Addicted to the Word
By Bunny | February 2, 2012
“Ye know the house of Stephanas…and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints.”
When I read this verse the word “addicted” stuck out at me. We all know what being addicted to something is; it’s something we believe we cannot live without. I want you to begin to develop an addiction today—an addiction to the Word of God. That may sound odd to you, especially if you don’t have much of an interest in the Word right now. But, believe me, it’s possible. I’ve done it myself and I’ve seen others do it as well, time and again.
What you have to do is make a decision to give yourself to it; to focus your time and attention on it. The more you give yourself to it, the more your desire for it will grow. Eventually, it will consume your thinking.
Surprised? You shouldn’t be. That happens with anything you totally give yourself to. It happens, for example, with people who give themselves to pornography. As they focus their attention on it, the spirit behind it moves in on their consciousness and eventually draws them from mental activity into physical activity. Finally, they come to a place where they can’t be satisfied. They can’t get enough. It happens in a lot of different areas.
That same principle works on the positive side when you begin to give yourself to God’s Word. You can give yourself to it to the point where it totally consumes your mental and physical life. The more of it you get, the more you want. The Spirit behind the Word, the Holy Spirit, will draw you and lead you closer to Jesus than you ever imagined possible.
I’ve never yet met anyone walking in faith and power who at some time hadn’t developed that kind of addiction by giving themselves totally to the Word for an extended period of time. I don’t mean just a few minutes here and there either. I’m talking about some serious time. Not just reading it, but meditating on what you’ve read that day or the day before.
So let me encourage you to make that decision to do that. It begins with a decision. Determine to become a “Word addict”. Once you do, you’ll never be willing to live without it again.
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Jesus Prayed for You
By Bunny | January 19, 2012
Did you know that Jesus prayed for you? In John chapter 17, Jesus was interceding for His followers, but He was also praying for every future believer down through the ages.
We who have a relationship with Jesus can read this and look back in time and just imagine, He was praying for us even then. Wow! That is such an amazing thought to me. We were on His mind as He prepared to lay down His life in order to provide for us an abundant life now, and life with Him for eternity.
Jesus prayed for us to have unity with other believers—across the nations, across cultures, across time, across the street, across the room, across the sanctuary. He also prayed for us to have unity with Him and the Father and the Holy Spirit so that our lives would convince others of who He is. He declared His love for us and promised to share His glory with us. He prayed for our salvation so that we could be with Him forever, and He promised to continue to make Himself known to us so we could experience more and more of His love.
Jesus was thinking of you centuries ago when He was praying. He lives today and every day to “intercede” for you. (Hebrews 7:25). His desire is that you become one with Him and one with other believers, so that those who see you will believe in Him. Pray that you will always be one with Him and one with others. Thank Jesus that even way back then, He was already praying for you.
Let me encourage you to read John chapter 17.
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The Power of Focus
By Bunny | January 13, 2012
You become effective by being selective. It’s human nature to get distracted. Without a clear purpose you keep changing directions, jobs, relationships, churches, etc., hoping each change will settle the confusion or fill the emptiness in your heart. You think, “This time it will be different,” but it doesn’t solve your real problems—lack of focus.
The power of focusing can be seen in light. With a magnifying glass the rays of the sun can set paper on fire. But when light is focused even more as a laser beam, it can cut through steel. Nothing is as powerful as a focused life. The men and women who make the greatest difference in life are the most focused. For instance, the apostle Paul said, “I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing” (vs. 13 TLB). Paul’s obsession was to make Christ known. So if you want your life to make an impact on others, focus on God’s assignment for your life.
Stop dabbling. Stop trying to do it all. Do less. Turn away from even good activities and do only that which matters most. Never confuse activity with productivity. Poet William Matthews wrote: “One well-cultivated talent, deepened and enlarged, is worth a hundred shallow faculties. The first law of success in this day when so many things are clamoring for attention is concentration—to bend our energies to one point, and to go directly to that point, looking neither to the right nor to the left.”
Does focus come easily or naturally? No, it’s a discipline that must be practiced every day. That is proven out by God’s Word. Proverbs 4 tells us that we need to give the Word of God our attention. In other words, we need to focus on the Word. He said we are to listen carefully to it and not to lose sight of it, so that it will penetrate deep within our heart. And the reason we need it to penetrate deep within our heart is because what is in our heart will determine the course of our life. So our focus will determine the direction we are going and I am sure you want to go in the right direction; the direction of peace, victory, life, abundance, wisdom; that’s the course that God has for all His children.
Let’s keep our focus today by trusting God and aiming higher in our walk with Him. Be a better person today than you were yesterday. You can do it. I know you can.
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A New Beginning
By Bunny | January 9, 2012
Happy New Year! A new year to me means a new beginning. The start of something new that’s never been here before; something fresh and alive. God said His mercy is new, fresh every morning. I like knowing I can start with a fresh clean slate with no mistakes in it. And that’s how I look at a new year. Now that only happens every 365 days, so that takes a much longer time to be able to start fresh, but I look at every day of my life, when I wake up in the morning, as a new day with no mistakes in it.
Yesterday, I might not have eaten as well as I should have, or maybe I got angry at someone and said something I regret, or even bought something I really couldn’t afford at this time, but today is a new day. I can’t change what I did yesterday (well, I probably could return the thing I really didn’t need) but I can make better choices today because I have a fresh new supply of His mercy and help today. And I don’t know about you, but I sure need it.
So whether it’s a new year, a new month, a new week, or a new day, however you want to look at it, remember that you have a fresh new supply of His grace, mercy and help. Stop looking at your yesterdays and look ahead to better and brighter days. You only get what you expect and if your expectation is negative that’s exactly what you will get.
Let me encourage you to read Psalm 62. I love that chapter. It reminds us where we should put our hope, our expectation. My hope is in Him. He is my rock and my fortress, my victory in the midst of the battle, because I already know the outcome, because He said my victory comes from Him. Oh, how He loves us. Trust, have confidence in that love. I choose everyday to believe that I am my beloveds and He is mine. Let me encourage you to do the same. You truly are loved!
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There’s Power in Forgiveness
By Bunny | December 22, 2011
“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25).
Of all the commands in Scripture, the instruction to forgive those who have hurt us is one of the most difficult to keep for many. Our natural human tendency is to hold on to the hurt inflicted upon us, to nurse our wounds and hold grudges. Or, at the very least, we separate ourselves forever from the individual who is the source of our pain so that we cannot be hurt by that person again.
There are times, such as in cases of abuse, when physical separation is necessary. When a crime has been committed, justice and forgiveness go hand in hand. The courts of law must hold a perpetrator accountable, and God will hold that person accountable in the final judgment, but we must still forgive that person. In these verses, Jesus was talking about the spiritual obligation that we have to forgive each other because we have been so graciously forgiven by our heavenly Father. To refuse to forgive others reveals that our hearts do not understand the level of forgiveness we have received.
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Be Faithful in Prayer
By Bunny | December 13, 2011
A consistent prayer life requires faithfulness. We have to take the time, maintain focus, and commit to not allowing too much time to go in between each prayer. I remember reading about Smith Wigglesworth, and one of his comments on prayer was, “I never pray longer than 15 minutes, but I never go without prayer more than 15 minutes.” What a powerful statement he made. We need to do what God’s Word says, pray without ceasing. Now I know we can’t be praying ALL the time, but we can be more aware of His presence and have that freedom to talk more frequently throughout the day with Him.
The words Paul wrote to the Romans offer us some insight into the expectations that God places on our prayer lives. God doesn’t require eloquent speech or perfect grammar. He doesn’t ask that our prayers be a certain length or that we pray a certain number of times every day. God asks that we be “faithful in prayer.” The consistency is where the power lies. Romans 12:12 says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”.
So what does faithfulness in prayer mean? It means making prayer an ongoing, consistent part of our lives. It’s being diligent to set aside time for prayer. It’s developing a sense of awe and stillness before God. It’s praying for someone when we promised we would. It’s taking time to sit before God and ask for His direction rather than rushing through each decision. It’s seeking out God’s purpose in our lives rather than merely reacting to our circumstances. It’s continuing to come to Him even when we don’t feel that we’re getting any answers.
When we are faithful to pray—to talk to our heavenly Father—we establish intimacy with Him. That alone is reason enough to be faithful in prayer. Let’s make that commitment today to be that faithful one in prayer, so that we can be faithful in every area of our life as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Guidance for Our Journey
By Bunny | December 8, 2011
We all struggle on occasion with the weight of making a big decision. Should we take this job or that one? Say yes or no to our children when it comes to certain activities? Relocate our family to a different location or stay put? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had a continual manifestation of God’s presence to guide us like the cloud He provided for His children in the desert? Numbers 9 verse 17 & 23 says, “Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; whenever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped…At the Lord’s command they encamped, and at the Lord’s command they set out. They obeyed the Lord’s order, in accordance with His command through Moses.”
Despite this constant visual reminder of guidance, however, the Israelites still struggled with following and obeying. Learning to walk with God is a process. Just when we think we have it all figured out, God leads us into a new place where our old ways won’t work. In fact, we may feel as if we’re learning to walk all over again. And in a way we are. We cannot walk our own way anymore. We must walk in the way our Master walks. We must do what Jesus did when He was here on earth; “I only say what I hear My Father say and I only do what I see My Father do.” Oh that we should believe and do the same thing our Lord did.
We enter unfamiliar territory and are soon reminded that, on our own, we stumble. Yet when we take His hand, we walk with confidence. God wants us to soar far above the limitations of our circumstances and ourselves. He wants to take us to a place we have never been before and can’t get to without His help. When God used Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, they had to learn to depend on the Lord for every step of their journey to the Promised Land. When they did not do that, they got into trouble. It’s the same for us today.
If you are at a place in your life where you feel as if you can’t take one step without the Lord’s help, be glad. That’s the exact place you need to be in. If you’re wondering, have I done something wrong? The answer is most likely that you’ve done something right. God will help you through this, regardless of how difficult and impossible it may seem right now, continue to be willing to follow Him; He knows the way out. He wants to accomplish great things through you that can only come out of a life of faith. He wants your undivided attention because you can’t do these things on your own.
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. Follow Him by following the Word. What you read, do. Just talk to Him about the things that are not clearly written in His Word, and listen as you go through your day. He is the perfect guide for your journey.
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Pray to Succeed
By Bunny | November 15, 2011
“Then he prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.” (Genesis 24:12)
When you face a big job or an important responsibility, you want to succeed. The best way to see success is to go directly to God, who wants the very best for your life, and ask for His guidance. That’s what Eliezer did.
Abraham had asked his servant to find the right bride for his son Isaac. This was most likely Eliezer, Abraham’s trusted servant for many years. Eliezer realized the great weight of the responsibility he carried, so he submitted the matter directly to God rather than depend solely on his own wisdom or on pure luck. He asked God for a sign, and God granted his request almost instantly. Before Eliezer had even finished praying, Rebekah arrived and offered to give him water for both himself and his camels. What a remarkable answer to prayer.
But let’s go a little deeper. Who was Eliezer? If we go back to where he is named in Genesis 15:2-3, we discover that not only was he Abraham’s trusted servant, but at that point, he stood to inherit all of Abraham’s wealth if Abraham had no son. So not only did he lose out when Isaac was born, but Eliezer also had to find a suitable bride for Isaac. A lesser man might have been bitter about all he had lost. A lesser man might have defined “success” as doing whatever it might take to get back into that place of honor in order to gain the inheritance. Money and power can have a very strong pull on your decision making process. A man of no integrity might not have cared what kind of bride he brought back to Isaac. Not Eliezer. He was determined to do the job well, because he was a man of honor and integrity, so he prayed for success in the task.
God cares about your responsibilities. I remember reading this chapter years ago, and praying that for my children. That the Lord would prepare the right mate for our son Bryan and our daughter Valerie. That they would succeed in choosing the godly mate they needed to fulfill the plan that God had for their life. God wants to see you and your children do well. So don’t be afraid to ask for success for you and your family. Always keep in mind, however, that He may define success very differently than you do. Like Eliezer, walk so close to God that you’re able to put aside what you might want for yourself in order to succeed at what God wants for you. God’s definition of success is the perfect definition for success. Pray and believe to succeed and you will!
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You Can Go To God Yourself
By Bunny | November 9, 2011
An intermediary is someone who acts as an agent between two different parties: a go-between, a mediator. Exodus 19:7 says, “So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak.” As the verse reveals, mediation in the form of intercession was clearly a big part of Moses’ role as leader of the nation of Israel. God specifically told him what to say to the people of Israel, and in turn, Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.
Throughout history, various religions have taught that people can only approach God through the intervention of a human mediator. This was also true for the Jewish people during the times recorded in the Old Testament. The people could not approach God directly themselves. Prophets such as Elijah and Elisha arose to speak for the Lord. Kings wouldn’t go off to war without consulting a prophet, who also functioned as a mediator or intercessor. This veil between God and humanity was symbolized by the thick, heavy curtain that hung in the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle and later in the temple—a barrier between a holy God and sinful human beings that only priests especially anointed for the task could pass through.
With the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, however, all that changed. Praise God. At the moment of Christ’s death, the curtain in the temple was torn in two (Mark 15:38), representing the dramatic reality that there was no longer any separation between God and mankind. When you fully grasp this truth, it will change your life. You do not need the presence of a human intermediary to take your prayers and concerns to your heavenly Father. Instead, the book of Hebrews tells us that we can “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
Jesus is our great High Priest—the only mediator you will ever need. “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men.” (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
Nothing is wrong with asking others to pray for and with you, but don’t hesitate to take any care or problem you may have to God yourself. He wants to hear your voice. He wants the relationship between you and Him to be very personal, with nothing between you. So go ahead; He’s waiting.
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A Time to Pray—A Time to Move
By Bunny | November 3, 2011
Many passages of Scripture speak of the importance of crying out to God in times of distress. In Lamentations we read, “Arise, cry out in the night…pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord.” (Lamentations 2:19) There comes a point, however, when the time for crying out is past and our clear instruction from the Lord is to take action.
That’s what God said to Moses in Exodus 14:15, “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on’.” The Israelites didn’t need to worry about the details; God would take care of everything. He would help His people by obstructing the sight of the Egyptians with clouds and darkness. He would give the Israelites light. He would cause the wind to dry up the sea bottom. They didn’t need more desperate prayer. They needed to get moving!
They may have been tempted to just wait. “This can’t be what God wants us to do! It’s too dangerous! It’s too frightening! How do we know we’ll make it? Let’s just keep praying about this.” Sometimes prayer can be used as an excuse for not doing what you believe God is telling you to do.
A known missionary Amy Carmichael once wrote a simple rhyme to illustrate the importance of following through with action once we have thoroughly prayed over a matter:
A centipede was happy till…One day, a toad in fun…Said, “Pray, which leg goes after which?”…Which strained his mind to such a pitch…He lay distracted in a ditch…Considering how to run.
When you hear God telling you to move in a certain direction, take two words of advice: Do it! If you delay, you may well find yourself “distracted in a ditch, considering how to run.” Thinking, what did God really mean? Does He really want me to do that, or is that just me, my thought? You can continue to doubt yourself and never do anything, or you can step out and say, “Lord, I believe this is what you want me to do, and by faith, I will do it.” If it wasn’t quite right, God knows how to help you get back on track.
When the way seems clear, remember the Lord’s instruction to the Israelites through Moses—Move on!!!
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