Monthly Archives: August 2008

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Stand Still and See

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2008

Do you love some one who is teenaged or all the way up to senior citizen age who thus far just has not surrendered all to Jesus? Does this loved one of yours love dogs? Then I have a book I strongly recommend you pray about purchasing and give to them. I am only on page 21 and thus far this book is extraordinary! I think for any dog lover, Lessons From A Sheep Dog by Phillip Keller, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit will hit a home run!
I got my copy from http://www.christianbook.com/
Returning to 2 Chronicles 20:15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
The message given to Jahaziel to give to the people was for ALL of them. From the lowest level servant on the street to the King himself; all peoples of Judah and Jerusalem were to receive the same message. And Yahweh said, do not be afraid or dismayed. Obviously, they were afraid or He would not have instructed them to not be. And from a natural view, they had reason to be afraid. There was a multitude of folks out there wanting to take their lives and their land. Not much has changed, huh? A multitude continues to try to take from Israel. I am confident you know my constant prayer is for America to continue to stand with Israel. But I’m not going there today, at least not right here. So. They had reason to be dismayed. I wonder if we know how strong a word is dismayed? My on line dictionary describes it this way: a complete loss of courage in the face of trouble or danger. I thought first to describe dismay as being paralyzed but I think that does not accurately describe their condition here. Yes, I think they were rendered immobile to move forward but not paralyzed from retreating. The absence of courage often causes us to run and hide from the ‘multitude’. It takes a Word from the Lord to infuse courage into us. Let me tell you why I think Israel was paralyzed from moving forward but not from moving back. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.”
What do you see in that text? STAND STILL. Often the most courageous and the most difficult thing for us to do is STAND STILL. We want to run away from the ‘multitude’. We want to hide from that necessary holy confrontation; we want to close our eyes and wish away the adversity. Here Abba told them to STAND STILL. He said the battle is HIS – He will handle it. And I believe that is Always true. The battle is always HIS. There are times, I think, we are called to STAND so close to the battle field it seems like we are doing the battling ourselves, but we are not. Hold this thought. I want to come back to it. For a moment look with me at this. I love it. 18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. From the King to the servant, ALL bowed before the Lord and WORSHIPPED Him! Did you notice verse 14 read all Judah and all Jerusalem and then King Jehosphaphat? And in verse 18 Jehosphaphat is taking the lead in worship! How good is that?! The King leads the servants to worship. The natural tendency of people is to go the way of the Leader. It takes a rebel pumped up by the Evil One to refuse to follow a king who is bowing to worship THE KING. And it takes a ‘rebel’ empowered by God to refuse to follow an unholy king. I urge you to ponder that one!
Lets look now to see how Israel was to Stand Still before The LORD.
20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever.” 22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.
When the people began to sing and to praise Him, the LORD set ambushes against the ‘multitude’ and they were defeated.
Do we want to see our ‘multitude’ defeated? Then we must believe the LORD and praise Him. That my Dear Ones is the way we STAND STILL and see the Salvation of the Lord on our behalf.
Father, from this I understand the battle is Yours and our contribution is only to believe You and praise You. That is more than our minds can conceive. Thank You that is it so. We believe You and we entrust ourselves and all our battles to You, each and every IDOK and each and every soul listed here. Amen and amen. Tory. Davison and Mosley Families. Danni A. Bernie. Darlene. Edie G. Rachel. W C and family. Maggie and Family. Dylan. Joseph Toomey and Family. DeLois. Terri. Kim T. Kevin and the children. Katelyn (B). Janie B. Pattie S. Vickie. J Lloyd and family. Janet and Steve. Cathy. Caleb and family. Bay and family. Jennifer B. John and Carolyn and Family. Larry and Claudia and family. Taylor & family. David & Allison. Jeanette and Earl and family. Callie. Madie. Ruth. Cynthia. Martha F and Bob. Allyson and Glyn and family. Brittney and Kersten and family. Sheila and Andy. Carrie and Rachel and Jacob and family. Billy and Gina and boys. Lance and family. Grace and family. Tressa. Brad, Lindsay, Karah and Haley. Chuck. Windy and Jared and families. Helen and Dan and family. Jen and Larry and family. Chad and Brittany and family. Mollie and family. Julia. Bobbie. Tj. Zack. Phillip. Jessica. Larry. Kayla. Trey. Jacob. Ashely. Lance. Candance andFamily. Laura and family. John and Sandy. Bill and Judy. Andrew. Lee. Sharron and family, Linda and family, Bev and Family,
Unspoken Requests – situations so close you can only speak to Father about
Every IDOK and every IDOK son and daughter and grandchild.
Every IDOK Pastor and Family. Every IDOK church.
The Peace of Israel
Revival in America.
IDOKs Military Families.
IDOKs Troops (foreign soil) – Ethan. Christopher. Raul. Robert. Billy. Josh. Buddy. Mark. Josh W. James. Bryan. Nick. Brant W. Christopher R. Joshua M. Brent. Drew. Justin G. Kyle N. Michael K. Sgt. Bozicevich. Bay N.
IDOK Troops leaving shortly for foreign soil:
Serving Stateside: Jonathan. Jasmine B. Tommy T. Shaun. Bay. Danny. Lee. George.Travis N. Hawk.
Injured and brought State side: Anthony.
Hospitalized: Captain Tran
Military at home adjusting – Tim. Mack. The 226. Troy. Brad. Tommy. Desi. Edward J. Lyndon A. Jason G.
Still praying but no recent update: Hector. Corpl. Light. Bradley T. Albert R III.
As I post this it is 90°F and smoke and haze in Balad, IQ & the time there is 7:09 AM AST – on August 22, 2008 Internet Daughters of the KING
THE WHITE STONE
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Heritage Matters

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2008

My youngest directed me yesterday to 2 Chronicles 20:15 and 17 and so today I picked up my Bible again and began to read the surrounding Scripture. It is so rich! And while it is an account of a specific time in Israel’s history, there is encouragement and instruction there for us today.
The first insight given me I think is in verse 14: Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.
As I read the verse I thought for sure Father included all those names for a reason. And even though I cannot even pronounce the majority of them, I am glad they are recorded for us. I hope some day to understand more of why they are written here but today I think I see generations and heritage. Grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents. Not many of us have our great-great-grandparents still with us. I don’t even have my grandparents with me. But even though they are absent from us in body, their influences are felt and maybe even seen. As I look at pictures of my grandmother, I see me.
This particular portion of Scripture does not tell us the character of these generations; nor from this passage do we know if the heritage left to Jahaziel was a heritage which aided him in Faith or was a stumbling block for him to over come to arrive at this place of hearing Yahweh. Some of us may not have a heritage of Christian Faith. All of us do not have a Billy Sunday, or George Muller, or Dwight L. Moody in our family tree. And even if we do that does not guarantee that all descendants will embrace The God of Scripture. But no doubt it helps!! I know little to nothing about the generations before me, both paternally and maternally. I cannot point to any one of them of whom I am aware as a great evangelist or pastor or missionary. Nevertheless, JESUS SAVED ME! Maybe I would be further along in Christian Faith, maybe I would have avoided much of the earlier rebellions that I committed if my heritage was marked with a George Muller or Billy Sunday or Ruth Graham and maybe not. It’s too late to fret over that now. I am who I am today because of my NEW HERITAGE given to me in Christ Jesus.
But a word to you, Younger Ones, with infants and pre-schoolers and older children at home: it’s not too late for you to begin today, whatever your heritage heretofore has been, to give your children a heritage that will make rebellion against The God of Holy Scripture a lot more difficult, maybe even unthinkable. Again, I say it is too late for you or me to change what has been already given or not given to our children (and prolonged grieving over it won’t help either) but we can from this day forward by Abba’s Grace ensure that what is to come is Holy! I doubt that I have ever given you any more important word of discipling than today. I was raised in a Christian home but not a Godly home. There is a difference!
Godly parents do not seek to make a child behave well for their name’s sake but rather for the child’s own well-being and for the Glory of Christ. Godly homes make practicing sin REAL uncomfortable. And that real discomfort does not always come from ‘applied heat to the seat’ but most often from the parents living and breathing the Sword of The Word themselves at home, at work and at play. Do not miss-understand me; applied heat to the seat will at times be appropriate. But only after the ‘heat’ in mom or dad has been cooled to the place that the ‘applied heat to the seat’ will correct the child and not corrupt the child.
2 Corinthians 6: 2 For He says: “ In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Behold TODAY is the day for us to begin by God’s Grace to work with Him to save our families, their heritage, this generation, this Nation for future generations!
So maybe that is one of the things Father is telling us by giving us those names in verse 14: heritage matters – make it a good one!
15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.
Daddy God, this has been an intense day and I thank You for the privilege of it. I thank You for any and every insight You give me into Your Word however small it may be. And I especially thank You for my new heritage in Christ Jesus. Thank You for the prayers that were prayed for me long before I knew You and thank You that You answered them and that You are still answering them. I don’t know what You will do with this Word today in the lives of IDOKs but I pray Your Will be done. I pray hearts will be receptive and minds, tongues, hands and feet will respond accordingly.
And Father, I am grateful for America and I am glad You allowed me to be born here and I am sorry for the sin that is so blatant and rampant and I ask You to have mercy on America. I ask You for grace and space to repent. I don’t see that I can ask You too often to forgive and restore. I don’t see that I can ask You too often to protect our IDOK Troops and their families and to bring them home safely when their job is completed. And Father, whether I pray publicly or privately my desire is the same – I don’t want Obama to be President and You are the only one I can ask to open the eyes of and move the hearts of people so that he is not successful in his bid for the office. You are sovereign and I trust You whatever happens. Certainly if Obama will allow You to correct him and bring him to repentance, I would be delighted and shout for joy. Work on him Holy Spirit as You will and work in the heart of McCain and every other person in governmental office. I welcome You to pour out Your conviction upon us all as You will.
The hour is late but before I post this I pray for each one listed here – You know what is needed to glorify Yourself and bless them and it is for that I ask in Jesus Name. Tory. Davison and Mosley Families. Danni A. Bernie. Darlene. Edie G. Rachel. W C and family. Maggie and Family. Dylan. Joseph Toomey and Family. DeLois. Terri. Kim T. Kevin and the children. Katelyn (B). Janie B. Pattie S. Vickie. J Lloyd and family. Janet and Steve. Cathy. Caleb and family. Bay and family. Jennifer B. John and Carolyn and Family. Larry and Claudia and family. Taylor & family. David & Allison. Jeanette and Earl and family. Callie. Madie. Ruth. Cynthia. Martha F and Bob. Allyson and Glyn and family. Brittney and Kersten and family. Sheila and Andy. Carrie and Rachel and Jacob and family. Billy and Gina and boys. Lance and family. Grace and family. Tressa. Brad, Lindsay, Karah and Haley. Chuck. Windy and Jared and families. Helen and Dan and family. Jen and Larry and family. Chad and Brittany and family. Mollie and family. Julia. Bobbie. Tj. Zack. Phillip. Jessica. Larry. Kayla. Trey. Jacob. Ashely. Lance. Candance andFamily. Laura and family. John and Sandy. Bill and Judy. Andrew. Lee. Sharron and family, Linda and family, Bev and Family,
Unspoken Requests – situations so close you can only speak to Father about
Every IDOK and every IDOK son and daughter and grandchild.
Every IDOK Pastor and Family. Every IDOK church.
The Peace of Israel
Revival in America.
IDOKs Military Families.
IDOKs Troops (foreign soil) – Ethan. Christopher. Raul. Robert. Billy. Josh. Buddy. Mark. Josh W. James. Bryan. Nick. Brant W. Christopher R. Joshua M. Brent. Drew. Justin G. Kyle N. Michael K. Sgt. Bozicevich. Bay N.
IDOK Troops leaving shortly for foreign soil:
Serving Stateside: Jonathan. Jasmine B. Tommy T. Shaun. Bay. Danny. Lee. George.Travis N. Hawk.
Injured and brought State side: Anthony.
Hospitalized: Captain Tran
Military at home adjusting – Tim. Mack. The 226. Troy. Brad. Tommy. Desi. Edward J. Lyndon A. Jason G.
Still praying but no recent update: Hector. Corpl. Light. Bradley T. Albert R III.
As I post this it is 88°F and smoke haze in Balad IQ & the time there is 6:50 AM AST- on August 21, 2008
Internet Daughters of the KING
THE WHITE STONE
His Ministry to You
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Hungry, Any One?

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2008


It would be one of the great joys of my life to see events today such as occurred in Luke 5, verse 1:
So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,
Last night Jerry and I were privileged to hear Dr. Robert Smith, Jr. preach the Word of God. We had the best time! Dr. Smith’s coming had been publicized as was the ventriloquist who was the speaker for the week before. I enjoyed her too. But I looked over the sanctuary last night and I was sad to see that more folks came out to hear a ‘piece of wood’ than a Doctor of Theology. PLEASE, PLEASE don’t miss-understand me here. Both speakers came with a message from God. However, one was expected to be light and funny and that is the one for which the more folks showed up. Why is that? Yes, light and funny is a gift from God too. Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart does good, like medicine, … .
Maybe America is too ‘blessed’. Maybe we are so blessed, we are too FULL to be hungry.
The text says the multitude pressed about Him to HEAR THE WORD OF GOD. I’d like to see that. I’d like to see multitudes HUNGRY to hear the Word of God. I’d like to see Bibles with worn covers and falling apart because men and women, boys and girls were reading them so much. I am getting a warm fuzzy thinking about my sister in Tennessee (actually she is my brother’s wife) and the way she describes her Bible. Her Bible is her companion and friend. It’s the same one she has had for years. It has no footnotes, no chain reference, no ‘bells’, no ‘whistles’; just The Word that she reads again and again. A particular Sunday evening some time ago she was distracted as she and my brother were leaving the service and she left her Bible on the pew. It was not long after she arrived home that she realized she had left her Bible. She immediately called the Pastor and he was kind enough to step over to the sanctuary and assure her that her Bible was safely on her pew. By Monday afternoon she had convinced my brother he had to drive back out to the church to get her Bible because she could not go another day without it! How often do parishioners return home Sunday mornings, rush in for lunch, leave their Bibles on the seat and the next Sunday they can be heard saying: “Have you seen my Bible? I need to take to church this morning.” Before you jump on me too hard, I know some folks have more than one Bible, (I have half a dozen I think) so leaving one in the car for a week does not necessarily mean they have not read the Word all week. That confession made, allow me my soap box for a moment. Bibles come in multiple colors, sizes, and translations. Some with chain references, foot notes, sermon outlines, life applications – you name it. And all these chain references, footnotes, and the like are words printed on paper with ink and bound in a genuine leather cover, a hard-back cover, a paper-back cover, the variations are almost endless. And these bound pages of paper and ink in and of themselves contain no mystical power and if you leave a copy in your car for a year, a lightening bolt will not come from the sky and zap you for it. But I have to tell you, I am concerned for any soul who can pick up a Bible and not have some sense of reverence, some sense of awe for the Book they are holding in their hands. I am concerned for any soul who can toss a Bible and leave it lay for week. When you pick up a Bible, even though it is paper and ink bound in a cover, it is MORE. It is the WORD OF GOD! It is the Mind and Heart of the CREATOR of the UNIVERSE! And it was written and has been divinely preserved for you and me to read. Can you get your thoughts around that?! Can you just try to fathom the richness of this? In our hands we can hold the VERY WORDS BREATHED BY GOD, PRESERVED BY GOD for us! For the expressed purpose to allow us to KNOW HIM and fellowship with HIM! And we don’t read it?! It’s not our most treasured possession on earth?! WHY?! And let me go one step deeper – if all the Word you get each day is this IDOK devotion — shame on you!! Now stop it, right now! A ‘guilt trip’ is not the intent here nor is it acceptable. The purpose is to get you and me to earnestly pray that the Holy Spirit of God will position us to hunger for Him and His Word. That we can do and that He will do if we will be open to His movement in us. Matthew 5: 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Father God, all I can say to this is have mercy and bring me to a place of hunger for You and Your Word; much, much more than I am now. I pray You will do such a work in me that I hunger and desire Your Word far, far more than I do my next physical meal. Abba, I am asking You in the presence of all IDOK that You bless me with an insatiable appetite for Your Word. Thank You for Your Goodness. You have poured out so much grace and mercy upon us. Thank You. Thank You for great medical reports today and we pray for more great reports to come. We pray for legal situations to be remedied. We pray for satisfying employment positions to be received. We pray for relationships to be made better, for more understanding, for more courage to let go and let You work in the hearts of those we love so much. We pray for grieving ones that their grief will be holy grief; grief that will draw them closer to You. We pray for folks with hopes and dreams for financial adequacies, that You will show them how to realize those dreams. And Father, there is so much more, things we are not privy to – handle those things too please. And Dodie comes to mind. She looked weary and worn, this illness has taken such a heavy toll on her. Please restore her. And there are others, so many sick ones who want to be well again. We want them to be well again and we would love it if You would make them well here and allow us to love and serve with them a longer time. And we think of our IDOK Troops and as every day we pray for their well being, for their wholeness in mind, body and spirit. And we pray for their families’ well being too. And we desire Peace for Israel and ask You to bring it to be. We pray for John McCain as he choose a running mate. We pray he chooses well. And Father, I again ask You that You not allow Obama to be president; that You have mercy on America. Even as Abraham prayed, we pray and we ask that You give America grace and space to repent. And Father, if You can use IDOK to help, please employ us. Amen and amen. Dodie. Tory. Davison and Mosley Families. Danni A. Bernie. Darlene. Edie G. Rachel. W C and family. Maggie and Family. Dylan. Joseph Toomey and Family. DeLois. Terri. Kim T. Kevin and the children. Katelyn (B). Janie B. Pattie S. Vickie. J Lloyd and family. Janet and Steve. Cathy. Caleb and family. Bay and family. Jennifer B. John and Carolyn and Family. Larry and Claudia and family. Taylor & family. David & Allison. Jeanette and Earl and family. Callie. Madie. Ruth. Cynthia. Martha F and Bob. Allyson and Glyn and family. Brittney and Kersten and family. Sheila and Andy. Carrie and Rachel and Jacob and family. Billy and Gina and boys. Lance and family. Grace and family. Tressa. Brad, Lindsay, Karah and Haley. Chuck. Windy and Jared and families. Helen and Dan and family. Jen and Larry and family. Chad and Brittany and family. Mollie and family. Julia. Bobbie. Tj. Zack. Phillip. Jessica. Larry. Kayla. Trey. Jacob. Ashely. Lance. Candance andFamily. Laura and family. John and Sandy. Bill and Judy. Andrew. Lee. Sharron and family, Linda and family, Bev and Family,
Unspoken Requests – situations so close you can only speak to Father about
Every IDOK and every IDOK son and daughter and grandchild.
Every IDOK Pastor and Family. Every IDOK church.
The Peace of Israel
Revival in America.
IDOKs Military Families.
IDOKs Troops (foreign soil) – Ethan. Christopher. Raul. Robert. Billy. Josh. Buddy. Mark. Josh W. James. Bryan. Nick. Brant W. Christopher R. Joshua M. Brent. Drew. Justin G. Kyle N. Michael K. Sgt. Bozicevich. Bay N.
IDOK Troops leaving shortly for foreign soil:
Serving Stateside: Jonathan. Jasmine B. Tommy T. Shaun. Bay. Danny. Lee. George.Travis N. Hawk.
Injured and brought State side: Anthony.
Hospitalized outside USA:
Military at home adjusting – Tim. Mack. The 226. Troy. Brad. Tommy. Desi. Edward J. Lyndon A. Jason G.
Still praying but no recent update: Hector. Corpl. Light. Bradley T. Albert R III.
As I post this it is 79°F and clear in Balad, IQ & the time there is 6:08 AM AST – on August 20, 2008
Internet Daughters of the KING
THE WHITE STONE
His Ministry to You