And the Lᴏʀᴅ said: I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt. Exodus 3:7 It is noteworthy how people often turn to the Bible when circumstances become dire. A politician refers to the Covid-19 pandemic as a “plague of biblical proportions”. Confronted with extreme criticism, he deflects it by saying, “I am neither the Pharaoh who oppressed, nor the Moses who liberated.” Let’s rewind to ancient Egypt. The people of Israel groan under the oppression of Pharaoh. The situation becomes unbearable. The Israelites cry out to God and plead for deliverance. God hears and calls Moses to lead the people out of Egypt. But Pharaoh refuses to let them go; he is unwilling to relinquish his cheap labour force under any circumstances. So, God intervenes: He sends ten successive plagues upon Egypt, each worse than the last. That’s the biblical account in brief. Isn’t it striking that the politician didn’t mention God? Yet God played the pivotal role in the plagues in Egypt. It wasn’t Moses who saved the people but only God, through His mighty intervention. So, let’s ask ourselves: In times of distress, do we still call upon God or consciously ignore Him?Do we recognise that without God, we are lost?Do we come to the Saviour God who wants to save us? Back then, God sought to change Pharaoh’s mindset through the plagues. Even today, God sometimes speaks very seriously to us. What do we do? Do we harden ours hearts like Pharaoh? Or do we open ourselves to God, confess our sins to Him, and gratefully accept His offer of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ? Today’s reading: Joshua 24:16-33 · 1 Corinthians 16:10-24 https://gbv-online.org/calendar/262/date/2026-08-26

WEDNESDAY 26TH AUGUST 2026 IGNITE YOUTH DEVOTIONAL Topic: Stop Comparing Your Life With Others Bible Reference But let each one examine his own work, and then he can take pride in himself alone, without comparing himself with someone else. Galatians 6:4 (NIV) A Short Story Grace was 25 years old and had recently completed her university education. She had always been grateful for her progress, but things changed when she became more active on social media. Every morning, she opened her phone and saw people she knew announcing new jobs, getting married, buying cars, travelling to different countries, starting businesses, and celebrating different achievements. At first, Grace was happy for them. After some time, however, she began to feel unhappy with herself. One of her classmates had secured a good job shortly after graduation, while Grace was still searching for work. Another friend had started a successful fashion business. Someone else had recently bought a car. A former schoolmate had even announced her wedding. Grace began asking herself difficult questions. What am I doing with my life? Why is everybody moving forward except me? Have I wasted my time? Maybe I am not good enough. She started feeling ashamed whenever people asked what she was doing. Instead of seeing the things she had already achieved, she focused only on what other people had that she did not have. One evening, Grace visited her aunt, who noticed that she was unusually quiet. After listening to her, her aunt asked her to put her phone away and write down five things she was grateful for. Grace initially struggled to think of five things. Eventually, she wrote down her education, her family, her health, the skills she had developed, and the opportunity to start again. Her aunt then asked her another question. “If you keep looking at another person's journey, how will you have time to focus on yours?” That question stayed with Grace. She realised that she had been measuring her life with other people's timelines. She had forgotten that people do not all start from the same place, receive the same opportunities, or grow at the same speed. Grace decided to stop using other people's achievements as a measure of her own worth. She began applying for jobs more seriously, improving her skills, and working on a small business idea she had neglected. She still celebrated other people's success, but she no longer allowed their success to make her hate her own journey. Today's Message Comparison is one of the easiest ways to lose your peace. You can be doing well and still feel like a failure when you constantly measure yourself against somebody else. As a young person, you may look at your classmates, friends, colleagues, relatives, or people you follow online and feel that you are behind. Someone may already have a good job while you are still searching. Someone may be married while you are still single. Someone may have children while you are still waiting. Someone may own a business while you are still trying to discover what you can do. Someone may be travelling, building a house, buying a car, or becoming popular while you are still taking small steps. It is easy to forget that you are looking at their results without seeing their entire journey. Social media can make this problem worse because people usually show their best moments. You may see someone's new car but not the years of struggle behind it. You may see a beautiful wedding but not know the difficulties the couple faced before getting there. You may see a successful business but not know how many times the person failed before becoming successful. When you compare your ordinary days with somebody else's best moments, you can easily become discouraged. The Bible says in Galatians 6:4 that each person should examine his own work instead of comparing himself with someone else. God did not create you to become a copy of another person. He gave you your own abilities, opportunities, responsibilities, and journey. This does not mean that you should become careless about your progress. You should learn from successful people. You should allow good examples to motivate you. You should celebrate the achievements of others and ask yourself what you can learn from them. There is a difference between learning from someone and becoming jealous of the person. Comparison becomes dangerous when another person's progress makes you despise your own life. You may be wondering why your life is taking longer than you expected. Perhaps you prayed for something and it has not happened yet. Perhaps you have worked hard but have not seen the results you expected. Perhaps people younger than you are already achieving things you hoped to achieve. Do not allow this to make you believe that God has forgotten you. Your life is not a race against your friends. You have your own assignment. You have your own season. You have your own responsibilities. You have your own opportunities. Instead of constantly asking, Why am I not like this person? ask, What should I be doing with what God has placed in my hands? That question will change your focus. If you spend all your time watching somebody else's life, you may neglect your own. While you are watching another person's progress, there may be opportunities around you that you are failing to recognise. David did not become king by trying to become Jonathan. Esther did not fulfil her purpose by trying to become another woman. Peter's journey was different from John's, yet Jesus had a purpose for both of them. Your journey may be different from the person beside you, and that is not necessarily a problem. Do not rush into marriage because your friends are getting married. Do not enter a business because everyone seems to be making money from it. Do not choose a career simply because it is popular. Do not spend money trying to look successful because you are afraid of what people will think. Build your own life wisely. Be grateful for where you are while working faithfully toward where you want to be. You can desire growth without hating your present situation. You can pray for more without being ungrateful for what you already have. Remember that slow progress is still progress. Some seeds take longer to grow than others. What matters is that you keep planting, keep learning, keep praying, keep working, and keep trusting God. Your story is still being written. What To Do Today 1. Take a break from comparing your life with people around you or people you follow online. 2. Write down five things you are grateful for and thank God for them. 3. Identify one area of your life that needs improvement and make a practical plan to grow in that area. 4. Celebrate someone else's achievement today without allowing it to make you feel inferior. Prayer Lord, help me to stop comparing my life with other people. Teach me to appreciate what You have given me and to be faithful with the opportunities in my hands. When I see other people's success, help me to celebrate them without becoming discouraged. Give me patience to trust Your timing and wisdom to work faithfully in my own season. Help me to focus on my purpose and become the person You have created me to be. In Jesus' name, Amen. Daily Challenge Today, stop asking why your life is not like someone else's. Instead, ask yourself: What can I do with what God has given me? Focus on your journey, take one meaningful step, and trust God with the rest. ©️ Anthony Ijere Christian Author and Revivalist

Lifeline Today Wednesday August 26 Pursue Purity Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 One major attribute that will attract people to you is the state of your heart; how pure it is. Moral purity is like an aroma, a fragrance that releases the beauty of God’s holiness. If we are to succeed by faith, we must also live a corresponding life of purity and holiness. Purity is vital to faith. There cannot be faith in the heart unless there is holiness in the life. You pursue purity by exposing your conscience constantly to the Word of God. As you do, your heart grows strong and insists on doing right, condemns wrongdoing, causes remorse over sin and rewards righteousness with peace. Your inward purity which is reflected in your outward action singles you out for favour where others are rejected. Purity has to do with moral discipline that starts from self. No matter how gifted you are, your gift will never reach their maximum potential without the application of self-discipline. This is your day. Wisdom Fountain: "Keep your heart pure. A pure heart is necessary to see God in each other. If you see God in each other, there is love for each other, then there is peace." Prayer: Heavenly Father, create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Purify my thoughts, my motives, and my desires. Help me to turn my eyes away from worthless things and guard my words. Give me the strength to resist temptation and to run from things that lead me away from You. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so my actions bring honour to Your name in Jesus' name.

Romans 5: "1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. 12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord."

“A vision without a task makes a visionary; a task without a vision is drudgery; a vision with a task makes a missionary.” Leonard Ravenhill | Why Revival Tarries

Matthew 22:11-14 NIV “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.” God morning and praise God. I hope you are blessed and having a great morning. Long ago in the East, a host of a banquet would provide special garments to his invited guests. These were to his own honor and pride. He would therefore expect all his invited guests to be in that specific attire. Do you think he would allow them who refused to be in his probably expensive, clean and beautiful attire to remain in the banquet? Won't that be a great dishonor to him having spent alot only for someone to participate wearing his or her own garment of choice? Jesus Christ uses this to illustrate how it will be for those who accepted Him but wants to do it under their own terms. Those who want to remain in sin but also in Christ. Those who accepted the Gospel but have willingly refused to be transformed by it. They want to be luke warm, not cold not hot. They want to love Jesus by their own lips whilst their actions shows otherwise. Those who have refused to bear fruit of Spirit but instead are bearing fruits of flesh. In another place the Bible describes them this way Romans 1:21 NIV "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. " Gospel is tranformartive but to those who genuinely accept it and from henceforth take-up their cross and follow Jesus. You cannot tell us you belong to Jesus but also to your old sinful nature. You cannot belong to light and darkness at the same time. Gospel is nothing about mingling with crowd but rather a deep personal relationship with God. It is about true repentance, faith and submission to the ways of God. It is nothing about following your church traditions and what not but rather a deep relationship of submission and obedience to God. The end of those that are lukewarm is clear. They will be cast out of God's presence at the judgement day. Matthew 7:23 NIV Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Brethren, be among the chosen not just those who accepted invitation. It'll be very painful if you wasted all your time lying on salvation. Make it true today through true and genuine repentance and it's tranformartive power. God loves you, have a blessed day. Shalom.

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DAY 25 — Evening Theme: BUILDING A SAFE HOME: Creating a Marriage Where Love Respect and Peace Can Grow 🌙 Reflection Family relationships can be beautiful, but they can also become complicated when boundaries are unclear. Tonight, remember that establishing healthy boundaries does not mean rejecting your parents or in-laws. It means protecting the covenant God established between husband and wife. You can honour family without allowing outside pressure to control your marriage. 📖 God's Word "Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." — Mark 10:9 🌙 Heart Check Have I allowed the opinions or expectations of others to create unnecessary tension between my spouse and me? 🙏 Prayer Lord, give us wisdom to honour our parents, in-laws and extended family while protecting the unity of our marriage. Help us establish boundaries with love, respect and humility. May our home remain united under Your guidance. In Jesus' name, Amen. Remember In marriage, it is not about winning the argument; it is about winning each other's hearts.

🛡️ God goes before you, walk forward without fear. 📲 Share this with someone who needs courage to trust God's leading. #Deuteronomy318 #GodGoesBeforeYou #FearNot #GodIsWithYou #TrustGod #FaithOverFear #WalkByFaith #FaithInChrist #ChristianLiving #Lordsbook