A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 A daily, Bible-based message of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archive edition Tuesday, July 3, 2012  Cape Cod Rainbow (photo by John Shields)  Listen to this message on your audio player."Take Your Stand!" "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand" (Ephesians 6:11,13).  Last week we mentioned our visit with Don and Kathy Eaton. After our dinner of salmon, rice pilaf and butternut squash (reminiscent of their New England roots and our nearly eight years spent there) we took them to some of our favorite neighborhood sights including our Amish friend Elam's home which is also their place of business as they have a plant nursery. I knew that as a horticulturist the Sycamore tree on their property would interest Don.Seven of Elam's eight children joined us while we stood around talking as the sun was rapidly setting. I never weary of seeing the Amish children, characteristically in their summer bare feet, attentively listening to adults talking. I suppose they were especially intrigued by both my height (6'2) and Don who is about 6'5 tall! Their father is about my wife's height of 5'3". After we took the photo of Don next to the sycamore tree several of the kids lined up on the branch. Elam gave us permission to take a photo but asked that we not publish it. (That's really hard to resist knowing that you would enjoy seeing it, but of course we respect his wishes.) Although the limb is not that high off the ground it was a cute sight as the kids climbed the ladder one by one and balanced themselves on the limb which demonstrated its strength. It also demonstrates to me the power of standing together in a troubled world. Everyone of us who follow Jesus are called to take a stand. The way we go about doing so will vary based upon our own personal circumstances and God's individual leading in our lives. Every believer, both local and those from all over the world who reads this message, is called to heed Paul's command to "take your stand against the devil's schemes". Putting on the armor of God is absolutely necessary for the battles we face as we take our "stand against the devil's schemes". "Schemes" translates the Greek "methodia", from which we get the English word "method". From the beginning Satan's foundational method has been to discredit God and His perfect plan for the human race. As Martin Luther plainly stated in the great old hymn, "A Mighty Fortress", "But still our ancient foe doth seek to work his woe." As we stand in this evil age let us remember these truths concerning our God: 1) Our God Is strong. "Yet their Redeemer is strong; the LORD Almighty is His name" (Jeremiah 50:34). 2) Our God is faithful. "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider (Jesus Christ) is called Faithful and True" (Revelation 19:11). 3) Our God is able. "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8). All over the world God's people are taking a stand. A remnant is standing for Biblical truth. Let us put on the armor of God and let us take our stand against the devil's schemes. Let's do so together! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, we desire to abound in good works, all the while making Your grace and love known to people all over this world. In ourselves we are frail and lack in so many ways, but in You we are able to overcome the evil one and take a stand against his schemes. Sometimes the daily battles leave us feeling a bit disheartened, weary, and even wounded at times. But we thank You for the presence of Your abiding Holy Spirit who encourages us and leads us forward in this daily conflict. Help us to praise You and trust You for the victory as the hymn says, "Hell's foundations quiver at the shout of praise; brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise." We raise to You our anthems of praise and our prayers of thanksgiving through Jesus our Lord. Amen. Here is a larger photo of the Sycamore tree branch mentioned in today's message. Elam pointed out that a branch at one time also extended out from the end where the branch turns straight up and this view shows the hole where this branch was!   Val-Co makes products for the agricutural industry and Joe Ulicny, the Marcom Specialist, sent me this photo he took of a chicken sipping from the beeker. I don't suppose this is something very many of our readers have ever seen! This is also interesting to us as we see the components to this watering system made by the hundreds of thousands and especially consider the Vietnamese ladies who glue the yellow part into the white pvc pipe. We have a language barrrier but they seem so pleased to see us and inevitably remove their work gloves as we approach them so they can shake our hands.  Cylo is the mascot for the Lancaster Barnstormers minor league baseball team and a fan favorite. Ester snapped this photo at the game the other night. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resource |
 Stephen and Brooksyne Weber Our 36th anniversary photo (Click on photo to enlarge) "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 4/12)  Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. We ask you to consider supporting Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible. 2012 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 7/2/12: $8,171.00. We express thanks to all who support our ministry!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. These messages are 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. 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 2012 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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