Write Them Down

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 103.. King David wrote it, and it is so awesome! The first five verses, alone, just get your spirit stirred up. Beginning with verse 2-5: “Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Forget not His benefits. Make a list, just like the one in this psalm. There’s more all throughout the psalm. Those verses just kind of sum it all up for us.

The rest of the psalm lists more of those benefits, and tells us how much God loves us, and how compassionate and tender He is toward us. (V8-14) “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”

I had an incredible experience in the spirit, over this very psalm. My father-in-law was in a nursing home, and dying. He was afraid to die, because He didn’t believe that God could really forgive Him for the things he’d done. My sister also happened to be his daughter-in-law, and she visited him regularly. I never went to the nursing home, myself. I referred her to the 103rd psalm, when she expressed concern about his being afraid to die. She visited him twice more, but each time, he was asleep, and didn’t wake up. I copied the psalm down on a piece of paper, and put it under a prayer candle. I would light the candle and pray that psalm for him. One night, approximately 1: 30 a.m., my baby girl woke up for her bottle, and since I was awake, I decided to pray for him again. Laying beside her, I began to pray. I almost always say the Lord’s prayer before I pray other prayers; so I began to pray the Lord’s prayer. Suddenly, I was standing in my father-in-law’s room at the nursing home. I called out His name, and He said, “Who’s there?” I called out His name again, and then I said, “In the Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, your sins are forgiven; accept your peace.” Right then I woke up, and it was about 7 a.m. My father-in-law passed away at approximately 1:30 a.m. the next morning. Verse 19 of the psalm says, “The LORD has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.” That includes time and space.

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It Is I

Today’s message comes from Psalm 75. It is a song written by Asaph, extolling God’s power, and warning the wicked not to exalt themselves against God. Verse 3 caught my attention. “When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars.” (ESV)

When I read this, and thought about my life-fresh out of my parent’s house as a single woman, and later as a wife and mother. When we live under generational curses, we’re not always aware that we are reacting in the present, to what we’ve experienced in the past. That statement in verse three means a couple of things to me.

First, it makes me think about running helter skelter, here and there, to and fro, trying to keep all the little balls I was juggling from hitting the ground. You know, you become a “god” or “goddess.” You’ve got it all “together” and those wounds…WHAT?! What wounds? Yeah, those ones, my dear. We don’t think they show, but they do. If we’re lucky and smart enough to turn to God (The Real GOD), He’ll help us see them too. Secondly, I think of the responsibility of keeping our little family “earth” from tottering, spinning out of control, and coming apart. This, when you’re living under generational curses, doesn’t work well. You can find yourself living co-dependently; and you’re passing on all the things you learned wrong.

The flip-side of all of that is that you can unlearn those things, and learn new things; the right things. You can heal the wounds, so you no longer have to cover them up. You can establish new standards and new boundaries for yourself, and for your children. Hopefully, your children will have better things to pass on to their children, as a result. After all, when it comes to the choice to change things and make them better, who makes the choice? It is I.

Romans 2:1-6 was referenced with this psalm. It’s a great checklist to look at when we’re coming out from under those generational curses. It’s also a great reminder of where you may have been, and a help to keep one humble and compassionate.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

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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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.

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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 Richest Girl In The World

…Is Daddy’s girl! Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to “lay up treasure in Heaven,” and to set our affections on those things. They are higher than anything we’ll ever find here. And, they are the ones that will endure forever.

My first treasure is my Jesus and my Heavenly Father! Then, there’s the privilege of communicating with them; the privilege of prayer. My children, grandchildren, family and friends are great treasures. I have some beautiful people in my life! There is the sun to warm me, the wind to cool me, the stars to count -because sheep can’t jump that high, the moon to dream over, the water to hydrate, wash, and entertain me. (I love to swim and fish) I know, I know-those are temporal things; but God sends them at exactly the right time, every time.

There are those few moments in the morning, as I’m saying my prayer…this warm hush comes over my spirit, and I can almost feel the Lord wrapping His arms around me. What a way to start the day! I could go on with this list, but it would never end. When I think about having to fight for every breath I took, and being able to breathe deeply now, I’m overcome with tears of gratitude. Healing and health are two great treasures. And, I’m not getting old; just older. See, already I’m winning that battle! LOL

I have the peace and joy of the Lord, within, and once everything gets down to a dull roar, round about me too. That’s the second most awesome thing to possess in this crazy world; the peace and joy of the Lord. Peace and joy in the Lord, all the time, is the most awesome! We walk by faith; and when you have that, you’ve got all you need.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

The Ultimate Healer

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that God never causes us more pain than is necessary. As I read the message, I am reminded of Jesus’ sermon on the mount… Matthew 5:3, to be exact. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Poor in spirit, here, is humble, I believe. Like a child, we must be trusting.

Matt. 5:4 also comes to mind. It deals with being comforted. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Have you ever seen a child who is not happy? Let me tell you, that child will be comforted, or else! Am I right? Yeah, and I’ll tell the truth-I RUN to Jesus when I’m not happy! I RUN when it’s not working right! I RUN when I don’t want to run! Your pain will cause you to seek the cure!

We are reminded that it is directly, or immediately when we pray or call out to Him, Jesus is on it. Actually, it was already worked out in the beginning. That’s a powerful boost to one’s faith, when you can grasp it. However, in this world, in the physical, it is worked out in flesh and blood, isn’t it? That’s the hard part. Getting your mind, heart, and will to line up with God’s promise, and His power. This is where Matt. 5:6 comes in – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Yes, Jesus will tell you the truth every time-whether you like it or not-because you need to know the truth, so you know the way that promotes life, protects life, and empowers life. And when we humble ourselves before the Lord, and let Him teach us, (Matt. 5:5) it’s always alright…and all right -within and round about us-as much as is in our little world, anyway. That empowers us to effect the rest of the world positively. See, Jesus is the ultimate healer!

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Fill Yourself With His Divinity

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we have a divine nature. The Holy Spirit within us helps us to remember this. Quoting directly from the message at twolisteners.org – “As you kneel in humble adoration I will tell you that when I took upon Me your humanity it was with the desire of raising that humanity to My Divinity.” I hope you’ll read the entire message; it is a powerful one.

In my Bible study on generational curses, I read a scripture that may help you to realize your divine nature; and step into it. It’s in Jeremiah 17:14 – “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” So, when Jesus said, “It is finished,” it was a done deal. You are God’s child, and have His divine nature (again) NOW! First, let that bring you the peace you need to walk through this world without fear. Then, the rest will follow. Let that elevate your thinking to creating peace, joy, beauty, true restfulness within, and round about. We truly can have Heaven here on Earth when we realize and step into that divine nature. Keeping that at the forefront involves keeping the LORD/Lord at the forefront of our living.

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Naturally, A Little Laughter…

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that nature is filled with healing power for us.

I don’t think I’ve posted this story before; although I’ve told it at least a hundred times. When I lived “out in the country,” I had a beautiful little Border Collie. Emma was her name. She actually was the kids’ dog, but she and I were kind of like Thelma and Louise. She was beyond spoiled.

One day, I had two five gallon jugs of water in my car when I came home. I opened the back door of the car, took the two jugs out, and headed for the house. I’d left the back door of the car open; I guess I just wasn’t thinking. Anyway, I set the two jugs down on the porch so I could unlock and open the front door.

I no sooner opened the door, and Emma rushed past me. She ran right to the car, and jumped into the back seat. I took the jugs into the house and headed back out to the car. Try as I may, I got nowhere with her. Emma refused to get out of the car. She was bound and determined to go for a ride. Finally, I shut the car door, and got in the driver’s seat. I started the car, backed out of the driveway, and pulled right back in. (I didn’t have the gas to drive around; I needed it to get to work) I shut off the motor, got out, and opened the back door for Emma…who promptly got out of the car, tail as high as she could hold it and wagging triumphantly, and -I swear-this hilarious self satisfied smile on her face. I almost doubled over laughing!

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Simplicity Helps In The Striving

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Happy Birthday, America! God bless the USA! May we have a beautiful and peaceful day, and may the spirit of unity as men and women of the human race prevail.

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that God is our friend, as well as our Heavenly Father, our provider, savior, healer, and judge. Getting to know Him in all those capacities really deepens and solidifies one’s relationship with Him. In knowing Him and walking with Him, we become like Him.

The end of the message tells us to seek simplicity in all things. As I thought about this in terms of relationships and generational curses, I was brought to the ten commandments. I thought about the precepts and statutes of God. He makes them perfectly clear to us, doesn’t He? This makes, and keeps, the doing and being simple; don’t you think? This is because we know what is expected of us, and what to expect from Him. (Psalm 93:5) “Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore.”

When we apply this principle to overcoming generational curses, to parenting -remember that new-born child within you -keeping it simple by knowing (1) what to expect. For example, when you’re living in an alcoholic or drug addict’s house, you never know if that person is going to be sober or drunk or high, or how incapacitated he, or she might be. (2) What is expected of you as far as rules and requirements. This is the standard(s) and boundaries thing. (3) What do you expect in and from this situation, environment, relationship, etc. And, last but not least, what do you expect from you. Lining ourselves up with God’s Word, and His will for us, helps to keep the expectations realistic and simple.

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