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You Name It ‘s’ (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2010

You Name It ‘s’

It is late as I begin.  I may not tarry. It has been a sweet, sweet day!  My Baby Girl and I had our once a month day together; we don’t often miss a month.  Anyway this time, we did lunch and a movie.  Her first time to see The Blind Side; my second – she loved it, I loved it again! 

(P.S. at this typing it is 8.28.13 and at seeing the trailer for The Blind Side AGAIN my eyes well with tears. Just saying. Have a precious day my Friends!) 

I have a least two passages of Scripture that I want to share but either would take some time to develop and that football game is gonna be over soon and like I said it’s late here in lower Alabama.  So maybe I’ll save those for next week.

For now, carry this one around with you. 

John 16:33 (Amplified Bible) I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] [source]

            Amen and amen again!

This verse is in the midst of Jesus last training session with the Apostles before He went to the Garden and you know from there was taken to ‘trial’.  He told them tribulation, trials, distresses; frustrations were coming but that even in all of it He wanted them to have peace and confidence, to take courage, to be certain.  Be certain I HAVE overcome, He said.  For us that means even before any nasty, difficult, hard, troubling, frustrating ‘you name it’, comes upon us, Jesus has already overcome it for us.  It is for us to be confident. It is for us to value and treasure this PEACE He has given us so much that we will not forfeit it for anything or any body.    

And in this moment, my resolve is to so value You, so value holding onto to the Peace You have given me that I will not forfeit it for anything; not even for the ‘pleasure’ of sin for a season.  That’s what I feel and want right now as I sit here in the quiet.  I pray that more and more I will want it when the ‘you name its’ are screaming at me.  And I pray this for our IDOKs too. ABBA, I know I should be asleep already and I surely hope most of our IDOKs already are.   And as I think of those spoken here, You know who they are, You know the loss they are feeling, You know the sorrow of the empty chair and the vacant pillow; it grieves me, Lord, and I know it does You even more – comfort them, ABBA, be their everything to them and carry them through this.  We appreciate and we applaud You for the good reports.  Thank You.  And as so many days before we pray for our IDOK Troops; how can we say thank You for Your goodness for the protection and safe keeping of them.  Thank You. Thank You.  And so we keep asking that You keep on protecting them and that You bring each one home safe and sound.  You know who needs what and when listed here and we just trust You in Jesus Name to do it. Amen and amen.

Kathie

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Tools for Glory (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2010

Tools for Glory

Luke 18 New King James Version [source]

Luke 18:18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”  What’s the first thing that catches your attention here?  For me it’s the ruler’s question.  What shall I DO to inherit eternal life?  That tells me right away that he was not looking for grace.  He was looking for a means to EARN his way into the Kingdom. Or maybe he thought he already had earned his way in and he was just planning on having a little fun with the itinerate preacher.  He began with a little flattery, referring to Jesus as Good Teacher.  And Jesus picked up on that right away and asked him a question.  19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.   So right there Jesus told the ruler, if you really believe I am good then you will believe I am God.  (Hmmm – what does this say about us when we doubt God’s goodness?)  And the ruler either missed what Jesus said or he ignored Him.  Knowing this, Jesus moved on.  20 You know the commandments:  ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’  ‘Honor your father and your mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” Can you believe it?  Do you think the poor boy really did not know?  Do you think he really thought he had kept the LAW of GOD perfectly?  Do you think he was smugly saying to Jesus, Hey man I got this covered?  And then Jesus applied the ‘rude awakening’.  22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.  And there it was – what the young man valued above all else – money.  If only he had valued Jesus above all else.  And so the question is did he have money or did his money have him? Was his money a tool in his hands or was he a slave in the clutches of his wealth?  We know the answer.  And why did he go away sorrowful?  In his heart of hearts did he know that his money had him?  Did he know that as long as his money had him, he would not have Eternal Life?  I wonder if he ever really enjoyed his money after this encounter with Jesus. And what does this say to you and me?  Is there anything I have; is there anything you have that instead of being a tool to use for His glory we are using it for our own glory?  Does this mean if I really want to enjoy my possessions, I have to ‘sell out’ to Jesus first?   Yeah, I think it does.

And I think there is a lot more to be said from this passage, but for this fine Monday morning, we shall close. 

Holy Spirit, it’s hard starting this morning; not that we have not already been speaking but private conversation is most often easier than public I think.  And I’m thinking I need some more private this morning but in this moment public is necessary, isn’t it?  ABBA, thank You for answered prayers.  And we pray for our IDOK Troops, You know their needs and You know we want them safe and whole and so we pray for their protection and safety in spirit, soul and body; and we pray at the appointed time they all come home safe and sound.  And with the entirety of those spoken here today and yet presenting each individually, for surely every name, and every member of every family and congregation are known to You and just what it is they need and it is for that we pray.  I ask You to tend to us today, ABBA; to each of our IDOKs and Readers, wherever they are and whatever crosses their lives today and this I ask in Jesus Name.  Amen and amen.

Kathie

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In or Out (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2010

In or Out

2 Timothy 4 (New King James Version) 1 I charge you thereforeagain the therefore, there for because of previous verses which tell us because we have the Scripture and because it fully equips us THEREFORE we are chargedbefore God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. [source] In season and out of season. So far today this is as far as I have gotten with this passage.  I consulted the Greek Lexicon and found what I expected.  We are to be ready to tend to the souls of men, to be equipped and ready to speak the Word of God into their situations at every opportunity we have whether it is convenient for us or not.  To me that means even when I am in a hurry to move on to something I want to do, if the Holy Spirit places a needy soul in front of me I am to stop and minister to them, putting aside my agenda – my want to.  Okay. I expected that. You did too, right? But one of those Greek words prompted other thoughts in me. The text reads in season and out of season.  The Greek word for ‘in season’ [source] is eujkaivrwB which is transliterated eukairos and it means seasonable, timely, opportune; but the Greek word for ‘out of season’ [source] surprised me.  It is ajkairevomai and it is transliterated akaireomai and it means to lack opportunity.  And that stunned me at first.  If we lack opportunity, that means we are without opportunity, right? Yes, I think so.  So this is what I think ABBA is saying to us — because we have His Word, because His Word is completely able to equip us to minister even when we are in a dry spell; even when we are ‘shut up’ we might say; even then He expects us to keep on applying ourselves to study.  He still expects us to be ready to give a reason for our hope, to be ready to minister His Word even when the opportunity to see a soul is remote at best.  Even when we have not had an opportunity in what seems like forever! Still He expects us, He has charged us, to keep on delving into His Word, keep on meditating on it, keep on memorizing Scripture, keep on keeping on living in His Word, to keep on practicing living in His Presence until that time comes when we do have opportunity to minister His Word again. In Season and Out of Season.  This’ll preach!  This’ll keep us ‘Asher’.  (Asher meaning feeling blessed, not just knowing positionally we are blessed!) [source]

Thank You, You did it again, DADDY.  I asked You to speak to me and You did.  I am grateful.  You are too good to me; but, please keep on doing it.  And I want to keep on practicing living in Your Presence.  It’s the best life yet! 

Thank You for the opportunity to pray for_________.  We do not dare thank You for needs for surgery as we know that no disease, illness or injury comes from You.  We do thank You for doctors and procedures; and we thank You most that You are with us in these diseases and illnesses and injuries; that they do not take You by surprise and You are not worried how You are going to make this turn out alright – it is already done with You.  That is good.  Thank You.  So we entrust each One spoken here today to You and wait expectantly to see what You do.     We trust You to send in helps of every kind to perfect this work, DADDY. 

We pray now for our IDOK Troops; they are ever before us and we always desire their safety and well being and their eventual returns home safe and sound.  We trust them to You today and always.

Again we come collectively presenting names, faces, lives and needs asking You to take notice individually.  Asking You to not over look any one of them; we know we often miss needs and faces but You never do.  That comforts us and them.  And I pray that the faces I know You will pass them before me and prompt me to pray not just now but any time they need support or encouragement, when a battle is raging and they need victory.  We want to stand in the gap, DADDY.  And You have equipped us.  Thank You in Yeshua’s Holy and Perfect Name we pray.  Amen and amen.

Kathie

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How Old Am I? (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2010

How Old Am I?

I Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise your youth, does that mean don’t act stupid, don’t give other folks cause to know we are foolish beyond our years? but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. [source]
Does that mean that our chronological age is not an indicator of our maturity?  To the degree that we believe the Word, act upon the Word, love, live in the spirit instead of the flesh, share our faith with others, and maintain purity in our being is that the degree to which we are mature?
 13 Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. [source]

Could this be reading the Word for pleasure, sharing what we have read with others to encourage them? And pay attention to doctrine – doctrine does not come from casual reading, doctrine comes by study.  Doesn’t it? 14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, I have a gift?
You have a gift! Don’t neglect them – well, how plain is that?! which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. [source]
I heard Beth (Moore) teaching on this not long ago and she made it clear that the emphasis here is not that hands had to be laid on Timothy for him to receive his gift(s) but simply hands had been laid on him and he did have gifts from God to be used for God.  It’s similar for us, without or without the laying on of hands by certain elders – THE ELDER, Jesus Christ, has laid His Hands on us and gifted us for His glory.  We best not neglect it, huh?
15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. [source]
Young or old the practice is the same – meditate and give ourselves. 16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Pay attention, to our own conduct and what we believe. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.  [source]
And when our conduct and our doctrine lines up with what we have been taught by Jesus and, yes, those following Him, we are saved.  This is not addressing our salvation from hell, but rather our salvation from the ‘hell’ in us – our flesh, our fallen human personalities. Oh to have our personalities SAVED!  And to be sure as we are saved, we do influence others to be saved, from hell and the ‘hell’ within them too.

I remember I was so excited a few days ago when we read this Text together and You talked to me about it, Father.  I pray that as our IDOKs and our Readers read it today that You will speak again; that You will build excitement and encouragement in them too.  I remember that moment when You saved me from hell; it was like a nanosecond deliverance from the kingdom of darkness to Your Kingdom of Light; but the process since then of getting the ‘hell’ out of me has been a long, long process and I know it will not end until I see You, Lord Jesus.  I look forward to the day when You complete me and my whole being (personality) will be saved.  Thank You.  Those two words are so inadequate.

No doubt our IDOKs and Readers have responsibilities and duties waiting for them when they rise to greet this day and I pray for them to be encouraged and to have strength in spirit, soul, and body to do them.   I pray for discernment to KNOW what You have called us to do and what You have not and I pray we will have the COURAGE to say Yes to You and NO to those things that You have not ordained for us, even the good stuff that we like doing, Father. 

And You know I have _________ on my mind this morning and this pain and illness that she is experiencing.  She hurts, Lord, and it is so discouraging to her; it has been a while now.  And, Lord, we are not complaining we are just coming to You with our petitions for healing.  And we rest these petitions with You for all who are spoken here by each one who comes here to read and pray; and for our IDOK Troops, for their safety and protection today in spirit, soul, and body; and we again renew our request that each of them come home safe and sound.  Thank You, Father. 

And we are thinking of the people of Haiti.  We know You are mindful of them and the conditions there; we feel helpless and are without words to pray; but I know You are there.  I know You are there to comfort and restore. Is there more we can do?  Is there a way for us to be hands and feet from this distance; guide us, Lord?  Show us what You want us individually to do in Jesus’ Name and for His Glory, not only for the People of Haiti but here in America and around the world.    Amen and amen.

Kathie