The Real Under Armor

(Ephesians 6:10-20)( ESV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. –The strength of Jesus’ might is that armor of God; the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus said that’s what He is. (John 14:6-7) (2Cor. 10:3-5)

First, let me remind you that God wants those who worship Him to worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24) What’s that got to do with armor? Everything! You see, that armor is not the armor worn on the outside of a body. It’s the real under-armor; worn within to protect your spirit. Let’s take a look at each piece, shall we?

First, we put in the belt of truth. That’s where we take a look at sin, and acknowledge/admit it, and accept it for what it is. We look at how it affects us, what role we play in having that sin in our lives, and how we can overcome that sin in our lives. This is that list I’ve talked about before. We compare that list to the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit, and we see where we’re in alignment with His Word, and where we need to get in alignment with Him.

When I was studying this out, I thought about how one can tighten or loosen that belt. We’ve all heard that expression about hard times when we have to tighten our belts. We’re in a spiritual war for our eternal lives, and for freedom to live life as we were meant to, here on Earth. I want to starve those evil things out of my life, So, when I see that chocolate cake that’s going to put twenty pounds on me, I’m going to tighten my belt, so I won’t be hungry for it. LOL When I see all that good stuff God has to feed my spirit with, I’m going to loosen my belt so I can FEAST my soul on it. Guess what that chocolate cake represents. You got it; the devil is a busy, busy person.

The belt of truth helps us to say no when we need to; be it to a person, place, or thing. You know, like that guy that keeps telling you if you really loved him, or even cared at all, you’d have sex with him. Then there’s that girlfriend who’s trying to get you to use that credit card even though you’re already putting all your disposable income on payments to pay off what’s already on it. Yes, you are right; the belt of truth helps you to keep your pants from falling down and tripping you up too. It is directly connected with the breastplate of righteousness; which we’ll cover in tomorrow’s post. There are many scriptures in the Bible regarding truth. Each one gives us a clearer picture of how important truth is.

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Saturday Silly – September 3, 2022

Remember that lady from last Saturday? -the one in the mylar nightmare outfit? It seems she attends to the same church my daughter does. My daughter called me after church last Sunday. She said, “Mama, I went in early to help Miss Lydia get the donuts and coffee ready for the Bible study classes, and you’re not going to believe what happened. Apparently that woman was on the volunteer list too, because she was already in the kitchen waiting for us. Ms. Lydia turned the kitchen lights on, gasped, and let out a scream.” By the time my daughter had relayed the rest of the incident to me, I was laughing so hard my sides hurt. I could just picture it all…my daughter on the phone, “Hello, Pastor, I’m sorry I had to call you while you’re trying to get ready for church. Ms. Lydia fell out when she saw that woman in the kitchen, the Folgers is all over the floor, and we don’t have any more coffee for this morning….What do you mean, we don’t have anymore petty cash either, use the Dust Buster??!” LOL -I love that pastor’s sense of humor. Pastor’s Special Brew: Dust Buster Bold…

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Your Adversary, The Devil

(Luke 11:24-26) (ESV) “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.” (Matt. 2:43-45) (1Peter 5:8) -Jesus spoke about unclean spirits, and of evil thoughts that come from our hearts. We’re also told in the Bible to be on guard against the wiles of the devil. (Eph. 6:0-12) When we finally see the truth, in our lives (past and present), and within (heart, mind, soul), we can compare it to the real truth (God’s Word), and begin to implement the changes we need to make, to clean our hearts of all that old garbage (things we’ve heard from parents, spouses, etc.), even lies we’ve told ourselves (I don’t care, so what, nobody else cares, etc.). We need to be very diligent and disciplined to stand firm on those real truths, in order that we can spot those pitfalls and temptations to slip, trip, and give up. Exactly what Satan wants is for you to give up and go back to that old life. If you get one thing into your spirit, get this one thing: You are the head (in authority and power) and not the tail! (Satan and all those powers, principalities, etc.) Everything evil/bad that has been or now is in your life, is authored and designed by Satan to destroy you and your destiny. It was from the moment you were conceived. Rejoice, though, and praise God, because He is the author of your salvation! He destroyed the works of the devil. (Deuteronomy 28:13)

(Luke 10:17-20) The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Ephesians 6:10-18) -Jesus said, I am the truth, the life, and the way. This is why we need to read the Gospels as well as the Old Testament. Both give us an intimate knowledge of our Lord, and our Heavenly Father, and of their hearts for us. Not only that, but we also get an example of their courage, authority, and power in the devil’s face, and in regard to the evil he stirs up in the world. Finally, we also get the power that faith brings into our lives. Jesus said with God all things are possible. Jesus lived that in every sense of the word, defeating even death itself. Faith dispels every negative thing that might come against us; every negative thing!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Come On Home

One of the things we’re called to do is to preach the Gospel. This morning, these scriptural references came to me as I was thinking about how much God loves us all. For those of you who don’t know Him, you don’t know what you’re missing. God loves you just as you are, and He wants you to have real life, here on Earth (drug and alcohol free, not addicted to porn, or anything else, or anyone, for that matter. He wants you to live eternally, in a beautiful new world/Earth, with Him and Jesus. Yes, that will be Heaven, because anywhere that kind of love is, is Heaven. You don’t have to be robbed of a real life here. You don’t have to be robbed of your eternal life either. If you’ve been lost, if you’re hurting, confused, whatever may be wrong, come on home. God loves you, He loves you, He loves you! (Luke 15:11)

Ezekiel 8:23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?

Matt. 18:7-14 It is not God’s will that any should perish. God is our Heavenly Father, so, yes, we are little ones to God.

John 12:3-32 Satan is the prince/ruler of this world. Jesus judged him and cast him down. (John 5:22-27)

John 6:7-11 Satan has been condemned and has no power in this world that we don’t give him. The Holy Spirit (Advocate).leads and guides us into all truth and empowers us to not only do God’s will, but to want to do it; to choose life.

1John 3:8 Satan has been sinning from the beginning. His only desire is to destroy mankind and man’s destiny (real life here, and eternal life with our Heavenly Father and Jesus) (Genesis 3:15) (John 8:44)

Satan’s only desire is to bind you by twisting the truth, to enslave you to that twisted truth, and to destroy you. He wants you to live in his hell here on Earth and in this life. He wants to destroy your soul, and through that, rob you of your eternal life, on a new earth, and with our Heavenly Father God Almighty and with Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Matt. 4:-11) You can see in this event, that Satan’s goal is to rob Jesus, and every human being that ever was or will be, of our destiny to live eternally with God. Had our Lord, Jesus given in to that temptation, we all would be destined to be enslaved by Satan in an eternal living hell. Some other scriptural references that tell us of God’s love and His will for us: (Matt. 5:46) (John 5:24) (John 6:40-47) (Romans 8:0-31) (John 3:6-17)-For God so loved the world…That’s you!

Jesus said, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt.11:27-30) (ESV) He also said, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.“ (Matt 6:37) (ESV) Some other scriptures: (John 10:28) (Psalm 102:7) He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. You were not created to be enslaved by drugs or alcohol, by anything or anyone. Satan will be cast into the lake of fire to burn eternally, with all evil-doers. Don’t let Satan rob you; not of real life here on Earth, nor of your eternal destiny, your eternal life with your Heavenly Father (2Cor. 7:6), and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mom, I’m dedicating this to you today, on your birthday. I remember when you were afraid He didn’t love you. I remember when you came home to the Lord. I’m sure there were tears of joy in Heaven!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

It Must Start Within

We must sow if we want to reap, and what we want to reap. Today’s post addresses creating clean hearts and sowing good things within. I’m reading and quoting from the ESV, as always.

(Matt. 23:23-26) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.” -The mint, dill, and cumin are expectations/standards, privileges/rewards, and recompense/punishment(s). Justice is discerning the situation, and the motive/.heart, rightly, and acting/proceeding accordingly. Mercy requires humility because you have to put yourself in the other person’s shoes by considering their heart, their maturity, etc. A child is not as knowledgeable as an adult, so we can’t just assumer he/she knows better, or understands at the same level we do. Faithfulness means we don’t play favorites, we don’t help one kid beat up the other, etc. We always act to protect and preserve dignity. This is also part of being merciful. When we’re dealing with our own slips, trips, falls, etc., we can’t neglect those things either. It is from within that we grow and manifest our growth outwardly. What goes in comes out. What is sown is grown and reaped.

(Matt. 23:27-28) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Do you all remember the “fake it till you make it craze?” I know a woman who had to declare bankruptcy because her fake wardrobe, makeup, etc. maxed out her credit cards. She apparently didn’t seem real enough for the people she was trying to impress, either, because she didn’t get into the company she wanted to be part of, and even lost some of her old friends in the process of trying to “make it” with those others. She ended up losing her job because she wasn’t completely focused on things there anymore, couldn’t pay those credit cards off, and had to declare bankruptcy. The real bankruptcy was inside of herself. I don’t think she really knew who or whose she was. That’s crucial to living successfully. “Make the tree good, or make the tree bad, because a tree is known by its fruit,” said Jesus. (Matt. 12:33) If you look a little closer, you’ll realize -(and I know we all already do know this-hopefully, anyway), the apple starts as a little bump on the tree limb. Then we get blossoms, and then the fruit begins to grow. We need to do personal inventory and check it against God’s Word and Ways. This gives us an idea of where we are, and helps us to decide what we need to go to get where we want to go. Overcoming that addiction, or anything else, requires that we have the right tools. A plumber isn’t going to fill his tool bag with saws and hammers, nails, etc. A child of God doesn’t need bottles of alcohol or syringes, etc., to live successfully. Only an alcoholic and drug addict needs those.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Is The Tree Good Or Bad?

Today’s post covers (Matthew 23:13-22), and I’m reading and quoting from the ESV. Beginning with verses 13-15, and continuing with verses 19-22, we’ll get a picture of how generational curses come to be, and are passed from generation to generation. It’s also the same method by which they are broken off; only it’s God’s Word and Way, and the real truth(s) that accomplish this.

(Matt. 23:13-15) “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. -We don’t say grace before we eat, we don’t go to church as a family on Sunday, we don’t read the Bible together, or pray together, etc. That was our house when I was growing up. My parents never forbade me to go to Bible camp, or to church, thankfully, but they never went to church themselves. There are folks out there, children, and grown people, who are ridiculed for their desire to know God. Some are even forbidden to attend church or Bible studies. In terms of generational curses, think of the things that are just not talked about and dealt with (incest, physical/emotional abuse, etc.), personal power that is denied someone (when you can use the restroom, whether or not someone is allowed to touch you or your stuff, the right to say, “No.”), over-zealous correction and control, or no correction or control/limits/boundaries, at all. Then there is the “over-rated” stuff, like a college education, or healthful eating and exercise, etc. Yes, there really are people who grow up in homes like these. All those things all add up to a great recipe for trouble and failure. God has a standard for us to live by and up to. He also has boundaries to keep us safe from those falls and failures. We need to have them too, and we need to make sure they line up with God’s. Joshua said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) You can see in that scripture, that some had already fallen to serving other gods.

(Matt. 23:16-22) “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it. -Your spouse, child, other loved one, someone you’re ministering to, etc., is the gold and the gift. Your home, place of ministry, place of business, is your temple. The standard(s) and boundaries you have and enforce are the altar. (Psalm 101), (Deut. 30:15-20)

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Woes To Be On Guard Against

This week I’ll be spending some time in Matthew:23-1-28. These scriptures cover the “woe unto you Pharisees and Scribes” sermon that Jesus preached. If we look at each one of the woes, we can see how they can get in our way, and also cause us to put them in others’ way. In effect, they become stumbling blocks for us and those in whose lives we are closely involved. This would include loved ones, friends, students, co-workers, anyone we minister to, essentially. Today’s lesson covers Matt.23-4, and Matt. 23:11-12. Again, I am reading and quoting from the ESV.

(Matt. 23:4) “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.” -This speaks to me of guilt and shame, and of victim mentality and low self-esteem. We can create these in our loved ones, and especially our children, when we constantly “catch” them doing wrong, complain constantly because they’re not doing stuff right, or as well as we want them done, and when we do not take the time to communicate clearly what we do want. Communication includes showing and helping that person to understand and practice doing it correctly. Don’t forget “thank you”, and a “good job,” when they do get it right.

We can also create that low self-esteem and such within ourselves when we don’t let go and let God. The Bible tells us that the Lord is faithful and just to forgive us when we confess our sins to Him. (1John 1:9) God also promises that He will remember our sins no more. (Heb. 10:17) Confess/admit it and quit it. Then, get up, dust yourself off, and leave it behind you. Press on toward your victory. (Philippians 3:13)

(Matt. 23:11-12) “The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” First, the greatest among us is Jesus Christ, our Lord. He said, “…the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:25-28) This is a cue to us to humble ourselves within from the position of parent, boss, master/teacher, etc. to brother/sister in Christ. We all are one in Christ; God’s children. (Gal. 3:28) God is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34) It’s also a pre-requisite to receiving from God. If you don’t humble yourself to acknowledging your sin, weakness, pain, etc., and asking for help, you cannot rise above it or overcome it. When we do humble ourselves, God is faithful to help us to rise above it, to overcome it. Then, we are exalted above that thing, because the victory over it is our glory.

If some of these seem to be a little redundant, I’m not meaning to be. I’m trying to find and link all the scriptures that correlate to one another, to help us get a clear and strong understanding of God’s Word and power to help us overcome all adversity and recover our lives-as He means for us to live. Hopefully, when you put them all together, a powerful aid to recovery and victory is exactly what you’ll have.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Don’t Stop There

There’s more; so much more for you!

Today’s post comes from (Matthew 25:14-30), the parable of the talents. As usual, I’m reading from the ESV. The verses I’m focusing on are verses 28-29. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

When we begin to recover from the depression, addiction, divorce, death of a loved one, end of that job, or even when we’re learning for a new field of work, etc., one of the biggest hurdles can be the end of step one, and the “what’s next?”. Sometimes, we forget what God told us in (Deuteronomy 28:2-13) We are blessed to be a blessing; wherever we are. It is one step added to one step that gets us to the end of the road. We have to keep that in mind when we’re in recovery. You have to take the flight of stairs one stair at a time. And, at the end of this road, there’s another one to move us to the next level. That unmade bed gets conquered so that we have time to tackle the messy room, etc. It’s all one small battle, but each battle is an opportunity to gain another victory and win the war. Also, the world is full of hurting people, and you just might be the light someone needs. The reason we go through things is so that we learn the way out, and can guide someone else through. LOL

I can recall that, as I was writing some of my poems , I would have a song running in the back of my mind already. Something in the poem would spark a memory, or inspire a dream. My short stories about Aunt Irma inspired other stories, etc. Even my recipes sometimes come to me as I’m eating a meal. What I’m getting at is that you have to be open for that little “nudge”, that idea, that inspiration. And, you have to act on it. Don’t be afraid, even if you’re not quite finished with a certain project yet, to at least jot down your idea(s) and your thoughts. What does this have to do with recovery? As you begin to recover yourself, you will begin to discover yourself. All those awesome things (talents) God put in you. Those are your personal treasures; that’s your oil, in essence. (Matt. 25:1-12) (2Kings4:1-7)

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Saturday Silly – August 27, 2022

I decided to check into making some final arrangements not too long ago. I want to make sure my children don’t have to worry about where my final resting place will be, etc. I’ve been contemplating and trying to decide between standard burial or cremation. Yesterday, I saw something that helped me make my decision. I saw a woman from one of the mortuaries I’ve been checking into. She looked like somebody wrapped her in purple neon plastic wrap, slapped her in the face with a red and brown paintbrush, and put pipe cleaners on her eyes, and called them eyelashes. AAAGGGHHHH! “I’m definitely going with cremation after that sight”, I thought. I could just see that one…they’d make me up for the coffin, and when I got to Heaven, I’d scare the “Be Jesus,” out of our poor Lord.! Yep, cremation it is.

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Don’t Be Afraid To Be Small…

It will help you fit into His hands much better. (2Corinthians 12:9)

Today’s post addresses the issue of establishing evidence, and how important it is to look at the evidence. This is where that list on sin and your attitudes, etc. comes in again. If you look back over the years, you may be able to find the key you need to unlock a door for you; or vice versa, you can toss that thing out the door and lock the door behind it. That would be stuff like all that negative stuff heaped on you, all the hard and/or wrong attitudes you adopted so you could handle the pain, etc. “I’m not a whore, nor am I worthless…” is an example. As the scripture below illustrates, evidence witnesses for or against us. If it witnesses against you, there’s good news. This kind of evidence can be changed! The choice is up to you.

(Matthew 18:15-20) (ESV) “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Ah, the two scriptures below are where I got that thing about going back and getting the child. from. Don’t be afraid to be that small child before the LORD/Lord. Cry, scream, shout, write it out, do whatever you have to do, but get it out! I wrote a poem awhile back titled In Your Hands. “I crept into your hands, I wept in your hands, I slept in your hands, etc.” In God’s hands, with Him parenting you through you, you will be healed from the pain. But do remember that you are in a lifelong battle with the forces of darkness. Thank God that as we grow and mature in Christ Jesus, we’re getting big enough to take that devil on and get our victory! As someone said to me this morning, after my morning prayer: Praise the LORD/Lord!

(Mathew 19:13-15)Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away. (Matthew 18:1-3)

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