In this episode of the Distorted Truth Podcast, Carie asks the question: Can God really heal physically today?

Through her personal story of her father’s battle with cancer, she opens up about faith, prayer, prophetic words, and the pain of unanswered healing. This is an honest conversation about what it looks like when belief and reality don’t line up.

Carie also explores different ways healing can show up in Scripture and in life, including instant healing, gradual healing, healing through wisdom, and moments when healing does not come the way we expect.

If you have ever wrestled with suffering, loss, or unanswered prayer, this episode brings honesty, Scripture, and hope into that tension.

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In this episode, Carie breaks down what it really means to be saved and challenges the idea that salvation is just saying a prayer. Through a personal story and clear biblical truth, she explains why being a “good person” isn’t enough and what Jesus actually came to do.

If you’ve ever wondered what you’re being saved from or what true salvation looks like, this episode will give you clarity, conviction, and a deeper understanding of grace. It’s not about striving for perfection, but surrendering and receiving what Jesus has already done.

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In this episode, Carie shares a prophetic message about Open Doors and how God is moving in your life right now. Through Acts 16, we are reminded that when God opens a door, it often comes with opposition, but that does not mean the door is not from Him.

Carie speaks on the reality of distraction, discouragement, and the pressure that tries to stop you from walking in obedience. These challenges can cause you to question what God has spoken, but they are not meant to stop your progress.

If God has opened a door for you, this is your confirmation to keep going, stay focused, and trust that He will carry you through everything that comes with it.

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Why do so many people feel like they can’t trust God anymore?

In this episode of the Distorted Truth Podcast, Carie dives into one of the most common and deeply personal struggles in the Christian faith: the feeling that God has let us down. But what if the real issue isn’t God’s trustworthiness? What if it’s where we’ve been placing our trust all along?

Through relatable examples and grounded biblical truth, Carie challenges the belief that God must meet our expectations in order to be trusted. Drawing from passages like Proverbs 3:5–6 and Romans 8:28, she unpacks what it truly means to trust God based on His character rather than our circumstances.

If you’ve ever felt disappointed, confused, or let down by God, this episode will help you shift your perspective and rediscover what genuine, unshakable trust really looks like.

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In this episode, Carie asks a challenging question: Is it actually biblical to say, “Whoever is meant to be here will be”?

She unpacks this common phrase often heard in Christian circles and examines how it can subtly shape our mindset around responsibility, prayer, and obedience. Through Scripture and real-life ministry experiences, Carie explores the tension between trusting God’s sovereignty and actively stepping in to intercede, invite, and show up for others.

Is this statement an expression of faith, or could it be leading us into passive thinking?

This episode invites you to think deeper about your role in what God is doing and challenges you to stay engaged, even when it’s uncomfortable.

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In this episode of the Distorted Truth Podcast, Carie breaks down what the Bible says about identity in Christ and how becoming a child of God comes through faith in Jesus, not assumption.

Looking at John 1 and Galatians 3, this episode clarifies what it means to be a new creation, how identity is transformed in Christ, and why many common beliefs about being a child of God do not align with Scripture.

If you want a clear, biblical understanding of salvation and identity in Christ, this episode will challenge your thinking and point you back to truth.

Resource:
Identity Christ Us Workbook:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPFMWK4X

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In this episode, Carie breaks down a commonly misunderstood Bible verse, “God will give you the desires of your heart.” Is this a promise that God gives you whatever you want, or is there a deeper meaning?

Looking at Psalm 37:1–4 in context, Carie explains how this passage addresses anxiety when the wicked prosper, the temporary nature of evil, and the call to trust God and do good. She also unpacks what it truly means to delight in the Lord and how that transforms your desires to align with His will.

If you have ever felt confused about this verse or questioned why God doesn’t seem to answer your desires, this episode brings clarity and biblical insight.

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What if the question you’re too afraid to ask is the one God is ready to answer?

In this episode, Carie tackles the honest, heavy question: “Am I too broken for God?” She explores how God has always worked through imperfect, messy, and unlikely people, not in spite of their brokenness, but often through it.

Carie also gets real and personal, sharing her own story of feeling deeply broken and how God met her in that place, transforming her life for something greater.

If you’ve ever felt too far gone, beyond redemption, or defined by your past, this episode is for you. Your story isn’t finished, and your brokenness isn’t the end.

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In this episode, Carie answers the question, “How can God use me if I’m not qualified?” and unpacks what it truly means to be called by God. Drawing from Acts 4 and Jeremiah 1, she challenges the idea that calling depends on credentials and shows how God equips ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

If you’ve struggled with self-doubt, insecurity, or feeling unprepared, this episode will shift your perspective.

Learn how to trust God’s plan, walk confidently in your calling, and rely on the Holy Spirit instead of your own strength. This episode is for anyone seeking clarity in their calling, Biblical encouragement, and practical steps to step into what God has already prepared.

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Do I have worth? What is my worth and value?  Do you ever ask yourself these questions? Are you letting the wrong thing decide your worth and value? 

In this episode of the Distorted Truth Podcast, Carie dives into the truth about self-worth, showing how achievements, approval, and others’ opinions can mislead us. She explores why so many struggle with basing their value on performance and how that mindset can quietly control our lives. 

Tune in to discover how to stop letting the wrong things define your worth and embrace lasting identity and purpose.

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In this episode, Carie explores Jesus’ challenging words in the Gospel of Luke 14 about “hating” one’s family. She explains that the Greek word miseo points to loving God above all else, not treating family with cruelty, but placing Christ first in every area of life.
Looking at Jesus’ call to take up our cross in Matthew 16:24, Carie discusses what it really means to surrender everything to God. She also shares practical ways believers can continue to surrender to God in the middle of a difficult season when they want to give up.

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If God is good, why is there pain? In this episode, Carie explains that Scripture is clear about God’s goodness, but it is also honest about the reality of living in a fallen world. Jesus said we would have trouble. Sometimes our pain comes from someone else’s sin. 

Carie challenges us to shift from asking “Why is this happening?” to “How do I walk through this?” God may not remove every trial, but He promises to grow us through them. When we stay rooted in His love, strong in His power, and determined not to quit, pain becomes part of the process, not the end of the story.

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It is one of the most difficult and emotional questions people wrestle with and one I once struggled to answer myself. Instead of offering polished theology, I went back to Scripture with a lens of learning, not knowing. I wrestled. I studied. I laid down my assumptions about love and about God.

In this episode, we build the foundation of free will, sin, holiness, salvation, and the truth about who actually saves us. We break down what the Bible really says about us, grace, and God’s desire for all to be saved.

The answer may be simpler than you think, but you have to understand the groundwork first.

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Does God still love me?

Most people answer that question based on feelings, not truth. In this episode of Distorted Truth, Carie addresses it directly.

Instead of reshaping God’s love to fit emotion, she defines love by Scripture. What does love actually look like? And where have we distorted it?

This episode cuts through assumptions and realigns love with truth. If you’ve questioned where you stand with God, this will challenge and clarify you.

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In this episode of Distorted Truth, we explore how scripture can be twisted and misunderstood. Carie shares her personal journey from head knowledge to a true revelation of Jesus Christ. She examines how Satan distorts the truth today, as listeners join her in seeking God for clarity, deeper study, and unshakable faith. 

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We all have times in our life when waves come crashing down over us. When the storms of life can seem so overwhelming. Because we live in a broken, fallen world, there is no escaping trials but we can learn how to rest in God while going through trials. We can learn to rest like Jesus as he was sleeping in the stern of the boat while the disciples where panicking in Matthew 8:23-27. 

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In Matthew 14:30, Peter experiences walking on water because he was willing to get out of the boat. You can imagine how scary it must have been, as he put his foot out on the water. God calls many of us to step out in faith like Peter but so many of us let fear, doubt and unbelief dictate our actions leaving us stuck in the boat. We will never walk on water if we don't get out of the boat. 

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Do you struggle with anxious thoughts? Do you feel frustrated because anxiety seems to have a hold on you? Anxiety is real and when we are in the middle of it, it can often seem hopeless. 
Take heart  knowing there is freedom from anxiety in Christ. The Apostle Paul understood what it meant to have feelings of anxiety yet he also understood how to walk in the freedom Jesus paid for him to have. He lines out the details of how we can have God's peace in our minds and our hearts in Philippians 4:6. 

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Did you know when you say "yes" to Jesus; when you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you are instantaneously in right standing with God. So often we think in order to be in right standing with the Father we have to be perfect or at least not commit the "big" sins. The truth is there is nothing we can do to earn our right standing with God. The Bible tells us it is a free gift given in faith for all that believe (Romans 3:22).

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So many of us have questioned if we have purpose. We spend our lives trying different avenues in order to "discover" what it is. When doing this we find ourselves at the end of a road with no results. We need to understand that our purpose is not our calling. Our purpose comes from Matthew 22:34 where Jesus tells us the greatest commandment is to love God and love people. Our calling is simply how we walk that out!

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The Apostle Paul knew what it was like to wrestle in not doing the things he wanted to do and doing the things he didn't want to do. He knew he couldn't save himself but he knew the One that did. He knew if it was up to him, he would stand condemned, but he also knew that Jesus paid for us not to. The truth is, if we are in Christ, we no longer stand condemned. We may have knowledge of this but need to learn what it means to walk it out. How do we do this? By deciding if we want to get well, accepting God's forgiveness, and asking the Holy Spirit for conviction.

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We will all fail at times in our life. Rather it's failing to meet a goal we set, failing to show up on time to something, or failing by not being there for a loved one. When we fail, so many of us struggle thinking that our failures define us as a failure. The truth is we are not defined by what we do but who we are. In order to walk in confidence that we are not failures but more than conquerers, we need to learn how to separate who we are from what we do. We do this by forgiving those that influenced our thinking, writing out the difference between our who and our do, and renewing our mind. 

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We all have a call on our life but sometimes we wonder if we are qualified to do what it is God is calling us to do. One thing we need to keep in mind is that it is not our job to qualify ourselves. God goes ahead of us and paves the way; he works out all the details and has everything lined up for us. Our job is to trust him, surrender, and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us.

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Do you ever feel like God is mad at you or doesn't love you? So many people think that God's love is contingent on their circumstances, their feelings and their beliefs. The truth is that God's love is unconditional therefore it is not based on what is going on around us, how we feel or how we behave. The Bible tells us that "God is Love" (1 John 4:8), therefore He can't not love us. It is Who He is, not a feeling He has. When we begin to realize this, it changes our mindset about God's Love for us.

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Do you ever wonder what it means that you are a new creation in Christ? What does it look like to have a completely new identity in Christ once you surrender you life to Jesus? Join in for this nine week series based off Carie's book, "Identity Christ-Us". Carie will explain what it looks like to have a new identity in Christ and how to walk that out in your daily life. 
In order to get the most out of this series purchase the workbook to go along with the teachings. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPFMWK4X?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_BYA11HMV5JVS2GJBJBVZ&language=en-US

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The Greek word used in Matthew 17:5 talking about Jesus' being "transfigured" is the same word used in Romans 12:2 when Paul talks about us being  "transformed" by the "renewing of our minds."  God is calling us to be more like Jesus. He is calling us to live a higher life. A life that represents him by loving people. 



Register for the free identity class:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-identity-in-christ-nine-week-class-tickets-826082453857?aff=oddtdtcreator

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When we are running our race, the enemy will try to stop us from doing the things God calls us to do. We need to learn how to endure so that we don't give up and throw in the towel before our race is finished. How do we do this? We look to the "pioneer of faith," Jesus, that went before us to pave the way for us. Studying how he endured all the way to the cross will help us have a better understanding of what endurance in our own lives can look like.

Register for the free class on Identity in Christ:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-identity-in-christ-nine-week-class-tickets-826082453857?aff=oddtdtcreator

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When God calls us to do something we need to be determined to not give up or give in to the temptations of the enemy. Being determined means we settle or resolve the matter in our minds ahead of time. If we wait until we feel like it, we may never do the very thing God is calling us to do. We also need to check our motives when we are determined. We can have a worldly determination or a righteous determination. Checking our motives behind why we are determined will give us insight on which determination we are walking out. 

Register for the free class on Identity in Christ:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-identity-in-christ-nine-week-class-tickets-826082453857?aff=oddtdtcreator

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What does it mean to be immovable in Christ? It looks much like the other words the Amplified Classic Version of 1 Peter 5:8-9 uses to describe how to "withstand the enemy" and be "firm in the faith". It resembles being "rooted, established, and strong". What about being immovable in our attitude? What most of us don't realize is our attitude pours into our faith. If we have a bad attitude, often we tend to steer more towards doubt and unbelief. But, if we have a good attitude it points us more in the direction of trusting God and walking in faith. 

Register for the free class on Identity in Christ:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-identity-in-christ-nine-week-class-tickets-826082453857?aff=oddtdtcreator

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When the enemy comes against us, so often we think we need to be strong in and of ourselves. We think it is in our strength that withstands him. The problem is  "our flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). But it is in our weakness that God's power is made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9). We need to learn to rely on God's strength, not our own. We do this by first admitting we can't. Then we pray, ask for help and never loose hope in the one that set us free in the first place. 


Register for the free class on Identity in Christ:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-identity-in-christ-nine-week-class-tickets-826082453857?aff=oddtdtcreator

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The second thing we can do to “withstand” the enemy, as Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:9, is to be established in Christ. Although we are established in Christ when we first surrender our lives to Jesus, we often begin to rely on other sources to build our lives on. The Lord wants us to hand Him back the reins in every area of our lives. Not because He is a mean, controlling God but because He knows the foothold we give the enemy when we continue to establish ourselves in the things of this world.

Register for the 9-week Identity In Christ Class for men and women:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-identity-in-christ-nine-week-class-tickets-826082453857?aff=oddtdtcreator

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To "withstand" the enemy, as Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:9, we need to be rooted in Christ. What does it mean to be rooted in Christ? When we look at the Greek word used for root, we see that its definition gives us a picture of a tree with deep roots. A tree that, when storms come, is so grounded and its roots are so deep, it isn't moved by the storm. This is a beautiful picture of what it looks like to be rooted in Jesus Christ. If we are rooted in Him, when the storms of life come, we won’t be shaken. 

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The Bible tells us, "Your [our] enemy prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8) Knowing this, we have the opportunity to be prepared ahead of time for the attacks of the enemy. In this series, we will look at 1 Peter 5:9 in the Amplified Classic Version to better understand what it looks like to resist the devil by being prepared beforehand. 

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Why do we do what we do at Believing God's Promises Ministries and what do we have planned for 2024. Join Carie as she shares her heart behind why she founded the ministry and what she hopes to accomplish, with God's help, through he ministry.

If you would like to donate click on the link: https://subsplash.com/u/believinggodspromisesmin/give

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In the last verse of Psalm 23 David list a few truths about God's character and how He reacts while we are in the midst of difficult, trying, situations. He tells us how God's Goodness, Mercy and Unfailing Love pursues us. The truth is even when we are the cause of our valleys, God doesn't give up on pursuing us. His Goodness, Mercy and Unfailing Love are not contingent on our behavior. The other truth David tells us is that God's presence is with us. If we are in Christ, we have the Holy Spirit inside us to guide and direct us in everything we do. 

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In Psalm 23:5, David offers the promises of God back up to Him. He stands on the truth even during the most challenging times he faced. He teaches us that God is Good and Faithful, that He refreshes and heals us, and that He will overflow our lives with His Goodness, Mercy, Grace, Peace, and Love if we allow Him In. We, too, can offer these promises to the Lord when we are going through difficult times. We can stand on His Promises and ask Him to give us a deeper heart revelation of His Truth. In this, we can walk through the healing process with the Lord.

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This week we look at Psalm 23:4, the famous, "valley of the shadow of death." The part we can all relate with at some point or another in our lives. David helps us understand that admitting we are in a valley is the first step to healing. We then meditate on the promises of God in order to walk through the valley we are in. God is with us and His rod and His staff will comfort us. We are not alone in the valley even though at times, it most certainly feels like we are.

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In Psalm 23:3 David explains God's heart to restore humanity and lead us to right standing with Him. We see this play out when Jesus humbly lowers himself to this dark, broken world to atone for our sins. As Jesus hangs on the cross the very thing separating us from God,  torn in half.  We now have complete access to the presence of God! Not because of us, but because Jesus paid the price on our behalf. We are now in right standing with God.

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Do you struggle feeling like you have to keep it all together during the Christmas Season? Is it challenging for you  to let people know you are not okay? Sometimes the holidays aren't easy and life seems to throw its best punches at us this time of year. We wrestle on what it looks like to be a Christian yet not always feel the Christmas Spirit. It's okay that you are not okay but God doesn't want you to stay stuck there. In Psalm 23 God gives us imagery of what it looks like to walk in the peace and rest He offers us. 

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Do you struggle during the Holidays? Do you feel like you are walking back through all the valleys you've journeyed before? Know that it is okay to grieve during this season but have hope knowing where God is in the midst of your pain. Join us as Carie breaks down Psalm 23, to teach us where God is while we are in the "valley of the shadow of death."
This week we will discuss how God is our Shepherd, therefore we lack nothing.

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Do you ever wonder what it was like for Peter to walk on water? So many of us look at what he did and wish we could walk on water like him. Although it was a miracle, there were struggles Peter faced along the way. We can learn so much from breaking down the story of him stepping out of the boat and walking on water.

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We all struggle with anxious thoughts and anxiety at times, but there is a way to overcome anxiety. Anxiety's definition shows its base is fear.  The Bible tells us, "God is love" and "perfect love drives out all fear". Therefore we know God is the answer to overcoming anxiety. But where do we start? We start by reading the Word to see what God says about anxiety. He lays out several truths about overcoming anxiety that will help us walk in the freedom Jesus paid for us to have.

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Michal, daughter of King Saul and wife of David. A daughter of a king and married to a king. One might think her life was full and rich yet her story shows us the realistic side of living in this fallen world. She was a pawn moved to and fro by her father and husband. She was mistreated, abandoned and betrayed. But, she had a choice to hold onto bitterness and resentment or forgive David for his shortcomings. Sadly, she died alone. We can learn from Michal's story. Many of us have been betrayed, abandoned and mistreated. How will the end of our story read? Will we forgive or hold onto bitterness and resentment and emotionally die alone?

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Are you a Christ following leader? If so, this word is for you! God wants to see a generation of humble leaders. What does that look like? When we read and study Jesus' life he, sets the perfect example of how to be a leader with humility.

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We all know the story of Deborah, the fearless prophet and leader of Israel but do we take the time to study the story of Jael. God chose a woman, in a culture where women had no value, to have the honor of taking down the commander of the Canaanites.  A  woman willing to break three cultural norms in order to be obedient to God. A woman that cared more about fulfilling God's will than looking out for herself. Jael, a woman called "most blessed of women" (Judges 4:24),  is an example to all of us on how to be obedient when God calls us. 

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Has God given you a dream or a vision? Does it sometime seem like maybe you just made it up in your head or that it will never happen? If God gives us a dream or a vision, He will be the one that makes it come to pass. Even when it doesn't seem like anything is going as we think it should, we surrender our agenda. We  trust that God is working everything together for good because we love him and are called according to His purpose.

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As we uncover the story of a gentile woman, named Rahab, we see a foreshadowing of our Savior's bloodshed on our behalf. We see a cry from the broken, the disheartened, the margins for a Savior. We see a beautiful collision of our faith and God's grace meeting to birth a miracle in our lives. 

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Did you know when you say "yes" to Jesus; when you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you are instantaneously in right standing with God. So often we think in order to be in right standing with the Father we have to be perfect or at least not commit the "big" sins. The truth is there is nothing we can do to earn our right standing with God. The Bible tells us it is a free gift given in faith for all that believe (Romans 3:22).

www.bgpministries.com

https://www.instagram.com/bgp_ministries/

https://www.youtube.com/@CarieSmith

So many of us have questioned if we have purpose. We spend our lives trying different avenues in order to "discover" what it is. When doing this we find ourselves at the end of a road with no results. We need to understand that our purpose is not our calling. Our purpose comes from Matthew 22:34 where Jesus tells us the greatest commandment is to love God and love people. Our calling is simply how we walk that out!

www.bgpministries.com

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We all "sin and fall short of the glory of God" but the Bible tells us that if we are in Christ, we no longer stand condemned when we do sin. The amazing truth is Jesus stood in our place and paid our debt. He paid the price to set us free from condemnation. Not only did he pay the penalty for our sin, he also restored our relationship with the Father. We don't have to strive or try to pay for our sins all we have to do is accept the sacrifice Jesus so graciously made on our behalf. 

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We all fail and "fall short" at times but does failing make us failures? If we are in Christ, we cannot be failures because the Word tells us we are victorious in Christ! It seems like such a simple answer but how do we keep from thinking we are failures when we mess up? How do we keep from thinking we are failures when we fall short? Learning how to separate our "who" from our "do" is crucial to the process. When we learn to separate who we are from what we do, we can walk in the victory of no longer thinking we are a failure. 

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The Bible tells us God knew us before we were born, that he called us by name and has a great plan for each of our lives. The amazing thing about it is that he already went ahead of us and worked out all the details. We are not in charge of figuring everything out. We are not responsible for qualifying ourselves. God qualifies us  therefore our qualifications aren't based on the worlds standards. Our "lack" doesn't determine our ability to walk in the calling God has for us. "In our weakness, his power is made perfect".

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Do you base your worth and value on what people say about you, what you have done or what you have accomplished in life? Part of being a new creation in Christ is understanding our worth and value isn't based on all the things the world says makes us worthy and valuable. Our worth and value is solely dependent on whose we are. That we are children of God; sons and daughters of The King. 

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Do you know that God loved you before you were ever born? His love for you will never change no matter what you feel, what your circumstances are and what you do. God is love therefore love is not something he does, but who he is. Many of us base our perception of God's love on people that have fallen short to show us true "agape" (love in Greek). This is the kind of love that God is. He is a self-sacrificing, humble, unconditional love. He desires for us to have a true heart revelation of him and his love for us. 

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Do you ever wonder what it means that you are a new creation in Christ? What does it look like to have a completely new identity in Christ once you surrender you life to Jesus? Join in for this nine week series based off Carie's book, "Identity Christ-Us". Carie will explain what it looks like to have a new identity in Christ and how to walk that out in your daily life. 
In order to get the most out of this series purchase the workbook to go along with the teachings. Order at:
https://www.amazon.com/Identity-Christ-Us-Workbook-Carie-Smith/dp/179469479X?ref_=ast_author_mpb

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We see how God in the flesh, Jesus, persevered all throughout his life. He lived in a culture that if you weren't the part of a certain status,  you were considered less than. Jesus refused to confirm to the cultural norm and his love for humanity persevered past the religious box into the margins. His love persevered past the sin of the world, past the suffering he face, past the persecution and all the way to the cross. Now he calls us to love past where people are at. He calls us to meet them where they are at and invite them to come up higher.

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No matter what we have done or what has been done to us there is always hope for us. It's not because of us but because God sent us Jesus, our hope. When we realize that we need a Savior and truly accept what he did for us on the cross we can walk in the hope he paid for us to have. Once we realize we aren't hopeless and accept Jesus' forgiveness for our sins, we now have the opportunity to have hope for others that the world would deem "hopeless". 

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God's love for us looks beyond the times we've rejected him, betrayed him and denied him. God “is ever ready to believe the best of every person…”(1 Corinthians 13:7 AMPC). But, as humans, we tend to think the worst of people instead of believing the best. We struggle to demonstrate the mercy God shows us. How do we if people have hurt us over and over? What does it look like to walk in freedom in this area of our lives?

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What was Paul trying to convey to us when he wrote, "love always protects"? The Greek word used for "protects" in this sentence has several different definitions. First, God protects us physically, just like protected his people all throughout the Bible. Second, He keeps our personal business in confidence.  We serve a God that doesn't throw us under the bus and talk about us behind our back. Third, God never gives up on us. God is constantly pursuing us no matter what we have done or what's been done to us. Understanding how God protects us better helps us to know how to protect others. 

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Some of us have an idea that God is up in Heaven just waiting to catch us in our sin. Almost as if he is excited and delights in evil. That is so far from the true character of God. The truth is God understands that sin leads to death and destruction. He see the consequences we face when we choose sin over walking in our righteousness that Jesus paid for us to have. He loves us so much he can't help but rejoice with the truth.

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We have all sinned and fall short of the Glory of God but none of us could ever make up for or pay for our sin. That is why God sent His One and Only Son to pay the price for every sin we ever committed or ever will commit. This Good Friday let's reflect on what Jesus did for us. Let's revisit the simple gospel to contemplate just how amazing his grace truly is. 

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So many of us think God is up in Heaven with a giant white board and black marker keeping tally marks of every wrong thing we think and say. We imagine him keeping record of every wrong thing we have done in order to put shame, guilt and condemnation on us. This is so far from the truth of who God is. The Bible tells us God keeps no record of wrongs. He is a loving God that sent his one and only son to die for us. We see this play out when Jesus says, "Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). After Jesus was wronged by all of our sins, he still cried out to the father to forgive us. Now we have an example of what keeping no record of wrongs looks like.

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What does it mean that God is not easily angered? According to the Thayer's Greek Lexicon the word used for "angered" in the Greek means: irritated, provoked, roused to anger.  This verse is not telling us God doesn't get angry. God has a righteous anger that burns in love for people. This verse tells us God does not get irritated, provoked or roused to anger. 

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We serve a God that is not self-seeking but instead self-sacrificing. Jesus Christ humbly lowered himself to this dark, sinful and broken world. He shows us what self-sacrificing love looks like not only in giving his life for us but also in how he always had a concern for other's welfare and interest over his own. He paved the way to show us how to walk out self-sacrificing love.

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The Bible tells us love does not dishonor others therefore if God is love neither does he. But, what does it mean to dishonor others? When we dishonor others we bring upon shame and disgrace to them. God does the opposite by sending his one and only son to pay for our sins so we can be free from shame and condemnation. Sadly, so many people think God is up in heaven shaking his finger at them in shame but that is a lie from the enemy. Once we have a revelation of who God is we can then walk out in love in the same way he does with us.

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If God is love and love does not boast and is not proud, then God does not boast and is not proud. What does that look like? We can look at the humility God shows when he humbly stepped down from his thrown and  lowered himself to this dark, sinful earth. Jesus is the perfect example of what humility, the opposite of pride, looks like. Having a deeper revelation of his humility, we then have a choice if we want to walk in humility like our Savior or bow down to the desires of the flesh.

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Many people get confused when they hear "God is a jealous god" and that love is not envious. How do we differentiate the two? We look at the context around the words used in the Word of God and study the nature of God. Once we understand the difference we can better understand how God calls us to love people in not being envious of what they do and have. 

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Why do some of us struggle to believe that God is kind? We often base God's kindness on our circumstances instead of the truth of the Word of God. When we learn to see the kind things the Lord does for us in our everyday life, we develop an attitude of gratitude begin to see God's loving kindness in new light.

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We know that God is love and love is patient (1 Corinthians 13:4) so God is patient. God shows us patience in our everyday life by giving us the grace we need to do what He calls us to do. He also showed us patience in sending His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. Having revelation about God's patience in our life, we should come to a place of walking in patience with others. 

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Do you ever wonder who God is? So many of us have a misunderstanding of who He is and constantly feel like we must work for His love. The truth is that "God is love" (1 John 4:16) therefore he can't not love you. No matter what you do, He loves you. When we understand the fullness of God’s love, we now can go out and love others like He first loved us.

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