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Tuesday, October 21, 2025
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"Free
From Anxious
Thoughts"
Note:
Today
is Brooksyne's
birthday and
also the
29th
anniversary of
this ministry.
Message summary: May God help us all to be free from our anxious thoughts!
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
"It
is in vain
that you rise
up early and
go late to
rest, eating
the bread of
anxious toil;
for He gives
to His beloved
sleep" (Psalm
127:2). "Say
to those who
have an
anxious heart,
'Be strong;
fear not!'"
(Isaiah 35:4).
"Do not be
anxious about
anything, but
in everything
by prayer and
supplication
with
thanksgiving
let your
requests be
made known to
God"
(Philippians
4:6). "Casting
all your
anxieties on
Him, because
He cares for
you" (1 Peter
5:7).
The
remainder of
this week we
will consider
lines from a
song titled
"Christ Our
Wisdom" that
we
enjoy singing
and find the
words to bring
tremendous
guidance to
our daily
living for
Christ. We
will share a
link to the
song with each
message so you
can listen to
it if you so
choose and we
will also post
the entire
four stanzas.
If you care to
you can listen
here
(from our
church service
this last
Sunday).
Today we consider a line from the song that says, "Free us from our anxious thoughts".
How
many of you
deal with
anxious
thoughts?
Anxiety is a
very common
emotional
affliction and
certainly not
new to our
age. It is
addressed all
through the
Bible with
representative
verses in our
daily texts.
Jesus
addressed the
subject of
anxiety,
commanding His
followers to "not
be anxious
about your
life"
(Matthew
6:25).
Anxiety
is defined as
an emotion
characterized
by an
unpleasant
state of inner
turmoil and
includes
feelings of
dread over
anticipated
events. Worry
and anxiety
are
essentially
the same.
Paul
wrote "Do
not be anxious
about anything".
Anything,
that pretty
much covers
any subject
matter that
comes to mind,
doesn't it?
Like Martha we
can be "anxious
and troubled
about many
things"
(Luke 10:41).
"Anxious"
translates a
Greek word
merimnao that
means "to turn
over and over
in the mind".
Isn't that
just what we
do when we are
anxious or
worry? The
Precept Austin
commentary
states, "The
idea inherent
in merimnao is
that of an
individual
attempting to
carry the
burden of the
future by
themselves and
expressing an
unreasonable
anxiety
(especially)
about things
over which one
has no
control."
The
first daily
text seems to
describe the
restlessness,
"It is in
vain that you
rise up early
and go late to
rest",
that often
comes with
anxiety as "eating
the bread of
anxious toil".
But what a
blessing that
"He gives
to His beloved
sleep".
That's the
peace like a
river in my
soul.
Worry has a fascinating etymology which can be traced back to the Old High German "wurgen" which means "to strangle" which is what worry does to our joy and peace!
May God help us all to be free from all our anxious thoughts!
Be encouraged today! Hebrews 3:13
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
we don't want
to be anxious
believers who
choke out the
joy and peace
You grant to
us when we
fully trust
You to work
out the needs
we have from
day to day.
Many struggles
we deal with
bring humility
by reminding
us that we are
unable to find
answers within
our own
strength,
abilities or
intellect.
Help us trust
You when we
grow weary and
free us from
our anxious
thoughts. Give
us grace to
see more
clearly that
You are God
and we are
not. In
Christ's name
we pray. Amen.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"Christ Our Wisdom" Watch on YouTube This is from our service Sunday at Calvary Church here in Lancaster County PA. This song has very thoughtful lyrics and our messages the remainder of this week will be based on lines that especially grip our heart:
Christ our wisdom, we are humbled
When You hide Your ways from us
You have purposes unnumbered
Each one good and glorious
Help us trust when we grow weary
Free us from our anxious thoughts
Give us grace to see more clearly
You are God and we are not
[Verse 2]
Christ our wisdom, be our gladness
When we fail to understand
You ordain all joy and sadness
To fulfill Your perfect plan
Help us know You rule with power
Over every raging flood
In our most uncertain hour
You are God and we are loved
[Verse 3]
Christ our wisdom, we will follow
Though the way ahеad is veiled
As we journеy through the shadows
Grant us faith where sight has failed
Help us cling to Your commandments
Strengthened by Your faithful Word
We will never be abandoned
You are God and we are Yours
[Verse 4]
Christ our wisdom we adore You
For the beauty of the cross
Once in foolishness we scorned You
But Your blood has ransomed us
Help us sing the endless mercies
Of Your humble heart to save
Christ our wisdom, Christ our glory
You are God forever praised
"Cares
Chorus"
Watch
on YouTube
Steffany
Gretzinger
I am sure this
simple chorus
has brought
peace to many
over the
years. The
song is
copyrighted in
1978 and we
especially
recall singing
it church in
our younger
years. But the
truth has not
changed! I
dedicate it
today to our
friends Larry
and Cindy.
What Do You Do When You Worry All The Time? by Jay E Adams pdf This is the best short treatment on the subject of worry I've ever read.
Today
is Brooksyne's
birthday!
She begins her
8th decade of
life outside
her mother's
womb. (Her
life began 9
months
earlier)
We have
something
special
planned!
Our Daily Encouragement ministry also began 29 years ago on this date. Here's some info about Daily Encouragement Net:
Daily Encouragement Ministry Chronology
October
20, 1996 -
Preached a
message from
Hebrews 3:13
about
encouraging
one another
daily and
queried the
congregation
on how we
could practice
this. How
could I
practice this?
October
21, 1996 -
Sent a very
brief
encouragement
email to Nigel
and Laifong
Lee, a young
married couple
in the church
we served. I
did it again
the next day
and then the
next and
haven't
stopped. As
other email
addresses were
added it
developed into
a list (which
at first was
merely a group
list added to
manually one
by one.) Nigel
and Laifong
are still on
the list and
have received
some 7,500+/-
messages.
1999
-
www.dailyencouragement.net
website
developed by
Andy
Larrimore, a
friend in the
church we
served at the
time in New
England. Andy
remains a
friend to this
day.
2004 - Resigned from full-time job with Marketplace Chaplains.
2005 - Developed html email (formatted with photos as opposed to just plain text), began using a listserve which automates the email management, began podcasting daily messages, set up blogs/RSS feeds, Brooksyne "officially" joined in the message preparation.
2006 - Received official endorsement as the first "internet chaplain" from chaplaincy endorsement agency. (I already had endorsement for corporate chaplaincy and Civil Air Patrol chaplaincy.)
Since
that time have
sought to
improve but
basically just
kept keeping
on.
Each of these messages since the very first one are stored in a single WORD document which currently has nearly 6,000,000 words and over 9,000 pages (10pt type). However even this total is probably significantly understated since, as many writers know, you tend to type many words that get chopped as you go along or are eliminated in the editing process! Plus we prepare a lot of extra material on the web posts such as photo captions, music descriptions and so forth that aren't even in this archive.
Here's
the very first
daily
Encouragement
message from
Monday,
October 21,
1996:
"Let us not
give up
meeting
together, as
some are in
the habit of
doing, but let
us encourage
one
another--and
all the more
as you see the
Day
approaching"
(Hebrews
10:25).
Hopefully each
of you were in
church
yesterday and
received fresh
strength from
the Lord and
His Word.
Unfortunately,
then, even as
now, some had
forsaken this
important
element of
growth and
discipleship.
As we see the
Day of
Christ's
return drawing
ever closer
may we be
encouraged.
Whatever you
do today
remember the
main thing:
"Thou shalt
love the LORD
thy God with
all thine
heart, and
with all thy
soul, and with
all thy might"
(Deuteronomy
6:5).
Last
week we
traveled up to
New England to
see the fall
foliage. We
visited a
number of
sites and rode
several bike
trails. All
this week we
will share
photos from
our trip.
Click to enlarge photo
To donate
directly
online click
here.
(This will
open to a page
that
designates the
offering to:
Stephen and
Brooksyne
Weber -
700001-237376
serving in
specialized
chaplaincy
(Daily
Encouragement
is our
endorsed
special
chaplaincy
ministry).
In considering support we are so pleased when we hear from you, our readers, that our messages are a source of teaching and encouragement to you. We also urge you to consider the mission aspect of these daily teachings that are freely available and read by many all over the world.
Stephen & Brooksyne
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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 and a variety of other versions.
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."
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Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA