Build Your Family Up In The LORD

Psalm 127 (ESV)

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain; unless the LORD watches over the city, it’s watchmen stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

When I read the first two verses of this psalm, I think about generational curses. We become prey to them when we don’t align ourselves with God’s standards and boundaries. It is vanity to expect our children to succeed if we have subjected them to chaos and faulty standards and boundaries. As for that city, this verse makes me think of Sodom and Gomorrah. Obviously, the standards and boundaries there, were not God’s. With verses 3 and 4 we see how our choices affect our children and their futures. We have to aim them toward their future. We don’t just go along aimlessly and haphazardly, and expect them to learn good things this way. We foster their desire to learn, their curiosity about things, and their interests. We must teach them who and whose they are, so they can grow in faith and strength in the LORD/Lord. A king wouldn’t train his son up to live as a stable boy. The last two verses have me thinking spiritually. We become spiritual parents when we lead someone to the Lord, and when we mentor someone in the Lord, and help them in their walk. Those enemies are the powers and principalities…and just like that rich man in torment, they’ll get theirs one day.

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Temporal or Spiritual?

One of the things I learned, and I learned it the hard way, is that the powerful life is lived in and according to the Spirit/spirit. Jesus said that God wants us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. When you think about those two words, spirit and truth, you begin to get some idea how the two are connected. Would you know by looking at me that I have a chronic illness? Would you know by looking at me that I’ve survived two rapes? No, you wouldn’t be able to tell that by my outward appearance. That’s why we don’t “judge the book by its cover.”

Life in the temporal, in and according to the flesh, is a roller coaster ride, isn’t it? Yes, yes, yes, it is! Paul told us that in (Romans 7:15). Jesus illustrated that for us in (Mark 7:1-13). This is where He teaches us the difference between temporal and spiritual; between tradition and truth. In generations curses, we wrongfully accept tradition, because we don’t know the truth. Often, we even deny the truth because the familiar feels safe, and the new feels scary. Washing hands is not a commandment; it’s a good practice in terms of hygiene. We don’t want to eat with dirty hands because we don’t want to get sick. Eating with dirty hands, however, cannot defile us spiritually. What is sinful about eating with dirty hands is this: we are not loving ourselves like God commanded us to. Remember Jesus taught that all the commandments are summed up in the two-love the LORD with all your might, and your neighbor as yourself. So, that’s a heads up to us that we’re neglecting ourselves, and we need to make a change.

Jesus tells us, in (Mark 7:14-23), exactly what it is that does defile us. These things all come out of our hearts. What goes in is what comes out, and this is how and where those generational curses are sown, take root, and wreak havoc. Sometimes, they wreak havoc for many, many generations. I’ll post the list of the twelve things Jesus named tomorrow.

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Don’t Fear Him; Fear Him

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 111. It’s in praise of the LORD, His love, and His works. When I read it, I recall being just filled to overflowing with a sense of wonder at some of the things I’ve found in God’s Word, or at some of the things He’s allowed me to experience or be part of. I never would have gotten that much out of my relationship with Him, did I not respect (fear) Him and trust Him; because I never would have been looking for Him. I want to focus on verses 7, 8, and 10.

“The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”

When I read these verses, that making the bed thing comes to mind. The , “do it even if and whenever you don’t want to,” thing comes to mind too. That’s what that performing it with faithfulness and uprightness means. And the victory over the chaos, confusion, struggle, etc., is why we do it faithfully and uprightly. It is when we lay aside the fear (terror) of the LORD and fear Him, that we can begin to really have relationship with Him. That’s when we begin to grow in spiritual knowledge and power.

When I think of these verses in terms of generational curses, I can see how important it is that the works of our hands (deeds) and our precepts (rules/standards/boundaries) be faithful, just, and trustworthy. This is what makes us respectable, and makes our kids able to trust and respect us.

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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

Ah, Peace, Be Still!

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we are sure to go through some storms in life. We’re told that the enemy attacks the fortress, the stronghold, and not in the desert waste. (quoting directly from the message at twolisteners.org)

In my study on Generational Curses, I’ve come across some examples of how Satan works his wiles on us. Adam and Eve are the first example of how Satan veils his true self. First, he veils the anti-Christ. He’s envious of us because we are created in God’s image and after His likeness, and Satan hates Jesus. Secondly. he veils the author of confusion/chaos regarding God’s word. Then, the liar tells Eve she won’t die if she eats from the tree. Next, Satan causes Eve to doubt God’s love for her; His intentions toward her. Satan is the author and director of fear; not God. God is love, and perfect love casts out fear. Finally, we have the deception that the tree will make her wise…Wisdom comes from God, not from a tree. Oh, oh! Next came the storm that had both Adam and Eve hiding and trembling in fear of God.

Can you see the waves coming to buffet the ship here? Yes, it does happen this way all the time. But, when we learn to recognize the one stirring up the storm(s), we can quickly ride the waves to shore. An added plus is that we have Jesus in the boat!

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Yes, Ideal

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that in Christ Jesus, we are all righteous, perfect-in the future, wholly wonderful human beings-in the future. The message tells us, quoting directly from twolisteners.org, “For every man there is the ideal man I see in him. The man he could be, the man I would have him be.”

I got a really powerful revelation of what kind of change can be affected when I line up my desire, with God’s will, word, and ways, and follow suit with my words and actions. I saw it happen in my children, and in each of my mates. The key is in this, “the man I would have him be.” That means you have to think a little bit, about what you want to empower this person to feel like when you say this to him/her, or by what you do. The secular world calls it, “catching them being good,” and is based on the premise that praise empowers growth of self confidence and desire to excel.

We’re told to judge of Jesus’ heart when we feel others fail us. It is the way God deals with us. I’ve found so many examples of God’s forbearance and grace in dealing with us, as I’ve done my study on generational curses. God always seeks to empower us to rise above the world, to overcome the adversity, to win at living. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6)

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It Helps Us To See Their Hearts

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J Russell, reminds us that we must not dwell on our failures, or those of others who have failed us. Philippians3:13-14 is referenced by the message. That scripture tells us that we are to forget those things which are behind us, and press on to the the goal that lies ahead. That’s the Kingdom of Heaven; it’s the freedom we have in, and through, Christ Jesus.

This message builds a little on yesterday’s post. When we become able to see ourselves the way God sees us, and love ourselves the way He loves us, we will be able to better see the hearts of those who have failed us. My mother was a vicious drunk. When she started drinking, people found places to go, or tip-toed as if walking on eggshells. She had her favorite “sparring partners,” (aka) also known as victims) too. There were words that stuck with me for years, pain that brought blinding tears to my eyes with each remembrance of past hurts, and a whole lot of confusion, as well.

Let me tell you what Jesus did for me, in regard to all that. He helped me to see myself, my connections, my failures and falls through His Eyes. That’s the Holy Spirit empowering us by shedding God’s love abroad in our hearts, to help us see ourselves the way He does. Then, as I began to heal from my own failures, I was able to get past my mother’s failures. I was able to put both behind me. Recently, I had occasion to think about my mother. There was not a night I worked late, that Mom didn’t leave dinner warming in the oven for me. There were times she sneaked into my room when I was sick, to check on me-during my teens, and when I was an adult. And, when she talked about me to others, I was a jewel in her crown of motherhood. She was always proud of me; those people have told me.

Whenever I read the story of the woman at the well, I think about my Mom, and myself. That woman asked Jesus is He was greater than Jacob, whose well He was sitting at. Jacob, who drank from that well, as did his sons, and their sons, and so on, and so on…Jesus told her, “Whoever drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I will give him will never thirst. The water I give him will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14) Generational curses come through the Jacob’s wells in our lives. The wellspring of God’s Word, of His love, and His peace, breaks the generational curses off of us.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

He Can Clear The Blockages

I said that to say this…

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that self kills power. When we operate in the wrong spirit, we block the Holy Spirit. Operating in the wrong spirit includes things like anger, fear, frustration, greed –this includes those attention grabbers, etc. This is all the flesh trying to be in control.

I anagrammed the word “SELFISH” once. It comes to this: FLESH IS – SELFISH, or SELFISH – IS FLESH. I recall many holidays spent sort of like Sadie’s Granny…family gatherings are the perfect setup for the flesh to get in the way of the spirit. In terms of generational curses, they’re also the perfect excuse for the addict, the alcoholic, the people pleaser, the person who just can’t be pleased, the fixer, and the martyr; just to name a few. The stage is set as soon as the invitations go out, and the “play” begins as soon as the first guest walks through the door.

When we let God work in us, and through us, we can begin to see how all the players are connected. We can begin to see the connections we, as individuals have to the alcohol, the drugs, the fear, the frustration, etc. God’s love empowers us to overcome the fear of seeing the truth(s) within. When we can do that, we overcome the fear of seeing the truths in our little world(s). The connections can be clearly seen.

I used to drink to excess out of anger, frustration, and pain. Of course, I never saw the connections between my excessive use of alcohol and the consequences of losing control. I saw those things as separate events-before I was able to look at the truth. When we become able to see the truth(s) and make the connections between our emotions, our behaviors, and the consequences, changes can begin to happen. We become empowered to recognize triggers (emotions), make better choices (behaviors), and have better consequences (peace, progress, power). Don’t forget the joy, joy, joy! That’s what life should be; joyous, even in the midst of the storms.

When we can come to the point where the Holy Spirit can flow through us, we can truly become powerful forces to help others rise up out of those pits of generational curses. I’ve been able, for some time now, to laugh at the spirit of those old “drunken sweet potato” holidays. But before I was able to make the connections, there were a lot of tears, and some horrendous encounters with my flesh.

Happy Birthday, Katrina! I hope your day was blessed with all things beautiful. I know it’s coming a day late for you, but I’m going to try to get back on track with this stuff.

Love you from Café du Mondieu

You Are Not Unemployed

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that there are no idle hours in the Kingdom of Heaven. There is no such thing as unemployment with God. If there is no work to be had, there is still work to do, the message tells us. First, then, we can work within ourselves, to conquer any evil, and to realign ourselves with God’s Will and Word. We can then become conquering forces in our homes, our communities, our workplaces, our world.

When I read this message, I thought about this Spring and Summer. The COVID-19 thing hit, everything shut down, and then the weather got much too hot for me to be very mobile in. I pretty much was stuck, spending much too much time just sitting on the sidewalk and trying to survive. I decided I would do a Bible study each morning. God began leading my Bible study, taking me through the Psalms and the Prophets. Oh, my! What wonderful revelations I got about the depth of God’s love; the intensity of His love for us, and His desire to see us overcome this world. As soon as the libraries opened up again, I resumed my daily blog posts. Recently, all those study notes began coming together into a book about generational curses. You see, there is no sitting still in the Spirit. LOL Don’t ever allow yourself to feel like you’re idling in your walk with the Lord. He can always work something good in you!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

The Bridge From Death To Life

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to learn from our Lord, Jesus. It is in learning of, and from Him, that we begin to dwell, or abide in Him. Therein lies our power, our passion, our purpose, and our peace. The message tells us that teachers are to point the way to the Lord. Then we must accept Him, and learn of, and from Him.

“Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24) As I think of this scripture in terms of salvation, I am reminded of my own salvation. As a young child, I attended church with my grandmother. Growing up, I spent a couple of summers at Bible Camp. As a teenager, I attended church alone; neither of my parents went to church. At the age of 14, I said the sinner’s prayer, and accepted the Lord as my Savior. But it wasn’t until I found myself alone with the Lord, at that well…(John 4:5)…that I really got saved. It was there that I realized I’d been drinking from the wrong well. (John 4:12) “Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock?” I’d read that verse probably 100 times before. This time, it hit me like a ton of bricks. This is exactly what happens in generational curses.

That’s when things began to change in my life; because that’s when I began to change. I began to seek out the Lord and study His teachings. I began to really look closely at my life, at my habits, my hurts, my thoughts and attitudes, etc. Then, I began to learn from the Lord (The Word-made flesh). We truly do cross over from death to life, as we begin to change our attitudes, our thinking, our words, and our ways. It isn’t a simple process, it’s a lifelong process…but, really, it is a simple solution. When we die to all those old dead and deadly ways, we can rise to the right ways; to ways that honor, create, and sustain life.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu