Barbara shares profound insights into the power of prayer and the serenity that comes with trusting God’s will. Through the lens of personal stories, scripture, and the renowned Serenity Prayer, this episode highlights the importance of casting worries onto a higher power and embracing divine wisdom. Tune in for a spiritually enriching journey that promises inspiration and hope in navigating life’s unpredictable terrain.
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 :
Welcome to Calda Freedom. After listening to David Jeremiah today at the 1 o’clock program, it was so great because he was saying that God will receive you whatever condition you are in. He doesn’t expect you to go for a job interview all dressed up. He cleans you up. He’s the one that does it. He’s the salvage man. He’s the rescuer that comes to our aid. I’m so grateful. Those who know the Lord will trust in the Lord because he never forsakes those who seek him. He never forsakes you, my friend. He will never forsake you. He will always accept you at any hour of the day and at any time in your life. You may be looking at something that is hard to handle, or you may be enjoying a good life right now, and I hope you are. But if you are facing any kind of obstacles or unexpected emergency, know that God is right there to help you. You are blessed to dispense, for in him you live and move and have your being. And it’s important that today you pray for those people that were involved in the mass shooting in Minneapolis. I don’t know why these things happen, but I know that this precious man, who’s a transgender, has gotten confused. And I would certainly be confused if I allowed doctors to do surgery on part of my body and take part of my body off and then try to adjust to that. And so I pray that these people will find peace. Father God, in Jesus’ name, I ask that you bring peace. to these precious families that saw all this trauma and experienced the trauma in this Catholic Church. I thank you, Father God, even the mother of the shooter. I thank you, Father God, for giving them peace. We bind that spirit of trauma and we say you have no association with these people. And thank you, Father, those who are in the hospital, who are recovering, who are going through surgery. I thank you, Father God, that your arms are around them and your angels are ministering them and strengthening them as they strengthen Jesus in the wilderness. I thank you, Lord God. And we know that those two precious children that died in this horrible tragedy, they are with you, Lord Jesus. They are with you. And we thank you and praise you that you know all about it. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen. Wow, we never know. You know, you can wake up someday and, wow, the world is coming to an end, which I’m looking forward to that day. I really am. Oh, but praise the Lord that we can pray. And that’s one thing that David Jeremiah was talking about today on the 1230 program on KLTT. He’s talking about pray, folks, pray. That’s such a privilege and an honor for us who know the Lord Jesus. So continue praying for these families. Wow, they went through, they’ve been going through a lot, and many who have their children in the hospital. I know there were probably, they said, 11 children that were in the hospital. I just can’t imagine the demonic presence in that young man that would shoot children and laugh about it. Oh, God. Well, unless he asks forgiveness, you know where he is. And we don’t desire that anybody go to hell. So we’re out there. We’re out there witnessing every day of the week. Our memory verse for this week, and it’s for you. It’s 3 John 2. Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health just as your soul prospers. And oh, I like the message translation of 3 John 2. How truly I love you. We’re the best of friends. We are. I thank God for you. Now, some of you have been listening to Darren Live and called it freedom for probably 30 years, and I’ve never met you. You’ve been giving. You’ve been donating. You’re a power partner. One of these days. One of these days we’re going to meet. Oh, I pray good fortune in everything you do and for your good health, that your everyday affairs prosper as well as your soul. I was most happy when some friends arrived and brought the news that you persist in following the way of truth. We love that. Nothing could make me happier than getting reports that my children continue diligently in the way of truth. Praise the Lord. You realize that when there is disruption of any kind, because God is saying here in 3 John 2 that he values your physical body being in health, being whole, as much as your souls, which are your emotions and your spiritual well-being, as well as your spirit that is now perfect. If you are in Christ Jesus, he values those. And you realize that when there is a disruption of any kind in your body or your mind, you will focus on that. If you don’t have the word of God in your heart, you will zero in on the place that hurts and try to remedy that area that is causing you pain and anguish. And that’s what we do. We do that. I’ve learned that in spite of the pain, I will live and move and have my being in the Lord Jesus, knowing that Holy Spirit is going to help me until disobedience has done away with it. Barbara, what do you mean disobedience? Where is that? That’s 2 Corinthians 10, 4 and 5. Most of us know the very first part of 2 Corinthians 10, 5, which says, “…I cast down every evil and vain imagination and every lofty thought.” that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. And I take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, knowing that Holy Spirit is going to help me until disobedience is done away with. Well, we know that we have some things going on. We have some areas in our lives that keep us from having that divine and intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father. You know, I know. I have areas in my own life that I’m working on. Yes, I am. At my age, I am working on them. One is getting rid of that religious spirit that has hounded me to seek the approval of men rather than the approval of God. And you can say, well, just pray and it’ll go away. After years of wanting men’s approval, I still am aching sometimes for men’s approval and people to say, oh, well done. But it’s not the men’s approval that I’m thinking of. or I’m desiring. I want God’s approval. So still working on that. So if you’re going through a time of frustration or anxiety, trying to figure out what is going on in your life, all I can recommend to you today is cast all that care and anxiety on God. Don’t listen to the enemy because God knows you better than you do. And he will see that you come out perfectly. Lacking in nothing, as James once says. The Bible is our instruction manual. Yes, it is. And a lot of people, when you go for a job, they give you this big, thick book and say, you’ve got to learn this. Well, our instruction manual is this Bible in front of me. And I go to it every day. And I know that God is instructing me and teaching me. That’s what’s so wonderful. Because, friend, we’ve got everything to live for. Yes, we do. Even when tragedy strikes, God is building strong character in you. He’s promised that as you are enduring and praising him in the testing of your faith, which produces endurance, that the end product of endurance is holiness. Lacking in nothing. Hallelujah. Making you perfect. You have no need of the things that you once thought were important and vital in your life. And that’s great. I love that. There are some foods I can’t eat anymore. And so I’m grateful. I’m grateful for the food that I can eat. The spicy food, I can’t handle it very well. So I don’t know. I don’t get involved with all that sometimes. So I’m looking for that wonderful end product that God is going to produce in me, holiness and a perfect way of life with him. Yesterday I was reading the prayer of serenity and focusing on what it means and how enriched we are when we follow its insights. And here it is. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Courage to change the things I can. And that’s through the power of Holy Spirit. You know that if you are in Jesus. And wisdom to know the difference. That’s a shortened version of the original. In 1951, Reinhold Niebuhr published a printed version of the Serenity Prayer in its entirety. I love this. I had never heard this whole Serenity Prayer, and then I looked it up online, and it even has the word grace in the poem. It says, God give me grace. Oh, we need that spirit of grace today. God give me grace to accept with serenity. the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed. And we do that through the power of Holy Spirit and the fruit of Holy Spirit. We gain that knowledge through the love of God when we find out and know that we know that we know that God is love and he loves us from the foundation of the earth. We didn’t love him first. He loved us. And the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other, living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, taking on, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is. Thank God for Reinhold Niebuhr, who was writing down this whole thing, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, taking on, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it. trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will, so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with you forever in the next. Amen. Amen and amen. That’s the serenity prayer in the whole. And I want to just talk about a few things in this serenity prayer, things that you will be learning when you say this prayer. I hope you’ll say it often. Maybe not every day, but often. Number one, you accept what you cannot change. We know that with God, nothing is impossible. Moses found out that God was able to bring manna and feed over two million people in the desert. Okay, God did that for two million people. Do you think he can provide your daily bread, what you need? Absolutely he can. God told Moses to help him believe in this verse from Numbers 11, verse 23. Is the Lord’s power limited? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not. And every word that I’ve prayed, everything that I’ve ever asked of God, he has given to me, friend. So I know that your prayers have value and substance to them. Jeremiah realized the greatness of good when God told him of someday Israel being free to return to their country. And look, it took hundreds and hundreds of years. But now we’re seeing an Israel who is a democratic country, a country recognized by the world. So it takes a while sometimes, but oh, it’s so worth it. And while Jeremiah was in prison, have you noticed that God usually tells us or tells the prophets about a deliverance when we’re in a real fix? Yep, that happens. That really happens. In Jeremiah 32, verse 18, when Jeremiah was just really persecuted by I mean to the nth of his life. Ah, Lord God, behold, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for you. Jeremiah 32, 18. So we give our desires and dreams to him. We adapt to what God has given us, knowing that he will help and aid us in accomplishing the dreams and goals he’s put in our hearts. Amen. Hallelujah. Number two, so number one was, I was going to say casting all our care. You accept what you cannot change. You accept what you cannot change because you know God is going to go with you. Number two, looking to God’s will in our lives leads to peace. And it’s peace that the world is looking for. World leaders get together to offer peace agreements. I mean, they meet regularly. for many, many sessions. Jesus says in John 14, verse 27, Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Oh, love that verse. That’s why I memorized it earlier this year. John 14, verse 27. I say that so often. Number three, you develop the courage to change. This is a biggie because we like to just stay where we are. We like who we are. We like who we’re around. We like our circumstances. And for most people in the United States, we’ve got it pretty well. We do. You look around the world and, oh, it’s just amazing. I was looking at a picture of the West Bank in Israel where there’s some strife and fighting going on. They’re dirt roads. They’re little villages in the 21st century. They’re unbelievable conditions out there in the world. So I’m praising God every day, every day. We love the life we lead on a schedule that develops into a routine that we can handle. Yep, I can handle this. Some of you may like the way things have been going and you don’t want to change. Beware of trying to control and manipulate your surroundings to fit your desires. Some people never go outside their comfort zones. They only drive in a certain radius, maybe in their suburb, and they don’t drive outside of that. Well, I watch… So I don’t have to really go down to downtown Denver. I don’t like that. But there are people that just don’t go out of their little radius. Try driving a different route to work or a different restaurant to eat in. It’s fun. It really is to find a different place. Number four, ask for wisdom. This should probably be number one because without God’s wisdom, we’re sunk. We really are. John 14, verse 13 through 20 says, You can ask for anything in my name and I will do it so that the son can bring glory to the father. When you ask, you’re going to ask so that the son may be bringing glory to the father. You don’t ask a selfish prayer because God knows what’s best for you. And I know I’ve been there. Oh, Lord, I need a new car. Do you really? Or could you run another 50,000 miles on the car you have? Yes, and verse 14 of John 14 says, yes, ask me for anything in my name and I will do it because you are in me and I am in you. Make sure that you’re in Jesus and Jesus is in you. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another helper that he may be with you forever. The person who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who really loves me. And whoever really loves me, I will do whatever you ask in my name. That’s the key. If you really love him, Jesus will do what you ask him to do so that the father may be glorified and celebrated in the sun. If you really love me, you will keep and obey my commandments. My father, and this is before he went, he was crucified. My father will give you another helper, a comforter, an advocate, intercessor, counselor, lawyer, strengthener, a standby to be with you forever. The spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive is and take to its heart because it does not see him or know him, but you know him because Holy Spirit remains with you continually and will be in you. Oh, that same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. and he will quicken and make alive your physical body praise the lord so number four is ask for wisdom wisdom you are my sister understanding you’re my intimate friend from proverbs 7 4 memorize that every time you need wisdom wisdom you are my sister and understanding you’re my intimate friend number five don’t try to control your circumstances if you find that you’ve been terminated from your job Do you try to smooth it over with your boss, take him a big bouquet of flowers or something that he likes, or write a letter or try to make things work as they had before? Do you try to finagle people around to do your way of thinking, to your way of thinking? Are you dominating in the decisions of others? Oh, yes, you like this vegetable. You like this broccoli. It’s good for you, so eat it. Oh, this is the only choice you have. My way or the highway? Man, I’ve heard that one. Or do your sentences begin with, I want. I want. I want this for lunch. I want this. I saw a new outfit. I want it. Be sure you’re careful about saying the I word. I want. I want. Number six, accept God’s will in your life. Psalm 40, verse one through four is David’s prayer. Oh, I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord, and he leaned over and heard my cry. He brought me up out of a horrible pit of tumult and destruction and chaos out of the miry clay. And that’s one thing. Jeremiah was actually in miry clay in an old well that they put him in. He set my feet upon a rock, steadying my footsteps and establishing my path. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and trust confidently in the Lord. How blessed and favored by God is the one who makes the Lord his trust and does not regard the proud or those who lie. Number seven, so you’ll learn to trust God. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he will direct their path. When you say that you trust in the Lord, then you spend more time with the Lord. He will show you how to spend that time. And every person’s personal time with the Lord is different. My friends, personal times are different than my personal times. Although I would desire that you find the Lord and the word of God early in the morning, right after you rise, because that’s the best time to do it. Oh, and your mind is uncluttered. So you spend time with him. You will find the time if you really want to get to know him. Oh, Terry McCallman has a song. I want to spend some time with you, Lord. For when I’m at your feet, you make my joy complete. I’ve got to spend some time. Just spend some time with you. For there I will rejoice as I listen to your voice. So I spend some time. Spend some time with you.
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I want to spend some time Spend some time with you I want to spend some time Just ease my mind with you For nothing can compare So I will spend some time, spend some time with you. I want to spend some time, spend some time with you. I want to spend some time Just ease my mind with you For when I’m at your feet You make my joy complete So I will spend some time Spend some time I gotta spend some time Just spend some time with you I need to spend some time And ease my troubled mind with you For there I will rejoice As I listen to your voice So I’ll spend some time Spend some time Cause it’s been some time since I’ve spent time with you. So I’ll spend some time, spend this time with you.
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Praise the Lord. And even Terry, I think of his life. He’s had a hard life. He’s had a difficult life. I look at some of the precious people that we look up to. They’ve gone through some real trials, real persecution. And they come out shining when they have the light of the world in them. So remember that from the prayer of serenity. You accept the things you cannot change. You look to God’s will in your life because that brings peace. You develop the courage to change. You ask for wisdom. Praise the Lord. You don’t try to control your circumstances. You get that my way or the highway out of your mind. You accept God’s will in your life, and you say, oh, Lord, your will, not mine. You learn to trust God, really trust him with all your heart, and you do not look to your own understanding. Boy, reason will get you into trouble. It really will. So I want you to know that as you look to this prayer of serenity, you will receive such peace. And I hope you have that peace today, that wonderful peace that passes all understanding. Tomorrow, I’m going to be reading a letter from Lance when he was a corporal, not a corporal, when he was a captain. And he was a captain in the Air Force, and it was during the Iraqi war. And they needed volunteers to go over to the Middle East to fight that war. And he volunteered as a captain in the Air Force. And tomorrow, it’s a beautiful letter. I found it this last week going through some files, you know, as we go through spring cleaning and then fall cleaning. And I know some of you are cleaning out some of your files, getting ready for new ones. And it’s just a beautiful letter. Talks about how he had to prepare and talk to his two daughters and to Pam, his wife. And how he wrote Darren this note, took care of his will in case something would happen. And I believe we all should be taking care of some of those things in this life to prepare us for the next life. So make sure that you ask God for that wisdom. Learn to lean on him. And don’t take things so seriously and try to take control of your life. God is always there for you. He always is, friend. God bless you and keep you and take joy.
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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.
Barbara shares profound insights into the power of prayer and the serenity that comes with trusting God’s will. Through the lens of personal stories, scripture, and the renowned Serenity Prayer, this episode highlights the importance of casting worries onto a higher power and embracing divine wisdom. Tune in for a spiritually enriching journey that promises inspiration and hope in navigating life’s unpredictable terrain.
