IDOK DEVOTION FOR MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2010
Praise Reports, Prayer Requests and Updates:
I had a confrontation with some watermelon last night that put me out of commission early and kept me up late. However, it lends well to today’s message.
As I was doing some Sunday School prep on Saturday from the Explore the Bible Leader Guide I made this note for us: Removing Options! What a difference it would make in our day to day living.
Last night I removed an option from my future food list — watermelon. It was not removed because I don’t like it. It is removed because of the effect it has on my internal system.
Yesterday’s Sunday School lesson focused on I Corinthians 7 — some heavy stuff there. The introduction in the Leader Guide and what prompted this devotion read like this: They needed to remove divorce from the options list. And with that I was off and running.
There are some things Christians just need to remove from their options list. Some of them might not in and of themselves be bad, some may even be fun — we might like them as I do watermelon. But watermelon doesn’t have the same appeal to me this morning as it did yesterday afternoon. In time I may forget and long for watermelon again. BUT taking watermelon OFF the options table settles the matter. It removes the temptation. It’s off the Options for me Table.
In like manner, when we discover by practical experience that certain activities (I’m not talking about moral sins set forth in Scripture — Of course those are off the Options Table for us! But other things that) hinder and disrupt our Internal System (our Spirit Walk with Christ) we owe it to ourselves, to the Body of Christ and most importantly to JESUS to take that OFF our Options Table. Taking it off the Options Table ends the debate. It sends the Evil One packing with his suggestions.
Let me give you example.
Shoplifting.
That is not on my Options Table and since it is not, I legitimately shop in peace at any store I go into. Shoplifting is NO temptation for me. And there are other actions set forth in Scripture that have been removed from my Options Table. It’s a freedom thing. I like it.
So my point is this. All things set forth in ABBA’s Word as sin, we need to take off our Options Table — remove them, give them no further consideration – we just ain’t doing it. Some of these were really easy for me to remove. And I dare say that is true for you as well. Others may be not so easy to remove from the Table, but with prayer, JESUS and we can do it!
Be of good courage today and if some ‘watermelon’ has offended you – Rejoice, take it off the Table and Live!
Romans 13: (New American Standard Bible) 14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
To review the list of names for prayer, please click here.
ABBA, You are so good to me!! Thank You for this devotion. I doubly thank You for it. For the message it is, for the encouragement, for the practical help it is and for the flow of it. You streamed it. Thank You. And I ask You now to encourage our IDOKs and Readers. To bless them and bring them to their Options Table to know and have courage to remove those things that are hindering them from Knowing You better, from working with You better, from loving others better. And me too, ABBA, me too.
And please tend as You will to each one named on our prayer list. And protect our IDOK Troops from all harm today we pray. And we acknowledge and gladly proclaim we pray in the Mighty and Holy, Blessed Name of JESUS CHRIST, our Savior and our Lord. Amen and amen.
