The Real Under Armor

(Ephesians 6:10-20)( ESV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. –The strength of Jesus’ might is that armor of God; the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus said that’s what He is. (John 14:6-7) (2Cor. 10:3-5)

First, let me remind you that God wants those who worship Him to worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24) What’s that got to do with armor? Everything! You see, that armor is not the armor worn on the outside of a body. It’s the real under-armor; worn within to protect your spirit. Let’s take a look at each piece, shall we?

First, we put in the belt of truth. That’s where we take a look at sin, and acknowledge/admit it, and accept it for what it is. We look at how it affects us, what role we play in having that sin in our lives, and how we can overcome that sin in our lives. This is that list I’ve talked about before. We compare that list to the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit, and we see where we’re in alignment with His Word, and where we need to get in alignment with Him.

When I was studying this out, I thought about how one can tighten or loosen that belt. We’ve all heard that expression about hard times when we have to tighten our belts. We’re in a spiritual war for our eternal lives, and for freedom to live life as we were meant to, here on Earth. I want to starve those evil things out of my life, So, when I see that chocolate cake that’s going to put twenty pounds on me, I’m going to tighten my belt, so I won’t be hungry for it. LOL When I see all that good stuff God has to feed my spirit with, I’m going to loosen my belt so I can FEAST my soul on it. Guess what that chocolate cake represents. You got it; the devil is a busy, busy person.

The belt of truth helps us to say no when we need to; be it to a person, place, or thing. You know, like that guy that keeps telling you if you really loved him, or even cared at all, you’d have sex with him. Then there’s that girlfriend who’s trying to get you to use that credit card even though you’re already putting all your disposable income on payments to pay off what’s already on it. Yes, you are right; the belt of truth helps you to keep your pants from falling down and tripping you up too. It is directly connected with the breastplate of righteousness; which we’ll cover in tomorrow’s post. There are many scriptures in the Bible regarding truth. Each one gives us a clearer picture of how important truth is.

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Simply Put

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 116. It’s one that reminds us to just stand up and tell the truth. Simply put, “Get real,” it says. LOL I want to focus on verses 5-7, but I hope you’ll read the entire psalm for yourselves. It’s a good check point.

“Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful. The LORD preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.”

Did you get that part about God being righteous and merciful? The one reason we’re afraid to get real with Him, I think, is because we don’t get that. God always judges rightly. He sees our hearts. God is always merciful. It may not seem like it when the stuff hits the fan in your life. but God is always merciful. All that stuff is what you’re reaping from something you’ve sown. Even then, God is merciful to us and deals bountifully with us. He gives us the strength to get through it, and the wisdom to learn from it, if we allow Him to. That’s where that “get real,” thing comes in. You can’t play games with God; He knows everything! So, if you’re not fooling Jesus, who are you fooling? That’s right; you’re fooling yourself. I’m speaking from personal experience. It works so much better and so much faster when you just get real; with Him, and with yourself. Then, your soul can be at rest (peace) to learn, correct, and overcome that thing that got you. Before you know it, the mess is cleaned up, God loves you and has you loving yourself even more than you did back then, and it’s all good. LOL

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

Sing For Joy

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 63. It is King David’s, written while he was in the wilderness in Judah. He stirred himself up recounting the goodness of God. Sometimes all you need is a little real and deep worship to clear the mud out of your eyes…The whole psalm is awesome! I hope you’ll read it for yourselves.

In the meantime, this song never fails to make me feel as if I’m right in God’s embrace! Thank you, Kari Jobe.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Let Him Encamp Around You

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 53. It was written by King David. I have to wonder if it didn’t come to him the way it comes to all of us; after the fact. You know, you’re going through the storm, waves coming over the edge of the boat, wind tearing the sails apart…JESUS where are you?!!!!! All of a sudden, it’s over, and you don’t know how. And, here you are, still in one piece, still breathing, and the enemy is seen in the distance…limping away with his tail tucked between his legs. Praise God! That’s when it hits you: “O you of little faith…” And you realize just how awesome God is; how fiercely protective of you He is, and how swiftly and silently He can get the job done. He’s the original stealth bomber. LOL

As I read the psalm, I couldn’t help but look to time ahead, when there will be only a remnant left to deal with the evil. That remnant will be those who perhaps heard the gospel and came to believe when the church disappeared into thin air. As I think about that time to come, and the present darkness we live in now, I’m inclined to bow my head and pray even harder for those who will be left here. I’m also finding myself so very grateful for those who taught me about Jesus; from my grandmother, to the Sunday school teachers, Summer Bible Camp teachers, pastors, etc., and most of all, Jesus, Himself. Just think, if He hadn’t come and talked to us…If He’d only come and died for us…what we would be missing in terms of love, peace, power, and joy.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Don’t Sweat The Gray Skies

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that God’s with us, even on the seemingly futile days. But, just because the skies are gray, doesn’t mean Heaven’s not still there. God never changes, and He’s not a liar.

We may not see Him working, but He is. I’m living proof. So many days when I thought I’ll never get this down and win this battle, He was right there working with me and in me. I didn’t realize back then, that it begins within, in your spirit. I was living life from the outside in. Isn’t it funny that here on Earth “inside-out” is wrong? In the Kingdom of Heaven, life is lived from the inside out.

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Put Some Meat On Your Bones

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that spiritual strength and power comes to us through doing God’s Will. We are bid to make it our daily goal. It’s one of the reasons I do this blog. I have seen major changes in the way I deal with just daily living, just by doing this blog. My knowledge of, and relationship with the Lord have grown. Some of the things I’ve come away from and come away with surprise me-pleasantly, of course.

I hear people talk about wanting to “know God’s Will for them.” The best way to do that is to pray and ask Him what it is. Then, pay attention; because the Holy Spirit always leads, guides, and prompts us. Another thing that can be helpful is to look at the things that you’re passionate about, the things that you love to do, and the things that really interest you. God puts those things in us; and He does that for a reason. Something that helped me early on was to read about God’s heart for us, and to read what Jesus had to say about His purpose for being here on Earth. He also gave us the order to preach the Gospel, and said, “it’s enough for a servant to be like his Master.” He came to destroy the works of the devil, and to help us to have life more abundantly-real life. Something to remember is that ministry is so much more than those big revivals and miracle crusades, etc. Ministry can be something as simple as taking someone a meal, giving someone a ride, speaking an encouraging word to someone. When we put it in proper perspective, ministry the way God sees it, is living a life of love and caring for one another.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

And Destroy Them, He Will

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that there is very real activity going on in the Spirit realm. That’s why Jesus made it possible for us to have the very real and powerful force of God’s love within our spirit. He is called the Holy Spirit. The message if a very powerful, sobering, and encouraging one. I hope you’ll read it for yourselves at twolisteners.org

“How could they (the forces of evil, the world, and even Jesus’ followers) know that my (Jesus’) spirit was free, unbroken, unharmed?” -quoting directly from the message at twolisteners.org That’s a good question, isn’t it? There’s a powerful revelation about the separation of spirit and body. In (John 4:23), Jesus told the woman at the well that God wants those who worship Him to worship in spirit and in truth. Everything happens in the spirit first. Just like wherever you let your mind wander, you’ll be sure to follow, the same happens in spirit – unless and until you allow the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, direct, teach, admonish, etc. you. (Matt. 2:41) tells us the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

How do we get and keep that unbroken, unharmed, and free spirit? We set our hearts and minds on the things above. (Colossians 3:1-3) Then, we make a decision to keep our focus on those things. Here’s a powerful statement about your authority and power over every tribulation, trial, and terror; over all the world: “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) Those are Jesus’ words. When we think in Godly terms, we can speak and act as our LORD/Lord would. There is no force of evil, not one, that can prevail against the Word of God! Even when, to the world, it looks like it’s all over for you, but the crying, God’s got you! Ultimately, it will always be God’s will that prevails-whether this time or some other time. What I mean by that is that God isn’t a bully, and He won’t force His will on you. But, sooner of later, He will make you see clearly that you aren’t in His will. And, He’ll be right there when you repent. As for the world, and the forces of evil, we needn’t worry about either one; because God’s in control. Jesus said, “In the world, you’ll have tribulation; but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) As for the powers and authorities (principalities, hosts of spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places-in the spirit realm) “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:15)

Happy Birthday, Joe! May your day be filled with all things wonderful!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Quicker To Turn To Him

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, assures us that God does not intend for trials and difficulties to arrest our progress. Rather, God uses them to increase our speed.

When I first read this message, I was a little confused; to be honest. Reason being, is that God does not do things in a hurry! He has perfect timing. He also knows how discombobulated I get when I’m rushed. I discovered, through trial and error -(keeping it real), that the increase in speed is meant for our turning to Him in those times of difficulties. God is talking about the little difficulties in daily living, in this message. We’re admonished that we must never let any difficulty conquer us. Rather, we must conquer it.

We’re bid to call on new forces and use new powers in those times. What are those forces? Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ the Lord, and the Holy Spirit. They’re all we need. Our Heavenly Father is sovereign and in control of it all. Jesus gave us His Name, and made known to us everything the Father has given Him. The Holy Spirit is our counselor, sent especially to teach, lead, guide, convict, and comfort us. What more could a girl ask for, eh? What more could a man ask for, for that matter.

There’s always a new power to be discovered within. In the message, we’re told to call them into action; and speedily. You might not think of these as powers, but they really are powerful weapons and/or tools in the spirit. There is the power of prayer, praise &worship, sacrifice – you know, when you give up that Prime Rib dinner so the kids can enjoy Pizza out, during their sleepover party. There’s the power of laughter; which keeps your little sis alive after she spits a wad of bubblegum into your hair-in the middle of the Tokyo airport, in front of about a half troop of soldiers who will be on the same plane as your flying on. LOL

(Luke 21:28) “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” When we lift our heads, we can see a little higher up, and a little farther out. (Philippians 4:8) “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.” When we speedily turn to the Lord, and do things His way, calling those powers into action, we can see the pure, lovely, admirable, praiseworthy…and the most excellent way to handle things. (1 Cor 12:31) “Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.” -And that would be love.

Jodi, I will get this thing back on track. Happy Belated Birthday! I hope your day was blessed with everything wonderful!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Believe, And You Will See

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that Jesus is always with us. We are encouraged to seek Him daily. But, we’re reminded that the joy of His Presence is not realized through our efforts. Rather, it is like Jesus said, “Blessed are those who believe and have not seen.”

In a recent Bible study discussion, I said that a lot of people don’t realize that when we pick up the Bible, we are taking Jesus by the hand; literally. He is the Word of God, made flesh. Jesus is a real person. We’re encouraged by the message to speak His Name often. We’re also reminded that He really doesn’t need any summoning. Rather, we need to become and remain aware of His Presence with us. Jesus said, “Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you. Ask, and you will receive.” By this, we can be sure that when we open our hearts to Him, and set our hearts on Him, we will see Him. Of course, that seeing is actually realizing His Presence with us, and in most everything around us. As I wrote this post, I thought of the song, “Something about that Name.” I hope it helps you to realize His Presence there with you, as it does me every time I hear it or sing it. Thank you, Gaither Family.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu