Quote from Forum Archives on August 15, 2010, 11:57 pm

Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

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The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries.
Celebrating 11 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
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The Burning Bush Devotional
Welcome to the 1066 new subscribers since January 1, 2010!!
There were 1367 new subscribers during 2009!!

08.16.10

Left Hanging

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. For I say, through the grace
given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more
highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to
each one a measure of faith. - Romans 12:1-3.

A construction worker in St John, Canada was working on a roofing job when
some rotten wood gave way. Thankfully, he was wearing a safety harness but
was still left hanging four stories above the ground. He was eventually
lowered slowly to the ground by firefighters using a ladder. The Deputy Fire
Chief said that the worker had observed "proper safety protocols" which made
the worker's rescue easier. Without observing those safety protocols and
wearing the safety harness things could have turned out much worse for the
worker.

Sometimes it is difficult to know exactly what to do in some situations. You
want to do what God wants you to do but what is it that He wants? It may
seem somewhat like the construction worker who was left hanging in the air;
you are left hanging and wondering in what direction you are to go. It can
be frustrating especially when the clock is ticking and time is running out
on your having to make a decision.

There are some things that you can do to help speed up the process of
understanding God's will. The place to start is to ask God as we are told in
James 1:5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all
liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

It may be that a thorough search of the Scriptures will give you guidance
for your decision because God will not want you to do anything that is
forbidden in His Word. You may want to do it, it may sound like a good deal,
but if it is anything illegal, dishonest, or immoral, God does not want you
to be a part of it. Knowing God's Word will help to prevent you from being
left hanging without know what to do. The more you know and are familiar
with the Bible the easier it will be to discern God's will.

Perhaps the most difficult thing to do when you are left hanging not knowing
what you are to do is to trust in God's timing and His way of doing things.
God is rarely early in giving you the guidance or what it is that you need
for a decision. God is always on time, and you can miss out on God's best by
rushing your decision making process. The timing of God's answer may in
itself be a confirmation that this is indeed from God.

Finally, the apostle Paul makes it clear in Romans 12 that knowing God's
will results from a lifestyle choice. If you want to know God's will you
must be a "living sacrifice(s)" not living like those in the world but
living with a spirit of humility. This is not something that you can turn on
and off. It must be how you continually live your life, and then you will be
able to "prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Copyright © 2010. 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. 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.

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
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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.

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If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
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Two videos of my sermons are posted on GodTube (now Tangle) at:
connect.tangle.com/Wrather

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/

There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here
is the URL: www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

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