Aroma of Christ Series
DECEMBER 15TH, 2008
Have you ever noticed a quality about someone that gives evidence to his or her close relationship with Jesus Christ? There are people whom I’ve met that make me want to curl up at their feet and just be in their presence. It is almost as though they are perfumed with a divine fragrance…the aroma of Christ.

In this series, I would like to develop several areas where we can begin to identify those Christ-like attributes as we ask ourselves:

“Is Christ manifested through me as the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place?” 2Cor.2:14

Recently, a very special young couple, single friends of mine; had decided to push the pause button on their relationship for a few weeks. After being together for a period of time, they had sensed that their hearts were giving them signals that needed to be pondered in prayer. Separately, alone with the Lord, the decision was reached that their relationship had to end, at least for now. They were trusting Jesus with the results, realizing it would cost them great heartbreak. In the Hebrew language, what they did was: “Shama” which means: “to hear, listen, obey.”

Each conversation that I shared with the young man during his time of reflection brought with it a revelation of reverence and awe. As I listened to the contents of his heart, I realized I was in the presence of God’s beautiful gift of grace… a man with a pure heart! Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8

My young friend had a heart to see beyond his own needs – he saw hers! He responded with a divine fragrance, clearly not his own. He saw her need to be alone with Jesus for this time, to help further develop her walk and her reliance upon Him again, instead of reliance upon their relationship together. He also realized that by giving this over to the Lord, he would now experience a deeper expression of his own worship and study of The Word and prayer. He saw that if he took this step of faith and let the love of his heart go, he would be obeying the leading of the Spirit’s guidance in his life. In the Greek language, my friend understood: “hupakoe: which means: to to submit and hearken to what is said. It is the obedience of faith. This gave him a bittersweet joy and peace, mixed with sorrow. (See Note* below)

A sweet fragrance permeated the atmosphere of our phone call, filling my senses with the knowledge of God’s Presence, His Sweet Fragrance. Drawn to this aroma, I asked myself: “What is it about this young man that allows the extract of God’s Holy Oil be released with such power and grace?”

It had to be his Matthew 5:8 heart. He had purity of heart, which allowed him to see God. It was his response to what he heard… Obedience with purity, the steps of a fragrant call!

May the Lord overflow you with the knowledge of His love…
Carrie

Note* The bitter waters of Marah, Exodus 15:23 were turned sweet when Moses cut a tree and placed it in the waters. My friend told me that the bitter sorrow he tasted could only be turned sweet… as long as his thirst was for Jesus alone, allowing Him to be his peace. Jesus, the Tree of Life, when added to the bitter waters of our circumstances, brings peace and nourishment. Every drop that we drink in the cup of our fate, adding Jesus to the mix brings us comfort and grace.

Ah, the blessings that come to us as we face our mountains, climb the treacherous hills that eventually lead to clear pastures of life….may I share what I processed through my writing the other day? Please read this at your leisure, and know that I am blessed to have you in my life.
I was just doing my bible study this morning and when I came across these verses, they really meant something to me. “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” Phil. 1:29 “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.” Phil. 3:10 “Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. the Lord is near.” Phil.4:5

For the past two decades, we have been through medical issues that have not been “cured” and yet we have learned to walk in healing. Does that even make sense? I believe that physical healing is a miracle to behold and the joy and the excitement surrounding these divine events are unparalleled. But for those of us who struggle under the weight of man’s teachings…that ALL shall be healed, and yet do not see the fruition of that theology bear fruit in our own lives, it can be disheartening, discouraging, and disappointing. I choose instead, to believe on Him, His Word, His Sovereign ways.

To walk in healing that is flowing from the river of life is not seen as a miracle, unfortunately. Maybe that’s why we (our family) have been chosen for this. We are to “let our forbearing spirit be known to all men so that the powerful testimony of his love, his grace, and his peace visibly prove…that He is near!!!”

To walk in healing is more than just the physical manifestation of being cured. It includes an inward work of the soul, the empowerment of joy and peace which in turn enables and empowers us to fare the journey with hope. To have joy in the midst of troubles, to be invited to know His voice, to recognize His path of love through the steepest climb of the mountain, is an incredible miracle in the journey of faith. The mountain of adversity that we personally face as a family can transform us into victims if we’re not careful. It’s my choice, I can learn this: “what I practice, I become.” Either a prayer warrior full of faith, or a victim filled with fear, whose life is determined by fate. Not so, not so. Our lives have challenges, yes, I agree. My personal challenges in facing these illnesses with my family have broken my heart at times, but in my broken state, I have discovered His comforting presence to be as real as the air I breathe.
I am healed, I am whole, I am His. Amen.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”
Oftentimes, we say that the Lord is good, and we are delighted with the taste of Him, His Word, when things are pleasant in our lives. But this morning during some quiet time, I sensed a deeper awakening to this verse that helped me to see that the Lord Himself and His Word are always good….no matter my circumstances. I am reaching a new place of understanding in my journey with Him. When I hear difficult news, lab results that send a chill of fear up my spine…I can now fully and whole heartedly say: “Yet I will praise the Lord!” I praise Him because He is good, faithful, pure, holy, love, merciful, kind, gentle in all his ways. If my circumstances are difficult, this does not change who He is. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls. For My load is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

After returning from last weekend’s retreat called “Traveling Light”, I am amazed by the quality of joy, peace, and comfort I continue to feel as I write this today. Jesus, our Burden Bearer, has reminded more than 120 women this past Saturday, of how we become weary and tired when our focus is on anything other than….HIM. He is to be the center of our focus, the center of our heart’s desire, and when He is, we feel His grace. We are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto us. Matthew 6:33 Seeking His face leads to the center of heart’s desire to worship Him, and from there, the blessings of our Savior flow freely into our heart, mind, and spirit. Oh what an amazing God we serve! It truly is in Him that we move and live and have our being! Are you weighted down with burdens? Is your circumstance or trial causing you to lose hope? Allow me to pray His Word over you right now, because He “watches over His Word to perform it.” Jeremiah 1:12 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 In His Amazing Grip of Grace, Carrie

2-23-08 4:00 a.m.
I awoke in the middle of the night with the same prayer request that I went to bed with. “Lord, show me from your Word where I might pray with assurance that gives You the glory as I pray over our friend’s upcoming transplant.” While in that twilight state of half asleep and half awake, a vivid picture flashed before my eyes, The Garden of Eden. I was now fully awake. I ran to my bible, flipped the lights on, and began reading Genesis 2:21-22 – “So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.”

I saw this for the first time as God’s inspiration over the principle of transplantation. It was his idea from the beginning – sharing life, taking something from a body in order for another one’s life to be blessed. In the Garden, it wasn’t the rib alone that gave life to Eve, it was God’s gift, His will, He breathed life and created her by using the rib of man, Adam. It is not my desire to stretch the truth or try to make it say something that it does not. But I do believe the Lord showed this picture to me to let me know that He creates life by His breath, and He guides life, and sometimes we are guided towards transplantation in order to receive the fullness of life.

Later that afternoon, at a special prayer service on behalf of our friend’s son who will be undergoing a kidney transplant in March, I felt the grace of God and the love of the Father beaming down on me as I considered this portion of Scripture being illuminated in a new way. God is with us, Emmanuel.

Genesis 9:20-25

20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded [a] to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father’s nakedness.  24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,   ”Cursed be Canaan!  The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.”

1) Durnkenness – An area of sin.

2) Nakedness – Exposed to others but sometimes unable to recognize this sin in ourselves.

3) Ham – Represents the one who tells others, gossips about the weaknesses of others.

4) Shem and Japheth – Represent grace and what Christ did for us when He covered our sins, our nakedness.

5) Garment – Represent prayer covering.

6) “Their faces were turned the other way” – Represents we are to fix our eyes on Jesus and not on the sin.

7) “Walked in backward” – An act demonstrating humility and love for their father, true care and compassion for him.

Luke 12:3 “Accordingly whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.”

Whisper: Psithuristes-“A Whisperer” occurs in Rom. 1:29 in an evil sense, used as a secret slander, gossip.

The principle impressed on my heart that I believe God revealed to me was that when a weakness or sin of a leader is exposed, He would ask me to:

1.  Avoid the temptation of Ham- and not whisper of their shortcomings to others.

2.  I am to cover him with a blanket of prayer.

3.  I am to turn my face away from the area that has been exposed and to fix my eyes on the Lord Jesus.

(*Note: Allow those in authority over the leader to deal with the issue, not to use this as an opportunity for gossip)
1993
Carrie George

I decided to journal this the other day when I was asked this great question of how I prepare for things as surgeries come and go over the years. I pray it will be an encouragement to you as it has been to me, but this is how I visualize as I pray and it sure seems to help me as I go along my way and face things one at a time.
The Pathway of Prayer for me kind of flows from Isaiah 35:8 which says: “And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness, The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.”
Okay, so the highway part for me has translated into a pathway, a road that is laid out by prayer – a bridge to holiness. His holiness, by His power, His Spirit by His might.
The journey to face what lies ahead for many of us can be frightening as we deal with medical issues. There are many unknowns, many what ifs and many possible casualties. The giants in the lands are real case scenarios that terrifies a mother’s heart and tears at the fabric of a father’s soul. What can be done to protect the innocence of a child whose frail little body knows nothing but tender love, the desire to go out and play and investigate the world out there and snuggle inside the home he knows that is safe and secure?
The journey that we face needs a pathway that has a plan and a road that is smoothed out by prayer, otherwise the road would be too treacherous to cross. This is where our prayers begin to do the work. The prayer work goes forth and we first must lay claim of all that is dear and precious to our heart. We secure our loved ones and hold fast to the Promises of Our Father God in Heaven above and His Holy Word and His Nature, His very Attributes. Then we fight the good fight and do the battle with our Armor on. Most importantly, we praise the God of the Armor for praise is the weapon of our warfare and all the while as we pray and fight and praise, the pathway of prayer is being laid and the ground is being made smooth so we can walk when the time to go forth is come. Do you see the picture?
I face all my worst fears as I battle. I allow the tears to come as the fears and the scenes flash in front of me, the torments and the dreams haunt me at times but I let them come and as I do, they show me how to pray. I know how to apply Scripture verses for what may lie ahead in the days to come. Then I do the the faith thing, I praise Him for the miracles that may come, envisioning all the beautiful works that He is able to do and imagine all the good that He can bring by the healing power of His hands and picture those as well. I let those rest in my heart and my mind as well and let those become a part of my dreams. I allow His peace to wash over me and this settles over me about as heavy as a blanket or a down comforter. I feel His divine peace the rest of the way, the journey is covered in peace and grace. The journey is perceived as part of His plan all for good and not for evil, for He knows the plans He has for me/for us as a family and He is going to use it for His glory. He even knows about the divine appointments He has already set up in place along the way. I rest in Him, I take comfort in Him, I abide in Him. I take cover in Him, I hide in Him, I take shelter in the shadow of His wings. I love the shadow of His wings for nothing can harm me.
This is the pathway of prayer that I have prepared over and over again for each and every circumstance that we face over the years, the past 21 years of our lives. It works for me and it gives me peace. I cannot do anything without Him and I cannot live without His peace.
Passionately His,
Carrie
March 5, 2007

One thing good about Kevin being at Little Company of Mary Hospital is the chapel there. I love going inside to pray. I have visited that chapel many times over the years even when Kevin wasn’t a patient, because of the presence of God’s holiness, which permeates the atmosphere there. It’s actually quite tangible. Anyway, I had a rough time this morning, maybe because it’s so soon after my Mom’s passing and I’m still pretty raw emotionally. Maybe because Kevin is now dealing with an issue of fluid around his heart instead of a kidney issue, which I’m more used to dealing with. Maybe it’s just that it’s been 21 years of this journey and I’m getting a little worn around the edges and my coping skills have become frayed. I need Jesus more than ever and I just couldn’t seem to pull it together this morning and go to the hospital, so I let my hero go in without me. Thank you Jeff, for always being so strong.

Well, after having a dear friend who lives across the country prayed for me over me over the phone, and a few hours of just camping out in the word, I finally felt that supernatural feeling come over me. His strength filled my body with His grace. I didn’t have any reserve left, so that’s why I know it was supernatural. I couldn’t have dragged myself there on my own human strength, but God did give me the daily bread I needed as I sat with the All Sufficient One and received from Him. Wow. What a Father!~

I arrived at the hospital around 12:30 in the afternoon and I stopped by for a brief period before going up to my son’s room to pray and read my bible in the peaceful setting of the sanctuary. The moment I knelt, my face became wet with tears and I knew it was going to be one of those times. He listened as I poured out my mother’s heart and begged for His tender mercy and healing hands of grace to touch my son Kevin once again, and to hold his life wholly and securely in His hands. And then I also prayed the most daring prayer of all….Let Your will be done, Jesus. Whatever your will, I know it’s what’s best, just give me the grace to face it all.

As I gazed at the Cross, my prayers descended to a deeper level – a dimension so sacred that I knew the Holy Spirit had taken over my prayers. I offered the Lord my life, my will and my deepest desire for my son’s healing. Immediately, I felt his peace wash over me. I knew he had heard my heart’s cry, and it was settled. I looked down at my bible in hand and just let it fall open. The Scripture verse that leapt up off the page was from Hebrews 5:7.

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.”

REVERENT SUBMISSION…was what caught the Father’s attention, is why He heard his cries and petitions. I felt the power of this truth bring healing to old wounds where scars from old false teachings had left their mark on my soul.

My prayers today were heard, not because I conjured up enough faith,

My prayers today were heard, not because I quoted the right Scripture verses (although this is an effective and powerful way to pray)

My prayers were heard because of my reverent submission.

What a joy, what a freedom, what a relief in knowing that I didn’t have to do another thing. He heard it all and once again, He has shown Himself to be faithful and in control. My son’s health issues was not the work of the enemy, it’s his body’s response to a weakened earthly tent. True, the devil tries to raise fear and loves to torment our mind with his lies. But my eyes are on the Lord’s face and my mind is taken captive to the truth of his word. I know that his will is always for our very best. I’ve come to learn this, as painful as it has been. Maybe tomorrow will bring us good news, some answers or just another pause and we’ll go on another day, another month, until we meet another crisis.

He truly is an ever present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

By His grace,

Carrie

A favorite quote which our family tries to live by: “You can’t shape the road for your child, but you can shape your child’s legs for the journey.” I am grateful that this principle steered us as parents, teaching us how to raise our sons with hope, strength, and dignity. So often, we as parents want to remove the obstacles of life from our children’s path, instead of teaching them how to face them. “Strengthening our child’s legs for the road, instead of the road for the child”, is what has made them strong. Just as the butterfly struggles free from the cocoon, (a process which builds strength in its wings to fly), our children learn to climb steep hills up and over life challenges through the process of struggle as well.

Our sons, Jason and Kevin, are now 32 and 21 years olds, respectively. Today, they are young men with character, shaped by the roads they have traveled. Their paths have been steep and treacherous at times, (one’s path of drug abuse, the other’s path of health challenges), but they have reached their own mountain top of faith, confident and strong. We release them now as they continue on their path, one to Italy, the other to South Bay. Godspeed, my sons!

Qavah: To Wait
6960 Hebrew word
To bind together, perhaps by twisting

When we wait upon the Lord, we can be sure He is acting on His Word. He is twisting together our circumstances to be bound to His will. Waiting allows circumstances, people, events, and places to line up with his ways, his timing, and his plans. He leads and guides us as we wait on Him. To wait empowers us to respond to the Spirit, rather than reacting to our flesh. Waiting brings us His best outcome, while hurry is the shortcut to temporary fulfillment, a counterfeit. Next time you find yourself in the waiting room of life, remember it is a good thing. God is twisting together all the ingredients necessary to line up your purpose with His wonderful plan.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Shalom,
Carrie George
January 8, 2006