We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. Romans 5:3 NLT ____ The fruit that is produced within us is meant to be used for God’s glory. ____ Friendship doubles our joy and divides our grief. ____ Loving Savior, please help me bless others with words that can be trusted. ____ And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 NLT

TODAY'S WORD Text: Isaiah 40:31 “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” MESSAGE: RENEWED FOR THE RACE The last days are tiring. Many are weary. But God has not called you to run dry. 1. STRENGTHENING: Waiting on God is not wasting time. It’s refueling. When you pray, worship, and sit in His Word, He puts new strength in you. Like an eagle, you’ll rise above the storms. 2. ENCOURAGING: You will NOT faint. You will NOT quit. The same God who sustained you at St. Joseph P.3-P.7 will sustain you at Parents Joy P.1-P.4. He does not grow tired Isaiah 40:28. 3. SANCTIFICATION: To "wait on the Lord" means to set yourself apart from distractions and fix your eyes on Him Hebrews 12:1-2. Sanctification is choosing His presence over panic, His peace over pressure. PRAYER: Father, I wait on You today. Renew my strength. Lift me on eagles’ wings. Help me to run this race and not grow weary, and to walk in holiness until Jesus comes. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Encourage one another and build each other up.”

✝️ THE GOSPEL FROM CALVARY 📅 Monday, 17th August, 2026 🚨 CONTEND FOR THE FAITH! ✝️🔥 📜 TEXT: JUDE 1:1–25 📜 🔑📖 KEY VERSE: «“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” — Jude 1:3 (KJV)» The Christian faith is precious, powerful, and worth defending. In his short but powerful letter, Jude warned believers about false teachers and ungodly influences that had entered among God's people. Jude's message is simple but urgent: DO NOT GIVE UP THE FAITH! 🔥 We live in a world where truth is often questioned, biblical values are increasingly challenged, and many voices compete for our attention. But the believer is called to remain rooted in God's Word and to earnestly contend for the faith. 🔥 THREE LESSONS FROM JUDE 1️⃣ CONTEND FOR THE FAITH. 🛡️📖 Jude 1:3 says: «“...earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”» To contend for the faith does not mean fighting people. It means standing firmly for the truth of God's Word. Don't abandon biblical truth because it is unpopular. Don't compromise your convictions because of pressure. Don't change God's standards simply because society has changed. Stand for Christ. Stand for truth. Stand for the Gospel. ✝️🔥 2️⃣ BEWARE OF UNGODLY INFLUENCES. ⚠️ Jude warned that certain ungodly people had secretly entered among the believers. Their presence was dangerous because they could influence others away from the truth. This teaches us that not every teaching, philosophy, lifestyle, or spiritual message should be accepted without examination. 📖 Test what you hear against Scripture. 🙏🏽 Ask God for discernment. 👀 Watch the influences around you. ❤️‍🔥 Protect your relationship with Christ. Be careful what you allow to shape your thinking. 3️⃣ BUILD YOURSELF UP SPIRITUALLY. 🏗️🔥 Jude 1:20–21 gives believers a powerful instruction: «“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God...”» Notice the progression: 📖 Build yourself on the faith. 🙏🏽 Pray in the Holy Ghost. ❤️ Keep yourself in God's love. 👑 Look for the mercy of Jesus Christ unto eternal life. A strong Christian life does not happen accidentally. You must intentionally develop your relationship with God. Pray. Study the Word. Worship. Obey God. Stay connected to Christ. 🛡️ DON'T COMPROMISE YOUR FAITH The pressure to compromise can come from many directions. Friends may pressure you. Society may pressure you. Relationships may pressure you. Entertainment may pressure you. Even people who claim to know God may pressure you. But remember: Your faith is more valuable than acceptance from people. Never exchange eternal truth for temporary popularity. Never exchange holiness for pleasure. Never exchange your relationship with Christ for worldly approval. ❤️‍🔥 HAVE MERCY ON THOSE WHO ARE STRUGGLING Jude does not only tell believers to defend the faith; he also teaches us how to respond to people who are struggling. Jude 1:22 says: «“And of some have compassion, making a difference.”» There are people who need correction, but they also need compassion. There are people who have wandered, but they can still be restored. There are people who are confused, but God can use you to lead them back to truth. Therefore, stand firmly for truth while showing the love of Christ. ❤️‍🩹✝️ 🔥 KEEP YOURSELF IN THE LOVE OF GOD Jude 1:21 says: «“Keep yourselves in the love of God...”» This does not mean that God's love is weak or that we must earn His love. It is a call to remain in fellowship and obedience to Him. Don't allow sin to become your lifestyle. Don't allow bitterness to occupy your heart. Don't allow worldly desires to take the place of Christ. Stay close to Jesus. 👑 GOD IS ABLE TO KEEP YOU The letter of Jude ends with one of the most beautiful declarations of God's power: «“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy...” — Jude 1:24» What a powerful assurance! We are called to contend. We are called to watch. We are called to pray. We are called to remain faithful. But ultimately, God is the One who keeps us. 🙏🏽🔥 When you feel weak, He can strengthen you. When you are tempted, He can help you. When you are discouraged, He can restore you. When you are struggling, He can keep you from falling. ✍🏽 THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: A believer who knows the value of the Gospel will stand firmly for the truth, walk faithfully with Christ, and never trade eternal truth for temporary approval. 🔥✝️ 🙏🏽 PRAYER Heavenly Father, Thank You for the precious gift of salvation and for the faith You have entrusted to us. Give me grace to earnestly contend for the faith. Help me to recognize false teachings and ungodly influences. Give me spiritual discernment to know what is true and courage to stand for Your Word. Build me up in my most holy faith. Teach me to pray consistently and keep me in Your love. Help me to show compassion to those who are struggling and to point them back to Jesus. Lord, keep me from falling. Preserve my faith, strengthen my walk, and help me remain faithful until the end. To You be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, both now and forever. In Jesus' mighty name, Amen. 🙏🏽🔥 📜 THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: PSALMS 73–75 📖 ✝️ THE CALVARY MINISTRY ONLINE Birthright is Evangelism

Three Angels Broadcasting Network Devotional. The Lord is Near By Vera Malova August 17th, 2026 I was raised in northern Kazakhstan, but when we moved to the town of Bor in 1993, I remember the TV ads for Pastor John Carter’s evangelistic meetings across the Volga River in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Things weren’t going smoothly at home. My husband often took to the bottle, and my eldest son Sasha had started drinking, too. So I was happy when Sasha began attending those meetings every day. They gave him a Bible, and when Sasha brought it home, I began to read it. By the time I reached the New Testament, I’d realized we weren’t living the way God wanted us to, so I read it again. In the meantime, Sasha was baptized and began inviting me to church. I wanted to support him, but I worked on Saturdays. However, my hands began to ache so badly that I had to go to the hospital and take a break from work. The following Saturday, my son stared at me intently, wondering if I would go to church with him, so I went. I have a habit of looking people in the eye, and I was amazed to see such kind and affectionate eyes. Everyone was glad to see me, and they all smiled, so I continued going to church and soon decided to be baptized. On the day before my baptism, my husband came home from work drunk, hit his head, and stopped breathing. My son gave him CPR, but his breathing stopped as soon as he let up. “Lord, I give my whole family into Your hands!” I cried—and instantly, my husband began breathing again. God literally raised him from the dead! Although two of my children were baptized, my husband would not surrender to the Lord, threatening and calling me ugly names. Once, in a fit of anger, he began choking me. Another time, my children attended a youth group while I stayed home, reading my Bible. My husband came in drunk and said, “Aren’t you going to church, too?” “Yes, I think I will,” I answered. “Then perhaps you’ll also decide to be baptized!” he snorted. When I replied that I’d already been baptized, he grabbed a large Kitchen knife and shouted, “Then your life is over!” His eyes burned with a terrible fire! He lunged at me but suddenly froze in place. He stood there a while, holding the knife and shouting over and over, “You will not live!” Shaking with fear, I closed my eyes tightly and prayed silently for deliverance. Suddenly, I saw a beautiful rainbow in my mind with fiery letters that read, He will not hurt you! Throwing the knife down, my husband fell on the sofa, sobbing. My guardian angel had stood between us and protected me! “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11. As a family, we began praying earnestly for him. My children tried talking to him about God, but he answered, “That’s just how it’s written in your American Bible.” Lena bought him a Russian Orthodox Bible with a cross on it, blessed by Patriarch Alexy II, and as she read texts from her Bible, he read the same text in his; and whether from the Old or New Testament, every text matched word for word! Despite being convinced, my husband continued to drink as our family implored for God’s help. Finally, Sasha asked, “Father, why are you resisting?” He replied, “Okay, I will ask God to help me stop drinking.” He began carrying the Ten Commandments in his pocket and telling his co-workers and friends that they should follow them. He also promised to go to church but never did. Instead, he drank until he lost the feeling in his legs from his knees on down. One morning I woke up joyful. My eyes were shining when I said to him, “You cannot imagine how good you’d feel if you’d quit drinking,” to which he replied, “Then I’ll quit today.” Sadly, that was the day he died from his illness. It’s impossible to live in this world without God because there are problems such as alcoholism that no one else can solve. My son, who led me to God, eventually stopped going to church and began drinking again. But although he got so bad that he started hearing voices, our whole church family prayed for him, and after many years, he came back to the Lord and sobered again. Don’t think that the Lord is somewhere far away. He is right here with you! We all live in debt to the Lord, and a price has been paid for our life. Jesus paid the price for each of our days, each piece of bread we eat, and each breath we take. He paid it with His precious blood! Jeremiah 29:11 and 13 say, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.… And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Seek the Lord, for He is near.

Matthew 28:19-20 — with a message to go in all nations and which strengthen, encourage, and call people to sanctification in these last days. TODAY'S DAILY WORD - Day 1 Text: 2 Peter 3:11-12 “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God...” MESSAGE: LIVE READY, LIVE HOLY Beloved, we are in the last days. The world is shaking, but God is calling His people higher. 1. STRENGTHENING: Don’t be moved by what’s collapsing. Your foundation is Christ. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever Hebrews 13:8. Stand firm. 2. ENCOURAGING: Jesus is coming back. That is not fear — that is hope. It means every tear, every labor in the Lord is not in vain 1 Corinthians 15:58. 3. SANCTIFICATION: God’s will for us is holiness 1 Thessalonians 4:3. In these last days He is purifying a people for Himself. Ask the Holy Spirit GREEN7 🌱 daily: “Wash me, set me apart, make me ready.” PRAYER: Father, in Jesus’ name, make me ready. Strengthen my heart, encourage my soul, and sanctify me by Your Word and Spirit. Help me to live holy as I wait for You. Amen.

28 Beleifs # 17 SPIRITUAL GIFTS AND MINISTRIES God bestows upon all members of His church in every age spiritual gifts that each member is to employ in loving ministry for the common good of the church and of humanity. Given by the agency of the Holy Spirit, who apportions to each member as He wills, the gifts provide all abilities and ministries needed by the church to fulfill its divinely ordained functons. According to the Scriptures, these gifts include such ministries as faith, healing, prophecy, proclamation, teaching, administration, reconciliation, compassion, and self-sacrificing service and charity for the help and encouragement of people. Some members are called of God and endowed by the Spirit for functions recognized by the church in pastoral, evangelistic, and teaching ministries particularly needed to equip the members for service, to build up the church to spiritual maturity, and to foster unity of the faith and knowledge of God. When members employ these spiritual gifts as faithful stewards of God’s varied grace, the church is protected from the destructive influence of false doctrine, grows with a growth that is from God, and is built up in faith and love.

Daily Devotional. Speak the truth to my neighbor. These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates. Zechariah 8:16 To all who are working with Christ I would say, Wherever you can gain access to the people by the fireside, improve your opportunity. Take your Bible, and open before them its great truths. Your success will not depend so much upon your knowledge and accomplishments as upon your ability to find your way to the heart. By being social and coming close to the people, you may turn the current of their thoughts more readily than by the most able discourse. Take along the publications and ask them to read. When they see that you are sincere they will not despise any of your efforts. There is a way to reach the hardest hearts. Approach in the simplicity and sincerity and humility that will help us to reach the souls of them for whom Christ died. Allow no opportunity to pass unimproved. Visit those who live near you, and by sympathy and kindness try to reach their hearts. Visit the sick and suffering and show a kindly interest in them. If possible, do something to make them more comfortable. Through this means you can reach their hearts and speak a word for Christ. Eternity alone will reveal how far reaching such a line of labor can be. Those who do not take up this work, those who act with the indifference that some have manifested, will soon lose their first love and will begin to censure, criticize, and condemn their own brethren. Those who go forth in the spirit of the Master, seeking to reach souls with the truth, will ... become more and more vitalized as they give themselves to the service of God. It is a joyous work to open the Scriptures to others. [234]

Conflict and Courage. Isaiah 6:1-10 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Isaiah 57:15. In the vision that came to Isaiah in the temple court, he was given a clear view of the character of the God of Israel. “The high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy,” had appeared before him in great majesty; yet the prophet was made to understand the compassionate nature of his Lord.... In beholding his God, the prophet ... had not only been given a view of his own unworthiness; there had come to his humbled heart the assurance of forgiveness, full and free; and he had arisen a changed man. He had seen his Lord. He had caught a glimpse of the loveliness of the divine character. He could testify of the transformation wrought through beholding Infinite Love. Henceforth he was inspired with longing desire to see erring Israel set free from the burden and penalty of sin. “Why should ye be stricken any more?” the prophet inquired. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” ... The God whom they had been claiming to serve, but whose character they had misunderstood, was set before them as the great Healer of spiritual disease.... The heart of Infinite Love yearns after those who feel powerless to free themselves from the snares of Satan; and He graciously offers to strengthen them to live for Him. “Fear thou not,” He bids them; “for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee: yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.” ... Have you, reader, chosen your own way? Have you wandered far from God? Have you sought to feast upon the fruits of transgression, only to find them turn to ashes upon your lips? ... Return to your Father's house. He invites you, saying, “Return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.” “Come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live.” 25Prophets and Kings, 314-320.

Amazing Facts. Daily Devotionals How do you help people who have had negative experiences with the church? August 17th, 2026 In Luke chapter 15, Jesus tells a parable about a missing sheep. In the story, the shepherd searches relentlessly until he finds it. Then he lays it on his shoulders and lovingly carries it back home. The Lord wants us to follow His example and send out search parties to look for the lost sheep among us. These missing sheep are our neighbors, friends, and family who have wandered away from the flock. Here are some specific ways you can help someone who has left the church: First, pray for them. God promises, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Prayer is powerful. Invite them back! The biggest issue facing former members is how to reconnect with the church. They could be waiting for the invitation, so you can be the one to help them find a path back. In some cases, a friendly phone call or visit might be all that is needed. Remember to treat missing members the way you would want to be treated. Offer a warm, no-pressure invitation. Be loving and nonjudgmental, and leave room for the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts. We should also “receive one another, just as Christ received us” (Romans 15:7). Be prepared to receive with open arms those who return, as the father received the prodigal son (Luke 15:20). The shepherd in Jesus’ story called his friends and neighbors in for a celebration. He told them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!” At the end of the parable, Jesus says, “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7). Shouldn’t we feel the same way? Imagine how a person would feel if the entire church turned out to celebrate their return! Key Bible Texts And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. (Isaiah 58:12 KJV)

The Fleshy Word. 2 The Kitchen by Omodolapo Ogunye What does it really mean to know Jesus Christ? This episode of The Kitchen takes that question beyond the familiar language of Scripture, doctrine and biblical stories and introduces a profound premise: Jesus Christ is the living Word of God, and the Body of the Word is the detailed revelation of who He is. Drawing from Revelation 1, Colossians 2:9 and other Scriptures, the episode explores the descriptions of Christ's head, eyes, face, hands, feet and voice. These are presented as revelations that help us understand the Person of the Word. The central challenge of the episode is compelling: if we want a fuller knowledge of Christ, we must learn to see and understand His Body. Each member carries its own description, function and value, and together they reveal more of the Person of the Word. This makes The Fleshy Word. 2 an important continuation of the journey into The Body of the Word. It invites the listener to read Scripture differently—not merely looking for verses to quote, but looking for the detailed revelation of the Person whom the Scriptures reveal. I recommend this episode to anyone who wants to go deeper in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Listen carefully, particularly to the way the episode connects the different members of the Body with the identity and attributes of the Word. 🎧 Listen to “The Fleshy Word. 2” on The Kitchen Available on: • Spotify • Apple Podcasts • Amazon Music • Audible • Deezer Listen to The Kitchen on Acast The Kitchen by Omodolapo Ogunye Celebrating The Body of the Word.