this life, we can feel so weighed down with responsibility and pressure and grief and anger and over the things that are going on around us and we need to remember he is god this is his plan to have a planet that is full of this many people and polarized by a lot of different opinions and it’s it’s all still part of his plan it didn’t go reeling out of control He’s still on the throne. He’s still in control. And He knows exactly what He’s doing. And as our hearts turn toward Him and trust Him, then we are the fragrance of Christ to God.
SPEAKER 04 :
I love that scripture in 2 Corinthians 2, 14 through 16. He leads us in triumph in Christ and manifests through us. That means it becomes real to those around us. The sweet aroma of the knowledge of him, not of us, all we know. No, not of all I know more than you do. No, no. the sweet aroma of the knowledge of God. And we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. And Kimberly, it’s such a wonderful thing to know that when we have Jesus in our hearts, and isn’t that a simple, precious thing, Jesus in our hearts, we’re not stinky any longer. We have a sweet aroma that goes forth. It’s wonderful. Yeah.
SPEAKER 02 :
Right. And that aroma, it’s sometimes taken, people might, it says to the one, it’s an aroma from death to death and to the other, an aroma from life to life. Yes. I was just looking that up. I like to read different translations. I know you do too. And I was just looking at that in the message translation. And it says that we have an aroma that is redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction, they treat us more like it’s a stench from a rotting corpse.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, wow.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes. So stench. So, you know, that’s all about opinion. We give off a sweet scent to those who recognize, oh, this is the way of Christ. The way of Christ is the fruits of the Spirit. It’s loving one another. It’s not loving only your friends and hating your enemies. It’s loving your enemies and doing good to those who persecute you. It’s being kind to those who hate you. That is what Jesus came to show us, and it’s a difficult thing to practice. It’s not something that we’re able to do in our own efforts, even. We have to keep asking for help with this. And that’s what keeps us in constant conversation with the Lord, is asking Him to help us look like Him. He made us in His image, and He just wants us to desire to have that image back. Just the smallest desire will catch his attention and he will help us with it.
SPEAKER 04 :
Because the enemy is continually saying in your one ear, you are nothing, you are trash, you don’t amount to anything. You’re not educated. Who do you think you are? And so there he’s putting negatives into our ears. And we’ve got to be filled up with the word of God and with the knowledge of God in our hearts so we can counterattack the enemy. That’s the only attack we do. Counterattack the enemy with our words, casting down every evil and vain imagination and every lofty thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah. Yesterday we were talking about the God of peace, the scripture about the God of peace. And I was looking at that in the Passion Translation and it calls him. This is First Thessalonians 523. It’s your memory verse for the week. And it says, Now may the God of peace and harmony set you apart, making you completely holy. Yeah. And may your entire being, spirit, soul, and body be kept completely flawless in the appearing of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One.
SPEAKER 04 :
See, now most of us don’t feel like we’re holy and everything’s all right and everything’s whole. We don’t.
SPEAKER 02 :
Right, right. And it is Christ that makes us that way. That’s right. causes us, gives us the ability to walk out being completely flawless and being completely holy. When I think of this scripture in the context of St. Francis of Assisi, I believe he’s the one Oh, no. You know what? I didn’t write this down. And now I feel like I’m going to butcher what he said. But here’s the main concept. He said, go into all the world and preach the gospel and when necessary, use words.
SPEAKER 04 :
Your father used to say that, Kimberly.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah. Well, yes. And really the words are not as important as our actions and how we make someone feel when they are in our presence. Right. And that we want to be able to look at that and say, OK, our heavenly father is so good. He makes us feel right at ease in his presence.
SPEAKER 04 :
That’s right. There’s a saying that says people will not remember you for what you said. They will remember you for how you made them feel.
SPEAKER 02 :
And that’s absolutely right. Yeah, I agree with that. And so becoming like our God who created us in His image is to become more like peace and harmony because He is the God of peace and harmony. The Bible also tells us that God is love. And so becoming more like Him is becoming more loving. This is a process. This is a process. And it includes, yesterday we were talking about the alabaster jar and how that jar that was broken is really a prophetic sign that if we allow ourselves, our flesh, human, to be broken… then the real costly, beautiful oil can be spilled out. The fragrance of Christ can be spilled out into the world to change the world. We really have to die, though, and be broken to our opinions and our ideas of what that’s going to look like. And just become patient. Become peace and harmony. Become love. And we do that with our enemies as well as our friends. That is what we’re taught to do. That if somebody slaps you on the cheek, then just offer the other one. Don’t cause a fight. offer the other and this will actually bring change to the world that’s exciting that’s really fun i think i told you earlier i was on uh on my way back to the house this morning and an eric clapton song came on the radio um it’s his song change the world you know it’s such a great great melody and just saying, if I could be the sunshine that brings light to you and change the world, I would do that. Oh, if every one of us would have that kind of an idea, we would be bringing change to the whole world. But we’ve got to start with ourselves. We have to start in small situations. It can be something as simple as your haircut that you’ve had on your calendar being canceled or a scheduled service of a maintenance person coming to your house and they reschedule for another day. And those things might seem small, but that can cause some people to go into a tailspin because they are really counting on their schedule, their calendar to work out for them. And it’s an inconvenience when somebody cancels or reschedules on you. And that actually requires an act of forgiveness. We don’t think of it that way, but that’s what it boils down to. Just forgiving that something else came up and that we need to bend a little and do it with peace and harmony and love. And that’s how we show love and patience to those around us in our life, those in our circles. We die to our idea of how our life needs to run. And we choose to forgive those who might throw us off course, whether it’s on purpose or by accident. We just show that kind of forgiveness and patience, kindness. Philippians 1.12 says to live is Christ. That means we live in Christ and to die is gain.
SPEAKER 03 :
Praise God.
SPEAKER 02 :
We want to die to our own ideas and opinions and agendas. We want to do that so that we can have this peace and truly live as Christ lived when He was here. He showed us how to do it, and we’re having a hard time catching on. 2 Corinthians 5.17 is another really good one. If we are in Christ, the old has died. So there’s a breaking that needs to happen. There’s a dying that needs to happen. And there can be bigger and tougher situations as well. Like you were talking about this woman who’s missing from her home. that is a tough situation for a family to handle and to grapple with. And so approaching it with the need for justice and the need for vengeance and the need for, when you approach it that way and something has to be done, it can stir people to come alongside and help, but it can also cause a lot of stress and a lot of tension and anxiety. And right now what is needed more than anything is peace and love and kindness. So covering that situation in prayer and believing that there will be forgiveness and peace that comes flooding in to change that situation, to bring a change and find, you know, find the truth. Yes. But also find the peace.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 02 :
I know somebody, she’s just an acquaintance of mine. Her name’s Jane and she’s in her seventies. She really enjoys life that she works a full-time job and loves and enjoys her hobbies and her She stays really active and alert, likes to keep her mind going. Her husband of 50 years does not share that same vigor.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, my goodness. 50 years. Wow.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah. He does not share that same love for life, though. And and lately he’s been falling a lot. And Jane’s whole life has been interrupted to care for her husband. He has no interest in any kind of physical therapy or strengthening exercises. And when you ask Jane about her husband and how he’s doing, she just smiles. She says, well, I can’t change him, but I can love him and care for him. Oh, that’s so good. That is such a forgiving approach, because her whole life has been really changed to be caring for him, and she’s recognizing that she’s not in this life to get what she can get out of life, but she’s in it to give what she can give into it.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes, go ahead.
SPEAKER 02 :
I was going to say it’s a true dying to self and caring for others.
SPEAKER 04 :
The marriage vows, when we say the marriage vows as a couple and we become one flesh in sickness and in health. That’s right. For better, for worse. That’s right. So she is really being a divine example of someone coming alongside of their spouse. Right. Instead of just tossing them in a nursing home and saying, okay, do your thing. And probably that’s happened in a lot of situations. So I’m happy for her. God bless her.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, I know. I’m happy for her, too. You know, this world, we just really need a lot more to be awakening to the idea that this life is not about being selfish and trying to get what you can out of it. We change the world by becoming more like God. God is constantly giving love, giving provision, giving forgiveness. Giving patience and kindness, constantly giving. And we were made in his image for his eternal friendship. I can’t say it often enough. we we really can’t become more like him in our own efforts but when we choose to forgive he does the transformation and we do end up becoming more like him and watching the world change we just need to forgive the inconveniences and forgive offenses forgiveness is the entire gospel message God so loved the world that he gave his only son to forgive the world that the world might be saved. That’s the gospel message. That’s right.
SPEAKER 04 :
And Jane probably, she would like to do more things, but she is saying, I’m going to change. I know he can’t change. He won’t change right now. So I’m going to change so that I can come alongside him. That’s beautiful.
SPEAKER 02 :
That’s really beautiful. Do you remember that song by Michael Jackson, The Man in the Mirror? Yes, yes. It talks about inward reflection. And if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change. That’s his little rhythmic way. But if you do want to make the world a better place, you do have to look at yourself.
SPEAKER 03 :
Look inward.
SPEAKER 02 :
And you do have to make a change. Yep. Mm-hmm. Yeah, and that’s not natural for a human being. It’s not easy. It’s not something that we gravitate to. We tend to resist change. Yes. But when we look for that, when we know that we tend to resist it, then we can actually be more thoughtful and more purposeful to look inward for the answers.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes. In your notes, you have Matthew 7, verse 12. In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. And it’s important that we think of those kind of verses.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, what does that verse really mean? Because it’s not saying make others do what you would have them do to you.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, or like Darren used to say, do unto others and then run. No, no, no, no. We don’t mean that. No.
SPEAKER 02 :
No. So in everything you do, do to others what you would have them do to you. That’s asking us to look at what we want others, how we want others to treat us.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 02 :
And what we’re trying to. to have changed in the world, stopping that and, and resisting the urge to try to change the world, the old way and the old pattern and just looking at ourselves and saying, okay, where can I make a change? Our willingness to change is the key. We have to be willing to listen to what is needed and make a change that way.
SPEAKER 04 :
That’s a key, Kimberly. We all have these thoughts swirling around in our mind and we need to be listeners. We need to be what James was talking about. Be slow to speak. And quick to hear and be a listener. And I believe more things would more beautiful things would happen if we became listeners. Listen to somebody who is talking. I know so many times, even at our meetings, someone is speaking and there’s a whole bunch of jabber going on. And sometimes I said, okay, folks, she’s speaking, so let’s listen to her. And we’re just such a society of just got to say what I want to say. Right.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah. You know, when we realize that we’re asking other people to change, Just laying that down and saying, you know what? I want to look at me. The world becomes a better place when we practice doing what we want others to do. And just, I’ve had a good time just sitting and observing, just watching, watching people and being so thankful for every human being, beautiful creatures that God has made. Right. And so we just all need to learn to be looking at each other with goodness in our hearts and in our minds and becoming more like God to become
SPEAKER 04 :
like peace and harmony yes be broken have that anointing from jesus to go pouring out on others around us oh i need that oh you’re preaching to your mom this week kimberly so both of us oh it’s been a wonderful example of how to be more like jesus and we all want to be more like jesus so remember nancy guthrie pray for her we’re going to see her come home I believe that with all my heart. God bless you and keep you and take joy.
SPEAKER 01 :
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.
