 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Messages · Archives ·  Archive/print editionFriday, June 19, 2009  We have an abundance of beautiful perennial flowers all around our house and they are sure thriving with the abundant rain we've had! (This is Malva from the Hollyhocks family)  Listen to us share this message on your audio player."Man Of God" "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith" (1 Timothy 6:11,12). As I prepare for Father's Day I consider my dad who went to be with the Lord eleven years ago. As time goes by I continue to reflect on his example in living life and specific teaching moments borne out of actual experiences. He was a quiet man and his teaching was rarely verbal.  A lasting memory of this teaching method took place when I was in first grade. Up to that point in my life I had both sets of grandparents and I didn't know anyone who had died and had never even thought about death. We lived near an Air Force base and one December day a C-130 cargo plane crashed in a field several miles west of our home in Belton Missouri killing all seven men aboard. When my dad came home from work we drove out to the crash scene and he explained death to me, solemnly pointing out that these men had families who would not see them on Christmas. My dad had trained as a pilot during World War 2 so perhaps this scene also gave him some pause for consideration.I hope many of you are able to consider similar teaching memories from your dad. What a vital role they have in our lives. I am preparing to issue a Biblical challenge to men this Sunday on Father's Day to rise up as men of God. My main text is the solemn charge to Timothy expressed in the daily Scripture portion. My main points are Flee, Follow and Fight, but today I just want to consider the final point. I have never enjoyed fighting. I recall a period in Junior High School when a class bully had the word out that he wanted to fight me. I was a skinny kid who could run a lot better than I could fight! I had no idea why he wanted to fight me but that was sure a hard several months. Thankfully, we never had the fight he threatened months earlier. To this day I would much rather avoid conflict than face it. But there is an ongoing conflict in the spiritual realm that is unavoidable. We who have decided to flee evil and follow Christ are engaged in this conflict by virtue of the fallen condition of mankind. Supposed neutrality in this conflict is actually surrender and an alliance with the forces of evil. Paul wrote, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12). Paul calls this "the good fight." This specific phrase is only used in the letters to Timothy. It is good in the sense that God desires his people not to surrender but to take an unyielding stand. The good fight is the ancient conflict that began with the fall of Satan that resulted in his expulsion from the heavenly realms. It was seen soon after Creation in the Garden and all through the Bible and human history. As the great old hymn declares, "For still our ancient foe, doth seek to work us woe, his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal." Today we pray for all those fighting the good fight, seeking to contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints and standing up for God's truth and righteousness. We are convinced the battle will get increasingly fiercer. Let us all remain faithful to our call and, men, let us be spiritual leaders in our household! Declare with us "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord!" Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, we pray for our fathers, grandfathers, husbands and sons that they will pursue godliness above any earthly pursuit. We pray that they will resist the temptation to fall into the devil's trap where foolishness and harmful desires will plunge them to ruin resulting in disappointment, loss and heartache. Help them to flee from all this and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Help them to lead their families in the good fight of faith as they take hold of eternal life. Make them strong in their faith so that they throw away anything that hinders their spiritual walk. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 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.) "The Family Prayer Song" Video "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord" "One Thing Have I Desired" Video "To Be pleasing You" Video The written tribute: A great way to bless your father.  Regardless of what country you may live in we sure need a revival! On Sunday morning July 5 our church will join many others in participating in "Call2Fall", a nationwide prayer meeting. We encourage others to look into this, especially pastors here in America. Essentially this is a definite time during worship on Sunday, July 5th when we get on our knees before the Lord in repentant prayer, pleading with God to reshape our lives, renew our land, and send times of refreshing (See 2 Chronicles 7:14; Acts 3:19).Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne |
 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 05/08/09  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. (2009 YTD financial offerings through 6/18/09: $5,195.00)SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  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 either signed up to receive it OR a friend forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the rss feed. or as an email subscription update through feedburner. Subscribe to Daily Encouragement Updates by EmailCancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If these messages no longer meet your needs (providing encouragement) you can remove your address by merely use the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Weekly Version: The weekly version is intended for those who may 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. 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! "A Little Foolishness" - Humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) Last updated with the story of Mildred Swanson, who joyfully discovers her "spiritual gift" is sending forwarded emails! (Note: This material is satire!) "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!) "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  Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net |
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