IDOK DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2010

Praise Reports, Prayer Requests and Updates:

I am hoping to give ya’ll a little break today and be brief.  I’ve been way long-winded lately with heavy stuff – can’t promise won’t be heavy though.

Hebrews 10:³⁵Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

If you have tuned in to Wednesdays With Beth in recent weeks you have heard her minister this verse and oh did she do it well.  I’ve referred back to it a few times lately.  Don’t throw away our confidence –  most certainly our Savior is worthy of our confidence and most certainly in Him we find confidence – the confidence that we are foolish indeed if we let anything or anyone take away from us.

And that being true a few days ago, I found a secondary message in verse 35.  Let me clean up my journal a little bit and share it with you.

Do NOT throw away my confidence not only and first and foremost in Christ Jesus, my Savior, but also those  mortals I love too.

Don’t start, don’t allow, and if today we wake up and see it already growing — get rid of that foothold of doubt before it becomes a stronghold of disgust or despair.   What happens when the ‘new’ wears off a relationship? Often not good.  And in some, the relationship – fellowship comes to a parting of ways.  (That may not be all bad depending on whether or not the relationship was built on Christ Jesus — but that’s another devotion.)

I am particularly thinking of close family and friends – people that we know love us, people we have a history with – good times and tough times.   Let us not entertain doubts about them — e.g. ‘And just what did she mean by that?’  ‘Did he really mean that the way it sounded?’ These fiery thoughts, if not extinguished with love and truth, will grow and fester. Soon we will  question their motives, their sincerity, their ‘goodness’ in just about everything they say or do. And when that happens, we will be smack dab in the middle of  disgust or despair.  Disgust – I am so sick of her, I cannot stand the sight of her.  Despair –  he will NEVER change!

Let us not throw away our confidence in the people we love, keep on believing in them.  Keep on believing their love for us is true; keep on believing they would not maliciously hurt us; keep on holding onto our confidence in them until the Holy Spirit of God SHOWS us our confidence  in them is misplaced.

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

DADDY GOD, even this turned out longer than I thought, I pray You will anoint it and use it to help, to encourage and even shore up, restore and make better some relationships and fellowships.

We’ve read all the names, we’ve remembered the exact request of many,  and those we have not, You know for sure and again today we entrust their well being to You.   Again today we ask for peace and safety for our IDOK Troops and their families.  And again we remember the cares and causes on our hearts and we bring them all in one accord in Your Name LORD JESUS.  Amen and amen.

IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010

Praise Reports, Prayer Requests and Updates:

Carolyn brings these to us: Can we pray for Jerry who needs healing and salvation, and Joyce who needs salvation. Melissa who needs healing. Spencer who needs healing and asked for prayer.

Okay. Truth.  I am beginning this with some trepidation.  As we move along you may see why.

Some of my Scripture meditation for today is found at Isaiah 5:20-23 and it is there we shall begin reading.  Commonly I do not present Scripture in this format.  Before each verse I am giving you a phrase which I think is currently reflective  of what I see in the verse.  I wonder if you do too.

By all means this is only one of the many that could be represented here in 20a; this is just the one that first came to mind – homosexuality ….

Isaiah 5:20 a.  Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;

Abortion ….

20 b. Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;

Human Reasoning vs. The WORD OF GOD ….

20 c. Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Psalm 34:8 KJV ⁸O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.

Hollywood – Mainstream Media ….

21. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight!

Capitol Hill DC and all politicians drunk on power and running in packs like rabid dogs ….

22 a. Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and valiant men in mixing strong drink,

Corrupt judges ….

22 b. Who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!

Do you see it?  Now.  What are we going to do to Whoa these behaviors?  I’m just asking.

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

ABBA, honestly this stirs me up and I need You to rule and over rule this stirring.  Because I recognize I need to be stirred up rightly.  To be stirred up in demonstrative holy love and boldness; not fruitless anger and mindless emotions.   There’s more than enough of that going around, isn’t there?  So what do You want us to partner with You to do about these woes in the land?  Clearly You are not pleased with this stuff.  Clearly You want the participants to repent.  Clearly You want no one to perish.  Clearly You want no one to go to hell.  Clearly Your patience and long suffering indicates You’d rather forgive than pour out wrath.  Yet I know when Your long suffering is exhausted, You have no choice but open Heaven and pour out Your wrath.  It’s getting closer every day, isn’t it?  In truth, You expect me to do something about it, don’t You?  I’m lazy and scared.  But You are not going to let me go on this way are You?  Thank You.  I don’t want to either.   Shall I believe that You are calling an army of saint-soldiers together to commission with detailed combat and rescue orders?  If You are please confirm and sign my enlistment papers, please.  Oh, You already did on November 18, 1975 and I’ve been AWOL a number of times.  You’re right. Thank You for Your overwhelming mercy to me.  I love You so much DADDY. I can’t explain it — it’s just You.   Thank You.  I have another request – I got lots of requests — but this one in particular I think I need some urgent help with — writing this here and then just being a writer and not a doer.  I think I have been doing that much too long.  I’d like to stop it SOON.   The sooner the better, please.  Don’t let me get too personal here for public consumption.

I’ve read the names of our IDOK Troops, some have been on the list for so many months I don’t know if we have them listed in the right place or not; but even if we don’t You really do know where they are.  You really do know their faces and their hearts.  You really do love them like no one else does.  You really are taking care of them.  Thank You.

And I’ve read the names and have seen the faces of many on our Prayer list. Thank You for listening and thank You for answering.

Israel comes to mind now.  I pray for their peace.  Is there more You have for me to do?  Give me Your heart and Your will for me in this.

And there are others matters coming to mind; that Your House is to be a House of Prayer; Town Hall meetings; National Day of Prayer; Schools  and teachers and students, particularly the ones right here around me; President Obama, Michelle and their daughters; the body of politicians; the oil clean up; finishing out this day well; our IDOKs and our Readers; all this I am bringing to You in these few words and somehow I KNOW You are hearing me.  I love you so.  Thank You.   In JESUS’ Blessed Name, thank You and for now Amen and amen.

IDOK Devotion for Monday, May 3, 2010

Praise Reports, Prayer Requests and Updates:

We have added Judy Wilkins for prayer.  She lives in Portland, Oregon and she is scheduled for surgery on May 10.

It has been a good weekend and as I sit to write it is late and in truth I am distracted by the lateness of the hour.  But with DADDY GOD’s help something will come to this screen and just may be it will be helpful.  This I know my Pastor nailed it tonight with his sermon.  It was goood!  And it wasn’t that it was new information, it just fit well, settled around me like a warm embrace.  So much so I could have sat in the pew after the sermon was over and just enjoyed my Father’s Presence.   That is not  to say that He is not here now as I sit here and you sit there …. He is!  But wherever and whenever His Presence is like a warm embrace — I want to be there.  I experienced that Saturday morning too when six sisters met to pray.  I have no doubt I was where I was suppose to be Saturday morning — I like that.  I like knowing I am just where I am suppose to be — I don’t always know that with the same certainty.  I’m not sure we can feel that every moment of every day, but when it does happen — ENJOY it and linger as long as you can.

Pastor preached tonight from Luke 23, beginning at verse 39 through 43.  That’s the account of Jesus on the cross and the two thieves on either side.   The one railing on Jesus and the other one receiving salvation.   Pastor asked questions — we didn’t answer aloud.   But I did answer within the walls of my own gray matter. One of Pastor’s questions was — what is my value in this world? He suggested the world values us according to our ability to perform and how we look. Absent the skill and ability to contribute to society what society deems important and look good while you are doing it … means we are not worth much.   As examples he invited us to examine the value (particularly $$$ paid) placed on a teacher of our children and one who can catch a fly ball.   I will refrain from climbing up on that soap box, but you know what I mean and I know what he meant.   Aren’t you glad that God evaluates differently?

So how did I answer the question what is my value in this world?  Obviously you and I are of unfathomable value to God.   JESUS is living proof of that.  If you and I were only disposable globs of DNA, it would have been unfathomably stupid for God to have done what He did and continues to do for us.  Pastor urged us to remember our value — our own and that of others.  All others.   Those who look like us and those who don’t.  Those who like what we like and those who don’t like what we like.  Those who act like we act and those who act like we wouldn’t be caught dead acting — you know what I mean.

The thief on the left and the thief on the right deserved to go to hell.   One did. One didn’t.  Folks we will see today and tomorrow, those who look like us, those who don’t; those who act like us, those who don’t; those who like what we like and those who don’t; ALL of them (including us) deserve to go to hell.  Not just some, ALL.  But NOT one of them does JESUS want to go there.   Do we believe that?  This I know and this is how I answered the question:  I am only as valuable to this world as I am willing to offer Heaven to souls bound for hell.

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

Abba, I am certain I am of unfathomable value to You; else You, LORD JESUS, would not have died and rose again to save me.  And as I answered that question tonight as Brother Roy was preaching,  this is what I think.  I think You, JESUS, are my value to this world – to the degree that the world sees You when they look at me is my value.  And not just me, all of us — famous or not,  beautiful or not, educated or not, professor or janitor, president or garbage collector – to the degree we reflect You to the people around us is the value we are in this world.   My value is totally wrapped up in You.  I ask You to keep speaking this to us.  Somehow I just know there’s so much more for us to believe and see.

Thank You for what You are doing about this oil spill.  Thank You that what was meant for evil, You will turn for good for those who will believe You.  You are so totally AWESOME and I am so glad You let me know You.

We have looked over the list of names and You know how needy they and we all are.   I ask You to minister to each one of them, individually just as he or she needs.  Jason and his mother particularly comes to mind – some tough stuff there – not something that ‘flesh’ can fix.  I pray Jason will let You fix him.  And Andrew, I am so glad You got a plan for him.  I am so glad You are going to encourage him all along this way he is walking right now.  And J.Lloyd, he as the sweetest spirit, he encourages me just being him; I ask You to ‘love’ on him in these days and, LORD, please recover him.  You have been up to some good things for some ones really close – thank You.  I appreciate You being so good to us.  I’m glad Donald is doing so well.  Thank You.

I hear the thunder rolling; thank You.   I am entrusting us all to You — Our IDOK Troops, their families, all our IDOKs and Readers, our respective congregations and our great, great need for revival — all our petitions we bring, ABBA, in the Mighty Name of Yeshua — I love that Name! Amen and amen.