Guidelines for Living. July 7th, 2026 3 Reasons Marriages Disconnect Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. James 4:17 Cell phones are wonderful when they work, but when you are in an area where your signal is breaking up, it can be frustrating. You hear the person’s voice fading in and out, and you keep talking, hoping that he or she is listening. Then, suddenly, you realize you have disconnected. The other person just isn’t there. Although you’ve been talking, no one has heard you. Frankly, that’s a picture of a lot of marriages today. A person keeps talking, hoping the other person is listening. You know that communication between you has been breaking up for some time. Then, one day you realize you’ve disconnected. What causes marriages to disconnect? If the thousands of e-mails and letters that come to Guidelines in response to this commentary and the books that I’ve authored on marriage and family living reflect how things really are, I see three powerful factors that are causing us to disconnect: stress, busyness, and wrong priorities. Let’s start with the stress factor. Now, all stress is not bad. Stress on the strings of a violin allow a beautiful melody as the bow glides across them. Stress on the suspension bridge keeps it from collapsing, and stress on the drumhead causes it to resonate to the beat of the drummer. But too much stress causes the violin string to snap, the suspension bridge to collapse, and the drum head to burst. That’s the way it is with your marriage. Now, no marriage is entirely stress free. Stress is the result of the cares and pressures of life today. We get it from many sources: the economy, the world in which you live, the difficulty to earn enough to provide for your needs and your family, the competition that your kids are under. The reality is that stress doesn’t always drive us closer to each other. People who really love each other become irritable, uptight, annoyed, and short-tempered with each other. Gradually, stress causes you to pull away from the one you really love. The second factor which causes marriages to disconnect is busyness, much of which is unavoidable. It’s the interest we pay on the principal of having to work two jobs, try to satisfy the demands of your boss, our mates, our kids, the community, our churches, and ourselves as well. You can’t have it all, but you think you can so you often end up working longer hours, separated from your family—the very ones you’re trying to provide for. Frankly, some things just aren’t worth the price that we’re paying for them. Who cares that you have more money when you’re never able to be there to shoot baskets with your son, or have no time for a leisure walk through the park with your wife? Remember, busyness causes your marriage to disconnect. Factor number three in disconnecting is wrong priorities. In life we often pay horrendous prices for things that really aren’t that important. I got a phone call from my youngest daughter, and from the tone of her voice, I knew it was serious. “Dad,” she said, “I think our house is going to burn down, what should I take with me?” She quickly explained that a fire was threatening her subdivision and she had only minutes to grab some things and run. Having once faced that possibility myself, I ran through the emergency list mentally: kids, pets, pictures, financial records, checkbooks, grab the computer, any money you have. Her house was spared, but looking back Nancy said, “You know, it really surprised me how little besides our family really mattered.” When your priorities are paid for in the currency of what it costs your family, your marriage is disconnecting. It’s a very high price to pay for what you get. Resource reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Picture of a Prophet by Leonard Ravenhill The prophet in his day is fully accepted of God and totally rejected by men. Years back, Dr. Gregory Mantle was right when he said, “No man can be fully accepted until he is totally rejected.” The prophet of the Lord is aware of both these experiences. They are his “brand name.” The group, challenged by the prophet because they are smug and comfortably insulated from a perishing world in their warm but untested theology, is not likely to vote him “Man of the year” when he refers to them as habituates of the synagogue of Satan! The prophet comes to set up that which is upset. His work is to call into line those who are out of line! He is unpopular because he opposes the popular in morality and spirituality. In a day of faceless politicians and voiceless preachers, there is not a more urgent national need than that we cry to God for a prophet! The function of the prophet, as Austin-Sparks once said, “has almost always been that of recovery.” The prophet is God’s detective seeking for a lost treasure. The degree of his effectiveness is determined by his measure of unpopularity. Compromise is not known to him. He has no price tags. He is totally “otherworldly.” He is unquestionably controversial and unpardonably hostile. He marches to another drummer! He breathes the rarefied air of inspiration. He is a “seer” who comes to lead the blind. He lives in the heights of God and comes into the valley with a “thus saith the Lord.” He shares some of the foreknowledge of God and so is aware of impending judgment. He lives in “splendid isolation.” He is forthright and outright, but he claims no birthright. His message is “repent, be reconciled to God or else…!” His prophecies are parried. His truth brings torment, but his voice is never void. He is the villain of today and the hero of tomorrow. He is excommunicated while alive and exalted when dead! He is dishonoured with epithets when breathing and honored with epitaphs when dead. He is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, but few “make the grade” in his class. He is friendless while living and famous when dead. He is against the establishment in ministry; then he is established as a saint by posterity. He eats daily the bread of affliction while he ministers, but he feeds the Bread of Life to those who listen. He walks before men for days but has walked before God for years. He is a scourge to the nation before he is scourged by the nation. He announces, pronounces, and denounces! He has a heart like a volcano and his words are as fire. He talks to men about God. He carries the lamp of truth amongst heretics while he is lampooned by men. He faces God before he faces men, but he is self-effacing. He hides with God in the secret place, but he has nothing to hide in the marketplace. He is naturally sensitive but supernaturally spiritual. He has passion, purpose and pugnacity. He is ordained of God but disdained by men. Our national need at this hour is not that the dollar recovers its strength, or that we save face over the Watergate affair, or that we find the answer to the ecology problem. We need a God-sent prophet! I am bombarded with talk or letters about the coming shortages in our national life: bread, fuel, energy. I read between the lines from people not practiced in scaring folk. They feel that the “seven years of plenty” are over for us. The “seven years of famine” are ahead. But the greatest famine of all in this nation at this given moment is a FAMINE OF THE HEARING OF THE WORDS OF GOD (Amos 8:11). Millions have been spent on evangelism in the last twenty-five years. Hundreds of gospel messages streak through the air over the nation every day. Crusades have been held; healing meetings have made a vital contribution. “Come-outers” have “come out” and settled, too, without a nation-shaking revival. Organizers we have. Skilled preachers abound. Multi-million dollar Christian organizations straddle the nation. BUT where, oh where, is the prophet? Where are the incandescent men fresh from the holy place? Where is the Moses to plead in fasting before the holiness of the Lord for our mouldy morality, our political perfidy, and sour and sick spirituality? God’s men are in hiding until the day of their showing forth. They will come. The prophet is violated during his ministry, but he is vindicated by history. There is a terrible vacuum in evangelical Christianity today. The missing person in our ranks is the prophet. The man with a terrible earnestness. The man totally otherworldly. The man rejected by other men, even other good men, because they consider him too austere, too severely committed, too negative and unsociable. Let him be as plain as John the Baptist. Let him for a season be a voice crying in the wilderness of modern theology and stagnant “churchianity.” Let him be as selfless as Paul the apostle. Let him, too, say and live, “This ONE thing I do.” Let him reject ecclesiastical favors. Let him be self-abasing, non-self-seeking, non-self-projecting, non-self- righteous, non-self-glorying, non-self-promoting. Let him say nothing that will draw men to himself but only that which will move men to God. Let him come daily from the throne room of a holy God, the place where he has received the order of the day. Let him, under God, unstop the ears of the millions who are deaf through the clatter of shekels milked from this hour of material mesmerism. Let him cry with a voice this century has not heard because he has seen a vision no man in this century has seen. God send us this Moses to lead us from the wilderness of crass materialism, where the rattlesnakes of lust bite us and where enlightened men, totally blind spiritually, lead us to an ever-nearing Armageddon. God have mercy! Send us PROPHETS! #holyspirittv

A drum that calls people must also call the drummer to discipline.

Good morning, brethren. 1. Our morning prayer focuses on "Living in eternal light." 2. Do you know why we have the Bible? 3. How can we have peace on earth? 4. Do you know what to do when you are affected and overwhelmed? To know more, read the message below: 1. Morning Prayer I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. ⏤ John 15:5 In the light of Christ, our hearts find the strength to shine. ⏤ J.R. Miller Heavenly Father, as this new day begins, draw us closer to You. Let the light of Your love shine in our hearts and may Your grace fill us like the morning sun. Give us a glimpse of the fullness of life that awaits us in Heaven, so that our hearts may be drawn towards it. We thank You that eternal life begins here on earth when we receive Jesus as our Lord. Help us to live more fully each day, filled with Your presence. Abide in us, and may we abide in You. Let Your love overflow in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. We ask for grace to be witnesses for Jesus today. In our homes, may we show love, gentleness, and affection as a testimony to Your power. In our work, may we demonstrate diligence, faithfulness, and selflessness. In our friendships, may we be thoughtful, sincere, and kind, showing Christ’s love to all we meet. In every aspect of our lives, may we reflect Your beauty and grace. We also pray for those whose work takes them into dangerous places today. Keep safe those who travel by sea, those who work on the rails, in mines, and in other hazardous jobs. We pray for our neighbors and friends, the poor, the sick, and those nearing death. We ask all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen. https://www.youdevotion.com/daily-prayer/miller/83/morning #taptapstudio #youdevotion. 2. Skip to content Rev. Billy Graham Devotional Posted onDecember 27, 2025 by Christian Channel Why We Have the Bible Check out other Christian Apps. Rev. Billy Graham Books These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God . . . —John 20:31 God caused the Bible to be written for the express purpose of revealing to us God’s plan for His redemption. God caused the Book to be written that He might make His everlasting laws clear to His children, and that they might have His great wisdom to guide them, and His great love to comfort them as they make their way through life. For without the Bible this world would indeed be a dark and frightening place, without signpost or beacon. The Bible easily qualifies as the only book in which God’s revelation is contained. There are many bibles of different religions; there is the Mohammedan Koran, the Buddhist Canon of Sacred Scripture, the Zoroastrian Zend-Avesta, and the Brahman Veda . . . They all begin with some flashes of true light, and end in utter darkness. Even the most casual observer soon discovers that the Bible is radically different. It is the only Book that offers redemption to us and points the way out of our dilemma. Prayer for the day Lord Jesus, as I read Your Word, Your truth shines through and illuminates a dark world. Check out other Christian Apps. :Rev. Billy Graham Books Post navigation Previous Post Previous We Cannot Out-Give God. 3. Skip to content Daily Youth Devotional Posted onDecember 25, 2025 by Christian Channel Peace on Earth! – Today’s Youth Devotion Peace on Earth! Bible Reading: Luke 2:8-14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors. Luke 2:14 EVER SINCE the angels appeared on the hillside with their great news of joy and peace, Christmas has been a time for singing. You’ve probably sung each of the fol­lowing Christmas songs below-except that the titles have been changed just to mess with your mind. See if you can figure out the real titles-the first one, for example, is “Deck the Halls.” Embellish the interior passageways. Listen, the celestial messengers produce harmonious sounds. The Christmas preceding all others. Move this way, entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief. Expectation of arrival by mythical, masculine perennial gift giver. The first person nominative plural of a trio of far eastern heads of state. Small masculine master of percussionistic cylinders. Natal celebration devoid of color, rather albino. Jovial yuletide desired for the second person singular or plural by us. Nocturnal time span of unbroken quietness. The angels sang, “Peace on earth,” and Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace (see Isaiah 9:6). He came to bring peace to a world in turmoil. He came to bring peace into your life when things seem to be falling apart. God’s brand of peace starts with trust­ing Christ personally and allowing his peace to rule your life. It spreads to others as his peace transforms your life. Jesus came to be the great peacemaker, and as you grow in his peace you be­come a peacemaker too. The peace that Jesus provided-the peace that you can expe­rience today-is the peace of forgiveness and reconciliation. That’s what Christmas is all about: God reconciling with his human creation so that you can be friends again with him and others. Spread God’s peace. That’s a birthday present Jesus will really appreciate. REFECT: How will you share the peace of Jesus today? PRAY: Jesus, you brought real peace to my world. Make me a peacemaker too. ANSWERS: 1. Deck the Halls; 2. Hark, the Herald Angels Sing; 3. The First Noel; 4. 0 Come, All Ye Faithful; 5. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town; 6. We Three Kings; 7. Little Drummer Boy; 8. White Christmas; 9. We Wish You a Merry Christmas; 10. Silent Night Post navigation Previous Post Previous The Gifts that Really Count – Today’s Youth Devotion Next Post Next Why Pray When You Can Worry? – Today’s Youth Devotion Last seven Days Devotional Time to Settle In – Today’s Youth Devotion Why Pray When You Can Worry? – Today’s Youth Devotion Peace on Earth! – Today’s Youth Devotion The Gifts that Really Count – Today’s Youth Devotion Nativity Trivia – Today’s Youth Devotion What’s So Funny About Money? – Today’s Youth Devotion Search for: Search … Search. 4. *MEDITATIONS ON DAILY* *ⓂANNA* SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27TH, 2025 *WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE AFFLICTED AND OVERWHELMED* *TEXT:* PSALM 102:1-11. 1 Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee. 2 Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily. 3 For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth. 4 My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread. 5 By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin. 6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert. 7 I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top. 8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me. 9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping. 10 Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down. 11 My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass. *Timeless Truth:*_"From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I"_ (Psalm 61:2). *INTRODUCTION* The Psalms have been given different classifications by Bible scholars. For example, Messianic Psalms are Old Testament psalms that prophetically describe the life, suffering, death, and reign of Jesus Christ and the Messiah, with key examples including Psalms 2, 16, 22, 40, 110, and 118. In traditional Christian liturgy, our text, Psalm 102 has been regarded as one of the seven penitential psalms (along with Psalm 6, 32, 38, 51, 130, 143). The pains and the afflictions that the psalmist passed through were deep and uncommon. Yet there it has deep lessons on what to do when passing through overwhelming afflictions and pains. *1. Cry During Crisis* a. There are many things man does in times of crisis. Some complain, cry, or even curse. It is not the depth or degree of the afflictions that matters most, but our attitude towards them. The afflictions and the expressions described in the text are comparable to that of Job who is an example of someone who experienced overwhelming afflictions in the Old Testament. Job, in spite of his limited knowledge of God and man, has shown us that there is no new thing under heaven, and no matter how great the afflictions and pain may be, with faith in God, it would soon turn to a testimony of victory. Calling upon God is the most profitable and unfailing response to all sorrows, crisis and afflictions. While crying may bring temporary relief, it does not bring a solution. The solution is in Who the cry is directed to, who should be God who can do all things and solve all problems. *"Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee"*. He did not just pray, he cried to the LORD. There is a difference between praying and crying. He made a strong appeal and petition to God whom he called LORD. In other words there is a relationship between the afflicted and the *LORD* . He has accepted God as His personal Lord like some have their own personal Physicians to which all their health issues are directed. b. The afflictions become more terrible and painful when there is the sense of being forsaken by God and God is far away out of reach. Jesus also cried when there was the sense of being forsaken by God and shouted to God as if He was far away, *"My Father, my Father, why hast thou forsaken me?"* The aura of the presence of God in the midst of affliction is a soothing balm when overwhelmed with troubles. *"Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble"*. He promised the saints, *"I will never leave thee or forsake thee"*. (Hebrews 13:5). The only thing that can drive away the presence of God is sin. *Question* How do you cry to God in times of crisis? *2. Confess without Complaining* a. Many Christians are aware of the importance of confession of sins so as to receive pardon or forgiveness. However, the psalmist was genuinely a righteous person and as a result, sin was not his problem. However, what type of confession did he make? *"For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth"*. He made pathetic confession to God as to what he was passing through like a sick person does to a trusted Physician. It is a confession without complaining about self pity which only psychologically aggravates the problem. Confession of our feelings and experiences to God have a soothing and therapeutic effect on the mind and the body. Don't bottle your agonies, express them to God who hears and has the power to deliver. It was a suffering that resulted in total loss of appetite and unintended fasting. *"My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread"*. As a result, he had also emancipated. *"By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin"*. He experienced strange and wretched loneliness though he was with some people. *"I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert".* He further confessed that His unrepentant enemies added to his affliction through reproach and curses. *"Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me"*. This kind of sufferings and afflictions are unimaginable though that of Job is worse. The agony of the soul is not as serious as that of the Lord Jesus. b. His limited knowledge as an Old Testament saint was an additional burden. He, like Job, wrongly thought of God as a professional wrestler fighting him in His anger. *"Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down"*. Wrong diagnosis of the case of sufferings will prolong the afflictions and make it more painful. A constant self reminder of the unfailing love of God and His abiding presence will impart the needed grace to endure to the end and overcome. *Question* Do you confess without complaining during a painful crisis? *3. The Confidence and Consecration* In the most severe and overwhelming afflictions, the psalmist demonstrated confidence in God. In fact, he resigned to the arms of God in crying to God in prayers though he wrongly diagnosed the cause. He made up his mind like Job who said, *"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him"* (Job 13:15). The end of all those who are consecrated to God to follow Him to the end are always gracious. Those who could not endure but deny Him will eternally regret. *"Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy"* (James 5:11). *Question* How strong is your consecration to endure all what Paul described as *" our light afflictions"* and make heaven at last? *Prayer Points* 1.Lord, give me grace to have the right and godly attitude during crisis and afflictions 🙏. 2.Lord, strengthen my consecration and resolve never to bend and give up my faith no matter what 🙏. 3.Always open my eyes to see You and help me to always feel Your presence in the midst of troubles 🙏. 4.Release the Spirit of prayers and revelations on all the retreat participants 🙏. *HYMN:* Tell it to Jesus *BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:* REVELATION 9-11. Buy the truth and sell it not. Your eternity and holiness is not for sale.

‎The Danger of Commercializing God’s Work ‎ ‎ ‎We live in a time when many who once served God with purity now serve Him with a price tag. ‎ ‎What was once ministry has now become market. What was once service has become service rendered only if paid for. ‎ ‎The altar is losing honor because many hands are now working for money, not for God. ‎ ‎This sermon calls the Church back to purity, sacrifice, and genuine service. ‎ ‎1. GOD NEVER DESIGNED MINISTRY TO BE A BUSINESS ‎ ‎Ministry is a calling, not a career. It is an assignment, not an advertisement. ‎ ‎Matthew 10:8 – “Freely you have received, freely give.” ‎ ‎Jesus reminded His disciples that everything they had came by grace, not by payment. ‎ ‎The anointing is not for sale. Miracles are not for sale. Prayers are not for sale. ‎ ‎When ministry becomes a market, the power of God departs. ‎ ‎2. COMMERCIALIZING GOD’S WORK IS A SIGN OF CORRUPTION ‎ ‎When Gehazi saw money instead of ministry, he lost destiny. ‎ ‎2 Kings 5:20–27 – Gehazi chased Naaman for money after the prophet refused it. ‎The result? Leprosy. ‎ ‎Many Christians today are chasing “Naaman money” instead of “Elisha purity.” ‎ ‎When your priority changes from souls to salary, you are already corrupting the calling. ‎ ‎3. TRUE SERVANTS DON’T SERVE FOR PAYMENT, THEY SERVE FOR GOD ‎ ‎Colossians 3:23–24 – “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men… knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward.” ‎ ‎God is the One who rewards His servants. ‎ ‎Money is not wrong, but making money the reason for ministry is wrong. ‎ ‎If you are a chorister, drummer, usher, evangelist, media worker, or cleaner and you only work when paid, you are no longer serving God—you are serving salary. ‎ ‎4. JESUS HIMSELF REBUKED THE SPIRIT OF COMMERCIALIZATION ‎ ‎John 2:13–16 – Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers. ‎He said: “You have turned My Father’s house into a marketplace!” ‎ ‎This is the same cry of the Spirit today. ‎ ‎Church is not a shop. ‎The altar is not an ATM. ‎The anointing is not for hire. ‎ ‎Anything done in God’s name for money loses heaven’s approval. ‎ ‎5. WHEN YOU COMMERCIALIZE YOUR GIFT, YOU LIMIT GOD’S USE OF YOU ‎ ‎When money becomes your master, God steps aside. ‎ ‎ ‎Matthew 6:24 – “You cannot serve God and mammon.” ‎ ‎Many lose spiritual gifts because they commercialized them. ‎ ‎The Holy Spirit withdraws where money becomes priority. ‎ ‎You cannot be both a minister and a merchant at the same time. ‎ ‎6. GOD BLESSES THOSE WHO SERVE HIM FREELY ‎ ‎Those who serve without price earn God’s supernatural provision. ‎ ‎1 Corinthians 9:18 – Paul said he preached the gospel “without charge.” ‎He knew that real reward comes from heaven, not honorarium. ‎ ‎When you put God first, He puts your destiny first. ‎ ‎7. A WARNING TO THOSE WHO TURN THE CALLING INTO A CAREER ‎ ‎God warned Israel about prophets who prophesied for money. ‎ ‎Micah 3:11 – “Her prophets divine for money…” ‎God condemned them and declared judgment. ‎ ‎Anyone who commercializes God’s gift is walking in dangerous territory. ‎ ‎The calling is holy. ‎Don’t turn it into a business. ‎ ‎8. A CALL BACK TO TRUE SERVICE ‎ ‎Return to the days when you sang without pay… ‎ ‎When you drummed without expecting transport fare… ‎ ‎When you cleaned God’s house with joy… ‎ ‎When evangelism was your passion, not your payment. ‎ ‎ ‎Romans 12:11 – “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.” ‎ ‎Serve the Lord—not money. ‎ ‎ ‎You cannot carry power if your heart is full of price tags. ‎ ‎You cannot be used by God when you are ruled by money. ‎ ‎God is calling His people back to purity, sincerity, and genuine service. ‎ ‎Let ministry remain ministry. ‎ ‎Let God’s work remain holy. ‎ ‎Let your gift bring glory to God, not money to your pocket. ‎ ‎PRAYER ‎Father, purify my heart. Deliver me from the spirit of commercialization. Restore in me the joy of true service. Help me to serve You with sincerity and sacrifice. In Jesus’ name, Amen. ‎ ‎Pastor Abiodun Kadri ‎ ‎ ‎#MinistryNotMarket #ServeGodNotMoney #PureService #KingdomCalling #GospelWithoutPrice #HeartOfWorship #ReturnToService #HolyCalling #NoMoreCommercialMinistry #GodFirstAlways ‎ ‎

This is a song called Living Waters that I wrote about the woman at the well. My band Live In The Light is new to playing it, so with more practice we will get better. But my drummer was excited for me to share it now! He’s currently on a cajon while he waits for drum repairs. Love these guys! They are super talented and dedicated to this project that God placed on our hearts

Drumming at Church #Drummer #AnandHemant #JaagoMusic #SheldonBangera #Rhythmist #Percussionist