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

Have you ever noticed that certain songs stick with you for like, forever? For example, the first few notes of the Jaws theme and you are right back in the movie theater. Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Holding Out for a Hero '”, Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’; just to name a few. I realize that I just dated myself with these music choices, but that is okay. I don’t mind. For me, I have a couple of songs that I will stop in my tracks for … one is The Dance by Garth Brooks; we were married to it and here recently is a song by Josh Wilson, “How Loved You Are”.

This song came up in my social media feed with the caption, “I cried when I made this.” The video was of several people in a variety of social statuses. All were standing in front of a mirror, singing the song or lip-syncing. This particular video of this song really puts a light and a heart around the song. I mean, the song itself is wonderful and if you listen to the lyrics- I mean, really listen- you will see yourself in the song … at some point in your life. I went for a walk yesterday with only that song playing, and it created a pace of focus for me, as my time on the walk was brisk. This morning, I woke up to that song in my head. It has been a minute since I woke up to music bouncing around my brain, but I am guessing God really wants me to (hear) the lyrics.

As we walk different streets in our lives- storms, victories, daily normalcy- if things do not go ‘perfectly’ we start to pull and pick at the imperfections and look down at ourselves, feel poorly about ourselves, and think that we are not worthy or important enough for God. That our imperfections were more than Jesus could cover with his blood. That we are not … not enough.

It is okay to find and see the errors of the day so that you can improve and grow; however, it is not okay to think that Jesus could not possibly care for you. That your errors or sins were too great for His blood to cover. That, my friends, is the enemy attacking you and trying to convince you to turn away and turn to him. Those thoughts are the minions of hell picking away at your armor and attempting to persuade you to change sides. Or, if you don’t change sides, he will use those target areas to steal your peace and joy. He knows if you walk around defeated, your presence in that form will help him steal another soul who you might have helped or been able to help … if you could see yourself from His eyes.

We are all sinners. WE all fall short of the glory of God. We all have those days when we are just down and trying to figure it out. That is normal life. It is how we rebound from those bad days that is the true testament to how beautiful and powerful His love for us is. That is what draws more souls to Him. How we deal with difficulties and trying times. How we recover from loss. How we handle sudden changes and shocks. How we handle the enemy’s attempts to steal our peace … that is what shows the world that Jesus is truly our Lord and is in control.

This song, How Loved You Are, is a powerful reminder of just that. It demonstrates His love for all his children and reminds us that he died for us; He was willing to leave the 99 for us, that his love for us is unconditional. I encourage you today to look for that video and listen with an open heart and mind. Let the love of Christ fill you today on this beautiful Lord’s Day morning.

Be blessed.

**For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

PROVERB OF THE DAY

(Proverbs 30)

1. The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal:

2 . Surely I am more stupid than any man,
And do not have the understanding of a man.

3. I neither learned wisdom
Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.

4. Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name,
If you know?

5. Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

6. Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

7. Two things I request of You
(Deprive me not before I die):

8. Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;

9. Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, “Who is the LORD?”
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God.

10. Do not malign a servant to his master,
Lest he curse you, and you be found guilty.

11. There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not bless its mother.

12. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.

13. There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up.

14. There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
And whose fangs are like knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men.

15. The leech has two daughters—
Give and Give!

There are three things that are never satisfied,
Four never say, “Enough!”:

16. The grave,
The barren womb,
The earth that is not satisfied with water—
And the fire never says, “Enough!”

17. The eye that
mocks his father,
And scorns obedience to his mother,
The ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young eagles will eat it.

18. There are three things which. are too wonderful for me,
Yes, four which I do not understand:

19. The way of an eagle in the air,
The way of a serpent on a rock,
The way of a ship in the midst of the sea,
And the way of a man with a virgin.

20. This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wickedness.”

21. For three things the earth is perturbed,
Yes, for four it cannot bear up:

22. For a servant when he reigns,
A fool when he is filled with food,

23. A hateful woman
when she is married,
And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.

24. There are four things which are little on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:

25. The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;

26. The rock badgers are a feeble folk, Yet they
make their homes in the crags;

27. The locusts have no king,
Yet they all advance in ranks;

28. The spider
skillfully grasps with its hands,
And it is in kings’ palaces.

29. There are three things which are majestic in pace,
Yes, four which are stately in walk:

30. A lion, which is mighty among beasts
And does not turn away from any;

31 A greyhound,
A male goat also,
And a king whose troops
are with him.

32. If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,
Or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.

33. For as the churning of milk produces butter,
And wringing the nose produces blood,So the
forcing of wrath produces strife.

PROVERB OF THE DAY

(Proverbs 30)

1. The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal:

2 . Surely I am more stupid than any man,
And do not have the understanding of a man.

3. I neither learned wisdom
Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.

4. Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name,
If you know?

5. Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

6. Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

7. Two things I request of You
(Deprive me not before I die):

8. Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;

9. Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, “Who is the LORD?”
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God.

10. Do not malign a servant to his master,
Lest he curse you, and you be found guilty.

11. There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not bless its mother.

12. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.

13. There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up.

14. There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
And whose fangs are like knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men.

15. The leech has two daughters—
Give and Give!

There are three things that are never satisfied,
Four never say, “Enough!”:

16. The grave,
The barren womb,
The earth that is not satisfied with water—
And the fire never says, “Enough!”

17. The eye that
mocks his father,
And scorns obedience to his mother,
The ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young eagles will eat it.

18. There are three things which. are too wonderful for me,
Yes, four which I do not understand:

19. The way of an eagle in the air,
The way of a serpent on a rock,
The way of a ship in the midst of the sea,
And the way of a man with a virgin.

20. This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wickedness.”

21. For three things the earth is perturbed,
Yes, for four it cannot bear up:

22. For a servant when he reigns,
A fool when he is filled with food,

23. A hateful woman
when she is married,
And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.

24. There are four things which are little on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:

25. The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;

26. The rock badgers are a feeble folk, Yet they
make their homes in the crags;

27. The locusts have no king,
Yet they all advance in ranks;

28. The spider
skillfully grasps with its hands,
And it is in kings’ palaces.

29. There are three things which are majestic in pace,
Yes, four which are stately in walk:

30. A lion, which is mighty among beasts
And does not turn away from any;

31 A greyhound,
A male goat also,
And a king whose troops
are with him.

32. If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,
Or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.

33. For as the churning of milk produces butter,
And wringing the nose produces blood,So the
forcing of wrath produces strife.

Curriculum Programs at National Homeschool!

At National Homeschool, we understand that every student has unique learning needs. That’s why we offer two flexible curriculum programs to suit a variety of educational styles:

1. Self-Instructional Work Text PACE Program:
This program allows students to work at their own pace, fostering independence and self-directed learning. With engaging work text materials, students can master concepts before progressing to the next level.

2. Ignitia Program:
Ignitia is an online curriculum that provides a comprehensive and interactive learning experience. This program combines engaging multimedia content with assessments to enhance student learning in a dynamic digital environment.

Choose the curriculum that best fits your child’s learning style and watch them thrive!

Call Today: 405-691-8012

Enroll Online Today: nationalhomeschool.com

#NationalHomeschool #CurriculumPrograms #PACE #Ignitia #FlexibleLearning

THE PILGRIMS GUIDE

MONDAY AUGUST 24, 2026

THE STEPS OF THE GODLY

A WORD FROM THE WORD:

"The LORD directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives." Psalm 37:23 BBE.

For you as a believing child of God, life becomes lighter, easier and more meaningful when you give the LORD God full control and allow Him to direct your steps (and stops too). Diverse experiences and frustrations arise not because God is absent, but because decisions are made without His guidance. When God orders your steps, He goes ahead of you to arrange outcomes, remove traps, and align (your) helpers (of destiny) along the way.

God is not only interested in your destination, but also in your journey first and foremost.
Every step matters, and some delays are divine protections, and some redirections are answers to prayers you did not know how to pray. What may look like a detour could be God preserving your destiny. Those who walk with God do not rush blindly; they move discerningly. David often inquired of the LORD before battle and never lost when he followed divine direction. When God orders your steps, even mistakes are redeemed, and losses are restored.

As you move forward, surrender your plans, pathways and pace to God. Endeavour to trust Him enough to lead, correct, and guide you, because any life ordered by God cannot end in confusion.

PRAYER BULLETS:

Father LORD, thank You for the privilege of ordered steps. Lead me away from error and guide me into paths of peace and purposeful progress.

FURTHER READING:

Proverbs 3:5-6; Jeremiah 10:23; Isaiah 30:21; Romans 8:28.
__________________________________________

Amaobi Nwachukwu 2026.

If you're blessed by this, please, do share with others.

And if you'll like to partner with us, kindly check page 3 of our hard copy edition or better still send us a WhatsApp message or call on +234 8098421967.

#ThePilgrimsGuide.

7 - CANONS OF PUBLIC PRAYER
C. H. Spurgeon

First, public prayer should be a matter of the heart.
A man must be really earnest in prayer. You can pardon a man’s familiarities and vulgarities too, when you clearly see that his inmost heart is speaking to his Master, and that it is only the man’s defects of education or experience which create his faults, and not any moral or spiritual vices of his heart. Cast your whole soul into the exercise of public prayer. So pray, that by a divine attraction, you draw the whole congregation up with you to the throne of God. So pray, that by the power of the Spirit, you express the desires and thoughts of every one present, and stand as the one voice for hundreds of beating hearts which are glowing with fervor before God’s throne.

Second, public prayer should be appropriate. There is no need to make the public prayer a gazette of the week’s events, or a register of the births, deaths, and marriage of your people, but the general movements that have taken place in the congregation should be noted by the minister’s careful heart. He should bring the joys and sorrows alike before the throne of grace.

Third, public prayer should not be long.
John Macdonald said, “If you are in the spirit of prayer, do not be long, because other people will not be able to keep pace with you in such unusual spirituality; and if you are not in the spirit of prayer, do not be long, because you will then be sure to weary the listeners.” Ten minutes is the limit to which our public prayer ought to be prolonged.

Fourth, do not use cant phrases.
Be done with these vile things altogether. There should be no grotesque mingling of Scripture texts, alterations of Scripture texts, or abuses of Scriptural truth in prayer. It ought always to be a point of honor among ministers always to quote Scripture directly. Make us of an expression fresh from your own mind, and it will be quite as acceptable to God as a scriptural phrase defaced or clipped. Vehemently strive against garblings and perversions of Scripture, and renounce forever all cant phrases, for the are the disfigurement of free prayer.

Five, vary the order, length, and current of your public prayers.
Vary the order of your prayers, then, for the sake of maintaining attention, and preventing people going through the whole thing as a clock runs on till the weights are down. Also vary the length of your prayers. Do you not think it would be much better if sometimes instead of giving three minutes to the first prayer and fifteen minutes to the second, you have nine minutes to each? Would it not be better sometimes to be longer in the first, and not so long in the second prayer? Finally, vary the current of your prayers. There are many topics which require your attention; the church in its weakness, its backslidings, its sorrows, and its comforts; the outside world, the neighborhood, unconverted hearers, the young people, the nation. Do not pray for all these every time, or otherwise your prayers will be long and probably uninteresting.

Six, keep from all attempts to work up spurious fervor in public devotion.
Do not labor to seem earnest. Pray as your heart dictates, under the leading of the Spirit of God, and if you are dull and heavy tell the Lord so. It will be no ill thing to confess your deadness, and bewail it, and cry for quickening; it will be real and acceptable prayer; but simulated ardor is a shameful form of lying.

Seventh, prepare your prayer.
Proper preparation means solemn consideration beforehand of the importance of prayer, meditation upon the needs of men’s souls, and a remembrance of the promises which we are to plead; and thus coming before the Lord with a petition written upon the fleshly tables of the heart. This is surely better than coming to God at random, rushing before the throne at haphazard, without a definite error or desire.

If we wanted to summarize the canons with adverbs we could say, “Spurgeon exhorts pastors to pray soulfully, appropriately, quickly, authentically, variously, and prepared-ly.”

Spugeon’s conclusion of the lecture is a most fitting place for this post to end:

Let your prayers be earnest, full of fire, vehemence, prevalence. I pray the Holy Ghost to instruct every student of this College so to offer public prayer, that God shall always be served of his best. Let your petitions be plain and heart-felt; and while your people may sometimes feel that the sermon was below the mark, may they also feel that the prayer compensated for all.

Right in the Sight of the Lord, Available in Every Way You Like

No matter how you prefer to study, we've got you covered:

Paperback – Hold it in your hands and engage physically

E-Book – Read anytime, anywhere, on your device

🖨 Printable – Study at your own pace with printable materials

Audio – Listen and learn on the go

Whatever your style, dive deep into Scripture and watch your faith grow

Explore all formats: rightinthesightofthelord.com

#BibleStudy #FaithTools #WordOfGod #ChristianLiving #GrowInFaith #RightInTheSightOfTheLord #ScriptureTruth #FaithJourney #BibleResources #JesusFirst

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

National Homeschool!

At National Homeschool, we are dedicated to providing high-quality Christian homeschooling programs designed to meet the diverse needs of families. Our accredited curriculum combines academic excellence with a strong foundation in faith, ensuring that your child receives the best education possible.

What We Offer:

- Comprehensive Curriculum: Tailored programs from preschool through high school that engage students and inspire a love for learning.
- Faith-Based Education: Integrate Christian principles into everyday lessons, fostering spiritual growth alongside academic achievement.
- Supportive Community: Join a network of like-minded families and educators who share your values and commitment to homeschooling.
- Flexible Learning: Customize your child’s educational journey to fit their unique learning style and pace.

Empower your child to thrive academically and spiritually with National Homeschool!

Call Today: 405-691-8012

Enroll Online Today: nationalhomeschool.com

#NationalHomeschool #ChristianEducation #Homeschooling #AcademicExcellence #EmpowerYourChild

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

For the longest time in my life, my prayer life was all but non-existent. I believed in prayer, I valued prayer, but I always seemed to get bored in prayer. I would start to nod off. I would get distracted. I would attempt to be better by using big fancy words because, for some reason, I thought that was how you were supposed to be in prayer. And then even though I said I would pray for you, I would forget about it when I got to a ‘prayer’ moment in my day. My prayer life really kicked rocks.

Then I learned that prayer did not have to be lofty or full of big fancy words. It was suggested that I pick a time of day for every day to make a routine of having a conversation with God. So, I made my time driving to work my prayer time. I made a valiant effort at it; however, since I was a workaholic, my mind would shift into details of work and what I needed to prepare for in the day. Though it improved slightly, it still kicked rocks.

I am not sure what changed in my thoughts and desires other than I wanted a better prayer life, I wanted better communication with Him, and I wanted more of His Peace. It was then that I started the before my head hits the pillow at night and before my feet hit the floor in the morning, I will give thanks for my blessings. I will offer up prayers of protection and healing. I will add to my prayer those who have asked for prayer. And … when I am done with my prayer, I will close with the Lord’s prayer.

Now, the Lord’s prayer is a model of how we are to pray, not just a prayer. We acknowledge Him in his glory both on earth and in heaven. Then we ask for his wisdom and his protection and his forgiveness. We then close by giving honor to his might. In saying this model prayer, my mind will drift here and there, at which point I will remember areas that I forgot to pray about, and I can stop in mid-prayer, go back to my prayer, and make the additions, then start the Lord’s prayer again. It is a great reminder for me to stay on track.

In following this thought process of prayer, I have had a steady pace and consistency for prayer. With that consistency, I have found balance and peace. With balance and peace, my days are so much smoother … even when the storm rages. I do not.

I want to encourage you to find a routine to improve your prayer life, or to start a prayer routine in your life. This concept that I follow may not work for you; however, if you ask Him for guidance, He will give you ideas. Trust in Him and He will guide you. Prayer is a powerful tool to hold off the enemy.

Be blessed.

**I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” –Psalm 91:2