The command by God to the people of Israel who were taken captive and exiled to Babylon was not to rebel, hate or isolate themselves, but to pray for peace, so that they too can lead peaceful lives.

As believers in Jesus, we too have a responsibility to pray for God's peace and blessings on those around us, and a greater call to pray for their salvation so they too can be at peace with God.

This prayer for peace should extend to all the war-torn nations, and every country where hatred, violence and communal disharmony are rampant.

Have a peaceful day, and let the _'Shalom'_ or _'Peace'_ that Jesus offers rule our hearts and reign over our homes, cities, nations and the world.
Esther Collins
Based on Jeremiah 29:7

Having an Encounter with God through His Son Jesus Christ.
By: Evangelist Dominic Ofori-Mensah
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As a Christian there's this one and special encounter you get with Christ Jesus the day and moment you make your mind to take up your cross to follow him (personal consecration), I term this the Salvational Encounter/encountering salvation. (Moses, Abraham, Saul etc). Salvational Encounter I define as the first taste of divine and mortal encounter by man with a deity. As believers/Christians, it is our aim and desire to encounter Christ Jesus day to day. When God orchestrate His divine plan and purpose over your life to manifest His Will, He meet man half way and when he's mostly desolate in life, wondering and wandering.
When you have this salvational encounter, your life changes from living life worldly than the Word of God. Moses after encountering God at the burning bush, got a new purpose and a divine shift over his life.
But with the help of the Holy Spirit, I would like to expound on 2/3 others..

1. Relationship Encounter: As a believer/Christian, it should be your priority to always yearn to know more of Jesus Christ or have personal intimacy with him. You shouldn't always become a "suckling baby" as a child of God but maturing to certain dimension when God can use you accurately without fear. It is one thing to be saved and another to stick to God. Many Christians do not have a personal relationship with God through Jesus (Word) and by the teachings and leading of His Spirit so they easily fall prey to false teachings and spirituality. Moses never met God again at a burning bush but had to actually meet him face to face on mount Sinai. (Exodus 3:2, Exodus 4-15). Moses had a temperamental issues which was common to the Levite's but after encountering God and having a Personal Relationship with Him, he was used according to how God wanted. To have a personal relationship with God is to obey His Word and the guidance and teachings of His Spirit which will guide you into righteousness for His eternal purpose.

2. Spiritual/Dimensional Encounter:
As we become older and matured in Christ, it is expected of us to live above the rulings of this mundane whiles you still have to fit in. In our walk of life as humans and christians, we are to grow naturally either the inner man(Soul) or the outer man (Ego) and with this growth comes battles that needs the intervention of a higher realm. We come across cycles and seasons where most people get to repeat what's ought to be crossed and vice versa. Life is spiritual and have to be lived as such. Saul, after encountering Christ Jesus (salvational encounter and personally having a relationship with him, made him understood certain spiritual dimensional messages which an ordinary man could not understand or fathom.. Salvational encounter comes with fear and trembling as the first encounter but when you develop a relationship with God, He opens you up for more Divine mysteries and spiritual dimensional realms that He knows you will use according to His Will.. It is one thing to Encounter God and another thing to be Encountering God. Moses, Abraham, Moses, etc had a continuous encounter with God where they had to be taking instructions and information even to the moment of death as Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior did. For righteous living and eternity sake, strive to have a personal relationship and spiritual encounter with God in other for Him to position you well for His Will and Plan..
Amen!

Righteousness That Comes from God

These days, we are meditating on the Gospel of Matthew, especially the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus teaches His disciples the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven. After teaching them to let their light shine before others so that people may see their good works and glorify their Father in heaven, Jesus explains the true meaning of righteousness and obedience to God’s Law.

Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). He came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill its purpose and reveal its deepest meaning. The heart of God’s Law is love: love for God and love for others.

Jesus confronted the religious leaders of His time because the scribes and Pharisees often emphasized outward religious practices while neglecting the condition of the heart. They had developed human traditions that sometimes replaced God’s commandments. Jesus asked, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Matthew 15:3).

The Law is holy because God is holy. The Ten Commandments reveal God’s character and help us understand what sin is. However, the Law cannot save us. Instead, it reveals our sin and shows us our need for a Savior. It leads us to recognize our need for God’s mercy, forgiveness, and salvation through Jesus Christ.

John 1:17 says, “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” The scribes and Pharisees practiced righteousness outwardly, often seeking recognition and honor from people. Jesus warned, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them” (Matthew 6:1). Their righteousness was based on self-righteousness rather than a transformed heart.

Therefore, Jesus declared, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). True righteousness is not merely outward behavior; it comes from a heart transformed by God through faith in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is why Jesus calls us to be poor in spirit—to recognize our spiritual need and humbly come to Him. May our righteousness never be hypocritical or self-made, but may it be the righteousness God gives through Jesus Christ. Let us love God, love people, walk humbly, and allow the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts. May God bless you.

Matthew 21:1-17

Now Jesus has determined to enter the final phase of his earthly ministry, elsewhere in Luke in the King James vernacular He “set His face toward Jerusalem”. It is here that in Matthew's own style to point to Jesus as the prophecied Messiah using the verse from Zechariah while describing Jesus's actions.

Zechariah 9:9
[9] Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zechariah is writing a list of things to come while addressing the situation with the rebuilding of the walls and temple to replace the first destroyed Solomons temple. Don't forget that the first hearers and readers of Zechariah had no king.

Both the northern and southern kingdoms have been destroyed and there is no king in either. So when Zechariah says a King is coming, there is no doubt Zechariah anticipated this King to be the Messiah. The Jews understood this, so when Jesus rode that donkey into Jerusalem they clearly understood this to be the receiving of the Messiah.

Now here's the part where my ADHD brain begins asking, was there some supernatural knowledge that this colts owner was privy to regarding this or did he just faithfully accept, “The Lord has need of this” as a valid reason?
We will never know for sure but it is fun to think about.

The actions of the crowd are those of a city welcoming a king after a great victory or anointing. The laying out of cloaks, palm leaves and more were to not allow this arriving king to soil the feet of even the animal he's riding in on.

The children are calling out, “Hosanna” which means “God save us”. Let's make this clear, there was NO confusion about Jesus's claim here. The Jewish Leaders were well aware of the Messianic claim here. So when He dismounts in Jerusalem and begins what is considered the second cleansing of the temple there is no debate, Jesus is claiming to be the Messiah in no uncertain terms.

So when the leaders approach Him with the question, “Do you hear what they are saying?” Jesus quotes Psalm 8:2 in response.

Psalm 8:2
[2] From the mouths of infants and nursing babies You have established strength Because of Your enemies, To do away with the enemy and the revengeful.

In the Hebrew, the word used means strength from the root word for stronghold. Here, Jesus is quoting the Septuagint or Greek version where the word ‘praise’ is used. It's this praise that acts as a source of strength against God's enemies.

Yes, Jesus is calling the Jewish leaders the enemies of God. And without even attempting a debate with them, Jesus turns his attention to healings amidst the destruction.

Some Jews believed He was there to act as King and they were ready and willing to go to war against Rome to have a king back. They were willing to die for this new king. But He didn't take a throne they could see, didn't receive a crown of a king and simply continued preaching. And this event took place roughly a week prior to the cross.

So the calls took a week to devolve from Hosanna to “Crucify Him” because the Kingdom Jesus ushered in was the Kingdom of Heaven, not Israel. How many times in our lives do we go from thanking and praising Him to neglecting Him, because the answer to our praise and prayers isn't the answer we expected? It doesn't take much to turn someone from God. A week? God, please give us the strength to continue in faith.



[1] When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus then sent two disciples, [2] saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with it. Untie them and bring them to Me. [3] And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them on immediately.” [4] Now this took place so that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled: [5] “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your King is coming to you, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” [6] The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, [7] and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their cloaks on them; and He sat on the cloaks. [8] Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. [9] Now the crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!” [10] When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” [11] And the crowds were saying, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.” [12] And Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying on the temple grounds, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. [13] And He *said to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers.” [14] And those who were blind and those who limped came to Him in the temple area, and He healed them. [15] But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant, [16] and they said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus *said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘From the mouths of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’?” [17] And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

“The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.”
Habakkuk 3:19

“The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.”
Exodus 15:2

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”
2 Chronicles 16:9

Dear God, thank You for this new day and for the truth that eternal life isn’t something I have to wait for, it’s already mine. Your word in John 5:24 says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” God, I’ve heard Your word and I believe in You, and that’s enough to pass me from death into life right now. Help me really understand the weight of that today and not just read past it like it’s ordinary. I don’t want to live like eternity is something far off. I want to live like it’s already mine, because it is. I give You all the praise for a salvation I could never deserve. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. -Psalm 23:6

Ellen G. White
For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. Romans 14:7. – {UL 243.1}
There is constant temptation for human beings to consider that any influence they have gained is the result of something valuable in themselves. The Lord does not work with these, for He will not give to any human being the glory that belongs to His own name. God would have everyone under His supervision, and recognize that to God belongs all the glory of their success.... – {UL 243.2}
If the human worker will walk in all humility of mind, looking to God, trusting in Him, working out his own salvation with fear and trembling, the Lord will cooperate with him. It is God that works in us to do His will for His own name’s glory. He will give His wisdom, His divine power, to everyone who is doing His service. He makes the humble trustful servant His representative—the one who will not lift himself up, and think of himself more highly than he ought to think. The life of such an one will be dedicated to God as a living sacrifice, and that life He will accept and use and sustain.... – {UL 243.3}
Our life is not our own. It is Christ’s life. All is His, and we are to spend our powers in doing the will of God. Watch and pray; spend and be spent in doing His will from the heart. Carry every entrusted capability as a sacred treasure, to be used in imparting to others the knowledge and grace received.... – {UL 243.4}
Nehemiah, after gaining so great an influence over the [Persian] monarch in whose court he lived, and over his people in Jerusalem, instead of ascribing praise to his own excellent traits of character, his remarkable aptness and energy, stated the manner just as it was. He declared that his success was due to the good hand of God that was upon him. He cherished the truth that God was his safeguard in every position of influence. For every trait of character by which he obtained favor, he praised the working power of God.... And God gave him wisdom, because he did not exalt himself. The Lord taught him how to use the gifts entrusted to him to the very best advantage, and under the supervision of God, these talents gained other talents.... – {UL 243.5}
Every jot of influence is to be appreciated as the gift of God. The eye of the mind is to be single to the glory of God. Then the sense of responsibility will increase. Our talents will be put out to the exchangers to increase and double. There are hundreds of men and women who, if they had a proper appreciation of the heavenly trust, would go diligently and earnestly to work to use what they have.—Letter 83, August 17, 1898, to a leading minister in Australia. – {UL 243.6}

Let's talk about it.
ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED — A DANGEROUS DOCTRINE

The statement “Once saved, always saved” sounds comforting, but if it is understood to mean that a person can never fall away from Christ regardless of how they later live, it contradicts the serious warnings of Scripture.

Jesus said, “He that endureth to the end shall be saved.” — Matthew 24:13

Why would Christ emphasize endurance if salvation made perseverance irrelevant?

The Bible repeatedly warns believers about falling away:

Hebrews 10:26–27 — deliberately continuing in sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth brings fearful judgment.

1 Corinthians 10:12 — “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

John 15:6 — Jesus warned that branches that do not remain in Him are cast forth and burned.

Revelation 2:10 — “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”

Matthew 24:13 — “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Biblical salvation is not a license to live in rebellion. Grace forgives sin, but grace also teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts (Titus 2:11–12).

We are saved by grace through faith—not by works—but genuine faith produces obedience and a transformed life (Ephesians 2:8–10; James 2:17).

So the issue is not whether God is faithful. He is. The issue is whether we will continue abiding in Christ.

Don't let a false sense of security replace watchfulness, repentance, faith, obedience, and perseverance.

“Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” — Revelation 2:10

Eternal life is promised to those who continue in faith and faithfulness to Christ.

Amazing Love

A NUGGET OF TRUTH
God’s moral law was never intended to define sin for Israel alone.

Paul states plainly:

“For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law… these… shew the work of the law written in their hearts.” —Romans 2:14–15

Gentiles could be judged as sinners because the moral standard of God applied to them also. Paul adds:

“For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law… for not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” —Romans 2:12–13

The law reveals sin:

“By the law is the knowledge of sin.” —Romans 3:20

And sin is not limited to Jews:

“All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” —Romans 3:23

The same God justifies both Jew and Gentile through faith:

“Is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also.” —Romans 3:29

And that faith does not abolish His law:

“Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” —Romans 3:31

The New Testament therefore presents one God, one definition of sin, one gospel, one Saviour, and one moral standard for humanity.

Salvation is not earned by obedience. It is received by grace through faith. But the faith that saves does not erase God’s law—it writes His law upon the heart and produces obedience.

One Saviour. One Gospel. One Moral Law.
One way of salvation for Jew and Gentile.

Amazing Facts.
Daily Devotionals

Where is the line between persisting in prayer and vain repetition?

August 24, 2026

Prayer is not for informing God; rather, it draws us up to God. The Lord wants us to pray to Him for our benefit, and not because He wouldn’t know what’s going on if we didn’t pray. It binds us to God. He knows what you need even before you ask, so the Lord lays certain burdens on our heart, and as long as those burdens are there, we should keep praying for them.

The heathen would utter the same prayer several times in one sitting. That’s not prayer. Prayer is the intelligent cry of your heart to the heart of God. Prayer elevates you. When you pray, you should think about the prayer and what you’re saying really means.

The Greek word for “vain repetitions” is only found in this one place in the New Testament. It means “to babble” and to “rattle off without giving much thought to what is being said.” Is this how Jesus wants us to pray? What follows in verses 9–13 is a simple example of how we might pray. But it’s not intended to be a magic formula that will do wonders if we vainly repeat it.

There are some Christian denominations that tell people that when they sin, they should say a certain prayer over and over again in order to right the wrong they did. That’s not biblical.

Then you’ve got people like Elijah who knelt down and, seven times, asked God to send the rain. I don’t think he prayed the exact same prayer seven times. Rather, seven different times he pled with the Lord to fulfill His Word and send the rain. People who have children wandering from God pray for their salvation every day. That’s not praying in vain repetition. You can be sure that Jesus prayed for the disciples every day (John 17).

Key Bible Texts
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. (Matthew 6:7 KJV)