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Bible teaching ministry of Stephen
& Brooksyne Weber
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Home About Us Archives Free email subscription Listen to these messages Follow Daily Encouragement on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn <Previous Message Next Message> Tuesday, January 26, 2016 "The Danger Of Being Bewitched"
Message Summary: There's a lot of bewitching going on and a lot of people are being ferhoodled. We must be vigilant in guarding our hearts and keeping our minds clear. A timeless verse in this regard is our second daily text. "The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray." Listen to this message on your audio player. "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?" (Galatians 3:1a). "The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray" (1 Peter 4:7). The other day Brooksyne and I were speaking with Marlin who is a long time Pennsylvania Dutch native (his grandparents were Amish and he still has Amish family members). He used "ferhoodled" in a sentence he spoke and he must have noticed our questioning look. He followed with, "Ferhoodled? You've never heard that word before?" We knew instantly that it was Pennsylvania Dutch but didn't know its meaning. He chuckled and explained, "It essentially means confused." According to an online definition it means to confuse or mix up such as "Don't ferhoodle the things in that drawer." There's a book for sale on Amazon titled "Ferhoodled English, a Collection of Quaintly Amusing Expressions Heard Among the Pennsylvania Dutch Folks" Adding to it's folksy value is that it's described as "Unpaginated, approx. 25, stapled booklet." Later that morning I met an Amishman at a worksite and asked him about the word. He pronounced it for me slowly with his distinctive Dutch accent and I thought it would be neat to get a recording from an authentic Amishman but I got ferhoodled and couldn't figure out how to turn on the recorder on my smart phone. It seems to me there's a lot of ferhoodling going on in our world even among those who confess Christ as Lord. There's certainly no shortage of ferhoodling going on in the political realm but it is true in many other areas as well. We think the whole world is being ferhoodled! Brooksyne and I went to college at a small Midwestern Bible College that certainly would not have been reckoned as "elite". At that time Wheaton College in Illinois would have been considered an elite type Christian college. Yet if you are following current events and have any sense of discernment it's become, like most "elite" institutions of higher learning, whether secular or Christian, a ferhoodled mess. I contend among the nuttiest stuff imaginable comes out of the academic world! (See below for link if you are not familiar with the controversy at Wheaton College.) Today's text begins in an interesting way, a strong rebuke by Paul to the Galatians: "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?" "O foolish Galatians" The apostle Paul's words are more forward and indicting than endearing and winsome! He was specifically addressing their return to law-based justification rather than faith through grace. But in fact we too need powerful words to the effect, "You foolish Americans..." In our case it may not be the same issue as Paul was confronting in Galatia but rather our nation's rapid departure from God's ways and the growing confusion that results. Of course this message is not limited to America but applies anywhere our readers receive this. "Who has bewitched you?" Paul is speaking here of the Judaizers, a teaching of that time that denied the sufficiency of faith and grace for salvation. Bewitched is an infrequently used word found only here in many versions but was also written concerning the sorcerer Simon in Acts 8 (KJV). "But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one" (Acts 8:9). (That sure sounds like some politicians!!!) "And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries" (Acts 8:11). The Greek word here in Galatians is "ebasken" and means "to mislead by pretenses, as if by magic arts; to fascinate; to influence by a charm." According to the "Linguistic Key To The Greek New Testament" the word means "to cast a magic spell, to seek to bring damage to a person through an evil eye or through a spoken word". There's a lot of bewitching going on and a lot of people are being ferhoodled. We must be vigilant in guarding our hearts and keeping our minds clear. A timeless verse in this regard is our second daily text. "The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray." Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, there is so much ferhoodling today that it's often difficult to separate fact from fiction, objective truth from that which is twisted or spun to one's preference. It's easy to get caught up with the issues of our day since we hear about them continuously via media, public places and even in our homes. The repeated bashing, disregard and disrespect from those who oppose Biblical truth and lifestyle can weigh us down. It can ferhoodle us and, if we're not on our guard, it can even shift our loyalty from You, our one true God. Far too many once considered the words of Jesus, "I am the Way, the Truth, the Life..." to be the only way to heaven as He proclaimed, but they now declare there are many ways to heaven. Father, we ask that You keep the Scripture ever before us. Engraft it in our hearts and minds enabling us to, "be clear minded and self-controlled so that we can pray" when we read or hear messages that seek to destroy our faith, especially when it may come from supposedly elite Christian institutions and leaders who have been esteemed by believers but now claim to have come into "new light", a result of looking to the world rather than the Word. Let us not be fooled by the message or the messenger no matter their credentials, for Your Word stands true for all time and all generations. Amen. Some More Winter Scenes from Our Place A low cloud over the snowy field across from our home. Due to heavy snowfall and drifting we have lots of weight on our roof! Thankfully it's melting off today. The view looking up Kraybill Church Road. The day before the storm I made sure I had evaporated milk in the fridge ready to whip up when the snow fell. Ester is crazy about the snow ice cream so I ended up making 3 batches over the weekend. Two very tasty and rich batches and then one using skimmed evap. milk sweetened with splenda. It was OK, very few calories, but less on taste. For directions click here and scroll down for recipe Yesterday Ester had work at her job at Darrenkamps Market. The roads were passable but coming home last night we passed buried cars on Donegal Street in Mount Joy. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "The Voice Of Truth" Video Casting Crowns Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth Issue at Wheaton College See here for information about the booklet "Ferhoodled English, a Collection of Quaintly Amusing Expressions Heard Among the Pennsylvania Dutch Folks" 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.) We 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! 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. I 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 2016 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA |