Thursday, October 7, 2010 — IDOK Devotion

Please click here for Praying for These.

Acts 16:  ²²And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.  ²³And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:  ²⁴Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.  ²⁵And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.  (KJV)

And the prisoners heard them. James, our Minister of Music at Satsuma First Baptist, read this text to us tonight (Wednesday).  And when I heard, ‘and the prisoners heard them’, I knew I had heard the makings of an IDOK lesson.

We are well familiar with this account, are we not? Paul and Silas had been preaching in the Name of JESUS and some folks didn’t like it so they had them beaten and then confined them to prison. If you read on you will see and perhaps you recall they were cast into the inner prison without medical attention — their backs were raw and bleeding (verse 33)!

Picture this with me. Paul and Silas have been beaten and they have the stripes to prove it, their feet are in stocks, they are in a dark prison cell with no window and most likely little to no light (verse 29) and what do they do?  They pray and praise!

And the prisoners heard them.

Here’s the point.  Even though thus far we are not beaten with many stripes, nor have we been cast into prison and our feet placed in stocks for ministering in the Name of JESUS, we do have varying degrees of trouble and you know what — ‘the prisoners are listening’!  People bound in the prison of sin – bound for hell, are watching and listening to the way we handle our troubles and sorrows.  They need us to pray and praise.   For if we pray and praise, perhaps they like the Philippian Jailer will say yes to JESUS and be set free!

Do you think Paul and Silas thought the salvations of the Jailer and his family were worth a beating?  I do.  But you know that’s not the reason they prayed and praised — they prayed and praised because JESUS IS WORTH IT! At least He was/is to them . . .  . Is He to us? Will we pray and praise next time some one pulls out in front of us on the four lane? What does it say about us, if we fuss and fume instead of pray and praise?

ABBA, thank You for this Word; please don’t let us forget it.  HOLY SPIRIT, I pray You will put a watch over our mouths and when fussing and fuming and blaming and complaining words start forming in our minds, quickly remind us to pray and praise.  Amen and amen in JESUS NAME.

Holy hugs, kt

Caleb still needs our prayers even though he has come a LONG way since his birth on September 24, 2010.  Our prayers are coveted. For a detailed update please visit Notices Given.

Holy hugs, kt

Wednesday, October 6, 2010 — IDOK Devotion

Please click here to review Praying for These

Revelation 22:20. He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, LORD JESUS. 21. The grace of the LORD JESUS be with all. Amen.   (NASB)

Quickly here according to my online Greek Lexicon means without delay.

Mark 13: ³¹“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.  ³²“But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.  ³³“Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. (New American Standard Bible)

Just as He said it would be mockers have dismissed JESUS’ second coming.  Yet we have His word.

2 Peter 3:  ²that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.  ³Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, ⁴and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”  (New American Standard Bible)

And so it is the Church has been waiting more than 2,000 years and His word is true, He shall come quickly.  He shall come without delay.  The moment ABBA says bring them HOME, He will NOT delay.  Immediately, He will come and we will be gone.

1 Corinthians 15:  ⁵¹Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, ⁵²in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  ⁵³For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.  (New American Standard Bible)

The usual question now is Are you ready?  But that’s not our question. Our question is How ready are you?  How ready are we if before this day closes, ABBA says, “SON, go get Your BRIDE, the HOUSE is ready.”

HOLY SPIRIT, make us ready; make us so ready we are on our feet, with hands occupied, showing You and others that You LORD JESUS are the LOVE OF OUR LIVES.  Amen and amen.

Holy hugs, kt

Tuesday, October 5, 2010 — IDOK Devotion

Praying for These, please click here to review the names. (new feature, you may now print our list from our PfT page.)

A question.  Have you, are you disappointed about anything?  Yes? Then as Children of the King, we have ONE option.  Journey said: ” . . . model the benefits of laying disappointment at the Creator’s feet, then asking Him to display His power and reveal His plan.”

Journey was primarily speaking to parents, encouraging us to model for our children taking our disappointments to the LORD, spilling them out before Him in all our anguish, and then arising from our heap to walk in faith,  trusting Him for a better outcome than we had planned.

2 Corinthians 12: (New American Standard Bible) ⁸Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.  ⁹And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  ¹⁰Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Thank You, ABBA, that bringing our disappointments to You, trusting that Your Word is true, that You are True and Your plan exceeds anything that we have imagined. I commend our IDOKs to You this morning for strength and courage to entrust every disappointment to You.  We trust You with our IDOK Troops, our Praying for These list, the November elections, the salvation of America, the reviving of the Church, the Peace and Safety of Israel and every concern in our hearts.  And specifically I am thinking of Elaine this morning for strength and blessing and comfort and peace and health. Amen and amen in JESUS MIGHTY NAME.

Holy hugs, kt