BBD 02.13.17 Take the Sword (New)

#1 · February 13, 2017, 1:27 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on February 13, 2017, 1:27 pm
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Since June 8^th 1998, this
is the 1774^th

Burning Bush Devotional

13 February 2017

Take
the Sword

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God. – Ephesians 6:17 NKJV.

For the
word of God is living and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
– Hebrews 4:12 NKJV.

So shall My
word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I
please, And it shall prosper in the
thing for which I sent it. – Isaiah 55:11 NKJV.

Be sober,
be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. – 1 Peter
5:8 NKJV.

Tony Aarts who lives in
North Fort Myers, Florida was having a fun day playing golf at the Magnolia
Landing Golf and Country Club when he nearly lost his life. Tony was near the
fourth hole when he heard a splash from a water hazard which was only a few
feet away. Tony
says, “As I was walking about
5 to 6 feet away from the water I heard a splash, and as soon as I heard that
splash I knew it was an alligator, and he got me.”

The alligator had latched onto Tony’s right ankle, and
began to pull him back into the water. Tony ended up on his back as the gator
was pulling him down and he says, “I
remember having a club in my hand, and as soon as he had me in the water up to
my waist, I started hitting him over the head.” The gator kept on
pulling Tony into the water, and he knew he would soon be completely under as
the water was already up to his chest. He then says, “He was looking at me with his big eyes, and I kept hitting
him. I started hitting him in the eye socket. I hit him three times and he let
go of my foot, so I crawled back out and by that time the guys were there.” Officers from the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission captured the gator.

Tony says, “It’s a good thing I
had that putter. It’s a good, solid, heavy putter. I guess a golfer should
always keep a club in his hand.” (Wink News 02.09.17)

We may
never have a life and death struggle with an alligator; at least I hope we don’t!
What a shock that must have been to be having a fun day enjoying some golf and
suddenly find that you are fighting for your life! Tony Aarts refused to give
up, and kept on fighting even when it looked hopeless as he says, “And I’m
thinking I’m getting deeper and deeper, and I thought you’re not gonna get me.” Whether it’s a beast like
an alligator, or a terminal disease, life does have countless challenges that
can come upon us unexpectedly.

The
apostle Peter warns us of a spiritual beast that is always there lurking in the
background seeking another victim. That old devil “walks about” looking
to “steal, and
to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10a)” the life of every child of God. That beast of evil wants
to tear away every good thing in your life, and replace it with death.

The apostle Paul tells us of how God delivered
him from the beast, “I was delivered out of the mouth of
the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil
work and preserve me for His
heavenly kingdom (2 Timothy 4:17c-18).” As God delivered Paul from the beast, He is
able to deliver you and me. No, we will not be able to defeat this spiritual
beast with a good golf putter, but we have been given all the spiritual weapons
needed to win the battles.

Let us begin each day by taking up the “sword of the spirit” which is far better than any
golf putter. The “word of God” is powerful
beyond our imaginations and will accomplish God’s purpose. By the “word of God” the worlds were spoken into existence (Genesis 1). So, when the beast of this world suddenly
grabs hold of you, take hold of the “sword of the
spirit” and stab the beast. “Resist the devil and he will flee
from you (James 4:7b).”

Copyright © 2017. Ed Wrather. 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 those first
devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison
facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net

www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites are celebrating
18 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 14,000
subscribers across the world.

The Addictions Kit - Biblical Help for Addictions by Ed Wrather is now
available for download from Amazon. The Addictions Kit provides practical Biblical steps to defeat
your addiction that actually work.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VIYLNLM

The New Pastor's Training Manual is available for download on Amazon. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJ8UTGS If you prefer a paper copy of the book you can order it from
the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

Books now available at the Burning Bush website:

New Pastor's
Training Manual

Biblical Help for
Overcoming Substance Abuse

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Sexual Addictions In Times of
Trouble - Devotionals to Encourage and Strengthen You (Also available for
download on Amazon.)

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

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the
Devotionals at the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of
the home page. Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please continue to pray for
healing for Michelle Abetz, Brad, Damon D. & wife, Beverly (Jeanie’s
sister), Lexi McCalip, Gary Kirk, and Jeanie.

Please pray for an end to the
racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace and love. Many
prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page.
You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. My
prayer focus is now that God will give me opportunities to preach. As the
apostle Paul says, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”).

You can contact Ed Wrather at theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com
View LinkedIn profile with endorsements at
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

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

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

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group 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 (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) 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.

--

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Since June 8^th 1998, this
is the 1774^th

Burning Bush Devotional

13 February 2017

Take
the Sword

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God. – Ephesians 6:17 NKJV.

For the
word of God is living and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
– Hebrews 4:12 NKJV.

So shall My
word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I
please, And it shall prosper in the
thing for which I sent it. – Isaiah 55:11 NKJV.

Be sober,
be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. – 1 Peter
5:8 NKJV.

Tony Aarts who lives in
North Fort Myers, Florida was having a fun day playing golf at the Magnolia
Landing Golf and Country Club when he nearly lost his life. Tony was near the
fourth hole when he heard a splash from a water hazard which was only a few
feet away. Tony
says, “As I was walking about
5 to 6 feet away from the water I heard a splash, and as soon as I heard that
splash I knew it was an alligator, and he got me.”

The alligator had latched onto Tony’s right ankle, and
began to pull him back into the water. Tony ended up on his back as the gator
was pulling him down and he says, “I
remember having a club in my hand, and as soon as he had me in the water up to
my waist, I started hitting him over the head.” The gator kept on
pulling Tony into the water, and he knew he would soon be completely under as
the water was already up to his chest. He then says, “He was looking at me with his big eyes, and I kept hitting
him. I started hitting him in the eye socket. I hit him three times and he let
go of my foot, so I crawled back out and by that time the guys were there.” Officers from the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission captured the gator.

Tony says, “It’s a good thing I
had that putter. It’s a good, solid, heavy putter. I guess a golfer should
always keep a club in his hand.” (Wink News 02.09.17)

We may
never have a life and death struggle with an alligator; at least I hope we don’t!
What a shock that must have been to be having a fun day enjoying some golf and
suddenly find that you are fighting for your life! Tony Aarts refused to give
up, and kept on fighting even when it looked hopeless as he says, “And I’m
thinking I’m getting deeper and deeper, and I thought you’re not gonna get me.” Whether it’s a beast like
an alligator, or a terminal disease, life does have countless challenges that
can come upon us unexpectedly.

The
apostle Peter warns us of a spiritual beast that is always there lurking in the
background seeking another victim. That old devil “walks about” looking
to “steal, and
to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10a)” the life of every child of God. That beast of evil wants
to tear away every good thing in your life, and replace it with death.

The apostle Paul tells us of how God delivered
him from the beast, “I was delivered out of the mouth of
the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil
work and preserve me for His
heavenly kingdom (2 Timothy 4:17c-18).” As God delivered Paul from the beast, He is
able to deliver you and me. No, we will not be able to defeat this spiritual
beast with a good golf putter, but we have been given all the spiritual weapons
needed to win the battles.

Let us begin each day by taking up the “sword of the spirit” which is far better than any
golf putter. The “word of God” is powerful
beyond our imaginations and will accomplish God’s purpose. By the “word of God” the worlds were spoken into existence (Genesis 1). So, when the beast of this world suddenly
grabs hold of you, take hold of the “sword of the
spirit” and stab the beast. “Resist the devil and he will flee
from you (James 4:7b).”

Copyright © 2017. Ed Wrather. 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 those first
devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison
facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net

http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites are celebrating
18 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 14,000
subscribers across the world.

The Addictions Kit - Biblical Help for Addictions by Ed Wrather is now
available for download from Amazon. The Addictions Kit provides practical Biblical steps to defeat
your addiction that actually work.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VIYLNLM

The New Pastor's Training Manual is available for download on Amazon. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJ8UTGS If you prefer a paper copy of the book you can order it from
the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

Books now available at the Burning Bush website:

New Pastor's
Training Manual

Biblical Help for
Overcoming Substance Abuse

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Sexual Addictions In Times of
Trouble - Devotionals to Encourage and Strengthen You (Also available for
download on Amazon.)

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

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the
Devotionals at the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of
the home page. Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please continue to pray for
healing for Michelle Abetz, Brad, Damon D. & wife, Beverly (Jeanie’s
sister), Lexi McCalip, Gary Kirk, and Jeanie.

Please pray for an end to the
racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace and love. Many
prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page.
You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. My
prayer focus is now that God will give me opportunities to preach. As the
apostle Paul says, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”).

You can contact Ed Wrather at theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com
View LinkedIn profile with endorsements at
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

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

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

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group 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 (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) 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.

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org