Monthly Archives: April 2010

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Hard Nosed? Don’t You Believe It!

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IDOK Devotion for Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Praise Reports and Prayer Requests

Updates and Requests:  Carolyn is not 100% recovered from Friday’s out patient surgery, but she’s close she says. Jimmy Cantrell: He has improved so much but does have a long way to go.  He was at church on Easter.

Hard Nosed?  Don’t You Believe It!

Ezekiel 18:32 NASB “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord GOD. “Therefore, repent and live.”

I don’t have a deep and great theological thought to give you (like I ever do) with this passage – I’m just offering it for your reading pleasure and for us to have a verse to ward off the darts of the enemy or unregenerate man who says that our God enjoys seeing us suffer.  All ABBA has wanted for us since Eve and Adam sinned was for us to turn and live.  I am convinced He loves seeing us enjoy living. I am convinced He is the most fun in the Universe.  But that was not always so of me.  I’ve had some serious doubts in days gone by — like He was pretty ‘hard nosed’ and fun was not something He appreciated.  Thanks to Him, I know better now.

Let me give you another couple verses.  These are two of my very favorite. The Holy Spirit used these over and over bringing me to the place of staying in love with Jesus during a very hard time when my mind was so afflicted with darts from the enemy and the consequences of forsaken sin.  Yes, you read it right.  DADDY does not erase the consequences of sin even when we have forsaken it. Although, I have experienced Him dousing the flame so it was not as hot as I deserved.  He is so Awesome!

Psalm 145 NASB: 17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds.    18The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.

It’s been a really sweet day here – hope it has been for you too on the other side of this screen.  Love and holy hugs!

To review the list of names for prayer, please click here. Thank You, LORD JESUS, Your Presence is the greatest joy we have and You are AWESOME.  I am so glad I finally know it and I am looking forward to knowing it more and more and I pray this for our IDOKs and Readers as well.  Thank You for taking care of Carolyn and Jimmy and giving them a steady recovery.  And we pray now for the rest of the list too.  It’s a long list.  Thank You for entrusting us with each name.  We are learning to take this business of prayer more and more seriously and we are glad about it.  You too, huh?  I ask You now to continue to keep watch over our IDOK Troops to protect them and keep them safe from all harm in spirit, soul and body. And we pray for their families – for courage and strength and hope and practical things like mortgage and rent payments, utilities, the grass getting mowed, lunch money – whatever is needed.  And, ABBA, WC comes to mind. I just get the feeling You are doing some good things for him – thank You.  You are doing some good things for every one of us.  Thank You.  Holy Spirit, please don’t let up on us – teach us, train us in Your Word and in praying – empower us to pray down a revival of the saints and the evangelizing of the lost.  Thank You for Israel, bless and keep them I pray.  And I ask You to turn the heart of America to You again. Amen and amen in Jesus Name.

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Thank You

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This change over to Word Press has opened a new world for IDOK and I am thrilled!  I want to thank each of you for every email subscription.  What a blessing!!  I don’t know what’s in store for us but I am confident our DADDY GOD is leading and you know that is just what we want.  Holy Hugs!

Forgiveness

Should’a, Could’a, But Didn’t.

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IDOK Devotion for Friday, April 9, 2010

Praise Reports and Prayer Requests

Updates and Requests:  Amy and Kevin. Recently Kevin had heart surgery and got a stern warning by his physician to make some radical health changes – eat right, exercise – you know the drill, and you know it is hard on the WHOLE family.  They need our prayers.

Should’a, Could’a, But Didn’t.

When the fog of ‘can’t (no, make that) won’t let it go’ clears and you lift your head and see all that other really important stuff you left undone fretting with what you should and could have temporarily laid aside, Scripture is the only cure for the ache in your heart.  Got a spirit of heaviness because you didn’t do all things well today or yesterday? Then we need this:

. . . Hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. Lamentations 3:21-23, GNB.

And allow me to share a prayer with you written by Marion Stroud, published in her book, Dr. God, It’s Me and It’s Urgent.  Discovery House Publishers. http://www.rbc.org/index.aspx

Dear Lord, will you renew my vision? Not of the work that you are calling me to do for you, but a vision of yourself—the one who does the calling.

Sometimes, Lord, I feel afraid of what might happen if I were to see you in the revelation fullness of your all-consuming power and glory.  For surely I could not look at you like that and live. But I dare to ask, Lord, to see you more clearly as loving, tireless Father, patient, seeking shepherd, wise and ever-available counselor, radical leader, inspiring teacher, committed friend, and utterly forgiving Savior.

Help me to seek you for yourself, not for any benefits that I might gain from finding you. And as I see you with ever greater clarity, may I love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, so that any work that I may do for you will simply be an overflow of gratitude and praise.

All I can add to that is amen and amen!

To review the list of names for prayer, please click here.   ABBA, LORD, we can only say thank You, thank You for Your mercy, for being our utterly forgiving Savior; for being our committed friend who sticks closer than a brother.  Thank You.  And thank You for loving on our IDOKs and Readers today because I know You are.  And we come now with Amy and Kevin; asking that he heal up nicely from the surgery and that he receive from You the courage to make those radical changes the doctor said he should and we pray for Amy that she will have a spirit of calm assurance in this.  And Grand comes to mind, asking that You continue to bless and give strength and healing to both of them and that Grand’s rehab and this new kind of normal settle in and that he become an even greater asset to Your Kingdom than before.  Thank You for taking care of all our IDOK Troops like You have; and with boldness we ask You to continue to protect them from all harm – spirit, soul and body.  And we collectively bring our list of names for Your individual attention; asking You to meet every need.  We continue to pray too for Israel, for peace and protection and fulfilling of prophecy.  We continue to pray for grace and space for America to repent.  We pray You will be gracious and give us back our Country from the hands of evil men.  We continue to pray that You raise up churches to be Houses of Prayer.  I ask You to meet with us at the Ewomen Conference. Holy Spirit, get serious with us and us with You I pray.  Don’t let us come away from that conference unchanged.  Amen and amen in Jesus Name.