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 Friday, February 3, 2012  Sturgeon Point Lighthouse along Lake Huron near Harrisville, Michigan  Listen to this message on your audio player (Please note: At the time the email message was delivered for some reason the podcast version was not working. I hope this gets resolved soon.) "Dealing With Hazards On The Course of Life" "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith" (1 Peter 5:8,9a).  A couple days ago I was visiting with Ken, a local friend who had been golfing in Florida the week before. He showed me this photo of an interesting "water hazard" he encountered on the course. I suppose if my ball fell anywhere near this alligator I would opt for the penalty stroke! Those who regularly play on this course must be alert and vigilant in regard to the alligator hazard, something rarely encountered on most golf courses thankfully! Today I'd like to consider another hazard we all encounter not on the golf course but on the course of life. Our daily Scripture portion is a tremendous source of strength and godly counsel as we deal with this hazard. This may seem like strange logic, but the continued work of the tempter and his many minions actually increases my faith in God. The Scriptures are so clear regarding good and evil and the cosmic battle we are in the midst of, whether we acknowledge it or not. We are not spectators but active participants in this battle. As disgusted as I am at the constant assault directed at those of the Christian faith, I need to cry out to God for renewed strength to "be self-controlled and alert." A Study Bible I use makes this observation in regard to this phrase: "Perhaps Peter remembered his own difficulty in staying awake during our Lord's agony in Gethsemane." In this course there are scores of ways our "ancient foe" continues to work his deadly woe. He's adept at using the latest technology and now scores are battling the wiles of the devil in ways never imagined by previous generations. "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Matthew Henry comments on this verse. "The whole design of Satan is to devour and destroy souls. He always is contriving whom he may ensnare to eternal ruin. Our duty plainly is, to be sober; to govern both the outward and the inward man by the rules of temperance." Today may we all realize, regardless of the nature of Satan's attack in our area of weakness, that our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Four keys to victory in dealing with this hazard are found in this short portion of Scripture:
Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily Prayer: Jesus, though Satan's temptations swirl about me in many forms and in various venues I resist the enemy's desire to reside in my life. Even as the devil seeks to wrap his noxious tentacles around my heart, I stand firm against him because You, Jesus, are the Protector of my soul, who stands guard at all times. I am grateful for the warning signals often repeated throughout the Bible that teach me about Satan's strategy. Thank You for Your still, small voice regularly reminding me that I am a child of God purchased by Your life-giving blood. May everything that passes before my eyes and all activities I engage in reflect the light of Your redeeming love within me. It is through Your power that I resist the devil and stand firm in the faith. Amen.Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "A Mighty Fortress" Video Chris Rice (traditional version) "A Mighty Fortress" Video Christy Nockels (a different version) "No One Believes in Me Anymore" Video Keith Green An interesting perspective! Today's photo of the Sturgeon Point Lighthouse on Lake Huron was taken by our friend, Howard J. Blichfeldt and is used with his permission. His website is here. Howard desires to honor the Lord through his photography. Here's information about the lighthouse. Request: Ken shared today's photo of the alligator he had taken on his camera phone and the daily verse came to mind, although of course the Biblical image of the hazard is as a roaring lion not an alligator! Perhaps some of our readers have a photo they have taken and would be willing to share with others on daily encouragement net. If so send me the photo (highest resolution posssible) and a suggested Scripture verse and/or theme. I am not sure I can use it but will try. |
 Weber family Christmas 2011 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/11)  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 making a donation to 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 2/2/12: $1,355.00 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. 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 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 |
Daily Encouragement is issued Monday-Friday. To make sure you continue to receive these e-mails in your Inbox (so they're not sent to a junk folder), please add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your address book or safe sender list. You are receiving these recurring messages as a subscriber to Daily Encouragement Net because you signed up on our website or otherwise requested it unless someone forwarded the message to you. If you desire to unsubscribe use the link below. However, please do not use this link unless your address is the subscribed address below as you will otherwise unsubscribe the person who forwarded it to you!
| You are currently subscribed to dailyencouragement as: stephencweber.dailyencouragement@blogger.com Add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your email address book to ensure delivery Forward to a Friend | Manage Subscription | Subscribe | Unsubscribe |  |
