It’s Ours To Care For

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 115. It’s a wonderful praise, and reminder of God’s glory on the whole universe. The verse I want to focus on is verse 16; reading from the ESV.

“The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.” I never did laugh at the so-called “tree-huggers.” I probably wouldn’t chain myself to a tree, but I do see their point. We need to manage the things God has given us stewardship over much more carefully. Being homeless, I see a lot of disrespect toward God’s creation. That’s not only disrespect for His creation, but it’s also disrespect for oneself. God made everything beautiful for us. He made it to replenish itself, to sustain life on it, and to give us everything we need to live in good health, comfortably, and happily. When we don’t take care to replenish what we use, we risk destroying that resource completely. The buffalo, and many other near extinct animals are proof of that.

Caring for the earth begins in your own personal space. From there, we gain the strength and energy to care for the world around us; to contribute to its beauty, and to keep it beautiful. God is a god of order, not chaos. When we stop caring for our personal space, we fall victim to chaos, dis-ease, energy sapping currents, etc. This radiates outwardly toward the world around us, in all our relationships, and in eternity, I believe. If you’re going to radiate something, let it be the love, peace, joy, and power within you, that comes from the loving, peaceful, joyful, and powerful personal space you create and sustain. There’s a reason God’s sanctuary is called a sanctuary.

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Yes, Over ALL The Earth!

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 47. It is a praise offering to the LORD, by the sons of Korah. The psalm is a short one, so I’ll post the whole thing here.

Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.
He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah God has gone up with a shout,
the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne. The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!

Does that stir you up? It fills me with a deep and awesome joy; and I can’t help but praise Him! Verse 1 tells us God is a great king over all the earth. That means there is nothing outside of His control; nothing. Verse 4 confirms that God chose us! Not only that, but He chose us to be His children! Is that awesome?! Hallelujah! In verse 8 we are assured that He reigns over all the nations, and that He is definitely on the throne! In verse nine our royal status is confirmed. But, when Jesus died and rose again, He raised that status. We are kings and queens in the earth. We are, in Christ Jesus, seated at the right hand of the Father. That’s both awesome and more than a bit scary, isn’t it? It lets us know though, that we have a responsibility to the earth and its inhabitants. Remember Jesus’ words? He came to serve; not to be served. There’s a reference in this verse to the shields of the earth. When I researched it, I found that Jupiter, the magnetosphere, and the atmosphere are called shields of the earth. Here, actually on Earth, “a large area of exposed Precambrian crystalline igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks that form tectonically stable areas. These rocks are older than 570 million years and sometimes date back 2 to 3.5 billion years.” These are also called shields. They have to do with the earth’s crust, and plates that shift or don’t shift. Can you imagine God’s workload? These things are changed every time there’s a fire, flood, earthquake, or tornado and hurricane. (volume and weight) He has to adjust for all the depletion of the forests, the strip-mining, etc. WOWWWWW!!!!! Just think, if the weight of the earth was thrown all to one side? We could be careening through outerspace at breakneck speed and on a collision course with another planet. We might even be shot straight into the sun. No God? I beg to differ with you! This made me think of Psalm 104-a must read! That one will leave you awestruck and breathless.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Forget Your Father’s House

Today’s message comes from Psalm 45, and it is inspiring and empowering. It fills me with new energy every time I read it. The psalm makes me think of Jesus.

Verse 10 of the psalm changed my life. “Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father’s house, and the king will desire your beauty. That king will bestow on you a beauty that is desirable. It’s the Proverbs 31 kind of beauty. *I’ve said this before; it works for you guys too. Moving on to verse 12: This is not so much people seeking your favor with gifts, I believe, as it is people realizing that we have something different, something special. Verse 13 speaks about white robes interwoven with gold. Jesus takes our filthy rags and gives us bright white robes…and that gold?…well, once again, He takes your past and uses it to pave the road ahead of you. Those many colored robes in verse 14 are all those great things inside you, that you never even dreamed were there! Jesus reveals those to you. *I think of the word, multifaceted; like a prism. Those virgin companions are your new attitudes, thoughts, your new horizons, and new joys. Finally, the last two verses-16&17: “In place of your fathers will be your sons…” Your parents may have dropped the ball…but your generation leads the next generation in overcoming the mistakes and iniquities of the past generations. Your legacy will live on and on.

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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

Every Day Bless Him!

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 34; written by King David. David sure knows how to stir himself up int he LORD, doesn’t he? That’s one of the reasons Psalms is my favorite book in the Old Testament. The very first verse of the psalm ties right in with Friday’s message: Every day, bless the LORD! Every day, Praise the LORD! Every day rejoice in the LORD! (Remember how David danced before the LORD when He was bringing home the Ark of the Covenant?) When we fix our heart, or affix our heart to the LORD and His heart, life becomes a dance. “Maybe God doesn’t want me to have it.” NOT TRUE! “whatever you ask in my Name will be done for you.” (John 16:23) *I know that Lamborghini is on its way! LOL When doubt tries to creep in, we need to oust it by speaking The Word, which is the Truth. David recites a long list of blessings (God’s goodness toward us)

Verse 21 of the psalm not only empowers my faith, but it also sobers me a little bit. “Affliction will slay the wicked and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.” (ESV) Do you suppose this is the very reason we’re to pray for our enemies and bless them? It’s not God’s will that any should perish. That causes Jesus’ words to echo so loudly in my heart. “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

I think this song is appropriate here. Thank you Carrie Underwood! Such a beautiful rendition.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Make It A Lifestyle

Today’s message comes to us from Psalms 33. (ESV) We’re told to rejoice in the LORD, and that it is fitting for the upright to praise Him. That lets me know that I can make praise, joy, and thanksgiving a mindset, or attitude. Every praise, every psalm, and every thanksgiving offering begins with a word from your heart. Joy is like anointing oil poured over our spirit; there’s no reason a child of God cannot have joy-even in the deepest darkness; the most adverse circumstance. Remember Paul and Silas singing praises in the prison cell at midnight? Yeah. Joy isn’t always laughter and hullabaloo. Joy is very often being still able to enjoy life, rising out of a deep assurance of, and trust in God. “In the world you’ll have tribulation, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Simply make a point of rejoicing and giving thanks anyway…every day.

One of the things that gives us that deep assurance is that all of God’s work is done in faithfulness. He doesn’t do what He does to get a rise out of you. He’s not seeking anyone’s approval, of even a desired result. God’s not a manipulator. He does what He does, because it’s to be done. The sowing and reaping principle applies here. Jesus said, “Make the tree good, and the fruit will be good.” (Matt. 12:33) God knows that the fruit will come naturally.

Here’s a powerful revelation. “He spoke and it came to be.” Now apply that to yourself, your mate, your children, you life. What are you saying? “You’ll never amount to anything!” OR “Look what you can do!” See the difference. One is negative and destructive; the other, positive and empowering. “for which is easier to say…” (Matt. 9:5) Here’s the second revelation from this verse. (V-9) “He commanded, and it stood firm.” Another word for “command” is mastery. This comes in when we’re talking about respect and self-respect. If you are going to demand respect, you must command (as in master) respect and self-respect. To be respected, respect and be respectable. Then you will stand firm. Whenever we master God’s word, we reach the next level of strength and glory. Verses 10 and 11 of this psalm are out saving grace. And, thank you, LORD/Lord!!!!! No nation can stand against the LORD; for His counsel stands forever, and “the plans of His heart to all generations. Amen and Hallelujah! When we parent our children, and deal with our loved ones the way God does, they’re less likely to fall victim to false doctrine, falsehood, and strange counsel.

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It’s Powerful!

Today’s message comes to us from Psalms 32. Psalm 32:1-6 “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven; whose sin is covered; the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit is no deceit.” That’s just verses 1 & 2. This is a revelation on how we are to deal with those who transgress against us. First, we are to bless them, in and through the admonition, instruction, love (grace, mercy). Secondly, we cover that transgression by keeping it out of any future dealings with that person. We don’t recite past sins to them. We count no iniquity against him/her; meaning that we don’t automatically assume wicked/evil intent on their part. When we do this the way God does it, we empower truth and destroy deceit. Truth sets you free from sin. Deceit keeps you in bondage to it. Verse 7 lets us know how we need to deal with our children; right from the moment they come to us and confess, or yell, “Oh, oh; Mommy/Daddy!” That’s what God does. Remember the story of the prodigal son? Jesus said there’s more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that repents! We need to celebrate their strength and boldness in coming to us with the truth; and we need to shout for joy with them when they get it right. Verse 8 is God reminding us that He’ll teach us, so that we can teach our children. All you have to do is stop, drop, and pray. That’ll put out the fire. Verse 9-11 address stubbornness and foolishness, or misunderstanding. A bit and bridle are referred to here. That’s a twofold revelation, though. First, don’t be stubborn and foolish. But, secondly, don’t raise your child as if they’re on a leash, or with a bit and bridle. That’s not only imputing wickedness/foolishnss to them; but it also robs them of the opportunity to learn and grow. Remember, we’re aiming for the admonition of the LORD/Lord. Love, as described in 1Cor. 13, empowers and instills the desire for uprightness of heart. Proverbs tells us to guard our hearts well, for the issues of life flow from them. As parents, we need to guard our children’s hearts. Love protects, love hopes (“I believe in you) That’s what Jesus said to all of us on Calvary.

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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.

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Only You Know The Answer

Today’s message comes to us from Psalms and Proverbs 13. In this one, King David is asking some questions. Psalms 13:1 asks the question: “How long, O, LORD? Will you forget me forever? (Isaiah 49:16) God tells us: “Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. *When you think about your soul being a city, this applies; God’s speaking of Zion. The next question is “How long will you hide your face from me? God says, “How long will you keep your eyes closed and your back turned to me?” (Ezekiel 12:22) Now we’re getting into that pity party…”How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?” God’s answer: “How long do you want to?” (John 5:6) And, here comes the finger-pointing, blame game, excuses, excuses…”How long will my enemy be exalted over me?” God’s answer: “How long will you bow to him?” He’s been condemned (John 16:11), and He can, and will be driven out (John 12:31) You know the answer to that one, because you have, in Jesus’ Name, authority over him. The above answers are all TRUTH.

Now, King David prays, “Consider and answer me, O LORD, my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, ‘”I have prevailed over him.”‘ We know the answer to that one too, don’t we? Yes! Read (Luke 6:46-49) and (Isaiah 61) This is the WAY.

Oh, wait! What’s the last verse in this Psalm? “But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” That’s right; it’s a done deal! Sing to the LORD a new song. We don’t sing dirges, we sing Praises! And, Hallelujah! This is LIFE!
Proverbs 13:4 tells us that the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. So seek God and delve into His Word. Proverbs 13:9 tells us that the wicked will lose their light and be left in darkness. So, don’t fret yourself over them. Seek God and praise Him because you know who wins in the end. Proverbs 13:17 tells us the faithful messenger brings healing. Is God’s Word a faithful messenger? Finally, Proverbs 13:24 tell us that the rod of reproof is crucial. God’s rod of reproof, corrects us, showing us our error, and how to do it right. We are disciplined, or discipled to seek God and learn from Him, the truth, the way, and the life.

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This Present Darkness…

Has been with us for such a long time already. Today’s message comes to us from Psalms 12. Psalm 12 gives us a picture of what happens when, as is told us in verse 8, what is vile is honored among the children of man. When I read about the lies and flattering lips, I think about some of the ways we’re lured into sin. In terms of generational curses, and dysfunction, I think about having learned all the wrong ways. I think about denial, living behind facades, etc. We live this way when we fear, doubt, or feel dejected. Those things are meant to put us beneath the devil’s feet. He is to be beneath our feet. I spoke about poverty of spirit in a previous message. Generational curses and dysfunction and denial plunder our spirit. We are robbed of dignity, sense of worth, or value, our confidence, self-respect, the power to choose, and power to BE ourselves. The word power here, denotes strength and capability. Pure words are true, they show the way, and they infuse us and empower us with life.

The powers, principalities, and hosts of spiritual wickedness , if you can picture it, kind of circle humankind, like a shark circles its prey. They’re always ready to snatch their next victim. When what is vile is exalted among the children of man, we open doors to bondage and destruction of life/lives. Some of these things are demon worship, witchcraft, adultery, illicit sex, hedonism, pornography, hatred and violence, racism, sexism, etc. These things make everyone involved vulnerable to the bondage and destruction, or the fallout from them.

Check back tomorrow for the second part of the message on this Psalm. I found an interesting connection between verse 6 and proverbs 6, that brings an awesome revelation and lesson.

In this present darkness, and in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. who fought to bring light into it, I offer this song. Thank you, Jason Upton. This is so beautiful; and remember, we’re not alone either.

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