Friday, 24^th May 2024

Bible Reading: Hebrews 10:25 

Memory Verse: Some people have given up the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord’s coming is getting closer. Hebrews 10:25 (CEV)

Christian News says: A new study from a research team at Harvard University has found that those who attend church on a regular basis are at a lower risk of dying from alcohol, drugs or suicide. The research, which was carried out by a group at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health and published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry in Year 2020, was titled “Religious Service Attendance and Deaths Related to Drugs, Alcohol, and Suicide Among US Health Care Professionals” and showed that those who attend weekly worship were less likely to die of these “deaths from despair.”

As the study pointed out, “Life expectancy in the US has decreased for 3 consecutive years since 2015. In particular, the mortality rates among middle-aged non-Hispanic white men and women aged 25 to 64 years increased by 5.2% between 1999 and 2016, with the differences particularly pronounced among individuals without a college degree. This increase in midlife mortality was largely associated with the increasing deaths from suicide, unintentional drug (e.g, opioids) and alcohol poisoning, and alcohol-associated chronic liver disease and cirrhosis.”

The results of the study were astonishing. Amongst women healthcare professionals, those who attended church once per week had a 68% lower risk of death from despair compared to colleagues who did not. Additionally, men who attended worship on a weekly basis had a 33% lower risk than those who didn’t. Furthermore, “Religion may be a social determinant of health and is associated with various aspects of health and well-being.

Religious participation may promote health and well-being through strengthening social integration, encouraging healthy behaviors, and providing a sense of hope, meaning, and purpose in life. Previous evidence has suggested that the communal aspect of religion, namely service attendance, was inversely associated with various factors related to despair (e.g, lower risk of suicidality, heavy drinking, substance misuse, and depression).”

Having said this, going to Church does not automatically translate to knowing God. As you listen to what is being said from the pulpit, do well to, like the Berean Christian in Acts 17:11, further know God for yourself. Online Church is good, however, make sure you belong to a local Church close to you. It may save your life someday. The Church remains one of your closest support system.

Quote: There is no perfect Church. Get the best of God where He has placed you.

Prophetic Decree: Receive your deliverance against any misconceptions about the Church, in Jesus name. 

Prayer Focus

1. As the deer pants after the water brooks, O Lord, help my heart to pant after You, in Jesus name.

2. Like David, may I be glad when they say unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord, in Jesus name (Psalm 122:1).

3. Holy Spirit, descend your fire to purge your Church, in Jesus name.

4. Fresh fire of holiness and consecration into righteousness, fall upon the Church, in Jesus name.

5. My Father, arise, let your glory fill your Church, in Jesus name.

6. Spirit of love, oneness and unity overshadow the Church of God, in Jesus name.

7. We come against the spirit of division in the body of Christ, in Jesus name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 108-110