August 26, 2026 (day 238/365) WEDNESDAY GOD'S WORD FOR THE DAY “Celebrate God’s Faithfulness” Nehemiah 12:43 “Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy.” This is the Word of God. Nehemiah 12 describes the dedication of Jerusalem’s rebuilt wall. After years of hardship, opposition, and hard work, the people gathered to celebrate what God had accomplished among them. Their joy was not merely because the wall was finished, but because they recognized God’s hand in their restoration. Sometimes we become so focused on our next challenge that we forget to stop and celebrate what God has already done. Every answered prayer, every difficulty He has carried us through, and every blessing He has provided is a reason to give Him thanks. True Christian joy comes from recognizing God’s faithfulness. When we remember His goodness, gratitude replaces complaining and praise replaces discouragement. May we never become too busy to stop and thank God for His faithfulness. May our lives be filled with grateful hearts that rejoice in all that He has done. Amen. Have a blessed day with the Lord. -- Pastor Emmanuel Serto

St. Joseph Calasanz St. Joseph was born on September 11, 1557 in the kingdom of Spain. His father was Don Pedro Calasanz and mother Maria Gaston. St. Joseph was ordained a priest on December 17, 1583. He came to Rome and concentrated fully on giving education to poor children. He started the first free public school in November, 1597, in Europe. He started to live a community life with his assistants and laid the foundation of the Order of the Pious Schools or Piarists. This congregation of the Order of Pious Schools was approved by the Pope Paul-V, in the year 1617. This congregation of Pious Schools was converted into a religious order on November 18, 1621 by Pope Gregory-XV with the name "Order of Clerks Regular Poor of the Mother of God of Pious Schools". St. Joseph was the first Superior general of this religious congregation of Pious Schools. He was a great supporter of Galileo and his theory of cosmos. St. Joseph was beatified by Pope Benedict-XIV on August-7, 1748 and canonized by Pope Clement-XIII on July 16, 1767. St. Joseph Calasanz was declared as the "Universal Patron of all Christian Popular Schools in the World" by Pope Pius-XII on August 13, 1948. #Catholic #school patronsaint #world #salvation #truth #fact #history #base #universalpatron #schoo1617 #freeschool1597 #freepublicschool #publicschool #public

Matthew 22:11-14 NIV “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.” God morning and praise God. I hope you are blessed and having a great morning. Long ago in the East, a host of a banquet would provide special garments to his invited guests. These were to his own honor and pride. He would therefore expect all his invited guests to be in that specific attire. Do you think he would allow them who refused to be in his probably expensive, clean and beautiful attire to remain in the banquet? Won't that be a great dishonor to him having spent alot only for someone to participate wearing his or her own garment of choice? Jesus Christ uses this to illustrate how it will be for those who accepted Him but wants to do it under their own terms. Those who want to remain in sin but also in Christ. Those who accepted the Gospel but have willingly refused to be transformed by it. They want to be luke warm, not cold not hot. They want to love Jesus by their own lips whilst their actions shows otherwise. Those who have refused to bear fruit of Spirit but instead are bearing fruits of flesh. In another place the Bible describes them this way Romans 1:21 NIV "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. " Gospel is tranformartive but to those who genuinely accept it and from henceforth take-up their cross and follow Jesus. You cannot tell us you belong to Jesus but also to your old sinful nature. You cannot belong to light and darkness at the same time. Gospel is nothing about mingling with crowd but rather a deep personal relationship with God. It is about true repentance, faith and submission to the ways of God. It is nothing about following your church traditions and what not but rather a deep relationship of submission and obedience to God. The end of those that are lukewarm is clear. They will be cast out of God's presence at the judgement day. Matthew 7:23 NIV Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Brethren, be among the chosen not just those who accepted invitation. It'll be very painful if you wasted all your time lying on salvation. Make it true today through true and genuine repentance and it's tranformartive power. God loves you, have a blessed day. Shalom.

Hebrews 4:14, 16 ESV [14] Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [16] Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. ❤️👍🙏🔥✨

Are we in the great deception? Dr. Brad Reaves joins me on Soaring Eagle TV. Full conversation on my YouTube channel - @DrMikeSpaulding

God is great 🙏

🪸 FAITH REELS —AUGUST 25🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳 🙌 When Jesus is your greatest treasure, no sacrifice is too great #LordsbookDailys #FaithReels #BibleTruth #AUGUST25

Great Blessings Hidden in Small Acts of Obedience “Obedience in the small things leads to great success.” God often tests our obedience in small places that no one notices before He lifts us up. Because before a success that is visible on the platform, God looks for character that is formed in the secret place. Noah built the ark exactly as God commanded, even when there was no visible sign of rain. His long-term obedience became the reason for the salvation of his family. (Genesis 6:22) When Naaman was told to wash himself seven times in the Jordan, it seemed like a very simple instruction. But when he obeyed, he was cleansed. (2 Kings 5:10–14) Obedience to a small instruction can bring a great transformation. Obeying even when we do not understand is an expression of faith. Obedience is never wasted, even when the answer is delayed. God sees the obedience we offer in places where no one else is watching. Today’s small act of obedience can become tomorrow’s great testimony. God is less concerned with asking, How great was the thing you did? and more concerned with, How faithful were you to do what I told you? Never consider a small act insignificant. A small act of obedience placed in God’s hands can become the beginning of a great blessing. > “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much.” — Luke 16:10 Hepsi Sam ✍️

How to Persevere in Prayer How do you persevere in prayer? You have to make an effort, because it is not easy. It is easy to start; the difficult part is finishing, because of the opposition that arises along the way. The enemy will always oppose men and women of prayer. This opposition can happen in many ways: through pain in the body, through situations around us, and even through people close to us. People will be attacked, you will be saddened, troubled, distressed, humiliated, and persecuted. So, do not forget: many of these struggles are part of the journey of a life of prayer. And this should serve as encouragement to warriors. You must keep going! But how do you persevere? Do what Paul taught: “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.” Many people want to pray while living according to the flesh, and because of this, the journey seems impossible. But when we are in the Spirit, when we walk and live in the Spirit, we receive life and have life to give. We must make an effort and not be ignorant of Satan’s schemes. Yet, hallelujah, we must remain patient in tribulations. This is how we will continue. If you do not renounce your own life and your own will, and if you do not enter this war determined to fight the good fight, you will give up. The burden will become too great, because sin brings bondage and weakness. Therefore, it is necessary to renounce sin. The Word says: “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.” And so you will continue fighting, abstaining from everything that weakens your walk and making every effort to remain steadfast. Understand this: the struggles, adversities, and opposition you encounter are part of the journey of those who are true warriors. But you have the armor of God in your hands! So I challenge you: move forward against them! Glory to God! Go into battle as David went against Goliath. Do not allow yourself to be intimidated by the Goliaths of life, nor by the Sauls who may cross your path. You need to have the same attitude as Caleb when he returned from spying out the land together with Joshua and the other men. Caleb said, in other words: “They will be our bread. Let us only be strong, and the Lord will deliver them into our hands.” Hallelujah! This is the secret to perseverance. If I do not tell you the truth, you may become frustrated. The battles will come because of your prayer life. The counterattacks will come, and they may be very intense, because the devil does not want anyone to persevere in prayer. That is why you find many people who started but did not finish. Jesus taught that when someone goes into battle, they must first count the cost, to determine whether they have what it takes to see it through to the end. In the same way, when someone is going to build a house, they must calculate the cost to determine whether they will be able to finish it. Otherwise, they will begin building and will not be able to finish. And everyone who passes by will begin to mock them, saying: “This man began to build, but he was not able to finish.” The world is full of people who began building their houses but did not finish. Many ended up becoming a source of shame and disgrace. No! You must be a courageous man! You must be a giant in faith, able to face the giants of this world and overcome the Sauls who arise along the way. Do not be afraid. Do not give up. Do not abandon prayer. Keep fighting. Keep praying. Keep persevering. Because the one who perseveres to the end will see the hand of God.

Good evening, brethren. 1. Evening devotion for today. ED.i. *DAILY WALK WITH CHRIST* (COCIN DEVOTIONAL) *DATE:* TUESDAY 25TH AUGUST, 2026. *SUB-THEME:* YOUTHS: VESSELS OF GOD’S GRACE. *TOPIC:* HANDLING YOUR THOUGHTS. *TEXTS:* ROMANS 12:2; 2 CORINTHIANS 10:5. *ROMANS 12:2.* 2. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will. *CORINTHIANS 10:5.* 5. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. *TOPIC:* HANDLING YOUR THOUGHTS. *THE MESSAGE;* Each day, our minds are flood with streams of thoughts - some uplifting, others discouraging. If we are not vigilant, negative thoughts can take hold, dragging us into a state of despair that God never intended for us to experience. The first text urges us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, while the second reminds us to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. This means we must not allow any thought that contradicts God's word to go unchecked. The moment you recognise a harmful or untrue thought creeping in, stand firm in your identity in Christ. Reject it, confront it, and replace it with the truth of the Scripture. The more you study scriptures, the easier it will be for you to recognise lies and false teachings. This will prompt you to turn away from them and walk in the truth. *REFLECTION:* Let the scriptures guide your thoughts. *PRAYER:* Lord, help me to think rightly. Amen. *MEMORY VERSE FOR THE MONTH:* 2 TIMOTHY 2:21. "If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be instruments for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master, and prepared to do any good work." *TODAY'S BIBLE READING PLAN:* EZEKIEL 34-36. ED.ii. SHAMGAR'S CATTLE STICK "After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an ox goad. He too saved Israel." - Judges 3:31 Shamgar was a farmer and one day while he was plowing the enemy, the Philistines, came. They were out to rob, kill and destroy Israel. Shamgar had no sword, spear or shield like the Philistines who were well-armed and trained men. In 1 Samuel 13:19 it says: 'The Philistines wouldn't allow them for fear they would make swords and spears for the Hebrews.' The hero Shamgar The only thing Shamgar had was a cattle stick - a stick of about three meters long and four to five centimeters thick. On this cattle stick, there was a small point sticking out which is used to spur the oxen. On the other side of the stick, there was a chisel to scrape the plowshares. There was an army of 600 armed men and there was Shamgar with his cattle stick. Many of us would choose the easiest way out and leave. But Shamgar approached them with his cane and struck them down one after the other. Can you imagine this: 600 men beaten by one man with a stick? Shamgar became a hero on that day and was appointed to judge in Israel. Today we also have enemies, from whom the evil one is the worst. The Bible says he came to steal, kill, and destroy. And he comes with many demons. Use what you have Shamgar did not wait like so many people do but he used what he had. Let us also confront the enemy with what we have. Jesus is with us and with Him we are more than conquerors! Do not wait for what you do not have but use what you have. God is on your side. https://www.theblessingdevotional.com 2. Evening Prayer for today. EP.i. Evening Prayer Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. ⏤ Proverbs 3:5-6 The man who prays grows; and the muscles of the soul swell from this whipcord to iron bands. ⏤ Leonard Ravenhill O God, the Author of our being and the Preserver of our lives—we come to Your throne of grace this evening, placing ourselves under Your care for the night. Bless us and grant us Your special peace. Cleanse our hearts before You, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from us. Shine the light of Your countenance upon us, and grant us Your salvation. The evening is here; come, O Jesus, and abide with us. Keep us securely in Your care. Strengthen our faith so that it will not fail. May we always keep our eyes on You, setting You before us, so that we do not lose our way. We are too prone to trust our own desires and to choose our own ways. Help us to always do what pleases You so that we do not sin against You. Keep us from discouragement and despair. May we learn to leave all the affairs of our lives in Your hands, trusting You to bring about what is best for us and for Your glory. Teach us how to commit our way to You so that You may bring forth our righteousness. We bring before You each member of our home. You know each one of us and all our needs. You know the temptations each of us faces—they are not the same, though we live under the same roof. Match Your grace to our specific dangers and needs. Reveal Yourself to us always as the Friend we need, offering the help we need. Sanctify all the experiences of the day for us. May our disappointments prove to be Your appointments, and may the way You have led us be indeed the right way. In Your great mercy, forgive all our sins, and bring us into Your heavenly kingdom through Jesus Christ. Amen. https://www.youdevotion.com/daily-prayer/miller/51/evening #taptapstudio #youdevotion.