Quote from Forum Archives on October 9, 2011, 10:31 pm

Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

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The Burning Bush Devotional
Welcome to the 7621 new subscribers since January 1, 2011!!
There were 4010 new subscribers during 2010!!

10.10.11

The Real Reality

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing,
yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction,
which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are
temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. - 2 Corinthians
4:16-18.

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is
in you is greater than he who is in the world. - 1 John 4:4.

Emergency services in England scrambled to help after receiving a call from
a young man who was hanging from the edge of a sea cliff. Fire crews,
coastguard, and police officers all responded and searched the coast for the
man. After searching for several hours, an intoxicated 19-year-old man was
finally found about a mile away from the coast on a slope next to where he
had parked his car. (Metro.co.uk 02.23.10)

Customs in a Frankfurt, Germany airport temporarily confiscated what was
thought to be a "blood diamond" worth 2.2 million pounds (3.4 million
dollars). The wannabe smuggler from Angola was detained while what appeared
to be an illegally mined diamond was examined. Everyone was surprised,
especially the wannabe smuggler when it was found that it was only a fake
diamond worth at the most 18 pounds (28 dollars). The smuggler apparently
had paid a substantial amount of money for the fake diamond. (Orange News
02.22.10)

How many times has it happened to you? You thought something was true, but
later found out that it was not true; or something you thought was real, was
not real. The young man in England was surely convinced that he was hanging
from an edge of a cliff, and about to die. The Angolan smuggler thought he
had a diamond that was worth millions; instead, he lost a fortune. What a
shock when the truth is revealed!

There is another deception being perpetrated upon many of us right now. This
world we are living in may appear to be very real. We are told that this is
reality. However, this is not the real, reality. As we are told in 2
Corinthians 4:18, "For the things which are seen are temporary, but the
things which are not seen are eternal." All of these things that are so very
real to us right now on this earth will some day pass away. Our earthly
worries will some day no longer be of importance. Because these earthly
things are temporary.

In addition, we have so many things that cause us stress, cause us worry,
and cause us pain. Much of this stress, worry, and pain is the result of
perception. We perceive that we are all alone in the face of all these
things that are pressing in upon us. However, that is not the real, reality
for the believer. What is the reality for a believer? "You are of God,
little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater
than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4)." The Spirit of God resides in
every believer (1 Corinthians 3:16) and ".we are more than conquerors
through Him who loved us (Romans 8:27)."

Never forget as a child of God you are not by yourself. God lives inside of
you, and through Him you are always more than a conqueror. Let us look
beyond these earthly things surrounding us to the real, reality, to "the
things which are not seen."

Copyright © 2011. 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.). Please pray for our grandson, Mason
Wrather, as he recovers from surgery. Please pray a member of our church who
is battling cancer, Connie Bryan.

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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:
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