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Guard Your Heart (again)

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IDOK Devotion for Thursday, March 18, 2010
Guard Your Heart
          As I read Philippians 4:6 and 7 today:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.,  

I asked how important is it to guard my heart? I found the answer at
Proverbs 4:22 (NIV) 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. 
Above all else – pretty important, wouldn’t you say?  From there I went to Proverbs 24 and right in the middle of all of it I found this:
17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,  And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; 18 Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, . .  .    .
Shall we apprehend from this that when someone has done us wrong and that old adage ‘what goes around comes around’ is manifested in their lives, if we rejoice over their calamity we have failed to guard our hearts?
Hard to take, isn’t it?
That is until we read that failing to guard our heart by indulging in unholy gladness displeases our LORD.
Is not this reason enough in ALL circumstances to guard our heart?
A rhetorical question: what am I doing to guard my heart today?
What are you doing to guard your heart today?
          Now let me give you some feel-good verses and close for today.
          Psalm 3:2-4 (NASB)
2 Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.” Selah.
3 But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
4 I was crying to the LORD with my voice, And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y284YvkYrZo&feature=related

 I confess, my LORD, I have not done all things well today but You have been faithful and I am grateful.  I am grateful that You are a shield about me.  I am grateful that You are teaching and training me to guard my heart and I am grateful that I am learning.  Thank You.  I am grateful for the work You have done in our IDOKs and Readers.  I am grateful that You tend us completely, You offer comfort to the grieving and I pray we accept; You offer wisdom and discernment to honest seekers and I pray we receive Your Counsel; You offer healing to broken souls and I pray we say yes; You heal our illnesses and infirmities, thank You.  And now we ask You specifically for each soul and each situation listed here for Your Will to be done.  We pray for our IDOK Troops to be protected in spirit, soul, and body today.  We pray for their families back home to be of good courage. I pray for Israel to know Your Peace, for their enemies to be subdued. And, ABBA, I present myself and all who will agree that You take a reading on our hearts, see what’s there, see what pleases You and what does not, please convict and provide us with grace and wills to renounce anything in us that offends Your Holiness and cause us to turn from it in Jesus Name and for His sake.  Continue to call Christian Churches to become Houses of Prayer. Save America from Her sins.  Empower us as Your Witnesses to refuse to be silent – let us speak and serve You with boldness today and forever more. Amen and amen.

Kathie

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Pour Out – Pour In (again)

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IDOK Devotion for Friday, March 19, 2010
Pour Out – Pour In
            It’s after 9 PM Thursday.  I’ve been reading for inspiration and quiet frankly I’m tired, so brevity would not hurt my feelings a bit.  At our last meeting here at this screen we were commanded to guard our hearts and we were told un-forgiveness was a quick way to let our guard down.  What I am about to write is not my idea.  I opened the book and there it was and here it is from Praying God’s Word by Beth Moore; page 200 (in part):
“For just a moment, envision your heart like a pitcher.  When we’ve been hurt by another person, that habit we still retain from our old nature is to feed the heart-injury with incessant meditation.  The water in the pitcher soon becomes cloudy, even contaminated.  Praying about the person we need to forgive is the means by which we tip that pitcher heavenward and slowly begin to pour our negative feelings and frustrations out to God.  As we pour out, a wonderful thing happens: we make room for God to pour in.  Our omniscient God knows that a heart heals when a heart changes. Until we make room for fresh contents that change our hearts, we will never be healed from the injury and subsequent feelings of unforgiveness.
After we’ve practiced pouring our hearts out to God through praying about the person, it’s time to additionally begin praying for the person.  I already know what you may be thinking because I used to feel the same way.  “Why should I pray for a person who has hurt me so badly?”  God’s ways are not our ways.  He created our psyches, and He alone knows how they operate. He created our hearts so uniquely, so in His image, that they are forced to forgive in order to be free.  God greatly honors our willingness to bless others when our human reaction would be to curse them.  First Peter 3:9 says it all: “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called, so that you may inherit a blessing.” Don’t miss the phrase “to this you were called.”  I’ve heard many people say, “God could never expect me to forgive or pray for blessing for that person after all she/he had done.” Oh, yes, He could. In fact, to this we were called!  The invitation to bless when the rest of the world would curse is one of the very characteristics that sets us apart and causes people to take note of our faith. What have we gained if we do it our way?”
What indeed!
 I’m hearing You, ABBA, and I am grateful that You love me so much to keep after me.  I don’t want You to stop and I know You won’t.  I want You to pour in so by Your grace I will pour out.  And I pray for other IDOKs or Readers that You are speaking to in this regard will also pour out, so You can pour in.  Let it be so, LORD.  Let it be so! You know too there are other needs and situations, we can only trust You with it.   We bring them all, with no intention of leaving out a soul, we want them all to receive Your richest blessings.  We pray too for our IDOK Troops, for their safety and protection; for their families to be at peace and well cared for.   Please give our IDOKs rest and peace, refresh us and prepare us for service in Jesus’ Name.   Amen and amen.
Kathie
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Light Bulbs (again)

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IDOK Devotion for Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Light Bulbs
            As I was ironing today I watched Christian television and I heard a prominent host say, ‘back in those days we prayed the light bulbs into the studio.’  They were reminiscing about tight budgets, making do with what they had, praying about everything, even light bulbs.  Why? — Because in those days they had no supplier but God.   What a blessed state to be in: to experience that God alone supplies our needs! What would happen if today Christian Churches all over the land knew our only supplier is God?  What if we were not rich?  What if we were not prominent? What if we were not so privileged, would we pray for light bulbs?  And would those bare light bulbs give off a glow that crystal chandeliers cannot match?  Are we so rich, are we so privileged that we only recognize our need for God when we hit a brick wall of disease, illness, political unrest, divorce, rebellious children or prolonged and drastic stock market downturns?  Do you think even the super saints of today compared to Paul and Silas are mediocre?  And if so where does that leave me? Is it because we don’t ‘need’ to pray for light bulbs anymore? Now before you jump on me, I realize that homelessness could be only a few paychecks away for many of us.  Yet here in America, at least for now, even the homeless are privileged when compared to most of the world’s population. I am quick to admit; I like comfort as well as anybody and probably dislike discomfort as much as anybody.  I’m just wondering.  I’m just pitching it out here: Do you think we could circumvent the need for the ‘Blessing of Less’ if we started now praying for our ‘light bulbs’? I’m just saying given the option of learning of my own volition to be content like Paul or DADDY having to ‘convince’ me, I’d like to start my ‘circumvent classes’ right now.  I’d rather not wait for the ‘convincing’.  How about you?  
Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. 19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
             

       DADDY GOD, You know the day each of us have had; You know our successes and You know our failures.  We appreciate the successes and we give You praise for each one; the failures we give those to You too trusting You to bring something good out of them.   We pray for protection and safety for our IDOK Troops.  Thank You so much for the way You have watched over them these many years.   Thank You for entrusting this ministry of prayer to us. We appreciate it and we pray to honor You with it.  We pray to be effective.  We pray to be people whose prayers avail much.  Rest the weary I pray.  Heal the sick; rescue the perishing and put up roadblocks for those having made wrong turns.  Correct our thinking; drive far from us those things that we practice that dishonor You; draw us together as a family; give us servant hearts; give us hearts that weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice.  And, LORD, arrest bad behavior; set captives free in Jesus name. Amen and amen.

Kathie

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Hold Fast (again)

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IDOK Devotion for Monday, March 22, 2010
Hold Fast
            Be of good courage.  What the House and the President mean for evil DADDY GOD means for good. Genesis 50:20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.  
            I am heart sick that our land is filled with flaunters of evil and cowards but still we must be our good courage.  What Satan and his minions in Washington mean for our destruction, ABBA means for our good.  Hold fast.  Hold fast.
            1 John 4:3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.  4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.
 By the Power of Almighty God that resides in you, do not lose heart, do not allow bitterness nor hatred to rob you of the peace and joy that our God has for us even though godless men and woman have refused to hear our voices and have cast votes to line their pockets and plush their offices.  Continue to pray, pray, pray.  This world is not our home.  We are looking for a city whose builder and maker is our God. Hebrews 11:10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Lift up your heads, give praise to our God and Father; read the end of THE BOOK.  We win!!  Until then keep the faith. Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
Again I say.  Be of good courage.  Hold fast. Hold fast.   Our God inhabits the praises of His people.  We must praise Him now.  We must not be discouraged.  We must lift our faces and allow Him to give us peace and joy.   
Psalm 22:3 (Amplified Bible) But You are holy, O You Who dwell in [the holy place where] the praises of Israel [are offered].
      DADDY GOD, You know my tears, You know I hate what has happened this very night in Washington; but I trust You.  Poor, pitiful men think they are in control; forgive them, they know not what they do.   Encourage us, LORD.  Help us praise You and expect You to bless us and provide for us in the midst of the evil that is corrupting and destroying this Country. This is yet Your World, LORD.  We declare that it is Yours and no one can take it from You.  Praise You LORD. Praise You!  I ask You to help us forgive. I ask You to help us put down and refuse to walk in disgust and hatred but to walk in peace and love – Your peace and Your love. We trust You ABBA.  You are Great and You are Good.  We believe You.  We trust You in all things.  We trust You for the good of every name spoken here.  We trust You for watch care and safe keeping of our IDOK Troops and their families.  We trust You in Jesus Mighty and Holy Name. Amen and amen.
Kathie