Living Higher Here on Earth

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we can live a Heaven life right here on Earth. It is what Jesus came to empower us to do. (John 10:10) “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

This causes me to question how much I might be missing in my life. Doesn’t it you? I started looking at things I’d lost, things that died-dreams, relationships, hopes? Then, i took a hard look at destruction in my life. What destructive habits did/do I have? Are there destructive relationships in my life? Do I live or enter into destructive situations/circumstances/events? No, maam/sir, you may not blame someone else for all the destruction in your life. Self sabotage is one of the biggest destroyers you’ll ever have to deal with.

John 3:16 tells us: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This is not only life after physical death here on Earth. It’s also a promise that we will always have life to bring to any adversity, any situation, circumstance, event, place, time, person, heart, and soul. John 7:38 – “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

To achieve this kind of life, we must look up. We must set our sights higher; be higher minded. We must think more highly of ourselves. We must cultivate an attitude of worthiness, rather than one of unworthiness. And we must seek that which builds up, lifts spirit, creates beauty, peace, and joy. Philippians 4:8 – “whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Again, we are bid to spend more time with the Lord. The more intimately we get to know Him, the more clearly we see His heart, His cause, His power and authority, and His compassion, grace, and joy. We see the life force within Him and within ourselves; and when we do that, we begin to step up to the next level to live a little higher. We don’t have to wait to get to Heaven to be happy and at peace.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, March 7, 2019, 12:35 p.m.

Surprise, Surprise…

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that the Lord loves to surprise us. He is, speaking from my personal experience, full of surprises.

Psalm 35:27 is referenced: “May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.” I left verse 26 in because when I think about the Lord’s surprises, I am reminded of how many times I’ve been surprised by the way things finally worked out, after more than a few failures. I think about how many times I tried to quit smoking and how, after a prayer on a Sunday morning, I was suddenly free of that monkey on my back. I was vindicated! We all know who delights in our failures, don’t we? Yes, and some of us have people who delight in our failures, as well. Anyway, I have learned that God not only loves to surprise me, but He has sense of humor about it, too. I never know just what to expect. But I know I can expect it to be good. This song comes to mind when I read today’s message.

Manifesting Holiness

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that the cure for all ills and woes is spending time in God’s Presence. The message goes hand in hand with yesterday’s message about becoming more like the Lord.

There’s a statement made in the message, that God does not impute evil to His people, and always sees the good in a person. That doesn’t mean, the message assures us, that He isn’t aware of the evil in the world, or of the sins of a person. Habbakuk 1:13 puts it like this: “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. ”

When I thought about this, I thought about raising my children. I really strove to make a point of catching them doing good, and of praising them and thanking them when they were helpful and were “being good.” This, I believe with all my heart, shows them the good within them and that it is within their power to do good. This, is much more along the lines of building them up rather than tearing them down. And when we discipline with the Lord’s rod of reproof, admonishing them in the love of the Lord, we are teaching them truth. -“Reproving” to them that they are precious and honored; honorable beings, with power to do right.

When we strive to see the good and address the good in someone, we are doing the same thing. We are reflecting to them the good within them, and reaffirming their power to do good, and to be better than what they are, or what they were. The same happens with ourselves when we discipline ourselves to seek the better way, to be better than we are entertaining thoughts to be. Aha, that is the Holy Spirit’s doing. He whispers those admonitions into our hearts during those times. We just often don’t listen; until we learn that it is better to obey those whispers. As we cultivate a habit of seeking out and addressing the good within someone, and bringing that to their awareness, or being aware-staying aware of that within ourselves, we begin to manifest holiness. We manifest holiness within ourselves, and we manifest holiness in the other person. Yes, a seed is planted. We may never see it come to fruition here on Earth, but it is a seed sown. Holiness is not just righteousness as if it was something of it’s own. It is the courage and power to live in authority over the weakness of the flesh, the darkness of the world, and confusion that surrounds mankind in the world today. In today’s busy world, it means we sometimes need to take just a minute to refocus and re-balance ourselves when we encounter someone, so that we are prepared to seek, find, and reaffirm the good-the God image and likeness in him or her.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, March 2, 2019, 10:35 a.m.

Saturday Silly – March 2, 2019

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March 2nd is “Old Stuff Day.” Just yesterday, I was discussing aging with someone. I told him, he’s not getting old; he’s just getting older. There’s a difference. That’s my attitude, anyway. I’m going to laugh as I look aging right in the face! Anyway, in celebration of getting older, and Old Stuff Day, I’ve posted this little cartoon I found.

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I love being an older young lady. I love it, I love it! Photo/cartoon is courtesy of Freaky Club.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Perfecting One’s Work

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to spend more time alone with the Lord. In doing so, we absorb His perfected love for us, and in turn, perfect our inner lives.

As the inner life is perfected in love, the outer life manifests perfection in our walk with the Lord, and in all our working for Him. Actually, perfected love within translates to perfected works outside, regardless of what that work may be. Love, especially perfected love flowing out from within manifests the peace, confidence, passion, and power of the soul that is filled with that perfected love. These perfected works also serve to feed the love within that soul, strengthening faith, peace, joy, and power.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, February 27, 2019, 4:18 p.m.

Silent Witness

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we will not always hear God’s voice the way we think we should, or the way we expect to; with the ear. We are bid to seek the silent spirit understanding of His Presence.

As the years go by, that silent commune with the Lord pervades my days more and more. I hear Him in the songs of the birds, I feel his touch in the warmth of the sun, or the gentle morning breezes. His peace settles on me as I’m crocheting, or reading my Bible. Even as I’m washing dishes or cleaning house-for the moment my little tarp and camp spot, I feel His peace and joy rise up within. It’s an awesome thing to experience. I found that when I make time to take time alone seeking His Presence, I find more and more of His Presence already right there with me.

Someone once said, “To hear well, sometimes one must close they eyes.” That translates to walking by faith, and not by sight. To hear and know our God intimately, we must shut out the noises and the sights we’re so accustomed to. We must listen from within, with our spiritual ears. We must look at the world around us from within, as well. When we look from the soul, perception is much deeper, clearer, more powerful. Cultivating this habit brings us to that pervasiveness of God’s presence in our daily living. That makes everything more peaceful, more joyful, and more powerful.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, February 26, 2019, 12:34 p.m.

Not Missing A Thing!

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that lack on the outside is due to lack of something on the inside. Shalom comes from the Hebrew root word, “Shalam,” which means completeness, wholeness-and not just wholeness, but wholeness to overflowing, encouraging one to share, or give back. You can learn more about it at http://firm.org.il which is where I got the information from.

As I read the message, and the true meaning of Shalom, I thought of Jesus’ words, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38) Whenever we give, whatever we give, and however we give, are seeds that we sow, and the Bible tells us that we reap what we sow. (Galatians 6:7 & 8) When we give materially, the material thing is not the seed that is sown. What is sown is sown to the Spirit, and to the spirit of that person, and to our own spirit. What is sown is the love of God, His mercy, His grace, and His peace coming through us. These seeds are those that increase and strengthen faith in others, and within us.

Finally, we prosper as our souls prosper. (3John 1:2) So, when we lack something outwardly, it is because of lack within. One might lack skills to obtain a certain job. One might lack the confidence to try something. One might lack the feeling of being loved and accepted just as they are, and that’s how the void within ends up being filled up with despair, hopelessness, self-loathing, etc. When we receive the reality of the divinity within us, within each human being, we can begin to detect what’s lacking, and take steps to fill those voids with the right things. Things like encouragement, positive affirmations and declarations over someone, words of comfort and caring instead of accusation, degradation, and doubt. The more we stop the lack that’s within, the less lack we will see outwardly-in behavior, in attitude, in aptitude, and in personal altitude.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, February 25, 2019, 12:59 p.m.

Conquering Through Joy

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that it is in and by the Name of Jesus that we are conquerors. The message bids us to meet every difficulty with joy and love, because there’s nothing that cannot be accomplished with them.

There’s a statement: “Set your standard very high. Aim at conquering a world; the world around you.” When I read this, I think about where the Bible tells us to look up for our redemption draws nigh. And when I think about the world around me, I think about where I live, work, wherever I am at any given moment in time. Redemption is a key word. Jesus redeemed us from the curse(s) we came under through Adam and Eve’s disobedience. We are now under the dispensation of God’s Grace. That means that I don’t have to earn my bread by the “sweat of my brow,” or miserably. It means I can handle the pain of childbirth, etc. There is still love and joy in the very midst of it all-even hard work; and still love and joy in spite of it all.

That tells me that when I’m losing my joy and can’t find the love in something, I need to look up for the redemption of these two things in that situation. Setting my standard high means that instead of grumbling about doing the dishes-(mountain), I’m going to praise the Lord while I’m washing them. That mountain just turned into a molehill. Even the time is redeemed when we work in a spirit of love and joy. Those dishes get done in no time, don’t they?

How does this work when there’s a real adversity? When you look up, you realize or remind yourself who is in control of it all. When you speak that Name, everything going in the spirit bows and comes to a screeching halt. Now you can seek the love within, and within the situation, and be joyful. That love and joy within conquers the situation because it puts you back in control of the spirit in and of the whole thing. Sometimes we have to look back into the Word of God to find out where and how the love fits into this picture, right? But God never fails us. Ask, and you will receive. As we cultivate this habit, our days become more loving and joyful in turn. Pretty soon, little things that used to bother us, don’t anymore. And the big stuff that does matter, is knocked down to a size that we can handle, because we’re handling it in Jesus’ Name, and by His power.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, February 24, 2019, 4:29 p.m.

God Can Use Everything You Have & Are

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that everything we have comes from God and is for Him. We are bid to share everything we have with all, regardless of their association to us; regardless of our feelings for or about them. This is how the work of the Spirit is done; silently. What we share becomes a seed that is planted into someone’s heart and life. Ours to sow, God’s to grow and bring to fruition. He is, after all, the Master Gardener.

When we’re told to share everything we have, that doesn’t mean we are to deplete ourselves to our own ruin. It wouldn’t make any sense for God to tell us to be fruitful and promise to multiply our blessings, and expect us to give everything away until we have nothing left and are poverty stricken and in dire need ourselves. No, when we’re told to share everything, we are expected to share of all the gifts we are endowed with. This includes our time, talents, caring, prayer, energy, joy, love, strength, etc., as well as material things. I found that when I budget to give, I do have enough to share. I also found that whenever I’ve given something up, be it time, a material something or other, and gone without it or with a little less so that I was able to give it, what I had left somehow always was more than enough, and so joyful. -Sometimes one does have to give something up and go without for another’s sake, right? Even if I did give it all and went without myself, God always made that part work out joyfully for me. He sees, and He will not let you suffer want. Besides, what a powerful lesson in mercy and grace to see what “laying your life down for another” can do for someone. And what a powerful testimony of God’s love.

What a blessing it is to experience those things. But, as I’ve said before, we are expected to be wise stewards over all we’ve been given. The message references 2 Corinthians 5:18. I thought of Romans 11:36: For from Him and through Him, and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.” And to God belongs the glory for it is He who crowns us with His glory.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, February 23, 2019, 12:35 a.m.

Trust is a Must!

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, goes hand in hand with the message from February 21st. We are told that we must trust the Lord.

Yes, it is easier said than done. But, there really is nothing else to do, is there? Sure, we can do it ourselves-but are we really getting the result we should? Is it really solving the problem, or is it just delaying a bigger one? It’s a vicious circle we wear into the carpet or the lawn,right?

The only answer I’ve found for that one is praise, praise, praise Him. When you’re struggling to hold yourself together along with your faith, just praise Him. There have been times I’ve praised the Lord with tears streaming down my face because the situation was so dire. I wasn’t crying because I was afraid He wouldn’t come through. I was crying because feeling your faith slipping away or feeling as if there’s someone, or something trying to tear it away, is a horrid feeling. At times in those situations, you really do feel almost as if you’re face to face with and evil force; and he’s a big, big, bully! God always has and always will come through for you.

The longer I’ve practiced the being still and knowing God is God, and turning toward the Lord instead of running from the situation-because He’s in it, He’s got it, and He’ll win it-the stronger I’ve become spiritually, and the less intimidated I am. This means I can recognize the fear and push it away, as well. “Peace, be still!” That can be read three different ways, depending on which word you emphasize. It’s a powerful little statement, though. “Peace, be still!”

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu