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Snakes and Birds

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This was written April 7, 2010 and to my searching I have not repeated it with you, so I shall today.

IDOK Devotion for Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Snakes and Birds

I am posting a response I received on Monday from a Sister IDOK.  I think you will find it encouraging.   I am meditating on your questions from this morning. I want to encourage you not to give up, or get discouraged, but to press on in prayer and in person. We cannot choose eternal destiny for others, we can only present the Good News and offer the gift of Salvation. The response is up to each person. But we can continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will hover over all of the lost and the Jesus rejecters, revealing the truth to them all!
Jeremiah 32:26-28 (NIV) 26 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 27 “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?
I’ve also read the 3rd chapter of Micah in a few translations and I’ve decided we need an army of Micah(s) in America.
(The Message Bible) 8But me—I’m filled with God’s power, filled with God’s Spirit of justice and strength, Ready to confront Jacob’s crime and Israel’s sin.
See what I mean? Whose names would you fill in for Jacob and Israel? And how ready are we to confront?  How politically correct are we trying to be?  And why? Would you agree there’s a fine line to walk?  This Scripture has come to mind this week – do you think it fits?
Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
A little google-ing rendered this: serpents are prudent and discreet, cautious and avoid danger if at all possible. (http://bible.cc/matthew/10-16.htm )
            Now, harmless as doves: To be harmless is to lack the capacity to injure or to be free from inflicting physical or mental damage. Other translations use “innocent” or “inoffensive” instead of “harmless” for this verse.  Innocent means to be harmless in effect or intention. Inoffensive means to be giving no provocation.  Doves aren’t referred to as the birds of peace for nothing. Their temperament is calm and their disposition is sweet. Doves do not bite. At most they might slap you with a wing if they are guarding the nest or do not want to be picked up. Doves really are harmless.
 http://www.vcmagazine.org/article.aspx?volume=10&issue=9&article=harmless
          This is what I think — it is not too hard for God to enable us by His Spirit and His Might to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves and when we are we can do some good in this world!  We can even affect Washington.  Do you believe this?

 This is encouraging, ABBA, to be wise as serpents.  You know I’m not crazy about snakes but I do respect them and I agree they are cautious and they don’t go looking for trouble.  And doves, I can see that about them, calm and a sweet disposition.  Oh, my goodness, DADDY, what that would do for us – to be calm and have a sweet disposition.  How wonderful that would be if the Body of Christ was full of calm, sweet tempered, cautious, not looking for trouble but willing to stand and defend when Your Word is violated, people.  That is good.  This needs to be so in us.  And Your Word has already told us You can do it in us and through us.  Forgive us for being so distracted that we have not submitted to You for this transformation. I am presenting myself again for You to do this in me.  To empty me of me and fill me with You and I am praying for a bunch of IDOKs and Readers to do the same.   You are so good to us.  So good to never give up on us, and, ABBA, there’s a young man on my mind, he has done some really stupid, stupid, stupid things and now he is trapped, held captive and You are the ONLY ONE who can free him and at this point to my knowledge he is not going to cooperate with You.  But You said nothing is too hard for You, so I am asking You to get him to the place of cooperating with You.  He has a family that loves him; I don’t want to see him self destruct and I pray he will not.   And there are many, many other requests and You know better than I what they are and what is needed.  So we are trusting You to do what is best for all listed here.   I’m still concerned about American politics, America’s rampant sin practices, including greed and insatiable desires for power – the corruption is so bad that without Your help this Nation will be destroyed.  Please have mercy. Please raise up an army of ‘Micahs’.  I get so frustrated, so often – help me stop doing that and trust You and just simply wait upon You and watch You work in me and in my sisters and brothers.  I’m still asking You to raise up people to pray  churches into Houses of Prayer.  And I want in on it.  You know I could go on talking to You until I fall asleep but for this post let me close and ask You to give our IDOKs, visions, personal visions for each of them as to what You want them to do in regards to churches being Houses of Prayer and us being wise as serpents and harmless as doves in this corrupt land and I am asking because I am confident that this is what Jesus is praying for us too. Amen and amen.

Kathie

 

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Not So

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Without radio or TV playing, one in the kitchen can hear the voices of GRANDS in their respective bedrooms. And as Josh called out to Isabel to ‘come here’, a sweet thought came to me that perhaps will give you a moment of kind reflection or some encouragement.

When JESUS calls to us ‘come to Me’, it’s only a step for us because He has already come to where we are.

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all of you who are struggling and burdened, and I will give you rest.

via Matthew 11:27-29 KJV;CJB – All things are delivered unto me of my – Bible Gateway.

Not always but sometimes we call out for someone to come to us because we are comfortable where we are and we don’t want to make the effort to go to them even though we have a message for them.

NOT SO with JESUS. He had/has a message for us but He does not call us to come a long distance to receive it – only a step – for He has already traveled the distance to meet us. HOW AWESOME is HE?! And how blessed a truth is this for us?

Blessings Dear Friends!

Be Hidden in CHRIST,

Thank You, ABBA, Thank You LORD YESHUA for coming the distance for us and thank You HOLY SPIRIT that You keep doing it for us. And I know You are doing so for GRACE in this moment. As I think about her agony as she grieves the death of her son, I know only You can get her though this season and so I pray; pray for her to just be in You and I pray for family and friends to come alongside and bless her with love and arms to lean on. And, ABBA, there may be others today with similar depths of grief, I pray for them too to take that step to Your comfort. For all the hurting who come to this page or for those who come bringing someone else in their heart, I pray for all of us to take that step and receive Your comfort. Thank You, LORD JESUS. amen and amen.

Its’ really quiet in the house . . . wonder if I should check on that? :)

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Matthew 16:24 21st Century King James Version (KJ21)

24 Then Jesus said unto His disciples, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

via Matthew 16:24 KJ21;CJB – Then Jesus said unto His disciples, – Bible Gateway.

My beloved and I visited Daphne Methodist Church last night to experience a message in music and drama prepared by the Youth there. And for sure I received a message. Please allow me to share it with you this morning. We were well into the program when these words were sung:

And I’ll, I’ll follow You into the homes of the broken
I’ll follow You into the world
I’ll meet the needs for the poor and the needy, God, I’ll follow You into the world
Read more: LEELAND – FOLLOW YOU LYRICS

The message was clear. It was reassuring. It was encouraging. It was correcting.

I’ll follow You.

We the children (disciples) of JESUS are not alone in this mission of ‘going about doing good’. We are not expected; moreover we are commanded to NOT  answer the knock of ministry opportunities down avenues that HE has not already walked to prepare the way.  HE said FOLLOW ME. Not strike out on your own. Not work yourself into it. Not figure this out and do it. NO.

FOLLOW ME.

I hope you are getting this picture with me. The Savior-King is the LEADER when we go to the homes of the broken. When we go to homeless; the poor and needy; the rich and famous; we are FOLLOWING. I hope this picture comforts you and encourages you and yes corrects you even as it has me. It is a tender, tender Word to the CHURCH; and, yes, perhaps a rebuke – but a tender, sweet one that I dearly treasure.

Matthew 28:20 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

20 . . . And remember! I will be with you always, yes, even until the end of the age.”

via Matthew 28:20 KJ21;CJB – teaching them to observe all things – Bible Gateway.

And let me add as I believe it is implied: to the four corners of the earth too.

Be Hidden in CHRIST,

Thank You, ABBA. Thank You, HOLY SPIRIT, for speaking to us; for encouraging us, for correcting us. Thank You, YESHUA, for being our Savior, our King, our Leader, our Teacher; the One who leads. Help us follow. Help us follow You to the people of the world to show them You love them and You are able and willing to give them Life, eternal life.
Thank You, ABBA. Thank You. And thank You for Jamie’s first chemo treatment; thank You that she is leaving the hospital today. Thank You. And we ask for more. For the chemo to do its job with as little harm to healthy cells and as little unpleasantness as possible. And I ask this for Terri too; that chemo will begin timely and do the work intended with as little unpleasantness as possible. I ask for continued healing ministry to Lance. Adalynn. Dylan. Kerri. Dori. Alyssa. and Others as named by those praying here too.Thank You for hearing our prayers. Thank You for answering them perfectly, ABBA, in JESUS’ name.