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

The Path Of Faith

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 97. It is a psalm of praise, extolling the LORD’s power and goodness toward us. There are a couple of revelations in this psalm that will inspire us to turn quickly to the LORD; and they also empower our peace in the midst of the storms. I’m reading from the ESV.

Verse 5 is where we’ll begin: “The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.” This is a revelation of how powerless all those trials and tribulations are before God. I cannot recall one instance in which I, even casually, said, “God, help me…”, or “Lord, I need your help with this,” etc., that God didn’t come through. -Not a single one. Things didn’t always work out immediately, and sometimes they didn’t work out the way I thought I wanted them to, but God never failed me. “Ask and you shall receive,” Jesus said; and you always will. Where we miss it, is in those few minutes that we should be breathing deeply and quieting our spirit. It is in the stillness that God speaks. This is where the inspirations, the ideas, the strength, and the courage come. The mountains do melt like wax, and that wax polishes the path of faith.

Verse 11 is the next little revelation to us: “Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.” This is that gentle wave of inspiration, ideas, strength, and courage that comes to us as we look to the LORD/Lord. That’s the light that is sown for us. Being upright in heart is not just about being obedient, being righteous. It is about standing in expectation before the LORD. It was sown. It will produce; because the Word of God is alive and active, and accomplishes that for which He sends it. There is a boldness implied here, of one who knows who, and whose he/she is, and steps into his/her right/rightful place. We don’t have to whine, plead, or beg. We simply have to ask and believe that it’s ours; because it is. We have the right, as children of God to approach the throne of grace boldly; just like Jesus.

I hope you ‘ll read the entire psalm, because it’s another good one for stirring up your faith.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Declare It Every Day

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 96, and I can tell you from personal experience, it is life changing.

Verses 1 & 2 are a key that empowers us to make those positive changes. “Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; proclaim His salvation day after day.”

Did you get that part about the new song? No more, “poor me, I can’t, I don’t know how, etc., etc., etc.” “I can do all things through Christ Jesus, who strengthens me,” is the new tune we’re singing. We can, and will proclaim His salvation day after day, by sticking to those standards and boundaries. We’ll proclaim it by making it (salvation from those old ways, etc.) a priority; top of the list.

Now we’re going to get to God’s sanctuary, and our sanctuary. We’ll find this in verse 6: “Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty fill His sanctuary.” Do you know that your space(s) is your sanctuary? Your home, your personal space-like your bedroom, your office cubicle, etc., are all your sanctuary. When we make those spaces like God’s sanctuary, we get the same effect-splendor, majesty, beauty, and strength. That splendor is the peace and joy within, resulting from knowing who and whose we are. The majesty is the authority we have over our spirit, and over the spirits; the authority we have over any and every circumstance, and over our personal spaces/sanctuaries.

This is why we strive to make our spaces strengthening, by keeping them orderly and clean, peaceful, and conducive to productivity and progress. And, in case you didn’t know this, progress is also destressing and taking that breather in your space, that helps you shift gears and get on to the next task. -Like that cup of Chai tea upon your arrival back at home from work. LOL

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

You Were From The Beginning

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 93. It’s a powerful revelation about our origin, and our destiny. I used the ESV.

“The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the LORD on high is mighty! Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore.”

Notice that your throne, my dear, is established from of old. That means you were born a king or queen. You were there from the beginning (from everlasting). God’s decrees are trustworthy, because every word speaks life to the living. When we line up our decrees (standards, boundaries) with God’s, we can trust that we’re on the right path. And, finally, the last revelation: Holiness (wholeness, perfect love, righteousness, peace, power, joy) befits your house forevermore. That means you deserve the best. You deserve peace and wholeness, joy, power, righteousness (uprightness), and perfect/perfected love. You’re privileged to be the best you can be, to do the best you can do, and to say, “No,” to unrighteousness and evil. That’s an important revelation. You see, that’s one of the things Jesus redeemed for us on Calvary; our power and authority to defy and deny the spirits. We are the head, and not the tail.

Love you from Cafe deu Mondieu

He Already Knows…

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 90. There are a couple of verses that spoke to me about how intimately God knows us, and how much He loves us.

Verse 8 is the first one I want to address: “You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.” Do you really think that God will be surprised or shocked when you confess to him? This verse made me recall the day that revelation hit me. Every night in those bars, Jesus was sitting right there watching; and waiting for me to wake up. Everything I was so careful, and successful in hiding from my parents, Jesus knew. Everything I was so careful to hide, (and successful at it for awhile) did not fool Jesus. There He was the whole time, watching, and waiting for me, with arms wide open. Believe me, anything and everything you did, and will do, Jesus already knows. He died for you anyway. He loves us that much! (Hebrews 4:16) – “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Verse 12 should get us thinking. “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Do not take one minute for granted. I got up one morning and started my day, with my daughter and my brand new baby boy. He was one day short of being just two months old. It was a routine day for me and the kids. Then my phone rang. My dad had been killed in a tree trimming accident. Gone. Just like that.

That brings me to verse 14. “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” If you don’t have somebody to tell you everyday, how much you’re loved, let God tell you. It’s in the Bible. You are precious and honored in His sight. You are to die for! Go through your Bible and write down all the verses that tell us about God’s love toward us. Post them, or put them somewhere you can see them first thing. Read them out loud. They’re not only getting into your spirit, they’re giving notice to those in the spiritual realm that you know who, and whose you are. Believe me, it works! You’ll get your strength back.

The last verses are very powerful. “Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” I stopped asking, “Why me,” some time ago. It was when I began to see the treasures that were there in the storms I went through in my life. I’ve had to thank God for everything I’ve gone through. God doesn’t put us through it; He gets us through it. And, you always come away with so much that you never thought you’d find inside you. He does show His work in our lives. And, if you let Him, He will establish the work of your hands. Finally, you will not believe how much you can do!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Meditate On Your Victories

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 77. The psalm speaks of troubled times, when you don’t see God working on your behalf. I think, when think we’ve gone too far, or when we wait till it’s too late (it never is), we have a hard time seeing that God is right there with us. Jesus promised He would never leave us or forsake us, and that He’ll be with us always. When we’ve gotten too far into the trouble, or even when it’s just been so dark for so long, we might be unsure about His love. Turn to Him anyway. Praise Him anyway. He’s there, and it’s that praise, and that turning, that surrendering yourself to Him, that takes the scales off of your eyes.

Verses 10-15 speak of stirring ours faith up by recounting God’s work in and around our previous victories. “

Then I said, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph.” (ESV) As I’ve said before, that redemption is for right here and now in your every day life. It’s not just redemption for eternal life. God can redeem your self-esteem, your faith, your peace, your joy, your discipline and perseverance, your sanity. I hope you’ll read the entire psalm for yourselves. It’s another great spiritual booster.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

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

Praise Is Due To Him, Indeed

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 65, and I think this is one of my favorite psalms. I just love it every time I read it. Verse 1 tells us that Praise is due to Him; and our vows to Him shall be performed…in Zion. That tells me I can go up and praise Him on His Holy mountain! And that’s in verse 2: “O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.” Remember where John went in the Spirit?

Here’s what we have when we do come before Him; thanks to Jesus! This is verse 3: “When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions.” Jesus did that for once and for all time on Calvary! Now, we can overcome the darkness in this world, and be in Heaven *both eternally and here on Earth, in our living. That’s where verse 4 comes in: “Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!” We can dwell in His courts, and his house can be our house.

There are a couple of things to take away from the holiness of His temple. First, It takes me to the Commandment: “Worship the LORD your God and serve him only.” (Luke 4:8) (Deut. 6:13) I also think about being the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. In light of that, we must respect ourselves, and others when we can. A wise person once told me that if you can’t respect someone, you can still be respectful toward them. It also tells me that we should do nothing to debase, defile, degrade, demean, and destroy another’s dignity and self respect. *Notice, those words all begin with the first letter of the word “devil.”

Verse 5 tell us that God answers us by awesome deeds and with righteousness. That makes me think of when I’ve heard kids talking about how awesome someone’s parents are. God’s love is awesomely empowering, calming; inspiring love, courage, . In and through it, we are empowered to realize, accept, and respect our own authority over our lives. That reminds me of what Jesus said. “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

The rest of the psalm outlines God’s working in the world we live in; in His creation. It gives us a picture of the effects and results of His steadfast loving-kindness toward His creation.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Increasing Your Days

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 61. it’s a psalm of King David’s, and a short one, so I’ll post the whole thing for you.

(Psalm 61 -ESV) “Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations! May he be enthroned forever before God;
appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him! So will I ever sing praises to your name,
as I perform my vows day after day.

The NIV reads: Increase the days of the king’s life. I like that word better than “prolong.” Here’s the reason: Increase also means to make greater in size, intensity, or degree. This tells me that I don’t have to live an ordinary, or humdrum life. When we allow God to lead us to that rock that is higher than we are, we can increase in every way. -Dear Jesus, I do not need to increase an;y more in size, by the way. Jesus said, “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)

King David prayed that he might be enthroned before God forever. This is what Paul meant when he said, “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.” (Colossians 3:23-24) In this way, we are truly enthroned before the LORD, because He sees our striving and serving.

When we allow steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over us, and to guide us, we learn to go the extra mile; we learn to give that extra whatever it is that makes for excellence. An example would be not only doing the dishes, but drying them and putting them away, cleaning the sink, sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor, etc. for Mom or Dad, or for your mate. That’s an increase in your thoughtfulness, in the quality of your work, and in your sense of self-worth-because you’re striving to do an excellent job. This is growth on your part. Can you see the increase? When we make a habit of following the path of love and faithfulness, we increase our days with so much love, peace, and joy. And in a family, we actually increase everyone’s days.

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