Stringing to Freedom (again)

IDOK DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2010

Stringing to Freedom

Romans 8: (New International Version) 1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,  [source]

            Okay, right now I am just thinking out-loud.  If I sense condemnation that should be to me a red flag waving that in that area, I am not FREE, that is I am not experiencing the freedom that Jesus died to give me.  I am enslaved to something or someone other than Him.  Slavery to anyone or anything other than Christ is a death sentence — for a Christian it is the death of our joy, worship, cheerful service and most likely a whole lot more. Galatians 5: (New International Version) 1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. [source] I underlined for emphasis – it means WE have to do something to experience this freedom He is talking about.  True it is a gift but like gifts from human hands, if we don’t put that ‘ring’ on it does not shine on our finger.

So when I feel that condemnation or I hear it in my own head, I know (at least I am beginning to know) that I have become a slave to whatever it is that has caused me to feel condemned. 

            When I sit and allow the screen of my mind to be filled with images of what she said, or what he did; what they think of me; or worse yet, allow myself to sit there looking at images of how they might be thinking that sermon applies to me and not to them – I am NOT free.  BUT in these recent days, I am learning! Praise HIM I am learning to be FREE!  By His Grace, I am learning how to live FREE in a very costly, enslaving, mean, hostile, debilitating society.  Today is a good day and by His Grace, we will string another day to this day, tomorrow and on and on we will go. 

            I am mindful that this is a pretty personal piece to send out to you; but, hey if there is even a chance that sharing some of my steps to learning might help someone else – I’m on it!  If I am anything, LORD, make me REAL!

How do I honor You in addressing You?  How do I even attempt to encompass in a Name Who You are?  The Great I AM.  How can it be that the Great I AM lives and loves within me?  It’s too much for me, but I accept, DADDY, I accept.  Keep the communion coming; keep pouring on the revelation; keep drawing me into intimacy with You.  Stretch me and fill me and stretch me and fill me, again and again and again, all the way, every day till I see You, Jesus.  Till I behold Your very Hebrew Face; till I see and touch Your Holy hands and feet; till feel Your very real Carpenter Strong and yet God Strong Arms around me.  Oh, LORD, I want to be shamelessly, radically with total abandonment in love with You.  Above all things I could and do ask for, give me this, get me there as close as You can before I see Your Holy Hebrew Face.  And, LORD, for my freedom You died and rose again; oh, I don’t want to waste any of it.  I pray for freedom; freedom from every curse of my flesh, the world and the devil; and not just for me but for all Your Daughters and all Your Sons.  

So, I can ask that for every one of our IDOK Troops, that individually they will lean on You as their very best Friend and the Lover and Keeper of their souls and their very great Reward.  You are good to entrust us with so many to pray for; so many lives we can touch with prayer.  Even when we don’t word it all just right, You are mindful of them, not a one of them listed here do You overlook.  You are amazing! So I am just trusting You with them; to individually give them grace and help just like You would if I specifically asked for just what it is they need.   This is includes Israel too and this Nation we call America and Pastors and Local Churches, all of them represented and connected to these names and email addresses.

And, yes, oh yes, I love You, too!  I cannot fathom it how You could love me or how You could even make it so I know You do, but You have and I do.  Oh, I long to see Your Holy, Beautiful, Holy, Hebrew Face, Face to face.  Even so, come, LORD JESUS, come quickly. Amen and amen.

Kathie

I think I shall leave this quote for a few more days – give it time to bear some more fruit.

 From “Tales From the Hasidim” Rabbi Moshe of Kobryn said, “When a man suffers, he ought not to say, “That’s bad! That’s Bad!” Nothing that God imposes on man is bad.  But it is all right to say, “That’s bitter!”  For among medicines there are some that are made with bitter herbs.

Number 3 (again)

IDOK DEVOTION FOR THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

Number 3

I’ve been reading some good stuff today.  Here are three statements from Beth Moore in her book 90 Days with Jesus, the One and Only: (1)Please understand that just because a person appears to follow Christ doesn’t necessarily mean he has placed saving faith in Him.  (2) Judas followed Christ for several years without ever giving his heart to Him.  (3) He (meaning Satan) possesses a surprising amount of patience to weave seemingly harmless events into disasters, while his subject often never sees it coming.

I figure we have seen all three of these statements in operation.  Hopefully, 1 and 2 are over and done for each of us.  I hope beyond each screen upon which this writing appears sits a person who has placed Saving Faith in Jesus Christ.  (If not and you are an honest seeker, please email me and I will share with you how I came to Saving Faith in Jesus Christ and how you can too.)  Number 3.  Now that is a different story.  We are all susceptible to this one and I dare say we shall be until we leave this earth for HOME. So what does the Word say about Satan?

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. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—     [source]

Now, Sisters and Brothers, when we heed this Word, his number 3 plans will get derailed before that train hardly pulls out of the station.  Notice, please, that putting on the Armor of God will NOT stop Satan from trying — he just won’t win! 

I looked up the word WILES in my online Greek Lexicon and the Greek word for wiles is transliterated MethodeiaWe derive from it our word method. Here in this text it means cunning arts, deceit, craft and trickery.  You have heard it said or maybe you have said it yourself, ‘there’s a method to my madness’.  Well, there’s a method to Satan’s wickedness and he is hell-bent on using his methods, his craftiness, trickery and deceit on you and me.  Even as we cannot get our minds wrapped around the GOODNESS of God; we cannot fathom the EVILNESS of Satan. Look into the face of the vilest; heinous human who has ever walked this planet and that one does not even touch the surface of Satan’s depravity.   Now, think of it this way.  Lets say that one you pictured as the vilest, heinous human on the planet has a vendetta against you personally, would you want protection?  Would you do whatever it takes to be protected? And suppose one offered you safety; offered to shield you from this person?  Even to the point of standing between you and that person as your shield? Would you agree to that?  Well, we do!  We have such an enemy.  And we have such a PROTECTOR.  Lets cooperate with our Protector.  Let us not be stupid and ditch THE PROTECTOR’S PLAN for our own plan.  

Hmmm.  That’s good stuff, DADDY.  I accept.  I am willing for You to train me to use these weapons and I am way willing to stay under Your Shield of Protection.  And Holy Spirit, I am expecting You to remind me when I in stupidity resist Your Protective Shield.  I like this, ABBA.  This is good.  Thank You.  So keep applying it I pray; to me and to all who read it.  Thank You. 

I have two people on my mind regarding jobs; one without a job and one whose job is in jeopardy.  This would be scary and discouraging to me so I pray You will encourage them.  I pray You will send godly women and godly men into their lives that can speak life and health and freedom into them and I pray they will listen and receive Your Life and Health and Freedom that You so want them to have.

Again we pray for our IDOK Troops for their safety and protection and for their well being to be anchored in You.  And for Israel, protect them and subdue their enemies I pray.  America, have mercy, LORD.  Christians Churches across America and around the world, I pray You will call out a people to believe You and who will pray until we see You save and restore us.  This we ask base solely upon the Merits of Jesus. Amen and amen.

Kathie

Done Before It’s Done (again)

IDOK DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2010

Done Before It’s Done

Let me share with you how little it takes to excite me and make me smile.  A couple days this week I have read the same words at two addresses in Scripture: Luke 19:32 and Luke 22:13.  These are the words: went and found it just as He had said. 

Here are the texts in entirety: Luke 19:32 So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. Luke 22:13 So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.  [source] [source]

In Luke 19, Jesus sent His disciples for the colt upon which He would ride into Jerusalem.  He told them just where the colt would be and just what to say to the master of the colt.  They went and it was just as He told them it would be.  In Luke 22 He told His Disciples to go and prepare for Passover.  This is what He said in context.

7 Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. 8 And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.”  9 So they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare?”  10 And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. 11 Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 12 Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.”  13 So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover. [source]

I love it!  He told them, they obeyed, and as they did they found it just like He said they would.  Look what they would have missed if they had refused to go!   But that’s not what is making me smile.  I am smiling because I just LOVE to read how my Savior is always right and what He says is as good as done even before it is done!  Is He AWESOME or what?!!

These Words mean so much to me.  I can only imagine how it was for them to hear and see You say it will be this way or that way when you get there and then go and there it is just as You said. They must have had so much fun with You.  It must have been so good to hear You laugh; to see You laugh; to see You sit the little ones on Your lap and see them just adore You; to see You tell stories; to see Your Face when You talked about ABBA.  It must have been so good.  Thank You that I won’t miss out on all that; that I will see You laugh; I will see the love and kindness on Your Face.  Thank You, Jesus.  And, Holy Spirit, I pray this Word will minister to our IDOKs and our Readers.  I pray we will all love You more; that we will become more intimately acquainted with You today.  And our IDOK Troops I don’t want to go a day without remembering them and asking for their protection and safety, so protect them, ABBA, please.  And You know how I feel about Israel, You know they are dear to me but oh so much more to You.  I trust them to You.  And I am trusting America to You too.  You are not finished with us yet; thank You.  Move us and shake us however You want.  You are the Potter and we are the clay.   I suppose I better say amen here so our IDOKs and Readers can say amen too and get to it – whatever You are sending or allowing their way today.  I pray we will act and react in ways that will bless You and give You pleasure. And yes I love You too.  And Jesus, I am looking forward to seeing You, come quickly.  Amen and amen.

Kathie

Honest (again)

IDOK DEVOTION FOR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2010

Honest!

First, to each of you who came to the WOW Conference, thank you.  To each of you who prayed, wanting to be there but you could not, thank you.   As you can imagine, leaving here early Friday morning, conferencing Friday night and Saturday, coming home on Saturday afternoon (took a nap), Church on Sunday, and after service on Sunday night supper and to the couch for a silly movie with my beloved, I had not written a devotion for us for today.  So I came to ABBA and I wrote this to HIM: What shall I say to IDOK today?  They are waiting for a word from You through me.  Inspire me and write a Word of I love you to them today through me.  And with that I picked up my Breaking Free Day By Day, written by Beth Moore, of course, and for today found, in part, this: God’s Word is full of proclamations of His love for you.  He inscribed His love in His Word so you would never have to wait for a phone call. You can hear God tell you He loves you every single time you open His Word.

Sisters (and Brothers) I am not kidding, that’s what it says!  He hears, He loves, He cares and He has prepared this day for us long, long before we took our first breath from our mother’s wombs.  Oh how AWESOME He is!!  So this I know to say to us today: Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.

Yes Jesus loves me

Yes Jesus loves me

Yes Jesus loves me

The Bible tells me so.

Yes, Jesus loves you

Yes Jesus loves you

Yes Jesus loves you

The Bible tells you so.

John 16:27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.  [source]

There it is written in His Word, for the Father Himself loves you.  ABBA, loves you.  ABBA loves me.  All day long He is loving us, always and forever.  Let us carry this in our thoughts this day and far into the night even to the laying of our heads on our pillows, remember JESUS loves you. AND this morning, not only have we read it, He has interacted with us, He has actively, on purpose entered into our experience this very day to make  sure we know He is listening, He cares and He answers prayer!

YOU are so Awesome!  I don’t have words to say how wonderful You are.  I am delighted with You and I dare believe You are even delighted with me and not just me but every child of Yours that dares believe it too.  I am sitting here just absolutely enjoying You; enjoying how fun You are; how attentive You are; how You never sleep, You are always awake and ready for us.  I pray the praise will go on and on, all day.  Even when I get on with this day, with breakfast and making the bed and reading to little ones and on and on as the day comes, I pray I will not forget to commune with You through it all.  I pray none of our IDOKS or Readers will forget to commune with You all day and into the night, even up until the time we go to sleep.  And there You will be watching over us.  Oh, my mind cannot comprehend how huge and awesome You are.  Thank You for loving us. Thank You for speaking, Thank You for allowing us the greatest of all pleasures in the universe – knowing, being loved by You and loving You back. 

So, DADDY, we bring all these written here for prayer. We come in one accord to praise You for caring, to praise You for hearing and loving and to trust You to do what is right and holy and best for each of these.  For the quick answers we are delighted; for the ones that take awhile to manifest we thank You for the opportunity to know You in this experience and for the courage and faith to wait and see You work the miracles. For our IDOK Troops we pray again for their safety and protection, for them to be a peace in hostile places; for them to love You, for their faith to be strong and for them to make holy decisions that are good for them and their comrades.  And, ABBA, as I put this to press, I pray for our IDOKs and our Readers for each one as this comes to their screen and as they read and as they pray that they will KNOW You love them and that You are worthy of their trust and that You will not forsake them or leave them this day, or ever. That in You we are victors and not victims.  I love you.  And I know You love me too.  Thank You. Thank You.  Amen and amen in the Holy and Mighty Name of Jesus.  And LORD one more thing, thank You for being just so fun!

Kathie