IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, JULY 6, 2010

Praise Reports, Prayer Requests and Updates:

It’s back to work week activities!  Even so, praising the LORD is good.

Children – Grandchildren.

When they have questions and they do!  Often lots of them!

Journey (A LifeWay Publication) gives some wise counsel:

“And when they have questions, show them truth in Scripture.”

Amen! What better way to give a child a firm foundation from which to make choices? And you know what is a great added bonus?  We  get BACK UP!  God Himself becomes our BACK UP because He is the one who has said this behavior is not best for you and this behavior is best for you!

Ooh! I like this bit of counsel very much!  Do you?

Proverbs 22:  (New International Version)  ⁵ In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them.   ⁶ Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

I think this applies to Mothers too.

Ephesians 6: (New International Version) ⁴Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

And just like I am telling you as we read this next text we can tell our children, our grandchildren, nieces and nephews — “Don’t shoot the Messenger here,  I am as much subject to this counsel as you are.  And you know what I’m the better for it.  So are you. “

Titus 2: (New American Standard Bible) ³Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good,  ⁴so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,  ⁵to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

The Word of Our Father – the BACK UP we ALL need!

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

I like this DADDY.  My only regret is I did not call upon You for BACK UP sooner.  But thank You, Thank You that now I have and You are teaching still, even the older of us.  Amen, LORD JESUS, Amen.

Not forgetting to pray for our IDOK Troops this morning.  Not forgetting to pray for our List of People we know and love and those we love and don’t know yet, for each we ask peace and safety in this hostile world; for each we thank You that even in a war zone we are safe with You; that nothing touches us without first passing through Your Loving, Strong Hands.  Amen and Amen in JESUS NAME.

IDOK DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, JULY  2, 2010

Praise Reports, Prayer Requests and Updates:

I have been concerned and somewhat dismayed by conduct in churches and my today’s reading Text has addressed it.  And if I am ‘preaching to the choir’ (oh I hope I am); and not one IDOK  is at odds with a fellow church member or their Pastor, I will be absolutely ecstatic with joy.  And if that is your  case, please read on anyway, a little reinforcement in your armor against future attacks is always good.  Here’s the verse.

Philippians 1: 27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, . . . that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; (Here’s a link to read the verse in its entirety.)

Standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together  – not against one another – for the faith of the gospel!

One mind.  The Mind of Christ.

One Spirit.  The Spirit of Christ.

Just what is the purpose of the Christian Church?  Would you agree it is  to equip the Saints to evangelize the Lost?

Matthew 28: (New American Standard Bible) ¹⁸And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  ¹⁹” Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,  ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Let me remind you for purposes of this verse in particular that the number 10 in Scripture is the number of wholeness.  It denotes complete, nothing lacking.  And with that in mind lets read  Luke 19:¹³And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

All of us,  the Servants of JESUS, are called to Occupy ourselves with His Business until He returns.  And what is His Business?

Ephesians 4: ¹¹And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,  ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

So what’s up with American Christian Churches?   What’s up with ‘circling the wagons’  within the Body?  What’s up with this group collecting over here to talk about that group over there?  Do we not have enough politics in Washington?  Why are we politicking within the members of the Church?  Whose Church is it anyway?  The Pastor’s?  The Deacons’? The Members’? Was not it Christ Jesus who died for the Church?  Is it not His to say what we do and what we don’t do?   And did He not say My House Shall Be Called a House of Prayer?

Could it be that the dissention today is because folks are politicking instead of PRAYING and OBEYING?

In three words: STOP IT, NOW!

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

DADDY, I am going to do it because You have given it and when it posts what You do with it is entirely with You.  And in the meantime by Your Grace I commit to You before these witnesses that I will not bicker or politic against my brothers and sisters in Your Body, LORD JESUS.  And I will continue to pray for the Local Body You have joined me to and I will be a peacemaker with everything You have put in me.  I will by Your Grace seek You and Your will rather than my own for Your Church.  And DADDY I am praying right now and on and on that You will send Your conviction and Your repentance to us.  I pray You will forgive us, I pray You will bless us with wood-shed whippings if that is what it takes to make us holy in our daily living.  DADDY I am so sorry; please forgive us and change us in JESUS NAME AND FOR HIS HOLY, AWESOME, DESERVING SAKE.  Amen and amen.

IDOK DEVOTION FOR THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2010

Praise Reports, Prayer Requests and Updates:

You already know but let me testify to you that DADDY GOD is SO GOOD! And He so listens to our prayers!! A SOS (help) prayer sent up brings peace in seconds or less!!  We are so so blessed, blessed, blessed to be His!

I may be so far off in left field that I cannot even see the ball let alone catch it but here’s what I think.

Ephesians 3: 10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

The Church of the Living God is here to put Satan on notice.  I’d don’t know that I have enough on the ball to do it just yet but I sure do want to learn!  Don’t you?

rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.  I really think the angels of God are privy to the manifold wisdom of God, so this must be speaking of the unholy ones.  And I definitely see the ‘church’ in the middle of that verse.  So I am surmising here that it is the Church’s job in the here and now to charge (under and in and through the leading of the Holy Spirit) the gates of hell and let him know that we ain’t gonna let him run over us and keep on blinding the eyes of our loved ones without us waging holy war on him.

Would you agree that spiritual blindness and rebellion is rampant?  And does not the Word say it is the Evil One who is blinding the eyes of people? Acts 26: (New American Standard Bible) ¹⁸to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’

So may it be that we who have been called out of that darkness and into the Church of the Living God and who have now been given the manifold wisdom of God in Christ Jesus begin today to be more prepared, bolder and stronger in our love for JESUS and people that we can begin soon and very soon to stand our ground in the face of the unholy ‘heavenly’ authorities that we shall NO MORE hand over to him ANY MORE GROUND and in the Name of CHRIST JESUS our King and under and in and through The Holy Spirit’s  Leading, we are taking back what he has stolen.

And all IDOKs said Amen.  Amen?Amen.

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

DADDY GOD, You are delighting me today and I know it is Your Will that I be delighted in You everyday and so I pray that today will mark a day beginning many days to come that I will give NO MORE ground to our Enemy.  That he would have to wrestle it out of my cold dead hands to get it and we know he won’t be doing that because I’ll be with You.  Thank You.  You so make me smile and I so love it when this happens.  Thank You for what You are doing right now in these moments for a little 3 year old that we love so much.  And we pray also right now for Railyn that Thursday’s surgery will be textbook perfect and that she will walk this time too even though the doctors say she will not.  I pray Railyn will be a glorious testimony to You and Who You are.   I pray for her parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins that all will give You glory in this.   And, ABBA, I am reminded right now of Gloria and her grief, I ask You to help her, Holy Spirit, to process it and know Your Presence and Peace so sweetly in this time.  I pray for Church Bodies having struggles with the Evil One that You will move on hearts and minds and people will live today’s text and stop giving away holy ground to the unholy.  Thank You so, ABBA.  And there are others on my mind in these moments, You  know them, You know their needs and I trust You to help them.  Help them allow You to position them to receive the blessings You have for them. And we pray for every soul represented by a name or request on our list.  Our list is a world of hurts and joys and another specific comes to mind, You know it and I pray for Your intervention to comfort and soothe hearts hurt by others.

And our IDOK Troops.  We are so privileged to pray for them and we thank You for keeping them safe and we ask You to again today keep them protected from hostile and friendly fire, to keep them safe in spirit, soul and body and bring each one home safe and sound at the appointed time.   And, ABBA, we bless Israel with our prayers for peace and protection and for them to come to the future You have for them. And there’s a young man in particular on my mind facing trial today.  The word I have is he has become a Believer, so I am trusting You to Rule and Overrule so Your Will for him will be accomplished in the here and now and that You receive the glory now and forever.

And even though this is getting long for posting I am again asking for the oil to be cleaned up and for people to be made whole, for the Gulf Coast to be made whole, not only from the mess of oil but the devastation of sin too.   And this I am asking in the Name of my Blessed and Holy Savior JESUS CHRIST THE RIGHTEOUS.  Amen and amen.