Quote from Forum Archives on March 12, 2012, 11:54 am

Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

TO UNSUBSCRIBE from this devotional send an email to:
burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation
email.

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net
www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries.
Celebrating 14 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 17,000 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.

Forwarding of this email is encouraged and appreciated!!

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

The Burning Bush Devotional
There are 17,000 Subscribers to the Email Devotional

03.12.12

Lay it Aside

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares
(besets - KJV) us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before
us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the
joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV.

Elizabeth Smart, who was kidnapped and held captive for nine months, has
married and is moving on with her life. Elizabeth's mother had some advice
for her daughter as to the kidnapping and captivity, "He (David Mitchell -
the kidnapper) has already taken nine months your life. Don't give him
anymore of your life." (CNN Headline News 03.12.12)

Elizabeth lived a nightmare for nine months enduring unspeakable horrors,
and then had to relive those horrors recounting them in a courtroom at the
trial of her abductor. She is an amazing woman whose courage has given
encouragement to many. May the rest of her life be blessed!

As I listened to the words of Elizabeth Smart's mother, it occurred to me
that those with addictions are being held captive. If you have an addiction,
you are being held captive by a cruel master who has completely disrupted
your life. If you have an addiction, your life is off course from where God
would have it to be. If you have an addiction, you are being robbed, robbed
of life. If you have an addiction, you are continually in danger of losing
any life that you may have left.

The writer of the Book of Hebrews gives encouragement to those with
addictions. We are told that we must "lay aside every weight, and the sin
which so easily ensnares us." The old KJV refers to this as sin which
"besets us." Besetting sin, or ensnaring sin, is sin which holds us captive.
Dictionary dot com defines an addiction in this way: "the state of being
enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or
physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation
causes severe trauma."

We are told in Hebrews 12:1 that we should "lay aside" our addiction. All of
Hebrews chapter 11 leads up to this statement that we should "lay aside
every weight, and the sin.." The first word of Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore",
refers back to Hebrews 11. What does Hebrews 11 tell us? Hebrews chapter 11
is the great roll call of the faithful. Hebrews 11 recounts the deeds of
many who through faith endured to the end. Those heroes of the faith were
overcomers. They overcame their fears they overcame their cruel masters,
they overcame because they could see beyond the here and now to eternity.
Hebrews 11 begins with this statement, "Now faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a
good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the
word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which
are visible (Hebrews 11:1-3)." The writer of Hebrews is telling us to look
beyond the temporary, look beyond the need for the temporary fix of comfort
that our addiction may provide. Look beyond this day, look beyond this
moment to eternity. Look to Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and "lay aside" that
addiction that has us ensnared.

How much time, how much life has the cruel master of your addiction taken
away from you? How long have you been enslaved? Your addiction has already
robbed you of years of your life. Don't give away any more of your life to
it! Lay it aside, as you look beyond the need for some temporary comfort,
looking to eternity. Jesus is the "author and finisher of our faith" and He
has come to give you life. Allow Jesus to put your life back together, and
restore the years (Joel 2:25) that the locusts of your addiction have eaten
away.

Copyright © 2012. 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.

Please continue to pray for my wife, Jeanie, as she recovers from surgery
and ovarian cancer, and is now going through chemo. 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

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/
Several videos of Clark's sermons can be found at his church website:
www.fbcbrokenbow.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.