Get Up And Keep Going

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 60. It causes me to think about back-sliding, and then running in the wrong direction. “Oh, God…you’ve made my sinfulness so HARD for me to enjoy!” LOL That’s the theme of the first few verses. Then, there’s the realization that God is in charge, God has decreed, and God will accomplish His purpose(s) for you! He’s not about to let the enemy prevail against you after everything you and He have been through together.

In verse 11, we realize that we cannot save ourselves. And verse 12 brings the truth: “With God we will perform with valor, and He will trample our enemies.” I’m reading from the Berean Study Bible, by the way. God will literally trample your enemies (fear, doubt, weakness, anger, everything that would hinder you.) You just have to pick up where you left off and get right back to it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found myself in this position. I can’t tell you how many times I went back to the Word of God, and back to the Word of God, and back some more, trying to find the way to get through something (back on track, etc.), and stay through with it! Sometimes I would write it down, and put it where I could see it daily-first thing in the morning. The enemy will always try to dissuade you by convincing you that you can’t go back. Satan is a liar! Get right back up, and go right back to the LORD/Lord and His way! Keep going; this isn’t a spring, it’s a marathon. I don’t know why, but I just thought of Forrest Gump. Remember when he started running and running…and then one day, Forrest was done. That’s kind of a picture of what this life is, isn’t it?

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Let Him Encamp Around You

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 53. It was written by King David. I have to wonder if it didn’t come to him the way it comes to all of us; after the fact. You know, you’re going through the storm, waves coming over the edge of the boat, wind tearing the sails apart…JESUS where are you?!!!!! All of a sudden, it’s over, and you don’t know how. And, here you are, still in one piece, still breathing, and the enemy is seen in the distance…limping away with his tail tucked between his legs. Praise God! That’s when it hits you: “O you of little faith…” And you realize just how awesome God is; how fiercely protective of you He is, and how swiftly and silently He can get the job done. He’s the original stealth bomber. LOL

As I read the psalm, I couldn’t help but look to time ahead, when there will be only a remnant left to deal with the evil. That remnant will be those who perhaps heard the gospel and came to believe when the church disappeared into thin air. As I think about that time to come, and the present darkness we live in now, I’m inclined to bow my head and pray even harder for those who will be left here. I’m also finding myself so very grateful for those who taught me about Jesus; from my grandmother, to the Sunday school teachers, Summer Bible Camp teachers, pastors, etc., and most of all, Jesus, Himself. Just think, if He hadn’t come and talked to us…If He’d only come and died for us…what we would be missing in terms of love, peace, power, and joy.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Strengthen Me For Them, Lord

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 51, and it’s a psalm King David wrote after the prophet Nathan came to him about his adultery with Bathsheba.

Verse 1 is David’s plea: “Have mercy on me according to your steadfast love, and your abundant mercy.” Blot out my transgressions. In terms of generational curses and life recovery, this is so crucial. Discipline coming from anger, frustration, even hatred, or self-loathing, is never, ever, effective. it’s destructive. Love builds up, these others tear down and tear apart. Love is merciful, and remembers the weakness and frailty of the soul. that’s why the first thing we do is make sure the person is alright, and assure him/her, reassure him/her that the world is not about to end. We need to do that with ourselves, our own souls, as well. Blotting out the transgressions is the act of not counting them against a person. (“This is the fifteenth time…,” “All you do is cause trouble and make messes…”) No, we wash that one from his/her iniquity (attitude about sin) through that reassurance and mercy. We cleanse that one from his/her sin by discovering the truth about the sin (motivation, what really happened, and how we can correct it). Verse 6 confirms that for us: “Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. (ESV)

Verse 7 brings us a revelation: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” I looked up Hyssop. {In the Old Testament hyssop was used to sprinkle blood as part of the Jewish Passover. Hyssop was mentioned in the Bible for its cleansing effect in connection with plague, leprosy and chest ailments and symbolically in cleansing the soul.- (arborgate.com) The word plague, when used as a verb, means to cause continual trouble or distress to. Does sin do that to us? -Yes, and to others in our lives, right? When I looked up leprosy, I found some symptoms that are common in sin and iniquity too: Symptoms include light colored or red skin patches with reduced sensation, numbness and weakness in hands and feet. (Mayo Clinic) I’ve spoken before about Jesus’ hands and feet being pierced by the nails. When you’re mind is hedged in (iniquity) your hands usually don’t achieve much-or not as much as you could. Your feet don’t get you nearly as far as you could go, and where they do lead you often, is into more sin. Those chest aliments can kill you. When it’s hard to breathe, it’s hard to live.

Verses 10-12 are the most important ones in this psalm. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. When we deal with our loved ones, and ourselves in the admonition of the LORD/Lord, we are creating a clean heart, renewing a right, or steadfast spirit. The presence of a loved one is a powerful weapon; especially in troubled times. The memory of that one brings that power back to us. The Holy Spirit is ever present with us, and counsels, guides, comforts, encourages, and builds us up. In Verse 13 David tells us why that’s important: “Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.” We want those loved ones to come to us for help, rather than end up in the wrong hands with the wrong people.

Finally, in verse 17 we learn the importance of being ready and able to receive that correction and instruction. (Matthew 13:4-9) I remember well how many times I turned around and did the exact same thing I’d done the last time…and regretted it…until I finally regretted it enough to actually want to receive the truth, correction, and instruction…and make the needed changes! Thank you. Lord, for your fathomless mercy, grace, and patience!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Making Straight The Path

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 50. It is God calling us out; God calling us to account. There’s a good checklist within, from verses 14-20.

We’re told to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform our vows to the Most High. This brings Jesus’ words home so powerfully to me. “Go first, and learn what this means: I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” I learned something about blessing my enemies, and especially those who bait, curse, and persecute us. That thanksgiving sacrifice helps me refocus on my Savior, and what’s important to Him. I believe when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, all the Words in the Bible become “law” to us; or they should, anyway. 2Timothy 3:16 tells us this. I’m thinking of my dad whenever he would say, “What your mom says is law.” So, when we set out to do the will of God in all things, we’re essentially, taking, or making, a vow. We’ve made a vow to obey His Word.

As I read the psalm, I am convicted. There’s hope, though. Praise God! Verse 23 tells us: “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!” As we thank God, we’re glorifying Him, which brings us closer to Him, creating a stronger desire to please Him. This really pleases Him, and sets that salvation in motion. We’re shown the error, the thorn, whatever it may be. We’re guided by the Spirit to correct ourselves and remedy the problem. The path is once again made straight.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

How Beautiful On That Mountain

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 48. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised! Verses 1-3 of the psalm God’s holy mountain, beautiful in loftiness is mentioned. Mount Zion, the city of the Great King is referred to. *In the Hebrew Bible, the Land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem are both referred to as Zion. Other religions use the word Zion to mean “utopia” or “holy place.”*

God’s Holy Place, the Holy of Holies, is where we, through Jesus, have access to the Father. He is a priest and King after the order of Melchizadek. Melchizedek means King of righteousness, and King of Salem means King of peace. (Hebrews 7:25-26) That place is where the presence of God is, and we truly do come away beautiful in loftiness from there-every time we enter in. In speaking of far north, we have to look up and down-seeing Heaven as far North, and hell as South. (Spiritual realms) *two (temporal and spiritual) realms-one being a shadow of the other. Heaven is the fortress there, that we can boldly access when we need to. (Ephesians 3:12) Verses 4-8 give us an idea of what happens when those kings (powers and principalities, and hosts of spiritual wickedness) see us up there. (Eph. 6:12), (Luke 10:19-20) Verse 9 bids us to contemplate God’s steadfast love within the temple. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Just this verse will change your whole life if you let it. Verses 12-14 will make you leap for joy. “March around Zion, encircle her, count her towers, consider her ramparts, tour her citadels, that you may tell the next generation. For this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even till death.” *another version says “He will be our guide beyond death/guide us beyond death. (ESV) A citadel is a fortress that commands. A rampart is a protective barrier. One of the definitions of tower is to rise or reach a great height. There are places in the Bible where, I believe, Zion refers to the children of God. So, whenever we spend time in the presence of God, and as often as we study and walk according to His Word, we are growing into exactly that kind of “city.” (Matt. 5:14) Now are you getting a picture of awesome YOU?! Hallelujah! And we’re to tell the next generation, “This is God!” “This is what God has done, and is doing in my life and yours!” When we do this, we’re not only being obedient, but we’re sowing seeds of hope, fearlessness, and boldness toward God, and about the things of God. Just think-if our children could feel such joy and peace, and grow like that whenever they enter our presence…The world might be changed tremendously overnight.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

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.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful break…I know I did. Sometimes, you don’t realize how much you need a break until you get one. At any rate, Inspirations is back for another year; God willing.

I’ve been studying Psalms and Proverbs during my generational curses study. I thought I’d share some of what I’ve learned from them. The Bible is filled with stories of good kings who were followed by bad ones, and vice versa. Generational curses can affect anyone of us at any time, because we’re all under the original curse brought by Adam and Eve. I’m actually studying, and learning about parenting according to the admonition of the LORD/Lord.

We don’t really think much about it, but God is the absolute best parent anybody can have. When I began to deal with my issues according to God’s Word, I became able to actually make the right changes. I’m going to start with Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1.

Psalms 1:1-3 tells us: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”

Sometimes the counsel of the wicked is the things we learned and habits we adopted in our own families, growing up. If you had parents who were alcoholics, drug addicts, or perhaps suffered from depression or some other mental illness, you probably were exposed to “counsel of the wicked,” to sin and maybe even scoffing-if you’re parents were non-believers and maybe hostile to Christianity. The key phrase in this scripture is: “his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” This is what keeps us on the right paths, what teaches us the right ways, and what shows us when we’re going wrong. The promise is that we will prosper, or have success, in everything we do.

In Proverbs 1:1-7, we get the reason why we want to study God’s Word, and learn from Him, how to raise our children. When you grow up wounded within, you need to be the parent to that wounded child, and allow God to raise you up. That means you deal with the child within, the way God does; in the admonition of the LORD/Lord. The first thing I did was to study 1 Corinthians 13 – Love is…because God is love. I think this fits the message perfectly. Thank you, Chris Tomlin, for this beautiful song.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

The Great Commission

I hope you’ll read today’s message from God Calling at twolisteners.org If you don’t know the Lord, your finding this page is not accidental. I pray that you come to know Jesus Christ, the Lord. I would not even be alive today, were it not for Jesus! Just ask Him to come into your heart and make you His. Then get a Bible, read some of the messages at twolisteners.org, and find some Christian fellowship. God loves you; and so do we!

Thank you, David Crowder, for this beautiful song! It brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Not By Might, By His Power

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that Jesus’ miracle working power is very much present with us today. We are encouraged to remember that when we trust Him completely, and leave the timing to Him, whatever the need may be, will be met.

When I read this message, I think about working so hard to make things happen. I didn’t realize back then that I was taking the reigns out of Jesus’ hands in doing that. The Bible tells us that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. That’s a good reminder to me that I need to let up and just let go; especially when things don’t look like they’re going anywhere.

Looks can be deceiving, and trust me, I learned this some time ago: Jesus is always working. As a matter of fact, He already worked whatever that need is out-a long time ago. What He’s working on now, in regard to that need, is you. He’s working on your heart, your perseverance, your faith, and your determination to keep your joy.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Believe, And You Will See

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that Jesus is always with us. We are encouraged to seek Him daily. But, we’re reminded that the joy of His Presence is not realized through our efforts. Rather, it is like Jesus said, “Blessed are those who believe and have not seen.”

In a recent Bible study discussion, I said that a lot of people don’t realize that when we pick up the Bible, we are taking Jesus by the hand; literally. He is the Word of God, made flesh. Jesus is a real person. We’re encouraged by the message to speak His Name often. We’re also reminded that He really doesn’t need any summoning. Rather, we need to become and remain aware of His Presence with us. Jesus said, “Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you. Ask, and you will receive.” By this, we can be sure that when we open our hearts to Him, and set our hearts on Him, we will see Him. Of course, that seeing is actually realizing His Presence with us, and in most everything around us. As I wrote this post, I thought of the song, “Something about that Name.” I hope it helps you to realize His Presence there with you, as it does me every time I hear it or sing it. Thank you, Gaither Family.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu