Tag Archives: LORD JESUS

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

Dewy Fresh

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When my beloved shared his Guidepost devotion with me this morning, I became eager to get to our screen to share it with you. It is last year’s read but dewy fresh to me this morning.

“I used to like the saying “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!” But after an experience our daughter had one year, I’ve changed the words slightly.

Nikki was five then and looking forward to the pet show her kindergarten teacher had announced. She couldn’t wait to show off Purry, our black kitten, and to admire her classmates’ pets as well. Then life dumped a whole crateful of lemons on Nikki in the form of chicken pox. Spotty and itchy, she felt too miserable to enjoy staying home. Even the little “get well” toys we gave her couldn’t sweeten her forced vacation. 

When she returned to school, I hoped she wouldn’t be too dejected after hearing about the fun she had missed. Instead, she came home bursting with pride and handed me the cause of her elation. It was a shiny gold foil medallion with two blue construction paper ribbons dangling beneath. The inscription on the foil said, “First Prize for Most Invisible Cat.”

Do you know someone too discouraged today to see a bright side? I suggest that when life gives your friends lemons, you help them make lemonade! Nikki’s teacher provided the “sugar” with a few scrapes of paper.

How can I help?

How can you?

LORD, give us sensitivity and creativity to uplift others.  —B.J. Connor

‘Ain’t’ that good?!!

I am praying for the Kirk-Dossett Family today. John was out for his regular walk this Tuesday evening and instead of walking back to the house to join Debbie for supper, he joined JESUS. It has been an engulfing shock to them, so if you will join me in praying for them all.  And I still have many, many others on my ‘LORD JESUS, please help list’; as perhaps you do too.

DADDY GOD, thank You for always hearing my prayers. Thank You for the prayer conversations of this morning already; and it is my request to continue them. Debbie, John III, and all the family. Thank You, HOLY SPIRIT, for laying them heavy on my mind, asking for strength for them, for peace, comfort and consolation, carry them, O LORD, through these days and weeks of fresh mourning. Kerri, Dori and Pam – remembering them too; precious women needing individual, for different reasons Your touch in their lives and upon their very beings. Others too, ABBA, fresh on my heart I bring for Your Will to be done.  Israel. Protection and peace for them; for the subduing of all their enemies. And, ABBA, I am asking You for mercy on America. We the people, many of us, those who You have saved, we desire this Nation to stand with Israel, to support and help Israel; we do not want America to turn Her back on Israel so I pray that You will overrule the numbers here that are anti-Israel and cause us to be a steadfast ally with and for Israel. And I pray You will stop Iran from getting this weapon of mass destruction. I am mindful that Your Word describes destruction is coming upon this world typical of nuclear warfare but I am asking You for more time to advance Your Gospel; for more people to be saved and for more Christians to get serious about You and obeying Your Commission to us.  And for the day before us, thank You that You Got This and we are safe in JESUS name. I pray for each one who comes here to read and to pray that each will sense Your Manifest Presence today, and be corrected, be encouraged, be renewed and revived to good works in Your Name.Thank You, ABBA.

Blessings to you Dear Friends    +++

Remember YOU have the God-given RIGHT to do right in this wrong world!

It Makes Sense To Me

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It is occurring more often now: theme praying. That is my general praying over the day’s list with a blanket request; which, of course, does not circumvent specific requests.  And my general request today was one I know is bigger than I know.  🙂  It was for the LORD JESUS to court my people. To court them, pursue them with the passion of the Cross. I take no credit for it. It’s a HOLY SPIRIT thing. I am just grateful He leads our praying. 

So as I sat to write to you about it I googled court and found this:

To attempt to gain; seek
 To behave so as to invite or incur
 To try to gain the love or affections of, especially to seek to marry.
via Court – definition of Court by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia..

Yep! That’s what I was asking. For myself as well as for you and others.  You see some of the folks I pray for are estranged from JESUS. Some of them by their very own ‘testimony’ do not know Him nor do they presently want to know Him. Some profess to know Him but are finding it difficult to walk the Road He walks. And wonderfully others are head over heels in love with Him, yet there is always more depths of love to go with Him. And in all these seasons it is JESUS who must initiate, must court the soul or that soul will never surrender to the marriage, (the GOD covenant relationship) and for those who have come into the marriage with Him, we have a propensity to stray. So I asked for martial courting (Horizontal marriages would do well with some courting too.), wooing us to walk closely with Him.

I figure it this way: who does not want to be courted? Who does not want another to behave toward them in such a way as to invite them into a pleasant, comforting, good relationship? Who does not want someone to love them?  And what better PERSON than JESUS CHRIST?

And with the Passion of the Cross? Think about it! HE loves us so much that He endured THAT and ALL it entailed! That’s what I’m asking for! For any soul gone astray or any flirting with going astray, for the HOLY SPIRIT to ‘hotly’ pursue that one with the Passion of the Cross.

However, I am reminded that HE is not in this alone and these hot pursuits that I am petitioning Him for may require some assistance on my part. Not that HE needs my assistance or yours! Yet, for sure, He chooses to allow US to work with Him. How glorious!!! So again, HOLY SPIRIT, pursue me that I may pursue YOU and others as You direct.

It makes sense to me!

I Corinthians 3: 9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
via 1 Corinthians 3:8-10 KJV – Now he that planteth and he that – Bible Gateway.

Romans 2:4 New Century Version (NCV)
4 He has been very kind and patient, waiting for you to change, but you think nothing of his kindness. Perhaps you do not understand that God is kind to you so you will change your hearts and lives.
via Romans 2:4 NCV – He has been very kind and patient, – Bible Gateway.

Thank You, HOLY SPIRIT, Thank You, ABBA, Thank You, JESUS, for giving Yourself to us. To pursue us, to draw us to Yourself. Thank You for the will to come to You. Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for the gift of prayer. And so again I pray that You court us all in just the way we need in each of our individual stations today. Heal our sick, mend our hearts, restore our hearts and families for Your glory. Amen and . . .  . 

We have the God-given Right to do right in this wrong World,
Praying (PFT)!

Opportunities to Succeed

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Reviewing conversations and observations of the past 48 or so hours, push past it, came to mind.

It’s wise counsel.

In particular I was initially thinking of physical exertion and children. Have you notice how easily young ones give up when the physical exertion is not of their liking? Their poor little bodies tire out so easily and the concept of pushing past the ‘I’m done with this’ or ‘I want to be done with this’ or ‘this is boring’  or ‘I’m tired’ does not occur to them.

Little can be accomplished if we give up at the first twinge of

I don’t want to do this
I’m tired
This is too hard
This is boring
This is not my job
I didn’t make this mess
What’s the point
This hurts

And for sure the reasons to not push past it are as plenteous as the tasks. Let me rephrase that to ‘opportunities to succeed’. Opportunities to improve our physical endurance, to complete a put off chore,  to reach a new goal or perhaps a long-standing one. And lets broaden this to include relationships —  push past it and resolve old hurts, new hurts, unresolved issues, new issues — push past it.

Push past it.

Push past it for

new muscle tone in those arms
a stronger heart
better circulation in your extremities
a completed manuscript
a clean floor
another verse of Scripture memorized
a restored relationship

and the list goes on.

Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.
via Romans 8:36-38 KJ21 – As it is written: “For Thy sake we – Bible Gateway.

Make it so, ABBA, that we will push past it and in You, LORD JESUS, we shall be more than conquerors. More than conquerors in all those things now resisting us from our flesh, the world and the enemy of our souls. Thank You, HOLY SPIRIT, for this word today and I pray for strength for each of us to apply it.  Remembering others too; Nick and Cindy for sure and troubled adults come to mind just now who are still children to Moms and Dads; ones so ill from disease and many other matters; things so beyond our understanding and beyond our ability to push past so we come for Your Strength and Your Wisdom and in JESUS we know we have all we need. Amen and

We have the God-given Right to do right in this wrong World,
Praying (PFT)!


Glorious

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Isaiah 6:7 He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”
via Is 6 NASB – Isaiahs Vision In the year of King – Bible Gateway.

The verse comes from the account of Isaiah in the year of about 740 BC, in the year King Uzziah died, and Isaiah saw THE GREAT KING. And in seeing Him Isaiah knew that he himself was a sinful man and lived among sinful men.

Glorious!

For when Isaiah came to see his own sinfulness, he was ready to hear those glorious words from the mouth of his Savior: “your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”

Glorious!

Have you heard that spoken in your heart?

Then you are shouting Glorious today, aren’t you?

ABBA, thank You that we can shout glorious today. Thank You LORD JESUS for taking away our iniquity and for forgiving us of all our sin. Thank You HOLY SPIRIT for delivering this glorious message to us, individually. And I pray now for the many souls upon our hearts this morning; those that do not yet know for themselves this glorious news and for those who seem to have forgotten with the trials and burdens and pressures of this hostile land in which we occupy. Oh, ABBA, help us occupy in JESUS name and for His sake till He returns. The list is long of people in need and we bring them this morning, trusting You with their precious hearts and needs, trusting You to meet those needs and soften and revive hearts. Amen and amen in JESUS lovely and holy name.

Click HERE and pray.

Keep braving the Dark with The LIGHT,
Kathie