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Just Wondering (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2010

Just Wondering

I don’t know if I am going any where with this; just making a note right now.  Why do I think I have to do everything important first thing in the morning – reading, writing, praying, drink a bottle of water, exercise, get out of my pjs, brush my teeth, take a shower, wash my hair, dry my hair, etc. etc.?  So I don’t have to think about it the rest of the day? Maybe.  But that won’t work with meditating on Scripture or praying.  I need conversation with Daddy God ALL day long!

And two, I am big on lists, making them but not doing them and then feeling like a failure because I didn’t.  So then I spend time NOT making lists and then find important things go undone and then I feel like a failure.  Where’s the happy medium? I am wondering if today a means to a happy medium is forming.  When I teach and on those rare occasions when I used to speak, I did not use notes.  Sure I wrote the message as I studied The Word and I read it over and over but when I stood to speak, I just opened my mouth and the Holy Spirit drew upon what I had put in and I was as surprised as the audience at what I said.  And you know what? I loved it!  I couldn’t do it any other way.  So I am wondering if that is who I am and the way I am to operate on a day to day basis.  You know…study to show myself approved and just go from minute to minute working with Him from what I have studied?  That would include His Word and notes I make to myself in Sunday School class, in Worship Service, riding in the truck, standing in line, sitting at a basketball game – just anywhere a good thought comes to mind; and then meet with Him with all my notes when I wake up and go from there each day.  My notes and lists would still be useful but I would not feel tied to them and like a failure if everything on the list didn’t get done everyday.  I wonder? 

And three, something that Joyce Meyer said today – we cannot make our lists, prioritize them and be done with it once and for all.  Emotionally, I think that is what I have been looking for.  A one size fits all — once and for all list of do this, do this, do this and you will be skinny, happy and productive. Duh!  She said, and I am, again, paraphrasing, of course, that I might as well get used to it – re-evaluations on a regular basis must be a part of our lives.  Get over it and get on with it!  Life is messy – just do what you know to do day by day to live holy and stay in touch with God; and all the rest will work out – body, soul and spirit.  Hmmm. 

Is this making any sense to anybody? Is there anybody out there like me? Just wondering. And now that I am reading this over a second time… these concepts would be called living in the Spirit rather than the flesh, wouldn’t they?  Ouch!

Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. (source)

2 Timothy 2:14 Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. (source)

Guess I am not wondering any more.  Daddy God has spoken!

P.S.  And ladies and gents, I lie not!  I went from putting the finishing touches on this before beginning the closing prayer, to read an email that just came in and it is a devotional entitled Renewed Day by Day!  I’m not kidding!!  Indeed DADDY is speaking and I am listening!

Thank You, DADDY GOD, for the progress today and thank You that even the failures when given to You become stepping stones to victory. Thank You that I have some stepping stones today and I have some victories too and I couldn’t have done it without You.  Thank You.  Thank You for the good reports I have received today and thank You that You are LORD over the bad ones too.  Thank You that You are tending all that have come to us for prayer today.  You are teaching us the power of prayer and we are grateful.  Doing what I know to do for spirit, soul and body says I should now ask You to bless our IDOK Troops, protect them and guard them and bring them home safe and sound; bless our IDOKs and Readers with peace and rest and wisdom and desire to love You and serve You more; forgive and grant space and grace for the lost to repent and for the saints to grow into consistent obedience and trust You for a good night sleep for us all in Jesus Name.  Amen and amen.

Kathie

 

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Sunday Evening Ramblings (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2010

Sunday Evening Ramblings

Here I am to worship,

Here I am to bow down,

Here I am to say that You’re my God

You’re altogether lovely

All together worthy,

All together wonderful to me

It was not until the fourth time we sang those words that it finally dawned on me what I was saying!   And then there was a question.  Why was I there?  Why did I get up, get dressed, go to Sunday School and ‘Preaching’ (that’s what I remember hearing folks call it when I was a young one)?  Why was I there?  The only worthy reason for me to be there was to worship; to bow my heart, my soul, my will, my wants, desires, dreams, needs, all of it – bow and surrender all to Him.  Only then can I say to Him, You are my God.  And then I will be saying You are all together lovely, You are all together wonderful to me.

And that’s just one of the things I heard since we last met at this screen.  Jerry and I watched a movie last night entitled The List.  The film is based on a book by the same name written by Robert Whitlow.  It ended with this line: And God said My people and My enemies do the same thing; they underestimate the power of prayer.  Ponder that a moment.  We did and we immediately prayed.  And you know what — He heard and I know that for which we prayed is handled and in time we will SEE that it is.

And on page 75 of a wonderful little book titled Touching Wonder, Recapturing the Awe of Christmas by John Blasé, I read these words:

Always… Mighty One, I know of my own pleadings for You to do something! My life’s story tells me that You have, are, and will.  But it’s always in Your time, I do want it that way, even when I scream to the contrary. 

Sincerely, John.

Do you so totally get that?  If it does not come to you with the first read, read it again.

And one more before I close.  Of the many things my Pastor said this morning, this is one I must share with you.  As he spoke of the Body of Christ and our day-to-day living he said folks of the world might say to us: ‘If you will show me your redeemed life, I might be inclined to believe your Redeemer’.

Isaiah 47:4 As for our Redeemer, the LORD of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel. (source)

LORD GOD, You are my Redeemer and You do LIVE!  Praise You now and forever!   I pray You will take these disjointed ramblings and make them gel; bring Your Word to bear upon our souls so much so that our lives are indeed redeemed and honest seekers looking on have no choice but to say You did it.   Holy Spirit, I pray more and more we will come to experience the power You release when we pray.  And I pray more and more we will scream less and less to the contrary; and that we really do in the nitty-gritty of our hearts want everything done in Your Time and in Your way, not ours.  ABBA, You know every name spoken here today; we ask You to provide for them and if any one of us can enter into work with You on their behalf with deeds added to our prayers, please so move us, Lord.   And we pray for our IDOK Troops for their safety and health and well-being, each one of them. Please bring each one home safe and sound.  And in this moment as we close and post and send, I ask You to give rest and peace to each IDOK and each Reader and it is in the Holy and Beautiful name of Yeshua that I ask. Amen and amen.

Kathie

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New and Old (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009

New and Old

Well, here we are – the last day of 2009.  Lord, willing we will wake up in the morning to a New Year.  A milestone often used to start again – a new diet, a new reading program, a new card ministry, a new visiting schedule, a new budget, and on and on we can go with ‘new’ things to start and that’s good.  Until the ‘new’ wears off.  And when the new wears off if something ‘old’ doesn’t kick in the pounds will not come off and the cards won’t get mailed and the visits won’t be made and the spending will continue as before and etc. etc. etc. And what’s the ‘old’ that is needed?  Persistent Praying Perseverance. I believe without this old standby we are sunk in doing any of these ‘news’ we fancy ourselves doing.

Ephesians 6: (New King James Version)  (source)

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—

But I’m not finish yet. Persistent Praying Perseverance is what we need to bring into this New Year to make it a successful one but there is one thing in particular we need to leave behind here in 2009 – un-forgiveness.   As I was reading and writing yesterday in my Jesus, 90 Days with the One and Only, a concept came to mind — Forgiveness is not designed by God to make us doormats, but Doors.  Doors for Him to come through and to touch, to change, to heal and yes to correct and even arrest bad behavior – but none of that will be accomplished if we perceive ‘forgiving’ as demoting us to a doormat.  Doormats take what is dumped and scraped and stomped into them and they just lay there – taking it, holding it and getting dirtier and dirtier and before long just plain worn out! Not so with Doors.  Doors have control.  They let in and they keep out. I believe that is what ABBA intends for us.  I believe that forgiveness is a grand and holy ‘door’ He offers us which allows us to let Him come into our lives and through our lives do great and mighty things. And it begins with forgiveness – He forgiving us and we receiving His forgiveness and we then forgiving others.  You see forgiving the unforgivable opens the door for ABBA to come and pick us up, to lift us up above the dirt of a doormat and enables us to control how we respond to what knocks on the door of our lives.  And in Him we can respond with holy dignity and heavenly discernment or in some cases not respond at all – just leave it to Him to do our talking for us.  Again, I say, doormats take what is dished out to them; doors open and close and holy doors open themselves to God and close themselves against sin and un-forgiveness.  Now please, please understand me here, forgiveness is not synonymous with fellowship.  Forgiving the unforgivable does not mean we ‘break bread’ with them, it just means we spiritually, emotionally and even physically (in a manner of speaking) deliver them to ABBA and let Him do as He pleases with them – we trust and we rest in ABBA that He will do what is right and whatever that is we say ‘amen’.

2 Corinthians 14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?      (source)

That’s it. That’s my formula for 2010, be a Holy Door and not a doormat.  I am certain wrapped and tucked in that simple statement is the adventure of a lifetime, searching and discovering the unfathomable love and creativity and fun of the God who loves us and who will never fail us or forsake us or ask us to do anything that will devalue or harm us.  I love you and lets pray and I’ll see you in 2010 – January 4, 2010.

DADDY GOD, I am grateful for this simple statement that shouts and whispers volumes to me.  And I do, ABBA, want to be a holy door beginning today, I want to let You into every secret corner, compartment and crevice of my heart and mind and I want You, Holy Spirit, to sweep it clean, get out all the gunk and dirt out and polish and shine my heart and soul so You can do what You will with me.  I want You to be at home and comfortable and not in the least offended within me.  Amen and amen; make it so, Lord.

And, ABBA, we pray for every name spoken here, bless them with peace and hope and we pray each one will know they are loved unconditionally by You and You are worthy of their trust and devotion and in all this that You are meeting every need they have.  Please continue to keep our IDOK Troops safe and sound.  Please continue to move Israel to Peace and prosperity and the LAND that is theirs.  Please continue to have mercy on America, on Washington and those there, please continue to raise up people to shout and stand for what is right and take back this country for Jesus Name Sake.  ABBA, we pray for the overthrow of evil tyranny in this country.  We pray that terrorist of every sort and kind will be revealed and stopped and, ABBA, however You will have us enter into this work with You, give us courage and will to do it in the Mighty and Holy Name of Jesus Christ the Righteous. Amen and amen.

Kathie