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Sunday Evening Ramblings (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2010

Sunday Evening Ramblings

Here I am to worship,

Here I am to bow down,

Here I am to say that You’re my God

You’re altogether lovely

All together worthy,

All together wonderful to me

It was not until the fourth time we sang those words that it finally dawned on me what I was saying!   And then there was a question.  Why was I there?  Why did I get up, get dressed, go to Sunday School and ‘Preaching’ (that’s what I remember hearing folks call it when I was a young one)?  Why was I there?  The only worthy reason for me to be there was to worship; to bow my heart, my soul, my will, my wants, desires, dreams, needs, all of it – bow and surrender all to Him.  Only then can I say to Him, You are my God.  And then I will be saying You are all together lovely, You are all together wonderful to me.

And that’s just one of the things I heard since we last met at this screen.  Jerry and I watched a movie last night entitled The List.  The film is based on a book by the same name written by Robert Whitlow.  It ended with this line: And God said My people and My enemies do the same thing; they underestimate the power of prayer.  Ponder that a moment.  We did and we immediately prayed.  And you know what — He heard and I know that for which we prayed is handled and in time we will SEE that it is.

And on page 75 of a wonderful little book titled Touching Wonder, Recapturing the Awe of Christmas by John Blasé, I read these words:

Always… Mighty One, I know of my own pleadings for You to do something! My life’s story tells me that You have, are, and will.  But it’s always in Your time, I do want it that way, even when I scream to the contrary. 

Sincerely, John.

Do you so totally get that?  If it does not come to you with the first read, read it again.

And one more before I close.  Of the many things my Pastor said this morning, this is one I must share with you.  As he spoke of the Body of Christ and our day-to-day living he said folks of the world might say to us: ‘If you will show me your redeemed life, I might be inclined to believe your Redeemer’.

Isaiah 47:4 As for our Redeemer, the LORD of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel. (source)

LORD GOD, You are my Redeemer and You do LIVE!  Praise You now and forever!   I pray You will take these disjointed ramblings and make them gel; bring Your Word to bear upon our souls so much so that our lives are indeed redeemed and honest seekers looking on have no choice but to say You did it.   Holy Spirit, I pray more and more we will come to experience the power You release when we pray.  And I pray more and more we will scream less and less to the contrary; and that we really do in the nitty-gritty of our hearts want everything done in Your Time and in Your way, not ours.  ABBA, You know every name spoken here today; we ask You to provide for them and if any one of us can enter into work with You on their behalf with deeds added to our prayers, please so move us, Lord.   And we pray for our IDOK Troops for their safety and health and well-being, each one of them. Please bring each one home safe and sound.  And in this moment as we close and post and send, I ask You to give rest and peace to each IDOK and each Reader and it is in the Holy and Beautiful name of Yeshua that I ask. Amen and amen.

Kathie

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New and Old (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009

New and Old

Well, here we are – the last day of 2009.  Lord, willing we will wake up in the morning to a New Year.  A milestone often used to start again – a new diet, a new reading program, a new card ministry, a new visiting schedule, a new budget, and on and on we can go with ‘new’ things to start and that’s good.  Until the ‘new’ wears off.  And when the new wears off if something ‘old’ doesn’t kick in the pounds will not come off and the cards won’t get mailed and the visits won’t be made and the spending will continue as before and etc. etc. etc. And what’s the ‘old’ that is needed?  Persistent Praying Perseverance. I believe without this old standby we are sunk in doing any of these ‘news’ we fancy ourselves doing.

Ephesians 6: (New King James Version)  (source)

18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

But I’m not finish yet. Persistent Praying Perseverance is what we need to bring into this New Year to make it a successful one but there is one thing in particular we need to leave behind here in 2009 – un-forgiveness.   As I was reading and writing yesterday in my Jesus, 90 Days with the One and Only, a concept came to mind — Forgiveness is not designed by God to make us doormats, but Doors.  Doors for Him to come through and to touch, to change, to heal and yes to correct and even arrest bad behavior – but none of that will be accomplished if we perceive ‘forgiving’ as demoting us to a doormat.  Doormats take what is dumped and scraped and stomped into them and they just lay there – taking it, holding it and getting dirtier and dirtier and before long just plain worn out! Not so with Doors.  Doors have control.  They let in and they keep out. I believe that is what ABBA intends for us.  I believe that forgiveness is a grand and holy ‘door’ He offers us which allows us to let Him come into our lives and through our lives do great and mighty things. And it begins with forgiveness – He forgiving us and we receiving His forgiveness and we then forgiving others.  You see forgiving the unforgivable opens the door for ABBA to come and pick us up, to lift us up above the dirt of a doormat and enables us to control how we respond to what knocks on the door of our lives.  And in Him we can respond with holy dignity and heavenly discernment or in some cases not respond at all – just leave it to Him to do our talking for us.  Again, I say, doormats take what is dished out to them; doors open and close and holy doors open themselves to God and close themselves against sin and un-forgiveness.  Now please, please understand me here, forgiveness is not synonymous with fellowship.  Forgiving the unforgivable does not mean we ‘break bread’ with them, it just means we spiritually, emotionally and even physically (in a manner of speaking) deliver them to ABBA and let Him do as He pleases with them – we trust and we rest in ABBA that He will do what is right and whatever that is we say ‘amen’.

2 Corinthians 14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?      (source)

That’s it. That’s my formula for 2010, be a Holy Door and not a doormat.  I am certain wrapped and tucked in that simple statement is the adventure of a lifetime, searching and discovering the unfathomable love and creativity and fun of the God who loves us and who will never fail us or forsake us or ask us to do anything that will devalue or harm us.  I love you and lets pray and I’ll see you in 2010 – January 4, 2010.

DADDY GOD, I am grateful for this simple statement that shouts and whispers volumes to me.  And I do, ABBA, want to be a holy door beginning today, I want to let You into every secret corner, compartment and crevice of my heart and mind and I want You, Holy Spirit, to sweep it clean, get out all the gunk and dirt out and polish and shine my heart and soul so You can do what You will with me.  I want You to be at home and comfortable and not in the least offended within me.  Amen and amen; make it so, Lord.

And, ABBA, we pray for every name spoken here, bless them with peace and hope and we pray each one will know they are loved unconditionally by You and You are worthy of their trust and devotion and in all this that You are meeting every need they have.  Please continue to keep our IDOK Troops safe and sound.  Please continue to move Israel to Peace and prosperity and the LAND that is theirs.  Please continue to have mercy on America, on Washington and those there, please continue to raise up people to shout and stand for what is right and take back this country for Jesus Name Sake.  ABBA, we pray for the overthrow of evil tyranny in this country.  We pray that terrorist of every sort and kind will be revealed and stopped and, ABBA, however You will have us enter into this work with You, give us courage and will to do it in the Mighty and Holy Name of Jesus Christ the Righteous. Amen and amen.

Kathie

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Too Tired! (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2009

Too Tired!

Anyway, ‘too tired to find the right words’ is hanging with me today, not sure why, and not sure what will come of it, maybe Wednesday’s IDOK; we’ll see.

‘Too tired to find the right words’.   Let’s see — too tired would be our condition (often, I think); to find would be an action, and the right words would be, oh that would be good any time; oh, yes, any time — that would be good!  So let’s imagine we are in a conversation, a conversation, shall we say, that becomes ‘warm’, really warm.  It is then, it would behoove us to FIND the right words, but alas we don’t.  And we don’t, because? Say it with me, we are too tired!
Too tired of hearing the same complaints, again.  Too tired of giving the same instructions, again!  Too tired of feeling rejected, again!  Too tired of cleaning up her/his mess, again!  Too tired of being the one to say I’m sorry, again!  TOO TIRED!  And why is that?  Why are we too tired?
And of what are we really too tired?  Probing questions, aren’t they?  And there is One who will help us individually answer them, if we are finally ‘too tired’ to keep on trying to live this Christian Life in our own strength, by our own wants and whims.
Oh to be ‘too tired’ to keep on keeping on in my own flesh!  Could it be that is what the Holy Spirit is waiting on?
Could He be waiting on us to get ‘too tired’ to resist Him anymore?
Gee!  I didn’t see that coming, but it’s good! 

Romans 8:12-14 New Century Version (Source)

 12 So, my brothers and sisters, we must not be ruled by our sinful selves or live the way our sinful selves want.13 If you use your lives to do the wrong things your sinful selves want, you will die spiritually. But if you use the Spirit’s help to stop doing the wrong things you do with your body, you will have true life.  14 The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them.

And here is a dear brother who was not too tired to find the right words. And why? Because rather than resisting the Holy Spirit, he was filled with Him.  Now that’s the way to die and live!  Acts 7 (NKJV)

51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.

54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Father GOD, as we come to complete this post and to pray You know the heavy hearts that are coming before You now.  You know the nights and days before us; You know our needs before we even think of them, even before we know our needs, You know and have made provision to provide for us above and beyond; thank You.    We pray for our IDOK Troops, for their safety and protection, and for safe returns home.  And I pray for each of our IDOKs and Readers that they all be given the gift and grace of a good and restful night’s sleep and a refreshed morning and a renewed desire to worship and work in Your Vineyard.  I pray You will inspire and move us into Your harvest for Jesus’ Name’s Sake.  Amen and amen.

Kathie

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Willfully Dependent (again)

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IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2009

Willfully Dependent

I began reading today in Matthew 18.  That is the place in Sacred Word where Jesus said: 2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  And I asked how are little children?  And He answered with one word: dependent.  And I am thinking, be they newborn, infant, toddler and even older, children are dependent.  Dependant upon their parents; however strong willed, however determined to touch what will hurt them, they are dependent upon those who gave them life. 

Do you see what I see?  Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.   Unless one becomes WILLFULLY DEPENDENT upon the ONE who gave him/her physical life – God Almighty – for Eternal Life, that One will never see the Kingdom of God, shall by no means enter in.  There is no way to enter Eternal Life without becoming dependent upon God.  That is willfully abandoning any means of our own to enter in and resting and relying only on the One Provision God has given for Eternal Life – Jesus Christ.  Is it any wonder that Jesus came as a Baby – dependent upon Mary and Joseph – to show us the way?  As the Son of Holy God was willfully dependent upon Mary and Joseph for every morsel of food that entered His mouth, so must we be dependent upon Jesus Christ for Life Everlasting and life here and now.  Oh my goodness!  Jesus Christ did come to show us the way to LIFE and it is as a little child – dependent!

I say it again, DADDY GOD, oh my goodness how simple and how sweet and precious is this message to us. May we look afresh and renewed again at every child we see and see the message You have for us – dependent.  Dependent on You for every breath!  Thank You for speaking to us this morning.  Thank You for giving us a Word.  And as I am thinking of beginning a New Year what better way to enter it than DEPENDENT upon You?  This I believe, this I KNOW, the more dependent upon You I know myself to be and practicing that dependence, the more INDEPENDENT of my flesh and the world I will be.  Make it, Lord God, my goal to be dependent upon You in practice; oh to practice dependence – this is good! Thank You, ABBA, and now we turn to pray; You know the many needs here and we are dependent upon You.   And we pray for each Dear Ones names spoken here asking You, Holy Spirit, to help them depend upon You and receive every help and blessing and healing and restoration that You so desire to give them.  We pray too for our IDOK Troops for their safety and well-being in spirit, soul and body; asking all these things because we can in You alone, Christ Jesus. Amen and amen.
Kathie