BBD 05.12.14 Balancing Act (New)

#1 · May 12, 2014, 12:51 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on May 12, 2014, 12:51 pm
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

05.12.14

Balancing Act

Be sober, be vigilant (Be well balanced - Amplified Bible); because
your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may
devour. - 1 Peter 5:8 NKJV.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love
and of a sound mind. - 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of
craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power
and of love and of calm and well-balanced
mind and discipline and self-control. - 2 Timothy 1:7 Amplified Bible.

Cui
Juguo has a skill that is unique, he can balance eggs on the point of needles. Cui says, “Ostrich eggs are the largest in the world, and I can
balance them on a pin. No one else could do this. I set a Guinness World Record
on August 19, 2011, and I am still the record holder.” Cui is able
to balance several eggs on needles in only about ten seconds. He developed his
skill while trying to stay awake while he was a truck driver. When he became
sleepy he would stop for a while and balance eggs. Cui
says, “I
would often take several eggs with me on the road. Once I felt sleepy, I would
pull over and start to stand the egg on the needle point.” Juguo is from Changsha in China‘s Hunan Province.
(ecns.cn 11.09.11)

Living the Christian life in an increasingly immoral world can
feel at times like we are attempting to balance eggs on the tip of a needle. The
world, the flesh, and the devil are all trying to pull us off of a tiny needle
tip we are balanced on while the Holy Spirit living within us is trying to keep
us from falling off. Those forces can counteract each other, but if we fail to
make right decisions our lives can become out of balance.

What kind of decisions can we make that would cause our lives to
become out of balance? We are told in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as
is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted
beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of
escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
Sometimes we choose not to find a way of escape from temptation.

In Galatians 5:25 we are told, “If
we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” If we are
walking in the Spirit then the fruit of the Spirit, “love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)” will be demonstrated in our lives.
However, sometimes we choose not to walk in the Spirit and instead walk in the
flesh and the result is, “adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish
ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and
the like (Galatians 5:19b-21).”

What do
we need to do keep from going out of balance by making bad spiritual decisions?
What we need is more of God, more of the presence of the Holy Spirit manifested
in our lives. Jesus says this in John 14:21, “He who
has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me
will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
How do we have more of God? James 4:7-8 says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee
from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands,
you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Draw near to
God by reading, studying, memorizing His Word (Matthew
4:4). Draw near to God by spending time in communication with Him (Luke 18:1). Draw near to God by assembling with other
believers (Hebrews 10:24-25). Draw near to God
by joining Him in His work (1 Corinthians 3:9; Matthew
28:19-29; 2 Corinthians 5:20).

You can
have spiritual power and love, along with a sober, and vigilant mind…spiritual
balance. You can live the Christian life, but you cannot live it without God
which is what far too many Christians are trying to do.

Copyright © 2014. 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 .org
Burning Bush website

is being updated.

The Burning Bush websites have
received visits from more than 170 countries. Celebrating 15 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.

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

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

Prayer Warriors Wanted! Please join the
Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998. Send prayer requests and
receive prayer requests. To join send an
email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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
the return of the Nigerian school girls. 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.

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

05.12.14

Balancing Act

Be sober, be vigilant (Be well balanced - Amplified Bible); because
your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may
devour. - 1 Peter 5:8 NKJV.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love
and of a sound mind. - 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of
craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power
and of love and of calm and well-balanced
mind and discipline and self-control. - 2 Timothy 1:7 Amplified Bible.

Cui
Juguo has a skill that is unique, he can balance eggs on the point of needles. Cui says, “Ostrich eggs are the largest in the world, and I can
balance them on a pin. No one else could do this. I set a Guinness World Record
on August 19, 2011, and I am still the record holder.” Cui is able
to balance several eggs on needles in only about ten seconds. He developed his
skill while trying to stay awake while he was a truck driver. When he became
sleepy he would stop for a while and balance eggs. Cui
says, “I
would often take several eggs with me on the road. Once I felt sleepy, I would
pull over and start to stand the egg on the needle point.” Juguo is from Changsha in China‘s Hunan Province.
(ecns.cn 11.09.11)

Living the Christian life in an increasingly immoral world can
feel at times like we are attempting to balance eggs on the tip of a needle. The
world, the flesh, and the devil are all trying to pull us off of a tiny needle
tip we are balanced on while the Holy Spirit living within us is trying to keep
us from falling off. Those forces can counteract each other, but if we fail to
make right decisions our lives can become out of balance.

What kind of decisions can we make that would cause our lives to
become out of balance? We are told in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as
is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted
beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of
escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
Sometimes we choose not to find a way of escape from temptation.

In Galatians 5:25 we are told, “If
we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” If we are
walking in the Spirit then the fruit of the Spirit, “love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)” will be demonstrated in our lives.
However, sometimes we choose not to walk in the Spirit and instead walk in the
flesh and the result is, “adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish
ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and
the like (Galatians 5:19b-21).”

What do
we need to do keep from going out of balance by making bad spiritual decisions?
What we need is more of God, more of the presence of the Holy Spirit manifested
in our lives. Jesus says this in John 14:21, “He who
has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me
will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
How do we have more of God? James 4:7-8 says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee
from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands,
you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Draw near to
God by reading, studying, memorizing His Word (Matthew
4:4). Draw near to God by spending time in communication with Him (Luke 18:1). Draw near to God by assembling with other
believers (Hebrews 10:24-25). Draw near to God
by joining Him in His work (1 Corinthians 3:9; Matthew
28:19-29; 2 Corinthians 5:20).

You can
have spiritual power and love, along with a sober, and vigilant mind…spiritual
balance. You can live the Christian life, but you cannot live it without God
which is what far too many Christians are trying to do.

Copyright © 2014. 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 .org
Burning Bush website

is being updated.

The Burning Bush websites have
received visits from more than 170 countries. Celebrating 15 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.

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 left hand corner of all of the pages.

Prayer Warriors Wanted! Please join the
Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998. Send prayer requests and
receive prayer requests. To join send an
email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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
the return of the Nigerian school girls. 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.

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