Monthly Archives: November 2008

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Baggage – AnyBody Got Some?

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2008

I have great news (at least it appears to be at this moment), computer disfigurement has been resolved and I am excited and grateful!! It’s also 7:00 AM and nothing on the screen yet. SO lets revisit an old IDOK Devotion. I did not archive this one with a date, not sure why; but have noticed there are a lot of them with no date. Hopefully, this one will seem FRESH anyway.

Baggage? We know the common definition for it, don’t we? Those bags we carry our stuff in when we go from home on vacation. But even Webster gives the definition of baggage that many of us have come to understand: things (as objects, circumstances, or beliefs) that get in the way. Okay. Now let us read today’s Scripture text. I Samuel 17: 22 Then David left his baggage in the care of the baggage keeper, and ran to the battle line and entered in order to greet his brothers.
Oh my goodness!!! What a lesson! Look again at the definition of baggage. Things that get in the way.
If we are going to be enabled to wage war in God’s army, if we are going to see victory in our lives, if we are going to greet and bless and give the message of Love and Grace from our Father to our brothers and sisters, friends and family and strangers who are yet to be friends, we are going to have to do in the Spirit as David did in the physical here in today’s text. Put down the baggage! Set down those old hurts that keep us from trying again; walk away from those behaviors that are devouring our well being; give up those unrealistic expectations we place on other people. We can name it. We each can name our own baggage. We know the “brand” of baggage we are waking up with and carrying, dragging daily into our lives. (And perchance, we are not really sure.. Pray! He knows! ) LEAVE it! Leave the BAGGAGE with THE Baggage Keeper. And I dare say, none of us are asking who is the Baggage Keeper? We all know, don’t we? We all know there is ONE who can handle ALL our baggage. We all know He is JESUS CHRIST THE RIGHTEOUS! He is the ONLY one who knows how to handle our baggage and use it for His Glory and our good. The baggage we bring to HIM, He will sort through, categorize and store and when the time is right He will restore that baggage to us in such a way that it becomes a blessing to not only us but we can use it to advance His Kingdom and grow and give strength and comfort to others. Oh, my goodness! What a God – Baggage Keeper – He is!!
Job 14: 17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And You wrap up my iniquity.
Micah 7: 18 Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love.
19 He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give truth to Jacob And unchanging love to Abraham, Which You swore to our forefathers From the days of old.
Romans 8: 28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. Even ALL our Baggage — all that SOILED stuff.
38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  source
Not even our BAGGAGE!
Father, thank You. Thank You that You have taken our baggage and will take more if we will set it down at the Cross of Jesus. Thank You. I ask You to take Your Word here at place it in the heart of each IDOK in perfect order of each need. Thank You for all that You are doing in the hearts and lives of those we love so dearly and thank You for what You will yet accomplish when our baggage is delivered to You for safe keeping and sorting. And Father as soon as Your Work in Iraq is accomplished bring our IDOK Troops home but until then protect and guide them for Jesus sake.
And ABBA we continue to pray for the Peace of Israel and the Repentance of America. And we come with each one listed here, each soul and each circumstance and we accept Your Will and Your Touch for each. Amen and amen.
As I post this it is 62°F and haze in Al Asad, IQ & the time there is 4:26 PM AST – on November 20, 2008
Internet Daughters of the KING
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Short and Sweet

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2008
Our time together is really short, so I will be brief; only two verses of Scripture for us to ponder today.
Micah 7:7 (ooh what great numbers 2 7s – two, the number of witness and 7, the number of perfection – may this be a perfect witness to us today) But as for me, I will look to the Lord and confident in Him I will keep watch; I will wait with hope and expectancy for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.
And I believe that is perfect counsel as to how we can live in victory today.
And verse 2 is Micah 6:8 (these numbers? 6, I believe is the number of man and 8, the number of new beginnings – new creation, I think) He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God?
And yes any man, woman, boy or girl who walks humbly with ABBA has indeed become a new creation.
May His Richest Blessings be upon you today.
ABBA I am reminded that today is surgery day for Mabel. I know You have and are and will be with her through it all. Thank You and we look forward to a good report and a remarkable recovery. Thank You for each remarkable recovery we have seen and thank You for the firm and faithful testimonies we have seen when the recoveries have been slower. Thank You for voluminous blessings You have given us all. Comfort and keep safe our IDOK Troops today even as Your Word has taught us. We pray each of them will be confident in You today and will look to You for every need. We pray they will not yield to temptation to find any other to meet the needs that only You can meet. I pray that for all of us and for every soul and situation on our list. You know the plans You have for us today. Plans for our welfare and our peace. Thank You ABBA. Amen and amen. Traveling mercies for IDOKs on the road and wisdom for IDOKs making decisions about church affiliation. Economic conditions, especially the effects it has upon the minds and hearts of people. Unspoken Requests – situations so close you can only speak to Father about. Terry and family. Julia O. Ann C. Stan and Jowanna and Family. Carolyn. Mary. Mabel. Joan. Jodi H. David T’s Family. Kimberly. Shay and Emma’s Kids (orphanage in Zambia) Ministry. Susan D. Jason A and his mother. Melinda H. Trisha. Patti’s Family. George. Brennan and his family. Joshua. Branson. The O’Brien family. Brooklyn. Jacqueline and her boys, River and Jackson. Kim and her Fiancee. Jonathan. Mabel’s Aunt Lou. Heather and Brandon. Bernie. Darlene and Torkel. 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. 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 and Family. Laura and family. John and Sandy. Bill and Judy. Andrew and Daughters. Lee. Sharron and family, Linda and family, Bev and Family, Mollie B. Public and Private School Teachers.
Every IDOK and every IDOK son and daughter and grandchild.
Every IDOK Pastor and Family. Every IDOK church.
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. T. Palin. John L.
IDOK Troops leaving shortly for foreign soil: Richard M. Brandon B.
Serving Stateside: Jonathan. Jasmine B. Tommy T. Shaun. Bay. Danny. Lee. George.Travis N. Hawk. Justin G.
Injured and brought State side: Anthony.
Military at home adjusting – Tim. Mack. The 226. Troy. Brad. Tommy. Desi. Edward J. Lyndon A. Jason G. Captain Tran
Still praying but no recent update: Hector. Corpl. Light. Bradley T. Albert R III.
The Peace of Israel.
Revival in America.
As I post this it is 75°F and smoke haze in Baghdad, IQ & the time there is 4:10 PM AST- on November 19, 2008
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Salvation

I Remember the Day!

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2008
November 18, 1975 – 33 years. The day of my re-birth. I remember it well. Oh, how AWESOME is Jesus, My Saviour!
That night, I thanked Him for saving a wretched, hell-deserving sinner like me. And many, many times since that night, I have marveled that He has not killed me!
I am not sinless (as you well know), but I do sin less than I used to. Does anybody know what I’m talking about?
Children growing up in Christian homes often make ‘professions of faith’ at a young age.
And I think when they begin to ask questions, even if they are only 5, we should not discourage them. They just may have heard the voice of HOLY SPIRIT and have understood what He said.
They just may understand that those ‘bad’ things they do mean they need the forgiveness of Almighty GOD.
In the cases of my ‘Little Girl’ and my ‘Baby Girl’, those confessions proved to be real; but for me, at 9, my first profession resulted only in getting me ‘wet’ in the baptistery.
Real conversion came years later – 14 to be exact; I was 23 by then.
We come to salvation only through crises. And the older the sinner, the greater the crises, I think.
Let me explain what I mean by crises.
For a 5-year-old, the crisis was ‘I do bad things, and I need to be saved.’
And so she prayed for Jesus to save her.
Simple as that.
I have no way of knowing what all ‘I do bad things, and I need to be saved’ meant to her.
But for sure, it was crises enough in her little heart and mind that something had to be done, and JESUS was the ONE who could do it.
(Luke 18) 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”)  source

For me, my crises meant FINALLY acknowledging I was a hell-deserving sinner and God would be perfectly just if, when I died, I went to hell; BUT because of His Great Love for me, I did not have to.
The BLOOD of JESUS was enough to clean even me.
Do I believe that every saved soul HAS come to this point of crisis?
Yes. I do.
(If you do not KNOW today that you are a hell-deserving sinner and that if it were not for the Blood of JESUS CHRIST having been applied to you, at death you would split hell wide open; then, yes, I urge You to pray immediately for HOLY SPIRIT to reveal HIS truth to you.)

The turmoil and sense of filth (the crises in the soul), naturally, would not be as intense within the heart of a 5-year-old as in the heart of a 23-year-old, maybe simply because the 5-year-old has not sinned against GOD to the same degree as a 23-year-old has.
But, even so, the 5-year-old knew she had.
How did she know?
Because HOLY SPIRIT gently and lovingly told her so.
How did this 23-year-old know? The same way.
HOLY SPIRIT gently and lovingly told me so.
I think varied excuses keep a soul from Christ’s Salvation, but it all boils down to this: the soul has refused to admit: ‘GOD, You are justified in letting me go to hell. I deserve it. But I know You do not want me to go there, and I know the Blood of Your Son JESUS CHRIST ALONE is enough to keep me from going there. And right now I agree with You. I accept Your Gift of Salvation.’
It is as simple as that.
As I said, the depths of sin are different for a 5-year-old and a 23-year-old, but both of us KNEW we had displeased God by our deeds, and we KNEW He and He alone could save us.
Oh, What a GOD HE IS!!
So in summary.
Do you have children?
Do you have grandchildren?
You cannot start too early praying for those babies, even in the womb.
Luke 1:40 And she went to the house of Zachariah and, entering it, saluted Elizabeth. 41 And it occurred that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud cry, and then exclaimed, Blessed (favored of God) above all other women are you! And blessed (favored of God) is the Fruit of your womb!)  source 
From inside the womb to the grave, they need to hear us telling them about JESUS.
And we need to faithfully pray that the first time JESUS says to their little hearts: ‘those bad things you do, mean you need to let me save you’ they will say YES, immediately.
HOLY SPIRIT knows the moment each child is ready – we don’t.
It is up to us to fervently pray and live before them in holy wholeness,
(Psalm 40:2 He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings. 3 And He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many shall see and fear (revere and worship) and put their trust and confident reliance in the Lord.) source 

ABBA, thank You. Thank You for reminding me of what day it is. You have been so faithful to me even when I was so unfaithful to You. You indeed have drawn me out of more than one pit of sin. I don’t want to ever be in one again. I know You are guarding me. My prayer is that I will determine moment by moment, day by day, to listen to You and move away from those pits immediately. And if by no fault of my own, I am thrown into a pit I will immediately work with You and let You remove me from it. I pray, Father, that each Reader’s pit-dwelling days are over or soon will be. And we pray now for our Readers’ children and grandchildren, those in the womb, and those we surely know are old enough to come to that crisis; we pray they will come to that crisis and that they will acknowledge to You that hell is for sinners but that You do not want them there and You have done all that is needed to keep them from it – they only need to agree with You and You will save them. We especially pray for the little ones to whom You have not even spoken yet that when You do, they will say Yes the first time. Oh, how glorious that would be, to say yes the first time. I can think of nothing more wonderful, Lord. There are some people on our lists who it seems may not have said yes to You yet, and we pray they will. If we can minister to them, please bring it to be.
We have loved ones who are ill, desperately ill, and we know You have not forgotten and neither are You indifferent to the deterioration, the pain, the fears, the longings they have, and the longings of their families. In our humanness, we want You to heal them all here and now and we even believe that if that is best in the eternal plan of it all, You will. Otherwise, we pray to understand what we can and what we cannot understand, to trust You in it. We pray for peace and joy to be upon us and in us, whatever comes. Mrs. Perry is placing the frame of her beloved husband to rest. I can only imagine how hard that is, but I know You are with her and You are her Rock and Stay.
Thank You. ABBA You are good in all You do and all You allow. Please call Americans to repentance from the White House to every house. Thank You for what You have for us to do today, and we pray for the will to be faithful. It is because of and in Jesus’ merits and righteousness, we pray. Amen and amen.

As I post this it is 47°F and partly cloudy in Al Asad, IQ & the time there is 7:34 AM AST – on November 18, 2008
Internet Daughters of the KING
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