Daily Devotion — August 19 | Acts 19:20 (NKJV)

God's Truth Always Prevails

Acts 19 describes the powerful work of God in the city of Ephesus. As the gospel spread, many people turned away from sinful practices and publicly demonstrated their repentance by destroying items connected with their former way of life. Their transformed lives became evidence of God's power at work.

Luke concludes this section with a simple but powerful statement: "The word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed." Despite opposition, spiritual darkness, and resistance, nothing could stop God's truth from accomplishing His purpose.

This verse reminds us that God's Word continues to transform lives today. Cultures may change, opposition may arise, and circumstances may seem difficult, but the message of Jesus Christ remains powerful. As believers faithfully live and proclaim the gospel, God continues to accomplish His work.

Reflection Questions

1. Am I allowing God's Word to shape my daily life?

2. What old habits or influences should I leave behind?

3. How can I help others experience the transforming power of God's Word?

Prayer

Lord God, thank You that Your Word is living, powerful, and unchanging. Continue to transform my heart through the Scriptures and help me faithfully share the gospel with others. May Your truth always prevail in my life. In Jesus name Amen.

Practical Application

● Spend time reading God's Word every day.

● Remove influences that hinder your spiritual growth.

● Share God's truth with someone this week.

Takeaway Thought

Nothing can stop the life-changing power of God's Word.

#LordsbookDailys #DailyDevotion #August19 #Acts1920 #WordOfTheLord #FaithThatPrevails #GrowingInChrist #BibleInspiration #GrowInFaith

A Prayer to Lay Down My Crown

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Learn More:

The Girl in the Pew: Loving Jesus. Loving People. Speaking the truth in love.

Philistia Pittman is The Girl in the Pew, a woman of immense spiritual depth and battle-tested resilience.

Click here to learn more about The Girl in the Pew: thegirlinthepew.com/about-the-girl-in-the-pew

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To be rooted means to be firmly fixed, stable, and deeply connected to a source, place, or belief system you remain steady and unshakeable when life gets difficult, Having strong spiritual or personal values that do not change when trouble comes. because your worth is anchored to an unchanging Savior our Lord Jesus Christ rather than temporary circumstances.

#JesusIsTheAnchorOfMySoul
#LordsBook

AYAC 2026 | Day 2: HOUR OF VISITATION| WORD SESSION 1

Message Title: *Next Levels Mentality is Critical*

Ministering: *Pastor Steve Ogah*

Every next levels experience begins with next levels mentality.

Mentality connotes your mindset, your way, or pattern of thinking. - Pro. 4:18

Your mentality defines your reality. You cannot move in life beyond your mentality.

*Dimensions of Mentality You Need as a Believer:*

1. You must understand that God's Word is the spiritual mirror that reveals who you are in God's perspective. - James 1:22, 25

- If you want to know what God says concerning you, the Word is the mirror.

2. By redemption you are ordained for continuous progress until Christ comes. - Pro. 4:18

- Stagnation is not God's plan for you, He has ordained that the path of His children shines bright.

3. You are ordained to enjoy a from glory to glory adventure in life. - 2 Cor. 3:18

*As a child of God, you are ordained:*

1. A pace-setter and a trailblazer. - Matt. 5:13-16

2. A greater potential than all Old Testament saints lies in you. - Matt. 12:42

3. To reign on the earth as kings and priests. - Rev. 5:9-10

*Forces Behind Next Levels Mentality:*

- Vision. - Jer. 1:5
- Access to divine secrets. - Job 29:4
- The anointing. - Acts 2:1-6, 14-21

Three Angels Broadcasting Network Devotional.
Sound the Alarm

By Jenni Poling

August 19th, 2026

“Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand.” Joel 2:1

To take a stroll in late summer in Southern Illinois is to be treated to a symphony, day or night. The air is filled with the sound of insects, including crickets, katydids, grasshoppers, and cicadas. There is a seemingly endless array of melody and percussion.

No song is louder than that of the cicada, however. In fact the Australian green grocer cicada is considered one of the loudest insects in the world. Cicadas can produce sounds up to 120 decibels—loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss in humans at close range. The male cicada doesn’t deafen himself, however. He is equipped with the ability to protect his own eardrums by shutting them down while singing.

So what are these noisy creatures? At first glance, they might appear to be enormous flies, but closer inspection reveals that they have wide-set eyes, short antennae, and membranous wings held close to the sides of their body. The largest cicada—the empress cicada—has a head and body length of 2.8 inches and a wingspan of 8 inches! Another amazing fact about the cicada is that it comes engineered with the first known biomaterial that can kill bacteria. Its wing surfaces are covered with nanoscale-sized spikes that simply tear the bacteria apart.

Cicadas spend the majority of their life underground, tapping into the roots of trees and emerging for only a few short weeks to mate and lay eggs. There are two major groups of cicadas: the annual and the periodic types. All spend considerable time underground, but the periodic cicada broods are synchronized to emerge all at once every thirteen to seventeen years. And when this happens, it’s quite an event because the sight and sound are tremendous!

Cicadas like to sing during the daytime, but especially at dawn and dusk. One evening, while we were on one of our walks, it occurred to me that they sounded like so many alarms going off, and that got me thinking. What are alarms used for?

Well, there are alarm clocks to wake you up. There are also fire alarms, burglar alarms, and car alarms, among others. The message of these alarms is about the same: if you want to avoid trouble, get up, get ready, and get going! I wonder, might there also be some internal alarms going off? Alarms that tell us to shake off our lethargy and observe what is happening around us in the spiritual realm? Is there something that tells us to wake up and be roused to action? Listen, because the alarms may be sounding loudly for you!

So as you enjoy your evening walks, and if you are in a place where you can hear these “alarms,” think about the message God may be trying to give you. Don’t forget to listen and heed the alarms, trusting God to get you through.

Let's talk about it.
DYING AND GOING STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN IS A FALSE DOCTRINE

The Bible does not teach that the dead immediately go to heaven as conscious spirits.

When Lazarus died, Jesus said plainly:

“Our friend Lazarus sleepeth.” — John 11:11

And Martha said:

“I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” — John 11:24

She did not say Lazarus was already alive in heaven. She understood that his hope was the resurrection.

Scripture repeatedly describes death as a sleep:

“The dead know not any thing.” — Ecclesiastes 9:5

“His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” — Psalm 146:4

The Christian hope is not an immortal soul leaving the body at death. It is the resurrection when Christ returns.

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven... and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” — 1 Thessalonians 4:16

The teaching that the dead remain consciously alive opens the door to one of Satan’s oldest deceptions — the claim that human beings do not truly die.

“Ye shall not surely die.” — Genesis 3:4

Once people believe the dead are conscious and able to communicate, they become vulnerable to spiritualism — apparitions, supposed messages from the dead, and deceptive supernatural manifestations.

Scripture warns that powerful spiritual deceptions will occur in the last days.

“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders...” — Matthew 24:24

God’s Word gives the safeguard:

The dead are unconscious.
They do not communicate with the living.
They await the resurrection.

Our hope is not in supposed spirits of the dead.

Our hope is in Jesus Christ and the resurrection at His coming.

Conflict and Courage.
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:26.
Among those who had hoped for a permanent spiritual revival as the result of the reformation under Josiah was Jeremiah, called of God to the prophetic office while still a youth....

In the youthful Jeremiah, God saw one who would be true to his trust and who would stand for the right against great opposition.... “Say not, I am a child,” the Lord bade His chosen messenger; “for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee.” ...

For forty years Jeremiah was to stand before the nation as a witness for truth and righteousness. In a time of unparalleled apostasy he was to exemplify in life and character the worship of the only true God. During the terrible sieges of Jerusalem he was to be the mouthpiece of Jehovah.27Ibid., 407, 408.

Naturally of a timid and shrinking disposition, Jeremiah longed for the peace and quiet of a life of retirement, where he need not witness the continued impenitence of his beloved nation. His heart was wrung with anguish over the ruin wrought by sin....

The experiences through which Jeremiah passed in the days of his youth and also in the later years of his ministry, taught him the lesson that “the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” He learned to pray, “O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing” (Jeremiah 10:23, 24).

When called to drink of the cup of tribulation and sorrow, and when tempted in his misery to say, “My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord,” he recalled the providences of God in his behalf and triumphantly exclaimed, “It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.... The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.” 28Ibid., 419-421.

Day 3. Spiritual credentials do not make anyone immune

“Spiritual credentials do not exempt one from lust’s trap.”

Explanation:
This is particularly relevant to Christians, ministers, leaders, and people actively involved in church. Position, anointing, knowledge, ministry experience, or reputation cannot replace personal vigilance. David and Samson demonstrate that a person can have a significant calling and still fall when sinful desire is left unchecked.


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In Colossians 1, Paul uses two closely related but distinct concepts to describe the unmatched status of Christ. To understand the distinction, we have to look at the flow of Paul's argument and the specific Greek words he uses.

The Distinction in the Text

Preeminence (πρωτεύων - *prōteuōn*)
In verse 18, Paul writes that Christ might be preeminent (or "hold the first place") in everything. The Greek word prōteuōn is a present participle meaning "to be first in rank, influence, or position."

Preeminence speaks to rank, dignity, and rightful position. It answers the question: Where does Christ stand in relation to all other things? The answer is that He stands at the absolute top. He holds the chief place. In the immediate context of verse 18, this preeminence is specifically tied to the new creation—He is the head of the body, the church, and the firstborn from the dead. Because He conquered the grave, He rightfully holds the highest rank in the renewed creation.

Supremacy (πρωτότοκος - *prōtotokos*)
While English translations sometimes use "preeminence" and "supremacy" interchangeably, the concept of supremacy in this passage is anchored in the word prōtotokos ("firstborn"), used in verses 15 and 18.

Supremacy speaks to authority, power, and sovereign right. In the ancient Near East, the firstborn was not just the oldest child; he was the heir who held the highest authority over the household and received the double portion of the inheritance. When Paul says Christ is the "firstborn of all creation" (v. 15) and "firstborn from the dead" (v. 18), he is not saying Christ was created. He is declaring Christ's supreme authority over creation and over the new creation. Supremacy answers the question: Who has the power and the right to rule? Christ does, because all things were created through Him and for Him (v. 16).

How They Work Together

Think of it this way:
Supremacy is the basis of His authority. He is the sovereign heir and creator. He has the absolute right to rule because He is the agent of creation and the victor over death.
Preeminence is the result of that authority. Because He is supreme, it is only fitting that He holds the first place in rank, honor, and affection in all things.

Paul builds this argument to counter the early heresies creeping into Colossae, which suggested you needed Jesus plus something else—angelic worship, secret knowledge, or ascetic practices (Colossians 2). Paul's response is that Christ's supremacy and preeminence mean He is entirely sufficient. The fullness of deity dwells in Him bodily (1:19). There is no higher rank to reach, no hidden knowledge to acquire, and no spiritual power to supplement. He holds the first place in everything.

When you read this passage, you are looking at a deliberate, poetic structure where Paul establishes Christ's supremacy over the original creation (vv. 15-17) and then His supremacy over the new creation through redemption (vv. 18-20), culminating in the conclusion that He alone is preeminent in all things.

Good morning to everyone. Grace and Peace be with you.

It appears that the rain monster is headed back our way. Perhaps today. I have one more yard to mow/bale, and hopefully I can get that done before it gets here. If I recall, the rain is supposed to start this afternoon around 3. We kind of made a plan for today, so…fingers crossed that the monster stays away for the right amount of time.

This year has been a wild year for my yard. I do not recall a year where it felt like a cloud just passed over my place and the grass grew six inches. It is crazy how fast my yard is growing this year. I don’t even think that it has to rain a tiny bit for my yard to keep growing. It is crazy. You know, I always thought a balance of water and sun was the formula for a good growing yard. Apparently, my yard has an attitude and has said, “Give me rain, or not; give me sun or not; give me cold or not; I will grow and will not rot.” I guess it is its version of ‘hold my beer’.

The wonderful part of it is that my yard actually looks like a fluffy pillow of beautiful grass. Not sure how that happened, but it did. There are not a lot of thistles or weeds; even in the back part of the yard, it is beautiful grass.

The way that the grass is growing so quickly and fully is a reminder of how quickly sin can manifest in our lives. Now you are wondering, how did I just turn my beautiful pillow grass into sin? Stick with me; I think you will like this. Some of you who are used to my brain are trying to see my vision first. Haha.

In one of the parables that Jesus taught, the farmer planted bountiful seeds and had a great crop. However, one day one of his servants told him of how the weeds were growing up in the plants and should they pull the weeds. The farmer told them no; they would worry about the weeds at harvest.

My nice and quick-growing yard is just like the weeds in the parable, in that the weeds sprung up quickly and became noticeable to the servants. They did not need attention, but they were trying to take over the crop to the point that the servant wanted to rid the field of them.

Sin works the same way. It finds its way into our lives, usually with logic. Such as, Jesus sat with sinners, so why can’t I? The problem with that example is that Jesus was perfect and without blemish. He did not succumb to the sin from which he was trying to save them from. He simply sat with them and told them the truth in love. WE on the other hand, are sinners who are saved by grace. WE are still human and are susceptible to the temptation of the same sins that we are sitting with. Meaning, a drug addict should not move into a drug-infested area to witness because the temptation could become too strong for them to resist.

Once sin has planted itself in our minds, it festers and grows quickly. It uses logic and ‘common sense’ ideas to justify its existence. Soon, and it does not take long, for those around you to see how the sin has manifested and grew in your/our lives. And the bad part of it all is that many times we either do not see it and still try to justify our actions with the ‘Jesus sat with sinners’ or we do not see it at all.

Today I encourage you to go to Him in prayer and ask Him to reveal any areas in your life that you may be lying to yourself about as a witness opportunity to allow for your sin. When He reveals it to you, go to Him and ask Him to forgive you. If He had sent anyone to open your eyes, ask them to forgive you for not listening to His servant. As you do that, you are telling the enemy to kick rocks and that will give him a headache for sure.

Be blessed.

**Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. – Colossians 3:17