Tag Archives: Israel

Cease Entertaining

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May I quickly share a few verses of Scripture? I picked up my Bible and it fell to Romans 12 and my eyes met with verse 20 and I backed up to 19 for context. Please read with me.

19 Never seek revenge, my friends; instead, leave that to God’s anger; for in the Tanakh it is written,

“Adonai says, ‘Vengeance is my responsibility; I will repay.’”

20 On the contrary,

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
For by doing this, you will heap
fiery coals [of shame] on his head.”

21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.  [source]

Vengeance is my responsibility; I will repay, He said. And we know our GOD cannot lie; not will not but CANNOT. He would cease to be GOD if He ever lied and, Friends, that ain’t 🙂 gonna happen. Aren’t you glad? So let us leave vengeance and pay back to Him; but as we leave it to Him let us NOT sit and wait for pay back to come so we can rejoice.  No. No. No. That is not His command to us.  Rather, let us move forward as He has commanded and do good to those who do evil to us. And if today all the good you can do is pray for them and not do the evil to them that you would like, by all means do that. Pray for them and cease entertaining that payback. 

This is not an easy passage, ABBA, but I am grateful to read it; grateful for Your promise and grateful for Your instructions as to what You expect my conduct to be. Thank You. And thank You for the grace and strength to obey, all that is left to add is my willingness and I pray even for help to be willing. Thank You, ADONAI.  And, ABBA, it is rare that JT would be sick but he is today and I am asking You to heal him today.  And there are others that are always on my mind; Jamie for one. Thank You that You are fully worthy of our trust and You are able and You do all things well; so we trust You. And thank You for reminders. So I pray for Israel. Thank You for that blessed Nation and I ask for their protection and the subduing of all their enemies; all praise and petitions here offered in the Name of YESHUA, JESUS the CHRIST.

Kathie

A Soldier, An Athlete, A Farmer (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2010

A Soldier, An Athlete, A Farmer

Okay. On to today’s text – I want to continue examining 2 Timothy with you today for a few moments before we pray. 2 Timothy 2 (New King James Version)

1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.    

            A good soldier does not fraternize with the enemy; a good athlete follows the rules of the sport, and a good farmer enjoys the fruits (and veggies) of his harvest.

            Is any of this easy? Heck no!  It’s all out war, and hard work!  Ask any good soldier. Ask any Olympic Medalist. Ask any farmer at the end of harvest.  He will tell you it was hard work, tough going and sometimes he wondered if he’d ever make it. But he did.  And when you say was it worth it; he’ll say, “oh my yes!  These peaches are so juicy it’ll run right down your arm, and this corn on the cob is the sweetest I’ve ever tasted!”   

            If we want the spiritual maturity we were re-born to have, we will stay out of carnality.  We will not fraternize with our own flesh, the world or Satan.  We will not  bend the rules, we will embrace them as the holy protective boundaries they are, praising God every minute that He has given them to us.  And we will cultivate the soil of our hearts, plant those seeds, water them, feed them, harvest them and then … when our battles are complete, our races are run, our crops are in the barn and we see HIM standing there absolutely, totally head over heels in love with us and He says, ‘Welcome Home.  All that is Mine is yours.’ — It will be worth it all!  Can we say Amen and amen?!

Colossians 3: (New King James Version) 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. [source]

Well, it took longer than I thought, but I like it!  You are making me smile again today. I love it!  And, ABBA, I love you. Thank You, LORD GOD, for making it so; You are so good to me.  I hear what You are saying in these Wills up here.  If I want spiritual maturity I will follow Your rules, I will not walk in the flesh and I will do the work of a farmer.  It’s all about my ‘want to’ and You know in this moment oh I WANT TO, more than anything.  But You know me and I know me pretty good too – I get entangled!  But, You are helping me get entangled less and less these days.  Thank You.  I love it!  You are so Awesome!  Please don’t let this ‘taste’ leave my mouth.  And, ABBA, I figure there are some other IDOKs out there that want this too and I bet (well, You know) they are like me in that they are prone to get entangled too.  So I am asking You to keep after them too – every one of them that will say amen right about now.   This is fun and I love it but there are needs and we dare not neglect that part of ministry.   Some faces have popped up, some names linger, sweet people, precious people, hard stuff, lonely days and nights, wondering, scarcity, abundance but without peace; all this stuff.  But YOU are faithful and You are able; may it be that each one of them will experience You in faithfulness and power, in healings and restorations, and rescues and just sweet, sweet freedom from sin and bondage.  And protect our IDOK Troops again today, keep them safe, love on them so much they just feel it; move on Your Church with grace and mercy and conviction and the fresh fire of revival. Protect Israel, bring HER to the Land You have prepared for them; have mercy on the US, send conviction and grace to repent to the White House and every House I pray – all in the Name of Jesus, the One and Only. Amen and amen.

Kathie

Press On (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

Press On

I am scheduled to be awake and on my way in the morning at an obscene hour and today I played with grand-babies; so tonight I shall be very brief!

Philippians 3: 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,   14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. [source]

These two verses contain a worthy goal and the means to get there.  The goal is to fulfill the call of God upon us and the means to do it is Press On, leave yesterday in yesterday and tomorrow to tomorrow.  And, today, practice living in His Presence!  As our beloved Brother said I say, I’m not great at it yet, but I’m getting better.   And you are too if you have left your yesterday behind, you are trusting Him to take care of your tomorrow and in the present, you are enjoying in His Presence.

ABBA, of all the things I can think to ask for our IDOKs and our Readers in this moment is that we will enjoy and make it our business, our main and foremost business, to live in Your Presence.  Thank You that I am learning and I am believing that these are learning too.  Again I am asking You to reveal the cause of _________ pain and to give her a remedy and restore her to health.  And I am asking for You to pour out Your Presence upon  every woman and man that is seeking You .  I ask You Holy Spirit to show up and show out, to stir up and shake us up so we will no longer be complacent women and men but holy women and men who are compassionate servants and who carry Your anointing to every corner of our worlds.   I pray for every name that may be spoken here and I ask You to comfort them, give hope and courage and wisdom and meet every need according to what is best, Your Best, for each one.   I pray for our IDOK Troops for their safety in spirit, soul and body.  I pray for America that we will yet repent; that the voices of the godly will yet be heard and the voices and deeds of the ungodly will be repented of.    I pray for the preservation of Israel, for peace and for their enemies to be subdued.  And, ABBA, all the things on our minds, sort the stuff out for us, correct us, comfort us and set our feet to the path You have for each one of us.  And we ask it all in the name of Jesus. Amen and amen.

Kathie

Post Script on Friday, August 23, 2013: I read these and I often think who is this woman? I want to be like what she writes!

The Last Thing (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2010

The Last Thing

I’m just going to put this one out here just like it came to me way early this morning. The Last Thing our children and grandchildren need is for them to see us being unfaithful to the Scriptures.

Hebrews 10: 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.  [source]

In a Kathie Whitestone Thompson paraphrase: we better be walking the talk at home and in a Bible Believing, preaching Local Assembly (Church)!  The LAST THING we should be doing in the days before THE DAY is failing to LIVE the Scriptures.  It’s not just the world at stake here, it’s our ‘babies’ and our ‘grandbabies’.  So we have to ask ourselves what Scripture passages am I not consistently living?  The key word is consistently – not perfectly, but diligently and faithfully refusing to compromise what we know He has commanded us to do and, yes, to not do too. 

My Dear Sisters and Brothers, it’s been a long day.  Let’s pray.  We love you all.

ABBA, You are so good to me!  Thank You for this Word to us today and I am asking You to gently or firmly confirm this Word to us individually and to do so in such a way that there is no room for doubt just what portion of Your Word we, individually, are not faithfully living.  I ask You to make it so uncomfortable for us that we will not rest until we confess and cease to transgress Your Commands.   Thank You, Holy Spirit, for watching over Your Word to confirm it and make it alive in us.  Thank You for the promises You have given us, both the conditional ones and the unconditional ones.  Thank You that we can ask anything of You and according to Your will, You will do it.    And so, ABBA, according to Your Will we ask that You minister and tend to every person whose name may be spoken here.   We pray too for our IDOK Troops, for their safety and protection in spirit, soul and body and for their safe returns home.    I pray Your People will find their voices and places to stand and serve You and this great nation called America.  I pray, You will bless the people of America with conviction.  Lord, I am asking You to be merciful and convince this people of sin, of righteousness and judgment to come if Your Gift of Salvation in Christ Jesus alone is refused or neglected. I ask for Peace for Israel and that You will subdue all their enemies in the Mighty and Holy Name of Yeshua.  Amen and amen.

Kathie

As a Post Script over three years later; this Word is fresh again and I need it!!

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.