Proud Humility????

I've always had difficulty accepting compliments.  Now that Generations is about to be released and is actually available.  (Many people have already purchased and read it).  I'm receiving numerous reviews and comments that are complimentary.  It thrills me to think that anyone gets enjoyment or is blessed by the words I have written. 

Both of my parents were very humble people.  They always gave glory to God.  Whenever my mother was lauded or honored--her response was, "Praise God for His goodness and give Him the glory."  She would also add:  "Don't give me too many "flowers" here--I want some when I get to Heaven.

My grandparents, about whom the book is written, were also very humble.  They never received any acclaim--even in the church world.  Their commitment and faith to God was completely sincere, with no thought of honor for themselves.

From their examples and teachings--I cannot accept any credit for anything I do.  I am well aware that it is only the gifts and calling of God that enables me to do what I do.  Today I had the privilege of recording some spots for a radio program that covers a large audience on the East Coast.  Again I am very much cognizant of the fact that any doors that open for me to promote Generations are all part of God's doing and His plan for this book.  My desire continues to be to show His strength and power to this generation.  While I will do my best and work my hardest to get opportunities such as this, I lean on Him and trust Him that He will lead and direct in every aspect of the marketing, selling, and ministering.

H, B, Garlock, who you will read about in Generations--as well as in a book he wrote:  Before We Kill And Eat You, said this to me once when I was telling him what a blessing he was to my life:
"Sharon, any good that I have ever done or said--was only because God put it in my mind to say or do it.  All glory goes to Him alone."  I knew him well enough to know he meant every word.

I will say that my parents, other relatives--myself included are "proud" of the godly heritage left to us by my grandparents.  But it is not a pride for the Garlocks--it is a "pride", (if that is even the right word) for the work God did in Grandpa Garlock's life--that has given us the faith to trust God.

So, as I continue to push forward promoting Generations--I feel I am simply following Psalm 145:4  "One generation shall praise your works to another and shall  declare your mighty acts."(NASB)

And further I continue to pray Psalm 71:18  "And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare your strength to this generation, your power to all who are to come." (NASB)

As Generations is sold and read my prayer is that everyone who comes across it will know that it is published by God's design and any blessing it is comes straight from Him.  All glory be to Jesus, our Lord and our Redeemer!  He is the author and finisher of our faith.

Walking by Faith

Faith:  We're told that a small amount of faith (the size of a mustard seed--Matthew 17:20) will enable us to speak to mountains and remove them from the landscape.  Where does that kind of faith come from?  The Bible also states that we all have a measure of faith.  (Romans 12:3) Have you ever wondered how large God's measuring tool is?

Sometimes my faith seems weak and ineffective--but yet I hold on, knowing God is all-powerful and can do the impossible.   Even then, I can't take credit for having faith, for it is the Faith of the Lord Jesus Christ!  Galatians 2:20  "...I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

My grandfather, Ed Garlock talked about that faith and lived it.  He daily quoted II Corinthians 5:7--"We walk by faith, not by sight."  It was not just a memory verse to him--he trusted God to do what He said he would do, according to His Word.  He looked to Him for healing, provision, direction, everything.

You see, God had performed the miraculous in Edward's life when he took him out of the miserable state he had sunk to.  A dying, hopeless, drunk, addicted to drugs and a destructive lifestyle--God reached down and lifted him to the rank of Child of God, and heir and joint-heir with Christ.

Suddenly a filthy wretch felt clean.  An addict was free!  A dying man received new life.  It should not be a surprise that he then began asking God to heal the sick, raise the dead, and bring salvation to the lost.  He simply took God at His Word and then waited for the answer.  The miraculous never became mundane--but it was almost a daily occurrence. 

When I was born, thirty-two years after my grandfather's redemption, "walking by faith" was just a way of life--not only for my grandparents, but for my parents as well.  My father, David Garlock was the youngest of Edward and Jessie Garlock's twelve children.  He personally experienced Christ's healing hand over and over again as he grew up in their home.  A compound fracture of his leg--where the bone punctured through the skin in a criss-cross manner was healed without a physician other than the GREAT PHYSICIAN in attendance.  Other miracles of healing and provision marked his life.  As he and my mother worked pioneering full Gospel churches they saw God open doors and bring things to pass that could only be explained as miraculous. 

They then followed with the same tenacity in faith that my grandparents had.  Seeking God, they held on, with a pit-bull-type of grip--walking in faith--and not sight when there was a need.  It was natural to believe that God was a God of the impossible, growing up where this was taught.

So where does the faith comes from to see the miraculous occur?  It comes from God.  It's a gift from God.  It's the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ (another of my grandfather's famous by-words).  But what we do with the faith is up to us.  Do we live in it, walk in it, operate our lives in it.  This simply means, putting your trust and confidence in God to do what He has promised He will do--and then letting that trust take you to the point that you give everything to Him,

resting in the knowledge He will work all for your good.

So do you have to be raised in a home where faith is fed to you for breakfast, lunch, supper and a snack before you go to bed?  Of course not.  We all have a measure of faith--put a little spiritual yeast in it and let it rise!

Read about faith in action in Generations--to be released Friday, October 17, 2013.