by Mike Whitney, The Unz Review: The long-pervasive belief in American military supremacy is a myth; a mirage; a fallacious narrative fashioned from fables and Hollywood films. The US military has not won a war since WW2. They have mercilessly bombed the crap out of many smaller, weaker countries, killed millions of people, and yet never […]

October 8, 2024Maybe Their Path to Seeing God's Glory Is Just Different From MineLYSA TERKEURST Lee en español "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NIV) I feel the most unsettled when I'm uncertain about the future. And I suspect you may also be facing circumstances that have left you feeling caught off guard and unsure about what tomorrow holds. Maybe you're in a job where you feel unfulfilled, and you think God is leading you somewhere else, but He hasn't yet revealed what's next. So for now, you walk into an office every day, giving it your all, but your heart feels disconnected from your real calling. Or maybe you've been watching everyone else in your life find love, walk down the aisle, and start the life you've dreamed of. Or others grow their families while you're stuck in an infertility journey. Or they go on that vacation you've spent months saving for. Whatever your situation is, you probably feel powerless to change it, but you still have to live through the realities of what's happening right now. I know what that feels like. This is also no surprise to God; in fact, He makes it clear in His Word that things will not always go as we wish they would in this life. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). The crucial detail for us to have peace in the middle of all the "I don't knows" we're facing is to stay close to God. I wish I could promise you that everything's going to turn out like you're hoping it will. I can't, of course. But what I can promise you is this: God is close to us even in our "I don't knows." God has lessons for us to learn in the middle of our "I don't knows" that are eternally important. God has a strength He must prepare us to develop, and the training ground is right here in our "I don't know." This time isn't a waste, and it's not pointless when we are walking with God. My friend Jenny suffered through a lot of unfair circumstances. She decided to join a support group with others who have gone through similar things. At their meetings, they give updates on what's happening with their lives. Each week, she hears about the struggles and victories of the women in her group. Of course she celebrates with every person who experiences their prayers being answered. Jenny is very mature in her faith, and she's one of the most gracious people I know. But sometimes it's hard to hear about God answering other people's prayers while she's still waking up to confusion and heartbreaking realities every day. As she prayed about this and wrestled through it, one day she had an epiphany. She spoke a sentence out loud that brought a lot of comfort to her heart. When she told me about how she now better manages other people's celebrations while she's still hurting, I knew it was a game changer for my perspective as well. Jenny said, "Their path to see God's glory is different from mine." Wow. Friend, we are all on a journey. God is with us. God is for us. God really can be trusted. How He leads us and where He leads us will always be a bit of a mystery. But what doesn't have to be mysterious is this: We will see God's glory either on this side of eternity or on the other side. His glory will not be mocked or denied but will be seen by those who have given their hearts to Him. We just might travel different paths to see it. I pray this helps you as much as it has helped me. Heavenly Father, even when I'm faced with what feels unfair in my life and relationships, I know I can count on Your character never changing. Your justice and mercy bring me comfort. Thank You for overcoming the darkness, sin and hopelessness I see all around me. You are working and will right all wrongs. Help me give over to You all the things that were never mine to carry. In Jesus' Name, Amen. OUR FAVORITE THINGS Cue the confetti ... It's release day for I Want to Trust You, but I Don't by Lysa TerKeurst! When you purchase the Proverbs 31 Ministries Exclusive Edition of this book, you'll receive 30% off and a free declaration written by Lysa, called "You're Braver Than You Think." This offer is only available today, so purchase your book and celebrate with us! Get the book at 30% off here! ENGAGE Find real-life encouragement when you connect with Lysa TerKeurst here on Instagram. FOR DEEPER STUDY Matthew 6:33, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (NIV). As you face unsettling circumstances, how can you take one step toward seeking first God's Kingdom and His righteousness today? We'd love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments. © 2024 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews, NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post Maybe Their Path to Seeing God’s Glory Is Just Different From Mine – Encouragement for Today – October 8, 2024 appeared first on GodUpdates.

A Prayer to Stay Grounded in Moments of SuccessBy Emma Danzey Bible ReadingPsalm 115:11 says, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!" Listen or Read Below: Have you encountered some incredible success lately within your career, family, education, or community? It is wonderful to receive recognition for hard work, but if we are not careful, we can often become conceited and forget to give glory where it is due to the Lord. It is easy to believe that we have personally achieved accomplishments because of our own gifts, talents, or even hard work. Although our choices play a role in our success, ultimately it is up to God to gift us with minds that think, hearts that beat, and souls that live to even have the ability to achieve anything. He is the Giver of all good gifts, He is the Creator of life, and He is ultimately the only one to receive honor and praise. When we place ourselves and our success above Jesus, this is called idolatry. No, we may not have a physical idol statue, but anything we put above Christ is an idol. May we be cautious of this and prayerful as we have moments of success to remember the eternal King that we serve. He is the only Worthy One. We can use our moments of success as platforms to His glory and name being known. Today, we are going to take time to pray to stay grounded in moments of success. We have seen many examples of what to do and not to do within the pages of Scripture. May we remember that all of the glory belongs to the Lord. Some specific Bible verses we can meditate on before praying include: Psalm 115:11 says, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!" Matthew 5:16 says, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Revelations 4:11 says, "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." Let’s Pray: Dear Jesus,Not to us, but to Your name, Jesus, be the glory in all of our successes past, present, and future. You are worthy to receive all the glory and honor and power! Help us to shine our lights before others so that they would not see us but that they would see You and praise You. May our victories in this world be testimonies of the goodness of Your salvation and provision. Thank you for unique callings, skills, and dreams. Help us to cultivate them and set new goals to achieve. Remind us, though, in planning and pursuing that we ultimately are here to praise You. We lay our platforms of work, family, service, and creativity down at Your feet. Thank you for entrusting each of us with unique callings and purposes. Help us to keep an eternal mindset as we pursue the callings in front of us. Thank You for the opportunities to shine, but let our names be less and Your name be glorified. When we are asked about our success, help us to live by the Spirit and not our flesh in our responses. Give us the courage to redirect our victories to You and segue into gospel conversations with others who need to hear of the hope of heaven. Remind us that this is not about us, this life is not about making our names great, but about carrying our crosses and holding up the name of You, Jesus. We praise You for humbling Yourself on the cross to have the ultimate moment of success in resurrecting Yourself from the dead. You and Only You, Jesus, are worthy to receive all glory and worship. You are the Lord of lords, the King of kings, and our Champion of heaven. We surrender to Your will and Your best for our lives. Whether we have success in the world's eyes or success in Your eyes that no one ever celebrates on this earth, help us serve You above all.In Jesus' name, Amen. Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Chinnapong 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: 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! The post A Prayer to Stay Grounded in Moments of Success – Your Daily Prayer – October 8 appeared first on GodUpdates.

A Prayer to Stay Grounded in Moments of SuccessBy Emma Danzey Bible ReadingPsalm 115:11 says, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!" Listen or Read Below: Have you encountered some incredible success lately within your career, family, education, or community? It is wonderful to receive recognition for hard work, but if we are not careful, we can often become conceited and forget to give glory where it is due to the Lord. It is easy to believe that we have personally achieved accomplishments because of our own gifts, talents, or even hard work. Although our choices play a role in our success, ultimately it is up to God to gift us with minds that think, hearts that beat, and souls that live to even have the ability to achieve anything. He is the Giver of all good gifts, He is the Creator of life, and He is ultimately the only one to receive honor and praise. When we place ourselves and our success above Jesus, this is called idolatry. No, we may not have a physical idol statue, but anything we put above Christ is an idol. May we be cautious of this and prayerful as we have moments of success to remember the eternal King that we serve. He is the only Worthy One. We can use our moments of success as platforms to His glory and name being known. Today, we are going to take time to pray to stay grounded in moments of success. We have seen many examples of what to do and not to do within the pages of Scripture. May we remember that all of the glory belongs to the Lord. Some specific Bible verses we can meditate on before praying include: Psalm 115:11 says, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!" Matthew 5:16 says, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Revelations 4:11 says, "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." Let’s Pray: Dear Jesus,Not to us, but to Your name, Jesus, be the glory in all of our successes past, present, and future. You are worthy to receive all the glory and honor and power! Help us to shine our lights before others so that they would not see us but that they would see You and praise You. May our victories in this world be testimonies of the goodness of Your salvation and provision. Thank you for unique callings, skills, and dreams. Help us to cultivate them and set new goals to achieve. Remind us, though, in planning and pursuing that we ultimately are here to praise You. We lay our platforms of work, family, service, and creativity down at Your feet. Thank you for entrusting each of us with unique callings and purposes. Help us to keep an eternal mindset as we pursue the callings in front of us. Thank You for the opportunities to shine, but let our names be less and Your name be glorified. When we are asked about our success, help us to live by the Spirit and not our flesh in our responses. Give us the courage to redirect our victories to You and segue into gospel conversations with others who need to hear of the hope of heaven. Remind us that this is not about us, this life is not about making our names great, but about carrying our crosses and holding up the name of You, Jesus. We praise You for humbling Yourself on the cross to have the ultimate moment of success in resurrecting Yourself from the dead. You and Only You, Jesus, are worthy to receive all glory and worship. You are the Lord of lords, the King of kings, and our Champion of heaven. We surrender to Your will and Your best for our lives. Whether we have success in the world's eyes or success in Your eyes that no one ever celebrates on this earth, help us serve You above all.In Jesus' name, Amen. Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Chinnapong 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: 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! The post A Prayer to Stay Grounded in Moments of Success – Your Daily Prayer – October 8 appeared first on GodUpdates.

October 8, 2024Maybe Their Path to Seeing God's Glory Is Just Different From MineLYSA TERKEURST Lee en español "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NIV) I feel the most unsettled when I'm uncertain about the future. And I suspect you may also be facing circumstances that have left you feeling caught off guard and unsure about what tomorrow holds. Maybe you're in a job where you feel unfulfilled, and you think God is leading you somewhere else, but He hasn't yet revealed what's next. So for now, you walk into an office every day, giving it your all, but your heart feels disconnected from your real calling. Or maybe you've been watching everyone else in your life find love, walk down the aisle, and start the life you've dreamed of. Or others grow their families while you're stuck in an infertility journey. Or they go on that vacation you've spent months saving for. Whatever your situation is, you probably feel powerless to change it, but you still have to live through the realities of what's happening right now. I know what that feels like. This is also no surprise to God; in fact, He makes it clear in His Word that things will not always go as we wish they would in this life. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). The crucial detail for us to have peace in the middle of all the "I don't knows" we're facing is to stay close to God. I wish I could promise you that everything's going to turn out like you're hoping it will. I can't, of course. But what I can promise you is this: God is close to us even in our "I don't knows." God has lessons for us to learn in the middle of our "I don't knows" that are eternally important. God has a strength He must prepare us to develop, and the training ground is right here in our "I don't know." This time isn't a waste, and it's not pointless when we are walking with God. My friend Jenny suffered through a lot of unfair circumstances. She decided to join a support group with others who have gone through similar things. At their meetings, they give updates on what's happening with their lives. Each week, she hears about the struggles and victories of the women in her group. Of course she celebrates with every person who experiences their prayers being answered. Jenny is very mature in her faith, and she's one of the most gracious people I know. But sometimes it's hard to hear about God answering other people's prayers while she's still waking up to confusion and heartbreaking realities every day. As she prayed about this and wrestled through it, one day she had an epiphany. She spoke a sentence out loud that brought a lot of comfort to her heart. When she told me about how she now better manages other people's celebrations while she's still hurting, I knew it was a game changer for my perspective as well. Jenny said, "Their path to see God's glory is different from mine." Wow. Friend, we are all on a journey. God is with us. God is for us. God really can be trusted. How He leads us and where He leads us will always be a bit of a mystery. But what doesn't have to be mysterious is this: We will see God's glory either on this side of eternity or on the other side. His glory will not be mocked or denied but will be seen by those who have given their hearts to Him. We just might travel different paths to see it. I pray this helps you as much as it has helped me. Heavenly Father, even when I'm faced with what feels unfair in my life and relationships, I know I can count on Your character never changing. Your justice and mercy bring me comfort. Thank You for overcoming the darkness, sin and hopelessness I see all around me. You are working and will right all wrongs. Help me give over to You all the things that were never mine to carry. In Jesus' Name, Amen. OUR FAVORITE THINGS Cue the confetti ... It's release day for I Want to Trust You, but I Don't by Lysa TerKeurst! When you purchase the Proverbs 31 Ministries Exclusive Edition of this book, you'll receive 30% off and a free declaration written by Lysa, called "You're Braver Than You Think." This offer is only available today, so purchase your book and celebrate with us! Get the book at 30% off here! ENGAGE Find real-life encouragement when you connect with Lysa TerKeurst here on Instagram. FOR DEEPER STUDY Matthew 6:33, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (NIV). As you face unsettling circumstances, how can you take one step toward seeking first God's Kingdom and His righteousness today? We'd love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments. © 2024 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews, NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post Maybe Their Path to Seeing God’s Glory Is Just Different From Mine – Encouragement for Today – October 8, 2024 appeared first on GodUpdates.

Soundgarden were still waiting for their big break when they released Jesus Christ Pose

These are the most beautiful Stanley Cup rings that the NHL has ever seen