   A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Archives ·  Archive/print editionWednesday, January 7, 2009  Old order Mennonite horses curious about the visitor who is taking their photo from a van.  Listen to us share this message on your audio player."I Shall Not Be Confounded" "For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed" (Isaiah 50:7). Yesterday we passed through an Old Order Mennonite and Amish region in Eastern Lancaster County. Although it was very cold and moisture filled the air the farmers were diligently working the fields; steel wheeled tractors for the Mennonites and mule teams for the Amish. We considered this quiet rural farm life in contrast to the setting we were in last week as we drove and sat in hours of heavy traffic near Washington DC, just 100 miles to the south of us. In the misty cold weather with warnings of a winter ice storm brewing in our county, these men were doing that which needed to be done. What a spiritual parallel this is to believers who are to be diligent in the work assignment that comes from our Father in heaven! Jesus told His followers, "Night is coming when no one can work" (John 9:4). What a statement of confident faith our daily verse expresses. Contextually it is considered by commentators to be part of a Messianic prophecy concerning Christ, but I find an application as well in my own life. I see four phrases each building on the preceding. "For the Lord God will help me." Have you accepted this truth in your life? Are you living with the peace that such knowledge brings? The underlying Hebrew word for "help" has a root meaning which is "to surround, i.e. protect or aid." A foundational assurance we have as God's children is that of His constant help and care. I have so often quoted and been blessed by the New Testament promise, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you" (I Peter 5:7). We also referred to this verse in yesterday's message as it applied to our theme as well. "Therefore shall I not be confounded." "Confound" is not a very common word in our vocabulary today. In fact when I hear it, for some reason I hear an aggravated hillbilly with a southern accent exclaiming, "Confound it!" It's actually an old word that means to become confused or perplexed. The word has an underlying meaning of being wounded and other versions translate it as "insulted, disgraced, ashamed." "Therefore have I set my face like a flint." What a proclamation of determination based on the preceding two truths! I want to do this today. I encourage you to join me. We've all seen enough weak-kneed, wavering, wimpy professing followers of Christ, and sadly in certain settings we might personally identify with them. But the word "flint" conveys hardness. Jesus demonstrated this when Luke recorded, "As the time approached for Him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem" (9:51). Though the "people there did not welcome Him" and He had "no place to lay His head" He was resolute in doing the will of His Father. "I know that I shall not be ashamed." Now that's an unwavering faith statement. Notice the confident assurance Isaiah expresses in the words, "I know." He indicates that this attitude is not only for the present but for the future, whether circumstances are favorable or troubling. Today, my friend, be steadfast in your faithfulness to our Lord Jesus Christ to the very end. Make Isaiah's resolve your very own as you boldly proclaim, "I know that I shall not be ashamed." Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer: Father, I confess that Jesus is my Savior. And because I do so, I am confident that Jesus will acknowledge me in heaven as Your child. And as a child of God there are sacrifices You ask of me here on earth; most especially a surrendered will so that I follow You and obey You no matter the cost. I can't do this in my own strength but You will help me. Circumstances will test me yet I will not be confounded. I am resolute in remaining faithful so that my faith will grow and my Christian walk will be strengthened. I will not be ashamed but rather glory in the cross of Christ. Brooksyne's Note: I read a story in "Christian Heroes" early this morning about Nikolai Khamara from the Soviet Union, an imprisoned thief who had committed many years of sin. He converted to Christ in the prison cell in the 1970's and joined the underground church. Then his faith and that of his pastors' was tested beyond anything we could imagine. But Nikolai remained resolute in his faith to his very last breath on this side of heaven. You can read this brief inspirational story here.  The Complete Book of Christian HeroesBy Dave & Neta Jackson / Tyndale House Are there any true heroes? Discover the remarkable stories of those who have suffered for the cause of Christ throughout the course of history. This book reveals what inspired the great heroes of faith and drove them to give their all. Featuring such gripping accounts of each hero's life, this book gives the historical and cultural information as well as quotations and Scripture passages that amplify what each hero stood for. You will learn about John Bunyan, Mary Dyer, Brother Andrew, Todd Beamer and over 200 more heroes of yesterday and today. This is an excellent resource for any home library. For more information or to order click here. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources (Click on the link to open and play. In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.) "My Help" Video This song is by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. "He Hideth My Soul" Steve Webb has an excellent podcast with hymnstories. Here's a story about Fanny Crosby and her song, "He Hideth My Soul" as well as Scott Wesley Brown singing the song. "You Never Let Go" Audio  Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne. |
 Stephen and Brooksyne Weber "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 10/21/08  Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. Would you please consider a financial offering to support us in this daily encouragement ministry? Donations are tax deductible and will be receipted directly by my chaplaincy endorsing ministry. Thanks! See here for details. (2008 YTD financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net through 12/31/08: $21,791.00) Note: Due to a posting delay in the report from my chaplaincy agency this continues to increase a bit. I expect to soon have the final accounting for 2008 contributions. Thank you! SUBSCRIPTION INFO  Were you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net? If you desire you can receive your own free! To receive these "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It was sent to you because you signed up to receive it OR a friend forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the rss feed.Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If this newsletter no longer meets your needs we will be happy to remove your address from the list immediately. To remove your address merely use the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each message. Weekly Version: The weekly version is designed for those who do not check their email regularly. It is merely the Friday message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Please feel free to pass these messages on! "A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message! "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church. (Actually this is my intent but I haven't done much with it!) "A Little Foolishness" - A humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) I haven't had time or "inspiration" for this for awhile but it has several stories that get regular page views. "Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. We are distributing this CD without charge in our ministry. All of these songs are also available for download on the site. If any reader in this series would like a CD merely write us and request one.  Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com. Any orders placed to Christian Book Distributers using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for using these links when purchasing online through CBD!Personal Mission Statement "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."  How to become a child of God Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. © Copyright 2009 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 Contact us |
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