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

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

Forget Your Father’s House

Today’s message comes from Psalm 45, and it is inspiring and empowering. It fills me with new energy every time I read it. The psalm makes me think of Jesus.

Verse 10 of the psalm changed my life. “Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father’s house, and the king will desire your beauty. That king will bestow on you a beauty that is desirable. It’s the Proverbs 31 kind of beauty. *I’ve said this before; it works for you guys too. Moving on to verse 12: This is not so much people seeking your favor with gifts, I believe, as it is people realizing that we have something different, something special. Verse 13 speaks about white robes interwoven with gold. Jesus takes our filthy rags and gives us bright white robes…and that gold?…well, once again, He takes your past and uses it to pave the road ahead of you. Those many colored robes in verse 14 are all those great things inside you, that you never even dreamed were there! Jesus reveals those to you. *I think of the word, multifaceted; like a prism. Those virgin companions are your new attitudes, thoughts, your new horizons, and new joys. Finally, the last two verses-16&17: “In place of your fathers will be your sons…” Your parents may have dropped the ball…but your generation leads the next generation in overcoming the mistakes and iniquities of the past generations. Your legacy will live on and on.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

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.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Learning Restraint

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that there’s a time, a place, and a way. God, knows all; especially all hearts. We are told that His power to save increases as our understanding of His Salvation increases. He never forces Himself on anyone; never rushes in too soon to save us. That doesn’t mean God doesn’t want to help us. It simply means that we will be helped more by learning and doing ourselves. It’s the “hands on” learning experience that strengthens us; building up the confidence, or faith, we need in Him and in ourselves. Part of being a child of God, a parent, a friend, is exercising that same restraint.

We are reminded that God’s power is limited only by our lack of vision. This makes me think of Jesus and the man at the pool at Bethesda. When Jesus saw how long he’d been lying there like that, He asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6) There’s a powerful revelation in that; especially when we’re dealing with generational curses. We have to ask ourselves that same question.

There’s another statement Jesus made that comes to mind here. He said to a lame man that He had healed, “See, you are well.” (John 5:14 ESV) If you take the comma out of that sentence, you get this: See you are well. This has to do with vision. It has to do with a new horizon for you. Look forward to where you want to be (your horizon), and see yourself well, successful, etc. This is the transformation part of being saved. (Romans 12:12) We change our thinking and walk in the new ways. We don’t have to wait to walk in the new ways. God sees us as righteous, victorious, and glorious the instant we accept Jesus as our Lord, and become God’s children. However, restraint is also necessary here. We need to learn to wait on the Lord, and let Him lead us at times. We also need to keep in mind that He may withhold things until we are ready for them.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

The Way, The Truth, And The Life

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, is entitled: “My Richest Gift.” The message speaks to us about abundant life; and bids us to take it, and to use it. That abundant life spoken of here is the life flow of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

John 4:13-14 is referenced: “…but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” In my Bible study, this morning, I was reminded of Jesus’ words in John 14:6- Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.”

Applying this scripture to overcoming generational curses, addictions, and any other adversity, really works. You see, Jesus also said, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) Putting this all together, we have this revelation. The truth will lead you to the way to empower life…in any situation, in everyday living. Example: (Truth) The oven is hot when it’s on (Way) We do not touch it (Life) We don’t get burned and hurt. This teaches, or empowers, the child to steer clear of the oven; especially when it is in use. That’s a simple one. If you use those three gifts (truth, way, life) your life becomes more powerful and joyful. That spills over into other’s lives as well. *The reason truth comes first, is because Jesus is the true bread from Heaven; and truth has to do with God’s Word- (Romans 3:4)

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Forgiving Is The Easy Part

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we need to forgive and forget, if we want to move on. I’ve said it before; forgiveness is for us, the “wounded.” It is for our benefit, so much more than for the benefit of the one(s) who hurt us.

Forgiving is the easy part. Forgetting is what’s hard. It’s also the obstacle that gets in the way. This is especially true when we’re dealing with generational curses. It’s often not even the old wounds that cause the problem, but the old ways of dealing with them, that keep us on that vicious merry-go-round-and round, and round. They call that PTSD in the secular world. A similar situation, or one that triggers those same feelings of fear, helplessness, etc., can cause us to lose so much ground. One minute can undo six months or more of progress, if we’re not alert to the dangers.

Here’s where God comes in, though. Isaiah 40:10 tells us – “Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and His arm establishes His rule.” God will take all those old things, show you the truth in, and about them, and then destroy their power over you completely. I’ve been there. We develop ways of coping, adapting, surviving. Unfortunately, they’re not always the right ways. God’s way is. He not only will destroy those old strongholds, but He will teach you the right ways to think. Our attitudes toward the sin in our lives-whether the sin is ours or belongs to others-are what affect our living. God will give you some great attitudes!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Think On These Things

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to look on the brighter side of things. We are admonished not to weigh our spirits down by dwelling on the sins and sordidness in our world. Philippians 4:8 bids us: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” (NIV)

In terms of overcoming generational curses, or even just recovering from a painful past event, this is very important. Dwelling on all the stuff that was wrong and went wrong, will only pull you down. It’s like trying to walk on quicksand. What we need to to is to collect up all the things that were right and went right. We need to meditate on those things; to explore them fully in terms of emotional impact, strength, and progress for us. The key is to recount our victories rather than rehearse our next failure; because you will go wherever you let your mind lead you.

God Calling has been my favorite inspirational read for years now. The only book I love more is the Bible. I’m grateful to the folks that put it online for us all to enjoy at twolisteners.org If you haven’t already, check it out for yourself. It completely changed my relationship with the Lord, Jesus. And yes, there really is wonder upon wonder of revelation in a life with Christ Jesus.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Fear Not! Rather, Take My Heart!

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that fear is a real temptation; an unclean spirit, actually. We are bid to attack it with the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God.

As I’m studying about generational curses, this particular thing comes to the forefront time and time again. As children, we fear the reproach of our parents, the rejection of our friends and peers, we fear things we don’t understand. Then, depending on the parenting we had, the environment(s) we grew up in (addiction, co-dependency, abuse, etc.), that spirit of fear drives us. We fear failure, fear emotional attachment, fear loss of control, and so many other things. Sometimes, fear can actually cripple us. There are people who actually cannot leave their homes and go outside, because they are so overwhelmed by fear.

As we learn to change the words we’ve heard and the ways we’ve handled things, and replace them with God’s Words and His ways, we can overcome those fears. When we’re dealing with our children, doing this changes the entire scenario for that child. Now, instead of creating a fearful and hesitant person, we are empowering a person with self-esteem and a sense of personal power over his/her world.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu