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The GREAT SHEPHERD (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2010

The GREAT SHEPHERD

I am REALLY late sitting to write today; it’s scary how close it is to 4 o’clock and supper has not even been planned much less started.  How transparent shall I be??? I’m still in my PJs!  What have I been doing??? Reading – mostly. I am telling you if you think insecurity is not a problem for you, you would not be unlike me before Beth’s book.  But so far this I know, you are a rare, rare specimen of female flesh indeed if you have escaped the land of insecurity.  And I have learned for that matter, so are men – insecure, I mean. Really! So let me again encourage you to get it and read it. 

We have only one place in Scripture to go to see our Savior entitled the Great Shepherd. 

Hebrews 13:20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. [source]  Amen to that!  How is it that we do not have peace?  How could we miss it? How could we not walk in this peace that this so GREAT A SHEPHERD purchased for us with His very own Blood?  Lets zero in on some of these words in particular.

Everlasting covenant: That means He is not going to change His mind about it – about you, about me.  The GREAT SHEPHERD has the power to keep on loving you, keep on loving me when we mess up.  He even has the power to teach and train us to mess up less and less!

Make you complete: That means He is not going to leave us like He found us when He saved us.  He is going to keep working with us and in us until He COMPLETES us.  NOW that is GOOD NEWS!  

Well pleasing in His sight: Oh my goodness!  Do we get that? The GREAT SHEPHERD in us makes US well pleasing in ABBA’s sight! Well pleasing! Could there be anything, anywhere, any better than that? Heavenly Days! He is the GREAT SHEPHERD!  Not only does HE tend to us, delivers us from parasites, feeds us, waters us, died for us BUT HE AROSE FOR US. He defeated DEATH for us.  Though we may die, yet we will live!  News Flash! Our Eternal Life does not begin when we close our eyes here on this terrestrial ball and open them in Heaven!  Our Eternal Life began when we said, ‘Yes, Jesus, I will ‘marry’-covenant with You and let You be my Savior!’   So do we believe it?  Then let us get up from here and there and act like we do and it won’t be long till we will be FEELING it, not just knowing it!

Thank You, LORD, You are the GREAT SHEPHERD that lives forever and ever to make intercession for us and we are so grateful.  We are grateful that we can bring every thought, hope, dream, fear, need and want to You and You will tend to us.  You will feed, water and relieve of us guilt, shame, empower us to live victoriously and then when all that is done take us to live with You eternally. It’s more than we can take in but we accept and thank You.

And we come now praying for others; for each one listed here asking for Your best for them; asking for our IDOK Troops to be safe and sound in spirit, soul and body; asking that each IDOK and each Reader be able to hear You speak Your Word to them individually.  I ask for rest and restoration for them and for their greatest desire to be to love You and serve You and, ABBA, this I ask in the Name of Jesus. Amen and amen.

Kathie

Copy Paste Chew Again

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

As I start this I do not know where it is going.  But truth be known that is not unusual and it’s not that I don’t like it that way – I do.  What to write or what to speak from Scripture is an avenue where surprises please me.  

I am deep into reading So Long Insecurities by Beth Moore.  It’s revolutionizing and in my opinion it’s not a book for wimps.  And other than encouraging you to get a copy I will not say much more.  And NO, you cannot borrow mine – there is a limit to my transparency and you should be VERY glad of that!  I’ve probably written more in the margins of the pages of this book than any book in my life.  It looks more like a ‘workbook’ than some of my earlier workbooks with her and I’m only on page 203.  I said I’d hush, didn’t I?  Okay. Moving on.

My dear sister-in-law, Brenda, and I were discussing Jesus the other day and she told me He is described as the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd and the Chief Shepherd.  She’s right.  I ran an on-line search in the King James Version and, in part, this is what I found.

Only John’s Gospel names Him as the Good Shepherd and that is found in John 10.  And in John 10 Jesus is talking to the Pharisees.  He has just healed a man blind from birth which brought on a verbal exchange and the Pharisees became indignant about it. And in verse 11 He says: I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. [source]

He, the Good Shepherd, most assuredly gave His life for us ‘two-legged sheep’. There is no doubt, He did (does) for us what a good shepherd would do for the ewes, rams, wethers and lambs in his charge – he tends them.  He feeds them, waters them, guides them, protects them from all predators, keeps parasites out of their heads and if need be he lays his life on the line for them.  And for us there was that need be, so Jesus laid down His life for us.

John 10: (New King James Version) 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.  17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”  [source] You know WE are those other sheep, don’t you?

And as I am writing, I wonder what do ‘good’ sheep do?  And I think this: Good sheep eat the food given them – all of it – and ask for more.  Good sheep drink the water offered them. Good sheep stay within the boundaries marked by the shepherd.  Good sheep don’t go traipsing off by themselves, off the path the shepherd is leading them on.  Good sheep submit to parasite inspection and are glad to be rid of them. Good sheep trust their shepherd and will loyally follow him to their own death.  Are you drawing any parallels here?  I sure am!  Am I a good sheep?  Are you a good sheep? We’re working on it and we are better than we were.  Aren’t we? Rejoice in this today!  And if you cannot rejoice because you really aren’t getting better; you really aren’t following Him, you can get His RX for those parasites today and begin the healing process immediately. I’m here if you want to ‘talk’ – you got my email address.

Maybe tomorrow we will look at the passages where we see Him as the Great Shepherd.

ABBA, this is good I think.  Thank You.  And I pray it will resonate with our IDOKs and Readers and that we will be able to rejoice at how far You have brought us and that You are not finished with us yet and that You will not stop until we are that Finished Work, that Finished Masterpiece You have in Your Mind and Heart for us to be.   And if perchance there are some out there that have left the path, have not been feeding and watering and have become parasite infested, I pray that You will reveal this to them and I pray they will agree to let You heal them.  And I pray You will send some sisters (and brothers for the guys) alongside to help them – to give them Your counsel, to love them and pray with them, to listen and care about them. I pray this IDOK Body will be the best we can be, not for our glory, but Yours.  Keep us straight, LORD.  Keep us straight!

And, I dare not forget our IDOK Troops, to ask You again today to keep them safe and protect them from snipers of all kinds; those that would harm spirit, soul or body.  You have been so gracious, please keep on giving them Your grace and bring each one of them home safe and sound I pray.   My heart is still with Israel, for their peace, for their safety and prosperity; thank You for keeping Your Hand upon them.  Thank You for Your Hand upon America too.  Thank You for the ‘grassroots’ that are shooting up all over; keep us thick and healthy enough to get the job done but not overbearing so as to harm others who yet don’t believe the Truth.   I pray we who believe in the Roots, the Foundation upon which America came to be will influence more and more people to believe the Truth and that You will restore America.  And, ABBA, even now in closing out this session, keep my heart stayed on You and all our IDOKS and Readers.  And this I ask in Your Name Jesus, our Savior, our Lord and our King.  Even so Come Quickly, Lord Jesus.  Amen and amen. 

Kathie

A Quick Hello, KWT Paraphrasing

Reading Myself

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Reading myself on August 6, 2013 written on January 5, 2010 and this phrase from Scripture stood for attention: 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, [source].

The flesh lusts against the Spirit. 

Flesh. That would be my old unregenerate nature with which I was born.

Spirit. That would be the new nature infused into my being at the moment of rebirth.

Lust. a passionate or overwhelming desire or craving [source].
An even more appropriate definition, I think, is that lust is desiring to or actually fulfilling any legitimate passion, desire, or craving in an illegitimate or ungodly, unholy way.

And so with this background thinking, this is the message I heard: my flesh is constantly trying to overthrow (in acts of war) my Spirit in order to satisfy my legitimate needs, passions, desires, and cravings in an unholy way; unholy being any way other than the way GOD has prescribed in His Word by HIS SPIRIT for my needs, passions, desires, and cravings to be fulfilled.

Romans 7:15 I don’t understand my own behavior — I don’t do what I want to do; instead, I do the very thing I hate! 16 Now if I am doing what I don’t want to do, I am agreeing that the Torah is good. 17 But now it is no longer “the real me” doing it, but the sin housed inside me. 18 For I know that there is nothing good housed inside me — that is, inside my old nature. I can want what is good, but I can’t do it! 19 For I don’t do the good I want; instead, the evil that I don’t want is what I do! 20 But if I am doing what “the real me” doesn’t want, it is no longer “the real me” doing it but the sin housed inside me. 21 So I find it to be the rule, a kind of perverse “torah,” that although I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me! 22 For in my inner self I completely agree with God’s Torah; 23 but in my various parts, I see a different “torah,” one that battles with the Torah in my mind and makes me a prisoner of sin’s “torah,” which is operating in my various parts. 24 What a miserable creature I am! Who will rescue me from this body bound for death? 25 Thanks be to God [, he will]! — through Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord!

To sum up: with my mind, I am a slave of God’s Torah; but with my old nature, I am a slave of sin’s “Torah.”

via Romans 7 NKJV;CJB – Freed from the Law – Or do you not – Bible Gateway.

And one more to sum up.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who gives me power.

via Phil 4:13 NKJV;CJB – I can do all things through Christ who – Bible Gateway.

Kathie

P.S. Summer has been full and ABBA continues to be AWESOME in ALL He is and does. Autumn is approaching and plans are forming for ministry and fun. Blessings to you my Friends!

Copy Paste Chew Again

Just Wondering (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2010

Just Wondering

I don’t know if I am going any where with this; just making a note right now.  Why do I think I have to do everything important first thing in the morning – reading, writing, praying, drink a bottle of water, exercise, get out of my pjs, brush my teeth, take a shower, wash my hair, dry my hair, etc. etc.?  So I don’t have to think about it the rest of the day? Maybe.  But that won’t work with meditating on Scripture or praying.  I need conversation with Daddy God ALL day long!

And two, I am big on lists, making them but not doing them and then feeling like a failure because I didn’t.  So then I spend time NOT making lists and then find important things go undone and then I feel like a failure.  Where’s the happy medium? I am wondering if today a means to a happy medium is forming.  When I teach and on those rare occasions when I used to speak, I did not use notes.  Sure I wrote the message as I studied The Word and I read it over and over but when I stood to speak, I just opened my mouth and the Holy Spirit drew upon what I had put in and I was as surprised as the audience at what I said.  And you know what? I loved it!  I couldn’t do it any other way.  So I am wondering if that is who I am and the way I am to operate on a day to day basis.  You know…study to show myself approved and just go from minute to minute working with Him from what I have studied?  That would include His Word and notes I make to myself in Sunday School class, in Worship Service, riding in the truck, standing in line, sitting at a basketball game – just anywhere a good thought comes to mind; and then meet with Him with all my notes when I wake up and go from there each day.  My notes and lists would still be useful but I would not feel tied to them and like a failure if everything on the list didn’t get done everyday.  I wonder? 

And three, something that Joyce Meyer said today – we cannot make our lists, prioritize them and be done with it once and for all.  Emotionally, I think that is what I have been looking for.  A one size fits all — once and for all list of do this, do this, do this and you will be skinny, happy and productive. Duh!  She said, and I am, again, paraphrasing, of course, that I might as well get used to it – re-evaluations on a regular basis must be a part of our lives.  Get over it and get on with it!  Life is messy – just do what you know to do day by day to live holy and stay in touch with God; and all the rest will work out – body, soul and spirit.  Hmmm. 

Is this making any sense to anybody? Is there anybody out there like me? Just wondering. And now that I am reading this over a second time… these concepts would be called living in the Spirit rather than the flesh, wouldn’t they?  Ouch!

Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. (source)

2 Timothy 2:14 Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. (source)

Guess I am not wondering any more.  Daddy God has spoken!

P.S.  And ladies and gents, I lie not!  I went from putting the finishing touches on this before beginning the closing prayer, to read an email that just came in and it is a devotional entitled Renewed Day by Day!  I’m not kidding!!  Indeed DADDY is speaking and I am listening!

Thank You, DADDY GOD, for the progress today and thank You that even the failures when given to You become stepping stones to victory. Thank You that I have some stepping stones today and I have some victories too and I couldn’t have done it without You.  Thank You.  Thank You for the good reports I have received today and thank You that You are LORD over the bad ones too.  Thank You that You are tending all that have come to us for prayer today.  You are teaching us the power of prayer and we are grateful.  Doing what I know to do for spirit, soul and body says I should now ask You to bless our IDOK Troops, protect them and guard them and bring them home safe and sound; bless our IDOKs and Readers with peace and rest and wisdom and desire to love You and serve You more; forgive and grant space and grace for the lost to repent and for the saints to grow into consistent obedience and trust You for a good night sleep for us all in Jesus Name.  Amen and amen.

Kathie