personal testimony

Ten Minutes in Light of Forever

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment

“When God gave me a revelation of forever,
of eternity, everything changed.”

After sending this message to a group of friends, I sat back and thanked God, for perhaps the thousandth time, for giving me a revelation of forever, for helping me grasp eternity. That moment of thankfulness led to a conversation about the difference between understanding and revelation.

You can have both.

We gain understanding in many ways— through study, through logic and reason… We gain understanding of God’s Word through spending time with it, meditating on it, digging into it, leaning on the Holy Spirit as our teacher…

Revelation is something different: It comes directly from God, and it bypasses the requirement for understanding. Where understanding acquaints you with truth, revelation confronts you with it.

One day at church camp I was in chapel listening to the minister and came to that moment. I’d heard enough about salvation that I knew the basics, but I didn’t really understand it. Nonetheless, in an instant the conviction settled in my soul.

Without a doubt, I knew I needed to be saved so I stepped into the aisle. It wasn’t an emotional thing; it was more a logical reaction to sudden knowledge. I didn’t even comprehend the magnitude of my decision until I saw my camp counselor crying.

Much later, I came to the realization that what I’d experienced was revelation knowledge. It was communication straight from God that convinced me of my need for salvation. I didn’t have to understand it. I didn’t even have to feel anything. I simply knew the truth, acted on the truth, and my life changed in an instant. There have been several times in my walk with God that He has given me such revelation and changed things instantly.

There have also been at least two times I specifically asked God for revelation on things I was desperate to comprehend. The first was the Rapture of the Church. Witnessing was hard for me and I felt that if I could just grasp the truth of the Rapture, and the reality of people missing it, I would be more driven to witness.

After a time, God gave me that revelation. And after the revelation, as I studied, I also gained understanding.

The same happened with forever. I’d had my blog “Eternally Planted” for years. The title is based off part of Ecclesiastes 3:11 in the NLT: “…He has planted eternity in the human heart…” Eternity is planted inside us even if we fail to recognize it. I think that’s why so many believe in reincarnation—because man has an instinctive knowledge that this life isn’t everything.

When I named my blog what I did, I had some understanding of forever, but at some point I realized I needed revelation. So I asked God for it. It didn’t come instantly, but one day God dropped it into my spirit in a way that lit up my world—and it changed everything about the way I saw my life.

I’d been married to my narcissistic husband for decades and was now responsible for keeping him alive and healthy, or as healthy as I could when he seemed intent on destroying his body. Every day was a struggle and my stress level stayed dangerously high. So this wasn’t a theoretical lesson. It came in the middle of a very real, very heavy season.

But then there was that day. In an instant, I suddenly had it. I knew in my innermost being that this life is nothing compared to the life I will have in eternity. That very hour, I told God that, if I had to live the rest of my life as I had been, it was ok. Because in light of eternity, this life is only ten minutes—and I can do anything for ten minutes.

Life didn’t get easier, but my focused changed. I was no longer looking at what was directly in front of me, but at what is waiting down the road. When you suddenly see a broad, beautiful vista ahead, walking becomes less frustrating and more of a challenge you’re willing to face.

We need understanding, obviously. But we also need revelation, and the beautiful thing is that God is ready and willing to give it. For me, it normally comes after He’s highlighted something I’m reading in the Word, after I’ve taken time to meditate on it, mull it over, and spend time talking to Him about it as I grow increasingly hungry for answers.

And sometimes I just ask.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Living Your Witness: The Quiet Power of Influence

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment

Do you ever think about those who have especially impacted your life?

For me, while untold numbers of people have helped me grow, three people stand out, people who have left eternal marks on my soul and had a definite impact on the direction my spiritual walk has taken. What strikes me about all three is that they weren’t preaching at me. They were simply living their witness.

Three People Who Changed My Walk

The Best Friend – Joy in the Spirit
Marilyn, my best friend, never tried to “sell” me on anything. She simply shared her excitement about what God was doing in her life. I’d been saved years earlier but wasn’t actively living like a Christian. I was what I call a “cultural Christian” at that point.

Her joy stirred a hunger that made me face my mostly in name only Christianity and recognize its inadequacy, how little it satisfied me. She expected me to get excited too, and I did.

The Stranger – Baptism in the Holy Ghost
At a Christian Student Union meeting Ms. Jeannie, a woman I’d never met, taught me about and led me into the baptism in the Holy Ghost. She was our speaker that night and I could tell she was like my best friend in that she had “it.” In spite of my introversion and insecurity, I’d gathered my courage and asked her, “What is the baptism in the Holy Ghost?”

The conversation we had, and the prayer we prayed, changed my life forever. And I’m happy to be able to report that she became a dear friend and is still a vital influence in my life.

The Evangelist – Intimacy with God
The last of my three, Jesse Duplantis, is an evangelist. His messages are always great, but his almost casual references to his conversations with God made me hunger for that kind of walk:

“I want that type of relationship with You, God!
You’re no respecter of persons.
I want that intimate relationship too!”

So I got in the Word more, prayed more, and focused on listening for His “voice,” God speaking directly to my spirit. Over time, that intimacy became my reality – and I love how we talk to each other all day long.

The 1 Thessalonians 5:17 command to pray without ceasing? This is it. Yes, I have a set time that I know I’ll be praying, talking to God about things that matter to us both, but the conversation doesn’t stop there.

The Quiet Power of Living Faith

Other than Brother Jesse, these are normal people you’ll most likely never meet, but their influences in my life still affect how I live and what I share with others.

And those key people reached me not through preaching at me, but by letting me see the reality of God in their lives, by giving me glimpses of possibilities I’d not imagined.

They also taught me one of the most important things about sharing the Gospel.

We start by living it.

Marilyn, Ms. Jeannie, Brother Jesse…
“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.”
Philippians 1:3

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Faith as Precious as Peter’s: Embracing Your Spiritual Value

Tammy M Cardwell2 Comments

Timing is so interesting.

I make the anointing oil we sell in the church coffee shop. I’ve been making it myself because every oil I considered carrying retailed for more than I felt comfortable charging. Also, as I researched, I found myself wondering how most of the oils were made. By that I mean, were they simply another commercial product? Were they even prayed over?

My conclusion was that the only way I would be satisfied was if I took on the project myself. Then I could control the blending, the decanting, and how each bottle would be handled through the whole process. Yes, obviously this includes a lot of prayer, and usually worship.

Recently, someone was looking at our oils and asked me who anointed them, was it the pastor or intercessors or… I took the question to mean, “Who prayed over them?” and I explained what I’ve just told you. She seemed…less than satisfied.

She didn’t know who I was, of course, but apparently someone with an unknown title was questionable. At least that’s what I got from her withdrawal, and her reaction made me sad.

The sadness wasn’t because she doubted me; that’s no big deal. I was disappointed because she apparently believed you have to be “somebody” to qualify to pray over oil that will be used for anointing. That sort of assumption is dangerous. Too often, we fail to understand who we are in Christ Jesus, and that failure can really hold us back.

Which brings me to why I say timing is interesting. Shortly after that brief encounter I read 2 Peter, and in chapter 1, verse 1, Peter addresses his readers as those who “have been granted a faith just as precious as ours.” He’s serious, and he’s right.

Peter walked with Jesus and was one of those closest to Him throughout His ministry. He has worked for decades to help the Church grow and mature; at this point he is in prison and God has already told him he will die soon. Yes, his faith is precious, but in what is apparently his last letter he particularly wants his readers to understand that their faith is every bit as precious as his.

So is the faith of all those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. You don’t have to be “somebody” for your faith to have value. It was the first batch of oil I made that was used to teach me this truth. I had taken it to someone whose faith I know to be great and asked her to pray over it. She agreed to pray but also assured me that I could pray over it myself, that I was every bit as prepared as she was for the task. Until that moment, it had never occurred to me that I was “qualified.”

You don’t have to be “somebody” for your faith to have value. You have value as a child of the Most High God and you are very much somebody in the ways that truly matter. So don’t limit yourself. Do you make your own anointing oil? Pray over it. Do you write worship music? Use it to worship, both alone and with others. Does Holy Spirit teach you as you read the Word? If what you learn excites you, it may excite your friends as well. Share it!

Your faith, dear Christian, is just as precious as that of the Apostle Peter. Never discount what God has done in you.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C