Ah, we’re getting there!

Pe (Psalm 119:129-136) (ESV)

Your testimonies are wonderful;
therefore my soul keeps them.
The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
I open my mouth and pant,
because I long for your commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me,
as is your way with those who love your name.
Keep steady my steps according to your promise,
and let no iniquity get dominion over me.
Redeem me from man’s oppression,
that I may keep your precepts.
Make your face shine upon your servant,
and teach me your statutes.
My eyes shed streams of tears,
because people do not keep your law.

This section of the Psalm reinforces the last three sections quite nicely. When we get God’s promises, precepts, and statutes, in our hearts, we realize how wonderful they are. We can see how wonderful they make our lives. When we realize that, our souls are affected; and sometimes very powerfully. “Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.” That’s a nice little prayer. Remember that iniquity is our attitude toward sin. We can do a good deal of damage to ourselves with the wrong attitude(s). I redeem myself from man’s oppression by heeding God’s Word-what He says I am, and not what someone else says. This includes all that negative self talk.

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

Turn It Into Love

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that only love lasts. Only those things done in love will remain. If it isn’t inspired by love, then it is not of godly quality, we’re told.

The message references (1 Cor. 13:1) “f I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” That shakes things up a little every time I read it.

When I read the message, I thought of Jesus and the crippled man He healed. (Matthew 9:1-5) “Which is easier to say, “your sins are forgiven”, or “get up and walk?” Both got the man up on his feet, but one is inspired by love (mercy and grace) – the gift. The other is impersonal and uncaring; and, in that context and tone, demanding. Said the way the Lord, Jesus said it, it inspires hope, peace and courage, and faith. The message tells us that the true test of all our works is this: Is it inspired by love? I had occasion to pray and ask God to strengthen me in this area, just this morning. “Go first and learn what this means: “I desire mercy; and not sacrifice.” (Matt. 9:13)

It’s not easy, and getting harder and harder, to walk this way without faltering, isn’t it? The message bids us to turn out everything unloving in our hearts and lives, so that we might bear much fruit. That’s a two-fold statement. First, we are to strive to always be loving; to let our words and actions be inspired and measured by love. But, what goes in comes out. Therefore, we must also turn out everything that is in our heart, thought life, encounters with others, the television, etc., that is not loving. There are people you may need to spend less time with, there are things you may need to put away, and there are things you may need to change in order to keep unloving things out of your way. This even translates to our home environments and routines. All that negative stuff, and negative energy is distracting and destructive of peace; which is essential for love to thrive. We can get all caught up in hectic and half-hearted spirals of “living” if we’re not careful.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Union In Everything

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that Jesus is present when there are two or three gathered in His Name. This presence is different from when we gather together to praise and to hear from Him. This is a sweet, sweet spirit filled to overflowing with His love, peace, joy, and with our Lord, Himself-His very nature. That’s one reason we need to get to know Him as intimately as we can. We do that by reading the Gospels, the Psalms, the Prophets, and Revelations. All these books speak of Jesus Christ, our Lord. In them, you catch sight of His heart, His compassion, His joy, simplicity, courage, and ferocity when it comes to us, his followers. He truly is the Lion of the tribe of Judah; in every sense of the word!

I discovered some time ago, that union has to come at all levels, in order to truly bring unity, and power. The best example I can think of to illustrate this, is your home. It is especially important that you feel unity and cohesiveness in your sanctuary; which is what your home is. When there’s a mess in the front hall, it’s not very welcoming, is it? You want to turn around and go right back out, don’t you? Yeah. The same is true of cluttered spaces within the home. God is a God of order; not chaos and confusion. Chaos and confusion bring division; they break up the unified space that makes up your sanctuary. They distract your mind and heart, and deplete positive energy. When that happens, we end up with negative emotions and energy. The same is true of family dynamics and relationships.

This is where standards and boundaries come in. When we set them, enforce them, and follow them, stick with them, we can bring about union in thought, attitude, and deed. We can truly bring about unity among family members, co-workers, team members, etc., and thereby, increase power and effectiveness; not to mention joy. It’s all about being of one accord; which is what unity and union are. And, Jesus truly does delight in these; you can feel it when it’s happening.

PS – I didn’t forget you, Will, I just forgot that I was posting a day ahead. Happy Birthday! I hope your day was awesome, and filled with all things wonderful!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

How To Work In Peace

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that disorder and chaos, within or round about us, does not foster effective and successful work. It also stifles and squashes creativity.

The way to work in peace is to have a peaceful work space and atmosphere. That means organization and clean work area(s). Making sure all needed materials are at hand, and organized, and work tools are at hand and ready to use is the next step. Sometimes you may even have to send calls to voicemail, so you can work uninterrupted. This is what God did for us in the Garden of Eden. He put everything needed there, and helped Adam put it in order (naming the animals is labeling everything).

Creating order and peace within is a little harder to do; especially when there are issues you’re dealing with. One of the challenges I had as a battered woman was keeping my mind on task, and not getting ahead of myself in the project I was working on. You’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop then, so your mind races over a million things all throughout your work time. Praise music, or music that soothes your soul and slows your mind down helps quite a bit. it’s also important to continue to increase your spirit in the Word of God, and in positive activities and things that give you energy and increase your self-confidence. As we grow in these, we’re filling up the empty spaces and replacing the negative thoughts and attitudes we’ve had in the past.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:12 ESV) This scripture comes to mind when I read this message. The “world” refers not only unbelievers. It’s also “your world”, and all the things that are going on in it; especially the negative and/or unsettling things. That’s why we’re told: “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28)

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

It All Goes Together

eden08122015

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to dwell in God’s Presence. We’re told to dig deep into the soil of the Kingdom. This message ties in with the one for Saturday, August 8th, and with my post on Friday’s message. All three go together.

Friday’s message speaks of getting to know God intimately to dispel fear and doubt within. Saturday’s message – read it at twolisteners.org- bids us to empty ourselves to ensure constant fresh supply. This is so important when we’re finding ourselves stressed, anxious, angry, anything that’s contrary to the Divine Nature within us. Immediately emptying ourselves of all that negative emotion and replacing it with truth from the Word of God, and what we know of God’s love and grace toward us, is critical. This is the way we remain in His Presence.

Do you know what Satan’s goal in the Garden of Eden was? It was to separate Adam and Eve from the presence of God-and from the security there is in His presence. That’s why we’re told to dig deep into the soil of the Kingdom…you’ll find treasure upon treasure, strength upon strength, glory upon glory, until your faith is unshakable! You will think, feel, and act like the king or queen you are ordained to be. *Remember what the King of kings said, though: “I have not come to be served, but to serve.” And remember Solomon’s prayer for wisdom, so that he could rule over his people wisely and justly.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Know That It’s All Yours & Thank Him

eden08122015

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that God’s children are, indeed, very rich. We’re bid never to think or say we can’t afford it. Always, instead, focus on God’s faithfulness to us.

When we say we can’t afford it, we’re actually cutting off supply. We really do need to get those negative words out of our vocabularies! But, what if we say, “I will need to save up for that. Maybe I can change some things in the budget. Maybe I can take on a little extra work.” That’s possibility thinking, or hope. Then, we follow through; putting our faith into action, and trusting God to bring it all to pass. The heart of man plans his course, but the LORD establishes his steps. (Prov. 16:9) (ESV) Notice that you must plan in order for God to work it out.

Something I’ve found to be helpful in trusting God for supply, is to affirm to myself daily that in Christ Jesus, it truly is all mine. The second thing is to just thank God daily for it. Healing in my body, heart, mind, and soul includes adequate nourishment-and folks, I FEAST! I really do. It never fails that some of my favorite things, and good for me things are marked down when I get to the store. Sometimes, I’ve even had a craving for something in particular, and sure enough; someone drives up and hands it to me. God’s awesome! As long as I have wholeness/soundness in my body, heart, mind, and soul, I know I’ve got what I need. The rest manifests as God chooses to give it; and He does know best. He has perfect timing, too.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Feeling Plenty Goes With Gratitude

eden08122015

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we are not paupers in the Kingdom of Heaven. Rather, we are daughters of a King; the King of Kings, to be exact.

We are bid to feel the plenty that we have; to think thoughts of plenty. When I read this message for the first time, it turned me around completely. I realized that, at best, I had been merely accepting of whatever I had. My thinking changed completely; from acceptance, to expectation and gratitude.

That feeling of plenty goes hand in hand with gratitude. The expectation comes in as Jesus told us to do: “Seek and you shall find, ask and it will be given you, knock and it will be opened to you.” I’ve told the story about the roast for four turned into stir fry for ten before. That’s the illustration of expectation. I didn’t see the roast as a roast anymore. Rather, I saw it as a meal for a half dozen more people; a bigger meal. I did ask Jesus to help me feed all those people. The idea for stir fry came to me. I had knocked on opportunity’s door, and it had been opened to me. What a beautiful evening we all shared. Yes, I did thank the Lord.

Making gratitude your attitude frames the day for plenty to manifest. It empowers you to seek positive solutions and possibilities. It will manifest in every area of your life, too. You’ll find a way to streamline that project, and get it done a little earlier. You’ll happen across a lunch special and be able to treat a coworker. You may be able to leave work a little earlier because you saved time on that project, and that gives you the time to set a special table for hubby and yourself, or for the whole family. Are you getting a picture of what I mean?

When we train our minds and mouths to speak plenty instead of lack, positive instead of negative, etc., we begin to sow seeds that will bring us plenty…abundance of life, and abundance in life.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu