So Much Better To Trust Him

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 118. It’s a long psalm, and I hope you’ll read the entire thing for yourselves, but I want to focus on just a few verses.

Psalm 118:5-9 (ESV) “Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.”

it truly is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man, or princes. When I read that, I think about our ways of doing things, of handling things, even of processing things internally. Jesus always judged rightly. He was always right on target. Jairus and his daughter come to mind here. First, Jesus assured Jairus that his daughter would be alright. Then, when they got to Jairus’ house, Jesus put all those unbelievers/doubters out of the room where the little girl lay dead. There’s one key for us. We have a tendency to run to family or friends, to seek their opinions, approval, support, etc., and all too often, right when we need to be turning to the LORD/Lord instead. Then, you get fifty different opinions, a whole bunch of weird looks, and confusion…LOL. That’s exactly what the LORD sets us free from when we’re dealing with adversity. He sets us free from all that confusion that causes chaos within us.

Sometimes it’s very hard to just hang in there and walk it out with Him, but believe me, it’s worth every effort. And, you shall look in triumph on those who hate you-which would be those powers, principalities, and hosts of spiritual wickedness. Yes, I know; sometimes it is other people too. Turning to the LORD in those situations, we truly can find a refuge. In prayer and praise, peace and power are released to us. These two are critical when we’re dealing with any adversity; any crisis. And, when we’re working out a life recovery, (addiction, abuse, weight struggles, etc.) they are equally as important to have on a daily basis. Peace empowers clear thinking and strength to follow through. Therein lies our victory.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Saturday Silly – May 15, 2021

I heard a couple of people on the bus recently, discussing the Marijauna legalization and some of the problems we have now due to that. One lady said, “They’re smoking that weed everywhere now! They don’t care where they’re at when they do! You can’t go anywhere and you smell it!” Her male friend said, “I know; you don’t even have to buy it anymore. Just walk by somebody smoking it; you can get high for free!”

I thought to myself, “Boy that’s true! The other day, some guys were on the corner by the dispensary, smoking their weed. I said, “Excuse me three times to the same tree there. It’s a good thing that when I went by the fourth time, I noticed it was a tree; I was beginning to think I had a stalker!”

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Your Freewill Offering

Psalm 54 brings us today’s message. As I read the psalm, I thought about my mother and father. They often said, “I don’t care what everybody else is doing; that’s the rule here.” They also asked, “If they all jumped in the lake and drowned, would you jump in too?”

This psalm actually begins with King David entreating the LORD for help. Verse 6 of the psalm is a key one, though. “With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.” It brought me to this scripture in Colossians: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Col. 3:23-24 -NIV) Your obedience, your “keeping on keeping on,” and your thanks and praise (honoring God and His standard(s), is exactly what puts those enemies to shame. The Bible tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith. It’s impossible to activate God’s power without faith. You wouldn’t flip the light switch if you didn’t believe it can turn the light on or off. When we obey and keep on keeping on, with gratitude and honor for the LORD, we activate the power of God within and round about us. This ties in with yesterday’s message, and psalm 53. This is God encamping round about us. You may not see it working the way you expect it to, but it is working. You will see the results manifest. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times in my life I’ve seen it do exactly that. And, I lost count some time ago, of how many times I messed it all up by not keeping on keeping on in obedience to the LORD; and by complaining instead.

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After His Likeness

Today’s message comes to us from Psalms 31. It gives us a picture of just how important those standards and boundaries are; and why growing up in the admonition of the LORD/Lord is best. He is, after all, our salvation-every day. (Psalm 31:1) (NIV) “In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.” 1. Know that that trap was set for your child in the garden of Eden. Our children lives are in our hands. What you teach your child today, might just save his/her life tomorrow. We let them down when we do not have standards and boundaries in place, and when we don’t enforce them. These empower us with self-control, peace, boldness, love, knowledge that pertains to daily living (rules, etc.), as well as knowledge that pertains to their needs and wants, fostering their personalities. This would include sports, hobbies, arts, social life, etc. Verse four also gives us a heads-up regarding their friends, teachers, leaders, etc. We need to screen them carefully. When we do this, they can walk powerfully in life. Verses seven and eight tell us this. “I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.” Verse ten lets us know that our attitude toward sin will either empower us, or destroy us. The choice is ours. You iniquity will cause you afflicted by temptation, weakness, and sorrow and grief. As the former wife of a drug addict, I still mourn all the losses this man experienced. And, we all know that water trickles, runs, and rushes downhill, right? Verses 11 & 12 show us, again, how Satan works to twist your thinking, to bend your will, to gain that foothold. This makes me think of a broken vessel, a city suffering for famine of the Word of God. Verse 14-18 give us a prayer to pray in times of weakness and/or stumbling. Verse 19-24 is how every prayer should end. We stir ourselves up in spirit by remembering God’s goodness toward us, and reciting His promises to us. We speak to the mountain!

Proverbs 31 is a picture of the kind of wife – and husband (there is no male of female in Christ Jesus) one should strive to be. I remember tales of my grandmother going out with grandfather to help him with his work; and vice versa. My grandmother would laugh when she talked of my grandfather and how he coddled the children; especially when they were in trouble with Mama. LOL

I did a study on Proverbs 31 last year, and posted it on smashwords.com Here’s the link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/896505

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.

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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The Power Of Life & Death

Today’s message is part two of Psalm 12. As I was studying this, I found a connection between (Psalm 12:6) “The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times“, and (Proverbs 6:16-19) “There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.”

When we look at this in terms of the power of life and death being in the tongue, and in terms of what is in the heart determining what comes out, or manifests itself in our lives, we get a powerful revelation. This gives us a checklist to help guide and direct us in our dealings with others. This is especially important when we’re parenting children, and dealing with loved ones. But, Jesus also said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matt. 5:9) This checklist helps us to bring peace and life to a situation, rather than death and destruction. I’ve outlined them below.

Haughty eyes -When we think that we’re better than others, lording over them in arrogance. We’re not better than anyone else; we’re all better off than others at various times, in various situations, and ways because we are children of God and have His love, wisdom, and power and protection. See, that’s not anything that we did, or do, on our own.
A lying tongue -Lying weaves a web that everyone can be destroyed in. I believe this is something based in and brought on by fear. Jesus said, “The truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life; so we can see by this, that truth is the way to bring life, and to empower it.
Shedding innocent blood can also be done by a vengeful spirit, cruel words, and malicious intent. These are all destructive of spirit. “A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22) This is why we’re told to guard our hearts; the issues of life flow from the heart. (Proverbs 4:23) “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Jesus told us that the good man out of the good stored up in his heart brings forth good, and the man out of the evil stored up in his heart brings forth evil. Words are seeds; and they take root in the heart.
A heart for wickedness is vengeful, malicious, against God and His law, likes to destroy, make trouble, and instill fear, doubt, dejection/manipulate your emotions.
A false witness is a slanderer, and instigator, troublemaker, and a gossip.
A sower of discord does the same thing through manipulation. Numbers 4-6 are all connected.
Feet that hastily run to evil belong to a scoffer or mocker, to one who has a heart for evil. This person joins in with evil-doers, has a mob mentality (many against one), and vengeance is this person’s first choice in response to an offense. Proverbs 12 gives us the promise that the root of the righteous will never be removed. This means that every generation of a child of God will have a remnant; from the very first-which was Adam and Eve, to the very last generation of this age. Praise God! This proverb is filled with teachings about justice, truth, mercy, and grace, as well as teachings about right attitudes, speech and counsel, and actions. Verse 11 admonishes us that working that field we find the pearls in (the Word of God) and implementing the things we learn from it, will bring us victorious life.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Say It To Yourself Say It To All Fear

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, is a powerful one! It addresses freeing ourselves from fear. I hope you’ll read it for yourselves; it’s so awesome!

There is one statement in this message that is a powerful, powerful weapon against fear, or any other evil that the forces of evil might come at you with! Quoting directly from the message: “But I am Love because God is Love, and I and the Father are one.” Perfect love casts out fear. That’s why Jesus told us to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect. Be perfected in God’s love; meaning, let God’s love fill you, overflow your being, and surround you completely, until nothing can shake your assurance that you are His child, and He is your Father…and that He loves you more than life itself! Today’s a great day to look up every scripture you can find about God’s love for you. Write them down and post them where you can see them daily. Speak them out loud, because faith comes by hearing. Speak them out loud and remind the forces of darkness who, and whose, you are!

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And Destroy Them, He Will

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that there is very real activity going on in the Spirit realm. That’s why Jesus made it possible for us to have the very real and powerful force of God’s love within our spirit. He is called the Holy Spirit. The message if a very powerful, sobering, and encouraging one. I hope you’ll read it for yourselves at twolisteners.org

“How could they (the forces of evil, the world, and even Jesus’ followers) know that my (Jesus’) spirit was free, unbroken, unharmed?” -quoting directly from the message at twolisteners.org That’s a good question, isn’t it? There’s a powerful revelation about the separation of spirit and body. In (John 4:23), Jesus told the woman at the well that God wants those who worship Him to worship in spirit and in truth. Everything happens in the spirit first. Just like wherever you let your mind wander, you’ll be sure to follow, the same happens in spirit – unless and until you allow the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, direct, teach, admonish, etc. you. (Matt. 2:41) tells us the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

How do we get and keep that unbroken, unharmed, and free spirit? We set our hearts and minds on the things above. (Colossians 3:1-3) Then, we make a decision to keep our focus on those things. Here’s a powerful statement about your authority and power over every tribulation, trial, and terror; over all the world: “The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.” (John 3:31) Those are Jesus’ words. When we think in Godly terms, we can speak and act as our LORD/Lord would. There is no force of evil, not one, that can prevail against the Word of God! Even when, to the world, it looks like it’s all over for you, but the crying, God’s got you! Ultimately, it will always be God’s will that prevails-whether this time or some other time. What I mean by that is that God isn’t a bully, and He won’t force His will on you. But, sooner of later, He will make you see clearly that you aren’t in His will. And, He’ll be right there when you repent. As for the world, and the forces of evil, we needn’t worry about either one; because God’s in control. Jesus said, “In the world, you’ll have tribulation; but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) As for the powers and authorities (principalities, hosts of spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places-in the spirit realm) “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:15)

Happy Birthday, Joe! May your day be filled with all things wonderful!

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Glory In Everything & Every Way

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that the glory of the Lord is the beauty of His Character. It is this, reflected to our surroundings, that gives everything a dazzling beauty. It brings glory to everything, in every way.

Some time ago, the Lord put into my heart to share my experiences and thoughts from this little devotional (God Calling) in a blog. With that, He led me to a scripture. (Matthew 10:8) “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” That’s why I have this blog; that’s why I post to it daily-and will, until He says it’s a wrap. I can’t even begin to tell you how much this blog has helped my growth as a Child of God! I can’t believe the difference between where I used to be in my faith, and where I am now. I still have some struggles, but all in all, I’m more and more into the Lord, and striving to be more and more like the Lord, than I am like the world.

There was another time, as I found myself in that spiritual desert, that He led me to this scripture: “I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.” The closer I got to Him, the more flowed in, and through me. I began to write poetry, songs, stories…I got my creative spirit back, and began to design and to create recipes…I gloried more and more in everything I found to do, and in every way imaginable. My little conversations with some of the birds around town bring me such joy! They are just one way in which the beauty, love, and joy of the Lord are revealed to me. It’s a joy to wake up each day-even now, on the sidewalk. I hope this song will lift you and keep you soaring all day long. Thank you, Steven Curtis Chapman.

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