My Tea Time With Jesus

Matthew 5: 43-45 (NLT) 43  “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.   44  But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!   45  In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. These verses made me think of how people “change” when we start to pray for them differently. Then, when we start to pray for them and they seem to ‘change’ we (I) start to see good and positive things about them. We start seeing the “good” in them, the honorable things, the blessings. This can happen in ALL areas of our lives, if we put into practice this principle: pray for those people that seem against us; look for positive in them; praise God for these people. We can do this for our work, school, home-life…. Towards anyone or in any situation in our lives, we can put these into practice, and ...

Psalm 4:8 NIV “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for You alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.” Well, today’s TTWJ (Tea Time With Jesus) took me back a few years. We had a home invasion on Halloween night 2011, that also involved sexual assault. Middle of the night. Full darkness. Never something you think of or even plan for - but it happened. It changed the way I ‘rested’ and ‘slept’ BIG TIME! Day time naps/rest/Sleep was WAY different than night time! However, what made the BIGGEST difference was calling the pastor/elders of our church and arranging for them to come to our home. Praying for us, our home, everything. Anointing us, our home, our bedroom, inside and out - EVERY part with Gods words and oil.  From that moment on, my Sleep was different! My actual trust & belief in Gods safety! This verse was ever present and prayed back to the Lord MANY times! When fear or unrest would creep up, this is one of the verses we would pray/claim. This promise of God is re...

James 5:13-15 (NIV) Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.   Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. (MSG) Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out. Pretty straight forward instructions here! The part that jumped out at me in all four versions that I read “the Lord will raise them up” “and Jesus will put you on your feet” “and the Lord will raise him up” “and the Lord will make you well”. Being lifted up and made well, to me, can mea...

Psalm 71:15 (NIV) “ My mouth will tell of Your righteous deeds, of Your saving acts all day long — though I know not how to relate them all.” Sometimes, we just need to praise God, even though we don’t understand what is going on. This is why I started praising God going the the ABC's. It's pretty neat once you get going! You can be anywhere and do it. In your car driving. On the bus riding. Walking around your work. At home... Anyplace, anytime - feeling good, confused, sad, joyful... At ALL times, we can and should be praising God! Yes, you have to be 'creative' on some of the letters, but you CAN totally do it!! Look around you. You can see people, places, things, and even circumstances that God has blessed you with - praise Him for them!! Today I pray you will do this at least 3 different times. Enjoy! Be well, be safe, and be super blessed! 

Luke 5: 18-20 Some men arrived carrying a paraplegic on a stretcher. They were looking for a way to get into the house and set him before Jesus. When they couldn’t find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus. Impressed by their bold belief, He said, “Friend, I forgive your sins.” I was struck by this passage in two different ways. Both based in faith. What if the man on the mat didn’t really have a lot of faith in Jesus, but it was his friends that did? What if he was complaining or even fighting them for doing this? What if he was actually afraid to ‘be healed’? How his life would change due to it and all. BUT the faith of the friends and their faith in Jesus! They not only carried him who knows how far, but then went up on a roof?! Took out some tile?! Then lowered him down?! Best of all, RIGHT IN FRONT OF JESUS!! These were friends on a mission! Even if he didn’t get up an...

Joshua 6:14-15 “ So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days. On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. ” The story of Joshua leading the people into Jericho and sparing the life of Rahab and her family is very interesting. Talk about “faith” on all sides! However, what jumped out at me today, was what possibly happened as the Israelite's marched around the city walls in silence. No weapons. No aggression. No words either spoken or singing. Only the sound of the rams horn and their thumping feet that were marching around the city. Then this picture popped in my head: the people of Jericho who were SO afraid of the Israelite's were all ‘locked up’ inside the city walls. However, if like any other fortress, the tops of the walls were big and thick enough to have men marching on them. I ...

1 Peter 2:24-25 “He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds you are healed. Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls. ” We should not define someone by their lowest moment. Nor should we label them by their weakest moments in their life. Ok, so we have ALL made unwise choices. Sometimes it has affected others, and sometimes only to our own demise.  But what about the legacy we leave behind? I know, I know – in the moment of the suffering or consequences of our actions, it can seem like a horrible legacy we are leaving. Take hope my friend – take hope in knowing that you are not alone! However, the bible shows us several people who have made poor choices, yet what we “know” them by, is their faith in God and not by their weakest moments in their life. Sure, we know the stories of the bad choices, but that is no...

Psalm 73:1-5 (MSG) “ No doubt about it! God is good— good to good people, good to the good-hearted. But I nearly missed it, missed seeing His goodness. I was looking the other way, looking up to the people at the top, envying the wicked who have it made, w ho have nothing to worry about, not a care in the whole wide world. ” ALL of Psalm 73 is one we ALL can relate to!! If ever you have looked at and or wished for the “life” of someone who seems to be “getting/having it all” even though they got it through wrong or evil ways – well, then this Psalm is for you! I know I have fallen for wishing for the easy way or the 'life' others seem to be living. I have also questioned why God allows “them” to prosper when I work my tail off to serve Him and do right. An old saying: “They seem to fall in a pile of poop and come out smelling like a rose” sure seems to fit for those who have wrong intentions and hearts towards God, the law, rules, other people…. and yet still prospe...

Proverbs 24:3-4 “ By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. ” Wow, the MEF (minds eye flash) I had with these verses!! I saw the blueprints of a house come alive! All of the geometry signs working together forming things. Like the very drawings on the paper started lifting up and becoming a building. Yet, the foundation, the walls, each and every post – were made out of the words of God. Like they came to life, and stood in their place to hold the house up. Then, almost like a library FILLED with books, each book with its vibrant colors, sizes, shapes, textures… all became things filling the house. The colors are magnificent: deep ruby reds as well as bright fire-truck reds. Greens so crisp like fresh grass in a meadow, as well as the green made by the oceans waves. Oh! The blues! The swirl of different shades filling each spot in the rooms – from really light like the ...

Proverbs 19:3 (NLT) People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord . (MSG) People ruin their lives by their own stupidity, so why does  God  always get blamed? Boy, I am reminded that I too have done this very thing in my choices, ouch! Why do we do this? First of all, because we are selfish. Second it is much easier to blame someone else than take accountability or responsibility for our choices. How do we fix this, or stop it? Easy – go to God and ‘fess-up’ to what we did and the choices we made! If you can stop yourself BEFORE making choices and ask God what or if you should be doing it – then LISTEN to His answer – you and I could save ourselves a LOT of “ruin”! You know that little voice in your head and or heart that nudges you right before you do something? That is the Holy Spirit. God is personally trying to get your attention and communicate with you about what you should or should not be doing. You know that...

Devotions for every day of the year "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young - April 18th What jumped out at me today in a MEF (minds eye flash) was having to go out and "gather" manna each and every day - for THAT days needs. I saw us going out and picking up this 'manna' from what looked like our front yard. Every morning, this was routine. I see all of my neighbors coming out to get their manna for the day as well. This was a time to talk and socialize, visit, and share needs. Flash forward to the words of "seeking God daily with prayer and petition with thanksgiving". I see the same thing really. That each day, we are to "go outside" and gather our daily needs of 'peace' from what our Father has put out there for us. He gives abundantly beyond what we could ever imagine! However, we DO have to go to Him for it. We have to 'gather' it so to speak. In our 'need' to gather it by asking for it - we then realize just how ...

Proverbs 17:5 “ Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who rejoice at the misfortune of others will be punished. ” This is one of the verses that has driven my life. One that I go back to time and time again when I see someone that is poor, and I hear others mocking them. The other half of the verse drives me too. When someone that seems to ‘deserve’ trouble or misfortune or even to suffer natural consequences – I do NOT rejoice when that happens. Yes, I say a ‘thank You’ to God for using His justice in some cases, and then I add a prayer asking that He allow that persons eyes and heart to be opened to Him. None of us want to be judged or suffer punishment from God due to what we did or said to someone else, right?! Unfortunately, these two areas are some of the easiest to fall into the trap of doing without even realizing it. Even though we don’t understand what God could possibly have in store for someone less fortunate, He does have His eyes on them at all time...

Psalm 16:11 "You will show me the way of life; granting me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever." "granting me the joy of Your presence" this jumped out at me today. Reminding me of the sermon we heard in church this week. Our pastor admitted that when he was 12 years old, and his father died of a heroin overdose, he was VERY angry at God. He knew there was a God, but couldn't wrap his mind around God allowing such pain. He called himself an 'angry-theist' not an 'atheist' because he understood that God is the One who created everything. However, in the middle of his pain and anger, he didn't see how 'pain' was a part of God. He felt that if God "loved" us (him in particular) that He would have stopped his fathers death. Then one day someone told him, in the middle of his hurt and anger, to "praise God more". This was super strange, but he decided to give it a try. So, he decide...

Psalm 13:5-6  (NIV)   But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing the  Lord ’s praise, for He has been good to me. (MSG) I’ve thrown myself headlong into Your arms— I’m celebrating Your rescue. I’m singing at the top of my lungs, I’m so full of answered prayers. This chapter in Psalms is a short one, but one we ALL can relate to! King David wrote most of the Psalms, and this one relates to his feeling like he has ‘suffered’ enough. That God had turned His back on him. How his enemy seemed to be laughing at and triumphing over him. What jumped out at me was at the very end. These last two verses should be our daily motto! This is living with the ‘expectation’ that God is Who He is, and can do what He does – and that we, as His children, can ask for things ‘expecting’ His rescue! Plus, the singing praises of just how many answered prayers He has answered – filling up our lungs – this should be our daily routine...

Luke 9:23-24 Then He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it. Wow, there is just SO much in these two verses!! First off, what is a disciple anyway? [Disciple – refers generally to any “student,” “pupil,” “apprentice,” or “adherent,” as opposed to a “teacher.” The concept of being a disciple is a willing, listening, and obedient heart.] So the first step is to actually deny ourselves. Which means, that we have control over ourselves even in our “uncontrollable” moments. Denying ourselves the sinful desires and reactions to things, people, circumstances and such – takes a DAILY habit of doing so! Not that we ‘become’ a Christian over and over each day – but we “take up our cross” which means we need to “choose/decide” to be a Christian each day (or act/live like one). Our ‘cross’ may be any and all of our t...

Proverbs 11:4 “ Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. ” Oh my goodness! The MEF (mind’s eye flash) I got when I read this verse!! LOL I saw a person that has accumulated a BIG amount of “stuff” that can be considered by us as ‘wealth’. Houses, cars, water toys, money, jewels, clothes…. They are sitting like a pirate that just found treasure in a cave, on top of ‘all their stuff’. Then it flashes to a funeral. This person is no longer sitting up high and mighty, but laying low in a box about to go in the ground. None of their ‘treasure’ is going with them. It couldn’t buy their way into eternal life. Then the 2 nd part of a flash – two different people: 1 with just as much “stuff” but that they share and use to bring others joy and 2 a very poor person by the worlds standards. Both have and love Jesus with all their heart. They have accepted His free gift of salvation. Flash – they are now dead too. However, they are instantly transp...

Proverbs 10:3 “The  Lord  will not let the godly go hungry, but He refuses to satisfy the craving of the wicked. ” Hungry. Hungry in what? Well, what struck me today was ALL types of hunger! Physical, emotional, mental, things… I think we all understand the physical need for food, and that type of hunger. And yet, sometimes we still have fears about what will be our next meal, or where will it come from, how much will be available… First of all, we as Americans eat WAY too much! For most of us, the portions they give us at restaurants could actually feed a family of 3-4. We have taken “their” portions and brought them home when we cook and serve our family. God designed our bodies to need and use a certain amount of food. Not more, not less. He gave us our hands to be able to know what “our” body needs. Your hands are always with you, and they are amazing at being just the right guide for our bodies and food! For most people (if you haven’t had bariatric surgery) th...

Proverbs 6:20-23, 32 (MSG) 20-23   Good friend, follow your father’s good advice; don’t wander off from your mother’s teachings. Wrap yourself in them from head to foot; wear them like a scarf around your neck. Wherever you walk, they’ll guide you; whenever you rest, they’ll guard you; when you wake up, they’ll tell you what’s next. For sound advice is a beacon, good teaching is a light, moral discipline is a life path. 32 Adultery is a brainless act, soul-destroying, self-destructive; Today, this hit me personally. It struck me in my journey through weight loss. You see, I was a BIG “secret eater”. I actually even planned it. It never included other people, and was always in private. Not always at ‘night’ or in ‘darkness’ – but alone, secluded, hidden = darkness. It wasn’t until my husband confessed just how “hurt” he felt when I chose unhealthy options and he felt helpless to do anything. That was a bit of a wake-up call to me. When I read these verses, they ...

Psalm 5:3 " In the morning,   Lord , You hear my voice;  in the morning I lay my requests before You  and wait expectantly." I had a bit of a MEF (minds eye flash) on this verse. Inside a home, the parent is up, in the quiet of the day, tending to things before the family awakes. As the sun rises and the outside noises of the world start to increase, the parent is still in silence on the inside. Then, there is this small voice. Faint. Chatty. One of the kids are waking up. The parent, can hear that small voice all the way from the other end of the house.  This is how it is with God EVERY day! No matter when or how we wake up, He is right there in the house with us, and He hears us! What are your first "sounds" like to His ears? Do you wake up on auto-pilot? Do you move about in silence, like a robot, doing your routine but not really 'in the moment'? Do you wake up singing songs that you hear in your head as you rise? What type of songs are they? Do you ...