December 15, 2010 

I am struck with and stuck on a phrase.

The Savior Has Come.

Savior!

Earth has a Savior! The Savior!

The Savior has come to SAVE us!

Why am I not shouting it from the rooftops?

Why am I not, not proclaiming this GOOD NEWS to every man, woman, boy, and girl that dares cross my path?

GOD has come to earth to save us!

Just think about it! I mean really think about it!

We have a SAVIOR!

A Savior to keep us out of hell!

A Savior to save us from all our bad habits, all our self-destructing ways!

A Savior. We have a Savior. And He is JESUS CHRIST THE LORD.

Acts 4: NKJV⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: ⁹ If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, ¹⁰ let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. ¹¹ This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ ¹² Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.    source

And they realized that they had been with JESUS – The Savior!  And by His grace and in His Name that will be said of me one day!!  And all Father’s IDOKs said amen!

Keep ‘striking’ me with this LORD. The SAVIOR has come! You are here to save us. Open our mouths and our hearts, ears, eyes, hands, and feet to tell the Good News that You are willing and able to save. Amen and Amen.

with holy hugs, kt

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

May I share with you probably my favorite Our Daily Bread devotional? I first read it on April 10, 1997. I keep a copy of it in my office to read again from time to time and today seems like a good time to type it here for you.

The Burned Over Place

2 Corinthians 5: (New American Standard Bible) ¹⁸Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,  ¹⁹namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.  ²⁰Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  ²¹He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. Isaiah 53:5

Some early settlers were traveling together across the western prairies of the United States. One day they were horrified to see a fire fanned by strong wind coming their way.

As the flames raced closer and closer, one man, to the amazement of the others, set fire to a large patch of grass downwind. The tinder-dry grass burned quickly and left behind a charred and barren area. Then he told them to move onto the burned-over place. They watched as the fire swept toward them until it reached the burned-over area–and then stopped! They were safe as the fire passed by them on both sides.

The fires of God’s judgment will descend on a wicked world, but God has provided a burned-over place. At Calvary, the fire of God’s justice was met by Jesus. He bore our sin there and fully paid for our transgressions. He made full satisfaction for our sins, and we who have taken our stand by faith in the finished work of Christ are safe in the burned-over place. There is nothing left to burn.

Jesus “bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness–by whose striped you were healed” (I Peter 2:24). Are you in the burned-over place? — M.R. De Haan

The Flames of God’s judgment can never touch me, For Jesus has borne all God’s wrath on the tree; I now stand secure in the burned-over place, A sinner, unworthy, yet saved by His grace! –Bosch

Jesus died in our place to provide a place of safety.

The Burned-Over Place — I know that I know that I know that JESUS CHRIST, The only begotten Son of God IS MY Burned-Over Place. Not church membership, not good deeds, NOTHING but faith in HIM, faith that He, The Burned-Over Place, is enough. He was enough, He is enough to keep me from burning in hell for eternity — Oh YES! I am grateful for JESUS, my Burned-Over Place.  How about you?

LORD JESUS, again and again, I thank You for saving me. Thank You, HOLY SPIRIT, for turning the Light on so I could see that I needed, that I had to step into ‘The Burned-Over Place’ or else I would find myself in hell forever.  Thank You for M.R. DeHaan, even though he has long been there with You, You are still anointing his work. Thank You. Thank You for this blessed illustration that refreshes me again and again as I read it.  And, ABBA, I pray for every soul that will come to this screen. HOLY SPIRIT, I ask if there is one man, woman, boy, or girl that can be helped by this, please bring them here and convince them of their need and that You are their Burned-Over Place if they will allow themselves to believe.  I pray they will. And I pray that we who have believed will be encouraged and find keys and tools to help others see.  And I pray now for our Praying for These; asking You to protect and provide for each of them; including our IDOK Troops.  And thank You, thank You that Dixie has made it to 35 weeks, we just wait on You now to bring her precious baby forth as You have planned from the Foundation of the World.  I pray blessings and favor and safety and protection for Dixie and the Baby as she is delivered.  I particularly pray that Dixie will be even more mindful of You and Your coming to us first as a Baby to deliver us.  Thank You. Thank You.  And as we are getting closer and closer to the day we have set to honor Your Birth as the God-Baby, growing to be the God-Man, I pray this year, This Christmas we, IDOKs, will more than any other Christmas before honor You and worship You. And this I ask in Your Holy Name, LORD JESUS. Amen and amen.

Holy hugs, kt

IDOK for Thursday, November 18, 2010

I am telling you by faith that I have turned the corner toward getting well. I was feeling more confident of that earlier in the day than I am at this writing, but still, I am improving and I thank you so much for your prayers!

November 18 is a special day for me. It’s my spiritual birthday. Right about 9:00 PM November 18, 1975 is when JESUS saved me. You’d think after 35 years I’d be much more mature than I am, BUT I shall not dwell on that, rather I thank Him that I am not where I was and not yet where I will be!

So today I am asking you to contemplate your re-birth. Perhaps you do not recall the day, date, and time as I do, but you do recall JESUS lifting your sins from your shoulders and replacing them with His Righteousness. Remember and rejoice today that you have been forgiven and Heaven is your home!

And if you would like to read again (or for the 1st time) my salvation story, go to I Remember the Day. This particular writing was done 2 years ago.

Earlier today (Wednesday), Joann Givhan, gained SIGHT of the promise of eternal life. Please pray for her family as they learn to adjust to life here without her.

1 John 5: (New American Standard Bible) ¹²He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.  ¹³These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

There are no words, LORD JESUS, that would be adequate enough to thank You for saving me 35 years ago and keeping me saved forever. Thank You. I pray now for every reader who comes to this page that perchance You bring someone who is lost, that You, HOLY SPIRIT, will convince him or her of their need to be saved and that You are more than willing and able to save them now and forever.

Thank You for taking Joanne HOME and now I pray for Ed as he finishes his course here without her.  I pray for his comfort and strength to be meet for his days and we pray for friends and family that they will find their comfort and strength in You. Also, I want to remember again all those on our lists.  You know every need, every heart and face; I pray they will know and believe You. I ask again that You continue to protect our IDOK Troops and to bring them home safe and sound; I pray also for Israel, for peace and safety for them; and I pray for an Awakening of the American People to You. HOLY SPIRIT, please pour out Your Spirit of conviction and conversion upon this Nation from shore to shore, North, South, East, and West in JESUS NAME. Amen and amen.

Holy hugs, kt