A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archives · Archive edition Wednesday, November 9, 2011  Pond along Homestead Road in Lancaster County, PA I enjoy the color contrast between the dark green and the bright yellow!  Listen to this message on your audio player."Hath God Said?" "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, 'Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?'" (Genesis 3:1). "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8).  In the last several messages we have been considering Satan's schemes based upon a passage used in Monday's message where Paul states, "We are not ignorant of his schemes" (2 Corinthians 2:11). Yesterday's message asserted that a foundational scheme of Satan is his undermining the God-designed interface among generations. Today let's consider another ancient scheme of Satan: undermining and discrediting the authority of God and His Word.  He shared a clock story illustrating his point of how we need a fixed authority. A man went by a clock store every morning on the way to work and always set his watch by the clock in the display window. The store owner noticed and one day asked him why he did this. The worker said, "My watch doesn't keep good time and I have the responsibility of setting the clock that blows the whistle at the factory where I work, so I want to make sure it's correct." The store owner said, "That's interesting, my display clock doesn't keep good time either, so I set it each day by the whistle at the factory." The point of the story is that you will end up with a chaotic mess if you have no fixed reference point or authority. The lack of absolutes in our postmodern world is a breeding ground for Satan to incessantly pose questions in place of truths explicitly taught in the Bible. The result of such "tinkering" brings about massive confusion regarding what is right and what is wrong. It can also erode confidence in those who try to uphold traditional values and truths prescribed over the centuries through the authoritative Word of God. The first daily verse was Satan's initial assault on God and His authority. "Hath God said?" Just three words from the interface Satan had with Eve planted a seed of doubt in her mind. The absolute authority of God is questioned. If we don't resist temptation but tumble it over and over in our minds it will do the same to us. Eve chose the words of the devil over the Word of God which weakened her will and led to the great fall. Ever since that event the human race has been subject to the flaming arrows of Satan discrediting the authority of God and His Word. The mockery of God's Word is at a fever pitch with regular attacks from media, "scholars" and experts assuring modern man that the Bible is nothing but an ancient fairy tale. Thank God for the sure Word we have in the Holy Scriptures. The Word of the Lord endures forever. His Word reflects the steadfast character of God who does not change. Today as you read, study, memorize and live out the teaching of the Scriptures, rejoice in their surety, their authority, and their absolute dependability. As you sense things spinning out of control around you, whether at times in your own life or the craziness in the world, reflect on this wonderful truth first proclaimed by Isaiah some 2,700 years ago: "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8). Truly as the great hymn states, "How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!" Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily Prayer: Father, You make Your will known to us through the authority of the Holy Scriptures. And yet each day we are exposed to opinions and lifestyles that are a direct contrast to Your teaching through Scripture and the life of Jesus. It helps us deal with such conflict when we remember that though we must be in the world we are not to partake of the world's ways. We recall the temptations of Jesus over the 40 days He spent in the wilderness fasting and praying. Matthew writes that it was Your Spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Was that to show us that even Jesus could be tempted by the evil one? Did Jesus go through this testing to show us how to resist the devil's crafty lies by responding with Scripture? Was it to show us that being prayed up helps us to resist the evil one? Thank You for this inspiring and instructive Scripture passage that helps us in our own wilderness journeyings that are filled with baited traps along the way. We want to be prayed up and read up so that we will not give the devil a foothold in our lives. We want to be victorious through Christ Jesus our Lord in whose name we pray. Amen.Tomorrow we will continue this theme of Satan's schemes with an examination of the wisdom of this world.  "Retaining the knowledge of God" In looking for a photo illustrative of studying God's Word I found this one taken around our dining room table several years ago. I stood up and took the photo while my fellow brothers and sisters were unaware and I am blessed by observing their attention to the Scriptures. It's a scene that still takes place regularly all over the world. It may be in a local church as the pastor stands behind the sacred pulpit and faithfully provides exposition of God's Word while the people listen with attentive hearts and minds. It may be in a home or small group Bible study such as the one pictured that met for study last night. It may be within your family devotions or it may be in your own individual Bible study that you give full attention to God's Holy Word. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "How Firm A Foundation" Video Sovereign Grace Music "Ancient Words" Video Michael W. Smith "Speak, O Lord" Video Kristyn Getty "How Sure the Scriptures Are" by Christopher Idle (Unavailable as online audio but I sure wish someone would post this great hymn!) How sure the Scriptures are! God's vital, urgent word, As true as steel and far more sharp than any sword! So deep and fine, at His control they pierce where soul and spirit join. Ravi Zacharias has a Lancaster County connection that prompted a Daily Encouragement message over 6 years ago (see here) Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne. |
 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 10/21/11)  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 11/8/11: $12,451.00 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! Our other blogs: "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!) (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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