IDOK DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 2010

Praise Reports, Prayer Requests and Updates:

Chris Robinson, a local ‘boy’ will soon be leaving for foreign soil and his Mother, Carol, has asked that IDOKs pray for her son.

ABBA, thank You for the privilege You have given us to pray for Chris.  We do not thank You that it is necessary for Chris to go but since it is we thank You that he is willing to go.  We pray not only for his safety and protection from all manners of harm, we pray that we as a body of people we be sensitive to You, Holy Spirit, and will collectively and individually pray for Chris as You lead us in JESUS name. We pray for courage and peace for his mother and others waiting here for his safe return.

Joshua’s Mother writes in part: Joshua did very well in surgery! Praise the Lord! His heart function & numbers were good prior to surgery & that really helped him. We also know that he was covered in your prayers, which helps so much! Thank you!

Joshua has a Care Page where you can read more, click here for a link.  (You will need to set up a user name and password of your own to read his mother’s posts.)

I am borrowing this morning from Journey, a LifeWay Publication.  This morning’s devotion is a warning to consider our choices carefully.  As we are contemplating an action and we get a check in our Spirit it is wise to heed Him and it is sin to ignore Him.   He may be telling us it’s NOT just lunch.  In the story Meg was lonely, feeling sorry for herself, feeling neglected – her husband was out of town – so she said yes to Daniel’s invitation to lunch; telling herself it was only lunch.  It wasn’t ONLY lunch to Daniel.  The Holy Spirit knew that!  He always knows.  And we are only wise when we heed His warnings, not just about lunch with a co-worker of the opposite sex, but ALL the choices and actions of our daily living.

Journey (in part) reads: “Our society’s standards of what is and what is not appropriate have changed over the years, sometimes blurring the line between right and wrong.  As Christians, we need to be clear about where we stand and to remember that we represent the King of kings.  Some things that are innocent in the world’s eyes may be areas in which the LORD calls us to a higher standard.

If you find yourself flirting with a situation that could be harmful, ask the LORD to give you strength to resist temptation. “

I Corinthians10: ¹²Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. ¹³No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. ¹⁴Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

Yes, 14 does follow 13.  When we willfully ignore that check in our Spirit and do what we KNOW is sin, we have set up an idol and have bowed down to it. I don’t like it anymore than you do; but truth is truth.

To review the list of names for prayer, please click here.

ABBA, I ask You to translate this message from what is written here to what is needed in each of our hearts and cause us to desire and receive from You the strength to escape temptation, rather than erecting idols.   Thank You for Your faithfulness to us again this morning and every morning.  You know I hastily scanned our list of names this morning, even so I bring them all to You and pray for them to have Your peace today in all their situations.  I pray that too for each of our IDOKs and Readers. And I pray for our IDOK Troops that You will again today keep them safe and protected from all harm.  I pray for the peace and protection Israel needs.  I pray for churches, three in particular, and ask Holy Spirit that You correct us, that NO idols be set up but rather ALL be torn down in JESUS Name. Amen and amen.

IDOK DEVOTION FOR THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2010

Praise Reports, Prayer Requests and Updates:

Baby Ryder is up to four pounds!!!

About 14 hours ago from this writing the MRI was complete and the doctor said they would get started soon (don’t know what soon means) with Joshua Akin. Will let you know more when I do.  Prayers needed.

Just a thought: When waiting for ‘good news’ in a hazardous situation, keep your hands busy, it helps your mind meditate on God’s promises.

That’s a ‘mouth full’ isn’t it?   And keeping our hands busy and our minds stayed on ABBA’s Word helps us to expect good news rather than ‘bad’.  And should it be when the news comes and it is not as good as we hoped, we are in a better position to take the next step with God.

Proverbs 3: ⁵Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

To review the list of names for prayer, please click here.

ABBA, I am grateful for the lesson of busy hands; busy hands that free the mind to remember Your Word; busy hands that free the heart to relax, breathe and hear Your Voice in troubled waiting.  Thank You.  I pray Holy Spirit, You will take these few words and make them large help to our IDOKs and Readers.  Thank You for Ryder’s 4 pounds.  Thank You for giving this baby boy life.  And we pray for Joshua and ask that You give him life too. And our IDOK Troops give them life and health and peace and safe returns home we pray.  We pray too for Israel, for peace and safety and protection from all their enemies and I pray America will not fail to align with Israel.  I pray for our churches, three in particular,  You know what is needed — cause it to be I pray.  And now I pray for each listed on our list, for peace and comfort and help in just the way they need You. Amen and amen in JESUS NAME.

Will this make it to Facebook?

IDOK DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2010

Praise Reports, Prayer Requests and Updates:

For the full message of hope and comfort you will want to read all of Psalm 34. (I am providing you a link by clicking here if your Bible is not close by.)

For our moments together today please let these words minister to you.

⁷The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.
⁸ O taste and see that the LORD is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
⁹ O fear the LORD, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no want.

¹⁵The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry.

¹⁷The righteous cry, and the LORD hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸ The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

²⁰He keeps all his bones,
Not one of them is broken.

And verse 20.  I believe this is a prophetic verse tucked here in Scripture looking forward to JESUS as He suffered – not one of His bones would be broken.  Perhaps as JESUS read Psalm 34 as a young lad, it encouraged Him to know ‘not one of His bones would be broken’.  Perhaps it encouraged Him that He would make the right choice and not jump from the temple pinnacle when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness.  Perhaps not … but it blesses me to know that JESUS read the Scripture as the GodMan and the  Scripture sustained Him even as it is meant to sustain me.  So what does verse 20 mean for you and me?

Charles H. Spurgeon opined for us it means:

He sustains no real injury. He gets flesh-wounds and bruises, but his bones are not broken. That is to say, the substantial part of his nature is well kept and preserved.

Yes that’s what we are pressing toward; that when we are beaten and bruised, our NEW NATURE given to us by CHRIST HIMSELF is well kept and preserved.  That is when we are hurting, JESUS still shines in us!

To review the list of names for prayer, please click here.

ABBA, this is a fine and goodly lesson in the dark hours of the morning.  You are so gracious to feed me, to feed us.  Not that I want to continually come to the screen with no preparation but I am grateful and awed by You at Your goodness to speak when Your servant has neglected preparation.  It just proves again, this is not about me, not about us, but ALL about You.  That is good.  So very good.  Thank You.

I pray for Logan.  Thank You that he is improving already and we pray he will very soon be completely well.  We pray for others too; for all those on our list.  We have many needs, spoken and unspoken.  Thank You that You are taking care of them all. Thank You that You are tending each one of us.  We pray for our IDOK Soldiers, asking that You minister to them today and keep them safe and protected from all harm.  We pray for Israel, for peace and protection.  We pray for America for repentance and salvation.  Again, I am thinking of particular local church bodies, Holy Spirit, please guard and protect and raise up prayer warriors in JESUS NAME. Amen and amen.