Today’s post addresses our backgrounds, or the foundations on which we’ve built our lives. Our childhood years are formative years in which we learn coping strategies, adopt attitudes (actually, I believe we inherit them until we’re old enough to get our own), and discover fear, anger, and hatred; negative emotions and actions.

(Matthew 15:1-20)  “So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.” Matthew 15:1-20 gives us a picture of a wrong foundation, and how the world of God-as well as the power of God in your life, can be twisted, and even destroyed by that family tradition. Hank Williams Jr. had a hit with the song, “Family Tradition.” When it comes to generational curses, that family tradition is not a hit.

(Matthew 7:24-27) “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” -When I looked back over my life, I saw how each failure, loss, and heartache was like a bucket of sand being added to my desert. I lived my life on shifting sand until I got serious about Jesus. Thankfully, there’s a way out of that sandbox.

(Matthew 16:9)  “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” There’s a powerful revelation in this scripture. What you believe/accept as normal in your heart (heaven), will become the norm in your life (earth) and vice versa. We can become accustomed to sin and sinning until it’s no big deal anymore. We need to be careful about setting standards and boundaries. (Matthew 18:22) Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” What Jesus is telling us here is that we have to do it -whatever it may be, until it comes naturally to us, like breathing. I’ll never forget one morning when I was sitting in the living room with my second cup of coffee, and realized that the bed was made, bedroom tidied up, breakfast dishes cleared away, and I didn’t even feel I’d exerted any effort. I can laugh now, but it was jaw-dropping awesome in that moment. LOL We have to be diligent and disciplined until it just flows naturally from within. See, this is how the foundation becomes one of solid rock.

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Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, August 24, 2022, 11:21 a.m.

(Matt. 13: 33) (ESV) He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”

Today’s post is a continuation of yesterday’s study on pulling it all together. The kingdom of Heaven has specific ways of thinking, specific standards that guide our choices, and specific ways of speaking, and of doing things. When we put these principles into practice, we elevate, or lift our attitudes and thoughts to attitudes and thoughts of possibility. We raise our standards and make better choices for ourselves. We speak life, or positive words, into whatever we’re dealing with or working on. We are diligent about doing what it takes to get whatever it is done, and done to the best of our ability. We discipline ourselves to elevate our life to peace, possibility, and power. That’s what leaven is; it lifts the ingredients so they all blend together to make something wonderful. (John 3:31) He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.

An example would be this: I can throw the covers toward the top end of the bed and call it good. I can kick the dirty clothes into the corner by the closet and call it good. I can put the dirty dishes into the sink without scraping them, and get them later, etc., etc., etc. That’s not excellence! That’s a set-up to fail and to fall-fall off the path and get all mixed up and lost, then, maybe fall into a depression and get buried under all that “good enough” stuff, and maybe even fall away from the LORD/Lord in the end. When we discipline ourselves to make the bed, put the dirty clothes in the laundry hamper, scrape the dishes and then put them in the sink, the dishwasher, we’re actually enforcing the standards and boundaries we’ve set. We’re rising (being elevated) above the temptation to slack off. That’s a statement to the “powers that be,” saying, “You’re not crossing this line!” When we do that, we’re reinforcing our victory over that chaos.

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Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, August 22, 2022, 12:06 p.m.

(Matt. 12:33-37) “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words* you will be condemned.” -When I read this, I think about when I quit smoking. I wasn’t a quitter, I was a non-smoker. The quitter was the bad tree trying to make the fruit good. The non-smoker was the good tree, and the fruit was good. See how much attitude effects your power? Jesus said, “all authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to me.” That’s a king! Satan doesn’t rule your world unless you let him. When that thought popped into my head that I should just start smoking again, and that would show my husband and children…, from my “throne”, I decided, and said it was the stupidest thing I’d ever heard! No, devil, you’re not putting that cigarette in my mouth again. The Bible tells us to put on Christ. (Romans 13:14) (Galatians 3:26-27) You have to get that in your heart; you reign-Satan doesn’t!

12:43-45) “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it 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. So also will it be with this evil generation.” – This is a warning to us that we need to be vigilant and nip those slips, trips, and such in the bud. As I said before, that unmade bed is just an unmade bed for a day or two. When it’s still unmade at the end of a week, we need to seek out the reason, and get ourselves back on track.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, August 21, 2022, 1:09 p.m.

(Matt. 8:18-22)  Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”  And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”  Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”  And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” -When we keep looking back and blaming people, things, or events from the past, we’re playing with dead things. This is why Jesus says, “Follow me.” (Rev. 21:5-6) Imagine yourself cooking a fabulous meal, and taking it to a graveyard for the folks buried there to taste and rate it for you. Not going to work real well, is it? Those old buddies and those old wounds are only going to keep pulling us back down, and keep us trapped in the past and all its misery.

(Matt. 9:1-8)  And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”  And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”  But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?  For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”  And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men. Notice that positive (your sins are forgiven) always empowers action (rise…). Always first see to it that your heart, mind, soul, are comforted and at peace. Then move on to whatever action needs to be taken.

(Matt.9:16-17)  No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.  Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.” Your heart, mind, and soul may be new, but if you do things the same old way, your skins (projects, assignments, etc.) won’t come to fruition at all, or, if they do, won’t be what they should be. Your efforts will be futile.

(Matt.9:27-30)  And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”  When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”  And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.”  -Believe He can; believe YOU can, because what you believe is what you will sow, and what you sow is what you will reap. If you believe you’ll fail, you will. It requires just as much effort to believe you can, as it does to believe you can’t.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, August 18, 2022, 12:16 p.m.

Today’s post addresses fear when the storms come. It’s taken from (Matthew 8:23-27) (ESV) When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was engulfed by the waves; but Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” “You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”

Everyday life is filled with storms. (John 16:33) When we’re trying to break old habits, trying to recover our lives from addiction, depression, divorce, etc., those storms can be whoppers. A few weeks ago we had one whopper of a storm with powerful winds and water coming down in torrents. You couldn’t see where you were going, the wind almost took you off your feet; and the temperature dropped enough to chill you a bit. It was interesting to see and hear people reacting to it all. Some seemed amazed, some annoyed, some laughed, and some just took it in stride. I’m one of those ones who laughed and took it in stride. I know God’s got me.

That’s what the story in Matthew 8:23-27 is about. Jesus, who is part of the Godhead, was right there in the boat with them. (Philippians 2:5-7) They forgot what/whom they had. God knows the end from the beginning; that’s why Jesus was asleep in the boat. It’s already been covered.

When we’re going through those storms in our lives, the most important thing we need to have is faith. (2Cor. 5:7) (Matt. 4:4) (Luke 4:4) This is why it’s crucial that we know the Word/word of God. It will rise up within and strengthen our faith during those storms. No matter what it looks like, remember what you’ve got. -And, nobody can take that from you. (Romans 8:38)

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Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, August 17, 2022, 11:15 a.m.

Today’s post comes from Matthew 7:11-27 (ESV) The three sets of scripture tell us what we need, and how we need to order our steps, to succeed in whatever we undertake. When we look at what the thing is, what it entails, what we need to do to reach that goal, etc., we’re asking the right questions. When we seek those things out (the training, education, equipment, etc.) that will get us there, we’re going after the right things. When we follow up and get that training, etc., we’re doing the right things. (Matthew 7:7-11) “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

The next scriptures give us an idea of how important focus is. The narrow gate allows for one or two to pass through. We need to narrow things down to facilitate focus and success. Example: taking classes for designing and business development and management at the same time may be too much to facilitate success in either area. It might be more beneficial to finish one set, and then go on to the other. (Matthew 7:12-14 ) “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

The last few scriptures tell us what can happen when we don’t keep things in the size and order to keep them manageable. This is true, not only in regard to big goals, but it’s true in regard to everyday life as well. (Matthew 7: 24-27) “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, August 16, 2022, 2:08 p.m.