If you discover that you have been following the wrong direction, don't remain there simply because you have been there for years. Don't follow a personality into destruction. Don't confuse a massive crowd with God's approval. Don't exchange holiness for popularity. Don't exchange eternal life for earthly applause. Follow Christ. Be a sheep under the Shepherd. And make sure the voice leading you is taking you toward Jesus, truth, holiness and eternity. 🦁🐑 A lion leading 10 sheep may accomplish more for eternity than a goat leading 100 lions. The question is not, "How many are following?" The question is, "Where are they being led?" What do you think? Who will win? https://youtu.be/KEbgJb0bG3g?si=CQFSI4-QwOca_zIB

Good morning to everyone. Grace and Peace be with you. How is everyone doing today? It is early and eventful in my house. Eventful for old, sleepy people, that is. I made coffee, fixed my husband’s meds, recorded his evening, walked the dog and spent some quality time in the alternative office. Last night I was able to get the middle part of the yard mowed before I lost daylight and today I will finish. Now, normally, my yard is done in one sitting. However, this week, that has not been the case. With borrowing a mower, I had to wait to get it back and because I borrowed it, I did my obligation to his other property first. I could have waited and done mine all in one stint, but I was having fun. Haha. So, I have a question for you. How do you decompress? Do you go for a walk/run? Do you dive into a good story? Is it television and snacks? Is there a hobby that you enjoy that helps reset your thoughts? How do you deal with the day’s events as they unfold and/or when you are thinking about them at the end of the day? For me, obviously, writing is one avenue that I take. Another is mowing—another is music. Of course, there are my phone games … little addictive boogers. Have you considered prayer as a route of decompression? A quick research of how many times it is recorded that Jesus prayed is over 25 times. A finer search shows that He withdrew at least seven times to pray. Meaning that he went away alone to pray. Now, if the Son of God, who came to earth as a human to demonstrate what He wanted us to do, left his pals, his family, his associates to pray and ‘decompress’ with God … don’t you think it might just work for us? Over the years, in order to make prayer sound OVER important, it has been made out that you need to have a large vocabulary of fancy words and beautiful songs of words that float through the air like a cloud. However, if you read about Jesus’ account in Gethsemane … that was not flowery words … that was “Hey Dad, is there another way we can take care of this plan of Yours? If there is, can we do that instead? Hey, but if there isn’t … I understand.” Jesus was on his face, sweating and pouring out his soul to the Father, pleading for a different solution to this problem. He had become very close to His disciples and the weight of what was going to happen fell on him like a ton of bricks. He felt the burden of His assignment in full force. If the Son of man cried out to God on multiple occasions, would it not seem relevant that we would too? The enemy would have us believe that if we cannot ‘fix’ or ‘accomplish’ something on our own, that we are weak and worthless. On the contrary, knowing that we have an avenue to strength and power, and then exercising that invitation to sit with Him, settles us and empowers us to persevere. I have confessed many times on here that my prayer life has not been the best. It is improving, however, and I can physically feel His presence as I calm from the day’s events or as I enter the day’s events. Coming from someone who routinely falls down, prayer has given me such strength to continue to take one step at a time each day. As today unfolds, as the events begin to swallow you whole, as the world tries to dictate your mood, remember that there is One who is always there and willing to listen. Go to Him. Pour out your soul to Him. Cry to Him. Plead with Him. And know that if the answer is not what YOU wanted, that there must be a higher cause. Jesus was not released from his commitment to die on the cross; he accepted it and used it as the way to unlock the doors of death and defeat Satan. What powerful use of your turmoil lies beyond your vision that will help someone in the long run? Release your anguish to the Father and embrace your chosen status, knowing that you were picked to set the tone for someone else in a similar situation. Be blessed. **My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me. Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. – Matthew 26:38-39

Gods Creation, 100 / evolution, 0 A new study of daddy longlegs has revealed something you probably wouldn't expect: in some species, Dad spends days guarding his eggs, cleaning them and driving away threats. Researchers studied parental care across 165 species of daddy longlegs, also called harvestmen. These creatures are arachnids, but they aren't actually spiders. The researchers added 85 new records of parental behavior. Of those, 78 showed either male or female parental care, while only seven showed no care. But researchers interpreted these behaviors as having arisen multiple times through evolution. There's an important difference between what was observed and what was assumed about the past. Scientists observed daddy longlegs already caring for their offspring. They didn't observe parental care evolving. Instead, they placed those behaviors onto a proposed evolutionary family tree and used computer models to estimate how that care supposedly arose in ancestors no one observed. And think about what that care requires. A daddy longlegs must recognize and remain near its eggs, detect danger, process what's happening, and respond appropriately. Its senses, nervous system, instincts, and movements must work together. The biblical account gives us a very different starting point. Genesis tells us that God created living creatures “after their kind” and commanded them to “be fruitful, and multiply” (Genesis 1:21–22). These creatures were created with the abilities necessary to reproduce and survive from the beginning. Even a daddy longlegs guarding a tiny cluster of eggs points us back to the wisdom of its Creator. Psalm 104:24 says, “O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all.”

SELF-PITY IS ALSO A STRONGHOLD There is a world people can build inside themselves. A world called self-pity. Self-pity says: "Nobody understands me." "Nobody sees what I have suffered." "Nobody appreciates me." "Look at everything that has happened to me." Now, there are real difficulties in life. People go through painful experiences. People have been hurt, but there is a difference between acknowledging pain and building your identity around pain. Self-pity keeps bringing you back to yourself. Everything becomes about your disappointment. Everything becomes about what people did to you. Everything becomes about what you did not receive. And slowly, you become trapped in a world where you are always the victim. Look at Elijah. After Jezebel threatened him, he ran away and sat under a tree. When God asked him what he was doing there, Elijah answered by focusing on himself. He said he had been very jealous for The Lord,.... but he was the only one left (1 Kings 19:10) But Elijah was not seeing the situation correctly. God still had people, and He was still working. The problem was not that Elijah had experienced difficulty. The problem was that his pain had become his entire perspective. Self-pity can make you forget God's bigger picture. It can make you abandon your assignment. You must burn down that world — not because your pain is fake, but because your pain cannot become your master. You are not only what happened to you. You are not only what people did to you. You are a child of God with a purpose. Do not allow self-pity to become a place you live. God has more for you than constantly looking at yourself and your wounds. Remember this Scripture and let The Word spoken there be your comfort: Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith The LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Shalom!

In addition to the admonitions of Peter (1 Peter 5:8) and James (James 4:7) regarding spiritual vigilance in resisting temptation, Paul also had something to say about it. After noting how the Israelites had succumbed to temptation in the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:1-11), he warned the Corinthians: “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful . . . . When you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (vv. 12-13). The apostle lists two examples of how the “way out” can sometimes involve fleeing. He says we’re to “flee from idolatry” (v. 14) and “sexual immorality” (6:18). The Holy Spirit helps us to stand firm against the enemy.

Look Up It’s normal, as well as understandable, to spend our time, energy, and attention focusing on the here and now. We’re busy, after all. Sometimes we're preoccupied. And when we stop to really think about it, it’s difficult to perceive something beyond our five senses. But in his letter to the Colossians, Paul encourages his fellow believers to look up: “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬ As you think about Paul’s words and the realities of heaven, here are four things to consider: - First, heaven isn’t some vague, dream-like state. It’s a real place, with real people, where God is the true King. - Second, there will come a day when we will all meet God face to face. We will no longer need faith or hope, because that which we’ve hoped for will finally be revealed. - Third, our troubles and our heartbreaks (and even death itself) are temporary! Scripture tells us that, eventually, God will do away with pain and death and sickness and suffering—forever. - Lastly (and most importantly), God is still on His throne, with Jesus beside Him in the place of honor. No matter how crazy, senseless, or heartbreaking the world can seem, we can have confidence knowing that nothing is outside of God’s sovereign plan. So when you’re tempted to look around at others or look inward at yourself, look up instead. Heaven is wherever God is, and that’s the truest reality of all.

Look Up It’s normal, as well as understandable, to spend our time, energy, and attention focusing on the here and now. We’re busy, after all. Sometimes we're preoccupied. And when we stop to really think about it, it’s difficult to perceive something beyond our five senses. But in his letter to the Colossians, Paul encourages his fellow believers to look up: “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬ As you think about Paul’s words and the realities of heaven, here are four things to consider: - First, heaven isn’t some vague, dream-like state. It’s a real place, with real people, where God is the true King. - Second, there will come a day when we will all meet God face to face. We will no longer need faith or hope, because that which we’ve hoped for will finally be revealed. - Third, our troubles and our heartbreaks (and even death itself) are temporary! Scripture tells us that, eventually, God will do away with pain and death and sickness and suffering—forever. - Lastly (and most importantly), God is still on His throne, with Jesus beside Him in the place of honor. No matter how crazy, senseless, or heartbreaking the world can seem, we can have confidence knowing that nothing is outside of God’s sovereign plan. So when you’re tempted to look around at others or look inward at yourself, look up instead. Heaven is wherever God is, and that’s the truest reality of all.

WHAT IS SIN? 1 JOHN 3:4 KJV 4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. Sin is breaking the Law, missing the mark set by God. The word "sin" is a translation of the Greek word "hamartia" which means to miss the mark. ROMANS 3:23 NLT 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Religious tradition labels many things as sin which the Bible does not. People make up all kinds of rules based on what they think is right. But God is the judge and only God can decree what sin is. MARK 7:9 KJV 9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. God has not left us to wonder what sin is. The Bible reveals it to us. We don't have to guess, or make it up as we go. Just because you do something someone else thinks is wrong does not mean it is a sin. So don't let people condemn you over things the Bible does not clearly say are wrong. God is the judge. COLOSSIANS 2:8 NKJ 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. Another error is to think being tempted is a sin. Temptation itself is not sin. You cannot help being tempted. Even Jesus was tempted -- but He never yielded. HEBREWS 4:15 NKJ 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. A common mistake is believing that having bad thoughts is a sin. It is not a sin to be tempted with bad thoughts. It only becomes a sin when we embrace those thoughts as our own and decide to act on them. JAMES 1:15 NLT 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. God is against sin because it is deadly. Sin brings forth death, not life and blessing. God loves people, so He is against everything that harms people. All sin harms people. (Just because you don't see how a sin would harm anyone, does not mean you know more than God.) But no human can be right with God by never sinning. We have all fallen short and need a Savior. It is only by God's grace and His forgiveness that we can be right with God. ROMANS 3:20 NLT 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. We can be glad because Jesus came to save sinners, and He paid the price for the forgiveness of all sins by shedding His blood. EPHESIANS 1:7 NKJ 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace SAY THIS: Only God has the authority to decide what sin is. God bless you!

Thursday, 27th August, 2026 TITLE: "FAITHFUL IN LITTLE, TRUSTED WITH MUCH" ANCHOR SCRIPTURE(S) Luke 16:10 (KJV) "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much." Psalm 75:6–7 (KJV) "For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another." QUOTE TO REFLECT ON "Faithfulness in small things prepares you for greater things." DAY'S REFLECTION Many people desire great opportunities, promotion, influence, wealth, and recognition. But God's Word teaches us that greatness is often preceded by faithfulness in small things. Jesus says in Luke 16:10, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much." The word "faithful" means dependable, trustworthy, loyal, and consistent. "That which is least" refers to things that may appear small, ordinary, or insignificant in our eyes. God watches how we handle what we have before giving us responsibility for what we desire. A person who is careless with small responsibilities may also become careless when entrusted with greater ones. Sometimes people think, "When I get a better job, I will work harder," or "When God gives me more money, I will become generous." But biblical principles teach the opposite: be faithful now with what you already have. Be faithful with your time. Be faithful with your work. Be faithful with your relationships. Be faithful with money. Be faithful in serving God. Be faithful even when nobody is watching. Psalm 75:6–7 reminds us that promotion ultimately comes from God. The psalmist says that promotion does not come simply from geographical directions or human sources, but "God is the judge." He has the authority to "putteth down" one and "setteth up" another. This does not mean that effort, preparation, excellence, or wise relationships are unnecessary. Rather, it reminds us that human connections cannot replace God's sovereignty. We should work diligently while trusting God with the outcome. Life experience teaches us that small responsibilities often reveal a person's true character. Someone who cannot be trusted with a small assignment will struggle when given a greater one. Conversely, consistent faithfulness builds a reputation for reliability and prepares a person for greater responsibility. Therefore, do not despise your present season because it seems small. Your current assignment may be God's training ground for your future. If you are serving in a small capacity, serve faithfully. If your business is still growing, work honestly. If your opportunity seems insignificant, give it your best. If recognition has not yet come, continue doing what is right. God sees your faithfulness. Your responsibility is to be faithful; God's responsibility is to determine the time and manner of promotion. MEDITATION SCRIPTURE(S) Proverbs 22:29 (KJV) "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men." Colossians 3:23–24 (KJV) "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." LIFE LESSONS (IMPLICATIONS) 1. Faithfulness in small responsibilities reveals our readiness for greater responsibilities. 2. God values character more than outward recognition. 3. Promotion ultimately comes from God. 4. We should not despise humble beginnings or small opportunities. 5. Excellence and diligence should accompany prayer and faith. 6. God sees faithful service even when people do not recognise it. EVERYDAY ACTION Be faithful in one small responsibility today, doing it wholeheartedly as unto the Lord. PRAYER Heavenly Father, make me faithful, trustworthy, and diligent in every responsibility You give me. Help me honour You in small things and trust You for promotion in Your perfect time. In Jesus' name, Amen. DECLARATION I am faithful in little and trustworthy with much. I will not despise small beginnings. I will work diligently, serve faithfully, and trust God, knowing that promotion comes from the Lord. Amen. Devotion by Rev. Frank Fabian Aidoo 📞 +233 544 295 158 Follow us on WhatsApp 👇👇👇 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6EpEqHbFV78wOHgv2P

Seek God First (Matthew 6:33) What are you chasing? Success? Money? A better job? A relationship? Recognition? A bigger house? More followers? A better future? There is nothing wrong with having goals and dreams. God has given us abilities, opportunities, and responsibilities that we should use wisely. But there is a danger when the things we want become more important than the God who gave us the ability to pursue them. Jesus said: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Notice the order: Seek God first. Not after your career. Not after your relationships. Not after you've achieved your goals. Not only when you are in trouble. First. The world tells us: “Build your career first.” “Make money first.” “Become successful first.” “Get everything you want first.” Then we can easily begin treating God as something we fit into the remaining space in our lives. But God doesn't want to be an afterthought. He wants to be at the centre. Think about your daily schedule. What receives your best attention? What occupies your thoughts? What determines your decisions? What do you spend most of your time pursuing? Your priorities reveal what matters most to you. You can say that God is first, but your life will eventually show whether that is true. Seeking God first means making Him central to your decisions. Before accepting an opportunity, ask: “Does this honour God?” Before entering a relationship, ask: “Will this relationship help me grow closer to Christ?” Before making a major financial decision, ask: “Am I handling what God has given me responsibly?” Before choosing how to use your time, ask: “What does God want me to do with this day?” Seeking God first doesn't mean abandoning your ambitions. It means surrendering your ambitions to Him. You can pursue a career and still honour God. You can build a business and still honour God. You can become successful and still remain humble. You can have financial goals and still put God first. The question isn't whether you have goals. The question is: Who is at the centre of those goals? Are you pursuing success so people will admire you? Or are you pursuing excellence so you can use your gifts to serve God and others? Are you chasing money because you believe it will finally make you happy? Or are you learning to manage resources faithfully and generously? Are you seeking recognition? Or are you content knowing that God sees your work even when people don't? Jesus also warned us about constantly worrying about material things. We worry about food. Clothing. Money. Tomorrow. Our future. And sometimes our pursuit of these things becomes so intense that we forget the God who sustains us. You don't have to ignore your responsibilities. Work hard. Plan wisely. Save. Learn. Build. Prepare. But don't let anxiety become your master. Trust God while you do your part. There will always be something else to chase. Another achievement. Another purchase. Another milestone. Another level. If your heart is always saying, “I'll be happy when I get that next thing,” you may spend your entire life waiting for happiness. But contentment begins when you recognize that God is enough. Paul learned this kind of contentment. He experienced abundance and hardship, yet his confidence wasn't ultimately based on his circumstances. His strength was found in Christ. And that's the kind of foundation we need. Because everything we own can disappear. Positions can change. Money can come and go. People can leave. Opportunities can close. But God remains. And if you have Jesus, you possess something far more valuable than anything this world can offer. Salvation. Forgiveness. Grace. A relationship with God. A hope that extends beyond this temporary life. So today, examine your priorities. Maybe you've been so busy building your future that you've neglected your relationship with God. Maybe your career has become your identity. Maybe money has become your security. Maybe your relationship has become your source of happiness. Maybe social media has become your source of validation. It's time to put things back in their proper place. Seek God first. Pray first. Read His Word. Listen to His voice. Obey Him. Serve Him. Love people. Work faithfully. And trust Him with the results. Don't build a successful life and discover later that you left God out of it. Build your life with God at the centre. When God is first, everything else can find its proper place. Today, ask yourself: “What has been competing with God for first place in my heart?” Then surrender it to Him. Not tomorrow. Today. #SeekGodFirst #Matthew633 #GodFirst #FaithOverMaterialism #TrustGod #ChristianLiving #KingdomOfGod #ChristianYouth #JesusSaves #ShareJesus #DailyFaith #Lordsbook #JMSM #KNKA