This one is especially hard to read, but I KNOW God is good.

Holy Spirit, I pray Ashley and Steve will not waver in KNOWING that You are good and You are God. Still we proclaim that You are able to heal Jackson; that You are able to heal his brain, restore him and give him a healthy, whole life and that is what we desire for You to do and unless You tell us otherwise that is for what we are asking.  Comfort and guard all the family, every precious one that has come to love Jackson so very much.  In the Name of JESUS I pray. Amen and amen.

Tue, August 31, 2010 2:12:08 PM

Jackson update  from Melinda: Well, here’s the news. They did not do the EEG or MRI until last night.  They called at midnight and told Ashley and Steve and scared them to death.  But, they have just called. And the news is bad…What has happened is that during Ashley’s pregnancy the cord has kinked a few times and has cut off oxygen to the back of his brain.  The whole back of his brain is damaged.  He can go from mild retardation to Cerebral Palsy.  They will try to wean him off things in the NICU but he lacks a gag reflex so they don’t know if he will ever be able to eat, take a bottle or nurse.  I know a newborn’s brain can heal and I know God can heal.  So, please keep praying, praying without ceasing.  And, please pray for Ashley and Steve.  They were by themselves for the first time when they heard the news.  Pray for calm, and the ability to cope with this.  Pray for all of us who love them so. Melinda

IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, August 31, 2010

FOR PRAYER AND PRAISE:

We have more news from Melinda re Jackson.  The good news keeps coming!! PRAISE THE LORD!! PRAISE THE LORD! Click here for a link to read the update.

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

ABBA, what a glorious day this has turned out to be and it is all because of You and Your wonderful, lavish, outlandish even, grace!  The news of pain relief for someone dear; Jackson not having that dreaded condition and his consistent improvement.  Thank You. Thank You.  And tonight at Satsuma First, the Voices of Mobile singing Your Word, Your Gospel of Salvation and Your imminent return for us!! Hallelujah to You.  What a day! And You know mid to late afternoon I needed so much of your grace and You gave it!  Thank You. Thank You.

And now I sit here at 9:05 P.M. with no devotional thought to bring. But this I know, YOU ARE AWESOME!  This I know, You love me.  You love us all.  This prayer will not show up on any screen that the person looking at it, is unloved by You. Not a soul is unloved by You.  There is no soul that You don’t want a relationship with; not a soul that you don’t want to be their God and them to be Your son or daughter.  And, ABBA, I really am sorry there are so many that don’t love You back.  I really would that all people love You and worship You.  And in this moment I am asking for time and conviction for those that I am acquainted  with that have thus far rejected You.  Holy Spirit, I pray You will tender their hearts however You need to so they will finally see they really don’t have a chance of making a go of this life without You. And in this moment I am thinking about people who go door to door and yet are blind; they have been blinded by the evil one.  I pray their eyes will be opened and they will see Your Gospel and will believe. And I pray for people who have so foolishly bought into the lie that there are no absolutes and moreover they ridicule us who know You are the ABSOLUTE.  And forgive me, ABBA, sometimes that is hard to take.  Sometime I want to wrestle those lies right out of them.  And You remind me that the enemy is not flesh and blood.  So I pray to put on Your Full Armor and wrestle and defeat the real enemy.

And JoAnn Webb.  I don’t personally know her but the testimony I have of her is that she is a precious saint; folks love her and she has a place of service.  It would seem to me that cancer would hamper and could even stop her from serving.  I’d like for You to heal her, so that is what I am asking You to do.  And there are many others on our Praying for These list and even on those days when we don’t read every name and we just bring the list collectively, we are trusting You to individually see and care for each one.

And, of course, my thoughts turn to Israel. I am so grateful for the consistency You call me to pray for them.  I am grateful for the love You have given me for Your People.  I am looking forward to the day they as a Nation receive You, Yeshua, as their Messiah. And as for America.  I don’t know what You plan to do with us but I am asking You for mercy and for space and grace to repent.  I am praying for You, Holy Spirit, to heap on, even flood this place with conviction, that we the people will become repentant and will turn to You for salvation.

And I am thinking about my own neighborhood.  You know my request there and I am looking forward to see what You do with this.   And I’m thinking about so many good services that You could do in us and I just pray to get out of the way so You in me can get it done.  And that reminds me of someone dear, bless her with peace and comfort and health and joy and her hubby too.

There’s so much but I think I’ll rest it here and leave room for our IDOKs to add their heart cries here and I know You will answer.  Thank You, ABBA.  In JESUS, My Savior’s Name I pray.  Amen and amen.

2 Corinthians 10 NKJV:⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

Ephesians 6 NKJV:¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

IDOK DEVOTION FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 2010

FOR PRAYER AND PRAISE:

Sun, August 29, 2010 4:15:14 PM    — Jackson

From Melinda: NEWS JUST IN!  Jackson opened his eyes!!  Just after the doc left…He is groggy but he opened his eyes!  Thanks be to God! And to all of you who have prayed and prayed.. Keep ‘em coming!

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

I’ve been spending a little time this sweet Friday afternoon preparing for Sunday School.  We are about to finish up 2 Corinthians.

Paul had a heck of time with the Corinthians.  They were not void of good qualities and were even generous at times; but  often they were not FUN!

It was yang yang this and yang yang that.  You’ve heard the sayings ‘chip on your shoulder’ and ‘wearing your feelings on your sleeves’?  Well they did!  And added to that they were prone to gossip — spreading it and believing it!  How would you like to have friends like that?   Perhaps you do!

Let me share some of my teaching notes with you:   (A little p.s. here – this lesson is  Sunday School Quarterly timed, as far as I know nobody is spreading rumors and gossip about me.  :)   )

In Chapter 10:4-5, Paul penned: for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses, we are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ;

This is how Paul survived the rumors, criticisms and lies that were being told about him.  He remembered who he was in Christ and he surrendered the accusing rumors to JESUS when they flooded his mind.  This is a tool we would do well to utilize.  And had the Corinthians embraced these verses they would not have believed the rumors about Paul; they would have been a comfort to him rather than a source of pain.

How can we use these verses when we hear rumors about a brother or sister?

I want to share one more verse and then we’ll pray.

2 Corinthians 12:21  I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have practiced.

I told you they gave him a heck of a time!

You see I think Paul was thinking this third visit with the Corinthians was NOT GOING TO BE FUN.

I looked up the word humiliate in my Greek on-line lexicon.  It’s tapeinoo and of the many meanings I think this one fits: to humble or abase myself by humble living

At this stage of my Scriptural understanding I am inclined to believe Paul was saying in verse 21, I am expecting to be doing some  humble living while I am with you.  He had already said he would not be a burden to them so unless he had a pocket of cash saved up, he would be needing to pick up some odd jobs while there.  He would have to make sure he did not wear his best suit (as some had already accused him of putting on ‘airs’) and that’s just the material aspects of his visit.  The spiritual task that awaited him was dealing with all their behavior problems and the stiff necks and proud hearts of those who have refused to repent of their immoral practices. I think he was thinking this ain’t gonna be a fun visit.

And yet he was willing.  His love for JESUS and his love for the people enabled him to do what was not fun, what was painful and grievous, just to help others come into a right relationship with JESUS.

I’m encouraged.  Aren’t you?

Some hours have expired since this lesson began and You LORD have been so faithful to us. We are grateful and encouraged with this news regarding Jackson and we pray for this child to be fully healed and we pray for his mother to regain her strength and health quickly.  We intercede as well for his daddy and all the family even as Melinda has shared their needs; we entrust them to You, confident that You know best and will provide for them.  We are confident that You are loving and providing too for all on our Praying for These list and for our IDOK Troops too. Thank You for all the good reports that have come to us since our last meeting here and thank You that even in the reports that are hard to receive, You are still LORD and still our Provider, Protector, Healer —  All we need You are. Amen and amen.