Quote from Forum Archives on April 29, 2009, 11:39 pm

Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

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The Burning Bush Devotional
Welcome to the 464 new subscribers since January 1, 2009!!

04.29.09

Break the Cycle

And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments
and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His
commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and
love one another, as He gave us commandment. Now he who keeps His
commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He
abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. - 1 John 3:22-24.

When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour
the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by
My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from
their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin
and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to
prayer made in this place. - 2 Chronicles 7:13-15.

What would you do if you had to repeat the same day over and over again? In
the movie "Groundhog Day" that is what happens to Phil Conners (Bill Murray)
who is sent to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to do a story on the annual
Groundhog Day festivities. Phil finds himself repeating the same day over
and over and over again. Things go from bad to worse until he decides to
take advantage of the time instead of wasting it. Phil spent months learning
the art of flicking a card into a hat perfectly each time. But Phil's heart
changes and eventually the day arrives when it is no longer Groundhog Day
but tomorrow.

In the Book of Judges the Children of Israel have their own Groundhog Day.
No, it is not the same day repeating over and over but it is the same cycle
of life repeating itself over and over. After the death of Joshua the
Israelites had abandoned the worship of the One True God and instead served
the false God of Baalim (Judges 2:10-13). When the people sinned God would
allow their enemies to defeat them. In their torment, the people would cry
out to God for help. Each time this happened God would send a leader, who
was called a judge to deliver them. This cycle of sin, torment, repentance,
and deliverance was repeated over and over again. It happened to the
children of Israel, and it can happen to the United States or to any country
that turns away from God. We need to be crying out for God to deliver us
before the judgment of God comes upon us.

This painful cycle of sin, pain, repentance, and deliverance occurs not just
to countries but in our lives as well. Until we learn the lesson and break
the cycle by walking in obedience to God, we are doomed to go through that
cycle over and over again. We will never fully experience the abundant life
until we break out of this cycle.

Phil Conners eventually learned his lesson. Will we?

Copyright © 2009. 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.

Prayer Requests: Please pray for Malachi, Cody, and Mica who are young boys
with cancer. 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.).

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