by Brian Shilhavy, Health Impact News: With the constant flow of articles I continue to see in my news feed each day with Americans bemoaning the loss of what they call “free speech” as they idolize their favorite Big Tech Billionaires, I want to highlight some facts in this article about these Big Tech billionaires […]

A Prayer to Find Joy and Gratitude in Everyday MomentsBy Christine F. Perry Bible Reading“A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” Proverbs 17:22 NKJV  Life has numerous ups and downs. In a span of two weeks, I’d lost my job for reasons that were never disclosed and a close relationship. I felt crushed. If I am being honest, I felt like I deserved both things. I didn’t realize how deeply rooted my entitlement was. The Lord used the loss of those two things to bring me to my knees. I felt the weight of my sin and saw the gruesome and devastating damage it was having on my soul. I repented. I asked God daily to help me. I had to ask Him daily to provide because if He didn’t show up, I was going to be in bad shape. I felt utterly broken and helpless. During that season, I found a quote by Charles Spurgeon that I still refer to from time to time. He said, “If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.”  When I saw that quote for the first time, I stopped and began to give thanks for the things in my life. I began thanking God for every freelance project I was hired to do. I thanked him for the time that I had to focus on writing. I thanked him for my family. I thanked him for my friends. I thanked him for never leaving me when I felt so heartbroken over the dreams I had envisioned for my life. Every day, I learned to thank Him for having what I needed for that day. I was at a point where I literally only had enough money for that day. When bills would arrive, I would pray for enough projects to cover them. Every time, exactly when I needed them to be, the bills were covered. I always had just enough.  During that season, I also had to go to the doctor for two separate issues. I wasn’t sure how I was going to pay for the visits, but I knew I needed to go. The Lord delayed the payments long enough so that when the bills came, the money was there. Although I never want to go through a season like that again, it taught me to give thanks for everything (and I know I will need to learn this lesson again). The more I give thanks, the more I find things to be grateful for. Let’s pray: Dear Lord,Thank you for the season you have us in right now and for being with us in it. Thank you for another day of life, for the breaths in our lungs and the beats in our hearts. Thank you for knowing us better than we know ourselves and for knowing what is absolutely best for us. Lord, please forgive us for our lack of gratitude and trust. Forgive us for our entitlement. Forgive us for thinking we deserve anything but your wrath. Lord, we are unworthy of you and unworthy of even communicating with you. But Lord, because of your sacrifice, you allow us not only to live but also to talk with you and be your friend. Lord, we are so unworthy, but we are thankful. You give us so much more than we deserve, and if you gave us nothing more, you have already given us more than enough. Lord, we are selfish beings and we need your help. Can you please help us to have hearts of gratitude? Help us to live for you and not for ourselves. We need you. Thank you so much for sending Jesus to save us. We love you. Help us to love you more. Amen Photo credit: ©GettyImages/RunPhoto Christine is just a lady who was given the gift of being raised in an incredible family. For reasons unknown to her, God has blessed her with an amazing life full of beautiful friendships, remarkable experiences, and a love from Him that is completely underserved. She desires to encourage others and share hope as we journey through the highs and lows of life. Christine is the author of How I Met Peace and For the Weary Life Traveler, a 31-day devotional. Check out more of Christine’s work at her website:  Learning to be fearless and her Patreon. Related Resource: Remember God’s Enduring Love for You in this Guided Meditation on Psalm 100! This guided Christian meditation from Psalm 100 will help you experience and praise God for his unending love for you. Become aware of God's presence with you, and praise God for his loyal and enduring love from the beginning of time and into the future. Listen to every episode of the So Much More Podcast on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode! Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! Visit iBelieve.com for more inspiring prayer content. The post A Prayer to Find Joy and Gratitude in Everyday Moments – Your Daily Prayer – September 4 appeared first on GodUpdates.

A Prayer to Find Joy and Gratitude in Everyday MomentsBy Christine F. Perry Bible Reading“A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” Proverbs 17:22 NKJV  Life has numerous ups and downs. In a span of two weeks, I’d lost my job for reasons that were never disclosed and a close relationship. I felt crushed. If I am being honest, I felt like I deserved both things. I didn’t realize how deeply rooted my entitlement was. The Lord used the loss of those two things to bring me to my knees. I felt the weight of my sin and saw the gruesome and devastating damage it was having on my soul. I repented. I asked God daily to help me. I had to ask Him daily to provide because if He didn’t show up, I was going to be in bad shape. I felt utterly broken and helpless. During that season, I found a quote by Charles Spurgeon that I still refer to from time to time. He said, “If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.”  When I saw that quote for the first time, I stopped and began to give thanks for the things in my life. I began thanking God for every freelance project I was hired to do. I thanked him for the time that I had to focus on writing. I thanked him for my family. I thanked him for my friends. I thanked him for never leaving me when I felt so heartbroken over the dreams I had envisioned for my life. Every day, I learned to thank Him for having what I needed for that day. I was at a point where I literally only had enough money for that day. When bills would arrive, I would pray for enough projects to cover them. Every time, exactly when I needed them to be, the bills were covered. I always had just enough.  During that season, I also had to go to the doctor for two separate issues. I wasn’t sure how I was going to pay for the visits, but I knew I needed to go. The Lord delayed the payments long enough so that when the bills came, the money was there. Although I never want to go through a season like that again, it taught me to give thanks for everything (and I know I will need to learn this lesson again). The more I give thanks, the more I find things to be grateful for. Let’s pray: Dear Lord,Thank you for the season you have us in right now and for being with us in it. Thank you for another day of life, for the breaths in our lungs and the beats in our hearts. Thank you for knowing us better than we know ourselves and for knowing what is absolutely best for us. Lord, please forgive us for our lack of gratitude and trust. Forgive us for our entitlement. Forgive us for thinking we deserve anything but your wrath. Lord, we are unworthy of you and unworthy of even communicating with you. But Lord, because of your sacrifice, you allow us not only to live but also to talk with you and be your friend. Lord, we are so unworthy, but we are thankful. You give us so much more than we deserve, and if you gave us nothing more, you have already given us more than enough. Lord, we are selfish beings and we need your help. Can you please help us to have hearts of gratitude? Help us to live for you and not for ourselves. We need you. Thank you so much for sending Jesus to save us. We love you. Help us to love you more. Amen Photo credit: ©GettyImages/RunPhoto Christine is just a lady who was given the gift of being raised in an incredible family. For reasons unknown to her, God has blessed her with an amazing life full of beautiful friendships, remarkable experiences, and a love from Him that is completely underserved. She desires to encourage others and share hope as we journey through the highs and lows of life. Christine is the author of How I Met Peace and For the Weary Life Traveler, a 31-day devotional. Check out more of Christine’s work at her website:  Learning to be fearless and her Patreon. Related Resource: Remember God’s Enduring Love for You in this Guided Meditation on Psalm 100! This guided Christian meditation from Psalm 100 will help you experience and praise God for his unending love for you. Become aware of God's presence with you, and praise God for his loyal and enduring love from the beginning of time and into the future. Listen to every episode of the So Much More Podcast on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode! Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! Visit iBelieve.com for more inspiring prayer content. The post A Prayer to Find Joy and Gratitude in Everyday Moments – Your Daily Prayer – September 4 appeared first on GodUpdates.

September 4, 2024 If You're Somewhere You Don't Want To BeJENNY WHEELER Lee en español "Pursue the well-being of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for when it thrives, you will thrive." Jeremiah 29:7 (CSB)  In elementary school, I remember being sent to timeout for discipline. For those few agonizing minutes, it was painful to be in a place I didn't want to be. I felt small, discouraged and lonely - like someone had drained the life out of me. I had been exiled. And I didn't like it at all. Exile is when a person or group is displaced from where they belong. Adam and Eve experienced exile when they sinned and God sent them away from Eden, both as an act of divine discipline and for their protection. Jesus was acquainted with exile when He left His home in heaven and faced the cross on earth. The early Church, too, was scattered and experienced great persecution. Exile is often accompanied by feelings of abandonment, loneliness or fear. We may experience this ourselves when we move to a new place, when life changes unexpectedly, when we don’t see the answer to our prayer, or when our season of waiting seems unending ... So if exile is part of life, what can we learn from it? Today's key verse painted a hope-filled picture for God's people while they were exiled from Israel to live in Babylon, and it gives us hope as well: "Pursue the well-being of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for when it thrives, you will thrive" (Jeremiah 29:7). God wanted to teach His people that how they lived was more important than where they lived. In adverse conditions, their lives still had purpose - as ours do - and they would fulfill that purpose as they chose to do two things: show up and look up. Show up. God told the people to fully engage in life in Babylon. It would have been easy to give up in captivity, but God wanted Israel to expand, not shrink back (Jeremiah 29:5-6). They had a lot of living left to do! Look up. By inviting God's presence into their situation, the people would get through victoriously, not just barely surviving. Instead of cursing their enemies, God asked Israel to bless and pray for them. Looking out for the interests of Babylon was directly tied to blessings for Israel. Jeremiah 29:11 confirmed God's promise to Israel: "‘For I know the plans I have for you'-this is the LORD's declaration-‘plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope'" (CSB). In this difficult place, there was hope! God brought Israel out of exile, and He will bring us out of exile too. Life may not unfold how we expected, but if we find ourselves in a place we don't want to be, we can still trust that God has equipped us not only to survive but to thrive. Let's keep showing up and looking up. He is with us, and He has good plans. Father, thank You that I am Your daughter, part of Your family. I am grateful for the life I have in You. Wherever I find myself today and in all of my tomorrows, I want to live to honor You and bless others. In Jesus' Name, Amen. OUR FAVORITE THINGS In a season you didn't choose ... in suffering that seems unending ... God is with you, and He has purpose for you. In our new First 5 study guide, Where Do I Belong? Finding Our True Home Through the Study of Exile in the Bible, you will trace God's faithful presence in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, covering over 20 different books of the Bible and thousands of years of biblical history. And to help you dive even deeper ... when you purchase your study guide, you also get access to bonus material, including a small group discussion guide and six theology-rich videos. This study starts on September 9, so don't delay: Get your study guide today! ENGAGE Today's devotion writer, Jenny Wheeler, joined the Proverbs 31 Ministries staff in 2016 and currently serves as Office Manager as well as writes occasionally for Encouragement for Today devotions and First 5. She also helped write the First 5 study guide Where Do I Belong? As a worship leader, singer-songwriter and wife of a minister, Jenny has been in ministry for over 40 years. You can find her music on YouTube or iTunes. FOR DEEPER STUDY Psalm 90:1, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations" (ESV). Moses prayed Psalm 90:1 in response to Israel's 40 years of wandering in the desert. How does this verse bring hope and comfort to your heart today? Think of a time when you were displaced or uprooted. What did this experience teach you about how to trust God and care for others in times of change? We are praying for you and would love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments. © 2024 by Jenny Wheeler. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews, NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post If You’re Somewhere You Don’t Want To Be – Encouragement for Today – September 4, 2024 appeared first on GodUpdates.

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Challenging the Kurgan hypothesis.