Hush, And You’ll Hear Him

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to just hush and trust the Lord. He’ gets us through the storm; and then, when it’s quiet-and we’re quieted, He will teach us His Word and Way.

I’ve proven Him on this so many times. I’ll get so worked up and upset; and then just one minute in prayer, and the storm’s gone. “Help me, Jesus; I need to pray,” I’ll say. And, when I’ve prayed, I’ll pick up my Bible, and there will be that beautiful little nugget that will stay with me from then on. This is one of my favorite songs. I hope you’ll be as blessed by it as I am. These are some folks with the Gaither family.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Who Are You?

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to trust Him; to know His divine power. We are to seek safety in the secret place, where His glory dwells.

I was studying Isaiah 51 this morning. Verses 12 and 13 come to mind. “I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day
because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy?” That’s such a powerful revelation; not only about God’s power, but about who you became when you became a child of God. Did you notice how he’a asking us about being afraid of man-as if there is a differentiation between man and us (the children of God)?

When that hit my spirit, it almost knocked me over. I thought about Jesus’ words: “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24-ESV) There is no evil that can defeat us. Jesus has given us power over all the enemy; even death. Our God is an awesome God! By the way, that whole chapter in Isaiah is awesome too.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Amen!

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that it is sin for us who know Him as Father, to doubt Him. The longer I’ walk with our Heavenly Father, the more reasons I find to trust Him, and to rest assured in His steadfast love for us. That being said, I want to share one of my favorite oldies with you. Thank you, Gaithers for all the joy you bring me through your music!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Know That It’s All Yours & Thank Him

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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

Oh, What A Joy It Is

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to put our lives into God’s hands and trust Him.

Learning to trust His will for us is not an easy thing. He has promised that His will is to prospers us, and not to harm us. I have seen, more and more, God’s will for us, in learning God’s ways with us. You see, the first step in overcoming your past, truly is to be born again. Jesus said so. When you’re born again, you become God’s baby. So, let God raise that baby.

In studying God’s Word, and learning His ways with us, we can apply those to the way in which we deal with ourselves. An example is the spilt milk. You might have had parents that got angry and yelled at you, and imputed wickedness to you – “You’re always making messes!” God’s way is much different. He sees your heart, fearful and trembling inside you, and probably ashamed for being clumsy (self-condemnation). God rushes in to save you from that fear and condemnation. He says, “That’s okay; accidents happen. Let’s clean it up.” Now, He’s helping you to clean up the spilt milk. And, when it’s over, you get a pat on the back and a high five for it. The Bible tells us that God lifts us up and sets us in a broad place. That means you have room to grow; like you just did. God empowers us to come boldly to Him for help. He empowers us to walk uprightly before Him, by making things right, or setting things aright again. He builds our spirit up-always! Isn’t that awesome?! And the more we live in His ways with us, the stronger we become within. The stronger we become within, the stronger our walk in His Way becomes.

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Seeing Your Perfection

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we have but to look to Jesus to see our perfection. He is strength when we are weak, peace when all is chaos within, compassion in the face of adversity, or hatred, love in the midst of indifference, etc.

“My strength is made perfect in your weakness…” Take this to mean that His Presence, His Promise, and His Power will all be strong in your weakness. They will shine through it to bring you the victory, the peace, the love, the power to forgive. Whatever your need is, Jesus’ teachings, God’s Word, and the Presence of the Holy Spirit can meet it, and exceed the need. The weakness will be weakened and/or eradicated, and you will rise to the occasion, and to the next level.

We have but to trust, and to step out in faith. We are bid, even to look away from sordid surroundings, from poverty, etc., and to focus on Jesus. Focus on His beauty, His love, and His love for, and in, you. That infuses us with the right spirit; the Holy Spirit, the “yes, I can,” attitude, or spirit. As we remain focused on our Lord, we can begin to see possibility in our surroundings, circumstances, etc. The rest is history if we step out in faith.

I chose “Remind me who I am,” by Jason Grey, to go with today’s post. I hope it blesses you as it does me.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Until The Aroma Permeates Your Life

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we can sing, even in the darkness, just like Paul and Barnabas did. We are bid to stay strong, be of good cheer, and be courageous. We’re bid to turn to the Lord, always, even in the darkness. I would say, especially in the darkness.

Mark 14:3 is referenced by the message: “While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.” I hope you’ll read the message @ twolisteners.org, because it’s awesome. When I read the message, I thought about “monster spray.” Monster spray was my perfume. I sprayed it in the kids’ closets to keep the monsters away at night.

When that woman poured that Spikenard perfume on Jesus’ head, I bet the whole room was filled with the aroma. That stuff was the very best gift the woman had to give. Our trust and love for Him, is the very best gift we can give Jesus, and our Heavenly Father. When we turn to the Lord, praise the Lord, pray to the Lord, and walk with the Lord, we are getting that perfume, that aroma, all over us. Remember when Mom hugged you and you could smell her perfume on you? That’s what faith does for us. That living with the Lord infuses our lives with that same aroma. That aroma brings joy, peace, comfort, power, and love, doesn’t it? Yes, it does; just like Mom’s did. Just like the monster spray did.

When that aroma fills your life, it permeates even the darkness. It’s our favorite scent; but it is to the forces of evil, like the scent of a snake to a rodent. The aroma of the Lord’s love and presence is an awesome thing. You can’t smell it with your nose, really. But you sure can pick up that scent, ever so faintly, in your spirit. And, it really does dispel the power of the darkness to disarm fear and doubt.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Blessed Assurance Is That Peace

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we are to seek peace; to pursue it. We are told that blessed assurance, that calm, knowing that God is God, is what brings about true success. Only when we attain this calm, can true work be done, and body, mind, and soul be strengthened to achieve the victory.

Isaiah 32:17 tells us that “The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.” (NKJV) This tells me that my work, as a child of God, is to seek peace in everything. It is to bring peace to all situations; inner peace and peace round about. This peace-making, bringing, and keeping, is righteousness. (Matt. 5:9) -“Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God.” This assurance is the result of a deep trust and certainty in God’s love, His promises, and His Word. This is that calm, the peace, that we need to fight for. This is the peace we must protect, at all costs. By that, I mean, sometimes you need to walk away from things, or even people, if they are destroying peace in your home, your life, your heart. I don’t mean just one or two events. I’m talking about someone who chooses this havoc wreaking as a way of life. That’s a coat you need to take off so you don’t drown in the pool kind of thing.

When we strive to bring about peace within, we are better equipped to establish and maintain peace in our surroundings, our relationships, our daily living. That’s why the commandment says, love your neighbor as yourself. It’s you first, then your neighbor and all else follows…often without struggle.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

For The Universal GM In You

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that God exercises great restraint when it comes to interfering in our lives. God’s not a bully; He’s a gentleman. He’d rather be loved than feared.

“Think how tenderly I respect the right of each individual soul. Never forcing upon it My Help, My Salvation. Perhaps in all My suffering for humanity that is the hardest, the restraining of the Divine Impatience and longing to help, until the call of the soul gives Me My right to act. Think of Love shown in this. ”

I’ve been reading this little book for a number of years, now. God never fails to show me something new, or reminds me of something important, just when I need it most. As I read this message today, I think about my sons and daughters, and their mates. I don’t want to be a “smother”, or a “smother in law.” I also remembered a few “General Managers of the Universe,” from times past in my own life. “Thank you, Jesus, for divine restraint, I prayed.” **Emotional blackmail and manipulation are two huge pitfalls in this area. Some people fall victim to them time and time again, until they overcome the need to be in control.

It’s easy to rush in with the answer; easy to take over without really meaning to. This is where that restraint comes in. “Please God, help me stay shut up.” This message ties in well with the one about being humble and serving all. A servant does what he/she is asked to do; he/she doesn’t run the show.

It is pretty hard to bite one’s tongue at times, isn’t it? I remember watching my kids go off on their first days of school. Each time, I cried. Each time I knew I had to let them go out there without me. And one prays they’ll come running for help when they need it, right? No matter how old they are, this is true.

Whenever I think of this, I thank God for the privilege of prayer. I think I’d lose my mind if I couldn’t pray. And I can see God up there smiling, because He’s got it all under control. And, when we exercise divine restraint with our kids, our friends, our mates, etc., relationships tend to be stronger in trust, open communication, and real teamwork and unity. When we always rush right in to the rescue, we reinforce helplessness and undermine self confidence and accountability.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Practicing The Presence Of It

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that God is a good God. He is also eager to share His Goodness, and all good things, with us. We are bid to taste and trust that goodness, and to hold fast to it, even in times of trouble.

When I read about God sharing His Goodness with us, I think about things like the fruits of the Spirit-because God is Spirit. I also think about His love for us. He gave His only begotten Son to save us. That’s a pretty extravagant gift; don’t you think?

So, in order for me to experience and grow in trust, or faith, and intimacy with God, I must practice the presence of His Goodness. I must receive it within myself; cultivate it in my life, my home, my relationships, etc.

That means, first, I recognize that I am worth dying for. I am worthy of the best. That means I will make good choices for myself, I’ll go the extra mile-(put that vase of flowers on the dinner table, or light that candle, etc.). I will also be deliberate about creating my spaces, my surroundings, when possible. Look at the way God created the planet, the Garden of Eden, etc. The Bible says God devises ways to restore us to Himself. That’s a clue on how we ought to view our relationships with one another. We’re also told that God blesses us richly, and adds no sorrow to it. (Proverbs 10:22) -“The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, without painful toil for it.” I like the Berean Study Bible version; it says the blessing of the LORD “enriches…”

When we seek to enrich our daily living experiences, even something like just a meal, we can turn it into a feast for the soul. God seeks those who worship Him to worship in spirit and in truth. It stands to reason then, that God would love to enrich our soul, our spirit. When we seek to do the same to others, life takes on a much more beautiful hue. As we practice the goodness of God within, and bring it out around us, trust that God’s Goodness is always present becomes solidified. Before you know it, nothing can shake it.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu