Barbara Carmack and Kimberly Carmack discuss Memorial Day, Christian freedom, sanctification, and the difference between God’s ways and destructive forms of worldly “freedom.” The program reflects on Psalm 91, honoring fallen soldiers, and the spiritual strength found through Scripture and prayer.
The conversation also honors Charlie Kirk and his impact on young Americans through faith, truth, and public debate. Barbara and Kimberly close the program by discussing God’s revealed will, spiritual growth, purity, grace, and how God works through imperfect people with love and patience.
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. Now, let’s join Barbara in the studio.
SPEAKER 03 :
Welcome to Call to Freedom. God bless you. You are a wonderful example of Jesus on this earth. Did you know that? You are an example because you are growing stronger and stronger, more holy as you drop off some of these habits that you’ve formed in your flesh. And those things are going to happen, and you’ll be walking with Jesus. Today, may you experience God’s love and joy. And may your life be filled with the blessings of his goodness and grace. Because John 1, verse 1 says, From the fullness of his grace, we have all received one blessing after another. So blessing after blessing is following after you, is before you. And you are going to experience greater days in the future than you have in the past. God, God bless you and you are blessed to dispense for in him you live and move and have your being and welcome Kimberly.
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, thanks for having me again. I know yesterday we didn’t really get to finish our thoughts in Psalm 18 and I, it’s such a good chapter. So we’ll just encourage all of you to go to Psalm 18 and spend some time meditating in the word of God.
SPEAKER 03 :
It’s so important. And to know that you can stand through everything with God at your side, as David did. Kimberly, there were three times, before I was reading 2 Samuel 22, three times that the Philistines surrounded Israel, and David had to go out again and again and again to defeat this enemy. Well, sometimes we have to do that too, again and again and again. As we said in the last program, may the God of peace, the God of peace will crush Satan under our feet. And we realize that it is God as we wait on him, as we rest in him, he will crush the enemy under our feet. So I’m so grateful for that. Praise God. Yes, me too. Yes. We are going to be observing Memorial Day on this next Monday. And I just wanted to bring up a few things that I believe are important to remember about those who have died and gone before us, but also to interject a wonderful scripture. Because we’re not living the way we had before. Our parents lived differently than their parents. We live differently than our parents. And it just goes on and on. And God realized this, that it’s not getting worse. God is improving each and every life as we go with him, as we walk with him. Well, Romans 6, verse 15 through 18 says, So since we’re out from under the old tyranny, that’s the old life we had. That’s the life in the flesh we had. And now we’ve chosen Jesus as our Savior and Lord. And he comes in and he cleanses us and washes us. Oh, does that mean that we can live an old way we want any old way we want? Since we’re free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. And you can see that in this country. They’re yelling freedom, freedom, and they’re protesting and burning cars and doing all kinds of idiotic things. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance. and it’s your last act. But offer yourselves to the way of God, and freedom never quits. All your lives you’ve let sin tell you what to do, but thank God we’ve started listening to a new master, one whose command set you free to live openly in his freedom. Wow, what a great verse of scripture, Romans 6, 15 through 18, and that’s in the Passion Translation.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes. So good, Mom. I love being reminded that we are free to make our choices that we want to make in this life. And so we have free will given to us by God. But when we use our free will to do damage and do harm rather than walk in His ways, which His ways are never doing damage, His ways are always building up and encouraging and giving life. When we choose those choices in our life for freedom, that’s when we are really set on a higher place, when we’re given assurance and we’re fulfilled, we’re satisfied, we have favor, we have peace, and that’s what we want.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s what we want. Praise God. Well, next Monday, we’re celebrating Decoration Day, which has become Memorial Day. And it’s a day in the year to remember and honor those who we knew and loved and the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. It is also considered to be the unofficial beginning of summer. Memorial Day is a time for visiting cemeteries and memorials to mourn the military personnel who died in the line of duty. Volunteers will place American flags on the graves of those military personnel in national cemeteries. And the first national observance of what would become Memorial Day was occurred on May the 30th, 1868. Yes, just right after the Civil War. Then known as Decoration Day, the holiday was proclaimed by Commander-in-Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic. That’s what you call the Army today. A fraternal organization of veterans to honor Union soldiers who had died in the American Civil War. This national observance… credits Mary Ann Williams of the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus, Georgia, with originating the idea of an annual date to decorate the graves of Civil War veterans with flowers. And now it’s continued on and on through all these years. By 1890, every Union state had adopted it, and the World Wars turned it into a day of remembrance for all members of the U.S. military who fought and died in service. One of the most memorable, Kimberly, of the events that I remember, including D-Day and some of those miracle days that happened, was in an almost impossible battle in Europe by the 91st Brigade who were set up against great odds. And what they decided to do to combat this, the armies that were coming against them and surrounding them, And I love this. They decided to recite the 91st Psalm, and that’s called the Soldier’s Psalm, every day. The 91st Brigade was engaged in three of the bloodiest battles of World War I. Chateau Thierry. Belmude and Argonne Forest, while other units similarly engaged had up to 90% casualties. The 91st Brigade did not suffer a single combat-related casualty. Isn’t that marvelous? Yes.
SPEAKER 02 :
Wow. That is truly a great example. Oh, a really great testimony that this is what our God does for us when we’re in agreement with him.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes, and a reminder that the word of God is powerful. It is powerful to the breaking down of the strongholds of the enemy. And that’s what happens when God is on our side and the word of God becomes our sword of the spirit. In 1968, Congress changed its observance to the last Monday in May, and in 1971, Congress Wow, I was only 25, standardized its name as Memorial Day. Veterans Day on November 11th has become a legal holiday which honors all those who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Arlington Cemetery is where so many are buried who died, proclaiming freedom for all. Notable individuals buried at Arlington National Cemetery include individuals General John Pershing of World War I Commander, President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, U.S. Senator and Presidential Candidate, Thurgood Marshall, First African American Supreme Court Justice, and Joe Lewis, renowned heavyweight boxing championship. Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place for over 400,000 individuals, including military personnel and their families. And I’ve seen pictures of Arlington and Kimberly. It just goes on and on and on and on. It’s amazing.
SPEAKER 02 :
It does. You know, as we are remembering the people who gave their lives, this is how we also closely connect our Savior, our Jesus, who gave his life. And so these who are willing to lay down their lives and give their lives are those who he sees as his own. Yes. When we lay down our life, he sees us as his own.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s right. Oh, it’s so good. And we remember so many people have died. And one martyr that just recently died, and I call him a martyr because he was. and is and he has attracted so many young people not only to be one in one accord with him politically but also spiritually and they have accepted jesus christ in the droves and kimberly i know that you’re observing this also how young people are coming to know the lord jesus in increased numbers over and over again it’s it’s beautiful to see So when people say, oh, look what this country is coming to, we’re going down the toilet, I say, oh, look at the revival that’s going on. That’s right. It’s so important. Yes. So we want to commemorate the memory of Charlie Kirk. I remember the day I was just coming out of the car to go into the studio for the radio program, and there was a bulletin on the radio. Charlie Kirk has been shot, and we didn’t know any more. I didn’t know any more until after the program, and then realized that he was dead. Almost instantly, he was dead. It’s really hard. It’s hard to handle, and so many people grieve for him. I remember the huge audience at the memorial service, and it was shown all over the United States how many thousands upon thousands of people came to honor Charlie Kirk. So I’m just going to read a little bit about his life. And he was a… Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And there are some people, Kimberly, that have the gift of debate. They have the gift of prophetic utterance and they are telling from the truth from the false all the time. That’s a wonderful gift. Wonderful.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, our Lord invites us into that. He’s the one who first said, come, let us reason together. Yes, that’s right.
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, I’m so glad you remembered that scripture from Isaiah. Isaiah 1, verse 18. Oh, come. Yes, come. Let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Oh, praise God. Well, Charlie was no stranger to threats. He received thousands throughout his life, but he always prioritized threats. reaching as many young Americans as possible over his own personal safety. And you could see that the day he came into that huge park. And he was not afraid to stand up boldly before thousands and talk about Jesus. Now, Charlie has become America’s greatest martyr to the freedom of speech he so adored. In his 31 years, he was so young. In fact, I know that one of my grandchildren is going to be 30 pretty soon. In his 31 years, Charlie lived more than any of us will in 100. He had an overwhelming passion for life and a deep belief in his power as an individual to make a difference. And Kimberly, we know that we can all make a difference, each one of us. I think that’s one of the tactics of the enemy. Well, you’re just one person. It doesn’t matter. You won’t count. That’s so true. That’s right. We can’t believe those lies. No, we can’t. Remember, he’s the father of lies, folks. And he will give you a lie to try to distract you or turn your attention from the Lord Jesus. But don’t allow that in Jesus’ name. with the spirit of a pioneer charlie launched turning point out of his parents garage as an eighteen-year-old with no money no name recognition only a dream his energy and drive were awe-inspiring without equal and deeply infectious Thank you for joining us. His values were timeless, American ones, honesty, forthrightness, duty, loyalty, and fair play. Oh, that is so good. We need to remember that. Values, honesty, forthrightness, duty, loyalty, and fair play. Kimberly, do you have the next little article about him? That Charlie loved America? Yes, yes, if you’ll read that, yes. Oh, it’s beautiful.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes, he loved America, its people, its constitution, its freedom, and the limitless good all of them have done for the world. But most importantly, Charlie lived every day with an overflowing love of the Christ he knew he would one day get to see. Yes. When asked, Charlie said that above all, he wished to be remembered for his faith. Far more than any political victory, Charlie wanted to see a spiritual revival among America’s youth. He wanted a nation of happy, thriving families who loved God and each other. At his final public speech just days before his murder, Charlie witnessed to Christ. He witnessed about Christ to an audience of non-believers. Even in his very last moments, Charlie was professing the gospel. He ran his race well all the way to the end. Now he goes to his heavenly reward. Although Charlie is gone, his legacy will endure. He shall not grow old. Age shall not wear him down. For all time, he will remain the brave young man who inspired tens of millions of Americans to better themselves and take action to better America. Yes. All of us will miss Charlie. None of us will ever forget him.
SPEAKER 03 :
We won’t. We won’t forget him. And we think of those times when God has blessed us with these kind of people. We can watch them on our phones. We can watch them on the air. And they are precious people who uphold the gospel of Jesus Christ more than ever before. And Kimberly, this last book he wrote, I don’t remember the title right now. It’s about the Sabbath. He conferred with Dennis Prager, who is a rabbi and a well-known radio host. And he conferred with him on this book. He wanted everything to be truthful and factual. And his book is The Sabbath, something about the Sabbath. So you can Google that, Charlie Kirk, a book about the Sabbath. And he really appreciated Dennis Prager’s information and also encouragement to do that. We need encouragement. We really do.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, he was a big proponent for honoring the Sabbath and making sure that the Sabbath is recognized because… We learn more when we are at rest. As human beings, we try so hard to gain knowledge and to be good people. I love what Charlie has done for our nation. He was making sure that the young people were hungry and thirsty for righteousness and for having a moral compass. Some of us might look at what happened to him and wonder, could this really be the will of God? Would God have wanted this? Would God will this? And God has revealed his will to us in the Bible, in the written word, and his will is is about us learning to be like him, learning to love one another, learning to have a moral compass. There are four specific Bible verses that tell us exactly what the will of God is for us. And so I would call this his revealed will. His will is revealed to us in the Bible, written out for us to see. So it’s revealed. It’s right there in front of us. We can see it. Okay. And John six, verse 40, Jesus is talking and he says, for my father’s will is that everyone who looks to the son and believes in him will have eternal life. and I will raise them up at the last day.” So this is how we would kind of tie this into what we talked about yesterday, turning to the Lord instead of just clinging to our ways of doing life. But we want to learn to look to the Lord, turn to Him and believe that there is a higher way and a better way. That is something that Charlie Kirk was always pointing people to. So that’s part of the revealed will of God. He was doing that revealed will every day. Yes. This revealed will is also shown to us in 1 Thessalonians 4.3. It is God’s will that you should be sanctified. That means that you should be pure and you should be holy, set apart, different than the world, and that you should avoid sexual promiscuity or immorality of any kind. So this is telling us to abstain from those human cravings that we have now. I think people get confused because we have those cravings and when we crave as a human or we desire something, naturally we just want to fulfill that craving.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s right.
SPEAKER 02 :
Satisfy. Satisfy that. And the thing is, we might be craving something and then God saying, no, you can’t crave that. That’s not what God is actually saying. When he’s saying abstain, he’s saying make sure that you are morally fulfilling these desires within marriage, that you’re fulfilling these desires. Or maybe you’re not married. Look to him. Ask him about it. Talk to him about it. He’s your creator. He created your body and your cravings. So abstain. Being able to have really open conversations with the Lord is another way of looking to him and turning to him instead of turning to your own ways that you would fulfill and satisfy. And I can tell you, God does fulfill and satisfy our desires. I know this by walking it out myself, having these conversations with him and realizing, wow, you really do satisfy my every longing. You satisfy my every need. So being told to abstain is not saying you never get to have this. It’s saying, turn to the Lord, look to him. He knows how to satisfy you.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s right. We can’t do it on our own. We just can’t.
SPEAKER 02 :
That’s right.
SPEAKER 03 :
No.
SPEAKER 02 :
But God is such… So that’s part of his revealed will. And 1 Thessalonians 5, 13 through 18, you have verses 16, 17, and 18 as a memory verse a couple weeks ago. That’s right. It’s so good to remember what that what we’re being asked to do. We’re being asked to live in peace with each other and urging each other not to be idle and not to be disruptive, encouraging those who are disheartened, helping the weak, being patient with each other. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong or evil for evil. We need to remember these things, and that’s what 1 Thessalonians 5 is talking about. And we get to your memory verse that you had. Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances for… This is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER 03 :
This is the will of God. Also, I love that scripture that you gave right before that. 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 3. For this is the will of God, your sanctification. He wants us to not only bear fruit, but to grow into holiness. And some of us can say, wow, that’s going to take a long time, a real process. And it will. But God is a patient. God is a patient God. And he’s a God of love. So he’s just going to join you and go. If it’s slow, he’s going to go with you. He’s going to be with you. You don’t have to win a race or, you know, if you’re out on a field winning, being first place. He doesn’t require that of you. just to love him. Oh, God bless him. That’s right.
SPEAKER 02 :
Turning to him, looking to him. And one other scripture I want to bring up about his revealed will is in 1 Peter 2, 13. Submit yourselves to the Lord, for it is God’s will that by doing good, you would silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. That is very much what Charlie Kirk was doing with his life. And he submitted to the will of God. Now, these are the revealed will scriptures that I would like to call them. I would call them that, the revealed. But God also, I’ve heard people say he’s got a sovereign will and that God’s sovereign will takes over when our lives are spinning out of control. when they’re not in sync with his revealed will. And that’s what happened when Charlie’s life was taken early. That’s what happens in war. God does not have this revealed will that we’re all in war or that we’re taking each other’s lives when we get angry. That’s not his revealed will for us. His revealed will goes along with His fruits of the Spirit, which is peace and patience and kindness and goodness to one another. But His sovereign will takes over when we are in chaos, when we’re not patient with one another, we’re not being kind. And some scripture verses that talk about His sovereign will Isaiah 46 verses 9 and 10. God declares his purpose will stand and all his good pleasure will be accomplished. There’s also Ephesians 1 11. God works out everything according to the counsel of his will. And Romans 8 28. It’s one of our favorites. God works all things together for good for those who love him. I also like Proverbs 16, 9, humans plan their course. God is the one who determines their steps. So God is constantly intervening for us. And I know we only have a couple more minutes, maybe another minute here that we can be talking. One minute, yes. But just to end this, all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. When we acknowledge that and we recognize our need for someone not just to rescue us from our sin, but to love us. when we are unlovable, when we have sinned. He comes in right there in that sin and loves us and helps us to love others when others have sinned and when others are unlovable. This is how we could maybe sum up all of God’s revealed will to us. And this is also his sovereign will in action. He comes in, swoops in, and he loans us his perfection in the middle of our imperfection. And we learn to rest in that and trust that. That is the beauty of his will.
SPEAKER 03 :
Amen. God bless you for listening today and take joy.
SPEAKER 1 :
Thank you.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you for listening to 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.
