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.

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.

As occurs from time to time in the IDOK Ministry, we have a prayer request that is so private I have been asked to withhold names and details; but prayer is much desired and needed. One sister in the Light is wanting her sister in the dark to come to the Light.  Please ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray for this ‘lost sheep’.

A blessed weekend to you — Holy hugs, Kat…