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Freedom At Last from Anxiety
Episode #829
10/23/2022
Hosted by John Enslow and joined by special guest: Charles Carrin
This is a continuation of a series of podcasts started in Episode #826
You can’t be joyful, filled with joy and happy when you’re in anxiety.
Charles:
I had an encounter with the Holy Spirit after I’ve been preaching nearly 30 years. And I will be so bold as to say, anxiety was snatched out of me. I had a lot of it at that point. But the Holy Spirit took the place of anxiety, forced it out of my life.
John:
And filled it with Himself.
Charles:
Exactly
John:
It was removed out of you and you were filled with the fullness of Him.
Charles:
Amen
John:
That’s Beautiful!
John:
You’ve told me stories about anxiety, and things that you gone through and they were nightmares. And then the Spirit came in and took it out.
Charles:
Exactly
John:
He dealt with it and eradicated it.
Charles:
Amen
John:
Which was beautiful.
Charles:
Amen! Well God loves us. Please know that! And when you become conscious and fully aware of the magnitude and the power of the presence of the love of God in your life…I can tell you this. There will not be room for anxiety.
John:
Right
Charles:
We have sudden attacks in which fear is legitimate and righteous and godly. We can have godly fear, and we should. But when it comes to get gnawing pain of anxiety that steals, our sleep, robs us of joy and happiness, that’s right and godly. When it comes in, and just wipes it away, that’s very wrong. That can be overcome. But it has to be overcome by anticipating it. Knowing that the devil will do it at some point. But by the grace of God, I am going to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.
John:
I think it’s amazing, that you say that it is universal because nobody is without their anxious feelings and the temptation to enter into fear.
Charles:
Amen
John:
So being universal, all of us are alike in that and we all have the same Answer.
Charles:
Amen
John:
And then the robing of the happiness and the joy…it’s a stranglehold over you. It’s like having a boa constrictor around your chest.
Charles:
Amen
John:
You can’t be joyful, filled with joy and happy when you’re in anxiety.
Charles:
Exactly!
John:
It sucks the life out of you. And I have met so many people that are bound with it. That are unable to really experience that joy, that happiness, that of fulfillment. They’re not even happy with with the blessings and the gifts in their life, because they’re anxious.
Charles:
Let me point out this factor, and it’s very important. There are some families that anxiety is the identifying factor in family life. The mother is very anxious. She’s very fearful. The father may be either the good the cause of it or maybe just contributing with his own anxiety and fear. Children grow up in that. That is very wrong! That is very illegitimate for Christians…no! We have no legitimacy in having such anxiety and fear. But children grow up with that, and that’s a terrible thing. Hopefully what happens in some point in life, they meet Jesus Christ. They experience that incredible, work and power and presence of the Holy Spirit. I can tell you for a fact I had an encounter with the Holy Spirit after I’ve been preaching nearly 30 years. And I will be so bold as to say, anxiety was snatched out of me. I had a lot of it at that point. But the Holy Spirit took the place of anxiety, forced it out of my life.
John:
And filled it with Himself.
Charles:
Exactly
John:
It was removed out of you and you were filled with the fullness of Him.
Charles:
Amen
John:
Yeah, that’s beautiful and you’ve continue to do that. When I see you and when I’ve talked with you, and when I’ve interacted with you, the word, I can only describe you is LAVISH. Your lavish in the Word, your lavish in the Spirit, your lavish with your love, your lavish with… Everything you have your lavish. And in your life you base it on fullness, because I think that you had that anxiety, you had that deficit, that emptiness. And then that was ripped out of you and the fullness has been put in you and you walked in it. Lavish, you’re lavish.
Charles:
I haven’t told you this, I don’t think. And I rarely tell this, but I will because it’s important to do so. In 1977 I was a pastor of a beautiful church, but I was in depression, serious depression, suicidal depression. And it was by the pure grace of God Almighty, that I went to visit a young prisoner in Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, who the year before we met had been miraculously, delivered from heroin addiction from a life of crime and suicide desire, and it’s been filled with Holy Spirit. It was on November 23, I remember the day, 1977. It was Wednesday before Thanksgiving day. I went to the prison in such horrific depression. I was beyond the realm of anxiety. I was in suicidal depression. That young prisoner, saw what was happening to me. He was filled with the Spirit. Laid hands on me, prayed for me. And when I got home, God wait until I got home, when I got home I am going to slammed by the power of God. I could not use any other word. I got slammed with the power of God. I was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Anxiety was ripped out of me like ripping off an old bandage. It just was ripped off with me and that’s been over 30 years ago, well over 30 years ago. I have never been depressed again.
John:
It’s fascinating to me that you went in to a prisoner, and you were set free.
Charles:
Yes!
John:
That’s just so beautiful.
Charles:
Yes, well the Lord is no respecter of situation. Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage. Souls, innocent and quiet take, that for a hermitage. If in my spirit I have peace and in my soul am free, only angels that sore above enjoy such liberty.
John:
Amen
Charles:
I do! I do! I’ve not had an anxious day since. Incredible, but it’s the truth before God.
John:
And it’s a witness. You literally live it out before us. I’ve I’ve literally watched it over and over and over. You are joy-filled.
Charles:
I am!
John:
You are completely… you’re happy! You’re happy in life.
Charles:
Yes! And that event was November 23, 1977 at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. I remember it well. I’ll go to my grave remembering that awesome moment when I experienced the power of the Holy Spirit. I was never the same again. I will never be the same again.
John:
That’s beautiful! It’s absolutely beautiful.
Charles:
Anxiety…I was beyond the point of anxiety. I was in suicidal depression. And I don’t like telling that. But let me tell you there’s some 3,000 American pastors that leave their church and walk away from the pulpit every year. That many! Why? I can tell you why—anxiety. Anxiety is their big killer.
John:
It is, it is absolutely.
Charles:
So thanks for your book.
John:
Thank you appreciate it very, very much.
Charles:
I appreciate you.
John:
It’s been a joy to have your affirmation of it. And I really appreciate it because, this is coming out of my heart. This is coming out of my spirit.
Charles:
It shows.
John:
Well, thank you. I appreciate that. That’s beautiful. That was wonderful. Thank you.
Charles:
I’ll send you my bill.
John:
Thank you (smiling) Do you see this one?!
John:
Love you man.
Freedom At Last from Anxiety – Episode #829 – Shulamite Podcast
When you become fully aware of the magnitude and power of the presence of the love of God in your life, there will not be room for anxiety.
