Brown's Daily Word 10-4-07

Praise the Lord for this beautiful day. It is going to be warm, very warm, and glorious. It is still like summer. One of the big events for our area is the Mercy Me concert . It will be held at the Forum in Binghamton tonight. The doors will open at 5.30 p.m. The concert will start at 7 p.m. Some of the beautiful contemporary Christian praise songs made prominent by the Mercy Me Band are "I Can Only Imagine" and " If We Are the Body". Some of our teens will be attending the concert. Laureen is driving up from Washington today to join us for this concert. I have been asked to pick up the band members from the Syracuse airport this afternoon. I will be their chauffeur. (Lord help us, Jesus) We are praying the Lord would bless the ministry of the music to bless His people and to encourage all of us.
We live in a world filled with discouraging situations, discouraging financial news, and discouraged people. Without question, the number one way reason that Christians do not ascend to the highest level of spiritual maturity is discouragement. When people feel disenchanted they are less likely to love, to give, or to serve, as they should. Millions are depressed and need medication for their bouts with depression. More Christians are disengaged from Christian fellowships today because they have somehow given in to feelings of discouragement or have internalized their setbacks and they say, "What is the use".
God’s sent His encouraging message to Zerubbabel in Zechariah 4:6,7 where God says, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, ’Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty. What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of God bless it! Go bless it.'"
The Lord will work through us, not by human, but by His supernatural Spirit’s power. God will carry out His work through us by the power of the Holy Spirit who helps us do everything God asks us to do. The Lord wants to direct, guide and lead us in the ways out of the clouds of discouragements. The Lord told Joshua, "Be strong and courageous and act, do not fear or be dismayed for the Lord goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until ALL the work of the house of God is completed." (Josh. 1:7-9) Do not think you have to pilot your way to your destination, because the Lord wants to navigate you through all kinds of troubled waters. God told Jeremiah, "I know the plans that I have for you says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for harm, to give you a future and a hope." Look to the Lord’s Spirit continuously to guide you with the still small voice of calm.
So many people are discouraged because they think they do not have enough money, materials or resources. Other people are discouraged because they do not have any close friends. Paul wrote, "He who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. How will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things.” (Romans 8:32)Our Almighty God is a Providential Giver. He provides for our needs with His timely care. The Providential God foresees what we need emotionally, socially, physically and spiritually. His beneficent care supplies us all our needs according to His rich reservoir of resources found in Christ. Jesus. (Phil. 4:19) We can trust Him to supply us with whatever we need financially, emotionally, or socially.
Regardless of how dark the clouds may appear on your horizon, the Lord’s promises will brighten your outlook. His word is filled with more than 7000 promises that are ready to be claimed in Christ. Paul wrote, "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the Amen is spoken by us to the glory of God." (2 Corinthians 1:20)
Promises are like assets in the bank that are given to us to use when we are in need. Many Christians are not appropriating or utilizing the riches that are available to them in Christ and the promises of God’s word. In Christ we have the power, the encouragement, the consolation of love, the fellowship of the Spirit, the affection, and the compassion to make our joy complete. His resources are inexhaustible.

In Christ,
Brown

Happy 50th anniversary to our friends Lee and Skip, who live in Hope, NJ. Hope is a town that was founded by the Moravians. Lee and Skip love the Lord, and serve Him faithfully through their local church. After Lee's mother died, she and Skip raised her young sister, Becky. (Becky turned 50 this year). Amazing love!
Pray for Sarah Deuel, who will be having back surgery next week.

Please remember our young friend Alexander in prayer today:
Hi Brown: Please put our grandson Alex Umiker on the prayer request list. He will be in Rochester on Friday for tests. He has been very ill with stomach pains, headaches and vomiting. He will have 3 tests to determine if there is a problem with the brain shunt. Karen and I will be with him.

Linda

Hundreds Remember Televangelist Rex Humbard

According to The Christian Post, hundreds gathered on Saturday in Akron, Ohio, to remember the late Rev. Rex Humbard, widely considered the pioneer of televangelism. "Rex was focused on one thing: to tell people they need to be saved," said Wayne Jones, Humbard's brother-in-law, according to The Associated Press. Humbard died Sept. 21 of natural causes at the age of 88. His body lay in state Saturday at the former Cathedral of Tomorrow in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where he broadcast Sunday services to millions of people worldwide. Elizabeth Bandy of Akron said: "I grew up in this church. My parents came to Christ through Rex's ministry. His legacy is so touching. He's made such a difference in this community and his ministry worldwide is so overwhelming. When I look around and see the faces of all these people who came to say goodbye, I realize the one common thread is Rex's ministry."

China Urged to Release Christian Human Rights Lawyer

ASSIST News Service reports that a prominent Christian human rights lawyer has been rearrested in Beijing. China Aid Association (CAA) reports Mr. Gao Zhisheng and his family members were reportedly arrested again on September 23, 2007 after he sent an open letter to the US Congress and Senate on September 21. In the letter, Gao lists numerous cases of grave human rights abuses in the name of hosting the 2008 Beijing Olympics and urges the international community not to be fooled by the Chinese government propaganda. Earlier this year after being detained and even severely tortured for a number of months, Mr. Gao was sentenced to three years with five years probation because of his human rights defense work.

Trans World Radio Impacting Muslim Countries for Christ

OneNewsNow.com reports that Trans World Radio (TWR), which broadcasts to the Arab world, is making a major impact in the Muslim world. TWR's coordinator, whose name is withheld for security concerns, says although many Arab countries are closed to the gospel, radio waves penetrate all areas of the world with the message of Christ. "A faithful body of Christian believers are facing huge tasks, because they want to fulfill their calling and they want to be the good news for this part of the world -- and they believe that there's something they can contribute to the Muslim community." The coordinator says although Islam is not a peaceful religion, Muslims must be given the opportunity to hear the gospel and respond to Christ.