I Was

I wrote this psalm last Sunday, after a day filled with Bible study. I thought I’d share.

Were you there at Calvary: when Jesus died to set us free? Whenever I get the victory, I was.

Were you there when He hung on the cross; separated from God to save us lost? The day I realized what that cost, I was.

Where you there when they laid Him in the tomb? When He went to Heaven to prepare a room for you and me? Whenever I look up and see there’s yet a horizon, I was.

Whenever I look into those eyes, and Jesus’ love dispels the lies I used to live, I remember everything the Beautiful One gave that day; and still gives today. I see myself on Calvary, in His Heart.

Were you there that day on Calvary, when His blood covered every sin conceived? Oh, when I think of Jesus love for me, I was.

Thank you Lord, for loving me.

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, February 28, 2021, 1:24 p.m./Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, March 6, 2021, 2:45 p.m.

Saturday Silly-March 6, 2021

Ah, yes…then there’s that mindfulness thing. In the Bible, it’s spoken of in 2 Cor. 10:5 -where we bring every thought into obedience to Christ Jesus. He is the embodiment of the Divine Nature, also known as God, the Father.

So, I was discussing this with a friend recently. I told her I’m really trying to stay mindful of my health; particularly, my diet. You know how the winter months cause all those pounds to stop dead in their tracks…right on your butt?! Yeah. She asked me what I’m doing to get back on track with it all. I said, “Well, for one thing, I run right past the cookies in the cookie aisle…yeah, because the Ding Dongs are a little further down the aisle; so I get a little more exercise. LOL

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Whoa! Who Opened That Door?!

I want to share something with you all. This goes back to being careful which gates and doors we open. And, no! I’m not crazy.

Last Summer, I was sleeping in my usual spot on the sidewalk, and awoke to find a man lying a short distance away from me. He seemed to be really high on something, and pretty out of it. He was barely conscious, I think. I closed my eyes but stayed awake. I looked over at him every few minutes to see if he was still breathing. He was. About the third or fourth time I looked over at him, there was a woman kneeling before him, and he seemed to be struggling to hold his head up. He was on his back and she was knelt almost between his knees. I sensed something very eerie, and said, “You have a snake on you.” (I cleaned that up a bit; I spoke to him in street language…I’m sure you can fill in the picture.) He looked at me, and let his head fall back onto the sidewalk. The woman looked at me, but didn’t move. A few more minutes went by, and I looked in the man’s direction again. This time, the woman was gone; but I still sensed an eerie presence. Then, I said, “Satan, the blood of Jesus stands against you, and you will not prevail. In the Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, I rebuke you. Let that man go!” I kid you not! This hideous, giant, lumbering thing stood up out of that man (he was still lying on the sidewalk), and walked across the street to the wall, sort of melting right into it. It was visible, but almost transparent. I’ve never experienced anything like that. The man was gone early the next morning, and I didn’t see him (the man on the sidewalk) again.

Within a few days, things began to happen. I was putting my bedroll down one evening, the wind came up suddenly, and a plastic grocery bag came flying at me. I sensed that same presence, but didn’t see the creature I’d seen before. I again plead the blood of Jesus and rebuked that plastic bag in Jesus’ Name, telling it, “be gone!” That bag fell to the ground and sort of scooted away across the street. One night, I was already in my bedroll, tarp covering me. I left the usual opening at the head, for air. The wind started blowing and gusting. Suddenly, a plastic grocery bag came rushing at my bedroll. I rebuked it again, and when I did, this blast of wind smacked my in the face, as if trying to push me. The plastic bag thing went on all during the Fall and Winter. It would come slinking around me, came rushing at me at times, and just really made a nuisance of itself. A few times, people back in the same area heard me rebuking that plastic bag, and I’ve heard some chortling over it. And, I have to admit, I’ve even laughed at myself – rebuking the hell (literally) out of a plastic bag?! What?! That’s okay; wait and see.

Thursday, Feb. 25th, as I was approaching my usual spot, a little styrofoam bowl came rushing around the corner and rolling along the curb quickly, and I swear that thing looked as if it had been waiting for me. There was also a plastic bag dancing around there. OMG! Two of them?! I rebuked that bag again, and told it to go over to the area just below the big billboard, “where you belong,” I said. It floated up over the top of the wall, dropped behind it for a moment, and then went right into the pile of debris and waste that was there along the fence. The bowl began to play a little game with me, coming closer, and rolling away when I rebuked it. This went on for a few minutes, and I rebuked it one more time, then turned back to getting my things unpacked. I was just about to start putting my bedroll down, when I felt that presence. I turned around, and there was that bowl, right behind me, just off the curb. I said, “Oh, yeah?!” I stopped what I was doing, and began to kick the bowl across the street. When I got it to the little meridian strip there, I kicked it off the curb of it. That little bowl came up off the street, then landed back down on it, and rolled toward that corner where the bag was, at top speed. It jumped the curb there, and there it stayed. I knew that thing/spirit was on the bowl, and that bag was a lesser power, but they were definitely on the same team. Friday night, (actually, very early Saturday morning) I was on the bus, on Charleston, headed East. The bus was side-swiped by an automobile. Thankfully, nobody was hurt; but let me tell you what came floating into the intersection out of nowhere. You guessed it; a plastic grocery bag. This time, it was a black plastic bag. It kind of dipped a little in the intersection and seemed to slow down, floating past. I rebuked it in Jesus’ Name! It fell slowly to the ground and went scooting toward a house on the other side of the intersection, where it disappeared from view. I got off the bus a short time later with two other passengers. As I was waiting for an answer regarding the next scheduled bus and where I would have to catch it, that bag came slinking up to where we were. (closer to the bus) It stopped, and just sort of hovered close to the ground there for a few minutes. One of the supervisors gave me the information about the next bus. The bag was gone when we finished talking and I looked over toward where it had been.

Are you ready? Sunday morning, I was just waking up, and I felt that presence again. Suddenly, I was speaking in a tongue, in the Holy Spirit. Then, I rebuked that thing again, and commanded it to leave in Jesus’ Name. That thing is gone. I believe it was that thing I cast out of that man last Summer; perhaps not wanting to be visible, it attached itself to those bags, and to that little bowl. I’m pretty sure it came to see if I’d been harmed in that accident on Charleston. Praise God! It’s been quiet behind the Rescue Mission since Sunday morning.

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More About Those Gates & Doors

(Proverbs 24:7-8) “Lift up your heads, O gates! Be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter! Who is this King of Glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

I’ve studied many different texts, ranging from Bhagavad Gita to Confucious, I Ching, Tao Te ching, Confucious, and some Jewish texts. Of course, we have the law given to Moses, and we have the Prophets, Psalms, and Proverbs in our Bible. There are some books in the Catholic Bible, that are not in our standard Bibles, but are quite enlightening. They are called the deuterocanonical books. They are: Baruch, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Sirach, Tobit and Wisdom. Do you think these all could be ancient gates and doors to God’s law, love, and wisdom? The Vedic religion of India is said to be the oldest, with Hinduism right behind. (The Vedics believed in ONE supreme Being/One God.) Judaism and Christianity come shortly after these other religions. I’ve found so many similarities in their texts, core beliefs, and wisdom, encouragements, etc. Jesus said, “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (John 10:16) There’s an ancient door. We (Judaism and Christianity) are not the only ones who Jesus reached, and reaches out to. I found so much encouragement and peace when I read Confucious’ teachings. (Proverbs 4:7) tells us: “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. How else do you get insight to other spiritual beliefs than by getting knowledge of them? Understanding, or insight, empowers peace among men.

In terms of generational curses, those ancient gates and doors represent the futility of dysfunctional living. When we let the King of glory in, he drives all those unclean things out. Then, He gives us new attitudes, thoughts, ways. It’s that simple. No, it’s not easy, but with discipline, and insight, and patience, we will overcome. This is where some of those teachings from I Ching, Confucious, Tao Te Ching, and Wisdom gave me an extra boost. Of course, the Bible is still the base that we build our houses on. One of the beliefs of Buddhism is that there are many planes of existence. In our Bible, we read that as we grow in Christ Jesus, we go from strength to strength and glory to glory. Did you overcome that cigarette habit yesterday? Then you’re at a new level of strength and glory today, aren’t you? Yeah…a new plane of existence.

I’ve got so many scriptural references to this lesson, I’m just going to list them. You can contact me if you have any questions; use the comment section. John 14:6, Matt. 7:12, Luke 3:23-30, Luke 11:37,-53, Luke 12:1-7, Matt. 17:9-13, Jeremiah 15:19, Matt. 21:43, Matt 12:33, Jeremiah 17:5-10, John 8:58, John 10:31, John 3:31, Luke 24:45

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Be Careful Which Ones You Open

Today’s message comes to us from Psalms and Proverbs 24. Psalm 24:1 reminds us that everything, everyone, on Earth, and the Earth itself, belongs to the LORD/Lord. Verses 3-6 tell us how we get to ascend the hill of the LORD and stand in His Holy place. We must be a generation that seeks the LORD/Lord. Jesus said, “Seek, and you will find.” (Matt. 7:7)

Verses 7 & 9 of the Psalm caught my attention. Gates provide access to a place. Doors provide access throughout, to what’s within the place. Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions…I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2) Now think about preparing a place for your loved ones; your children, mates, other family members. Do you make that place safe, comfortable, and conducive to peace, emotional well-being, learning, and growth? Say, “Yes, yes, I do.” LOL Okay, now think about the spiritual realm. We all know that there are powers, principalities, and spiritual hosts of wickedness. (Eph. 6:12) These are those that we struggle against. Are you getting the picture? How many open gates, or open doors are there in your home? (1 Cor. 10:13) tells us that God provides a way of escape for us when we are tempted. Where there’s a way in, there’s a way out, right? This works vice versa. Where there’s a way out, there’s a way in. Think about things like the occult, witchcraft, fantasy movies about angels and/or demons, etc. Do you know that you’re opening a gate and a door through these? -Note, I said, “you are,” not “you may be.” Our adversary, the devil, prowls like a lion, seeking whom he can devour. (1 Peter 5:8) We’re admonished in that same passage of scripture to be sober minded and watchful.

Proverbs 24 ties right in with the Psalm. Verses 1 & 2 – “Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them, for their hearts devise violence, and their lips talk of trouble.” I don’t know about you, but I never had that problem. I do not envy a single one of them. Verses 3-6 of the Proverb tell us how to secure the house. I like Verses 5 &6 especially: “A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.” Notice that wisdom increases strength (spiritual), and that waging war is spoken of. We war not against flesh and blood…(Eph. 6:12) Verses 10-12 address the day of adversity, others who are perishing, and God being aware of what we do, or do not do for them. We are commissioned by our Lord, to preach the Gospel to the ends of the Earth. God is not willing that any should perish. Have you thought about the fact that the devil doesn’t take a day off? LOL See, he’s a workaholic. That means that every day is the day of adversity, spiritually. But we need not fear. In fact, we’re commanded to take heart/be courageous. Verse 14 tells us to live wisely so that we may live tomorrow. The rest of the proverb reminds us that the worse things get, the worse the wickedness will get. That works the other way around too. That’s why we have to be careful not to open those doors to evil. We’re admonished not to worry, or fret ourselves over the darkness, but to keep our eyes on the LORD/Lord.

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It’s The Still Small Voice

Today’s message comes to us from Psalms and Proverbs 23. Psalms 23 is one of the absolute very best affirmations and assurance of God’s love and protection over us, that you can speak into your spirit. Just try it every morning for a week; you’ll see. The revelations of the power of that still small voice, and a quiet, peaceful atmosphere are awesome. They really empower progress when we’re dealing with our children, mates, and ourselves when we’re overcoming generational curses and their dysfunctional mindsets. Really, this is awesome when we’re dealing with others; period.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. –I have nothing lacking within. He makes me lie down in green pastures. – Hi mercies are new each morning. So are His peace, joy, protection, and power; His love. He leads me beside still waters. – Here’s that still, small voice. No distractions, no fear, no overwhelming amounts of information; it’s tailored to your readiness and ability to understand. He restores my soul. – All fear is gone; I am still loved -honored and precious in His sight. My spirit is strengthened and empowered to desire to grow and progress. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. – He deals with me, teaches me, and admonishes me according to the standard(s) and boundaries set to empower my life. Is that awesome?! When we deal with ourselves and our children, other loved ones, etc. in this way, there is less confusion, more peace, and much more joy. Verses 4 & 5 tell us that we can let go of all fear, because God prepares a table for us in the very presence of our enemies, and anoints our heads with oil until our cup overflows. That table is filled with the choicest morsels; God’s Word. That Word is our weapon. We have the mind of Christ. And, remember those rivers of living water Jesus promised us? And the oil is the Holy Spirit, Himself. He is our counselor, comforter, guide, and then some! Verse 6 sums up the whole psalm. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. God’s goodness and God’s mercy is at work in our daily lives. Just pay attention; you’ll realize those moments He stepped in and saved the day. And, if you look around, even just as you’re leaving your house, open the eyes of your heart, you’ll see His goodness everywhere.

Proverbs 23 is filled with wisdom for living. Verses 10-12 send a powerful message. Do not move an ancient landmark
or enter the fields of the fatherless, for their Redeemer is strong; he will plead their cause against you. -Don’t mess with the standards and boundaries! Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge. This is an admonition to check yourself when you’re tempted to “relax the rules.” Many a generational curse came on because the next generation defied the standards and boundaries set by the previous one. We need to make sure that we make informed choices. Remember Paul’s words: All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. God put those things in place to protect us. And, so did our parents, and their parents, and theirs before them. The rest of the Proverb is an admonition encouraging us to respect parents, and to learn from them and from God. This is what empowers us to live better lives.

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Out Of The Mouth Of Babes…

“You have ordained praise.” (Psalm 22:3, Psalm 8:2, Matt. 21:16) Psalm 22:3 reads: “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” Psalm 22 begins with, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me, why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?”

When I think about my own life, I have to take the comma out of there. “Why are you so far from saving me from the words of my groaning?” There; that’s the truth. That all makes me think of Jesus’ words: “Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:17) The groaning only feeds the devil. The praises hurt his ears! Every time; praise God every time! And, yes, there have been times when I had to ask God to help me stop groaning and just grow me up!

Psalm 22 is actually a picture of Jesus hanging on the cross at Calvary. It’s also a picture of us in this world. Don’t expect friendship from the world. Jesus told us that the world will hate us because it hates him. However, God has us from the moment of conception, in our mother’s womb. Verses 22-31, again, is that recounting of God’s love, His power, His peace, His purpose, and His plan for us. I had a friend who had a bumper sticker that read: “Question reality.” Children don’t really question us, do they? They trust that we’ve got their best interests at heart; and they’re almost always so eager to learn from us. -until they’re 13 and know everything, and we now know nothing…LOL We need to do the same when it comes to the LORD/Lord. We need to trust Him. When you’re being assaulted by evil, losing your strength, and feel as if you’re unable to answer back, it becomes painful to walk uprightly, or to stand firm. Believe me, it’s designed that way by the forces of evil. They want you to lose your conviction, your courage, compassion, commitment, your course, and your control -because they want to destroy your divine character. Hold on to those truths in verses 22-31. This is how Jesus got from Gethsemane to Calvary, and on to the tomb and His resurrection. He stayed focused on God’s Word and God’s Will. He held fast to every truth He knew about God. He’s the one who said the truth will make you free. It freed Him from all that the forces of evil were trying to do to stop Him from destroying that curse, and saving mankind from eternal damnation. We deal with tiny ordeals compared to Jesus. But we have the same promises. We have to do it the same way He did. You can bet on the fact that evil will assault you like nobody’s business as soon as you get to doing something for God. We can win against evil by learning to recognize their tactics, and by standing firmly on God’s Word, His Will for us, and His Love for us. This is so important in a world that’s getting darker and darker.

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God’s Salvation Grows In Us

Today’s message comes to us from Psalms and Proverbs 21. “O LORD, the king rejoices in Your strength. How greatly he exults in Your salvation! You have granted his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah For You welcomed him with rich blessings; You placed on his head a crown of pure gold. He asked You for life, and You granted it—length of days, forever and ever. Great is his glory in Your salvation; You bestow on him splendor and majesty. For You grant him blessings forever; You cheer him with joy in Your presence. For the king trusts in the LORD; through the loving devotion of the Most High, he will not be shaken.” Psalms 21:1-7(BSB) WOW!!!!! Can you wrap your heart and mind around that one?! We can exult in our salvation because God, from the moment we give our hearts over to him, welcomes us as His children. Just like the father welcomed his prodigal son in (Luke 15:11-32), God welcomes us with joy and celebration when we repent and accept Jesus’ gift of salvation. (Luke 15:7)

I like what I read in verse 8 of the Psalm. Because of God’s loving devotion to us, we will not be shaken! That’s a two-fold revelation about how we need to deal with our children; and how we need to treat ourselves. Love yourself better than that! (self bashing, defeatist attitudes, words like “can’t”, etc.) Setting your expectations too high is also not loving to your child, or to yourself. We have a tendency quite often, to want to complete the whole journey in one step. Then we get overwhelmed, confused, and defeated within. This makes me think of the song they sang, in Santa Claus is Coming to Town, about putting one foot in front of the other. Then, just watch what God can do with you!

Proverbs 21:1-8 are all about keeping our heart right before the LORD/Lord. Verse 4 warns us that haughty eyes and a proud heart are sin. they are the lamp of the wicked. Jesus warned us of the same thing in (Matthew 6:22-23) “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” In this passage, I believe Jesus is talking about our understanding, and conviction; referring to them as our eyes. Verse 22 is an admonition to tear down the strongholds that keep us from living effective lives. This goes with (2 Cor. 10:5) “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Strongholds are false beliefs, attitudes, excuses, and denial. We have to root these out, and cast them out first and foremost. We have to do it every time they rear their heads. We can stay on top of this by giving thought to our ways, and by staying disciplined to stay on track, and get back on track, every day, every time. As we do this, God’s salvation grows in us.

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Saturday Silly-February 27, 2021

February is American Heart month, Spunky Old Broads month, Creative Romance month, and Canned Food month…so, The old hobo was head over heels in love with the little old lady that pushed her cart past him on the sidewalk every day. He decided he would invite her to share a meal with him one evening. She accepted his invitation. That old hobo was a romantic, and he decided he would recreate the scene from Lady and the Tramp-(one of my favorite Disney movies). He served up a can of spaghetti and meatballs, a couple of almost stale rolls, and a small bottle of red wine. The two of them sat by the fire enjoying their meal. He saved the last bite from his plate, and offered it to the lady. She, being a spunky little old thing, put one end of a noodle into her mouth, and offered him the other end.(She wasn’t born yesterday, you know; she knew what was up.) Just as their lips touched, the cell-phone in the hobo’s shirt pocket started beeping. The little old lady grabbed her chest and shouted, “Oh, my God, don’t take me now! I think I’ve found the love of my life!” The old hobo, quickly took the cell phone from his pocket and shut it off. “I’m sorry,” said he. “I forgot to shut off the alarm. It’s to remind me to take my heart pill.” “Oh, thank God,” replied the little old lady. “I thought it was my heart monitor going off and warning me of an oncoming heart attack!” Doggone it! I really love spaghetti too! I’m going to have to ask my cardiologist about that one. LOL Ha! I’m a spunky old broad too, you know!

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And, Father, Please Pierce Mine

Today’s message comes from Psalms and Proverbs 20. The first five verses of Psalm 20 are King David’s blessing spoken over us. Isn’t it absolutely awesome that thousands of years later, it covers us?! Wow! Verse 6 points us to Jesus, who is seated at the right hand of God. The Name above all names has NEVER, EVER, failed me! Hallelujah! Verses 7 &8 confirm that. We are assured that we will rise up and stand firm.

That brings us to Proverbs 20. There are a couple of verses in this that stand out for me. First, there’s verse 7: “The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!” Your integrity and commitment to live righteously bless your children. That’s the next generation! And, of course, if they do the same, the generation after them is blessed as well.

Here’s the one that really stands out for me: “Blows that wound cleanse away evil;
strokes make clean the innermost parts.” – Verse 30 This speaks to me of discipline with the right purpose, rather than aimless discipline, or disciplining in anger. When God disciplines us, it is with the intent of cleansing our hearts of evil, and filling them with peace, truth, and power to overcome evil. Jeremiah 4:3 comes to mind when I think of this. “Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns.” The ground (your heart) must be ready to accept the seeds God will plant in it. Remember Jesus’ parable of the sower? Piercing our hearts is how God prepares us to receive, or understand, the truth about our sin, ourselves, our salvation. He is the God of salvation, not the God of damnation. Discipline is always done with the intent of reminding us who and whose we are, what the standard(s) are, and what the boundaries are. This empowers us to correct ourselves and overcome the sin. Discipline involves 1. Reminding us 2. Reconciling us 3. Recovering our Righteousness/right standing. This works not only with our children, but with ourselves. When we focus on these three things, in terms of dealing with and overcoming generational curses and dysfunction, we are aiming our sword thrusts and our arrows with purpose and power.

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