August 22, 2024 In Case of EmergencyTRACIE BRAYLOCK Lee en español "The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the LORD, And He delights in his way [and blesses his path]." Psalm 37:23 (AMP) Hospitals have emergency codes every employee must be aware of. As a nurse, I'm familiar with how these codes are announced, either within one department or to the entire hospital, depending on the situation. For example, "Code Red" indicates smoke or fire while "Code Blue" indicates a medical emergency like cardiac or respiratory arrest. When the code is announced, a series of steps are followed so hospital personnel can keep patients, visitors, employees and the general public from undue harm or panic. In a Code Red, for instance, staff are to complete the R.A.C.E. procedure: R: Rescue those in immediate danger.A: Activate the nearest fire alarm.C: Close all doors and windows within reach, and turn off fans and air conditioners.E: Extinguish small fires with a fire extinguisher. As a believer in Jesus, did you know you also have emergency codes you can use in dangerous, dire or discouraging situations? They're found within the Scriptures! God has given us the counsel of the whole Bible to guide, bless and teach us - but it is also helpful to know some key verses for encouragement and prayer in hard moments. Here are some examples: -When you feel alone, you can pray Deuteronomy 31:6. -When you feel fearful, you can pray Isaiah 41:10. -When you are in danger, you can pray Psalm 91. -When you have sinned, you can pray Psalm 51. -When you need courage, you can pray Joshua 1:9. -When you are seeking peace, you can pray Isaiah 26:3. -When you are heartbroken, you can pray Psalm 34:17-19. God offers the safety and support you need to navigate whatever situation you're facing. Psalm 37:23 says, "The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the LORD, And He delights in his way [and blesses his path]." Not only do we have steps we can follow, but God redirects our attention away from the pain of our problems and toward Him as our Protector and Provider. God orders and establishes our steps and guards us as we go. My friend, isn't it wonderful to know that in times of stress, struggle or stumbling, the Lord still holds and sustains you? God is right there with you every step of the way as your ever-present Guide, helping you navigate both everyday and emergency situations. Call out His Word, follow the path He's established for you, and trust Him with each new step. Your safety and deliverance are found in Him. Dear God, thank You for directing our steps, holding and sustaining us every day of our lives. Let us turn to You, remembering that as we face challenges, we can seek solutions within Your living Word and loving arms. In Jesus' Name, Amen. OUR FAVORITE THINGS What if the unseen seasons of our lives are actually the most important? Our Circle 31 Book Club pick for September dives deep into what God has to say about our unnoticed efforts. Join us for: Anonymous: Jesus' Hidden Years...and Yours by Dr. Alicia Britt Chole. We may feel uncelebrated, unnoticed or unappreciated by others, but we are always seen by God. Discover the sacred strength that comes through an "anonymous" season by reading with us! We'll be starting on September 1. Get the book! ENGAGE Want to connect with today's devotion author, Tracie Braylock? Connect with Tracie on her website and on Instagram, and be encouraged by her inspiring posts! FOR DEEPER STUDY Psalm 119:133, "Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me" (KJV). Psalm 32:8, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you" (NIV). What scriptures do you need to call out to help you with a situation you are currently experiencing? How has God helped you navigate emergency situations in your life? We'd love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments. © 2024 by Tracie Braylock. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews, NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post In Case of Emergency – Encouragement for Today – August 22, 2024 appeared first on GodUpdates.

1572 - Failed assassination on Gaspard de Coligny, a French nobleman and admiral, a Huguenot leader in the French Wars of Religion (killed 2 days later) 1914 - German troops execute 384 inhabitants of Tamines, Belgium 1939 - Dutch border guards take positions for German invasion 1952 - The penal colony on Devil's Island is permanently closed. 1954 - WPTV TV channel 5 in Palm Beach, FL (NBC) begins broadcasting 1971 - Approximately 130 non-Unionist councillors announce their withdrawal from participation on district councils across Northern Ireland in protest against Internment (allowing suspected terrorists to be indefinitely detained without trial) 1979 - 200 black leaders meet in NY to support Andrew Young 1980 - Leaders of Port Elizabeth's Black secondary school children in South Africa decided to end a four month boycott of classes 1993 - "In the Summer House" closes at Beaumont Theater NYC after 25 performances 2018 - Forbes say George Clooney made more money in a single year ($239 million) than any actor ever ($239m), due to sale of alcohol company, followed by Dwayne Johnson ($124m) More Historical Events »

Historical Events 1654 - Jacob Barsimson arrives in New Amsterdam (modern day Manhattan) aboard the Peartree, one of the first Jewish colonists 1912 - England defeat Australia to win the Triangular Tournament 1914 - Canada's Finance Act, 1914, receives assent 1932 - BBC begins experimental regular television broadcasts 1950 - Rotterdam dock strike ends 1960 - Gil Hodges set NL right handed HR record with #352 More Historical Events » Famous Birthdays 1848 - Melville E. Stone, American newspaper publisher (Founder of Chicago Daily News), born in Hudson, Illinois (d. 1929) 1920 - Pierre A. Lauffer, Antillian poet (Patria), born in Curacao, Venezuela (d. 1981) 1945 - Ron Dante, American rock vocalist (Archies - "Sugar, Sugar"), and producer (Barry Manilow), born in Staten Island, New York 1956 - Paul Molitor, American Baseball HOF infielder (7 x MLB All-Star Milwaukee Brewers; World Series MVP 1993 Toronto Blue Jays) and manager (Minnesota Twins 2015-18), born in Saint Paul, Minnesota 1966 - GZA [Gary Grice], American rapper (Wu-Tang Clan), born in Brooklyn, New York 1975 - Robert Enes, Australian soccer midfielder (Olyroos, Olympics 1996) More Famous Birthdays » Famous Deaths 1914 - Léon Amédée François Raffenel, French general (3rd Colonial Div, WWI), dies during Battle of Rossignol at 58 1929 - Otto Liman von Sanders, German general in Turkey during WWI, dies at 74 1985 - Paul Peter Ewald, German Crystallographer and Physicist who devised the theory of X-ray interference by crystals and pioneered X-ray diffraction methods, dies at 97 2009 - Beryl Sprinkel, American economist (Council of Economic Advisers), dies at 85 2009 - Elmer Kelton, American Western novelist (b. 1926) 2011 - Jerry Leiber, American songwriter (Leiber and Stoller - "Hound Dog"; "Jailhouse Rock"; "Is That All There Is?"), dies at 78 More Famous Deaths »

Having paid his dues – and then some – 1984 found Bryan Adams entering a creative purple patch, writing a timeless hit of the future seemingly every single day

Have you ever felt persistently anxious, no matter how many times you reflect on God’s promises? Your stressful thoughts are like obstinate zits on your soul’s face, unfazed by the poking and prodding of Romans 8:28 and every other passage about God’s sovereign care. Incessant recitations of “God’s working everything together for good” have left your fretful pimples sore and bleeding. Your worry is still right there. Defeated and exhausted, what should you do? Do you just need to believe harder? Should you close your eyes, muster up some faith, and perform a spiritual judo move on your doubt? Are you anxious because you scrolled through Instagram for three minutes too long? If you’d just commit to a month-long break like Sally in your small group, would your social media fast transport you into emotional serenity? Or maybe your anxiety is a pride issue, and what you need to do is stop being a know-it-all and trust a sovereign God. I certainly battle doubt. I’m guilty of anxiously scrolling past posts of other anxious people for unreasonable amounts of time. And my soul regularly clamors for authority that only belongs to God. But while addressing these areas has occasionally curbed my anxiety, it often doesn’t. Maybe you can relate. So what should we do? I won’t pretend to offer a simple answer to such a difficult, multifaceted question. That’d be unrealistic and, honestly, just mean. But in Matthew 6:19–34, Jesus does offer another approach. Before he calls us to trust him, he tells us to treasure him. Treasure God First There’s nothing complicated about Jesus’s teaching in this passage, and there’s nothing complicated about its structure. In verses 19–24, Jesus wants us to treasure God, and in verses 25–34, Jesus wants us to trust God. Treasure and trust. Straightforward, right? What I find fascinating, though, is how Jesus connects these two sections. After calling us to treasure God, he says, “Therefore . . . do not be anxious.” Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, therefore, trust God. That’s a curious way to put it. There’s something about our treasure that either allows us—or doesn’t allow us—to trust God. If we treasure God, we can trust him. But if we treasure something else or someone else, we won’t trust God. Anxiety seems to swing on the hinge of this adverb: “Therefore.” With just one word, Jesus makes sense of most of my anxiety—perhaps most of the world’s anxiety. It’s amazing what he does here. He takes these two threads of treasure and trust and weaves them together into one truth: if you’ll treasure God more than the cares of this world, then you can trust God through the cares of this world. Why We Don’t Trust God The opposite is also true: if you don’t treasure God more than the cares of this world, you won’t trust God through the cares of this world. Why is that? Because God hasn’t promised to protect our earthly treasures. As he works all things together for our good, he may withhold what we value most. We may lose approval from others or success at work so he might conform us to his Son’s image (Rom. 8:28–29). If you will treasure God more than the cares of this world, then you can trust God through the cares of this world. Recount God’s promises, scale back on social media, know your place before God—these are all helpful practices. But if we don’t treasure God, we’ll never trust him. It’s not that we’ve forgotten God’s promises to care for us. We know we can trust him. The problem is we treasure our idols more than God. And since God hasn’t promised to protect our idols, what’s most valuable to us is vulnerable. Protecting what we value then becomes a full-time job. Just ask Madonna: I’m always struggling with [fearing inadequacy]. I push past one spell of it and discover myself as a special human being and then I get to another stage and think I’m mediocre and uninteresting. And I find a way to get myself out of that. Again and again. My drive in life is from this horrible fear of being mediocre. And that’s always pushing me, pushing me. Because even though I’ve become Somebody, I still have to prove that I’m Somebody. My struggle has never ended and it probably never will. Feeling special, that’s her treasure. And since she’s gifted musically, each lyric and each melody serve as bodyguards—fearfully protecting the throne of her heart. You and I aren’t that different. If your treasure is on earth, your emotional stability is unsafe. Matthew 6:25 then reads for you, “Therefore, be anxious about your life. Be anxious about what you will eat and what you will drink. Be anxious about your body and what you will put on. Is not your earthly treasure hanging by these earthly threads?” But if we treasure God, we can trust him when we’ve proven unsuccessful and unloved, when we lose comfort, power, and control. How? We already have everything we need in Christ. Our treasure is safe. Treasures in Heaven Instead of forcing yourself to trust a God who isn’t protecting your earthly idols, it’s more effective to identify those false gods first. See how Jesus satisfies your desires, then reflect on God’s promises to protect your heavenly treasure. If your treasure is on earth, your emotional stability is unsafe. When my personal success is in jeopardy, I’m prone to anxiety. So I need to reflect on how Jesus has been successful for me, how he’s been perfect in my place. Then, after painstakingly moving my treasured success from earth to heaven, I can finally breathe, knowing nothing on earth can touch my treasure in heaven. Fighting anxiety this way isn’t easy. You can’t pull through the drive-thru, order a Bible verse with a side of inspiration, and speed away without anxiety. It takes time to identify your earthly treasures. You’ve got to park and get out of the car to see how Jesus offers himself as a better, more reliable treasure. But if you’ll do that—if you’ll treasure him—you’ll be able to trust him. Treasure God; therefore, don’t be anxious.