Your Enemies Are His

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 68. The psalm is one of encouragement and assurance to God’s children.

Verses 1-3 tell us that when “God arises, His enemies will be scattered.” The “haters will flee His presence“; and yours. Have you ever watched the “in crowd” thin as you’re talking God and your new life with Him? Yeah, you can plan on losing some friends when you come to Jesus. There’s a twofold revelation in that scripture. First, God will scatter and drive away the enemies within you, or the strongholds of your old way of thinking. That would be things like anger,bitterness, confusion, doubt, fear, hatred, etc. Secondly, those who oppose you in your efforts to overcome your past will usually leave you. The good news is that if you just put your nose to the grindstone and keep going forward toward your new life, when you look around at the end of the battle, you’ll realize they all practically melted away while you weren’t looking.

Verses 5-10 give us the assurance of God’s love and caring for us. He’s a father to the fatherless, and the protector of widows. Widowhood can be physical and spiritual. That’s why we’re told not to be unequally yoked. There’s also that widowhood in the spirit when the body of Christ lacks good leadership, for whatever reason(s) God steps in and sees us through. (Isaiah 54:13) God settles the solitary/lonely in a home. He always leads you to where you need to be-for Him, and for yourself. He leads the prisoners out to prosperity. There’s a powerful revelation in that statement. When you live under generational curses, oppression, depression, etc. you are a prisoner of spiritual poverty and lack. We lack the truths we need to see clearly, the courage to face the truths we need to, and the power and authority to overcome them. God causes the real truth (s) to prosper in you so you become empowered to gain the victory over your past. He gives rain in abundance. That’s what I just said about the truth prospering in you.

I’m not going to tell you what came to mind when I read verses 11-13. Suffice it to say, you know what happened in the town where that woman talked with Jesus at the well. An avalanche starts with one flake of snow, you know. LOL

Verse 24 has me thinking about the powers and principalities, and the hosts of spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places, when they see you taking it to the LORD/Lord. I had to laugh, because I thought back to the last two cigarettes I smoked, The first one, I lit up right in the church parking lot after the service I’d just prayed for freedom in. I know today that that was Satan laughing at me and Jesus, in mockery. Then, I thought about the last cigarette I had; it was later that afternoon. Now, I can hear Jesus saying to that devil, “That’s the last one. Now what, devil? Now what?! Because it’s in my hands!” Praise God! April 26 of this year was 19 years smoke free. And you know what? I think of Isaiah 11:6 little child will lead them. Jesus said, “whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.” That kingdom includes the heavenly places where those powers, principalities, and hosts of spiritual wickedness reside. I had to humble myself and ask Him for help to be free of those cigarettes; to admit I wasn’t strong enough to do it myself. When we humble ourselves before the LORD/Lord, we are exalted over those powers, principalities and hosts of spiritual wickedness, because Jesus, Himself will remind them who you are in Him! That’s why He’s the King of kings!

Verse 30 reinforces exactly what happened with that smoking habit. God, Himself rebuked that devil!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Saturday Silly – May 1, 2021

Most of you know I crochet. I love to take my little odds and ends of leftover yarn, and make doll clothes or other fun little things for children. I recently gifted a friend with a couple of little purses, and some Barbie clothes and accessories I’d made. I was told that the two year old loved the purse; and Grandpa put a dollar in it for her. She ran to Mommy and asked if they could go to the store, and stated that she was going to buy something for Mommy, because Mommy always buys her things. Mommy was so touched by this, that she gave the little lady another dollar, and told her to save it and the one Grandpa gave her. Mommy insisted that she was going to buy the little princess something as a reward for her thoughtfulness and generosity. I, having had four two year olds myself, when I heard this, couldn’t help wondering, “Do they know that they’ve just been robbed by a two year old?” LOL! Great job with those girls, Mommy! Hugs and kisses to you all.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Right In Deed, Indeed

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 58, and it’s a powerful one in terms of dealing with generational curses, and parenting.

“Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? *(Mighty Lords) Do you judge the children of man uprightly? No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth.” (V-1&2)(ESV)

(Proverbs 31:9) tells us we are to judge rightly and defend the cause of the poor and needy. Our children see us as all powerful. Jesus looks at the heart, and condemns no one. He said, “I’m not come to condemn the world, but to save it.” So our first order is always to save. We save dignity, self-respect, courage, and conviction. Yes, conviction. You’ve heard that expression, “living right down to their expectation, of him/her.” That’s what happens to our conviction about right and wrong when we’re constantly accused, belittled, and punished. The opposite of these is saved/helped, encouraged and instructed, and rewarded with the self-respect, courage and dignity we all deserve.

When we suffer under parents who live out generational curses, our hearts store up all that stuff. The next thing you know, that stuff comes out when we’re parents. We need to fix our hearts on God’s love for us, nurturing our own spirits on it. What goes in comes out; so when we do that, we can be better parents to our children. The reward for us (righteous) is strong children who know who and whose they are, what love is, and what it isn’t, and that they are covered in and through everything. Finally, that the authority over things in their world is theirs, not the enemy’s. That’s where that thing about “the choice is yours,” comes from. The choice is ours; and when we make good choices, we are loving ourselves the way God wants us to.

PS – When I read the part about the recompense of the wicked, I think, not of celebrating. I think about praying for them. Verse 19 speaks of the righteous bathing their feet in the blood of the wicked. I think about all the things that used to trip me up, hinder me, slam me with fear, self-doubt, etc., and even cripple me with depression. Those are all things that come on us when we live generational curses. I thank God every day that those things are beneath my feet now. But believe me when I tell you, it’s a lifelong battle. There are still days when I have to fight my way through. But, if God is for us, who can stand against us?

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Satan Found Your Suitcase

Psalm 56 brings us today’s message. King David wrote it when the Philistines captured him at Gath. As I read the psalm, I couldn’t help thinking it sounds like the devil found your suitcase. You know…all that old baggage from back in the day…hmm. When you’re going through recovery-be it from alcoholism, drug addiction, and other manifestations of generational curses, you can bet Satan’s got a bloodhound tracking you. And, every opportunity he see, he’ll open that suitcase you left by the way, and start hurling that old stuff at you!

Rest assured. God sees, hears, knows, and answers! Verse 12 gives us they key again, to activating that power of God. It’s is praise and thanksgiving. And, Verse 13 is your promise: “For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.“(ESV) You don’t have to hide, don’t have to hang your head, etc. Just keep walking, head held up, in the light of life; real life!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

You’re Not Forsaken

Today’s message comes to us from Psalms and Proverbs 27. The verses in Psalm 27 that stick with me-still today- are verses 10-12: They address generational curses, abandonment, dysfunction, and despondency that comes with those things. “Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. Teach me Your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path, because of my oppressors. Do not hand me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.” Jesus said, “Come to me all ye who labor and are heavy laden.” (Matt. 11:28) God will not turn you away when you come to Him! And, He will be that father and mother you needed back then. The oppressors in generational curses are all the negative things we’ve been told, all the wrong beliefs we’ve held (I’m stupid, worthless, unlovable, etc.), and all the habits we need to change. You know, the procrastination, the sloth, the denial-especially of our feelings. Your foes are the powers and principalities, and the hosts of spiritual wickedness who whisper all those negative things into your ears to remind you of them, and who whisper things that cause fear and self-doubt, which cause you to doubt God. Those are the false witnesses who rise up against you breathing violence.* Destructive of your progress, power, and freedom.

Proverbs 27:5-6 are enlightening in regard to generational curses: “Better an open rebuke than love that is concealed.” Love does not let you do wrong and allow you to think it’s right. Love needs to be expressed often, as well. “The wounds of a friend are faithful, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. When you’re trying to overcome negative habits, negativity expressed, and all the false things, you have to consider them your enemy-or at least that your enemy, the devil, is waiting to jump on them and use them against you. So, you must be on your guard, and weigh those things carefully. Verse 17 is a good thing to keep in mind: “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” If it isn’t empowering you to be better, take a closer look at it. You may need to toss it out. If it’s a person, you may need to spend less time there. Verses 23-27, I think, are important, really, for everyone; but especially in recovery. “Be sure to know the state of your flocks, and pay close attention to your herds; for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to every generation. When hay is removed and new growth appears and the grain from the hills is gathered, the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field. You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed you—food for your household and nourishment for your maidservants. This is an admonition to be wise in living. You are a king/queen in the Earth, but it is the meek who will inherit the earth;, and as the proverb tells us, any generation can fall right back under that curse. We need to remain humble and teachable, and strive to walk with integrity according to God’s Word. That needs to be our priority. This passage lets us know that nothing just comes to us; we have to work for it.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

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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This Present Darkness…

Has been with us for such a long time already. Today’s message comes to us from Psalms 12. Psalm 12 gives us a picture of what happens when, as is told us in verse 8, what is vile is honored among the children of man. When I read about the lies and flattering lips, I think about some of the ways we’re lured into sin. In terms of generational curses, and dysfunction, I think about having learned all the wrong ways. I think about denial, living behind facades, etc. We live this way when we fear, doubt, or feel dejected. Those things are meant to put us beneath the devil’s feet. He is to be beneath our feet. I spoke about poverty of spirit in a previous message. Generational curses and dysfunction and denial plunder our spirit. We are robbed of dignity, sense of worth, or value, our confidence, self-respect, the power to choose, and power to BE ourselves. The word power here, denotes strength and capability. Pure words are true, they show the way, and they infuse us and empower us with life.

The powers, principalities, and hosts of spiritual wickedness , if you can picture it, kind of circle humankind, like a shark circles its prey. They’re always ready to snatch their next victim. When what is vile is exalted among the children of man, we open doors to bondage and destruction of life/lives. Some of these things are demon worship, witchcraft, adultery, illicit sex, hedonism, pornography, hatred and violence, racism, sexism, etc. These things make everyone involved vulnerable to the bondage and destruction, or the fallout from them.

Check back tomorrow for the second part of the message on this Psalm. I found an interesting connection between verse 6 and proverbs 6, that brings an awesome revelation and lesson.

In this present darkness, and in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. who fought to bring light into it, I offer this song. Thank you, Jason Upton. This is so beautiful; and remember, we’re not alone either.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu