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  Follow Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter    The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archives · Archive edition Monday, May 2, 2011  40 Day New Testament Reading/Listening Plan: We began a 40 day New Testament reading plan on April 3. If you want to participate and have not been following the reading schedule up to this point we suggest starting with today's reading and reading previous portions after this reading period ends. Here's the entire 40 day schedule. The links below will open to the selection to be read along with a built-in listening device.
"Open My Eyes That I May See" "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints and His incomparably great power for us who believe" (Ephesians 1:18,19). Today we would like to write about spiritual enlightenment. One of the great aspects of our conversion is the reality of being spiritually enlightened. In the classic hymn "Amazing Grace" John Newton describes his spiritual enlightenment with the words, "I once was blind, but now I see." Spiritual blindness is a condition of the unbeliever. The apostle Paul wrote, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4). However the unbeliever may very well not sense in any way that their minds are blinded. On the contrary they may feel they are the ones enlightened. Those who hold an entirely different worldview and faith outlook speak of being "enlightened". In fact they would see me as backward, ignorant and unenlightened. So the issue is not whether we have been enlightened but rather what we've been enlightened to and who is our source for enlightenment! Many years ago a pastor friend used the term "spiritual cataracts" to describe a condition that believers also need to be mindful of. Because of the blinding impact of sin we need continual enlightenment by the Spirit and the Word of God. In the daily portion of Scripture the apostle Paul is expressing a powerful prayer for the Ephesian believers. It provides a great model of how we should pray for one another with our focus on the spiritual realm. Paul used a very interesting metaphor here in his prayer when he wrote about the "eyes of the heart" being enlightened. That is precisely what we need, for God to open our hearts to His truth. The eyes of our hearts being enlightened results in our knowledge of three powerful truths that bring great assurance:
Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, Open the eyes of my heart; I want to see You, I want to see You. Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, Open the eyes of my heart; I want to see You, I want to see You. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, Your creation has unlimited visual stimuli that is seen by our eyes today, but according to Scripture even our heart and our mind can see. Many philosophies and principles come to us through our mind, but we want the eyes of our heart to embrace only that which will keep our hearts pure. May the eyes of our heart reject teachings that are inconsistent with our spiritual enlightenment. Help us to sharpen and narrow our heart's vision to escape the broad way that leads to destruction. Keep our eyes open to the good things You want to reveal and shut our eyes to the "god of this age" whose goal it is to lead us to spiritual poverty and death. In Your name, Jesus, we pray. Amen. Brooksyne's Note: We are aware that there are a number of you receiving the Daily Encouragement who are physically blind. But I rejoice with you that you are not spiritually blind. You have been spiritually enlightened to the good things of the Lord and are an inspiration to all of us. We especially consider Charlie and Rosie Goumas, friends from Boston, whom we met at a conference years ago. With their sense of sight impaired or nonexistent they have nurtured their other four senses to compensate for their vision loss. Before we moved from New England in early 2001 they took the train and came to visit us in our home in Taunton Massachusetts. Rosie is a concert pianist. Stephen sharing a hymnbook with Ruth (who is 96 years old) as the residents sang "Standing on the Promises". Yesterday we attended the Sunday chapel service at Longwood Manor which is a spiritually high point for residents who love to worship God with fellow believers. We so appreciate the intergenerational tie that hymns provide. Ruth is 40 years older but the the same songs of their faith is enjoyed by multiple generations. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Open The Eyes Of My Heart Lord" Video Paul Baloche "Open Up My Heart Video Oslo Gospel Choir "Open My Eyes" Video Hillsong "Open My Eyes That I May See" Video Best loved hymns "He Hideth My Soul In the Cleft Of The Rock" Video Gaither Homecoming "Amazing Grace" Video Soweto Gospel Choir Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne |
 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/31/10)  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. 2011 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 5/1/11: $3,275.00 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 by us 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 through feedburner.Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If you no longer desire to receive these messages you can remove your address from the list by merely using 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 or who may desire less frequent mailings. It is Friday's message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter: The daily message and prayer on Facebook. The daily message and prayer on Twitter.Reader Survey: Please take a few minutes to assist us in improving our ministry effectiveness by filling out this online reader survey. To take the survey click here. 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. All of these songs are also available for download on the site.  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 2011 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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