Tag: Seed

Ah, The Ascents

We begin with Psalm 119 today. It is also called the Psalm, or Song of Ascents. It is quite a long one, and each different part brings us a revelation of God and His love for us, and affirmation or confirmation of what His Word does for our lives. Reading from the ESV.

Aleph (Verses 1-8)

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!
You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.
I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!

Why are we blessed when we walk in God’s law? God decreed it in Deuteronomy. We’re blessed because His testimonies are seed that is implanted in our hearts. God’s Word is alive and active, filled with power, and never returns void to Him. It accomplishes that for which He sends it. That one statement there taught me to actually pray the psalms.

When we keep His Word/His Precepts diligently, we are surrounded by them; protected by them. Praising God with an upright heart is actually a lot easier than some folks realize. Your heart is upright when it does not fear (be afraid) Him. Don’t fear (be afraid of) God, fear (respect) Him. It is a bold heart, that knows God’s love is unconditional, and His every intention toward us is love. Your heart, when you learn about God’s love for you, gets bolder and bolder as you grow closer to Him. When you have that kind of relationship with Him, you, in your spirit, will gladly run and throw yourself into His waiting arms.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, July 5, 2021, 1:39 p.m.

How Beautiful On That Mountain

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 48. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised! Verses 1-3 of the psalm God’s holy mountain, beautiful in loftiness is mentioned. Mount Zion, the city of the Great King is referred to. *In the Hebrew Bible, the Land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem are both referred to as Zion. Other religions use the word Zion to mean “utopia” or “holy place.”*

God’s Holy Place, the Holy of Holies, is where we, through Jesus, have access to the Father. He is a priest and King after the order of Melchizadek. Melchizedek means King of righteousness, and King of Salem means King of peace. (Hebrews 7:25-26) That place is where the presence of God is, and we truly do come away beautiful in loftiness from there-every time we enter in. In speaking of far north, we have to look up and down-seeing Heaven as far North, and hell as South. (Spiritual realms) *two (temporal and spiritual) realms-one being a shadow of the other. Heaven is the fortress there, that we can boldly access when we need to. (Ephesians 3:12) Verses 4-8 give us an idea of what happens when those kings (powers and principalities, and hosts of spiritual wickedness) see us up there. (Eph. 6:12), (Luke 10:19-20) Verse 9 bids us to contemplate God’s steadfast love within the temple. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Just this verse will change your whole life if you let it. Verses 12-14 will make you leap for joy. “March around Zion, encircle her, count her towers, consider her ramparts, tour her citadels, that you may tell the next generation. For this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even till death.” *another version says “He will be our guide beyond death/guide us beyond death. (ESV) A citadel is a fortress that commands. A rampart is a protective barrier. One of the definitions of tower is to rise or reach a great height. There are places in the Bible where, I believe, Zion refers to the children of God. So, whenever we spend time in the presence of God, and as often as we study and walk according to His Word, we are growing into exactly that kind of “city.” (Matt. 5:14) Now are you getting a picture of awesome YOU?! Hallelujah! And we’re to tell the next generation, “This is God!” “This is what God has done, and is doing in my life and yours!” When we do this, we’re not only being obedient, but we’re sowing seeds of hope, fearlessness, and boldness toward God, and about the things of God. Just think-if our children could feel such joy and peace, and grow like that whenever they enter our presence…The world might be changed tremendously overnight.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, April 8, 2021, 3:37 p.m.

Which One Will You Be?

Today’s message is Part Two of Yesterday’s message from Psalm 35. We’re picking up at Verse 10, and I’m reading from the ESV. “All my bones shall say, “O LORD, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?”

I want to focus on the words, “poor,” and “needy.” I also want to focus on that “from him who robs him,” part of the statement. Do you know that being poor and needy in this psalm means you are lacking something spiritually? King David was not a poor man materially. In (3 John 1:2) we read, “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you (you may prosper) and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul (as your soul prospers). ” That lets me know that I might be, (actually, I am) either my own best friend, or my own worst enemy. My soul is my responsibility. Remember the parable of the sower and the seed in (Mark 4)

How do you deal with the relapse, the slip, the stumble, etc.? (Matthew 9:5) “For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?” Yes, rise and walk you must. But when you take on guilt, shame, fear, embarrassment, you are taking on so much weight spiritually, that you cannot get up. That’s what the pierced head, hands, and feet of Jesus freed you from. When your mind/spirit/heart/soul is hedged in (crown of thorns), your hands and feet are pretty much powerless. You’re not going anywhere anytime soon. Take responsibility instead. Acknowledge the truth of the situation, but do what you must do to correct it.

When we mess up, we have to speak salvation to our soul. When we speak God’s Word, we are sowing seeds of life giving power into our spirit and soul. Do you remember Jesus’ words on the cross just before He died? “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” God’s Word is God, Himself, coming to your rescue! Be your own best friend, and find every scripture that tells you what you are in God’s Sight! Precious, honored, the head and not the tail, etc. Write them down, and read them out loud’ every day, all day long throughout the day if you have to. Do not take the embarrassment, guilt, or shame! Jesus took that to Hell when He died for you!

This song never ceases to fill my heart with gratitude to the LORD/Lord. I get teary-eyed when I think of Jesus’ love for us. It’s the very same love the Heavenly Father, Himself has for us! Love yourself like they do; you’re worthy! Jesus did that for you! Thank you, Gather Vocal Band! I don’t know where I’d be without you.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, March 22, 2021, 3:07 p.m.

The Power Of Life & Death

Today’s message is part two of Psalm 12. As I was studying this, I found a connection between (Psalm 12:6) “The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times“, and (Proverbs 6:16-19) “There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.”

When we look at this in terms of the power of life and death being in the tongue, and in terms of what is in the heart determining what comes out, or manifests itself in our lives, we get a powerful revelation. This gives us a checklist to help guide and direct us in our dealings with others. This is especially important when we’re parenting children, and dealing with loved ones. But, Jesus also said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matt. 5:9) This checklist helps us to bring peace and life to a situation, rather than death and destruction. I’ve outlined them below.

  1. Haughty eyes -When we think that we’re better than others, lording over them in arrogance. We’re not better than anyone else; we’re all better off than others at various times, in various situations, and ways because we are children of God and have His love, wisdom, and power and protection. See, that’s not anything that we did, or do, on our own.
  2. A lying tongue -Lying weaves a web that everyone can be destroyed in. I believe this is something based in and brought on by fear. Jesus said, “The truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life; so we can see by this, that truth is the way to bring life, and to empower it.
  3. Shedding innocent blood can also be done by a vengeful spirit, cruel words, and malicious intent. These are all destructive of spirit. “A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22) This is why we’re told to guard our hearts; the issues of life flow from the heart. (Proverbs 4:23) “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Jesus told us that the good man out of the good stored up in his heart brings forth good, and the man out of the evil stored up in his heart brings forth evil. Words are seeds; and they take root in the heart.
  4. A heart for wickedness is vengeful, malicious, against God and His law, likes to destroy, make trouble, and instill fear, doubt, dejection/manipulate your emotions.
  5. A false witness is a slanderer, and instigator, troublemaker, and a gossip.
  6. A sower of discord does the same thing through manipulation. Numbers 4-6 are all connected.
  7. Feet that hastily run to evil belong to a scoffer or mocker, to one who has a heart for evil. This person joins in with evil-doers, has a mob mentality (many against one), and vengeance is this person’s first choice in response to an offense. Proverbs 12 gives us the promise that the root of the righteous will never be removed. This means that every generation of a child of God will have a remnant; from the very first-which was Adam and Eve, to the very last generation of this age. Praise God! This proverb is filled with teachings about justice, truth, mercy, and grace, as well as teachings about right attitudes, speech and counsel, and actions. Verse 11 admonishes us that working that field we find the pearls in (the Word of God) and implementing the things we learn from it, will bring us victorious life.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, January 17, 2021, 1:04: p.m.

Foundations Are Crucial

Today’s message comes from Psalms and Proverbs 11. Psalm 11 is King David stirring himself up in the LORD. He says, “In the LORD I take refuge! How can you say to me flee; and if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?!” In other words, “I am not afraid!”

That foundations thing got me. That’s right where the enemy strikes! You see, he loves to bring the house down. When I read that, it’s verse 3, by the way: “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”-I see a warning there for us. We need to protect the foundations (standards and boundaries). Jesus is our foundation; He is the Word of God. (Luke 6:47-49)

Proverbs 11 gives us a list of some things to think about. 11:3 tells us that integrity guides the upright. Integrity is that adhering to truth, keeping your word, and knowing when to keep quiet, etc. We’re told that righteousness keeps our paths straight. This makes it harder to get lost or distracted. 11:6 tells us that the treacherous are taken captive by their lust. (pornography, illicit sex, greed, etc.) You can get yourself into some real trouble trying to be a people pleaser, or needing to be “in” the “in” crowd, too. 11:9 -Knowledge delivers us from falling victim to those things. This is where the knowledge of good and evil, and the wisdom to discern between the two are important. But, more important is the knowledge of God, which is wisdom. We have the Holy Spirit as guide and counselor. thankfully. Verse 11:30 tells us that the fruit of righteousness is a tree of life. When I read this, I think of Jesus’ words in (Luke 13:19) “Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, January 14, 2021, 1:09 p.m.

When He Comes Through Us

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to seek and strive to express Jesus’ divine love in every instance, every encounter, and in every way. In the message at twolisteners.org, He says, “I do not delay my second coming. My followers delay it.” This speaks of the second advent, when Jesus returns to Earth to claim His own.

When I read the message, and when I see Jesus’ love, compassion, peace, and power throughout the gospels, I see that second advent happening daily. First, when I surrender my will to the Lord, He can come and work His will in me. When that’s happened, Jesus can come and work His will-and His miracles through me. I recall an encounter I had with a little lady on the street one night as I was walking home. She and I had known each other for awhile, just in the daily passing among the homeless population. She turned as I neared her, and began screaming at me. I didn’t even hear what it was she screamed, but I asked her if she was alright. She seemed to recognize me then; that I was not a threat to her. Just that quickly, peace was restored to her. The compassion I learned from the Lord rose up in me in that instant, and came through me to restore that peace to her. You see, mercy seeks the reason; the cause. “Yeah, I’m alright, ” she said. I asked her if she needed some water, and handed her a bottle of it.

That encounter was an easy one because I knew she was not herself in that instant, so I didn’t feel threatened. But it works the same way when we do feel threatened, fearful, or unsure. If we allow the Lord to work in us, He can, and will work through us-and we can gain the victory. When I say victory, I have to tell you, I’ve come to learn that Jesus doesn’t just want victory for us. He wants it for us all; so victory should always include the other person. If it means being able to do nothing more than to speak blessing on that person or walk away and pray for him/her, then so be it. The victory is still both yours and theirs, and most of all, the Lord’s; because we obeyed, we planted a seed, and we interceded spiritually for that person. See, you’ve done much more than you thought you did, didn’t you?

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, November 4, 2020, 1:03 p.m.

Set If Before Your Face

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that it is the truth in God’s Word, received into our hearts and firmly stood on, that brings us out and up to victory. Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed comes to mind. (Matt. 13:3-9)

This principle needs to be applied to every situation we’re dealing with. Dig into the Word of God, both new and old testaments, and write down those that apply to what you’re feeling. Put them on the bathroom mirror, tuck them into your bag, keep them in your desk drawer at work. God told the Israelites this in regard to the Law in Deuteronomy 6:8-9. Read them aloud until you feel your feet back on solid ground in your faith, instead of feeling like you’re being buffeted by the wind and waves under you. I assure you, this is the way to overcome that difficulty. It not only stirs you up and strengthens your spirit; it also puts the forces of evil on notice and reminds them who the real authority is!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, August 22, 2020, 11:44 a.m.

Preparing The Soil

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to spend more time preparing the soil.  Jeremiah 4:3 tells us to break up our fallow ground and don’t sow among thorns.

There are two things that come to mind when I read this scripture.  First, fallow ground is unplowed.  That means the seed won’t get into the soil because the ground is unpenetrable.   If the seed doesn’t get into the soil, it doesn’t get the nourishment required for it to take root and grow.  It will just lie on the surface of the ground and be blown away by the wind, or scorched by the sun.  It’s important to create the right environment; one that will promote growth and success.  This works in every aspect of life; breaking generational curses included.  Secondly, we’re told not to sow among thorns.  Those thorns represent nay-sayers, or unbelievers, those that keep pulling us back into destructive ways and things, etc.  This, also, is very important when we’re breaking generational curses off, and/or breaking bonds of addictions and dysfunctions.

When we spend time preparing the soil, we’re sure to reap the blessings we were ordained to reap.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, July 29, 2020, 11:33 a.m.

Faith Is Also Its Own Reward

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us of God’s promise that our faith will be rewarded.

As I read the message, in the midst of the Corona Virus pandemic and everything that’s been affected by it, I must say some thank yous.  Thank you, Lord, for keeping us in the palm of your hands; first of all.  Thank you, to all those who keep right on giving, right on caring about the rest of the world, and right on doing your best to help everyone get through this thing.  I’ll never be able to express how much I appreciate you, and how deeply grateful I am to you.

I also think about Noah, Abraham, Moses…and our Lord, Jesus.  What awesome faith they showed us!  I’m always blown away when I think about Jesus; about the strength of His faith; and His love.  He could have called the whole thing off at any given point in time.  But He didn’t.  And when I think about that, I think about the times I’ve trudged onward.  I don’t know how I got through any of it, except by God’s grace strengthening my faith as I went along.  The Bible does say we reap what we sow, right?  Yeah, that little faith seed becomes a beautiful and majestic tree over the years, doesn’t it?  Faith is its own reward.  Isn’t it cool how God works all that stuff out so perfectly?!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, July 28, 2020, 11:30 a.m.