Hey Kathie, Here I am again with a prayer request!!!Our 16 year old great niece, Railyn Norton, has a 6mm tumor in her spinal column. She will have surgery tomorrow morning. She has been told that she may not be able to walk. This is one of many times she has had tumors removed. She has lost one eye and has other problems as a result of these surgeries. Still she is a strong Christian with a positive attitude. She has been told before that she would never walk again, but by God’s grace she did.. Please pray for her and share this with all you know who pray!!

IDOK DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 2010

Praise Reports, Prayer Requests and Updates:

We added Howard and Paula Tuesday afternoon to the prayer list; please continue to pray for them.  Baby Ryder, praise the LORD, weights 6 pounds and 4 ounces!!  Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! He answers prayer!

I have been reading again in Matthew 4 today.  (Here’s a link to the subject verses – click here.) In verse 12 JESUS gets word that John (his cousin) has been taken into custody.  JESUS knew what all that meant.  And even though the TEXT does not tell us I believe our JESUS was moved with compassion.  And I believe He knew it was time.  Time for Him to begin to preach.  And verse 17 reads: From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

I wonder how He felt as He began?  I wonder how He felt when He preached His first sermon as the God-Man?  Perhaps when we get HOME to Heaven there will be a Heavenly DVD and we can experience it with Him then.  But for today I am enjoying imagining the scene preserved for us in verses 18 through 20.  Peter and Andrew are fishing. Cast net fishing. And JESUS is walking by the Sea of Galilee and He speaks to them.  Actually He issues a call to them.  And what was it?  Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Perhaps their father had taught them the fishing trade.  Most likely since they were young boys they had been learning to rig the nets, load them in the boats, push off from shore and cast that net out, hoping for a haul of fish.  It was what they knew well.  Perhaps it was all they knew well.  And now this Preacher Man was asking them to leave what they knew well for what He would teach them — how to ‘fish’ for people. How scary is that?  Can you identify?  Can you get inside their heads just a little and imagine leaving what you know you are good at to do something new?  Come on now!

Please don’t think I am being flippant here but I just imagine JESUS was so absolutely adorable.  Honest people saw Him coming and they were just awed by Him, perhaps not so much His striking good looks, but just the way He walked on a scene. With authority without even a hint of arrogance; with a gentle firmness that at first glance you felt safe with Him; a humorous seriousness that gave you confidence in Him.   I can just see Him standing there on the shore  with cutest grin on His face inviting Peter and Andrew to let Him show them how to fish for people.  What a concept! They were proficient at casting for fish; now they would learn to throw out a net to rescue people. Oh that we would let Him teach us to do the same!!

I’ll tell you though I don’t think this was their first encounter with JESUS.  I think they had heard about Him.  I think they had heard Him preach.  I think they had seen Him in action with the people.  I think they had seen Him respond in wisdom and kindness and compassion to the people.  I think they were impressed with Him even before He came strolling by that day.  Why do I think that?  Because the Word says in Romans 10: (New American Standard Bible) ¹⁷So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.  They’d been hearing Him around town and when He issued that call to them to come and follow Him, they couldn’t wait to join Him. Verse 20 says: Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

Perhaps people today don’t so readily follow JESUS because they have not seen Him, or heard Him. And why is that? He’s not dead – He’s Alive!  Are we?

John 14: (New American Standard Bible) ¹²“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

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

ABBA, LORD, I can say nothing to this except teach me.  I know You are ready willing and able to teach; I pray for a heart and a will to learn and follow You to the place where the people are that You have made ready to hear Your invitation to Salvation.  I pray this for every willing or willing to be made willing IDOK and Reader.  I pray, Holy Spirit, that You will yet raise up an army of saints in MY generation that will do the greater works You want us to do.  I pray, Holy Spirit, that You will not only raise up saints in my generation but in my children and my grandchildren’s generations.  Oh, LORD, raise me up and my children and my grandchildren in that army of saints.  Don’t let us keep on squandering time and resources on things that won’t last.  And, ABBA, Holy Spirit, continue this in private, please.  Don’t let me forget we are not done here.

And for now I pray for our people represented by their names on our list.  You’ve heard their names as we have read them; You see their needs, You see their faces and You love them.  I pray, Holy Spirit, each will come to know You care and You have their best interest at Your Heart and You are worthy of their trust and confidence.  I pray each one will get better, LORD, in their respective needs.  I pray for our IDOK Troops to be safe and protected and for them to pay attention to You and Your will for them.  I pray for the oil spill clean up and for the people so hurt by it.  I pray for courage and help to come to them.  I pray for alternative ways to make an honest living for those who have lost their way of earning a living.  I pray for the wild life on land and in the water – You are mindful of them and I entrust them to You and pray for them to be rescued as You will, ABBA.  It is a situation that makes us sad and we want to be moved by compassion to do what You enable us to do in JESUS NAME and for His glory.  I pray for courage.  I pray for encouragement.  I pray for wisdom and discernment.  LORD, forgive us and change us.  ABBA, please forgive our sins here in America.  Please forgive us, please help us turn from our wicked ways, please heal this land, LORD.  Please forgive and heal us.  Amen and Amen in the Name of JESUS THE CHRIST, OUR MESSIAH.

Howard is back in the hospital.  His stomach is so distended that the Dr. thinks he may be going into heart failure.  He has bone cancer and congestive heart failure.  My sister, Paula, has health issues too and is trying so hard to stay up for him.  Please pray if God doesn’t choose to heal him completely then let Him take him on to Heaven.  Thank you so much for your prayers.

IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, JUNE 29, 2010

Praise Reports, Prayer Requests and Updates:

So the reality is that you and God want the same thing–you want to be fulfilled and God wants to fulfill you.

No matter what your life looks like right now, rest in the truth that God is good.  Then rest in the fact that you and God are on the same page. Disregard any voices that say otherwise. From Journey, a Life Way Publication.

As I am beginning here I don’t foresee today’s devotion to be a ‘preachy’ one, just sharing observations I made this morning while reading in John 10.

John 10 has some really good stuff in it.  Like JESUS’ promise to us that He wants us to have an abundant life in the here and now.  And the promise that every soul that accepts and believes JESUS when He says He is the only way to Heaven, will actually get to Heaven.

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

John 10:9 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

That going in and out, finding pasture is the here and now and He wants it to be abundant.   And the through Me, he will be saved is just black and white!  Salvation is a sure thing in JESUS.

And I might add, in the TEXT 9 comes before 10.  No person in the here and now has an abundant life UNTIL that person has gone through THE DOOR and has been saved.

But this is not all I observed this morning.  Verse 24.  Certain folks came to Jesus one day and said this: . . . “How long will You keep us in suspense?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

Okay.  So clearly by their own admission, they knew the Christ was coming and they were looking for Him.  And here right before them was One who was doing the works of I AM.  Yet what do they do following their question?   Verses 25 – 32 is the account of JESUS answering their question.  And in 33 we read: The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”

Did they not ask Him if He was the Christ?  Did He not answer them in the affirmative?  You know what this tells me?  They knew what His answer was going to be and they had already made up their minds they were not going to believe Him.

How sad and bad is that?!! Let us not  do that.  Let us not ask JESUS what He wants us to do, having already decided before we ask Him that we are not going to do it.   Oh, I said I would not ‘preach’ didn’t I?

This is good.  Thank You, ABBA. I am so grateful that You let me do this. I’m still amazed that You do; still amazed that You keep on doing it.  I wouldn’t.  I’d have fired me a long time ago.  Thank You for not doing it. We so don’t deserve Your Grace.  We so don’t deserve to get to work with You.  We so don’t deserve to serve You.  Thank You for allowing us to know You, to love you, to work with You to help others, to know that it’s not about deserving, it’s about Your Grace.  All about Your Grace.  Oh my! You are so good to us!

And so we pray now for each other; that we will operate in Your Grace, accept and receive Your love for us and graciously offer Your Gift to others.   We pray for our IDOK Troops for Your Grace to abound toward them and for them to be aware of You, to be mindful of You, to serve You as they are in hostile places, to trust You and rely upon You and for You to bring them home safe and sound to us.  We pray for their families, that each will wait in peace and integrity.  We pray too now for each on our list. Thank You that Brittney is home; I am so glad.  And now I pray she will gain strength in all ways needed. And I pray for specific unspokens.  You know what they are and there are more than a few; some have heavy hearts, some have some burdens to lay down and let You handle.  We find that harder to do than You mean for it to be.  I am sorry, ABBA.  Thank You that as we practice it will get easier.   Love on our IDOKS and Readers all day today and when this finally makes it to their screens, make it fresh and new.  And this I pray knowing full well that it is only in JESUS that I can pray. Amen and amen.