Even though the weekend is upon us, I am hoping some of you will read this post and pray for Gracin.  She is a beautiful little girl about three, I think.   Below is her Mom’s request.  Thank you, love and holy hugs, Kat…

Hello…
Gracin is having surgery on Monday May 3rd at Rex Healthcare at 8:30am. Our check-in time is 6:30am. She is having her adenoids and tonsils removed in hopes of helping with her sleep apnea. She will be staying overnight.

Please feel free to share this with others that you know will pray.
In His hands….Nikki Adams

IDOK Devotion for Friday, April 30, 2010

Praise Reports, Prayer Requests and Updates:

Got word late in the afternoon that Bill’s doctors are amazed at the difference – Bill is picking up his heals today — literally.  Remember yesterday he could not walk.  God is good!!

Potpourri: a miscellaneous collection.  That will be today’s devotion I think.

Beth (Moore) said on Wednesdays With Beth that ‘every wrong will be made right.’  That’s got to encourage somebody today!  Somebody today will surely experience a memory slipping from the closet of her mind; a vivid memory of a malicious deed and words saturated with hate.  And it will hurt again.  Somebody needs to know that DADDY GOD will make right every wrong done to you.  Please take that memory to Him in faith and give Him time to vindicate you and make right what was so wrong! Romans 12:¹⁹Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.

Joyce Meyer had some really good Words on Wednesday too.  And as I think about too good for just a snippet from me.   The title of the message is Taking the I out of Me – Part One.  The date of the broadcast was April 28, 2010… take a listen when you can.

In the meantime, let me give you two statements (paraphrased, of course): The embryo of Christ was placed in us at our salvation. What do embryos do in the womb of their mother?  They grow!  What a spiritual picture! Embryo. Infant. Toddler. Adolescence. Young Adult. Mature Adult.   How’s that for explaining the range of Christians’ behavior?  And I wonder what stage of development I am.  Don’t you?   Some days all in the same day I see me act like a two year old brat and a fairly mature adult — it depends on the issue at hand, the stage of my healing in that area, and how much of His Word I have allowed to abide in me.   Oh, what a patient Father He is!

And she (Joyce) said, Only the Word of God will divide the soul from the spirit. Hebrews 4:¹²For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Culturally,  two-edged sword means something cuts both ways.  And the Word of God does.  Read it and we’ll find good news and bad news!  But more than that we find it is ALIVE.  And the Word of God in the ‘hands’ of the Holy Spirit applied to the heart of a soul will cut away the cancer of sin  perfectly clean.  Not even the most  skilled surgeon in the land with the best crafted, sharpest, most expensive scalpel known to man can even come close to such precision.

Thoughts and intentions of the heart – as well as I know my beloved, I cannot KNOW his every thought and intention.  I cannot divide and sort through the recesses of his mind and heart; but The Word of God can.   For sure, for sure, only the Word of God can fully know and reveal to me who I am and who I can be.  With such a treasure, such a tool, such a gift so freely given to us, why do we not wear the covers off a Bible every year?  Why – indeed!

To review the list of names for prayer, please click here.

That’s a good question, ABBA, and there was a time I spent more time between the covers of a Bible than I do now.   I was desperate then, my soul was raw and wounded, broken, scattered, near death.  I don’t want to be raw and wounded and broken and scattered like that again but I am inviting You to give me such a hunger for You and Your Word that I  come to the table to dine with You that eagerly, consistently, abandoning and curtailing other things to be that devoted to You.   This late hour in the day is clear evidence to me that some curtailing went undone today.  But your mercy is fresh, I accept; to do less would be pride, wouldn’t it?  Thank You, LORD JESUS.  You as so good to me.

And we have some names, lots of names and each one of them needs to know and hold tight to Your Goodness.  They need to know that You are good; that You have not forgotten them; that You are not neglecting them; that You ARE for them.  And, Holy Spirit, I pray You will deliver that very message to their hearts and if there are people that You’d like to work with in this, I pray we will hear Your Call to service and will say yes LORD I’ll go.   Yes, LORD, send me.

And that good news about Bill!  Thank You so much.  I pray You will continue his recovery and he will soon be walking well again. We pray for our IDOK Troops; renewing our petition for their safety and well being and for their families to be well cared for and conducting themselves with honor.

Father, You know the concerns that have been made known to this ministry today.   The discouragements that friends have shared and I pray for them, for all of us that You, Holy Spirit, will encourage us; that we will allow You to encourage us. That we will receive Your encouragement.  That we will not look at what others are not doing but trust that You ARE doing something, that You are doing what is needed, what is right; not only in the churches but in the political arenas  too.  Please send revival.  Please, Holy Spirit, gather and bring in one accord Your people all over this world to pray, confess and repent of our sins and pray and pray until You send revival to the Body of Christ and the gift of repentance to the lost around us.  It can’t be too late, LORD, we are still here, please, Holy Spirit, blow on us with fresh wind and fresh fire and this I ask on the merits and in the Name of Jesus. Amen and amen.

We have been asked to pray for Mike Hammons, he is waiting for biopsy results.  Mike has been added to our Praying For These page.

And a praise!  A young couple (Joni and Todd) we prayed for last year when their less than a year old daughter died are having another daughter.  She is due to be born on July 12 and all is going well!!

Holy hugs ya’ll

Kat…

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Susie.  She’s our dog.   A yellow lab.  She’s nearly 8 and weighs in at about 90 pounds.  So she is no small dog and she’s as strong as an ox … well, perhaps not, but you get my drift.  Susie has the run of the back yard within the boundaries of a fence.  It’s a nice fence.  Made of three boards spanning about 3 feet top to bottom with American Wire attached to the boards on Susie’s side which prevents her from utilizing the space between the boards to escape the confines of the backyard.  However,  the boards and the wire are not the only things impeding Susie from leaving the back yard.  Actually, I have no doubt that Susie could easily scale that fence.  And I am equally certain she would be thrilled to be on the other side.  I know this because she will knock down a small child or mid-size woman to get out the gate when it is opened.  For this reason I do not open the gate.  Okay. Okay. I’ll get to my point.  Why does Susie remain in the back yard barring someone leaving the gate open?  Clearly she has the body strength and height to come over that fence.  So what’s holding Susie back?  Here’s what I think.  Susie does not KNOW she can jump/climb over that fence.

I think we are like Susie sometimes.  God has given us gifts, talents, skills and His own dear Presence to empower us, yet we stay in our comfort zones. We stay within the boundaries erected around us.  Boundaries that when we walk up to them, clearly we have the strength in Christ to get over them.  But we don’t.  Why not?  Could it be lack of knowledge?  And why don’t we know?  Have we not read the Scriptures?  Do we not well know, can we not all quote Philippians 4:13?  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. And what about Jeremiah 1:19″They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD. [source]

Is there something that God has put in your heart to do?  Are there some boundaries drawn around your heart, your life that He wants you to scale, to get to the other side of and yet you have not?  Be encouraged.  KNOW — no, BELIEVE.  Believe He in you is enough to do the thing and do it!

ABBA, this is another one of those I want to post right now.   One of those that I think, this is good!  This will ‘preach’. This will resonant with some people.  It’ll light up in someone’s heart and they will be encouraged.   That’s what I think.  And that’s what I am praying for now; that when it reaches the screens of our IDOKs and Readers, they will hear from You.  That You, Holy Spirit, will leap this off the ‘page’ and will encourage someone to BELIEVE You and do great things in Your Name in this world.  Even me, DADDY GOD, even me.   I still don’t know why You let me do this but I am so glad You do.  Thank You.

. . .  So many, so many needs, so many problems; but You are able.  Thank You for taking care of all these.  And, LORD, we ask and we ask and I know that’s okay because You told us to ask and yet in this moment I am thinking wouldn’t it be good to just visit with You and love on You and praise and appreciate You.  Like Beth said this morning just fellowship with You. Meaning sometimes we just shut up and listen.  I really want to learn to do that.   So here I go petitioning again… teach us how.   And bless and keep safe our IDOK Troops and their families.   Love on our IDOKs and our Readers and best we know how we are listening in Jesus name.  Amen and amen.