Daily Encouragement Net Header
The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
Home   About Us   Free email subscription   ListenListen to these messages

Daily Encouragement on Daily Encouragement on FacebookFacebook Daily Encouragement on TwitterTwitter   Daily Encouragement on LinkedInWordpress   Daily Encouragement on LinkedInLinkedIn

<Previous Message                            Next Message>

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Joshua 24:15

"The Peril Of Hesitation"

Personal note from Brooksyne: I removed the surgical bandages this morning and covered my incisions with bandaids, so now I am able to type more easily. I am thanking the Lord for a successful operation, for the prayers and well wishes, and for five nights of no numbness/piercing pain. I got relief the very night that I had my operation and I am now having more use my hands, though I have a few weeks to go before I have full usage.

Message summary: “How long will you hesitate between two opinions?" Elijah challenged the people to take a public and private stand - to give single-minded, fervent allegiance to the one true God. The challenge is for us today as well. If we drift along with whatever is popular, pleasant, or easy we will eventually discover that we too are worshiping a false god - the god of this age. Let us be careful to examine our own hearts today, to be sure that we do not waver in what we believe nor in our allegiance to the one true God.

ListenListen to this message on your audio player.

"So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions?" (1 Kings 18:21).

In Pennsylvania we have a lot of towns with names based on the Bible such as Bethlehem, Nazareth, Lebanon, Paradise, Ephrata, Emmaus and so forth. In fact the name of our state's largest city is taken from the Bible; Philadelphia! It might seem that Mount Joy is a Bible name but it is actually named after an Irish ship.

About 50 miles north of us in the anthracite coal region is a small town named Mount Carmel, also named after a Bible place. Sawmill operator, Albert Bradford, chose Mount Carmel because of its elevation and beautiful setting in the mountains. He decided that it deserved a special name and chose to name it after the holy mountain in Israel.

Mount CarmelMount Carmel, in the Bible, is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea toward the southeast. It is referenced most famously in today’s text (1 Kings 18:15-45), where a great contest took place between Elijah, a prophet of God, and all the prophets of Baal. In the daily text Elijah went before the people with a probing question. (Mount Carmel pictured on the right.)

The question is so fitting for any age and certainly our own. Elijah confronted the apostate, idolatrous northern Kingdom with this succinct query,
"How long will you hesitate between two opinions?" Another version words it, "How long will you waver between two opinions?"

It seems the people of God had long forgotten the final challenge of Joshua several hundred years earlier, "Choose you this day whom you will serve."

Hesitation is not necessarily a bad thing. When making a large purchase we shouldn't rush right out and buy something. It might be good to hesitate and deliberate. When making a decision regarding our lifelong mate we certainly want to be very careful in our consideration!

However it is absolutely essential that once we make a resolute commitment to serve and follow the Lord we don't hesitate or waver. The simple chorus often sung at baptism services says it all,

I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

1 Kings 18:21 Sadly the people of Israel "hesitated" in their allegiance to God. They wavered. They were essentially double-minded. Many years later the Apostle James wrote, "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8).

Consider these consequences of wavering:
  • The wavering person is unstable in all his ways.
  • The wavering person is unproductive and ineffective in his service for Christ.
  • The wavering person lacks peace and assurance.
  • The wavering person lacks a steadfast testimony.
“How long will you hesitate between two opinions?" Elijah challenged the people to take a public and private stand - to give single-minded, fervent allegiance to the one true God. The challenge is for us today as well. If we drift along with whatever is popular, pleasant, or easy we will eventually discover that we too are worshiping a false god - the god of this age.

Let us be careful to examine our own hearts today, to be sure that we do not waver or hesitate in what we believe nor in our allegiance to the one true God.


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Praying manDaily prayer: Father, help me to thirst and hunger for Your Living Word where I find convincing truths to assure me, "This is the way. Walk in it." I want to keep my heart fixed upon You and my mind certain of Your truths in this age where false religions abound and the broad way just gets broader. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and I gain entry to You, my Father, only through Jesus the Son. I've got a made up mind and I'm going to follow You during the good and the bad times, the lean and plentiful periods. Whether I stand with many or whether I stand alone, I choose to wholeheartedly follow You. Erase any doubts, fears, or wavering opinions that I might entertain so that I am wholeheartedly devoted to the one true God.  Amen.

Wednesday:  Tomorrow we will look at the prophetic challenge Elijah issued to the people, "If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him" (1 Kings 18:21).



A reader's comment concerning Brooksyne's explanation of adultery in her Sunday School lesson in yesterday's message:

"I had to laugh at the mention of Brooksyne asking the children if they knew what adultery meant. When my son was very young, his Sunday School teacher explained it as "messing around with your neighbors wife". My son then informed his teacher that his dad had committed adultery! What really happened was he had told a joke to our neighbor and his wife."



Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

"I Have Decided"   Video   Selah with an African beat.

The powerful story behind "I Have Decided To Follow Jesus"  Video   I suppose when I first heard this song as a young Christian I probably assumed it was written sometime shortly before we sang it in the early seventies. However the lyrics go back to the 1800's. It was popularized with music during the early Billy Graham crusades.

"Days of Elijah"  Video  Robin Mark  (Probably the most well-known modern song referencing Elijah.)

Mount Carmel, PA  (article) is located here.

Finally today:
African folk song 2/5/17 (Photo by Ester)
Ester snapped this photo on Sunday. "All Day Long" is an African folk hymn that Brooksyne taught the congregation. And who better to help her teach it than our Zimbabwean friends, the Ncubes, and longtime African missionaries (since 1958) Jake and Nancy Shenk.


Contact Us
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne

To receive the "Daily Encouragement" each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe to our email list. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or through a Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)


Support Our MinistryWe want to thank all who financially support our ministry. We realize there are many fine ministries and causes requesting support but if the Lord would lead you we surely need and appreciate the financial support from our readers and listeners. Our ministry labor is comprised of half our time to Daily Encouragement and the other half to our chaplaincy ministry to companies for which we receive a fee (of course this percentage of time varies week by week). Each of these ministries essentially is the same as a part-time job (20+ hours weekly) for each of us. Our goal for many years is that each phase would provide half of our ministry expenses and income. If you would like to make a donation to our ministry see here for more information. Donations through my chaplaincy endorsing ministry are tax deductible and will be receipted directly by them. Thank you!

Make A Donation using PayPal
Please Note: Our chaplain agency is unable to provide a receipt if the donation is made through PayPal. However we provide this option due to the convenience, international supporters, and for those who may not be concerned regarding receiving an official receipt. Click here to donate using PayPal.

Permissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. We do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.

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.

Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."

© Copyright 2017 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved

Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552  USA

dailyencouragement.net

Contact Us

"Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation"



This device counts unique visitors by nation and state. I installed the international version in mid April 2010 and the state version later. They thus register unique visitors to since then.
free counters



Free counters!