Embracing the Word: How God’s Truth Transforms Lives

SPEAKER 01 : 0:10

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 : 1:04

Welcome to Calda Freedom. Do you know there’s only one full week left in September 2025? And you know something else? It’s never too late to get into the Word of God, to study the Word of God, to read the Word of God. God is so compassionate and gentle and kind. that anytime you say, Lord, I’m going to get into this Bible. I’m going to read it through December. I’m going to do it right now as an act of my will. I’m going to do it. You can do that. You can go to freedomstreet.org and you can click on that Bible guide and download it so you can read and be so blessed by the reading from Old Testament and New Testament. That’s what I put together. Three or four chapters in the Old Testament. Oh, the chapters today in Isaiah were wonderful. And then One Testament in the New. Or you can actually get a newsletter by calling and asking for a newsletter. And in that newsletter that I send out is a monthly Bible guide. And you can just stick that right in your Bible. and read it every day. It’s just so beautiful and so important, friend. I mean, you’re learning the truth, the real truth. It’s not his truth or her truth or their truth. It’s God’s truth, his kind of truth. Oh, he guides the humble in what is right. I mean, if you want to do something that’s right, he guides you with his gentleness and his kindness, and he teaches you his ways through the word of God. So I hope that you’re turning a corner there and saying, you know what? I’m going to do this. I’m going to just dedicate myself to reading through the word of God. And you can go to freedomstreet.org and just download that Bible guide and check them off every day. And you’ll find at the end of the year, you’re going to say, yes, yes. Yes, I did it. We did it, Lord. We did it. So I hope you’re going to. You are blessed to dispense for in him you live and move and have your being. And if you’d like to contact us, you can email us at Barbara at FreedomStreet.org or Kimberly at FreedomStreet.org or hello at FreedomStreet.org. And if you would like to listen to programs, you can go to that website again. Really simple. freedomstreet.org and hit the resources and under the resources are radio shows that you can listen to every day and thanks to rachel who puts them on the website and also for chris our webmaster that they have really done a great job this is hard work at getting behind the scenes and into a lot of detail complicated things going on in this day and age of technology And they’ve been doing a great job. So we have lots of information. Kimberly has blogs under teaching. I think it’s the voice of freedom. Yeah, the voice of freedom that she’s doing blogs. And I believe you’re going to be really blessed by what you’re reading. So I invite you to do that. And thank you. Thank you for joining me today. We have such a wonderful future ahead of us. And I know this last week I have felt the draining in my own energy level. It’s just been so emotional. And I never knew Charlie Kirk. I did not even really keep up with him. And yet I heard him on programs like Alan Jackson. I listened to him a lot. And Jack Hibbs. And he’s been on those programs, but never really into what he was doing. And my goodness. The world has just come forth and it’s energized. And I know that there are 52,000. The other day I said there are 24,000 that have looked into chapters and clubs in their area. Well, it’s up to 52,000 now. Praise God. They’re really interested, especially our younger children. Thank you, Lord. Thank you that our teenagers are turning around from just watching that social media and getting into plugged in into real truth. And in Jesus name, I thank you, Holy Spirit, for being with each and every one of those young people in your precious name, Lord Jesus. Hallelujah. It’s going to be exciting, friend. I know that Jesus promised we’re going to have tribulation, but oh, how exciting the future is. It’s just so much better when you are a born again believer and you believe in Jesus Christ. Thank you, Kimberly, for joining the program today.

SPEAKER 04 : 5:40

Yes, you started out talking about how it’s hard work behind the scenes to help this ministry, but even to work out life, hard work behind the scenes, and then mentioning what’s going on in this world. And the temptation to be on social media, you know, I used to have such a bad, oh, maybe just negative thoughts towards social media because of how it had affected my children. I’ve changed my mind because it really is a choice. There are so many fantastic things on social media. Charlie Kirk was on social media. And so we just have to be praying that our younger generations will make good decisions on social media. Because everything in life, I mean, it’s just hard work behind the scenes trying to make the right decisions, trying to make the decisions that make us more like God. And that, you know, God is just, he’s thinking the best about you. all the time. He’s thinking the best. And any mistakes we make, He is with us. Any sin, any fault, any weakness, He is with us in those. And He’s so patient to keep working with us, working on us, and helping us make better decisions on what to look at on social media, what to listen to on the television, on the radio. We have choices all the time of what to put in front of our eyes, what to feed our minds and our hearts and our spirits. And we just want to be feeding ourselves better things because God’s way is the better way. And we were talking about that yesterday. And it just I want that theme to flow over into today. Our Lord really does know how to make us like him. And sometimes that means that we make decisions that are not so good. That’s how we figure it out. We look back and go, oh, yeah, I don’t like what I did there. That’s right. But he wants to use that mistake, that that sin, that decision that we did make. He wants to use it to bring more of himself and his likeness and his image into us. We are destined for that to be made into his image. And Romans 8, 29 tells us that, that whom he foreknew, he predestined to become conformed to the image of his son. Yes. That means that Jesus is going to be the firstborn among many. That means we’re going to be like him. Jesus isn’t going to be the only one that is the word made flesh. The word is still working hard behind the scenes. I love that thought. Still working hard behind the scenes and wanting to make a way so that the word will become flesh. Now, that scripture, the word becoming flesh is from John 1. And in John 1, starting in verse 11, it says that Jesus came to his own and those who were his own did not receive him. And as many who are open to him and receive his work in them, he has given them the power, the right and the authority to become the children of God. So that being his children, that’s Jesus is his son. When we become the children of God, we become like him.

SPEAKER 02 : 9:34

Yes. Jesus is really our brother. He’s our brother and we can depend on him. I mean, if some of you listening don’t have siblings or don’t have family, you can depend on your big brother, Jesus. He’ll take care of you. Yes.

SPEAKER 04 : 9:50

There is not anyone in this world that Jesus does not love, that Jesus is not willing to die for. That’s radical that he is intending for us to become like that. That is a hugely radical thought. humans have a tendency to say well you know jesus did that because he was jesus i’m not jesus right we we hear that a lot like i cannot forgive that person for what they did because i’m not jesus no but did you know you’re predestined to become like him yes you are you are destined to be conformed into his image And he became flesh and dwelt here among us. The word became flesh. That’s attached to John 1, 11, 12, 13, where he came to his own. His own did not receive him. How did he respond to that? When his own did not receive him, he gave authority to those who are willing to receive. That’s right. He didn’t hold it against them and have a grudge and say, well, you didn’t receive me, so you can’t be in my kingdom. He has been patiently working on each individual heart behind the scenes. It’s hard work for him. He made it easy for us. All we have to do is be willing. Just be willing to forgive, be willing to love, be willing to be made like him. And oh, how rewarding that is. His ways really are better than our own. So when Jesus was not received well, he kept loving and giving and planting seed, sowing seed, watering the seed. That’s right. His ways are better. So we just keep planting seed and sowing seed and watering the seed just like Jesus would. We want our ways to line up with his ways. What’s another thing, Jesus? Jesus bears our burdens for us. Do we really bear one another’s burdens very well? We need to think about that, you know, and sometimes we’ve got opinions about what that burden is and we’ve got opinions of what we think we can handle. And so we might be dismissive. We might say, oh, yeah, I can’t do that. But if Holy Spirit keeps tugging on your heart. look again, maybe you are supposed to pick up a burden you thought you could not carry. His ways are better than our ways. And he loved the world so much, he gave his only son. Wow, that is the better way. I don’t even know how to do that in my life. I don’t know how to be that generous in giving up one of my children. I can’t even go there to talk about that. But that is God’s ways with us. He loves us that much, and His ways are better than our ways. He did not send His Son into this world to condemn the world, right? He sent Him to forgive. So that is the way that we want to look at and say, okay, I’m willing, I’m willing to forgive. If there’s somebody on your heart today that has been really hard for you to forgive, and maybe it’s somebody from years ago and you just, they really hurt you. oh i’m telling you god’s ways are better than your ways don’t hang on to that unforgiveness let forgiveness flow and i know we can’t do it we as human beings can’t do it in our own effort in our own strength it is hard to let go of those hurts but give it to god today give it to jesus He will help you with it. He will send that Holy Spirit Comforter right into your heart, right here where you are and let forgiveness flow and do a miraculous work in you

SPEAKER 02 : 14:07

and set you free so that you can live life more abundant life his way because his way is better it is it’s better and much better in psalm 103 it says the lord is compassionate and gracious slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness He will not always strive with us. That means struggle, struggle against struggle, because Jesus has become our redeemer, our redemption for all our sins. And so God sees us as righteous before his son, Jesus, who is righteous. Nor will he keep his anger forever. No, he won’t. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. No, he doesn’t see your sin, friend. He really doesn’t. He sees Jesus. When he looks at you, he sees Jesus. It’s exactly what you were saying, Kimberly. As far as the East is from the West, so far has he removed our transgressions, our sins from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who are who honor him and love him. Oh, it’s so good. That’s good.

SPEAKER 04 : 15:21

Yes. Oh, just right along the same lines. That reminds me of Lamentations 3, 23, that his mercies are new every morning. And whatever we’ve done today, sometimes that just kind of lingers with us through the day. And we’re like, oh, even if it’s something small, like I missed my devotions this morning. I didn’t make time to read and be in the word. And that can kind of linger with us. It doesn’t linger with him. That’s not how He’s thinking all day long. His mercy is new for you right here in this moment. And if you just can’t get over it today, the sun will come up tomorrow, the sun will rise again, and we will try again. Because His mercies are new every morning. We don’t have to hold it against ourselves. We don’t have to hold anything against someone else. for failing and there is no failure when you think about it this way that his mercies are new and renewed and renewed he wipes the slate clean and is ready to restart when you are yes It’s really up to us. We have to choose when to be ready to wipe that slate clean and say, yeah, you know what? This burden is too heavy for me. I can’t carry this anymore. I can’t carry the unforgiveness. I can’t carry what I’ve been carrying with anger or resentment or bitterness or lust or gluttony or whatever it is in life. I can’t carry it anymore. I really need you, Lord. And then watch him run toward you. Do you know that there’s only one time God was ever recorded as being in a rush and running? I’ll give you a second to kind of think about it. I mean, can you picture God in a hurry to do anything? Because he has just taken years and years and years with this planet, you know? And some of you might already have the picture in your head of his moment of haste where he’s scrambling to speed up the process. Can you see God scrambling, speeding up? Because you yourself have experienced him dying. dashing toward you to receive you back into his embrace when you repented. And I’m talking about the father that ran down the road toward his son who was coming back to him. That’s the picture of our father who is in a rush to get to the one who has made a mistake, spent the entire inheritance that he was given and And here’s the Father so forgiving, so full of love and joy and excitement, not resentment, Not holding a grudge, but… Kimberly?

SPEAKER 02 : 18:21

All right. Well, she was talking about the wonderful parable about the son who decided that he was old enough now to take the whole inheritance, and he went to his father and said, I want you to give me my part of the inheritance. And the father very willingly did. He gave it to his son. Now the elder also had his half of the inheritance, but… I guess it was done right at that time. And the young guy went out and he spent and he spent his inheritance, all of it. And he found out that he was in poverty. He had this marvelous opportunity to go back to his father. And it had to come to the time when he was absolutely poor. He was eating the husks that the pigs had left after they ate the corn. Can you imagine that? I mean, eating what the pigs had eaten. And finally, he said to himself, ha, I’m not going to do this any longer. I’m going to just ask. I’m going to go to my father and ask his forgiveness. And I know that he’s going to allow me to work my way up again. I will do a servant’s work. I will work at the lowest point on the totem pole here until I win my father’s favor again. Well, he did that. And you know the story. The eldest son was just incensed. He was so angry because when the father ran to his son and greeted him, he planned a whole banquet for his son and for everyone there. I probably had hundreds of employees and neighbors that came to that feast. The elder son would not even go. He turned his back on that because he was jealous. He was jealous of what his father had realized that the young son had confessed his sin. And friend, that’s what we want for you. All you have to do is say, Father, forgive me. I have sinned and I come to you and I make you my Savior and my Lord today. Give me a new heart and a fresh start. and I will be yours. Hallelujah. Praise God forever and ever, because that’s what God wants. He wants you to have that fresh start and a new heart. Praise the Lord. Oh, well, I don’t know what happened to Kimberly, but we enjoy her so much. Are you there? I am, I’m on the phone, so I had to make a switch. Oh, okay. Well, we got through the prodigal son. Oh, and how his father, you’re right, his father ran to him, ran down that lane, Kimberly, and met his son and hugged him. Yes. Oh, what a beautiful picture.

SPEAKER 04 : 21:08

It is. We’re destined to become like that. And to become so forgiving and so excited to reconnect and reconcile with the ones who have taken advantage of us, hurt us, left us. We have been hurt many ways as human beings, and instead of being excited to be healed and to forgive and to grow and trust, we have cut ourselves off. That’s how most humans handle that. But once you’ve sat long enough in that isolated place, in that place of loss, you tend to want to do something about it. You know, that prodigal son, he sat in a pig pen with his own discomfort, his own feelings of failure. And sometimes we have to be courageous and sit with those feelings. about ourselves and about other people, not avoid them, not ignore them, but sit with them and start asking questions. Can I reframe what has happened? Can I forgive? Can I move on? And maybe the answer is no, but are you willing to? Just simply ask Jesus to help you. Jesus, I can’t do this without you. I need your help to forgive me. Will you come in and give me the power to forgive, the authority to forgive those who have hurt me in the past so that I can receive them back the way you do? Because your ways are better than mine. And my way of just avoiding and forgiving. sitting with unforgiveness and resentment, that’s not working.

SPEAKER 02 : 22:58

No, that’s not. And God may be the one right now that is opening a door for you that cannot be shut. Remember, that’s Isaiah 22, 22. He’s opening a door for you that cannot be shut. Remember, the opportunity for you. But he’s also shutting a door that cannot be opened. And you might say, oh, I’m I wanted that. I needed that friendship or I needed that job. Oh, look to God. Walk with him because he’s got something far better. Remember, God never subtracts from your life. He only multiplies more and more. He’s a multiplier of life.

SPEAKER 04 : 23:35

Yes, he is. That’s right. And he is a God of patience, a God of mercy, a God of kindness. Even in the Old Testament, you know, if we’re willing to see it, Many, many see Him as a God of wrath and judgment in the Old Testament, while Jesus, His Son, came in mercy and forgiveness in the New Testament. But Jesus came to show us the will of the Father. He says it over and over, especially in the book of John. Jesus reminds us that He didn’t come to just do His own merciful, forgiving thing. that this is how the Father is, and He came to show the Father’s heart, to show the will of the Father. And He tells His disciples in John 14 that if they’ve seen Him, they have seen the Father, over and over. He reminds us that He didn’t come to do His own work, but to do the work of the Father. So in Lamentations 3, verse 33 and it’s interesting because i was reminded of lamentations 3 of his mercies are new every morning but in verse 33 it says that the lord does not afflict his people willingly or from the heart that’s the literal translation he does not afflict people from the heart when we walk away from him and we do feel torment We feel affliction. That’s because we’ve walked away from His ways. His ways are so much better than our ways. And when we have our opinions that say, nope, I’ve got a better idea. I’m going to avoid that person. And I’m going to hang on to my resentment and my unforgiveness. You know, when we do that, we end up in a tormented place. We end up in a place that is really difficult. And it afflicts us. It’s an affliction. It’s a suffering. We might even start looking around at our situation that we’re in and start blaming God and saying, why would you afflict me this way? Why would you let me get to this place? Well, hold on. Maybe you need to sit with some difficult feelings and maybe you need to sit in your pig pen and think about. what has gone on and the decisions you’ve made, and ask Him to help you forgive. Ask Him to put you on a road of repentance that will bring you back to Him, back to His ways that are better than our ways.

SPEAKER 05 : 26:05

Yes.

SPEAKER 02 : 26:06

Oh, thank you, Kimberly from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, for coming today and communicating those beautiful words to us. Yet, friend, we need to look at our life in real reality, in real time and reality. Get rid of the denial, the fantasies that we’ve lived in. Some of us have lived in fantasies and we need to look into God’s truth, that truth that will remain forever and ever forever. Oh, God bless you and keep you. And Kimberly, thank you again for presenting such a wonderful, wonderful revelation to us. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER 03 : 26:40

And we just tell all of you out there, take joy. Amen.

SPEAKER 01 : 26:51

Thank you for listening to Call to Freedom with Barbara Carmack. You may get in touch with Barbara at Call to Freedom, Box 370367, 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 : 28:19

Thank you.