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Copy Paste Chew Again

One of Two (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2009
One of Two
Lets see here, it is nearly 2:00 PM on a Son Kissed Wednesday, how shall I begin Thursday’s IDOK?  I have a load of laundry going, the house is quiet, not only the house but it’s tranquil outside too; I’ve been home from Mobile less than an hour – that wasn’t on my list of to do today, but I made room for it and I am glad I did.  I will briefly tell you about it and hopefully a devotional thought will come.  My red-haired first born called this morning about 9:00 to say she was scheduled to visit a client in Mobile this morning and she thought she could be at a certain eatery on Dauphin Street by 11:15 and could I join her.  Since this is such a rare opportunity for her and me these days, I said yes. So I finished day 4 of the Patriarchs, did some personal grooming and made it there by 11:10 (She had already arrived and had our order at our table).  I still had Day 5 to do before the video session, so I took my Bible and workbook with me, just in case.  The soup was good and the fellowship was superb, and then all too soon, it was time for her to scurry back across the Bay.  I walked her to her vehicle, kissed her ‘see you later’ and with her encouragement retrieved my Bible and work book from the truck, went back inside, purchased a cup of coffee and a muffin top, found a secluded corner and began to ‘feast’, and the muffin wasn’t bad either.  As I studied, I made some extra notes on Day 5 that I think I shall share with you. 
At this juncture in the study we are at Genesis 27 – Jacob and Esau – the stealing of the Birth Order Blessing.  Beth says this chapter is filled with more drama than a soap opera and she’s right. The chapter contains Jacob and his mother scheming, plotting and conniving; Isaac being tired, blind and deceived and Esau being cheated, enraged and murderous (and this is a ‘Christian’ family!).  As I worked through the lesson and in the final paragraph read these words: “They are humans whose hearts resemble the heart of their spiritual father, Satan”; I came to this reckoning: (not a new one, just reiterated, for us to ponder deeper) it really is black and white here, one of two.  All peoples, every soul who breathes, is either a child of God by re-birth or still a child of Satan by natural birth.  (Praise God, babies and young ones are safe and protected until that age of jeopardy is reached.)  So, every living breathing walking around person above the age of accountability that you and I will see today is at that very moment either a child of God or a child of Satan. There is no grey here.  ALL are one or the other.  How unpopular is that to teach? How uncomfortable is that ponder?  So, should we ponder it?  Would it make a difference if we pondered it and prayed over it?  You know these are rhetorical questions, don’t you?  Yet, I hope we will not allow our flesh, the world and Satan to keep us from answering them within our own hearts.  May it be that we will not only be conscience of it but moved with compassion about it; and be ready and willing when our eyes meet theirs to be available to the Holy Spirit to plant a seed in any ‘heart garden’ that He tells us He has plowed and made ready for planting.
John 8:37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.
38 I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with[l] your father.”
39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.”
Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.
40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.
41 You do the deeds of your father.”
Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.”
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.
43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.
44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.
46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?
47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”

ABBA,  I am thankful for this day; for every person and good thing that has greeted me; I am thankful for Your encouragement to me, for Your Word and for the Plans You have for this ministry, for every IDOK, and for me as Your servant.  You know my desires and I pray more and more that Your desires will be my desires.  I think maybe our IDOKs might be praying that too.   Please again comfort and protect our IDOK Troops, I pray they will be particularly mindful of You when they are confronted with evil and that they will be reminded by You, Holy Spirit, to draw upon Your Strength and Wisdom.  I pray that each of them will come home safe and sound at the appointed time.  Again, I pray for Israel to be at peace in the land that You have given them. I pray for the descendants of Ishmael to surrender their hatred and be healed.  I pray for America that the voices of those who have a moral sense of right and wrong based upon Your Word will become stronger and stronger and will negate and silence the voices of those in Washington and other places who are evil and bent on doing the work of their father. I pray for holy boldness, LORD.  It’s easy to be bold sitting here at this screen that obscures all the faces out there that oppose You.  If You will, I pray to be even more effective here at this screen and out there, face to face, with those whose ‘heart gardens’ You have plowed and made ready for seed.  I do not wish to be offensive, nor argumentative, nor to debate for the sake of debating; rather I pray that I will be discerning and only ‘retreat’ when silence or diplomacy paves the way to try again; and this I ask in Jesus’ Name as I think that is what You did, LORD, as You minister as the God-Man.   Amen and amen. 

Kathie

Copy Paste Chew Again

However (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2010
However
            I’ve been away from my computer most of the day and tonight since getting home I have played — talked on the phone, read some emails, done a little reading and now it’s time for bed and I don’t have a devotion written!   
            However! I am reminded just now that I had two points yesterday and only gave one.  Let me see if I can speedily develop point number two here.
            There once was a King in Judah and Jotham was his name. 2 Chronicles 27:1-9 says he did what was right in the sight of the LORD. He built the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD; he built cities in the mountains of Judah; in the forests he built fortresses and towers; he fought enemies and defeated them; he built commerce – a really good guy. Right? Yes, BUT.  2 Kings 15:35 reads: However the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
            And so when Jotham was buried with his fathers in the City of David (verse 9 of 2 Chronicles 27) his son Ahaz assumed the throne and if you continue to read you will find that Ahaz sacrificed and burned incense on those high places that his father did not tear down.  Moreover Ahaz’s debauchery continued and he wound up sacrificing his own child to idols.
            Jotham in his reign did some really great things; he was a good king BUT – Beth wrote it this way: The atrocity Jotham chose to ignore was the one that snared his own son. 
            What are we ignoring that will snare our children and grandchildren? It is not enough for us to do what is right, we have to do all we can to correct or remove what is wrong.

            ABBA, the hour is late, it’s time to post this and rest but I dare not until I come with our IDOKs and Readers to pray.  To pray for each other; to pray for those on our hearts; for their well being in spirit, soul and body; for the peace and prosperity of Israel; for weekend activities to be safe and fun and vehicles to communicate Your Gospel to those we see whom You have prepared to hear; and so many other things on our individual hearts.  And to thank You for just being You.  To thank You for the Bible – what a gift it is to us.  Forgive us for neglecting it and inspire us, oh more than inspire but even give us an insatiable appetite for it.  It would be so good if we craved Your Word more than we do meat, potatoes and chocolate.  It would be so good if we desired Your Word more than food or drink.  It would be so good if You were our food and drink. And so we do not come under a load of condemnation, which I know does not come from You, I thank You that we are making progress here.  You are increasing our appetite for You and I am delighted about it; but I don’t want to be satisfied with what we have right now tonight.  I want us to want more tomorrow, more and more.  You do too, don’t You?  You make me smile.  Thank You.  I love You, LORD.  Thank You so much.  Rest us, refresh us and point out to us individually and even collectively, the Body of Christ, when we choose political correctness over holiness and don’t let us be comfortable in compromise.  Have mercy on us and bless us with conviction and correction so we can better equip our children and grandchildren to live free and holy.  I don’t pretend to know what You are up to these days but You are up to something and I can’t wait to see You unfold it and I cannot thank You enough for including me  in it.  I am so glad to be Your servant. Let me, train me, anoint me to serve You more and more.  To love and serve Your Body more and to really, really care that people are racing headlong to hell – help me care enough to put up some roadblocks in Jesus Name.    Holy Spirit, please take this prayer, tweak it so that it agrees with You, that way I know You will answer it and we will receive Your answer.  I like what Joyce said, that she was gonna ask You for anything and everything she wants and be happy with everything You give.  I like that.  Make it so in me too, ABBA, and not just me but every one who prays along with us in agreement.  I know it’s time to rest.  Amen and amen.

Kathie

 

Copy Paste Chew Again

The Pruning (again but different)

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IDOK Devotion for Monday, March 1, 2010
The Pruning
            I have a plant.  It’s a succulent, I think.  And when it blooms, delicate, tiny bursts of yellow color delight me.  But alas with time she didn’t look so good – yellowing leaves here and there, dried up stems, no tiny bursts of yellow anywhere – not pretty! And I thought, she needs pruning, but if I cut off all the dead and sickly stuff there won’t be anything left.  She’ll be bare and look even more awful.  And then.   You know don’t you? Scripture came to mind. I AM is the vine and we are the branches and who ABBA loves He prunes.  And when He starts cutting, we think we shall have nothing left.  And we think we are going to be bare and ugly when He gets done.  Not so with my little succulent.  True she has been ‘cut down’ to size but what remains is healthy and green and beautiful and now she has ample strength to produce yellow bursts again.  And in time she will.   When ABBA comes with the pruning scalpel, let us trust Him.  He’s only taking off the sickly and dead stuff and true we may feel and even look a little or a lot bare but what He sees is absolute beauty as He rejoices over us.  Below is a link to a picture of my succulent – bare as she is; isn’t she lovely?  And so are we. When we have been pruned even before the new fruit shows, we are lovely!  And this we must know, the starker our pruning the more plenteous will be our fruit – let us rejoice even when it hurts and wait with patience for our harvest.
(Amplified Bible) John 15:  2Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.
  8When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.
    9I have loved you, [just] as the Father has loved Me; abide in My love [continue in His love with Me].
pruning

            ABBA,  I hardly know where to begin to pray, so many needs, many really ill and without Your intervening, not long for this world it seems and a family grieving because one has left this world, and some rejoicing because a loved one is better and some grateful for limited improvement and wanting to see so much more improvement.  You know the hearts of each, You know the condition of every one spoken here; You know the condition of our specific unspokens and even our unspecified unspokens.  You know it all and You really care about it all.  You really do and You want to enter into this with us.  You want to comfort and help and heal and we ask You now to do that.   We ask in Jesus Name as it is only Your Name LORD that has power to  heal and save us.   Thank You for saving us, thank You for pruning us.  And I pray You will tend us in this devotion and make us fruitful for Jesus’ Name sake.  We pray for our IDOK Troops for their safety and protection in hostile lands and for their safe and sound returns home.  And for their families we pray peace and comfort and provisions of kind needed.  Thank You for what You are doing among us and I pray again that every Christian Assembly will become a House of Prayer.   Thank You for this ministry and I pray we will not fail in our faithfulness.  Please give rest and growth to us in Jesus Name. Amen and amen.

Kathie