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Seventeen and Prison Cells (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2010

Seventeen and Prison Cells

Genesis 39:1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt.  And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. [source]

Can we by any stretch of our imaginations visualize how Joseph was feeling standing there on the slave block?  Let us recall that Joseph was about 17 when his brothers ‘gifted’ him with a ticket to Egypt.  Seventeen and previously rich.  Seventeen and the favored son. Seventeen and a former clothes horse, we might say; remember that coat of many colors that ONLY he had.  Seventeen and a dreamer of dreams that he did not keep to himself; which contributed to landing him on the slave block. What emotions do you imagine were coursing through his veins?  Do you think he ever asked God, why?  Do you think he would have understood if God had answered him immediately? Let us step into Joseph’s shoes when we are asking ‘Why, God, why’? As we read Joseph’s story, we can readily see the why God why for Joseph.  And I dare say one day when we look back over our lives, when this present circumstance (story) is told, we too will see why God why.  But for now, let us choose to take comfort and find strength the way Joseph did.Verse 2: The LORD was with Joseph . . .  .   Verse 5: . . . the LORD blessed . . . for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field. [source]

This GOD who loved/loves Joseph loves YOU (and me) no less than He loved (loves) Joseph.  Will HE do less for YOU (or me) than HE did for Joseph? Not if we will set our minds and our souls to obey Him.  Read more about Joseph.  Read how he obeyed.  Read how ABBA responded to Joseph’s obedience.  We might learn something and we just might garner some motivation to do likewise, even from our own ‘prison cells’.
Remember! Remember the Last Thing our children and grandchildren and we ourselves need is to compromise, neglect and fail to LIVE SCRIPTURE.
Romans 12:19 (New King James Version) 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. [source]
And tomorrow maybe we will be blessed with another verse to ask ourselves are we obeying this consistently. 
ABBA, It’s been a fruitful day, I think and I am grateful.  Thank You.  I pray now that You will use the words on this page to minister to the minds and souls of our IDOKs and Readers.  I pray Your Word will empower us and change us for Your glory and our good.  I pray for a compelling will to love You and live Your Word.   And we pray for friends and family and the many needs of our people listed here; that each one will receive from You what they are hoping and praying for and if that is not Your Will, we expect for them better than they are praying.   We pray for our IDOK Troops, for their safety and protection; for peace of mind too and safe and sound returns home — please, LORD.    And as I put this edition to ‘bed’ I ask You to quiet and give rest to each one on this email list and to any that will stop by the webpage – You know who that will be even now and I pray for them that You will minister to them then and now.  That now, tonight, they will rest and be refreshed and that in the morning when they awaken You will be first on their minds and Your Holy Name, giving You praise will be the first words they utter.  Thank You, ABBA.  We love you too.

Kathie

1 John 4:19 (New King James Version) 19 We love Him because He first loved us.  [source]

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Nail Gunk (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2010

Nail Gunk

I hope you all do not tire of me bringing our devotion time together from my journaling in my 90 Days with Jesus the One and Only.  In 2003 these IDOK Devotions were born as I one morning quickly shared a nugget from my quiet time study with a few close girlfriends – it seems good that I not stray from that practice too much.

So this morning I read this: I can’t get away from the picture of You bowing before Your disciples and washing their feet.  But help me also not be able to get away from Your following statement to them: “If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  And then I read: Show me those who need their feet washed today, and help me follow through.

And yes I added my own Amen to that, saying yes this is the prayer to pray.  Who in my world needs their feet washed by me?  And am I willing to do it? And does it make a difference to me who? Would I wash some feet happily and some not? 

I know the answer to that.  I knew it when I asked.  And in the course of the conversational prayer this helpful revelation came in the form of another question: And is that because I would be focusing on the wrong feet?  Is it that I should see any feet as YOUR FEET?  And we know the answer to that.  And no doubt it will work – if we will practice. Matthew 25: (New King James Version) 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ [source]

And that being written I am thinking, FEET.  Of all parts of the body to wash – the feet — the part in that time that got SO dirty with all the crude of those dirt paths they walked.  And in sandals, for crying out loud!  Oh my goodness the gunk under the nails must have been — yuck!  The LORD sure knew what He was saying.  We may not be asked to literally wash the feet of others but I dare say we know some folks whose conduct is ‘nail gunk’ for sure!  And so as we encounter their ‘nail gunk’, shall we remember that humbling ourselves to forgive them and minister to them according to the direction of the Holy Spirit is as washing the Feet of Jesus? ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ [source]  Truthfully, would not you consider it an honor and a privilege to kneel and wash His feet?  Luke 7 (NKJV):36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.  [source]

Should it be any less a privilege and an honor to in His Name wash the feet of our Sisters and Brothers?  Something to ponder, I think.

ABBA, I am glad to be here again with our IDOKs and Readers.  This lesson I think is not the easiest to digest; so I pray You will help us be willing to chew on it long enough to get the nourishment from it that You desire for us to have. We want You to be glorified and magnified in the lives of each One whose name we speak here today.  And we pray too for our IDOK Troops for their safety and protection in spirit, soul and body.  Thank You for the plans You have for us; Thank You that You make Your Will for us known to us and I pray we will exercise the courage You have placed in us to do Your Will. I pray for our IDOKs and our Readers, for rest and refreshing.  I pray for our local churches that a desire for individual and cooperate prayer will be renewed and revival will come and Jesus will be exalted.  Amen and amen.

Kathie

 

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More (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2010
MORE
            As you may have noticed, my timing is off this week; just have not gotten into the groove yet … I am planning to do that today.  As I took inventory this morning of what needs to be done around here it is a daunting task.  BUT what is that Scripture? Philippians 4:13 (New Living Translation) 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.   So, I can do this day.  You can do this day!
Colossians 3:23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.   And whatever we are doing today, we are wise and we are obedient if we perform it as an act of worship unto our Lord and Christ.
Ecclesiastes 9: (New King James Version) 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might;   Yeah! Put my heart into it as well as my hands and feet! And if I just don’t have the heart for it and if you just don’t have the heart for it – pray for it!
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
Be anxious for nothing – that includes wondering if something is too little to pray about it – it’s NOT! Pray! If it matters to you even just a little bit, it matters MORE to HIM! Pray!
So lets pray: 
ABBA, I got stuff on my mind and You know for sure but I think I am not the only one.  I think all our IDOKs and Readers have stuff on their minds, as well as stuff on their ‘plates’ to do.  And now that we are discussing it we have things on our ‘plates’ that You did not direct us to put on our plates, don’t we?  Help us rake that stuff off — even if it takes more than a few scrapes help us be willing and learn to do that.  And help us learn and be willing to be trained to do all we do as an act of worship.  I think this may be foreign to our emotions as well as our minds; but I want us to include You in all we do.  I don’t want to leave You out of anything.  I want to practice Your Presence as I do the laundry, make the bed, stitch up those pants, vacuum, cook, take pictures, read, shop, talk on the phone – everything I do I want You included.  I want You there not just as a Partner but MORE.  I want You as Guide and Protector and King.  You need to be the BOSS over what I do.  I need You to Boss me today, because if I boss, I will not hit that groove today and we both know it.  You are not only AWESOME God, You are Practical and Smart God too. I am acting just down right stupid when I leave You out of anything and I do mean anything.  And You are helping me practice this more, thank You.  I pray we will have some, a lot of IDOKs and Readers to amen this.  Right now I got breakfast to cook, come with me and bring me back here timely. 
Thank You for this ministry, thank You for letting us pray for so many and Holy Spirit make us fervent effectual pray-ers. We pray for Israel’s peace and prosperity and for the subduing of Her enemies. We pray for America’s repentance, for cleansing from the White House to every house and for You to raise up an army of prayer warriors.  We pray for Your missionaries around the world, for their safety and boldness to proclaim Your Gift of Eternal Salvation In Jesus and Jesus alone.  Amen and amen.
Kathie

 

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My Obsession (again)

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IDOK Devotion for Friday, March 12, 2010
My Obsession
          Today I began to question something.  If you know me well you know I’ve got a thing about words.  At times to someone who loves me much I can be down right irritating when I analyze his usage of words; especially when I am not a professional myself.  Be that as it may, here are my wonderings today:  Should we be praying that God will increase our faith or strengthen our faith?  I am wondering if we do ourselves damage when we ask God to increase our faith?  Hear me out now. When we ask Him to increase our faith, are we not telling ourselves that we are lacking in faith?  How negative is that?! Does that not create doubt in us?   But if we ask Him to strengthen our faith can we not hear ourselves saying to Him – ‘Yes, LORD, I have faith.  I admit it is weak but I know You have placed faith in me.  I know I have the seed of faith and when You strengthen the faith I have it will be more than enough to believe You for this that I am asking of You.’  Irritating — isn’t it?  My obsession with semantics.  But somehow it helped me today.  It connected for me today. So I’ve been praying today for ABBA to strengthen my faith … and He is.   So I thought if I passed along to you the ‘fruit’ of my semantics obsession, perhaps it would help you too.   
          Colossians 2: (NIV)
6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him,
7rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

            ABBA, I realize often times I am a bit over the top with this word usage thing but I liked it today.  Thank You for humoring me.  I pray it will help our IDOKs and Readers.  Thank You for strengthening the faith that You placed in me.  And I am confident You are going to keep on strengthening me and I am delighted about that.  Thank You.  Compared to carnal, worldly standards, I’d like to get just down right sickening with how wildly in love with You I am.  I’d like love for You and people to just exude from every pore of me. I figure that will take some time and some work but lets do it!  I am mindful that such conversation could be construed as silly, too familiar or some other negative connotation but I think I’m finally getting ready to run that risk – it’s easy here on the page of this screen – get me to the place that it is easy out there too in the midst of people that intimidate me.  In fact I’m asking You to grow and mature me to the stage that my love and reverence for You far exceeds my desire to please man, woman or child.  I am asking to come to the place that I just abandon myself to You; not that I would disregard the feelings of others but that I would be freed up to love and help them without being concerned about me.  Empty me of me and fill me up with You.  It’s time to move on, isn’t it?  Move on to others.  Others who will be spoken here with some serious needs.  Bless them, keep the safe from all harm, strengthen their faith, increase their knowledge of Your Word; help them more and more to know You and believe You.  In Jesus’ Name. Amen and amen.

Kathie