June 18, 2024 Weakness Is Actually a GiftDR. JOEL MUDDAMALLE Lee en español "But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.'" 2 Corinthians 12:9a (CSB)  Recently, I woke up to my back hurting. How did this happen? I wondered. Is it because I worked out too hard? I hadn't worked out in weeks.Is it because I lifted something heavy? Normally when something heavy needs to be lifted, I call one of my sons. So why was my back hurting? Reality check: Because I woke up. I probably turned in the middle of the night too fast, tweaking and hurting my back. As I write this, I feel the sharp pain between my shoulder blades when I move just right, a reminder of the reality of my weakness. Weakness - no one wants it. No one wants to embrace it. It is the last thing championed and celebrated in our society and culture. Yet when we turn to Scripture, we see weakness is the perfect place for us to experience God's power. In 2 Corinthians 12:9a, God says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness." The presence of weakness in our lives is not evidence of God's cruelty but is exactly what we need to be reminded of His kindness. He is committed to be with us in and through our weakness. I've always been fascinated by the story of Jacob when he wrestled with God in Genesis 32:24-32. Jacob named the place of his wrestling "Peniel," meaning "face of God," because he saw God face to face, yet his life was spared. Wild! Then we find out Jacob walked along "limping because of his hip"  (Genesis 32:31, CSB). Jacob wrestled with the Creator of the cosmos, and he made it out with just a limp! If this isn't God's mercy and kindness, I don't know what is. But having a limp for the rest of his life must have been devastating in some ways. In the ancient world, people walked everywhere. This limp would have represented a reality of internal weakness for Jacob and a visible, external weakness for everyone who saw him. But I think the persistence of the limp wasn't a cruelty of God. Rather, it was a kindness because this weakness would always be a reminder of a moment of holy humility. Humility is an awareness of who God is, which defines who we are so we can rightly relate to other people. Jacob saw and interacted with God. And in the end, Jacob received a blessing from God, which changed his life forever. In other words, Jacob's weakness was tremendously valuable because it instilled in him a deep sense of humility. That humility would serve as a protection and preservation for him as he limped along, always aware of God's blessing on his life. This was a holy, humble moment for Jacob. Today, you and I also face weakness and limitations. Fear may be creeping into your heart as you realize you don't have control over a certain area of your life. Friend, I want to remind you that when you become intimately aware of your limits and inability, you are in the perfect place to become aware of God’s limitless and infinite ability. Lord, thank You for Your goodness. Help us to see our weaknesses not as burdens we have to suffer through but as windows through which we can see You clearly. We pray for a deep awareness of Your strength, stability and power, which we rely on every day. In Jesus' Name, Amen. OUR FAVORITE THINGS The burden of "doing it all" and "being it all" doesn't have to weigh you down for one more day. If you're ready to exchange the exhausted pace you've been running at for the kind of soul-peace only God can provide, our next Circle 31 Book Club pick is the perfect one for you. Starting July 1, we're reading The Hidden Peace: Finding True Security, Strength, and Confidence Through Humility by Dr. Joel Muddamalle! Join us in Circle 31 today! ENGAGE Stay connected with Joel through Instagram and Facebook! You can also get his new Bible study, Finding Peace Through Humility: A Bible Study in the Book of Judges, which is available now. FOR DEEPER STUDY Psalm 10:17, "LORD, you have heard the desire of the humble; you will strengthen their hearts. You will listen carefully ..." (CSB). What is one weakness you are struggling with right now? How can you let that weakness be a holy reminder to you of God's grace, power and strength? Share with us in the comments! © 2024 by Dr. Joel Muddamalle. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews, NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post Weakness Is Actually a Gift –  Encouragement for Today – June 18, 2024 appeared first on GodUpdates.

The enemy wants us lost in fear so much that we can't enjoy the precious moments with the people around us. When these thoughts consume us, we must take them to the Lord. We must rebuke the enemy's lies and ask God to fill us with a peace that only He can provide.

The Palestinians Are Worse Than the Germans in WWII

The botched U.S.-built humanitarian pier in Gaza, known by some as “Port Biden”, remains an ongoing embarrassment to the Biden Administration due to its general unserviceability. And except for CBS, the Regime Media remain loath to cover the pier’s most recent collapse.  Here’s how correspondent Chris Livesay closed out his report on Gaza, which included the dissolution of Israel's war cabinet, and a tactical pause in the fighting so relief can flow into Gaza: CHRIS LIVESAY: Now it's early days for that pause but, so far, UNICEF says they’ve seen no more aid than usual entering the Strip, and the humanitarian pier the U.S. built, well it's down for repairs again due to rough seas. Officials hope it will be up and running later this week. Neither ABC nor NBC’s nightly network newscasts have yet to report on this latest pier collapse. A pattern emerges, as there were similar omissions when the makeshift pier last closed for repairs due to sections breaking off into the sea as the result of rough waters. At that time though, NBC joined CBS in covering the Port Biden fiasco. NBC sat this one out. And ABC, as the most aggressively Biden-servile network, has had nothing to say on this foreign policy embarrassment. Such inconvenient facts would compromise protecting the Precious. One can only imagine what coverage might be given to a similar fact pattern were it to emerge during the Trump Administration. In the meantime, we are left to observe that without Regime Media, we’d have no media at all. Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on the CBS Evening News on Monday, June 18th, 2024: CBS EVENING NEWS 6/18/24 6:34 PM NORAH O’DONNELL: Israel's military paused its fighting for 11 hours along a crucial supply route in southern Gaza today. And it says it plans to do the same thing every day as part of a tactical pause to increase the flow of desperately needed aid. Now, the move comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved his influential war cabinet. CBS's Chris Livesay reports on these new developments tonight from Tel Aviv. CHRIS LIVESAY: It was a coalition of rivals, meant to sow unity in Israel after the Hamas attacks of October 7th, and the conflict that followed in Gaza. Last week, that changed when Benny Gantz, the leading moderate opponent of the prime minister, left the war cabinet over the absence of a day-after plan for Gaza. The war cabinet now dismantled, that leaves Netanyahu only with the hard right as the linchpin of his support. The shake-up comes after Israel announced a tactical pause in the fighting, limited to seven and a half miles of this road in the Rafah area, during daylight hours only to allow more aid for displaced people like Ibrahim Shaban el-dahdouh. "There is no aid, medicine, food, or water coming in, and even the sick people can't leave" he tells our CBS News team in Gaza. "We’re isolated from the world." But if this pause holds, it could at least address some of these overwhelming needs as the offensive continues in Rafah. Israeli forces say they control 70% of this Hamas stronghold, the U.N. says 1.3 million people have fled the cities since the fighting began, and as the Israeli public grows more impatient, says diplomatic and staunch Netanyahu critic Alon Pinkas. ALON PINKAS: Because they think it is- it is eight months. It's too long, there's no clear victory. There's no decisive victory that can be- um, announced. LIVESAY: Now it's early days for that pause but, so far, UNICEF says they’ve seen no more aid than usual entering the Strip, and the humanitarian pier the U.S. built, well it's down for repairs again due to rough seas. Officials hope it will be up and running later this week. Norah. O’DONNELL. Chris Livesay, thank you so much.  

Former President Donald Trump, whose endorsement track record has earned criticism from some conservatives, has backed incumbent Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy while Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) are both supporting challenger Colby Jenkins in the Republican primary in Utah's 2nd Congressional District.Maloy, who entered office late last year, only has a 60% session score from Heritage Action.'Fight Lawmaking Under the Influence of Kool-Aid ('LUIK').'"Congresswoman Celeste Maloy is a great advocate for the wonderful people of Utah's 2nd Congressional District! Celeste is fighting to Secure the Border, Create Jobs, Restore American Energy Independence, Support our Military/Veterans, Defend Religious Liberty, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment. Celeste Maloy has my Complete and Total Endorsement!" Trump declared in a post on Truth Social.Lee, who has said of Jenkins that "when he gets to Washington, he'll make me look like a RINO by comparison," has also tweeted, "Now more than ever, we need lawmakers in Congress who won't drink the Swamp Kool-Aid. Colby Jenkins doesn't even like Kool-Aid. In fact, he's allergic to it. Fight Lawmaking Under the Influence of Kool-Aid ('LUIK'). Elect @ColbyforUtah."Paul and Lee are also supporting incumbent Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) for re-election in Virginia's 5th Congressional District. But Trump, who has been claiming that Good is "BAD" for the country, is backing Republican state Sen. John McGuire.Good, who chairs the House Freedom Caucus, has a 100% session score from Heritage Action.Lee has described Good as "a true, proven, constitutional conservative."Paul has asserted that Good "is THE liberty loving conservative in this race."In a statement to Blaze News last week, Good said, "Trump endorsed against me in the nomination contest in 2020 when I ran against incumbent Denver Riggleman. I won that contest overwhelmingly. I plan to win this race overwhelmingly. The people of this district know I am an America First candidate and I have been fighting for the America First agenda since I was sworn into office in January of 2021." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

RECEIPTS PROVIDED: Violent Crime Skyrockets in CA But Newsom's Attempting to Block Tough-on-Crime Reforms

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has requested that an appeals court deny an “emergency motion” that Steve Bannon, a former adviser to former President Donald Trump, filed as he attempts to delay an…

There has not been a global war since the 1940s, and now nations all over the planet are armed to the teeth with weapons of immense destructive power.  Everyone knows that it is just a matter of…