IDOK DEVOTION FOR MONDAY, MAY 10, 2010

Praise Reports, Prayer Requests and Updates:

As I sit to write it is way early for a Saturday morning, but today and tomorrow hold promises of much, activity; so here I am.  And I am back in Deuteronomy 30.

Verse 8.  It would be so grand to have really good words to express to you what this verse ‘feels’ like when I try it on.  “And you shall again obey the LORD, and observe all His commandments which I command you today.

It feels like ‘Ahhh’ to me.  A sigh of great relief. The sigh one gives out when after a long, long journey, you finally arrive at home.  Like the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 when he finally arrived home and discovered his father’s warm embrace.  Ahhh!   It is goooood to repent and arrive again at the place of obedience.  It’s just Ahhh!

And I have one more Ahhh before I scoot off for the weekend.

11. “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach.

Which commandment is He speaking of?  Verse 10.   . . . if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul,

Turning to the LORD our God with all our heart and soul is NOT too difficult for us!  It is NOT out of reach for us!  That is truly Ahhh for me! To KNOW that in this mortal frame by obedience I CAN love the LORD my GOD will all that is within me — my whole heart and soul.   That my sisters and brothers is glorious!   We can love HIM with all our hearts and souls in the here and now!  Not just the sweet by and by.

How?  Verse 14. “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.

Verses 12 and 13 tell us we don’t have to run here and there for what will enable us to love Him, we only have to obey the Word we already know.  The Word we already have with in.   (And be sure when we have learned to consistently obey what we already know, He will give us more and more.)  What we need we already have!  Just embrace it.   Ahhh!

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

Ahhh and home again.  Thank You, ABBA.  Again, we have sat before You with our list of names and have called their names before You, asking for grace and help just where they need You.  Again, we pray for each IDOK Troop, for protection and a safe return home.  And tonight at the close of this weekend, I thank You for all the celebrating and I pray for each of our IDOKs and our Readers, asking You to give comfort and rest and peace in Jesus Name. Amen and amen.

IDOK DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010

Praise Reports, Prayer Requests and Updates:

In order to make our prayer list more effective and for me to more responsibly care for it I have begun a renewing and removing policy.  Your Prayer requests are welcome to remain on the list for years — some have been and that is good — however, as I daily review the list I will now be removing requests (IDOK Troops are exempt from this time frame) after one month unless you advise me the name needs to remain on the list longer.  I trust this is honoring to the LORD and will inspire me to be more attentive to our prayer needs.

For this season our my life Deuteronomy 30 has become one of my favorite passages of Scripture.  My love for it began growing in particular when I began to pray verse 6 for myself and my descendants (family).   Read along with me and you’ll see why.

6. “Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.

I can think of nothing more wonderful and more desirable for my family and myself than for us to love JESUS with all our hearts and souls.   Oh my goodness!  I cannot tell you how ‘sickeningly’,  obnoxiously happy I would be to have all my descendants from here to eternity to be head over heals, out of their ‘natural’ minds in love with JESUS!  Oh my gosh! Make it so LORD! Make it So!  And not just them but me too!  Me too!  Okay, calm down here, Girl!  Before you think I am looking to be so heavenly minded that I am no earthly good — Certainly I want my family to be ‘successful’.  I want their needs to be abundantly fulfilled and even their wants!  And it can happen!  BUT.  And it’s a BIG But!   There’s one way for this ‘so that you may live’ to happen to them (and to me) and please don’t tell my ‘younguns’ what I am praying  for them!

Do you see the 7th word in the verse?  C- I-R-C-U-M-C-I-S-E.  Circumcise.  We  know what that means, don’t we?  PAIN! If our baby boys could talk they would tell us — oh but they do — when this procedure is going on they scream as loud as their little lungs will force air  out of them.  And who could blame them?!!  However, do we beseech the doctor to do this procedure on our sons because we hate them, because we delight in inflicting excruciating pain upon them? HEAVEN FORBID!  We do it because we covet health and life for them.   I am pleading for health and life for my sons, daughters, granddaughters, grandsons, me, my beloved and on and on from here to eternity.   The thing is I know there is  only one way for us to have this ‘so that we may live’.  And that is by the cutting away (circumcision) of everything within us  and around us that hinders us from loving the LORD our GOD with all our hearts and souls!

Sobering, isn’t it?  Like I said — please don’t tell my children I am praying this for them!  You know I’m just kidding — they read this too.  I love you, Babies.  I REALLY do!

Perhaps another day we will look at more of the chapter.  It is truly a chapter of comfort and blessing IF we are exercised by it!

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

Oh my goodness, ABBA, it has taken some time to get this on the screen and it is not as it began; it’s so much better.  Thank You. Thank You.  And I pray LORD, make it so.  Make it so!  Please, please take that holy scalpel of Yours and go to work on us … me first.  I know You have already.  Don’t let up, don’t let up.  I praise You so for loving us!!

Today in Baldwin Square for National Day of Prayer was so good.  I so enjoyed talking with You there.  It was so good to love on You and worship You.  And James, he sang so beautifully.  Thank You.   Thank You for my Pastor, for each Minister You have given me at Satsuma First.  You know my heart for this Body of Believers – circumcise our hearts, Holy Spirit,  and make us a church that honors You wherever we traverse this planet.

I’ve called again the requests on our list to You; thank You so much for this privilege and thank You for what You are doing in the lives of each of them.  Thank You for taking care of our IDOK Troops too and from time to time let us hear from them, how they are and ways they are experiencing You.   Again I pray for peace and protection for Israel – for them to KNOW You, JESUS.   And again today I pray for this Nation, forgive us LORD, grant to us more mercy, more grace and space to repent.  Bring revival to Your Church here in America.  And, ABBA, I pray too for my sisters and brothers in countries and lands far from me, especially those who are experiencing persecution.  I pray their faith and devotion will not fail and thank You that You are rewarding them in ways we cannot imagine and that every suffering they endure – You are making it worth it all.

And thank You that Gracin is doing so well.  Amen and Amen, LORD, in Your Holy Name I pray.

Just felt like sending you all a thank you.  Thank you for your patience and willingness to embrace this change over from the way we use to do this IDOK Devotional and Prayer ministry.   It has alleviated a certain level of ‘stress’ that was not possible the other way. And even though we have lost a number of participants, (I’m still mourning the loss but grateful for) new avenues  that have opened that heretofore were closed.  I am grateful and excited about what is ahead for this ministry.  I don’t know what it is but I’m believing it is GOOD!

And I am excited about tomorrow’s devotion.  It’s written, scheduled and ready to post automatically at 12:05 in the morning.   I’m just saying this is GOOOOD!!

Holy hugs … ‘see’ you in the morning and remember I’m as close as an email or a comment.

Kat…

Bobbie just sent me this: Thank you all so much for your prayers…..Gracin is home and doing well….only meltdown occurred when the anesthesiologist insisted that she take out her princess earrings…. :)

Meltdown or not, I tell you she is a beautiful little princess!  May she grow in favor with God and man and very early become the ‘Bride of Christ’ giving Him glory all the days of her life!  Amen and amen!

Ya’ll have a glorious day praising JESUS and don’t forget to PRAY AT NOON!

Holy hugs, Kat…