Saturday, August 28, 2021

Bible Study Topics. Sugar Aches & Inflammation.

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Bible Study Topics

Bible Study Topics“The Bible addresses so many topics that can answer our questions and help us now and in the future. What are some of the most important Bible study topics?

The Bible is a tremendous resource and a wonderful gift from God! It’s been called an instruction manual for life, showing how our Creator designed us and how we should live for the best, eternal results.

Although the Bible is a great reference book, it is not like other books you may be familiar with. The Bible isn’t written like an encyclopedia, a dictionary or a textbook. It is composed of 66 shorter books written by dozens of people over about 1,500 years—yet they all have a unified message.

Reading the Bible book by book is an excellent way to get the big picture and overview of God’s entire message. There are many read-the-Bible-in-a-year programs and other programs that you can use for this. And, of course, you can create your own plan to read the Bible through.

But it is also very helpful at times to pick a Bible study topic and try to find sections of the Bible that address that subject or answer that question.

Picking a Bible study topic and beginning your study

Many times daily life gives us questions and topics that we want answers to, and these make excellent Bible study topics. But sometimes we aren’t exactly sure what would be helpful to study, and we would like to pick from a list of Bible study topics. If that is what you are looking for, we hope the 150 topics below will be a helpful starting place for you.

Once you have a topic, you still need a method for finding the relevant passages about that topic in your Bible. Concordances and topical Bibles can help. A concordance allows you to look up every time a word related to your topic is used in the Bible. Online and electronic concordances also let you search for combinations of words or a phrase.

Topical Bibles are put together to group relevant passages together. These can be helpful, but keep in mind that they generally won’t include every possible Bible passage and will reflect the background and doctrinal beliefs of the people who compiled them.

See our article about “Bible Study Tools” for more information about how to use a concordance and other tools. You might also find it helpful to search our site about the topic you are interested in.

150 Bible study topics

Here are 150 Bible study topics and questions to get you started, grouped around the six topic areas we felt were so important we needed to highlight them on this website.

Each topic listed below is also covered in one of the biblical articles on this Life, Hope & Truth website. Just type the topic into the search bar at the top left of the web page (https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/bible-study/bible-study-topics/?) and you’ll find helpful material with many related Bible references.

Bible study topics about God

  • Is there a God?
  • Are God and science compatible?
  • Can Christians believe in evolution?
  • Is God really concerned for me?
  • What are the names of God?
  • What does the fear of the Lord mean?
  • How can I please God?
  • What’s God’s will for me?
  • Who is Jesus?
  • Was Jesus created?
  • Why did the wise men bring gifts to Jesus?
  • What do we know about Jesus’ childhood?
  • What were the seven last sayings of Jesus?
  • What was the transfiguration of Jesus?
  • What is the Holy Spirit?
  • What is spirit?
  • How can I grow in the fruit of the Spirit?
  • How should we pray?
  • Does God answer prayers today?
  • What is intercessory prayer?
  • Why pray “Thy kingdom come”?
  • What does it mean to pray without ceasing?
  • What is fasting?
  • What is meditation?
Bible study topics about the Bible
  • Is the Bible true?
  • Is the Bible full of contradictions?
  • What is truth?
  • Who wrote the Bible?
  • What is the background and outline of the individual books of the Bible?
  • Is the Old Testament relevant?
  • What can we learn from the imprecatory Psalms?
  • How can we learn to be wise?
  • What was the chronology of Paul’s journeys and epistles?
  • What are the 10 Commandments?
  • Were the 10 Commandments around before Moses?
  • Are the 10 Commandments upheld in the New Testament?
  • Should a Christian avoid euphemisms for God?
  • What does it mean that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath?
  • Did Paul change the Sabbath command?
  • Is watching porn a sin?
  • What do we need to know about the great commandment?
  • Is the Bible relevant today?
  • What are some encouraging Bible verses?
  • What is the purpose behind the Bible stories?
  • Where should you start reading the Bible?
  • What is doctrine?
  • How can we understand the Bible?
  • What did Paul mean by the curse of the law?
  • What are good works?
  • What is the Old Covenant?
  • What is new about the New Covenant?
Bible study topics about Life
  • What is the meaning of life?
  • Are we children of God now?
  • What is predestination?
  • Are we alone in the universe?
  • Does God want us to celebrate the biblical festivals? Why?
  • What is Passover?
  • What is the sign of Jonah? Did Jesus die on Good Friday and rise on Easter?
  • What does Pentecost mean?
  • What happens to those who died without hope?
  • Is God fair?
  • Why does God allow suffering?
  • How can we deal with grief?
  • Why did God’s people go to war?
  • Is there life after death?
  • Do humans have an immortal soul?
  • What is heaven?
  • What is hell?
  • What are the resurrections?
  • What is the way of peace?
  • How can we cast out fear?
  • Could your love grow cold?
  • What does the Bible say about crying?
  • Is being a Christian easy or hard?
  • How do we judge with righteous judgment?
  • How can we bring every thought into captivity?
  • What does the Bible say about being successful?
  • What is the key to happiness?
  • How can we be ambassadors of Christ?
Bible study topics about Prophecy
  • What is the Kingdom of God?
  • How will world peace come?
  • What does the world need most right now?
  • What do the parables of Jesus mean?
  • What is the Great Tribulation?
  • What is the Day of the Lord?
  • Who is the beast?
  • How do we avoid the mark of the beast?
  • What is the abomination of desolation?
  • What does the Bible say about the interpretation of dreams?
  • How can we recognize the Antichrist?
  • What is Armageddon?
  • When will Jesus return?
  • Why is our modern world under ancient curses?
  • Where are we now in Bible prophecy?
  • What is the purpose of prophecy?
  • What are the promises to Abraham?
  • Why did God choose Israel?
  • What is the role of Jerusalem in prophecy?
Bible study topics about Change
  • What is sin?
  • What does the Bible say about anger?
  • What is the unpardonable sin?
  • What is justification?
  • What is repentance?
  • What is forgiveness?
  • What should we do when forgiveness isn’t easy?
  • What is baptism?
  • What is conversion?
  • What is faith?
  • How can we grow in faith?
  • What can we learn from the women of faith in the Bible?
  • What are God’s promises?
  • How can we deal with doubt?
  • What is living faith?
  • What is grace?
  • What does it mean to be saved?
  • What is the Church?
  • Why are there so many world religions?
  • What did Jesus mean by “narrow is the gate”?
  • What did Jesus mean by “judge not”?
  • How does temptation occur?
  • What is the biblical name of the true Church?
  • What is the mission of the Church?
  • What kind of worship does God want?
  • Who is the Bride of Christ?
Bible study topics about Relationships
  • How do we speak the truth in love?
  • What does the Bible say about gossip?
  • When should you answer a fool?
  • How should we fellowship?
  • What does God expect of the unmarried?
  • What does it mean to be equally or unequally yoked?
  • What questions should you ask before getting married?
  • How do great marriages work?
  • What does the Bible say about marriage problems?
  • How can we help our children build a relationship with God?
  • How do we teach our children to honor the elderly?
  • How do we teach our kids about money?
  • How can we raise contented kids?
  • How can we raise resilient kids?
  • How can we build a strong family?
  • How can we honor our parents as an adult?
  • What is the biblical role of men?
  • What is the biblical role of women?
  • What does the Bible say about dealing with debt?
  • What are biblical personal finance principles?
  • What does the Bible say about gambling?
  • What is tithing?
  • What is divine healing?
  • What does the Bible say about coping with anxiety?
  • How can we be a good neighbor?
  • How can we deal with difficult people?
  • How can we deal with aging?
Other resources for Bible study topic ideas

Your daily life will likely give you many topics to study in your Bible, and these can be the most helpful Bible study topics!

But if you have run out of ideas and want more inspiration, here are some more resources:

All-Topics Page: This page lists all of the articles on our website, and new articles are being added regularly. As you look through the list, you are sure to find something that is relevant to you, something that you’ve wondered about or that would help you in your personal walk with God. The articles also will give you a starting place for your study. You can look up the passages mentioned and read more of the context in your Bible.

Weekly Newsletter: This link takes you to the subscription form for our weekly email newsletter. The newsletter features the new content on our website, including video commentaries, blogs and articles. We hope you’ll find at least one Bible study topic that grabs your interest in the newsletter each week.

Discern magazine: Our bimonthly magazine regularly covers a variety of biblical topics. We’d be happy to give you a free subscription to Discern. Digital subscriptions are available worldwide; print subscriptions are currently available in the United States, Canada and much of Europe.

Topical Bibles and Concordances: These Bible study tools can help you find the relevant passages once you have chosen your Bible study topics. However, scanning through them can also give you dozens of topics for your future study.

Bible study topics for youth

We also have resources geared toward young people and their parents. See the “Encourage, Equip & Inspire” section for dozens for useful Bible study topics for youth and parents.

See also the 47 Bible stories and coloring pages in our “Bible Stories” section.

Start now!

Finding Bible study topics might be challenging, but having too many to choose from can be daunting as well. Don’t let “analysis paralysis” keep you from starting. Hopefully several of the ideas in this article looked interesting and helpful to you. Pick one now and get started!

You may also want to start with this helpful overview article: “How to Study the Bible.”

Please let us know if you have questions or if we can help in any way.”

RELATED ARTICLES

From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/bible-study/bible-study-topics/?

7 Keys to Better Bible Study. Download Free Booklet

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bodyache.jpg

Sugar Aches & Inflammation,  By Darlene Kvist, MS, CNS, LN

“Yes, you read that right. Sugar-aches. I don’t mean the sugar lust that comes from the aroma of fresh brownies or the Blizzard-of-the-month sign at the Dairy Queen®. I mean what happens after you consume high-sugar foods that in turn create inflammation, aches and pain throughout your body; in other words, sugar-aches.

Do You Have Sugar-Aches?

This achy feeling may appear as stiff joints, achy muscles, migraines, added asthma or PMS symptoms. Chronic sugar-aches can lead to giving up your favorite pastimes such as golf, gardening, or other activities because you're in too much pain.

Let's back up. Where do your sugar-aches originate? They can come from a mocha and muffin at the coffee shop or maybe from a generous serving of pasta, or sub sandwich, at lunch. On the other hand, they may be from the hard to resist candy stash at your co-worker’s desk.

You're probably getting the picture ... sugar is hiding, in high amounts in many beverages and foods.

While you wouldn’t consume spoon after spoon of plain sugar, you may drink soda or eat popular foods that result in sugar-overload in your body without realizing it.

Here's a simple equation to see how much sugar you are actually consuming, beyond what's listed on the label. 4 grams of carbohydrates = 1 teaspoon of sugar in your body. When you check product labels, look for serving size so you can complete the equation for the amount of food or beverage you want to consume. 

Sugar-Loaded Snacks to be Cautious of:

  • PotatoChips.jpgPotato chips: A nine-ounce bag of chips breaks down into 32 teaspoons of sugar (most people can’t stop after four or five chips). If you wash down the chips with a soda, that’s another 16 or more teaspoons of sugar.
  • Dots: One box of movie-theater sized Dots contains 5.5 servings. If you consume the whole box, you have eaten the equivalent of 48 teaspoons of sugar! (Maybe that’s the reason you are so stiff when you leave your seat at the end of the movie.)
  • Blizzard: One small Dairy Queen Blizzard has 530 calories and 83 grams of carbohydrates, which equals 21 teaspoons of sugar. And that's a small size!
  • One soda contains more than a day's healthy ration of sweetness.

This list is just a start to be cautious of. Read about even more with this Healthy Snacks Debunked post.

A Natural Solution to Sugar-Aches

Instead of relying on an endless supply of pain relievers to manage aches and pains, I have a better suggestion – start eating real foods and see how much better you feel. In 2002 the American Journal of Cancer Nutrition found that foods high in sugar resulted in inflammation. So the research, and 20+ years of clinical experience, have shown that food choices directly affect levels of pain and inflammation in the body.

As a nutritionist, I see clients’ lives change dramatically when they eliminate processed, high-sugar foods and switch to real foods. Clients that could barely climb the stairs to our office on their first visit returned to their favorite activities after following an anti-inflammatory eating plan for a few months.

Remember that highly processed foods (pizza, cereal, granola bars, popcorn and the list can go on forever), mostly all contain sugar and trans-fats (damaged fats and oils that are hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated, such as margarine and refined vegetable oils) which are known to increase inflammation and pain.

Eat This, Not That

The key to avoiding sugar-aches lies in eating real foods instead of processed foods. What do we mean by real foods?

  • Carbohydrates – Vegetable carbs are best, three additional servings of vegetables per day have been shown to reduce your risk of stroke by 22%.
  • Unprocessed food, nothing in a package or box.

Real foods can ease the inflammation you feel, as well as hidden low-grade chronic inflammation associated with Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, cancer, fibromyalgia, heart disease and strokes.

Do your own experiment. Stop eating processed carbohydrates for three full weeks. Avoid soda, candy, chips, cereal and bagels, and I am willing to bet that you will experience less pain and inflammation. Then come back and let us know how you feel!

That said, each body is extremely unique with your own health history and goals. For a more targeted approach and help reading your body’s cues, consider a nutrition consultation, available by phone or in-person with one of our nutritionists.

Nutrition is your best line of defense against sugar-aches!

From: https://www.weightandwellness.com/resources/articles-and-videos/sugar-aches/

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Saturday, August 21, 2021

Praying for Our Daily Bread. The Lord’s Model Prayer. Salt: The Scapegoat for the Western Diet.

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Praying for Our Daily Bread

We're told to pray for our daily bread.

“We're told to pray for our daily bread.

God tells us to pray for our daily bread. The Bible gives examples that help us more deeply understand what He means by this and how to apply it today.

It’s hard to pack for a two-year journey across a barren wilderness. It’s even harder when you’re hurrying out of the country that oppressed you and your people for many years as slaves. So it’s little surprise that, a month or so into their grand exit from Egypt, the Israelites started to notice something of a rumbling in their stomachs.

Their response, however, was ridiculous. Rather than trust in the God who had just brought one of the world’s mightiest nations to its knees through supernatural plagues and then led His people through a sea without even getting them wet, they instead complained bitterly. They accused Moses, their leader, of dragging them into the wilderness to “kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exodus 16:3).

Bread from heaven!

God responded with a miracle that would last for 40 years—every day, except the Sabbath, He sent bread from heaven. The Israelites were to “gather it according to each one’s need” (Exodus 16:16) but not “leave any of it till morning” (verse 19). Anyone who tried to be clever and stockpile for future days (excepting the Sabbath) found a nasty surprise—by the next morning, the manna “bred worms and stank” (verse 20).

For 40 years, six days a week, the Israelites would get up in the morning and gather their bread for the day, gathering a double portion only the day before the Sabbath.

And so for 40 years, the continued survival of the entire congregation of Israel depended on whether or not God provided them with bread in the morning.

A few millennia later …

Fast-forward to the present. There’s a significantly good chance you’re not reading this from your tent in the wilderness; and in all likelihood, your bread doesn’t rain from heaven so much as it gets plucked from the aisles of your local supermarket. It’s been a long, long time since the now-scattered Israelites have had to depend on manna from above. In fact, if you live in America, you live in a country where an average of 247 pounds of food is wasted per person per year.

That’s the equivalent of every American taking a pile of food the weight of Dr. Phil and throwing it in the garbage. Every year.

How does this relate to the Lord’s prayer?

When Jesus Christ gave His disciples a template for praying to God (Matthew 6:9-13), He provided a list of categories to include in our daily prayers. Important categories, like “Your kingdom come” and “forgive us our debts” and “do not lead us into temptation” and “give us this day our daily bread” and—wait, hold on.

Give us this day our daily bread? In a world that throws away mountains of unwanted food, isn’t praying for daily bread a little … outdated?

A parable

Jesus Christ also told the story of a man who found himself with more food than he knew what to do with. After a bountiful harvest—so bountiful that there wasn’t enough room to store it all—the man resolved to tear down his old barns, build bigger ones and live a life of ease for years.

His plan hit a snag, however, when “God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’” (Luke 12:20).

Overnight, the man’s possessions, however plentiful, lost all value to him.

Stockpiles are not security

As human beings, we seem to be hardwired with the inclination to stockpile stuff. We want to hoard; we want to keep; we want to possess. And so we save—we pile up goods and money and food, saving it all for a rainy day. Of course, saving is a wise principle.

However, if we’re not careful, it’s easy to start believing our stockpiles will carry us through any rainy days—that our stuff will sustain us through all of life’s difficulties. We tell ourselves that if we can just hold on to enough things to keep our heads above water, we won’t have to worry about anything.

Except for the fact that depending on stuff only breeds more worries. Because, as it turns out, food can rot. Possessions can be destroyed. Economies and, yes, entire civilizations can collapse. And when our survival hinges on a pile of stuff that can vanish in a moment, we’ll spend our lives concerned about losing our grip on those stockpiles.

The parable of the rich fool reminds us that stockpiles cannot bring security. In fact, stockpiles can actually cause us to forget the source of true security.

Why pray for daily bread?

The Israelites learned in a concrete, physical sense that without God’s continued provisions they would perish. It was literally impossible for them to stockpile manna, because it would spoil by the next morning. They were constantly aware that their food, each and every day, was provided for them directly by God.

We forget. Our breakfast doesn’t come from the heavens; it comes from a grocery store. America alone throws away tons of wasted food, and it’s easy to forget that our pantries full of meals were made possible by our Creator.

So we pray for our daily bread. We pray not just for the possession of it, but for the blessing of partaking of it. Because having it in abundance means nothing if we die or we have it ripped from us. It is a blessing from God, not ourselves.

Tucked away toward the end of Proverbs is a prayer that deepens the meaning of praying for daily bread. It is a prayer to “feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God” (Proverbs 30:8-9).

Having the “food allotted” to us helps keep us from trusting in the false god of stockpiles.

Worry not

Trusting stockpiles can breed worries, but God offers us a different way—trusting Him. Christ tells us, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. … For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:25, 32-34, emphasis added).

Pray for your daily bread. Do your part in earning it, but trust God to provide it. Don’t look to your own possessions for deliverance, but to your Father in heaven, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).       From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/god/blog/praying-for-our-daily-bread/

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The Lord’s Model Prayer

“Matthew 6:9-13

“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

This passage is often called the “Lord’s Prayer,” but it really isn’t a prayer, but an outline of the kinds of things to pray about. Christ prayed many prayers, and if you had to pick one to call the Lord’s Prayer, the one recorded in John 17 might be the most likely candidate.

There is a lot packed into this outline about our approach to God; about our need to focus on the good news of His promised Kingdom; about praying for the needs of others and ourselves; and about overcoming Satan, temptation and sin through seeking God’s help and forgiveness.

For more details on this passage, please see “The Lord’s Prayer” and “Do You Pray the Way Jesus Taught?” including the infographic “Jesus Christ’s Model Prayer.”  From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/the-lords-model-prayer/?

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Salt: The Scapegoat for the Western Diet

“Salt isn’t the cause of health problems, the real culprits are the foods people eat that are loaded with salt and fat, such as bacon, cheese and processed foods.

People following vegetarian diets have been consistently found to have lower blood pressure, irrespective of their sodium intake; and indigenous communities in which hypertension is rare typically consume a diet that resembles far more of a vegetarian than a western, urban diet (even when their native diet may be very high in sodium).12 When these people migrate to the city and westernize their diets with more animal products and processed foods they develop hypertension, type-2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. It’s the basic foods, not the salt that underlies health and disease.”

Read More at: https://www.drmcdougall.com/articles/common-health-problems/salt-the-scapegoat-for-the-western-diet/

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Sunday, August 15, 2021

How to Pray for Others. Whose Prayers Won’t God Hear? Whose Prayers Does God Answer? How Not to Pray. Doctors’ Nutritional Ignorance.

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Intercessory Prayer: How to Pray for Others

Intercessory Prayer: How to Pray for Others

“God appreciates people who pray fervently for others facing trials. Why does God command intercessory prayer, and how does He want us to pray for others?

What is intercessory prayer?

Intercessory prayer is prayer for the needs of others. Praying for others is an unselfish expression of love.

Why does God want us to pray for others? Because intercessory prayer reflects God’s own character of outgoing love and mercy. God wants us to think like He does, and praying for others helps us to think beyond ourselves and to grow in compassion for others.

God compares prayer with sweet-smelling incense that pleases Him (Revelation 5:8).

Who should we pray for?

Here are a few biblical principles for effective intercessory prayer. We should:

  • Pray for others from the heart, with deep feeling and sincerity. (See our article “Prayer From the Heart” for more about this.)

  • Pray for others regularly. In what is often called the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus told us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11; see “The Lord’s Prayer”). We should pray for our needs and the needs of others every day.

  • Pray for others in detail. God knows everything; but He wants us to come to Him with all our specific requests because He likes to hear from us and to know what is important to us. The Bible compares our prayers to incense, and God loves prayers that are like “sweet incense beaten fine” (Leviticus 16:12). Detailed, thoughtful prayers are more pleasing than rushed, summary prayers to “bless everybody.” Making a prayer list or prayer journal can help you remember the details.

  • Pray for others with faith, knowing that God has all power and loves the people we are praying for. Faith reminds us that God knows what is eternally best for each person, and that even if God does not answer in the way we want at the time we want, we can trust He has all of our best interests in mind. (For more about faith, study the scriptures in our article “What Is Faith?” and the other articles in that section.)

  • Pray for others with love. Remember that names on a prayer list represent real people with deep needs, struggles and feelings. Consider that God loves each of them and wants us to have the same outgoing concern. Godly love is totally unselfish and is the essence of God’s character (see “God Is Love”).

  • Pray for others fervently—with intensity, zeal and passion. James 5:16 tells us “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

  • Pray for others with a desire to help where we can. This might include physical help and encouragement. Cards, calls and visits might be helpful. It is not wrong to tell a person you are praying for him or her if it will help encourage the person.”

More at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/god/prayer-fasting-and-meditation/how-to-pray/intercessory-prayer/

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Whose Prayers Won’t God Hear?

Psalm 66:18

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.

Does God hear the prayers of sinners? Yes and no.

Yes, our merciful God always loves us and works with us, and Jesus Christ even died for us “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8). We were all sinners (Romans 3:23), so if God did not hear our cries for forgiveness, there would be no human He would hear. After sinning, David prayed, “Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities” (Psalm 51:9). God heard that prayer.

But without repentance, as Isaiah wrote, “Your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2).

Psalm 66:18 talks about sin “cherished” in the heart (New International Version). “If I have known it was there and encouraged it,” then God wouldn’t listen (Adam Clarke’s Commentary on Psalm 66:18).

To be assured God will hear and answer us, we must repent and work to root sin out of our heart with God’s help. See more about repentance in “How to Repent.””

From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/whose-prayers-wont-god-hear/?

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Whose Prayers Does God Answer?

1 John 3:22

“And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

Jesus Christ said, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14). That sounds like a blanket promise that could be easily abused. But John clarifies in 1 John 3:22 what Christ meant and why He could say that. His followers would, by definition, be those who strive to obey God’s commandments and to please God. Christians must seek God’s will and so must pray according to God’s will.

It only makes sense. Why would God act like a genie and give us things that wouldn’t be good for us? Why would He reward disobedience to His perfect laws? He wouldn’t.

He wants His followers to learn His will and to ask according to His will. Then He can give “whatever we ask” at the time that He knows is best for us in His eternal plan.

For more about His commandments and pleasing Him, see “The 10 Commandments for Today” and “How to Please God.”            From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/whose-prayers-does-god-answer/?

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How Not to Pray

James 4:3

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

In this chapter James is giving correction about selfish desires and the wrong actions they produce. Selfishly trying to get things for ourselves can lead from lust and coveting to fighting and even murder and war. And still people don’t get what they want, James says, “because you do not ask” (James 4:2).

Of course, James knew that some of his readers would automatically respond, “What do you mean we don’t ask! We ask God for the things we want all the time! So why doesn’t God answer?” Verse 3 is James’ response to this expected objection.

God does not want us to pray with a list of selfish “give mes.” Asking “amiss” is asking for selfish reasons—not seeking God’s will, which truly is in our long-term best interest. Selfishly seeking pleasures now is short-sighted.

Instead our prayers must be based on right motives and right priorities, such as described in Matthew 6:33. Jesus said we should seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then the other things we need “shall be added to you.”

For more about priorities and where we should focus, see “Seek First the Kingdom of God.”        From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/how-not-to-pray/?

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Doctors’ Nutritional Ignorance

Medical education continues to under-emphasize clinical nutrition.

Transcript of video at: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/doctors-nutritional-ignorance/

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

“The World Health Organization blames literally millions of deaths every year on inadequate fruit and vegetable intake. Almost as deadly as smoking. So if we care enough about ourselves and our families to not want to die a horrific death from smoking, we should put the same effort into eating more fruits and vegetables. We should eat fruits and vegetables as if our lives depended on it, because in a way they do.

Why haven’t many of us heard of this change from 5 A Day to 9 A Day? Well, the Federal Government spends about $10 million a year to educate people about healthy eating. Candy corporations spend about twice that amount just launching a new candy bar. Okay, but why don’t most doctors pass this information along? Because, odds are, your doctor never learned any of this. Less than a quarter of medical schools have even a single dedicated course on nutrition, and less than six percent of graduating physicians may have received any formal nutrition training.

Out of thousands of hours of pre-clinical instruction, your doctor may have gotten an average of three hours of nutrition training. There was even a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that pitted doctors versus patients in a head-to-head test of basic nutrition knowledge—simple true or false questions. Guess who won? The patients. People off the street knew more about nutrition than their doctors, yet people still ask their doctors for nutrition advice.

What doctors may be telling their patients to eat may be killing them. It wasn’t too long ago that doctors were advising pregnant women to smoke cigarettes to help with morning sickness. Until doctors are taught more about nutrition, their advising us about diet may be physician-assisted suicide.

There is one doctor though, everyone trusts. Perhaps the most famous physician of all time: Dr. Benjamin Spock. Always on the forefront of important social issues. And in the final edition of his book, the bestselling book in American history (second only to the Bible), he recommended that all children be raised on meat- and dairy-free diets to prevent diseases like cancer.”

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