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Stringing to Freedom (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2010

Stringing to Freedom

Romans 8: (New International Version) 1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,  [source]

            Okay, right now I am just thinking out-loud.  If I sense condemnation that should be to me a red flag waving that in that area, I am not FREE, that is I am not experiencing the freedom that Jesus died to give me.  I am enslaved to something or someone other than Him.  Slavery to anyone or anything other than Christ is a death sentence — for a Christian it is the death of our joy, worship, cheerful service and most likely a whole lot more. Galatians 5: (New International Version) 1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. [source] I underlined for emphasis – it means WE have to do something to experience this freedom He is talking about.  True it is a gift but like gifts from human hands, if we don’t put that ‘ring’ on it does not shine on our finger.

So when I feel that condemnation or I hear it in my own head, I know (at least I am beginning to know) that I have become a slave to whatever it is that has caused me to feel condemned. 

            When I sit and allow the screen of my mind to be filled with images of what she said, or what he did; what they think of me; or worse yet, allow myself to sit there looking at images of how they might be thinking that sermon applies to me and not to them – I am NOT free.  BUT in these recent days, I am learning! Praise HIM I am learning to be FREE!  By His Grace, I am learning how to live FREE in a very costly, enslaving, mean, hostile, debilitating society.  Today is a good day and by His Grace, we will string another day to this day, tomorrow and on and on we will go. 

            I am mindful that this is a pretty personal piece to send out to you; but, hey if there is even a chance that sharing some of my steps to learning might help someone else – I’m on it!  If I am anything, LORD, make me REAL!

How do I honor You in addressing You?  How do I even attempt to encompass in a Name Who You are?  The Great I AM.  How can it be that the Great I AM lives and loves within me?  It’s too much for me, but I accept, DADDY, I accept.  Keep the communion coming; keep pouring on the revelation; keep drawing me into intimacy with You.  Stretch me and fill me and stretch me and fill me, again and again and again, all the way, every day till I see You, Jesus.  Till I behold Your very Hebrew Face; till I see and touch Your Holy hands and feet; till feel Your very real Carpenter Strong and yet God Strong Arms around me.  Oh, LORD, I want to be shamelessly, radically with total abandonment in love with You.  Above all things I could and do ask for, give me this, get me there as close as You can before I see Your Holy Hebrew Face.  And, LORD, for my freedom You died and rose again; oh, I don’t want to waste any of it.  I pray for freedom; freedom from every curse of my flesh, the world and the devil; and not just for me but for all Your Daughters and all Your Sons.  

So, I can ask that for every one of our IDOK Troops, that individually they will lean on You as their very best Friend and the Lover and Keeper of their souls and their very great Reward.  You are good to entrust us with so many to pray for; so many lives we can touch with prayer.  Even when we don’t word it all just right, You are mindful of them, not a one of them listed here do You overlook.  You are amazing! So I am just trusting You with them; to individually give them grace and help just like You would if I specifically asked for just what it is they need.   This is includes Israel too and this Nation we call America and Pastors and Local Churches, all of them represented and connected to these names and email addresses.

And, yes, oh yes, I love You, too!  I cannot fathom it how You could love me or how You could even make it so I know You do, but You have and I do.  Oh, I long to see Your Holy, Beautiful, Holy, Hebrew Face, Face to face.  Even so, come, LORD JESUS, come quickly. Amen and amen.

Kathie

I think I shall leave this quote for a few more days – give it time to bear some more fruit.

 From “Tales From the Hasidim” Rabbi Moshe of Kobryn said, “When a man suffers, he ought not to say, “That’s bad! That’s Bad!” Nothing that God imposes on man is bad.  But it is all right to say, “That’s bitter!”  For among medicines there are some that are made with bitter herbs.

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Willfully Dependent (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2009

Willfully Dependent

I began reading today in Matthew 18.  That is the place in Sacred Word where Jesus said: 2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  And I asked how are little children?  And He answered with one word: dependent.  And I am thinking, be they newborn, infant, toddler and even older, children are dependent.  Dependant upon their parents; however strong willed, however determined to touch what will hurt them, they are dependent upon those who gave them life. 

Do you see what I see?  Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.   Unless one becomes WILLFULLY DEPENDENT upon the ONE who gave him/her physical life – God Almighty – for Eternal Life, that One will never see the Kingdom of God, shall by no means enter in.  There is no way to enter Eternal Life without becoming dependent upon God.  That is willfully abandoning any means of our own to enter in and resting and relying only on the One Provision God has given for Eternal Life – Jesus Christ.  Is it any wonder that Jesus came as a Baby – dependent upon Mary and Joseph – to show us the way?  As the Son of Holy God was willfully dependent upon Mary and Joseph for every morsel of food that entered His mouth, so must we be dependent upon Jesus Christ for Life Everlasting and life here and now.  Oh my goodness!  Jesus Christ did come to show us the way to LIFE and it is as a little child – dependent!

I say it again, DADDY GOD, oh my goodness how simple and how sweet and precious is this message to us. May we look afresh and renewed again at every child we see and see the message You have for us – dependent.  Dependent on You for every breath!  Thank You for speaking to us this morning.  Thank You for giving us a Word.  And as I am thinking of beginning a New Year what better way to enter it than DEPENDENT upon You?  This I believe, this I KNOW, the more dependent upon You I know myself to be and practicing that dependence, the more INDEPENDENT of my flesh and the world I will be.  Make it, Lord God, my goal to be dependent upon You in practice; oh to practice dependence – this is good! Thank You, ABBA, and now we turn to pray; You know the many needs here and we are dependent upon You.   And we pray for each Dear Ones names spoken here asking You, Holy Spirit, to help them depend upon You and receive every help and blessing and healing and restoration that You so desire to give them.  We pray too for our IDOK Troops for their safety and well-being in spirit, soul and body; asking all these things because we can in You alone, Christ Jesus. Amen and amen.
Kathie

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My Obsession (again)

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IDOK Devotion for Friday, March 12, 2010
My Obsession
          Today I began to question something.  If you know me well you know I’ve got a thing about words.  At times to someone who loves me much I can be down right irritating when I analyze his usage of words; especially when I am not a professional myself.  Be that as it may, here are my wonderings today:  Should we be praying that God will increase our faith or strengthen our faith?  I am wondering if we do ourselves damage when we ask God to increase our faith?  Hear me out now. When we ask Him to increase our faith, are we not telling ourselves that we are lacking in faith?  How negative is that?! Does that not create doubt in us?   But if we ask Him to strengthen our faith can we not hear ourselves saying to Him – ‘Yes, LORD, I have faith.  I admit it is weak but I know You have placed faith in me.  I know I have the seed of faith and when You strengthen the faith I have it will be more than enough to believe You for this that I am asking of You.’  Irritating — isn’t it?  My obsession with semantics.  But somehow it helped me today.  It connected for me today. So I’ve been praying today for ABBA to strengthen my faith … and He is.   So I thought if I passed along to you the ‘fruit’ of my semantics obsession, perhaps it would help you too.   
          Colossians 2: (NIV)
6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him,
7rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

            ABBA, I realize often times I am a bit over the top with this word usage thing but I liked it today.  Thank You for humoring me.  I pray it will help our IDOKs and Readers.  Thank You for strengthening the faith that You placed in me.  And I am confident You are going to keep on strengthening me and I am delighted about that.  Thank You.  Compared to carnal, worldly standards, I’d like to get just down right sickening with how wildly in love with You I am.  I’d like love for You and people to just exude from every pore of me. I figure that will take some time and some work but lets do it!  I am mindful that such conversation could be construed as silly, too familiar or some other negative connotation but I think I’m finally getting ready to run that risk – it’s easy here on the page of this screen – get me to the place that it is easy out there too in the midst of people that intimidate me.  In fact I’m asking You to grow and mature me to the stage that my love and reverence for You far exceeds my desire to please man, woman or child.  I am asking to come to the place that I just abandon myself to You; not that I would disregard the feelings of others but that I would be freed up to love and help them without being concerned about me.  Empty me of me and fill me up with You.  It’s time to move on, isn’t it?  Move on to others.  Others who will be spoken here with some serious needs.  Bless them, keep the safe from all harm, strengthen their faith, increase their knowledge of Your Word; help them more and more to know You and believe You.  In Jesus’ Name. Amen and amen.

Kathie