IDOK DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, JULY 30, 2010

FOR PRAYER AND PRAISE:

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

Feelings.  Nothing more than feelings says the song.  But is there more to our feelings than just feelings?

Matthew 14:14 When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.

JESUS.  JESUS has feelings!

How many times have we given feelings a bad rap?  As if feelings were somehow imperfect.  Somehow something we were not supposed to have.  Something that we were suppose to suppress and pretend we did not have.  Especially certain ones.

Here’s one we know JESUS had/has — compassion. We also know He felt (feels) anger too. See John 2:13-17 for the account of JESUS driving out the money changers.  It says He was consumed with zeal.  I believe that means He was really into it … His feelings were strong and active.

And then when Stephen was stoned to death, JESUS stood up.  I see Him so moved with feelings about what was happening to Stephen that He stood up.  Stood up in empathy.  Stood up in honor even.  Stood up to welcome Stephen home.  For whatever the reason or reasons,  JESUS had feelings in the matter and He did something!  See Acts 7:55.

Feelings.  We all have them.  Question is what do we do with them.   Do they move us?  That IS the reason we have them, you know.  To move us.  In our opening Text the compassion that JESUS felt moved Him to heal.  In John 2 the anger JESUS felt moved Him to clean ABBA’s house.  Hmmm.  Perhaps some of us need to be moved with anger or some kind of feeling to clean our houses. I’m talking to the ‘preacher’ now.

It’s just a feeling — it will pass, we say.   Yes it will.  But should it?  Should it pass, leaving us unmoved, unchanged? Will it pass and leave us unchanged?  I think not. Perhaps each feeling we experience when it passes, leaves something behind.  Perhaps it moves us to do good and when the good is done we are more like JESUS, more loving, more tender, kinder.  Perhaps we are moved to do evil and when the evil is done we are more like the Evil One, more bitter, colder, harder, more in a ‘protective’ shell than before.  Perhaps the feeling passes and we did nothing with it.  We ignored it.  We denied it. We took no action.  Or was it no action?  Deciding to do nothing, is still a decision and it still has consequences.  What will those consequences of no action be when a feeling demands an action?  A more calloused heart, maybe?

Hmmm. Feelings. Nothing more than feelings.  We know better, don’t we?

ABBA, I’m having some feelings here.  Been having them all morning.  I pray I have and am taking the right actions with them.  I pray the actions I have taken will bless others and not cause them grief or worry.  I pray that more and more I will practice actions that bless others rather than harm them.  I thank You for this lesson.  I thank You for the privilege of sharing it with others.  I thank You for each one who will read it.  I pray it will encourage them to consider their feelings, all of them and take all of them to You before acting upon any of them.  Me too, ABBA. Me too.

And I pray now for our List for Prayer.  I pray each of them will acknowledge their feelings and will seek Your help in sorting them out and determining what course of action to take.

Thank You for Bridgette’s recent report that bone scans and blood tests are fine.  To us that means the cancer is contained. I am delighted with that and I still ask You to remove it and heal Bridgette and in the meantime I pray for peace and strength for her and her family.

And there are others, ABBA, in need; serious need and not all of it is physical health related but rather emotional and spiritual health related; perhaps that is the most serious kind of help needed.  Spiritual health I know for sure is the most important.  Should be our most watched after health and I pray it will become that for every IDOK; for ourselves and our families, friends and others.

And now as I ready myself to schedule this for posting, I dare not forget to pray for our IDOK Troops; for their safety in spirit, soul and body; and for Israel, for peace and protection; and for America, repentance and salvation; and all of it I ask in JESUS NAME. Amen and amen.

IDOK DEVOTION FOR THURSDAY, JULY 29, 2010

I want to tell you (like you don’t know it already) that GOD is AWESOME.  He CONTROLS everything!!! Even my itty bitty life.

Psalm 37: (New Living Translation) ²³ The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.

Acts 8:1-13 And the persecution of the Early Church was on! JESUS told the Church in Acts 1:8 that they would be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the remotest part of the earth.  It took persecution to move them out.

What will it take to move us out?  The command was to the remotest part of the earth … we still have not done that.  And now would you not agree that to the remotest parts of the United States of America the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST is needed?  What will it take to get you and me to proclaim the GOOD NEWS to America? Persecution?

So how is today Acts 8:1-13 a testimony to me that FATHER GOD is so in control?  Because the book that led me to Acts 8:1-13 is a book that I had been out of for well over a month and yet when I picked it up again, it was right on target, dovetailing and confirming that getting involved in the rescue of America is the right track for me.  And I dare say for IDOKs everywhere.

I’m telling you!  HE IS AWESOME!  He is in CONTROL of it all!!

So! What’s He speaking to you?  Do you have some ideas birthing in your heads as to what you can do?  If you do and if you will please share them with us.

See if you agree with Beth’s (Moore) Praying of God’s Word Today (page 130 of John 90 Days With The Beloved Disciple): “Like Paul–whom You used, oddly enough, to be a leading cause of scattering the early believers–I want to be able to say that I am grateful for difficult times, knowing that they actually result in the advancement of the gospel (Phil. 1:12) and a fresh sense of dependence upon You.  Therefore, I will not be ashamed when trouble comes, hoping that now as always, with all boldness, You will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death (Phil. 1:20). “

Philippians 1: ¹²Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.

Philippians 1: ²⁰I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

And ending for today with a question Beth asked me on page 128. “In fact, when has ease and comfort ever drawn you closer to JESUS? Describe your walk with God when things are going smoothly. “

I’m not asking you to share your answer with me, but please do answer to the Holy Spirit.   A world of people are depending on our answers.

Again, we have come to that time we pray.  I’m here and they are there on the other side of their screens in various places, each of us with a calling on us from You.  And perhaps they like me have been talking this for a long time and wondering just when the talking will become walking.  Preparation is important and You are the King of it for this time was prepared by You before the foundation of the world so we trust You to rally us in our respective places to this Call upon us.  To whatever degree we are today prepared we are here and now reporting for service.  Today. Right now in JESUS NAME.  Today right now we invite You to display Your Glory through us in the NAME OF JESUS CHRIST.

And today right now in accordance with Your command we pray.  We pray for people.  People on our List for Prayer.  Our IDOK Soldiers. Our local churches.  Our Pastors and Leaders. Our children. Our grandchildren. Our friends and neighbors. Our spouses, sisters, brothers, cousins, nieces, and nephews.  Every living soul still on this planet that we have ever encountered however long ago.  For all of them and for ourselves we pray for a broken and contrite heart, a heart broken over our own sins and the sins of this Nation and the world; so broken that we will repent ourselves and for them and that You, Holy Spirit, will blow fresh wind and fire on us like we have never experienced before. Do not, LORD, do not allow us to say these words and get up from this screen and go on our comfortable ways and refuse to let You change us. Do Not do not let that happen to us.  I implore You, Holy Spirit, to come in Your Glory and breathe on us until we are consumed by You.  Come, LORD JESUS, Come.  Amen and amen.

IDOK DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 2010

FOR PRAYER AND PRAISE:

Judy Wilkins is off dialysis and doing well.  For full report see Praises – Answers.

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

I so LOVE it when I know we are on the right track!  But there is more!  When we know we are on the right track we KNOW that if we obey, God will do what He is leading us toward!

Yesterday –  Manhattan Declaration.

This morning (Wednesday) I picked up my Our Daily Bread and read Jeremiah 6:16 Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls”. The old paths!  That is what He is calling us to – the old paths will renew and give this Nation LIFE again!  The old paths of righteousness will give renewal, refreshing life to a Nation and to each of us as individuals. THERE IS HOPE FOR US!  We must believe, repent and pray.  I am particularly thinking of this Nation BUT if the Holy Spirit wants to bring this down to your individual heart, LET HIM DO IT!

David McCasland further said in his devotion: “The parts of our lives that we have tried and failed to repair can be restored by the hand of God.  Through faith in Christ, we can be made whole.

But that’s not all!  Then I went to my Journey (LifeWay Publication) and again praying for a nation! This time it was Nehemiah.

So somehow, Nations are accountable for their actions.  God doesn’t look favorably on nations that don’t honor Him or His righteous standards.

But God-honoring people have been able to turn entire nations back to God. Josiah did it with Israel (2 Kings 22).  Jonah did it with Nineveh (Jonah 3). Nehemiah was a servant of a king of a completely different nation, but he turned Israel back to God too (Nehemiah 1-13).  Individual people and their individual prayers for nations are very important.

Even though we may not see how our prayers for our nation work, God wants us to confess and pray on behalf of our nation –so we will.

Amen! So we will.

Lord, turn our nation back to You.  Remove the corruption from our local, state and national government.  Help people to be elected to office who honor You and Your Word.

And to that I say Amen and amen!

ABBA, I am encouraged, grateful, excited, delighted that You are speaking to us.  Yet being delighted and grateful is not enough, we have to DO IT! And that is for what I am praying now.  I pray the Army of Prayers that You are calling will accept Your Call and will be faithful in it.  I pray our IDOKs will accept this Call and will be faithful.  I pray I will.  I pray You will set us on platforms and open means and ways for not only prayer but to put feet and hands, arms and legs to our prayers and get out there and Do Something in the Name and Strength and Anointing of JESUS.

Thank You so much for Judy’s great report!  Thank You for giving life to Ryder.  Again I pray that every day he lives he will give glory and honor to You.  I pray for his family that they will make it their goal to help him honor You.  We pray for Bridgette.  For health directions and for healing by the means of Your Choosing, ABBA. We pray for her mother, her husband, her family, asking that You give them strength and hope and peace.  We pray for all others on our List for Prayer; in each case, LORD, intervene and bring glory to Yourself and rescue, resolution, deliverance, healing, whatever is needed.

And before I send this to post, I pray for America.  I confess this Nation is a Nation that murders babies.  I confess this is a Nation that flaunts the abomination of homosexuality in the streets.  I confess this a Nation drowning in debt and financial irresponsibility. I confess there is murder, rape, incest, pornography, sex trafficking, divorce, fornication, gambling, robbery, hatred, hypocrisy,  lying, cheating, laziness, apathy, idolatry, and more committed every day here in this Nation.  I ask You, ABBA, to arrest these behaviors.  I ask You to have mercy and pour out like we have never seen Your Holy Spirit of conviction for sin. I pray You will convince us of  our depravity of sin, of righteousness in CHRIST JESUS alone and of sure judgment to come on ALL who do not repent.  Father God, please have mercy and grant grace for repentance to the people of America.  Raise up saints to pray and live holy.  Raise up preachers and teachers to deliver Your Gospel to every person in this Nation, to every house, every doorway, every building, street, avenue, ally, corner, under every bridge, and in every cave of darkness.  Wherever there are people move and send someone to tell them JESUS SAVES.  And, ABBA, I pray fear will not keep me from entering these dark places myself to deliver Your Gospel to a soul primed and waiting to hear.   I pray too for Israel, for that Nation to come to the MESSIAH.  Amen and amen in the Name of my Savior JESUS.