July 2018

not always the way God wants
to us live. He acts in response to
our faith. We can learn so much
from faithful Christians we know.
Carmen Liccardello, known simply
as “Carmen” in the Christian
music world, has a different
story of living by rock solid
faith versus foolish living. He
is well-known for his Addicted
to Jesus album released in
1993, among many others that
topped Christian music charts.
In February of 2013, Carmen
announced officially and on
Facebook he was diagnosed
with multiple myeloma, a cancer
that attacks the bone marrow.
He was given three to four
years to live. Carmen endured
very aggressive chemotherapy
treatments and bone marrow
transplants. Instead of getting
his affairs in order, and planning
to die, he chose to follow
the Lord’s call on his life by
continuing to minister through
music.
God was not done with him.
He was still supposed to reach
people for Jesus through the
amazing concerts he has long
been known for. He kicked of
a Kickstarter campaign in March
of 2013 to raise funds for his
“No Plan B” tour.
As a result of Carmen’s faithful
obedience to the Lord, he has
been declared “cancer free” by
his doctors. Carmen continues
to minister through his music today
(Carment (singer), 2016)
(Menzie, 2015)”
Godly Parenting Sets A Foundation
of Wisdom
If you were blessed with Christian
parents, you already have
a fantastic foundation of faith.
They have invested years of
building that foundation by being
an example of how to live
wisely. They have also taught
you what God’s word says about
a number of topics for daily life.
Mom and Dad have prayed over
you and with you more often
than you can count. Thinking of
what they have already taught
you gives you an edge in life
(Proverbs 1:8).
However, it is no guarantee you
will always do what you learned.
There seems to be a bit of rebel
in us that makes us not want
to do what they said. It’s easy to
cave into our rebellious nature.
That path leads to destruction
(Proverbs 14:12, Matthew 7:13).
It is important to follow the instruction
of wise, godly parents.
There are many of us who grew
up in non-Christian homes,
though. We have several examples
of how not to live. The difficulty
is learning what God
says about certain situations
and figuring out how apply it
to our life situations so we can
begin doing the right thing.
Our family members who are
lost will likely to poke fun at us
for living by faith because “the
message of the cross is foolishness
to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it
is the power of God. “ (1 Corinthians
1:18 NIV)
They know what buttons to push.
It is tempting to cave in to keep
peace in the family, but at what
cost? There are plenty of godly
people whose example will help
us live a life of faith.
We are also building a foundation
for our children, then later our
grandchildren. We want to help
them have the valuable wisdom
for living by faith when they
become adults. They watch us,
learn from us, and eventually
imitate us. When we make
mistakes, it’s important for them
to know we messed up, why
it was wrong, and what we
are doing to make things right.
Let us set the right example for
them now.
As believers in Christ, we belong
to the Chief Shepherd, Jesus.
Jesus said, “My sheep listen
to my voice; I know them, and
they follow me.” (John 10:27). To
those who are evil, He says, “But
you do not believe, because you
are not of My sheep, as I said to
you. My sheep hear My voice,
and I know them, and they follow
Me. And I give them eternal life,
and they shall never perish;
neither shall anyone snatch them
out of My hand” (John 10:26-28).
It takes time to get to know our
Lord’s voice, but once we do, we
will never forget. Our decisions
which are made by faith will not
always be popular, but they will
be right. We will often find ourselves
walking alone on a narrow
path (Matthew 7:13-14).
Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone
that sets our house straight
when we follow Him in His
teaching. We can be sure God
will never lead us wrong. Our
house will be set properly upon
the Rock, our firm foundation.
Although the storms of life come,
we will stand strong.
www.faithfilledfamily.com 65