My Tea Time With Jesus

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭109:26-27, 31 Vs 26-27: “Help me, Lord my God; save me according to Your unfailing love. Let them know that it is Your hand, that You, Lord, have done it. Vs 31: "For He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them."     Wow! This chapter is a BIG 'go get 'em God!' chapter!! I've had a few 'friends' who ended up actually being enemies in disguise, and WOW verses 1-5 describe it perfectly! However, it's verse 27, that is my heart, in all things. That when God rescues me or blesses me - that 'they' know it's His hand, it's Him doing it - not me!     Verse 31 is a promise for ALL of us! We are the 'needy' He stands with. Being needy is a BIG word! It could be actual needs: financial, physical, emotional, mental, even relational. No matter if we need food on the table, or all green lights to get to work on time - He IS standing right there with us! We could also be ...

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭108:6, 12-13 Vs 6: “Save us and help us with Your right hand, that those You love may be delivered." Vs 12-13: "Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies."      This Psalm opens with verses that are in a song - funny how I sing thru it instead of just reading LOL      Here are verses that popped out to me, to pray for our President and our country. I LOVE the part "for human help is worthless. With God we will gain the victory" it is SO true!! I wonder... there have been a couple of Presidents that were not politicians in the past, I wonder if they were covered in prayer? They were 'the people's President' so I'm thinking the people prayed them up. Hmmm - we need our War Room. A place we can go, sit, pray, confess, reflect.... either putting prayers up on a board, or on index cards in a box, or in a notebook - we REALLY need to devote prayer ...

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭107:10-11, 13-14‬ Vs 10-11: “Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains, because they rebelled against God’s commands and despised the plans of the Most High." Vs 13-14: "Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains."      Here is another promise for us from God! The MEF (minds eye flash) I got: a room beneath a room, with no light at all, and a person sitting there with heavy chains made of solid iron, alone, contemplating their life and choices. Because they 'chose' to be a prodigal, and follow the lusts of their heart - they ended up in this darkest of dark places. The weight of the emotions attached to the choices they have made were displayed on them with different thicknesses of chains. One as thick as anchor chain. So heavy and thick, that it nearly takes their breath away. Others are smalle...

Psalm‬ ‭106:8, 12-13, 39, 43-45 Vs 8: “Yet He saved them for His name’s sake, to make His mighty power known." Vs 12-13: "Then they believed His promises and sang His praise. But they soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His plan to unfold." Vs 39: "They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves." Vs 43-45: "Many times He delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin. Yet He took note of their distress when He heard their cry; for their sake He remembered His covenant and out of His great love He relented.”      The Cliff Note History Lesson continues.... Today, the Lord does the same thing with us! Things happen to, around, or with us - not for our sake really, but for His names sake! To show His great and mighty power! Vs 12-13 is soooooooo us in our day!! God does something miraculous and we 'raise the roof' with praising Him.... then.... we forget. Then...

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭105:2, 4-5‬ Vs 2: “Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. VS 4: "Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always." Vs 5: "Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced,"      Here is another Psalm with a short history lesson. Cliff notes so to speak. Wouldn't it be neat, if we had a way of passing down 'our story' with God?!?! Sharing the wonderful acts He's done in OUR life, the life of our family?!?! I think that's why I got involved in scrapbooking, to have the memories to share. Bummer is, all of our kids and grandkids are so far away.      Back in bible times, they built alters, that were to serve as 'memory' of Gods provision, promises, and judgments. We are missing this in our day and time. Stories, memories, proof - to share and pass down to future generations, is definitely a lost art in this generation.      Today, let's point out when we ...

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭104:20-23‬ “You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens. Then people go out to their work, to their labor until evening."      This chapter describes a lot of how the animals on earth are provided for by God. At His hand, they are fed, not fed, live and or die. He then creates them again. But this part here in the middle, reminded me of living in the high desert. It was after sunset, that all sorts of animals and creatures came out. Both the hunters and the prey. I never thought of it as a time that animals 'seek their food from God' - but it totally fits!! Then, as the temperature starts to change, and the sun starts to rise, they go back to their homes. THEN 'we' start to wake and work and seek our daily provision from God! Wow!! If you want a 'short version' of creation and hi...

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭103:3, 10-12, 17 Vs 3: “who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases," Vs 10-12: "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." Vs 17: "But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children’s children—”      Wow! This Psalm is full of good nuggets and promises! So I'm totally claiming verse 3 right now!! Then verse 17, is comforting to my thoughts of our kids and grand-kids. Verses 10-12 is just a big reminder that we are NOT getting what we actually deserve as punishment for what we do. Which reminds me of someone 'behaving' badly, "they" are NOT their action or behavior, "they" are a person whom God loves, and created in His ima...

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭102:17 “He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; He will not despise their plea." Yet another promise from our Father, God! Have you ever felt like you were "the destitute"? I know I have! Especially when I am isolated and alone. However, even in my darkest hours, He HAS heard me, my cry and my prayers and plea to Him! The truth is, He does NOT leave us, EVER! When we feel He is 'far from us' - it is NOT the Lord that moved or walked away.... it is us! We have broken the fellowship with Him that we once had. Yes, I have felt like a toddler SO many times over and over! Just as I think I've progressed and advanced in my relationship with Him, something changes and I learn something new. So instead of entering High School, I'm just entering kindergarten LOL That is why and how I KNOW that He is alive and well! The bible is the living and breathing words of God! WE CAN learn something NEW every day - IF we choose to read it, listen, and f...

Psalm‬ ‭101:1-2‬ “I will sing of Your love and justice; to You, Lord, I will sing praise. I will be careful to lead a blameless life— when will You come to me? I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart."      Beautiful way to start the day! However, ouch! The last part 'I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart' - I REALLY need to 'conduct' my house!! I have fallen out of practice with a routine, and it is therefore leading to disorder. I am praying for diligence and consistency for myself to get things in order. The other part, 'blameless heart' - I asked the Lord what that means for me? He whispered that what my Mom did or didn't do, I am not to be blamed for. However, that which I DO know, I need to follow. Gladly, as if I were doing it for Jesus. Well, of course I 'know' that way of thinking, but I just don't follow it like I want to. It is hard to let go of the past sometimes. Both from the acti...

Psalm‬ ‭100:1-5‬ “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."      Another Psalm that is a song! Short, simple, truthful, to the point. The MEF (minds eye flash) I had at "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise" was seeing a marvelous looking 'gate' protecting an enormous and grand palace, yet, right at the edge of my bed. All I need do is roll out and 'step' into the area to enter the gates. Because of Jesus, we can come to the throne room of God at ANY time, day or night! What struck me, as a reminder today: instead of waking up and giving Jesus my 'to...

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭99:8 “Lord our God, You answered them; You were to Israel a forgiving God, though You punished their misdeeds."      A spot of reality here. God hears us. He answers us. He forgives us. But, it's not all just swept under the rug. Sometimes, there are consequences for our sins and choices. Sometimes there is a punishment for them. Sometimes this punishment seems to last a long time. Like a perfect example of a loving and faithful Father, He MUST discipline us with fairness and justice. We are forgiven. We are human and fail - it's part of how He created us - BUT - we are made in the image of Jesus, so we CAN overcome things that trip us up - only with and thru Him, Jesus! He who is in us, is greater than he who is in the world. 'We' are in the world. But we don't have to succumb to everything in it! Including the lies 'we' tell ourselves! All we need to do is 'ask' Him for His forgiveness. He won't behave like some of our earthly ...

Psalm‬ ‭96:11-13 “Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for He comes, He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness."      Have you ever sat by the ocean when no one is around? Or sat by a river? How about near an open field? Or in the middle of a forest? How about in the middle of the desert?      Well, I have done each of these. I've sat quietly and just listened. It is absolutely mind blowing to hear 'creation' praising God! In a forest, not only do you hear distant sounds, but when the wind is gently blowing, the leaves of the trees sing songs! So many different sounds come from the branches and leaves. There is even a time that I heard 'water' when there was NO water around for miles and miles. It w...

Psalm‬ ‭95:6-7‬ “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.”      Another song. Today, in your mind and heart, let's do these verses! How can we do this? Well, literally, we can get down on our knees and bow before Him. Closing our eyes and picturing Him before us. We can in our hearts 'bow down and kneel' before Him too (in case we cannot actually get on the floor). By being calm, quiet, peaceful - and just closing our eyes and getting in His presence. When we are in a relationship with our Father, we gladly come to Him at all times of the day. Like a child, or a lamb even (both are called kids). As they run and play, they always keep their Father/Shepherd in view. Maybe just a glance here and there, but in view. If the Father/Shepherd speaks, the 'kids' both hear it right away, and look towards Him to see what He is doing and or saying. Now, if we are...

Psalm‬ ‭94:18-19 “When I said, “My foot is slipping,” Your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought me joy."      Here is an example of what our prayer life should be. Confession and thanking God. When we cry out before, during or after temptation - Jesus supports us! Then by reading His word, that's when He consoles us and calms our fears. That is how we 'hear' from Him, by building our relationship with Him through reading His words.      Pretty neat! Today, at the 'moment' the Holy Spirit nudges you, talk it out OR praise it out. Your relationship with Jesus will grow! Not like ANY human relationship, even better! No judgment! No harboring resentment. No jealousy. But true, pure, love and acceptance. He's always available! Always open! His phone line is never down or busy! God is like our own personal "Bat Phone" - He is ALWAYS there in time of need AND/OR in time of celebration! All you...

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6:20-21‬ “Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness. May God’s grace be with you all."      Put your name in the place of Timothy. So, how do we avoid godless, foolish discussions? First of all, you HAVE to know Gods word, His voice, and be listening to the Holy Spirit!! Then, when you are around such people and conversations, you pray in your head, asking the Holy Spirit to guide/direct you. As you know truth, you will know when you hear something false. As soon as your thoughts say something like, "You should leave this conversation." - then you should leave! What I do, is politely excuse myself. Immediately! With having to use the restroom, or needing a drink of water, or noticing someone go by that I need to catch and ask a question of. It's following scripture, that says to flee fr...

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1:5 “I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you."      Wow! The visual God flashed before me!! We are all women at different stages in life. Some of us have children and even grandchildren or great-grandchildren. Some of us are Aunties. Some are yet to have kids, or may not ever have children of our own. It doesn't matter! What matters, is that we show by our actions on the outside, our faith on the inside, to ALL of the kids around us!      Look at this young man, Timothy. There are no 'men' mentioned here, but 'women' who built up and influenced his faith in Jesus Christ! We are to display our faith to ALL around us! I'm thinking we need to start off our day with a prayer that asks the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us to be the example Jesus would have us be, that brings glory to God! So that, the influence we...

1 Timothy‬ ‭6:17-19 “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life."      What an amazing passage!! Even if we are not rich by our standards or the worlds...we CAN be 'rich in good works'! Being generous isn't always about money. It can be time, conversation, love, kindness... Remember, when we 'do to the least of these' we are doing it to/for Jesus. Today, you have the opportunity to 'experience true life' - you do!! How? By being ready, on the alert, to help, share, do good for someone else. Some people may look alright on the outside, ...

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6:11, 14‬ Vs 11: “But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness." Vs 14: "that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again."      Pursue: "to follow and try to catch or capture (someone or something) for usually a long distance or time" - to me, this is ongoing, the long-haul, continuous, over and over, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly... Put your name in place of Timothy because YOU are a woman of God. If you are not pursuing righteousness, a godly life, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness - then you are chasing or living after evil and evil things. There is not a "middle ground" - you are either pursuing godliness or you are pursuing evil. If you are doing things in secret or even out in the open, that people can find fault with - STO...

1 Timothy 6:6-9 Vs 6: “Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth." Vs 7: "After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it." Vs 8: "So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content." Vs 9: "But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction."     Wow! As I look back over my life, these verses are SO true!! When I have been content with a roof over my head and food on our table - I have felt the most blessed, rich even! Yet, when I thought 'being rich' meant with money - I fell prey to a LOT of scams!! Things that actually TOOK and wasted my money! There was a double, if not triple problem that happened because of me following foolish 'get rich quick scams'.... I wasted and lost a lot of money, but worse - the example I taught to my daughter....

1 Timothy‬ ‭6:1-2‬ “All slaves should show full respect for their masters so they will not bring shame on the name of God and His teaching. If the masters are believers, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. Those slaves should work all the harder because their efforts are helping other believers who are well loved. Teach these things, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them."      Even tho we are not 'slaves' in today's world, we DO work for others. It can be at a job outside the home, or even IN the home caring for children or aging parents - either way, we are to always be the witness for God and not bring shame to His name. Seeing here, if we work for a company or place where our 'boss' is a Christian - all the more reason to work harder and be a part of the blessing for them! I see the same at home: caring for others, young or old, in a home where we are under a believing husband, our husband is technically our 'boss'. We are under his ...

1 Timothy‬ ‭5:24-25 Vs 24: “Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later." Vs 25: In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light."     Nuf said! (mic drop) Today, confess anything that is not obvious to others (even yourself). Then, with joy inside at His forgiveness, mercy and grace - go do a deed that others may not notice - He notices, that's all that matters! Be well, be blessed, be productive today.

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭5:22‬ “Never be in a hurry about appointing a church leader. Do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure."      Wow! Wish I had seen this verse back a while, when people were upset about it taking so long to appoint a lead pastor at our church!! The MEF (minds eye flash) that popped in was 3-fold, yet all combined. Not that we should sit back and be lazy or drag our feet in searching for and praying for a lead pastor. But, not to jump or rush and make quick decisions. "The sins of others" had 2 pops. First, the sins that may be hidden from a candidate and if we 'rush' to make them lead pastor - then we can and will fall under those same sins as well as the punishment for them. Second, 'the sins of others' being the people stirring up trouble, gossip, slander... it's EASY to get caught up in that! However, we as a body, do not always know ALL of the details. Behind the scene stuff so to speak. The visual of a curtain or veil ...