BBD 03.11.15 Improve Your Life (Classic)

#1 · March 11, 2015, 11:31 am

Quote from Forum Archives on March 11, 2015, 11:31 am
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

If for
some reason you do not receive your email version of the devotional please
check the Burning Bush website at www.theburningbush.net for the “Devotional of the Day” and read the devotional
there.

The Burning
Bush Devotional

Classic
from 2007

03.11.15

Improve
Your Life

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your
reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God. - Romans 12:1-2 NKJV.

In order to improve our physical health, we not only need
to eliminate those foods which our bad for us, but we also need to eat foods
that are good for us. Some of those foods are called antioxidants and the
benefits of antioxidants are well known. To change your physical health for the
better, you need to stop the bad foods like Trans fats, and add in the good
foods that contain antioxidants like fruits and vegetables.

Spiritually, it is much the same, we need to stop pouring
the grains of sin into our lives; but at the same time we need to add in the
spiritual antioxidants that will protect us from the damaging attacks of the
world, the flesh, and the devil. There are three spiritual antioxidants that
need to be added, to be a part of the life of every Christian if they want
their spiritual life to be changed and improved. What are they? They are not a super-secret
and like vegetables and fruits for the body, the spiritual antioxidants are
available at very little cost and in great quantity. The spiritual antioxidants
are Prayer, the Word of God, and the Church.

This is nothing new, and yet only a small minority of
those professing to be Christians actually takes advantage of all three of
these spiritual antioxidants. Let’s examine each of these spiritual
antioxidants that have the potential of dramatically improving your spiritual
life.

First, consider prayer, the Bible says about prayer in 1 John 15:14-15, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if
we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.And if we know
that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we
have asked of Him.” Samuel Chadwick was a
great man of God who preached in England beginning at the age of 21 during the
late 1800s and early 1900s. Chadwick most famous quote is that, “The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears
nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He
laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.” William Carey, missionary to India, said, “Prayer - secret, fervent, believing prayer - lies at the root of all
personal godliness.” How can you talk to the
living God without His having an effect upon your life? Prayer will change,
transform and improve your life.

Second, is the spiritual antioxidant of the Word of God.
Jesus says in Matthew 4:4 quoting the Old Testament, “It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that
comes from the mouth of God.'” In Ephesians 6:17b we read, “…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” And in Hebrews 4:12 we are told, “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.” Allow the Holy Spirit to use His sword, the Word of God.
Read the Word, study the Word, memorize the Word, meditate upon the Word and
your life will be changed, improved, and transformed.

The third spiritual antioxidant I want us to consider is
the church. Make no mistake about the importance of the church. Christ loved
the church. Christ died for the church. That should put the church in the
proper perspective for you. In Hebrews
10:24-25 we are told very plainly, very bluntly, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some,
but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day
approaching.” If you want to see your life changed,
improved, and transformed, make a commitment to attend every service of the
church regularly and faithfully. I made that commitment decades ago and I have
never regretted it. I have never regretted the time that I have spent in
church. No, the only thing that I regret is the years that I was not attending
church regularly and faithfully. Dwight L. Moody that great evangelist of the
19^th Century once said, “Church
attendance is as vital to a disciple as a transfusion of rich, healthy blood to
a sick man.” Change your life, improve your life, and
transform your life by attending church regularly and faithfully.

God has given us the spiritual antioxidants that we need
to improve our lives. We cannot be living sacrifices to God unless we take
advantage of the spiritual antioxidants of Prayer, Bible, and Church. Transform
your life; improve your life by no longer being conformed to the pattern of
this world. Instead, have a regular intake of Prayer, Bible and Church. It will
change your life forever.

Copyright © 2007-2015. 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
these 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
received visits from 184 countries in 2015 including from 27 cities in Iran.
Celebrating 17 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 New Pastor's Training Manual is available for download on Amazon. The 216 page eBook is
priced at 0.99 cents, which is the lowest allowed by Amazon (FREE if you have
KINDLE UNLIMITED.) Here is the link: http://amzn.to/1ufa1ov If you prefer a paper copy of the book you can order it from
the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

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.

Ed Wrather has retired from
pastoring full-time and has more time to pursue other ministry opportunities.
You can make contact at edwrather@yahoo.com or theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn
profile with endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

Prayer Requests: Please pray for
an end to the racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace
and love. Please pray for Justin Lewis who is battling cancer. He is a young
Christian man with a wife and two children. Unless God intervenes there is
little hope for him. Please also pray for Shane Hall who has cancer and for all
those afflicted with this terrible disease. My sister, Reta’s surgery for
removal of kidney and cancerous tumor went better than expected. She will now
need chemo for nodules in her lungs. 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.).

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@...>

If for
some reason you do not receive your email version of the devotional please
check the Burning Bush website at http://www.theburningbush.net for the “Devotional of the Day” and read the devotional
there.

The Burning
Bush Devotional

Classic
from 2007

03.11.15

Improve
Your Life

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your
reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God. - Romans 12:1-2 NKJV.

In order to improve our physical health, we not only need
to eliminate those foods which our bad for us, but we also need to eat foods
that are good for us. Some of those foods are called antioxidants and the
benefits of antioxidants are well known. To change your physical health for the
better, you need to stop the bad foods like Trans fats, and add in the good
foods that contain antioxidants like fruits and vegetables.

Spiritually, it is much the same, we need to stop pouring
the grains of sin into our lives; but at the same time we need to add in the
spiritual antioxidants that will protect us from the damaging attacks of the
world, the flesh, and the devil. There are three spiritual antioxidants that
need to be added, to be a part of the life of every Christian if they want
their spiritual life to be changed and improved. What are they? They are not a super-secret
and like vegetables and fruits for the body, the spiritual antioxidants are
available at very little cost and in great quantity. The spiritual antioxidants
are Prayer, the Word of God, and the Church.

This is nothing new, and yet only a small minority of
those professing to be Christians actually takes advantage of all three of
these spiritual antioxidants. Let’s examine each of these spiritual
antioxidants that have the potential of dramatically improving your spiritual
life.

First, consider prayer, the Bible says about prayer in 1 John 15:14-15, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if
we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.And if we know
that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we
have asked of Him.” Samuel Chadwick was a
great man of God who preached in England beginning at the age of 21 during the
late 1800s and early 1900s. Chadwick most famous quote is that, “The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears
nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He
laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.” William Carey, missionary to India, said, “Prayer - secret, fervent, believing prayer - lies at the root of all
personal godliness.” How can you talk to the
living God without His having an effect upon your life? Prayer will change,
transform and improve your life.

Second, is the spiritual antioxidant of the Word of God.
Jesus says in Matthew 4:4 quoting the Old Testament, “It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that
comes from the mouth of God.'” In Ephesians 6:17b we read, “…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” And in Hebrews 4:12 we are told, “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.” Allow the Holy Spirit to use His sword, the Word of God.
Read the Word, study the Word, memorize the Word, meditate upon the Word and
your life will be changed, improved, and transformed.

The third spiritual antioxidant I want us to consider is
the church. Make no mistake about the importance of the church. Christ loved
the church. Christ died for the church. That should put the church in the
proper perspective for you. In Hebrews
10:24-25 we are told very plainly, very bluntly, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some,
but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day
approaching.” If you want to see your life changed,
improved, and transformed, make a commitment to attend every service of the
church regularly and faithfully. I made that commitment decades ago and I have
never regretted it. I have never regretted the time that I have spent in
church. No, the only thing that I regret is the years that I was not attending
church regularly and faithfully. Dwight L. Moody that great evangelist of the
19^th Century once said, “Church
attendance is as vital to a disciple as a transfusion of rich, healthy blood to
a sick man.” Change your life, improve your life, and
transform your life by attending church regularly and faithfully.

God has given us the spiritual antioxidants that we need
to improve our lives. We cannot be living sacrifices to God unless we take
advantage of the spiritual antioxidants of Prayer, Bible, and Church. Transform
your life; improve your life by no longer being conformed to the pattern of
this world. Instead, have a regular intake of Prayer, Bible and Church. It will
change your life forever.

Copyright © 2007-2015. 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
these 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
received visits from 184 countries in 2015 including from 27 cities in Iran.
Celebrating 17 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 New Pastor's Training Manual is available for download on Amazon. The 216 page eBook is
priced at 0.99 cents, which is the lowest allowed by Amazon (FREE if you have
KINDLE UNLIMITED.) Here is the link: http://amzn.to/1ufa1ov If you prefer a paper copy of the book you can order it from
the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

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.

Ed Wrather has retired from
pastoring full-time and has more time to pursue other ministry opportunities.
You can make contact at edwrather@yahoo.com or theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn
profile with endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

Prayer Requests: Please pray for
an end to the racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace
and love. Please pray for Justin Lewis who is battling cancer. He is a young
Christian man with a wife and two children. Unless God intervenes there is
little hope for him. Please also pray for Shane Hall who has cancer and for all
those afflicted with this terrible disease. My sister, Reta’s surgery for
removal of kidney and cancerous tumor went better than expected. She will now
need chemo for nodules in her lungs. 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.).

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