October 23, 2024 Never Left OutSHEILA WALSH Lee en español "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12 (NLT) It all started with an innocent pink ticket that my young son, Christian, received to get into a show at an amusement park. The day after we went to the amusement park, I was cleaning our dog Belle's bed when the ticket fell out. "I put it there, Mom," Christian said. "It's so she can get in." "I'm not sure Belle wants to go to the amusement park," I said. "It's not for the park," he said. "It's so she can get into heaven. It's her pink ticket." I explained to him that we don't need a ticket to get into heaven - we go because we trust in Jesus. Exasperated, Christian told me that, yes, he knew that, but the Bible didn't specifically say what your dog might need. "Belle won't be able to say anything to Jesus, Mom. But if she has a pink ticket, she should be good." As the years have passed, we've laughed as a family at Christian's childlike commitment to ensuring his dogs' futures. But the outrageous good news of God's invitation is that there truly is no ticket required for us - just an open invitation to believe and receive Christ. Have you ever scrolled through social media, noticed your friends hanging out together, and wondered, Why wasn't I invited? I know I have. But that will never happen when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. The Bible says, "to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). Responding to God's invitation to salvation is the most important thing that anyone can ever do. It's not enough simply to believe in God in an abstract or general way; we have to receive this amazing gift through personal faith in Jesus Christ. A person can achieve incredible success in life or reach the peak of their profession, but if they don't know where they'll spend eternity, they've missed the greatest invitation of all. The life Jesus offers is all about relationship. Many people faithfully sit in church but have no personal relationship with Jesus. It's not about joining a club; it's about falling in love with our Savior - a love that will impact every area of our lives. Jesus has made the path to heaven as simple and clear as possible: "I am the way" (John 14:6, NLT). Heaven is not the default destination for every human being, but we get to choose it by faith. We are invited to respond to God's invitation to life. We can't even begin to imagine how mind-blowing heaven will be. I want you to be there. God wants you to be there. That's why Jesus came ... and you won't need a pink ticket! Father God, thank You for sending Jesus and for the invitation to receive Him and live with You forever. Thank You that Your love impacts every area of my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen. OUR FAVORITE THINGS Are you longing for heaven, curious about what it will be like, or wondering if it makes any difference here and now? Sheila's new book, The Hope of Heaven: How the Promise of Eternity Changes Everything, unpacks what Scripture says about our eternal home and gives you clear, biblical answers to your biggest questions. It's the perfect book to encourage and inspire you, and there's a separate study guide too! ENGAGE Find out more at SheilaWalsh.com, and be sure to follow Sheila on Facebook and Instagram too! Enter to WIN your very own copy of The Hope of Heaven by Sheila Walsh. To celebrate this book, Sheila's publisher will give away 5 copies! Enter to win by leaving a comment here. {We'll randomly select 5 winners and then notify each one in the comments section by Monday, October 28, 2024.} FOR DEEPER STUDY John 14:6, "Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me'" (NLT). How can the reality of your future eternal home impact how you live here on earth? How does knowing God will make everything right in heaven change your perspective about the struggles of this life? © 2024 by Sheila Walsh. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews, NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post Never Left Out –  Encouragement for Today – October 23, 2024 appeared first on GodUpdates.

A Prayer to Overcome Procrastination and LazinessBy Emma Danzey Bible Reading"He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son." – Proverbs 10:5 Listen or Read Below Hard work is hard. There is no doubt about it. Part of Adam's curse from sinning in the beginning is found in Genesis 3:17b-19, which says, "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." The temptation to be lazy is ever-present. Just like any sin, laziness is exchanging long-term benefits for partaking in temporary pleasure. It is a seemingly easy road, but it leads to consequences. When we are supposed to work, we can be flooded with ideas of leisure, rest, and hobbies instead. Although these are not bad things, in fact, God gave us the command to sabbath. However, we were put on this planet for a purpose and part of that purpose includes work, raising children, and caring for the earth. Proverbs 10:5 points to the fact that someone who works hard receives the reward of the harvest, whereas someone who sleeps and ignores the work is disgraceful. Laziness is no small issue to God; it is a genuine sin struggle that can creep into anyone's life. Maybe you are feeling convicted already, or maybe you do not know if this is really that big of a struggle in your life. Perhaps you have the opposite issue of overworking and never resting? Whatever your experience, as we look at God's Word, may we be reminded of the heart behind hard work to glorify God and be faithful to Him. When we are faithful in the little things, he can use us in greater ways. Let’s Pray: Dear Lord,Thank You that You are the God who knows perfect balance of hard work and rest. Forgive us for the times when we fall into procrastination and laziness. We are often tempted to delay and avoid hard things to enjoy temporary pleasure and relaxation. Would you forgive us for ignoring the call to honor You in all things and to do everything for Your glory? We pray against sinful patterns that have developed into our lives that hold us back from moving forward. We ask that you would unravel the original lies that we believed that set us back or prevented us from pressing into your best for us. We pray that you would open our eyes to things that are hindering us from living life to the fullest. Guide us in boundaries with devices, media, and anything else that causes us to binge or become addicted to things that take up too much time if we are not aware and cautious. Remind us of the strength that we find in You even when we are worn. Refresh our hearts with our identity being rooted and established in You, not in what we do. Help us to work from a place of rest and not out of exhaustion. However, when we are in seasons of pushing, would you guide us and help us rely on You? Reveal the fine line between resting and laziness. Open our eyes to laziness in relationships with our spouses, children, relatives, or friends. Show us how we have not been as intentional and convict us into pursuing these relationships in love. Open our eyes to laziness in our careers or education. Show us where we have become apathetic or indifferent about growing as an employee or student. Open our eyes to how we have become lazy in our daily walk with You. Convict our hearts and draw us close to You in Your word and prayer. Open our eyes to how we have become lazy in Christian community. Help us not to go through the motions, quickly reject opportunities to serve, or view church as something to just consume. Help us to be challenged to be more than a congregant, but to really be the body of Christ. Thank You that You tell us that You did not delay Your promise to us and want all to come to repentance in You (2 Peter 3:9). Thank You for the reminder that You never get tired or have to sleep (Psalm 121:4). In our finite or broken humanity, help us to have attitudes of doing everything for You glory and fleeing from the temptation to be lazy or to procrastinate. With You, all things are possible! Amen. Photo credit: ©GettyImages/eggeeggjiew Emma Danzey's mission in life stems from Ephesians 3:20-21, to embrace the extraordinary. One of her greatest joys is to journey with the Lord in His Scriptures. She is wife to Drew and mom to Graham. Emma serves alongside her husband in ministry, she focuses most of her time in the home, but loves to provide articles on the Bible, life questions, and Christian lifestyle. Her article on Interracial Marriage was the number 1 on Crosswalk in 2021. Most recently, Emma released Treasures for Tots, (Scripture memory songs) and multiple books and devotionals for young children. During her ministry career, Emma has released Wildflower: Blooming Through Singleness, two worship EP albums, founded and led Polished Conference Ministries, and ran the Refined Magazine. You can view her articles on her blog at emmadanzey.wordpress.com and check out her Instagram @Emmadanzey. Related Resource: Jesus Calling – Stories of Faith Kerry Washington. Andrea Bocelli. Reba McEntire. Mark Wahlberg. Tony Dungy. Matthew McConaughey, What do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times-and they've shown up to tell their story of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.  Inspired by Sarah Young’s classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts. Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! The post A Prayer to Overcome Procrastination and Laziness – Your Daily Prayer – October 23 appeared first on GodUpdates.

A Prayer to Overcome Procrastination and LazinessBy Emma Danzey Bible Reading"He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son." – Proverbs 10:5 Listen or Read Below Hard work is hard. There is no doubt about it. Part of Adam's curse from sinning in the beginning is found in Genesis 3:17b-19, which says, "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." The temptation to be lazy is ever-present. Just like any sin, laziness is exchanging long-term benefits for partaking in temporary pleasure. It is a seemingly easy road, but it leads to consequences. When we are supposed to work, we can be flooded with ideas of leisure, rest, and hobbies instead. Although these are not bad things, in fact, God gave us the command to sabbath. However, we were put on this planet for a purpose and part of that purpose includes work, raising children, and caring for the earth. Proverbs 10:5 points to the fact that someone who works hard receives the reward of the harvest, whereas someone who sleeps and ignores the work is disgraceful. Laziness is no small issue to God; it is a genuine sin struggle that can creep into anyone's life. Maybe you are feeling convicted already, or maybe you do not know if this is really that big of a struggle in your life. Perhaps you have the opposite issue of overworking and never resting? Whatever your experience, as we look at God's Word, may we be reminded of the heart behind hard work to glorify God and be faithful to Him. When we are faithful in the little things, he can use us in greater ways. Let’s Pray: Dear Lord,Thank You that You are the God who knows perfect balance of hard work and rest. Forgive us for the times when we fall into procrastination and laziness. We are often tempted to delay and avoid hard things to enjoy temporary pleasure and relaxation. Would you forgive us for ignoring the call to honor You in all things and to do everything for Your glory? We pray against sinful patterns that have developed into our lives that hold us back from moving forward. We ask that you would unravel the original lies that we believed that set us back or prevented us from pressing into your best for us. We pray that you would open our eyes to things that are hindering us from living life to the fullest. Guide us in boundaries with devices, media, and anything else that causes us to binge or become addicted to things that take up too much time if we are not aware and cautious. Remind us of the strength that we find in You even when we are worn. Refresh our hearts with our identity being rooted and established in You, not in what we do. Help us to work from a place of rest and not out of exhaustion. However, when we are in seasons of pushing, would you guide us and help us rely on You? Reveal the fine line between resting and laziness. Open our eyes to laziness in relationships with our spouses, children, relatives, or friends. Show us how we have not been as intentional and convict us into pursuing these relationships in love. Open our eyes to laziness in our careers or education. Show us where we have become apathetic or indifferent about growing as an employee or student. Open our eyes to how we have become lazy in our daily walk with You. Convict our hearts and draw us close to You in Your word and prayer. Open our eyes to how we have become lazy in Christian community. Help us not to go through the motions, quickly reject opportunities to serve, or view church as something to just consume. Help us to be challenged to be more than a congregant, but to really be the body of Christ. Thank You that You tell us that You did not delay Your promise to us and want all to come to repentance in You (2 Peter 3:9). Thank You for the reminder that You never get tired or have to sleep (Psalm 121:4). In our finite or broken humanity, help us to have attitudes of doing everything for You glory and fleeing from the temptation to be lazy or to procrastinate. With You, all things are possible! Amen. Photo credit: ©GettyImages/eggeeggjiew Emma Danzey's mission in life stems from Ephesians 3:20-21, to embrace the extraordinary. One of her greatest joys is to journey with the Lord in His Scriptures. She is wife to Drew and mom to Graham. Emma serves alongside her husband in ministry, she focuses most of her time in the home, but loves to provide articles on the Bible, life questions, and Christian lifestyle. Her article on Interracial Marriage was the number 1 on Crosswalk in 2021. Most recently, Emma released Treasures for Tots, (Scripture memory songs) and multiple books and devotionals for young children. During her ministry career, Emma has released Wildflower: Blooming Through Singleness, two worship EP albums, founded and led Polished Conference Ministries, and ran the Refined Magazine. You can view her articles on her blog at emmadanzey.wordpress.com and check out her Instagram @Emmadanzey. Related Resource: Jesus Calling – Stories of Faith Kerry Washington. Andrea Bocelli. Reba McEntire. Mark Wahlberg. Tony Dungy. Matthew McConaughey, What do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times-and they've shown up to tell their story of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.  Inspired by Sarah Young’s classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts. Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! The post A Prayer to Overcome Procrastination and Laziness – Your Daily Prayer – October 23 appeared first on GodUpdates.

October 23, 2024 Never Left OutSHEILA WALSH Lee en español "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12 (NLT) It all started with an innocent pink ticket that my young son, Christian, received to get into a show at an amusement park. The day after we went to the amusement park, I was cleaning our dog Belle's bed when the ticket fell out. "I put it there, Mom," Christian said. "It's so she can get in." "I'm not sure Belle wants to go to the amusement park," I said. "It's not for the park," he said. "It's so she can get into heaven. It's her pink ticket." I explained to him that we don't need a ticket to get into heaven - we go because we trust in Jesus. Exasperated, Christian told me that, yes, he knew that, but the Bible didn't specifically say what your dog might need. "Belle won't be able to say anything to Jesus, Mom. But if she has a pink ticket, she should be good." As the years have passed, we've laughed as a family at Christian's childlike commitment to ensuring his dogs' futures. But the outrageous good news of God's invitation is that there truly is no ticket required for us - just an open invitation to believe and receive Christ. Have you ever scrolled through social media, noticed your friends hanging out together, and wondered, Why wasn't I invited? I know I have. But that will never happen when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. The Bible says, "to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). Responding to God's invitation to salvation is the most important thing that anyone can ever do. It's not enough simply to believe in God in an abstract or general way; we have to receive this amazing gift through personal faith in Jesus Christ. A person can achieve incredible success in life or reach the peak of their profession, but if they don't know where they'll spend eternity, they've missed the greatest invitation of all. The life Jesus offers is all about relationship. Many people faithfully sit in church but have no personal relationship with Jesus. It's not about joining a club; it's about falling in love with our Savior - a love that will impact every area of our lives. Jesus has made the path to heaven as simple and clear as possible: "I am the way" (John 14:6, NLT). Heaven is not the default destination for every human being, but we get to choose it by faith. We are invited to respond to God's invitation to life. We can't even begin to imagine how mind-blowing heaven will be. I want you to be there. God wants you to be there. That's why Jesus came ... and you won't need a pink ticket! Father God, thank You for sending Jesus and for the invitation to receive Him and live with You forever. Thank You that Your love impacts every area of my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen. OUR FAVORITE THINGS Are you longing for heaven, curious about what it will be like, or wondering if it makes any difference here and now? Sheila's new book, The Hope of Heaven: How the Promise of Eternity Changes Everything, unpacks what Scripture says about our eternal home and gives you clear, biblical answers to your biggest questions. It's the perfect book to encourage and inspire you, and there's a separate study guide too! ENGAGE Find out more at SheilaWalsh.com, and be sure to follow Sheila on Facebook and Instagram too! Enter to WIN your very own copy of The Hope of Heaven by Sheila Walsh. To celebrate this book, Sheila's publisher will give away 5 copies! Enter to win by leaving a comment here. {We'll randomly select 5 winners and then notify each one in the comments section by Monday, October 28, 2024.} FOR DEEPER STUDY John 14:6, "Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me'" (NLT). How can the reality of your future eternal home impact how you live here on earth? How does knowing God will make everything right in heaven change your perspective about the struggles of this life? © 2024 by Sheila Walsh. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews, NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post Never Left Out –  Encouragement for Today – October 23, 2024 appeared first on GodUpdates.

When you don't ask questions - or demand any evidence. The post News Outlets Amplify Gaza Doctor’s Lies About Israel appeared first on Frontpage Mag.

The one big thing Kamala and Hillary definitely have in common. The post Goodbye Kamala appeared first on Frontpage Mag.

Oops. The post Bill Clinton Makes the Case for Donald Trump appeared first on Frontpage Mag.

What is it that outweighs the misery that Hamas causes Gazans? The post Why Do the Palestinians Support Hamas, That Cares Nothing For Their Welfare? appeared first on Frontpage Mag.