Quote from Forum Archives on January 28, 2011, 7:48 pm

Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net
www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries.
Celebrating 11 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more
than 11,000 subscribers across the world.

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998 and is
made up of more than 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive
prayer requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you love to send and receive inspirational emails the Burning Bush
Inspirational Group is for you. To join send an email to
bbinspire-join@welovegod.org

You can now leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at
www.theburningbush.net.

The Burning Bush Devotional
Welcome to the 736 new subscribers since January 1, 2011!!
There were 4010 new subscribers during 2010!!
Classic from 2002

01.28.11

Guard Your Heart

You shall not murder. - Exodus 20:13.

The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his
thoughts. He sits in the lurking places of the villages; in the secret
places he murders the innocent; his eyes are secretly fixed on the
helpless. - Psalm 10:4,8.

You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to
do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth,
because there is no truth in him. - John 8:43-44.

This morning (October 2002) in the United States, we are again shocked at an
apparent random shooting of a 13-year-old boy just dropped off at school.
The shooting occurred in Prince George County, Maryland. Last week, five
people were apparently shot randomly to death in neighboring Montgomery
County, Maryland. On Thursday, a sixth victim was killed in Washington,
D.C., and Friday a woman was shot and wounded in Virginia. It is a horrible
development, but in the United States there is someone murdered in some way
every minute. The fearful thing about the current rash of murders, is that
there seems to be no logical reason for the murders. It appears random, and
now the killer is even striking at children, which demonstrates the
callousness of the heart of this murderer. We must pray that this murderer
is caught, before another innocent person becomes his victim.

The heart is really the issue here, for it is out of the heart that murders,
and all manner of evil comes. Jesus says, "For from within, out of the heart
of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts,
covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride,
foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man (Mark
7:21-23)." Jesus allows us to see that before the action is taken, there is
the thought, the attitude of the heart that proceeds the evil. Those evil
thoughts and attitudes, come straight from the pit of hell (John 8:43-44).

The murderer does not think of God, he does not consider what God thinks of
his actions (Psalm 10:4). In fact, the murderer elevates himself in his mind
to the position of God, because it is God who gives and takes life. The
murderer, sees himself as deciding life and death for those around him. His
heart has grown so cold and callous, that his victims include the helpless
and the innocent (Psalm 10:8).

Since murder comes from the heart, it is clear that the admonition of
Proverbs 4:23 is vital to our spiritual well being. We are told in Proverbs
4:23, "Keep (or guard) your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring
the issues of life." Jesus says in Matthew 5:22, "But I say to you that
whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the
judgment." Do you have hate in your heart for someone? In 1 John 3:14-15 we
are told, "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love
the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever
hates his brother is a murderer...."

What is the attitude of your heart? What is coming out of your heart? Good
things, or evil? Hateful thoughts, or thoughts of love? Guard your heart!

Copyright © 2002-2011. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the
devotionals on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush
website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email
version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather began
writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of these first
devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison
facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer
Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there and they will be
forwarded to the Burning Bush Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need
of prayer - please pray for me.).

If you are not my friend on facebook or myspace you can be, just add me. The
devotionals are posted in my blogs on those two social networks and you can
leave comments, feedback about them there. There are other social networks
designed just for Christians, however, this is an outreach project to reach
those who may not know the Lord or may have wandered away. You can help me
reach out to them.

For information about how to hear my testimony in your church visit this
link: www.theburningbush.net/pages.asp?pageid=22160

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

Two videos of my sermons are posted on GodTube (now Tangle) at:
connect.tangle.com/Wrather

You can listen to services at my son, Clark Wrather's church (First Baptist
Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma) live on Sunday mornings at 10:55am CST
www.kkbifm.com/

There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here
is the URL: www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You can unsubscribe to the pure text version of the devotional by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.