🔥 THE FIRE OF ELIJAH IS RETURNING: ARE YOU READY TO BE CLEANSED OR CONSUMED? We often forget that the Church will not prepare herself alone for the encounter with the Lamb. Just as the eunuch in the desert needed Philip to guide him (Acts 8:31), we also need the prophetic guides that God has established for the end times! 📖✨ In our days, the Lord will raise up His Two Olive Trees — the ministry in the spirit of Elijah and Moses. They come with a clear mission: to straighten the paths, restore the truth, and present the Bride perfectly cleansed to Jesus Christ. But beware: the ministry of Elijah also brings the fire of confrontation and judgment against sin. Those who refuse to repent, those who practice witchcraft, idolatry, lies, and live in spiritual falsehood will be severely confronted, just as Elijah did in the past with the prophets of Baal! There will be no room for half-truths. The prophetic ministry will shut the heavens and bring the weight of God's justice upon rebellion. Look at what the Word of God reveals to us about this time of separation: 🕊️ Revelation 11:3-6 — "And I will give power to my two witnesses... These are the two olive trees... And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies..." 🔥 Malachi 4:5 — "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." 🔮 Revelation 22:15 — "But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie." Do not fall asleep spiritually and do not play with sin. God is raising up His messengers to cleanse His house. It is time for deep repentance, to abandon the practices and witchcraft of this world, and to let ourselves be guided by the truth for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. In the face of the approaching fire, what will your choice be? To be cleansed by repentance or consumed by judgment? 🌟 Share this warning message with someone who needs to wake up today! 👇 #Revelation #TheTwoOliveTrees #ElijahAndMoses #JudgmentAndAwakening #Repentance #JesusIsComingBack

Good morning, brethren. 1. Morning devotion for today. 1. MD.i. 😀💝🌺🎁🌹🎀 MORNING TEA THE WORD FOR TODAY TUESDAY AUGUST 18, 2O26. "DR. JAMES DOBSON ON PARENTING (3)" ‘…Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.’ Ephesians 6:4 NIV WHEN ASKED, ‘How do you suggest parents handle their children’s activities on web sites like Facebook and Twitter?’ Dr. Dobson gave this advice: ‘Parents have to know what technology their kids are using. Sexting is a terrible thing. (‘Sexting’ is the new term for children exposing themselves to one another online, thinking they are safe because they are in the sanctuary of their own home.) Pornography is pervasive, and parents need to keep up with changes in technology and protect their kids. That’s a tough assignment, because kids are ahead of them. Parents often have extremely demanding careers and when they come home they have nothing left to give, so the culture will often take your kids to hell.’ One night a father and his daughter were out on a lake when their small boat was caught in a storm. As he rowed, Dad kept saying to his daughter, ‘Can you see the shore? Can you see the shore?’ After a terrifying hour the little girl pointed over her dad’s shoulder and said, ‘Yes, I see the light. Mum said if we were out after dark she would hang a light in the window.’ When they finally got home a tearful mother hugged her husband and daughter, and thanked God for their safe return. Looking at her, the little girl said, ‘Mum, you never had to worry. We steered by your light!’ Parent, your children are being caught in life’s storms. They are rowing in the dark with no sense of direction. Live for God, and give them a light they can steer by! Bible In A Year: Gen 6:9 – 8:4, Matt 24:37-51. Courtesy : Grace So Amazing Foundation 💝🎀 *To partner with us, kindly refer to page 9 of the hard copy edition or simply send us a WhatsApp message/call on +2348128000068.*🎀💝🌹🌷. MD.ii. [17/08, 9:11 pm] Pastor Attah: *MEDITATIONS ON DAILY ⓂANNA* TUESDAY, 18TH AUGUST, 2026. *THIRSTING AFTER GOD* *TEXT:* PSALM 42:1-5. 1As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? 4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday. 5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. *Timeless Truth:*_"O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;"_ Psalm 63:1). *INTRODUCTION* When a man ceases to experience thirst, he is as good as dead. The same is true in the spiritual. In fact, one of the first experiences of a converted man is thirst for God and spiritual things. Spiritual thirst is a deep longing for God and His presence. Just as the body cannot survive without water, the soul cannot flourish without God. The psalmist expresses an intense desire for the living God despite the pain, tears, discouragement and difficult circumstances surrounding him. His experience teaches us that genuine faith does not mean the absence of trouble; rather, it means learning to seek God even in the midst of trouble. When everything else fails, God remains the only lasting satisfaction for the thirsty soul. *1. Thirsting After God Like a Hart* a. The psalmist declares, *“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.”* A thirsty hart desperately seeks water because its survival depends upon it. Many are thirsty for wealth, pleasure, popularity, power and pride of life among others. The thirst makes them pay a heavy price to get what they are looking for. At times they pay the ultimate price. True thirst will always be demonstrated by desperate seeking for how to satisfy and quench the thirst. In the same vein, many commonly seek God's blessings without seeking for the God of the blessings. The psalmist case was different. *"So panteth my soul after thee"*. Who and what you are passionately and desperately seeking for is a reflection of the state of your heart. In the same manner, the believer should have an earnest and persistent longing for God. The psalmist does not merely desire God's gifts; he desires God Himself. b. His greatest hunger is to *“appear before God.”* He was thirsty to become closer to God. Jesus also echoed this when He said, *"seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness"*. Our ultimate purpose for seeking God was to see His glory, be conformed to His image and be always ready for the kingdom of God. Jesus further assured that *"all other things shall be added unto you"*. The psalmist demonstrated his thirst for God when he decided, *"early will I seek thee...to see thy power and thy glory as I have seen thee in the sanctuary"* (Psalm 63:1,2). Our spiritual lives become weak when our desire for God is replaced by the pursuit of worldly pleasures, possessions, recognition or human approval. Genuine revival begins when the soul cries out for God's presence, His Word, His holiness and fellowship with Him. *Question* Is my desire for God as deep and urgent as the thirst of a hart for water? *2. Tearful Afflictions Giving Loss of Hope* a. Incidentally, the psalmist did not prioritize seeking for heavenly blessings above seeking for God just because everything was going well with him. In fact, the psalmist's circumstances have become so painful that his tears have been his food day and night. He was not finding it rosy in life at that time. One would have expected him, as many worshippers do today, to concentrate on seeking God for release from pains and troubles as priority. Worse still, people around him mockingly asked, directly and indirectly, *“Where is thy God?”.* His memories of former worship and joyful fellowship with God's people intensify his present sorrow. Yet that did not distract his affections towards God. b. At times, affliction can attack not only our circumstances, but also our emotions and confidence. Yet the psalmist's tears reveal that God's children may experience seasons of deep discouragement without being abandoned by God. His pain was real, but it did not have the final word. Even when circumstances seem to contradict God's promises, faith must continue to look toward Him. Seeking God and His righteousness, above all else, should not be diminished as a result of our pains, problems, persecutions and poverty among others. Whatever be our situations, the promises of God that *"all other blessings shall be added"* still stand as long as we keep seeking the face and the glory of God to be reflected in our lives above all else. We must have grace to be tougher than our tough challenges. It is our attitude and the content of our prayers in the time of distress and difficulties that reflect the genuineness of our love for God. Jesus Christ, while on the cross and under intense pains, was still consecrated to soulwinning and intercessory prayers for the sinners and the lost. The will of God and the glory of God was His priority. He has given us examples to follow. *Question* Am I consecrated to seek God and His glory as priority when affliction and tears surround me? *3. Trust in Abiding Grace with a Life of Holiness* When passing through tough times, we must maintain trust in God's abundant grace and continue to live the life that God approves. There is no challenge we pass through that God has not allowed and if God allowed it, then He will see us through as children. The act of faith is in mocking those challenges and still continues seeking the glory of God and heavenly readiness. We must learn how to feed our frustrations and fruitlessness with the word of hope and promises given by God. The psalmist speaks directly to his troubled soul: *“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God.”* He refuses to surrender permanently to despair. Instead, he deliberately redirects his heart toward God. Trusting God's abiding grace means choosing hope when feelings say there is no hope. It also means continuing to live faithfully, before God while waiting for His intervention. A thirsty soul must not only seek God's presence, but also remain committed to a holy life. God's grace sustains us, restores our joy and enables us to praise Him even before our circumstances change. For a child of God, no bad situation is permanent, but temporary and for a moment. *"weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning"*. *Question* Am I deliberately trusting God's abiding grace and maintaining a holy life even when my circumstances are discouraging? *Prayer Points* 1.Father, create within me an unquenchable thirst for Your presence and Your Word 🙏. 2.Lord, strengthen me when tears, afflictions and discouragement threaten my faith 🙏. 3.Father, make me tougher than my challenges and keep me on being engaged in Your service 🙏. 4.Lord, visit and help those brethren who are carrying heavy loads and sustain them by Your grace 🙏. *HYMN:* More of Jesus would I know *BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:* JOB 35-38. [17/08, 9:11 pm] Pastor Attah: ```DAILY Ⓜ️ANNA - (A DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE FOR ADULTS) TUESDAY 18TH AUGUST, 2026``` *DOUSING DESPONDENCY* 📓📖🎚️🫵🏽🙋🏽‍♂️🙋🏽‍♀️😩😢😭🧎🏽🧎🏽‍♀️🗣️🙏🏽 📜📜```TEXT:PSALM 42:1-5```📜📜 🔑📖```KEY VERSE:``` _*"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance" (PSALM 42:5).*_ *As German bombs fell on England during _World War II,_ the situation became desperate. Hearts were filled with discouragement and thoughts of defeat. Then Winston Churchill's voice echoed over the radio. It inspired the nation and boosted morale among a people on the verge of giving up. On a spiritual level, believers find hope in God too, as they hear the voice that resonates through the pages of His Word. In moments of discouragement, Christians serve as a testimony to those who have never met God or heard His voice.* *David exemplifies this in our devotional text as he expresses acute hunger and "thirst for God, the living God". In his hopelessness, he recalled the exhilarating moments he had in God's house and presence. Reminiscences of the voice of joy and praise filled his soul. Awakened by the testimonies of God's faithfulness and the certainty of blessedness that flows from trust in God, he gladly addresses his soul and jerks back from the abyss of despondency.* *Are you troubled about any ugly situation or setback? Cheer up and look up! Here are gems and clues for you as a Christian pilgrim, who could, at times, be discouraged and cast down. Don't stay down. David didn't. He queried and counselled his soul. First is to know that neither discouragement nor despondency is a sign of weakness. Elijah is one biblical character who fits this description. After defeating the prophets of Baal, he received a death threat from Jezebel. His hope was shattered, and despondency set in. He wanted to die! The Lord did not rebuke him for his feelings but sent an angel to provide for his physical needs. In our times of discouragement, suicide is no option; it only leads to a more serious, endless and interminable suffering in hell. The present challenge or problem has not diminished God's love for us. He desires to lead us to a place of a renewed vision of His power!* *The time to exit the discouragement mode is now! Take the verifiable steps that effectively log you out, which include a deep, interminable longing for God. This is what Isaiah calls "waiting upon the Lord". Second, you will do well to consciously recall and delight in God's past acts of mercy, divine interventions, and faithfulness. Finally, you must deliberately seek the remedy of praise to uplift your downcast, crestfallen, and discouraged heart. Beloved, don't give in to despair! God will certainly lead you in paths of love, light and joy, where you will find new hope.* ✍🏽```THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:``` _*God always opens the window of hope for His own in the darkest of times.*_ 📜📜```THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:``` *JOB 35-38*📜📜 Dousing Despondency https://dailymanna.app// *RECOMMENDED GOSPEL HYMNS AND SONGS - GHS 1: ALL YOUR ANXIETY; GHS 3: IMPATIENT HEART, BE STILL; GHS 4: LEAVE IT THERE; GHS 5: NEVER GIVE UP; AND GHS 7: TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS* *TXD [THEXDEVOTIONALS] on Twitter* *#DailyManna18thAugust2026* *#GCK* *#WorshipNuggets* *#BibleNuggets* *#LeadershipNuggets* *#RevivalNuggets* *#CrusadeNuggets* https://www.youtube.com/[THEXDEVOTIONALS] [17/08, 9:11 pm] Pastor Attah: ```DEEPER CHRISTIAN LIFE MINISTRY``` _*HIGHER EVERYD🅰️Y: (A DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE FOR YOUTHS)*_ ✍🏽👩🏻‍💼🌻 🍇🙏🏽🛰🚀🔬📚 ```TUESDAY 18TH AUGUST, 2026``` *STAND IN CHRIST'S LIBERTY* 🎚️📓📖🫵🏽🙋🏽‍♂️🙋🏽‍♀️🧎🏽🧎🏽‍♀️🙏🏽🙌🏽 📜📜```TEXT:GALATIANS 5:1-13```📜📜 📖``` MEMORY VERSE:``` _*"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another" (GALATIANS 5:13).*_ *The Christian liberty is the freedom Christ has purchased for the children of God through His death on the Cross of Calvary. The devil fights this liberty in diverse ways. When young Christians fail to understand their liberty in Christ, the devil keeps reminding them about their past sins to create major stumbling blocks to their prayers.* *It is a common strategy of the devil to manipulate them and push them back into their shells. Once you are born again through genuine repentance, you have the liberty to serve God in truth and in Spirit because God does not give us the spirit of fear but He gives us the Spirit of power and of a sound mind.* *When God has forgiven you, you are justified by faith and no longer bound to the yoke of sin. However, this liberty is not a guarantee to continue in sins, believing the erroneous doctrine of eternal security. Apostle Paul warns: "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another" (Galatians 5:13).* 💬 ```QUOTE:``` _*You have the liberty.*_ 🏆 ```CHALLENGE:``` _*Don't use the Christian liberty to sin.*_ 🙏🏽🙏🏽 ```PRAYER:``` _*Lord, help me to understand and enjoy my liberty in Christ.*_ Stand In Christ's Liberty https://dailymanna.app// *TXD [THEXDEVOTIONALS] on Twitter* *#HigherEveryday18thAugust2026* *#GCK* *#WorshipNuggets* *#BibleNuggets* *#LeadershipNuggets* *#RevivalNuggets* *#CrusadeNuggets* https://www.youtube.com/[THEXDEVOTIONALS] [17/08, 9:11 pm] Pastor Attah: ```DEEPER CHRISTIAN LIFE MINISTRY``` _*(SINCERE MILK: Children Daily Devotional Guide 2⃣0⃣2⃣6️⃣)*_ 🙇🏼🙇🏼🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️🙇🏼🙇‍♀️🙇🏼🙇‍♀️🙇🏼‍♂️ ```TUESDAY 18TH AUGUST, 2026``` *THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS - 3* 📓📖🎚️🫵🏽🙋🏽‍♂️🙋🏽‍♀️👿❌🫷🏽🧎🏽🧎🏽‍♀️🙏🏽 📜📜```MATTHEW 4:8-11```📜📜 🕔📚🖋️🚻😁🎼🏆🍉🪴🌈💻 🔑📖 ```Key Verse:``` _*"Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (Matthew 4:10).*_ 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 Jesus has power and authority over Satan, and He always uses them at the appropriate time. In this situation, Jesus did not hesitate to command Satan to get behind Him. Satan knew that Jesus is over and above him, yet he tempted Christ to bow down in worship to him. Can the master bow to worship his servant? No! Jesus cannot, will not, and did not bow to Satan. As a friend of Jesus, you must know who you are in Christ. You are a joint-heir with Christ. What Jesus has is what you have because of the privilege of sonship. Do not throw your costly apparels (Christian experiences) to the dogs. The things of this world as stated in 1 John 2:15-17 will pass away. Let the love of God and the things of eternal value be uppermost in your heart. Do not yield to the enticement and allurement that your friends are using to deceive you. The fashions of the world may look attractive, but they will soon pass away. Do not follow them. Do not seek to please the world. Strive to please only God. *Jesus has set the example of refusing to bow to Satan in order to show us that we can be victorious. You can do likewise. Become His friend if you are not, follow Him faithfully and consistently, and He will give you the grace to overcome Satan.* 🍥🍥🍥🍥🍥🍥🍥🍥 ```🅿️rayer:``` _*Lord, please help me to obey You only and not yield to pressure to obey, worship or serve Satan.*_ 🙏🏽 ```📖 Further Reading:``` *Luke 4:1-13* The Temptation Of Jesus - 3 https://dailymanna.app// *TXD [THEXDEVOTIONALS] on Twitter* *#SincereMilk18thAugust2026* *#GCK* *#WorshipNuggets* *#BibleNuggets* *#LeadershipNuggets* *#RevivalNuggets* *#CrusadeNuggets* https://www.youtube.com/[THEXDEVOTIONALS]. 2. Morning Prayer for today. MP.i. Morning Prayer Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee. ⏤ Isaiah 26:3 Trust the past to God's mercy, the present to God's love, and the future to God's providence. ⏤ St. Augustine Father, days come and go, bringing change and decay, but You remain the same forever. A thousand years in Your sight are like a single day. With You, there is no past or future; all time is present to You. Yet in our small lives, we need daily blessings. The memories of our past sorrows cast shadows on our present, and our fears for the future often cast shadows on our path. We are grateful that You see and know everything—past, present, and future—and that we can safely leave it all in Your hands. Help us to live faithfully in this little day that is ours, leaving the past and future with You, without worrying. So, we ask for Your peace, which surpasses all understanding, to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, enabling us to be true and faithful in all our duties. We ask You, O Lord, to give us the strength and wisdom we need for today’s responsibilities and experiences. Let nothing surprise or dishearten us. Hold our hand through every situation. Give us wisdom to answer every question and make every decision in a way that pleases You. Strengthen us to resist temptation, no matter how subtly it approaches. Increase Your love within us so that we may be patient with everyone we meet, compassionate toward those who are sorrowful, cheerful with those who are discouraged, and helpful to those who are weak. Send us out to do Your work so that everything we do today is for You. Breathe upon us as we wait here in Your presence and give us Your blessing as our Father. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen. https://www.youdevotion.com/daily-prayer/miller/44/morning #taptapstudio #youdevotion.

🌿 Mystical Gardens Tale 🌿 The Cooling Waters Jill had decided that summer had officially become personal. The heat had been unbearable for days. Not the pleasant kind of summer warmth that made people want to sit outside with a cold drink. This was the kind of heat that seemed to crawl beneath your skin and stay there. Jill woke up irritated. She stepped outside and immediately began sweating. “Wonderful,” she muttered. “It's going to be another one of those days.” Her car wouldn't start. “Of course it won't.” The air conditioner at work wasn't working properly. “Of course it isn't.” Someone had left a door open, letting hot air into the building. “Who does that?” Then someone accidentally bumped into her in the hallway. “Watch where you're going!” The woman stopped and stared at Jill. “I'm sorry.” Jill walked away without answering. She didn't notice the hurt look on the woman's face. By lunchtime, Jill was ready to scream. The restaurant was crowded. Someone's child was crying. A man at the next table was talking too loudly. The waitress brought Jill the wrong drink. “This isn't what I ordered.” “I apologize. I'll get you another one.” “And could you please get it right this time?” The waitress's smile disappeared. Jill didn't notice. Or perhaps she did, but she was too irritated to care. Everything seemed to bother her. A phone ringing. A dog barking. Someone chewing too loudly. A car driving too slowly. A person looking at her for what Jill was certain was too long. “What are you looking at?” she snapped. The man quickly looked away. By late afternoon, Jill was exhausted. And angry. Mostly angry. She couldn't even explain why anymore. All she knew was that everything was getting on her nerves. Then, on her way home, Jill saw something she hadn't seen before. A narrow path between two old trees. It hadn't been there yesterday. Jill stopped. She stared at it. Beyond the trees was a faint green glow. Normally, she would have walked away. But today she was hot, tired, frustrated, and completely out of patience and whatever was there had to be better than here, so she stepped onto the path. Within moments, the world changed. The heat disappeared. Jill stopped walking. A cool breeze brushed across her face. She closed her eyes. “Oh…” She hadn't realized how badly she needed that. The garden stretched out before her. Tall trees formed a canopy overhead. Little streams wound between moss-covered stones. Flowers opened beneath the shade, and somewhere nearby, water trickled over smooth rocks. There were no car horns. No ringing phones. No barking dogs. No crying children. No voices demanding anything from her. Just quiet. Beautiful, peaceful quiet. Jill sat beside the stream and dipped her hands into the cool water. For the first time all day, her shoulders relaxed. She took a deep breath. Then another. And suddenly, something uncomfortable happened... She began remembering. The woman in the hallway. “Watch where you're going!” The waitress. “Could you please get it right this time?” The man at the restaurant. “What are you looking at?” Her coworker. “Who does that?” One memory after another came rushing back. Jill lowered her head. “Oh no.” She hadn't simply been having a bad day. She had been handing that bad day to everyone around her. She had taken her frustration, her discomfort, and her exhaustion and thrown them at people who hadn't caused any of it. The garden remained silent. But Jill had the strange feeling that the giant tree at the center of the garden was watching her. “I was miserable,” she whispered. A leaf drifted down beside her. Jill picked it up. “I was hot. I was tired. Everything was going wrong.” She sighed. “But that doesn't mean I had to make everybody else miserable too.” The breeze moved gently through the branches. Jill smiled sadly. “You know what's worse?” She looked toward the path. “I don't even know if any of them deserved an apology from me.” She paused. “Of course they do.” For the first time that day, Jill laughed at herself. She had spent hours thinking everyone else was the problem. But the garden had given her something the heat never could. Perspective. Jill stood. “I can't undo what I said.” She looked toward the great tree. “But I can go back and do better.” The garden seemed to grow a little brighter. Jill stepped onto the path. The heat returned when she reached the other side. But something inside her had changed. The temperature hadn't changed. Her circumstances hadn't changed. Her car was still broken. The air conditioner still wasn't working. Tomorrow might be just as hot. But Jill wasn't going to let the heat decide who she was. The next morning, she found the woman from the hallway. “I'm sorry,” Jill said. The woman looked surprised. “For yesterday. You didn't deserve the way I spoke to you.” Then Jill found the waitress. She apologized there too. And when someone accidentally bumped into her later that afternoon, Jill felt irritation rising inside her. She opened her mouth. Then stopped. She took a breath. “It's okay,” she said. The person smiled. And Jill smiled back. That evening, Jill returned to the garden. She sat beneath the great tree with her feet beside the cool stream. “Thank you,” she whispered. She finally understood something the garden had been trying to teach her. Sometimes we are uncomfortable. Sometimes we are tired. Sometimes the world seems to be working against us. And sometimes we have every reason to be frustrated. But our circumstances may explain why we're hurting without giving us permission to hurt someone else. The garden could cool Jill's skin. But only she could choose to cool the anger in her heart. And that choice was worth far more than a cool breeze. Seed from the Garden “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” — Proverbs 15:1 You may not be able to control the heat, the noise, the traffic, the broken air conditioner, or the things other people do. But you can choose what you do with the frustration those things create inside you. Before you hand your bad day to someone else, stop. Breathe. Cool down. And remember: They may not be the reason you're hurting. Don't make them pay for it. #christianwriter #christianfiction #christianfantasy #stacyfrantz #MysticalGardens

❤️HOW TO KNOW GOD'S WILL FOR IMPORTANT DECISIONS IN YOUR LIFE. Part 5 of 6. How God Makes Known His Will for Specific Decisions and Needs. Continued. God is under no obligation to fulfill the promise in James 1:5 to give us wisdom unless we are willing to meet the conditions for obtaining it. Moreover, God declares that He only answers prayer when the motive is right, and that mere asking is not sufficient (Jam. 4:3). Frequently the Christian prays for guidance, or a revelation of God's will about some matter, but already has his mind made up as to what he wants to do, or how he would like for God to answer. Some people have been known to lie awake all night pleading with God to answer their prayer with no higher motive than the desire to persuade Him to come over to their side and give them their own way. Therefore, it is just as great a fallacy to emphasize the notion which is so popular today that prayer is the solution to all our problems, as it is to neglect prayer, using it only in an emergency. That is to say, we find the unscriptural idea being promoted on every hand that mere prayer is supposed to be the panacea for all our needs. In every time of crisis, when problems or troubles arise, when a difficult or seemingly impossible situation confronts us, the first thing most people advise is prayer. "Have you tried prayer?" they will ask. Or we are told, quite sincerely, "Did you know, prayer changes things?" They do not tell us, of course, just how prayer will change things, nor do they teach us how to pray about the problem confronting us. We are not advised, furthermore, as to whether or not God requires anything from us in the matter. "Just pray" we are told, "for prayer usually helps." However, as we have seen, God clearly states that He does not answer every prayer, in fact, He emphatically declares that He does not even hear our prayers unless they meet the conditions He has set forth in His Word. One of the most important conditions we must meet when asking for divine wisdom and guidance is that we must ask in faith, believing, without any reservations, that God will answer our request. This is clearly stated in James 1:5-7: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him. But how? Let him ask in faith, nothing doubting; for he that doubts is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord." The prayer of faith is simply a prayer of expectation. What God tells us here in James 1:5-7 is that when we ask for divine wisdom and guidance we should pray expecting Him to grant our desire. Moreover, the prayer of faith is to be offered but once, for Jesus tells us in Mark 11:24, 'What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them." Faith asks but once for God to fulfill a promise. To continue to pray, pleading with God to answer, is our confession that I do not really believe that He has answered when we pray as He tells us to do (Mark 11:24). In view of this fact, if we pray ten times for the same promise, we have prayed nine times in unbelief, for faith knows when to stop praying about the promise and start praising God for the answer. There is a time to stop praying or you will pray yourself out of faith. When is this? You should always stop praying for a promise when you believe you have received the answer. Since Jesus tells us to believe we have received when we pray, quite obviously we should do our believing and receiving when we pray. Then we should cease praying for the answer and begin praising God that the manifestation of the answer is on the way. Jesus does not say in Mark 11:24 that the symptoms will improve immediately when we pray, or that the circumstances will show immediate change, but that we are to believe that He has both heard and granted our petition when we pray and that we shall have it. Faith keeps a distinction between accepting the answer and receiving it to our sight. We are to accept the answer when we pray (believe that God has granted our petition), and we shall have it (manifested to our sight). Merely because we do not see it immediately does not mean that God has not heard our petition and granted the answer, but only that He has not manifested the answer as yet. The question often arises concerning the widow and the judge in Luke 18, as to whether or not Jesus here approves of repetition in prayer for the same thing. This is not, however, an instance of repetition prayer, for Jesus would not contradict Himself elsewhere, but here He is stressing the need of persistence and perseverance in prayer; that is, holding onto a promise by faith, reaffirming daily, by praise and thanksgiving, that we believe that He has heard and granted our petition. In Matthew 6:7-8, Jesus condemns repetition prayer as typical of the prayers of the heathen, saying, "But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking," but "when you pray believe that you receive" (Mk. 11:24). Our first concern, therefore, when guidance from heaven is needed is not merely to resort to the shallow suggestion we so often hear today that one should "try prayer" as it may help, but it should be a time of searching the Word, and then our hearts, to see if we are fulfilling the conditions for God hearing our prayers and granting our petitions. As A. W. Tower once remarked, the popular notion that God always answers prayer (with "yes" or "no") is a device of Satan to deceive the carnal or indifferent Christian whose request was not answered because of his failure to meet God's conditions. To think that God always answers prayer, even if He says "no," is to take God's refusal to answer a disobedient Christian as the answer itself, contending, "Well, after all, God did answer me - He said 'no'." Such a view of prayer is contrary to Scripture, for God clearly states that He does not even hear those prayers which are not in harmony with His will (1 Jn 5:14-15; Ps. 66:18). Moreover, if an individual erroneously believes the popular notion that God always answers any prayer, and that "no" can also be an answer, then this person is never challenged to face the fact that his failure to receive an answer was due to his disobedience, lack of faith, or his failure to meet some other condition. I can personally testify to the fact that when we are careful to meet the scriptural requirements, then God delights in directing our steps, giving divine guidance and wisdom concerning those matters we place before Him. Thank God it is true, if any man lacks wisdom he may ask of God and it shall be given to him. Do you need wisdom or guidance in some important matter? Have you tried asking God, and in faith expecting Him to answer you? You are invited to do so in James 1:5. By Direct Revelation; As stated at the beginning of Chapter 2, there are eight scriptural methods by which God's will is revealed - three are active, in which we take the initiative, and five are passive, whereby we become the recipients of divine revelation concerning God's will for us. Passive revelation always comes to us unsought. Direct revelation may be either by vision, as in the case of Paul's vision in Acts 16 which was revelation of God's will for him to carry the Gospel into Europe; by direct voice, as seen in the case of God's call of Samuel (1 Sam. 3); by angelic visitation, as, for example, in the angel's visit to Mary and his revelation to her of the birth of Christ; or by dream, as we find, for instance in God's revelation to Daniel of the establishment of His Kingdom (Dan. 7). Jesus promised to continue revelation to the Church after His ascension, saying, Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will show you things to come (Jn. 16:13). When the Church lost the experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, she closed the channel and source of revelation. As a consequence, the Church changed her theology to conform with her experience, and there arose the erroneous concept that God purposed that all revelation was to cease with the apostles in the first century. It is interesting that there is not a word in the Scriptures to support this theory, but, on the contrary, God clearly states in 2 Corinthians 12-14 and Ephesians 4:11 that He has set in the church the gifts and ministries of revelation. In Romans 12:3-6 and 1 Corinthians 14 He admonishes us to ask for and use the gift of prophecy. In Joel 2 He clearly promises that in the last days "I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams" (2:17); While He promised in John 16:13, quoted above, to continue revelation to the Church through the Holy Spirit whom He would send. The various methods by which He would give His people direct revelation are stated to be by means of prophecy, vision and dream (Num. 12:6; Acts 2:17-18; 1Cor. 12; 14), by direct voice and vision (Jn. 16:13), "speak"' and "show" and on occasion, by angelic visitation (e.g. Luke 1; Acts 10:12; 27:23-24; cf. Heb. 13:2). It is important that we understand that although God occasionally uses each of the passive methods of revelation to unveil His will to us when He so chooses, we should not seek guidance by these means. Why does God choose the direct means of revelation, as, for example, through visions and dreams as a method of communication of His will and purpose? Why does He not merely illumine our minds as to His will as we pray or read His Word seeking guidance? Among other reasons, occasionally He must speak directly to us because of the urgency of the matter about which we are seeking guidance which must be dealt with immediately, or in a certain way, often contrary to what our wisdom and logic might tell us to do. At other times He speaks directly, imparting instruction or guidance, not concerning some matter about which we are praying, but about some important purpose which He wants to accomplish in or through us, which could only be made known to us by direct revelation. Again He speaks to us in visions for the obvious reason that one picture is worth a thousand words. God sometimes communicates His will to us through dreams, inasmuch as the state of sleep has certain definite advantages. At this time the conscious mind is at rest and is free from distractions. The spirit, of course, remains awake and can accept without analyzing and questioning what God desires to impart to us. Moreover, through the medium of vision and dream God can impress upon us revelation which transcends the sense realm and the ability of the intellect alone to comprehend. In some instances, God speaks directly in an audible voice in order to instruct us or reveal His will in some matter. By Indirect Revelation: God speaks to us occasionally by direct means, but generally He communicates His will to us indirectly. It may in the form of an inward knowing or witness in our spirit, or it may come as an inner witness to our spirit, or it may come as an inner witness from the Holy Spirit. At other times the Holy Spirit may give the guidance we need by the illumination of our minds to understand and interpret some portions of scripture which He will direct us to, or by giving the necessary wisdom and insight we require to make the correct decision concerning some matter about which we have prayed for direction. It is in the realm of indirect revelation that the importance of being completely yielded to the Holy Spirit is so evident, as was pointed out in the first chapter. To the extent one is yielded to the Spirit will he be sensitive to His voice when He speaks, and to the extent one is sensitive to His voice will he be able to respond. Moreover, there are many voices seeking to influence the believer, some of which are from God and some are not. Unless one is fully yielded he may be insensitive to the voice of the Spirit, or be deceived and ensnared by that which is false. A small puppy will respond to anyone who calls or offers it a crust of bread, but a well trained mature dog will not do so. It is sensitive only to the voice of its owner. It did not get this way by spending all its time running and playing with the other dogs, but it is the result of devoting long hours in discipline and training, learning to obey and respond to the voice of its master. We become sensitive to the influence and leading of the Spirit in the same manner. God is preparing His children for spiritual warfare ahead which will consist of men and women who will be so sensitive to the voice of the Spirit they will respond immediately and obey without question. Like a computer, they will be able to filter out that which is false and sense any error immediately. They will not have to call the pastor and ask if this or that doctrine is scriptural, or whether the prophecy which they heard is true or false, or whether or not some task they feel led to undertake is from God, the flesh, or the devil. However, the only way the believer will become sensitive will be through total consecration to Jesus and fully yielding to the Spirit. At present we find Christians so untrained in the Scriptures and so insensitive to the voice of the Spirit that many frequently will reject what God is saying and allow themselves to be deceived by that which is false and unscriptural, just as Jesus predicted would occur in these last days (Matt 24; 2 Tim 4:1-4). Again and again we are hearing of those who are falling victim to various errors, such as ultimate reconciliation where God will save everyone regardless if they repent or not including the devil and his demons, false hyper-grace gospel where a Christian does not need to confess sin after he is saved or does not need repentance to stay in fellowship with God, errors on the Godhead where they deny that the Father, Son, Holy Spirit are co-eternal and co-equal, once saved always saved that it does not matter how a person lives his life after salvation, we are all sinners even after salvation and no need to live a consecrated life, the give to get carnal prosperity gospel where you give me money and 100 fold comes back so you will be rich. Or the heresy taught by some that Jesus had to become a sinner on the cross to redeem us and suffered three days in hell tormented by demons. We find others, in a time where we are witnessing the revival of all forms of the occult, being deluded by believing everything supernatural is from heaven, and everyone who prophesies, has a vision, or predicts the future is from God. We find men and women calling themselves Apostles and Prophets commonly now who were never appointed or anointed from heaven but self-appointed deceiving many. As Jesus said, take heed lest YOU be deceived. (Matt 24:4) DISCERNING THE VOICE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND RECOGNIZING THE WITNESS WITHIN; In order to mature in faith and become effective instruments in God's hands so that we will be in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing, it is necessary for us to learn how to recognize the inner witness of the Spirit, as well as discern the voice of the Holy Spirit. These are the two basic ways by which God leads and directs His people, whether in answer to some prayer for guidance, or in order to fulfill His will and purpose in their lives. We find that God frequently endeavors to speak to His people by means of the voice of His Spirit in order to direct guide, teach, or influence them along some line, but since they have not been taught how to discern His voice He often goes unheeded. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice and they follow me" Jn. 10:27). How can they follow Him if they do not know how to discern His voice? He certainly did not mean that He intended to shout down out of heaven in order to direct them, but He did promise that He would speak to them by His Spirit which would be within them: "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you in all truth" (John 16:13), and "he shall teach you in all things" (14:26). Some Christians are waiting for God to give them a revelation through a vision or prophecy concerning His will for them, or regarding some important matter about which they are praying, when, if they only realized it, God is already trying to communicate His will to them by His Spirit within them. If they would spend a little more time in His Word and in prayer, and be willing to get still before Him for a while, then they would begin to discern His voice and hear Him speaking inwardly to their spirits. The inner voice of the Holy Spirit is the voice of God speaking directly to your spirit in order to guide, admonish, teach, warn, or influence you concerning some matter (about which you may or may not be praying). God also enables us to know His will regarding some matter about which we are praying, or about some question which concerns us, by means of a witness within. This is an inward knowing in your spirit that a certain contemplated action on your part, or some doctrine, or revelation, for example, is right or wrong. Not only is the Christian the temple of the Holy Spirit, Who abides within to speak the direct revelation of God's will to him (Jn 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:10-13), but he also has, by virtue of the new birth, a new heart to discern spiritual things himself, and know the will of God intuitively by his own spirit (1 Cor. 2:14-16). He has received an anointing which abides in him and teaches him all things (1 Jn. 2:27). Thus, we find that it is also through his own enlightened spirit that the Christian is able by an inward knowing or witness to discern whether or not something is right or wrong. Let us say, for example, that you are praying about some matter about which you must make a decision, such as whether or not to buy a certain piece of property, marry a particular individual, or accept an invitation to speak to some religious group. If after thinking and praying about the question you find that inwardly there is a positive confirmation in your spirit to go ahead in the matter, or, you find that you experience a sense of uncertainty, reluctance, or heaviness of spirit, then this is an inner witness in your spirit informing you of God's will in the matter. In the former instance, your spirit was witnessing to you to go ahead, and in the latter, it was a warning not to take the proposed action. The witness within is an inward knowing intuitively, through the enlightened spirit of a Christian, that a certain contemplated action, a doctrine, some individual, or a ministry, for instance, is right or wrong, whereas the inner voice of the Holy Spirit is God speaking directly by His Spirit within you concerning some matter. It must be stressed, however, that the inward witness and the inner voice of the Spirit are not merely some "feeling" we may have about a matter. They have nothing to do with what one feels either with the physical senses or the emotions. It is either an inward knowing (inner witness) that something is right or wrong, or it is an inner awareness that the Spirit of God is speaking directly to our spirit about some matter (inner voice of the Spirit). Edited. Shared. To be Continued. ❤️ God willing, more will be posted soon. All glory to Jesus alone.

The Mice in the Piano Pastor Joseph Clark August 12, 2026 “He who denies the existence of God, has some reason for wishing that God did not exist.” —Saint Augustine “Whoever acknowledges Me before others, I will also acknowledge before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before others, I will disown before My Father in heaven.” —Matthew 10:32–33 The Mice in the Piano Once upon a time, there were two little mice. They were brothers, and they had lived their entire lives inside a piano. It was the only world they had ever known. Their parents and siblings had died of old age, leaving the two brothers as the last members of their family. They spent their days exploring their strange little world and listening in wonder to the beautiful music that constantly filled the piano. They could not see where the music came from. Their parents had taught them that the music was produced by a great and mysterious being who lived beyond their understanding—the one who played the piano. The two mice loved to think about this great player. They talked about him, wondered about him, and delighted in the beautiful music he produced. Then, one day, one of the mice went exploring. When he returned, he was thoughtful and unusually serious. “There is no great player,” he told his brother. “It is all a myth. I have seen the inside of this piano. The music is produced by wires, hammers, strings, and mechanisms. I have seen them with my own eyes!” The brothers abandoned their belief in the great player. They were convinced that they had finally discovered the truth. They understood the mechanisms of the piano, and therefore they believed they had explained away the musician. They examined the wires, hammers, strings, and mechanical workings repeatedly. The more they learned about how the piano worked, the more confident they became that there was no need to believe in a player. But they had overlooked something very important. Knowing how the piano works does not explain who is playing it. And so, while the two mice congratulated themselves on their newfound wisdom, the great player continued to play. The mice simply could not see him. The Limits of Human Understanding There is an important lesson in this little story. Human beings are intelligent. We have learned extraordinary things about the universe. We have explored the depths of the oceans, walked on the moon, examined the microscopic world, mapped the human genome, and discovered astonishing laws governing the physical universe. But our ability to understand something does not mean that we understand everything. The Bible repeatedly reminds us that humility is essential when approaching God. Jesus said: “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” —Matthew 18:3 He also said: “Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” —Matthew 19:14 And again: “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” —Luke 18:17 Jesus is not telling us to abandon reason or become intellectually childish. Rather, He is calling us to humility, trust, and dependence upon God. Scripture says: “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” —Matthew 18:4 The Christian life begins with recognizing that God is God—and we are not. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” —Ephesians 2:8 And: “The righteous shall live by faith.” —Romans 1:17 Faith is not a rejection of reason. Faith recognizes that human reason has limits. Living in a Skeptical Age In 1897, Francis Pharcellus Church wrote his famous response to eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon concerning her question about Santa Claus. Church observed that people can become skeptical of anything they cannot see or fully comprehend. Although Church was writing about Santa Claus—not God—the broader observation is worth considering. We live in an age that often treats what can be measured as though it were the only thing that can be real. But there are many things we accept as real without seeing them directly. We cannot see gravity. We cannot see thoughts. We cannot see love. We cannot see electricity itself. Yet we observe their effects. Likewise, Christians believe that although God cannot be placed under a microscope or reduced to a laboratory experiment, His existence can be considered through the evidence of creation, reason, morality, human consciousness, history, and ultimately the revelation of Jesus Christ. The fact that we cannot see God with our physical eyes does not prove that God does not exist. The mice could not see the piano player either. That did not mean he wasn't there. When People Mock Our Faith A close friend of mine, an Archbishop, once told me a humorous story from his childhood. He had been at a park with his mother when he ran over excitedly and told her that the sun was actually a star and that the stars in the sky were also suns. His mother, apparently overwhelmed by the complexity of the information, responded with a blunt declaration that, in essence, the sun was the sun and the stars were the stars—and that was the end of the discussion! Sometimes we can become uncomfortable when someone challenges what we believe. That is particularly true when people we respect dismiss Christianity as foolishness. Richard Dawkins, Woody Allen, Isaac Asimov, Mark Twain, Carl Sagan, and many others have expressed skepticism toward Christianity or belief in God. But Christians should not respond with anger or hatred. We should respond with grace. Forgive them. Pray for them. Love them. And share the Gospel with them. The Apostle Peter instructed Christians: “Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” —1 Peter 3:15 That is an important distinction. We are called to defend the faith, but we are not called to be quarrelsome. Jesus said: “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.” —Matthew 10:14 And He warned: “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls before swine.” —Matthew 7:6 There comes a time when we must recognize that arguing louder will not make someone believe. Our responsibility is to faithfully proclaim Christ. The Holy Spirit is responsible for changing hearts. What About Suffering? One of the most common objections to belief in God is the existence of suffering. People ask: “How can I believe in a loving God when there is so much suffering in the world?” This is a serious question, and Christians should never dismiss it with a shallow answer. The Bible itself contains people crying out to God in the midst of suffering. Job asked difficult questions. David cried out in the Psalms. Even Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. Christianity does not pretend that suffering is imaginary. Instead, Christianity tells us that suffering exists in a fallen world and that God entered that suffering Himself through Jesus Christ. The cross is Christianity's answer to the claim that God is indifferent to human suffering. God did not remain distant from our pain. He entered our world. He suffered. He died. And He rose again. The Apostle Paul writes: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” —Romans 8:18 C.S. Lewis famously described pain as God's “megaphone” to a deaf world. Suffering does not prove that God does not exist. For many people, suffering instead becomes the very circumstance that drives them to ask the deepest questions about meaning, morality, mortality, and God. What About Hell? Another question frequently asked is: “How can a loving God send people to Hell?” The Christian answer begins with the extraordinary love of God. Jesus said: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” —John 3:16 God offers salvation freely through Christ. The Gospel is not a message that God delights in condemning people. It is a message that God has provided a way of salvation. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. The seriousness of judgment is precisely what makes the offer of salvation so important. God does not force anyone to love Him. The Gospel calls us to repent, believe, and receive the grace of God. Faith and the Evidence of Creation The universe raises enormous questions. Why is there something rather than nothing? Why does the universe possess order? Why are the laws of nature intelligible? Why does human consciousness exist? Why do human beings possess an awareness of moral obligation? Science can investigate how many things work. But questions concerning ultimate meaning and purpose extend beyond the laboratory. The Christian does not believe that science is the enemy of faith. Quite the opposite. The universe is intelligible because Christians believe it was created by an intelligent God. The laws of nature can be investigated because Christians believe those laws reflect an ordered creation. The human capacity to reason can be used to explore the universe because Christians believe human beings were created by God. Science can tell us much about the mechanisms of the piano. But science alone cannot answer the question: Who is playing the music? Believers in the Scientific Community Christianity has never belonged exclusively to the uneducated or uninformed. Throughout history, many highly accomplished scientists have believed in God. Among them are figures such as: Isaac Newton, whose work transformed physics and mathematics. James Clerk Maxwell, one of the great figures in electromagnetic theory. Gregor Mendel, whose experiments established foundational principles of genetics and who was also an Augustinian friar. Georges Lemaître, a Catholic priest and physicist whose work on an expanding universe helped establish the foundation of what became known as Big Bang cosmology. Francis Collins, physician-geneticist and former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, who has publicly identified as a Christian. Charles Townes, Nobel Prize-winning physicist and inventor of the maser and co-inventor of the laser, who was an openly religious Christian. These examples do not prove Christianity simply because these scientists believed. But they do demonstrate something important: Faith in God is not incompatible with intellectual achievement. A person does not have to abandon intelligence in order to believe in God. Nor does becoming a Christian require someone to stop asking questions. Christians should welcome honest questions. The Problem With the Piano Mice The two mice made a fundamental mistake. They confused an explanation of the mechanism with an explanation of the ultimate cause. They discovered the wires. They discovered the hammers. They discovered the strings. They discovered the machinery. And then they concluded: “Therefore, there is no piano player.” But that conclusion did not logically follow from their discovery. In fact, their discovery of the piano's complexity could have led them to ask an entirely different question: Who designed this? And that is the question we must ultimately ask about our universe. Where did everything come from? Why is there something rather than nothing? Why does the universe operate according to discoverable laws? Why does consciousness exist? Why do we have an innate sense that some things are genuinely right and others genuinely wrong? And perhaps the greatest question of all: Who are we, and why are we here? The Christian answer is that we are creatures made by our Creator. We are not accidents without purpose. We were created by God, for God, and ultimately for relationship with Him. We Are the Mice There is another lesson in the story that we must not miss. Perhaps the greatest danger is not being ignorant. Perhaps it is believing that we know everything. We are the mice in the piano. We live inside a universe vastly larger and more complicated than our minds can fully comprehend. We see only a fraction of reality. We understand only a fraction of what exists. And yet we sometimes look at the small portion we understand and confidently declare that nothing exists beyond it. The Bible reminds us: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the LORD.” —Isaiah 55:8 And: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!” —Romans 11:33 The proper response to a God who is greater than our understanding is not arrogance. It is humility. It is worship. It is faith. The Music Continues The two mice eventually stopped believing in the piano player. They became convinced that they had explained everything. But outside their tiny world, the musician continued to play. The music never stopped. The fact that they could not see him did not mean he was absent. And perhaps that is where many people find themselves today. They have examined the mechanisms of the universe. They have learned about physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, and astronomy. They have become fascinated by the machinery. But they have never stopped to ask whether there is a Creator behind it all. The Christian message is that there is. His name is Jesus Christ. He is not merely an idea, a philosophy, or a comforting story. He is the Son of God who entered human history, died for our sins, and rose from the grave. And He calls every one of us to respond. Jesus said: “Whoever acknowledges Me before others, I will also acknowledge before My Father in heaven.” —Matthew 10:32 The question is not merely whether we believe that God exists. The deeper question is: What will we do with Jesus Christ? The piano is playing. The music is all around us. The question is whether we will remain convinced that there is nothing beyond the wires and hammers—or whether we will humble ourselves, listen carefully, and seek the One who is playing the music. Do not be so certain that you have explained the piano that you never look for the Player. —Pastor Joseph Clark

Amazing Facts. Daily Devotionals Rotten Eggs, Garlic, and Burnt Rubber. August 10th, 2026 What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “skunk”? It is probably the strong, foul odor used by these cute little striped black and white polecats to protect them from danger. Most animals and people are smart enough to stay clear of the scent glands used by skunks as a defensive weapon. Someone once described the odor as a mixture of rotten eggs, garlic, and burnt rubber. Because of muscles around these glands, skunks are pretty accurate in their aim at up to 10 feet away. People can easily smell this odor up to a mile away. Actually, the skunk is reluctant to fire this weapon. It has enough to shoot five or six times, but then needs about 10 days to make another supply. Seeing the black and white stripes (or spots) is enough for most animals and people to stay clear. But if pressed, the skunk will still give warnings by hissing, stamping its feet, and raising its tail high before spraying. The stink is so strong it will even drive a bear away. But there is one predator of the skunk, the great horned owl, which, as you might guess, has a poor sense of smell! Some states in the U.S. permit people to make pets out of skunks and have their scent glands removed. Most people come across skunks that are searching for food near garbage cans or trying to find cat or dog food in a garage. Because of their poor eyesight, skunks are often hit by cars on the road. Skunks also carry rabies, though it is more common in raccoons. (Almost all rabies cases in people come from dogs and bats.) Perhaps it is because their spray is enough to keep people away. The Bible talks about the judgment of God against Judah when it turned away from the Lord. Especially condemning the luxury of these self-sufficient people, God lists jewels, clothing, and perfumes used by a haughty and proud people. Isaiah writes that the Lord will take away the perfume boxes. “Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench” (Isaiah 3:23). A selfish life stinks. When we give our hearts to Jesus and live to bless others, it is a sweet smell to all around us. Key Bible Texts Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour. (Ecclesiastes 10:1 KJV)

Amazing Facts Daily Devotionals Safety in the Rock. August 2nd, 2026 The rock hyrax is a terrestrial mammal that resembles a guinea pig and is found in Israel. As its name reveals, it lives among rocks in which it can quickly escape from predators. The animals are especially known for using sentries that send out alarm calls from high points if a predator comes close. Hyraxes (called “conies” or “rock badgers” in the Bible) typically live in groups of 10 to 80. Their ability to regulate body temperature is limited, so their activity is related to seasons and times of day. They are short and squatty with a weight of about nine pounds and a length of almost 20 inches. Their thick fur ranges from a dark brown color to a lighter gray, depending on the climate. Hyrax herds are often subdivided into smaller groups of 5 to 15, with a dominant male who defends and watches over the group. In Africa they are preyed upon by leopards, cobras, adders, wild dogs, and eagles. Yet in Israel the rock hyrax is rarely preyed upon by terrestrial predators because of their excellent system of sentries. This combined with living among the rocks and crags gives them considerable protection. The Bible says, “There are four things which are little on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise” (Proverbs 30:24). Besides the ant, locust, and spider, the hyrax is listed: “The rock badgers (hyrax) are a feeble folk, Yet they make their homes in the crags” (v. 26). If you have ever felt small, take heart! Wisdom has nothing to do with our size or strength. We can learn a few lessons from the rock hyrax. The first is to live for others. Be willing to be a “sentry” and share warnings to those you love. And second, learn to live in the shelter of the Rock. Jesus will protect you from the predator (Satan) who is seeking to take you down. Key Bible Texts And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; (2 Samuel 22:2 KJV)

Good morning, brethren. 1. Morning devotion for today. MD.i. 😀🎀💝🎁🌺🌹 MORNING TEA THE WORD FOR TODAY SATURDAY AUGUST 1, 2O26. "TAKE THE PLUNGE (1)" ‘…The prudent [wise] considers well his steps.’ Proverbs 14:15 NKJV AFTER YOU’VE prayed, planned, and prepared, there comes a point where you’ve got to take the plunge. Is it scary? Absolutely! There are two kinds of people: Those who leap before they look; they are driven by impulse. Then there are those who look, look, and look but never leap; they are controlled by fear. Which are you? To get to the Promised Land, Israel had to cross the River Jordan at flood tide. It must have made the strongest heart skip a beat. God had promised that when the feet of the priests carrying the ark stepped into the water, it would roll back. Can you imagine their thoughts? ‘Couldn’t we wait till the tide goes down? Why do I have to go first? What if the waters don’t roll back and I drown?’ The step between prudence and paranoia is short and steep. Prudence wears a seatbelt; paranoia avoids cars altogether. Prudence washes with soap; paranoia avoids human contact altogether. Prudence saves for old age; paranoia clings to every penny. Prudence prepares and plans; paranoia panics. Prudence calculates the risk and takes the plunge; paranoia never enters the water. To reach your God-ordained destiny, you must stop holding back, obey God, and step into the water. The moment you do, doors will begin to open, and resources will be released, where there now seems to be only a shortage. God will provide the means, the method, and the manpower. So stand on His promise: ‘…I have loved you; therefore I will give men for you, and people for your life. Fear not, for I am with you…’ (Isaiah 43:4-5 NKJV). Bible In A Year : Num 19-21, Mark 3:20-35, Ps 37:16-24, Pro 11:4. Courtesy: Grace So Amazing Foundation 💝🎀 *To partner with us, kindly refer to page 9 of the hard copy edition or simply send us a WhatsApp message/call on +2348128000068.*🌷🎀💝🌹 HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!. MD.ii. [31/07, 9:41 pm] Pastor Attah: ```DAILY Ⓜ️ANNA - (A DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE FOR ADULTS) SATURDAY 1ST AUGUST, 2026``` *ESCAPING LOOMING CATASTROPHE* 📓📖🎚️🫵🏽🙋🏽‍♂️🙋🏽‍♀️⚠️‼️🛑⚖️🧣🧎🏽🧎🏽‍♀️🙏🏽 📜📜```TEXT:JEREMIAH 21:1-14```📜📜 🔑📖```KEY VERSE:``` _*"Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you... And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath" (JEREMIAH 21:4, 5).*_ *What would make a loving father to give up on his biological son?* *Zedekiah was the reigning king when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. He had tried to overrun the invading army of Babylon but his attempt was not approved by God. When the people sought divine help, Jeremiah made it clear to Zedekiah the king, "Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon." In other words, God's answer was an emphatic 'no'. Consequently, the two sons of Zedekiah were slaughtered before his eyes by the Babylonians. His own eyes were blinded and in painful humiliation, he was led away in chains to Babylon where he died later in exile.* *The underlying spiritual cause of the fall of Judah and Jerusalem was not so much due to the superior military might of Babylon as to the effect of God's decree against the people because of Manasseh's sin and Judah's apostasy. God never excuses unconfessed sin. He judges and punishes it. There are those with the misguided mind-set that God winks at sin and that grace covers all acts of impropriety. How catastrophically wrong such warped souls are. You can't ride rough shod over His Son's painful death on the cross and expect a soft-glove treatment.* *Those who repeatedly reject God's clear reproof and warning, who despise His chastening and correction, run the inevitable risk of excluding themselves from His grace. There is no more plea for mercy when once God's grace is abused and rejected. God's love must not be taken for granted. This dispensation of grace does not give license for carelessness and recalcitrant behaviour.* ✍🏽```THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:``` _*Kings and rulers are not to take God's grace for granted.*_ 📜📜```THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:``` *JOHN 1-3*📜📜 Escaping Looming Catastrophe https://dailymanna.app// *RECOMMENDED GOSPEL HYMNS AND SONGS - GHS 205: HAVE YOU COUNTED THE COST?; GHS 204: YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN; AND GHS 208: THE GREAT JUDGMENT MORNING* *TXD [THEXDEVOTIONALS] on Twitter* *#DailyManna1stAugust2026* *#GCK* *#WorshipNuggets* *#BibleNuggets* *#LeadershipNuggets* *#RevivalNuggets* *#CrusadeNuggets* https://www.youtube.com/[THEXDEVOTIONALS] [31/07, 9:41 pm] Pastor Attah: ```DEEPER CHRISTIAN LIFE MINISTRY``` _*HIGHER EVERYD🅰️Y: (A DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE FOR YOUTHS)*_ ✍🏽👩🏻‍💼🌻 🍇🙏🏽🛰🚀🔬📚 ```SATURDAY 1ST AUGUST, 2026``` *PECULIAR PEOPLE* 🎚️📓📖🫵🏽🙋🏽‍♂️🙋🏽‍♀️🧎🏽🧎🏽‍♀️🙏🏽 📜📜```TEXT:1 PETER 2:9-11```📜📜 📖``` MEMORY VERSE:``` _*"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" (1 PETER 2:9).*_ *According to Ellen G. White, "God's people are peculiar. Their spirit cannot mingle with the spirit and influence of the world. You do not wish to bear the Christian name and yet be unworthy of it". Christians are peculiar people because they are saved by God for them to show forth His glory.* *Those who are born again, like Joseph in Egypt who faced the challenge of defiling himself with his master's wife, would not yield to the temptation of sinning against God. "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" said Joseph when his master's wife wanted to dedile him.* *You should endeavour to abstain from all forms of lust to retain your peculiarity as a child in the kingdom of God. Remember, the devil is still enticing people with the aim of trapping their souls in eternal doom. Like the peculiar Joseph, flee objects of temptation. Do not allow sinful emotions to rule and ruin you. Remember that you are a royal priest, a chosen and a peculiar person!* 💬 ```QUOTE:``` _*Retain your peculiarity.*_ 🏆 ```CHALLENGE:``` _*Flee and overcome lust in this lustful generation.*_ 🙏🏽🙏🏽 ```PRAYER:``` _*Lord, help me to be peculiar.*_ Peculiar People https://dailymanna.app// *TXD [THEXDEVOTIONALS] on Twitter* *#HigherEveryday1stAugust2026* *#GCK* *#WorshipNuggets* *#BibleNuggets* *#LeadershipNuggets* *#RevivalNuggets* *#CrusadeNuggets* https://www.youtube.com/[THEXDEVOTIONALS] [31/07, 9:41 pm] Pastor Attah: ```DEEPER CHRISTIAN LIFE MINISTRY``` _*(SINCERE MILK: Children Daily Devotional Guide 2⃣0⃣2⃣6️⃣)*_ 🙇🏼🙇🏼🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️🙇🏼🙇‍♀️🙇🏼🙇‍♀️🙇🏼‍♂️ ```SATURDAY 1ST AUGUST, 2026``` *COVENANT PROMISE* 📓📖🎚️🫵🏽🙋🏽‍♂️🙋🏽‍♀️🌈✨🧎🏽🧎🏽‍♀️🙏🏽🙌🏽 📜📜```PSALM 1:1-3```📜📜 🕔📚🖋️🚻😁🎼🏆🍉🪴🌈💻 🔑📖 ```Key Verse:``` _*"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful" (Psalm 1:1).*_ 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖 *Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.* *But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.* *And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.* 🍥🍥🍥🍥🍥🍥🍥🍥 ```🅿️rayer:``` _*Great God in heaven, please bless and preserve my soul.*_ 🙏🏽 ```📖 Further Reading:``` *Jeremiah 15:21* Covenant Promise https://dailymanna.app// *TXD [THEXDEVOTIONALS] on Twitter* *#SincereMilk1stAugust2026* *#GCK* *#WorshipNuggets* *#BibleNuggets* *#LeadershipNuggets* *#RevivalNuggets* *#CrusadeNuggets* https://www.youtube.com/[THEXDEVOTIONALS] [31/07, 9:41 pm] Pastor Attah: *MEDITATIONS ON DAILY ⓂANNA* SATURDAY, 1ST AUGUST, 2026. *WHEN GOD TURNS TO AN ENEMY OF HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE* *TEXT:* JEREMIAH 21:1-14. 1The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying, 2 Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us. 3 Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah: 4 Thus saith the Lord GOD of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city. 5 And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. 6 And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence. 7 And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy. 8 And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. 9 He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. 10 For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. 11 And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD; 12 O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. 13 Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations? 14 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it. *Timeless Truth:*_"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart_(Jeremiah 29:13). *INTRODUCTION* What would life have looked like if at your tender age your parents decided to turn to be your adversary? God is loving, merciful and longsuffering, yet He is also holy and just. When His chosen people persist in rebellion, reject His warnings and refuse to repent, His protective hand can be withdrawn and He may fight against them instead of for them. Jeremiah 21 records King Zedekiah's desperate appeal for divine intervention when Jerusalem was under siege by Babylon. Rather than promising deliverance, God declared that He Himself would oppose Judah because of their persistent sins. This passage warns believers against insincere repentance and highlights God's justice as well as His mercy toward those who genuinely turn to Him. *1. Insincere Seekers Due to Fear of Sufferings* a. Years back, Samaria had been captured and sent into captivity by Assyria. The same fate was looming for Judah for the same reasons. King Zedekiah sent messengers to Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord when the Babylonian army threatened Jerusalem. He knew the reason why God wanted to destroy them, but was not willing to bow to God's demands of repentance from all evils that beset them. His request and seeking for God was motivated by fear rather than true repentance. He hoped God would perform another miracle as He had done in previous generations unconditionally. b. Many people remember God only when trouble comes. They seek the face of God passionately not because they want to know and serve God, but because they want relief and deliverance from the pains, poverty and all kinds of problems. *"Yet they seek me daily"* (Isaiah 58:2). Their zeal and prayers are only motivated by what they would get from God and not what they would give to God as a mark of love for Him. They want to use God and are not willing for God to use them to His glory. Such are not sincere seekers, but God looks beyond desperate prayers to the condition of the heart. Genuine repentance involves confession, humility and a willingness to obey God, not merely seeking escape from suffering. *Question* Am I seeking God because I truly love Him or only because I want Him to remove my problems? *2. Inhuman Sufferings Due to Fight by the Saviour* a. A protracted and unyielding stubbornness will be rewarded with a severe and inhuman punishment that is expected to bring the stubborn to God for his own good. God declared that *"I myself will fight against you (Jerusalem) with my own outstretched hand"*. The weapons of Judah would fail, the city would be handed over to Nebuchadnezzar and pestilence, famine and the sword would consume the people. The One who had always defended Israel would now become their Judge because of their persistent rebellion. No fortress, human wisdom or military strength can stand when God opposes a people. *"For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good"*. It is a fearful thing when the Saviour becomes the One executing judgment against those who reject His commands. b. Unfortunately, the king, like all hypocritical seekers, after hearing those terrible pronouncements from God, was not interested in how to reconcile with God in His own terms, but was only interested in the reversal of divine judgments unconditionally. God does not work like that. God seeks a good relationship with man that is based on holiness, righteousness and godly character. *"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him."*. Seek for a genuine relationship and closer walk with God and all the challenges will be taken care of by God. *Question* Is there any area of persistent disobedience that could bring me into conflict with God's will? *3. Incomprehensible Sympathy and Favour for the Sinners* a. Even while announcing judgment, God displayed remarkable mercy. *"Behold I set before you the way of life and the way of death"*. God in His incomprehensible love and mercy will always give a window of hope for those who are willing to retrace their steps. Those who surrendered according to His instruction would preserve their lives. b. God also called the royal house to execute justice and righteousness before it was too late. The rulers have the greater blame because they were expected to know better. *"O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings"*. His judgments are never without opportunities for repentance. God's compassion shines brightly because He still offers hope, even to those who deserve punishment, if they will humble themselves and obey His voice. Repent now before it is too late. *Question* Will I respond immediately to God's call to repentance or delay until judgment overtakes me? *Prayer Points* 1.Lord, give me a sincere and obedient heart of worship that is not based on selfish considerations 🙏. 2.Father, convict and purge me from every disobedience that may still be affecting my relationship with You 🙏. 3.Lord, help me to walk in righteousness, justice and complete obedience to Your Word every day 🙏. 4.Lord, visit Your Church and enable all Your people to focus on seeking You and the kingdom of God above all else 🙏. *HYMN:* O Why Not Tonight? *BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:* JOHN 1-3. 2. Morning Prayer for today. MP.i. Morning Prayer And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. ⏤ Colossians 3:17 To be little with God is to be little for God. ⏤ E.M. Bounds We come to Your feet, our Father, to receive Your blessing as we go out into the world. We want to make this a beautiful day. Help us to be diligent and cover us with Your wings of love. Let us not rely on our own understanding or follow the devices and desires of our own deceitful hearts. May we live today in You and for You—honoring You in all that we do and say. We humbly seek Your favor upon the work of our hands. Help us to do it well. Save us from all negligence and laziness. We want to honor You even in the most ordinary tasks of this day. May we do everything as if under Your eye and for Your approval. Save us from being satisfied with low standards and help us to do our best, even in the smallest things. Sanctify our influence so that we may be a blessing to everyone whose life we touch. Let us not be a hindrance to the good or the joy of anyone. Let us not discourage those who are struggling with hardship, trials, or temptations—but may we instead be encouragers of all whom we meet. May we carry cheer in our faces and inspire cheer in others. Guard our words so that we may speak no unkind words. May our conversation be such that it helps others. We pray for our friends, some of whom are carrying heavy burdens. Some are sick. We pray that You will heal and comfort the sick and strengthen those whose loads are too heavy for them to bear. We ask You to care for the poor and all who are in any trouble. Send to us anyone in need whom You would have us befriend or help, or send us to them with a blessing. Hear us in our prayers and bless us, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. https://www.youdevotion.com/daily-prayer/miller/27/morning #taptapstudio #youdevotion. Good evening, brethren. 1. Evening devotion for today. ED.i. *DAILY WALK WITH CHRIST* (COCIN DEVOTIONAL) *DATE:* FRIDAY 31ST JULY 2026. *SUB-THEME:* CONSEQUENCES OF REJECTING GOD'S GRACE. *TOPIC:* ETERNAL PUNISHMENT. *TEXT:* REVELATION 22:12–15. 12 “See! I am coming soon! My reward is with Me to repay everyone according to his behavior. Psa 62:12 Jer 17:10 Jer 32:19 Mat 16:27 Rom 2:6 Rom 14:12 1Co 3:8 2Co 5:10 Gal 6:5 Rev 2:23 [Job 34:11] [Pro 24:12] 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Isa 41:4 Isa 44:6 Isa 48:12 Rev 1:8 Rev 1:8 Rev 21:6 Rev 21:6 14 “How blessed are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city! 15 Outside are dogs, sorcerers, immoral people, murderers, idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 1Co 6:10 Eph 5:5 Col 3:5-6 [Zec 14:21] [Gal 5:21] [Col 3:6] [Rev 21:8] *TOPIC:* ETERNAL PUNISHMENT. *THE MESSAGE:* Eternal punishment is the fate of those who reject God's grace. Today's text emphasizes the certainty and urgency of Christ's return. He is coming to reward everyone according to their deeds. What an impartial Judge! Those who accepted God's grace of salvation through Christ and live righteously will have access to the Tree of Life and the gates of the city. They will enjoy God's presence eternally. Alas, those who reject God and indulge in sinful behaviours such as magic arts, sexual immorality, killing of people, idolatry, witchcraft, falsehood, terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery, and the like, as a lifestyle, will be thrown in hell fire forever. Have you accepted God's grace? If not, repent! Do not be deceived by the notion that a gracious God cannot punish. *REFLECTION:* Evil doers shall be punished. *PRAYER:* Father, thank You for the access to eternal life. Amen. *MEMORY VERSE FOR THE MONTH:* HEBREWS 10:29. How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace? *TODAY'S BIBLE READING PLAN:* ISAIAH 63–66. ED.ii. HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE "The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad." - Psalm 118:24 Being able to wake up and breathe again this morning is grace from God. God has given us another day to live and God wants us to be happy on this new day. You do not have to wait until you achieve all you want, until you reach your goal; joy is a choice you make. When you get up in the morning, you make a choice to enjoy the day. You decide whether you make your heart a happy heart or whether you allow yourself to be influenced by the difficulties in life. If you make the mistake to only look at circumstances, you will miss the blessing God has in store for you. A sad face because you are irritated or angry does not change your situation. If this does not make a difference, then you might as well be happy. Start to sing: 'this is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made. We will rejoice, we will rejoice and be glad in it.' Or sing: 'I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart. I will enter His courts with praise.' The choice to be happy is yours. You will feel better and it also gives a positive attitude towards faith, which in turn inspires others. Stop worrying If you want to be happy and joyful, you must stop worrying about how things will go tomorrow or next year or later on. Jesus says in Matthew 6:25-33: 'Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?... Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?...But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.' Learn to live day by day. Of course, it is good to make plans, but do not only live in the future, live today and enjoy life. https://www.theblessingdevotional.com 2. Evening Prayer for today. EP.i. Evening Prayer Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. ⏤ Psalm 55:22 We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties. ⏤ Oswald Chambers The shadows have deepened around us, O God, and we draw near to You. As birds fly to their nests when night comes, as little children run home—so we come to You. Receive us and shelter us in Your divine love. We thank You that we have access to You; that although we have sinned, Jesus Christ died for sinners, and the way to You is open. We have no right to come to You except through the mediation of Your Son. In His name, we come, pleading for forgiveness and access. May Your blessing be upon all the work of our hands today. It has been imperfect. But may You take it and build it into Your kingdom. You are using the weak things, the base things, and things that are nothing—and You can use even the poor broken fragments of today’s efforts. We ask for a special blessing on our home tonight. Bless our home life. May each one of us know our part in making the home beautiful and blessed—and may we all do what we know we should do to bring the fullness of Jesus' peace into our home. May our fellowship as a family become more tender and affectionate. Save us from all bitterness and impatience, from irritability, and from being easily provoked. May our home love be strengthened, and may we learn to live together sweetly. We remember our neighbors. You have commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves. We desire to obey You, and we ask You to teach us this divine love. If we have failed today, forgive us. Grant us more and more of Your love, and then we will be able to love rightly. Hear us, O God, in our prayer, and grant us Your holy peace. We ask all this in the name of Christ Jesus. Amen. https://www.youdevotion.com/daily-prayer/miller/26/evening #taptapstudio #youdevotion.

It is easy to start in Ministry, but can you remain faithful till the end (Testimony Part 10) VIDEO LENGTH 46:44 ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 05:08 I've decided to spend more time at the feet of Jesus by meditating and studying God's Word 08:33 It is easy to start in Ministry but to endure and continue is another. Who will build a tower and only lay the foundation. Who will go to war with half the men and give up before the war. Count the cost 15:01 One of the biggest challenges in Ministry for me was to continue on with Ministry work, even if my bank account is low and the fuel gauge of the vehicle is almost on empty. 16:05 I departed from New Castle and on my way passing through to Richard's Bay. I used to sleep off underneath a tree in the vehicle, waiting of on the Lord (Psalms 27:14) 29:58 I was led to Pelican Island to meet uncle Niel and his wifey aunty Kim with their two dogs staying on their boat 36:14 Uncle Niel tried to convince me of the Flat Earth conspiracy agenda🤫 See full video uploaded on YouTube under 7 Step Ministry OF Jesus Christ https://youtu.be/-5Z6D_E5nOA?si=HPxdalGLyCmlY1LF

Matthew 15:21-31 Was Jesus being mean? When one first sees this passage, one seems to conclude that in this passage Jesus is being mean. He's going through a very spiritually dark area. Tyre and Sidon was an area where human sacrifice was part of their religion which was entirely pagan worship. So when this woman comes demanding help for her demon possessed daughter, Jesus doesn't immediately respond in a positive way. It seems a little rude. The disciples knew this woman was more than likely a worshipper of Baphomet. And they were imploring Jesus to send her away, which He did not do. He doesn't even address their concern, He tells the woman that He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. She understands His reluctance to help, knows Jesus is a holy man who won't excuse her people's sin. But she cries out again and Jesus says something unique. It is not good to take the children's bread to give to dogs. I didn't understand that for quite some time. So I've spent time on it. The gift the woman asked for, of a healing for her daughter, was one meant only for Israel. Now we've just spent the better part of 4 months learning about the Gospel message being for the world, not just Israel. So why did Jesus act aloof? Again, we have to return to the point that this woman was from a race of people for whom demonic service is second nature. And someone under the spell of Baphomet will not surrender to God. Was she a former pagan? Regretful of serving Baphomet? Possibly. What is known is that she had faith Jesus could do this and she was willing to take whatever blessing God would give. So when her reply came back, Jesus praised her faith. This plea to save her daughter came and because of her nationality she would be considered a traitor to demons this plea for her daughter could easily earn this woman a swift sacrificial death. She would gladly accept the role of dog eating scraps if it meant her daughter being healed. Her daughter was healed and she went on her way. The chapter concludes with multitudes being healed in the open view of Jews and the people of Tyre and Sidon. I often think of these unnamed heroes of scripture and what it will be like to finally meet some of them. What happened after this? We will all find out. No Jesus was not mean, not bigoted, He was giving her an opportunity to demonstrate the reality of her faith. And she did. [21] Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. [22] And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely demon-possessed.” [23] But He did not answer her with even a word. And His disciples came up and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us!” [24] But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” [25] But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” [26] Yet He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” [27] And she said, “Yes, Lord; but please help, for even the dogs feed on the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” [28] Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed at once. [29] Departing from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee, and after going up on the mountain, He was sitting there. [30] And large crowds came to Him bringing with them those who were limping, had impaired limbs, were blind, or were unable to speak, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them. [31] So the crowd was astonished as they saw those who were unable to speak talking, those with impaired limbs restored, those who were limping walking around, and those who were blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.