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Bottom Line or Smack-dab in the Middle (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2010

Bottom Line or Smack-dab in the Middle

Joyce said this (Friday) morning that it took the Hebrews 40 years to make an eleven (11) day journey.  And that is true.  She also said that it took that long because they were continually impatient, murmuring and complaining. And she is right again, they did that.  But why did they do that? Why did they murmur and complain?  Why were they impatient? Was it because they were human?  Not really.  Was it because the days were long and hot and dry?  To be sure they were that; but I don’t think that was the reason for their impatience or the murmuring or the complaining.  So what was it?  I believe ABBA gives us the answer in Hebrews 3.  There He speaks of the People who came out of Egypt with Moses and we clearly know of whom He was speaking. And then we read verse 19 and we have our answer. 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. [source] So what did they not believe?  Here’s what I think.  I think they refused to believe that GOD IS GOOD.  I think they had lies running through their heads and they chose to believe those lies. Maybe thoughts like these: God cannot be good or He would not put us through this.  He would not leave us out here in this wilderness if He loved us.  He would give me something besides this ______ if He cared about me. He knows I am miserable and still He does nothing to change this mess.  My feet hurt and I’m tired of this! What kind of God is He to let me suffer like this? No good God would do this. Maybe He does not exist at all.  How could He even be God and let this happen to me?

See what I mean?  Any soul who entertains these kinds of thoughts will become bitter, they will complain, and they will murmur because they are smack-dab in the middle of UNBELIEF.  And there is only one way out – stop believing the lies and believe God.  Simple, huh? Yes, simple, but impossible to do – alone that is.  Yes, without faith it is Impossible.  But with God all things are possible, even believing Him.

Hebrews 11:5-7 (New King James Version)

5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. [source]

This has been called God’s Hall of Faith and it goes on and on.

The Bottom Line is this: God IS, He is Good and He loves us – believe Him or not, it’s our choice.  And yes we can believe Him if we want to.  To say we cannot believe is just another lie from the pits of hell.  God built into every one of us a measure of faith big enough to believe Him – if we want to.  Faith enough for our eternal salvation and faith enough to withstand whatever He allows hell to throw at us in the here and now.  Say it with me: God is Good, all the time, every time, God is good!

Romans 12:3 (New King James Version) For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. [source]

I have one more verse to offer.  As we read it let us be mindful that the sin of unbelief starts as a ‘temptation’.

1 Corinthians 10: (New King James Version)13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.  [source]

ABBA, Thank You that even the temptation of unbelief can be overcome; that You have made a way of escape for us.  Thank You that You have given each of us the measure of faith that we, individually, need.  You have not left any one of us without the spark to build a roaring fire of faith in You.  Thank You.  This gives me much comfort and I pray it will all our IDOKs and Readers.   And now we come to ask You to minister to all those spoken here; we do not know enough to pray with specifics so I am specifically asking You to heal, and glorify Yourself so much that if there is any lost soul who sees what You do that they will come out of their unbelief and be saved.   And we pray for our IDOK Troops, for their safety and protection, and most of all for them to know You and love You more fully. There are many other things on the minds and hearts of each of us, I pray for Your Will to be done in all of it for Jesus Name sake.  Amen and amen.

Kathie

Copy Paste Chew Again

Honest (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2010

Honest!

First, to each of you who came to the WOW Conference, thank you.  To each of you who prayed, wanting to be there but you could not, thank you.   As you can imagine, leaving here early Friday morning, conferencing Friday night and Saturday, coming home on Saturday afternoon (took a nap), Church on Sunday, and after service on Sunday night supper and to the couch for a silly movie with my beloved, I had not written a devotion for us for today.  So I came to ABBA and I wrote this to HIM: What shall I say to IDOK today?  They are waiting for a word from You through me.  Inspire me and write a Word of I love you to them today through me.  And with that I picked up my Breaking Free Day By Day, written by Beth Moore, of course, and for today found, in part, this: God’s Word is full of proclamations of His love for you.  He inscribed His love in His Word so you would never have to wait for a phone call. You can hear God tell you He loves you every single time you open His Word.

Sisters (and Brothers) I am not kidding, that’s what it says!  He hears, He loves, He cares and He has prepared this day for us long, long before we took our first breath from our mother’s wombs.  Oh how AWESOME He is!!  So this I know to say to us today: Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.

Yes Jesus loves me

Yes Jesus loves me

Yes Jesus loves me

The Bible tells me so.

Yes, Jesus loves you

Yes Jesus loves you

Yes Jesus loves you

The Bible tells you so.

John 16:27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.  [source]

There it is written in His Word, for the Father Himself loves you.  ABBA, loves you.  ABBA loves me.  All day long He is loving us, always and forever.  Let us carry this in our thoughts this day and far into the night even to the laying of our heads on our pillows, remember JESUS loves you. AND this morning, not only have we read it, He has interacted with us, He has actively, on purpose entered into our experience this very day to make  sure we know He is listening, He cares and He answers prayer!

YOU are so Awesome!  I don’t have words to say how wonderful You are.  I am delighted with You and I dare believe You are even delighted with me and not just me but every child of Yours that dares believe it too.  I am sitting here just absolutely enjoying You; enjoying how fun You are; how attentive You are; how You never sleep, You are always awake and ready for us.  I pray the praise will go on and on, all day.  Even when I get on with this day, with breakfast and making the bed and reading to little ones and on and on as the day comes, I pray I will not forget to commune with You through it all.  I pray none of our IDOKS or Readers will forget to commune with You all day and into the night, even up until the time we go to sleep.  And there You will be watching over us.  Oh, my mind cannot comprehend how huge and awesome You are.  Thank You for loving us. Thank You for speaking, Thank You for allowing us the greatest of all pleasures in the universe – knowing, being loved by You and loving You back. 

So, DADDY, we bring all these written here for prayer. We come in one accord to praise You for caring, to praise You for hearing and loving and to trust You to do what is right and holy and best for each of these.  For the quick answers we are delighted; for the ones that take awhile to manifest we thank You for the opportunity to know You in this experience and for the courage and faith to wait and see You work the miracles. For our IDOK Troops we pray again for their safety and protection, for them to be a peace in hostile places; for them to love You, for their faith to be strong and for them to make holy decisions that are good for them and their comrades.  And, ABBA, as I put this to press, I pray for our IDOKs and our Readers for each one as this comes to their screen and as they read and as they pray that they will KNOW You love them and that You are worthy of their trust and that You will not forsake them or leave them this day, or ever. That in You we are victors and not victims.  I love you.  And I know You love me too.  Thank You. Thank You.  Amen and amen in the Holy and Mighty Name of Jesus.  And LORD one more thing, thank You for being just so fun!

Kathie

Copy Paste Chew Again

Say Something! (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2010

Say Something!

Just a quick word as I move into some study time this cool, damp, wonderful Friday morning.  Just now I picked up the notes I made while Margaret Kennedy was speaking last weekend.  Her introductory Scripture was John 17:3And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  [source]

And her introductory comment was that God wants us to KNOW Him.  And since He does, He is all about making Himself known to us.  He is NOT into hiding from us. Nor does He hide His will for us from us.  (Truth is we are the ones who do the hiding – we humans have been doing that since the Garden of Eden – but that’s another train and we are not getting on it today!) True, many things about God are mysteries to us. Yet, I dare say some of those mysteries are not due to Him secluding Himself from us but rather our failure to open our eyes and hearts to see what is right in front of us.  So what I am saying is what I heard from Margaret – that for us to KNOW God we have to RESPOND to Him.  My notes say:  that GOD wants us to respond to Him. And for me to be free, to live free, I must respond to Who He reveals Himself to me to be.  And for Him to reveal Himself to me I have to quiet my soul.  That is I must Stop, Look, and Listen to Him and FOR Him and then RESPOND to Him according to what He reveals.  And when I do He will reveal more and more and more of Himself to me.

I know we know, but just for black-and-white clarification here’s my online dictionary definition of the word respond: to say something in return; make an answer

Do you see what I see?  When we open our Bibles and we read, we are expected to say something in return; and make an answer.   And when we consistently do that we will KNOW Him – more and more we will KNOW Him.   Is this making sense to anybody?

A lot of hours and a lot of being and doing has gone on since putting those responding words on the screen.  Holy Spirit, You know all the needs in all the lives spoken about here and so I think I can only pray to do what is best, LORD.   And there are still other hurts and other illnesses and other disabilities; take our prayers, help us offer them up in faith and love, and see You glorified in them all.  I pray for rest for our IDOKs and Readers.  I pray for peace for them.  I pray for them to KNOW You.  I pray for them to desire above all things to KNOW You; to practice daily, moment by moment, living in Your Presence.  We pray for our IDOK Troops, again for their protection and safety; for their well-being in spirit, soul, and body; for them to be free of malice in a hostile world and for each one of them to come home safe and sound in spirit, soul, and body at the appointed time.  Thank You for being You and for allowing us the privilege of loving You and this greatest of all adventures, knowing You through Jesus our Savior. Amen and amen.

Kathie