FORGIVEN, ACCEPTED, AND LOVED “So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.” —Ephesians 1:6–8 Because Jesus lives, you can be forgiven of your sins. The Apostle Paul wrote, “So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding” (Ephesians 1:6–8 NLT). That’s important to remember because your spiritual enemy will use guilt to make you question your relationship with the Lord. He will try to convince you that your sin makes you unworthy to be part of God’s family. Remember, though, that everything God has done has been because of His grace, which means “unmerited favor.” You aren’t merely forgiven, justified, and cleansed of your sins; you have been received in love by God Himself. This is because of His deep love for His own Son, Jesus. Because His Son lives in you, you have found His favor. You have the approval of God because of what Jesus has done. Some people have been raised in homes where their father never demonstrated any kind of love toward them. Maybe he was cold and distant. Or maybe, you were raised in a home where there wasn’t a father at all. We can transfer those emotions to God the Father. We can walk around in life feeling as though we don’t have the approval of God. We might think, “If I just did this, God would notice,” or “If I worked a little harder, then God would love me.” But that’s not the kind of Father we’re talking about. The psalmist wrote, “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling is holy” (Psalm 68:5 NLT). Paul wrote, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ” (Ephesians 1:3 NLT). And James wrote, “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father” (James 1:17 NLT). God approves of you. You are accepted and loved—not because you read your Bible a little longer, share Christ with more people, or give a little more in the offering. You are still accepted even when you don’t do all of that. You are accepted when you fail, when you slip up, when you give in to a familiar temptation. You are accepted not because of what you have done, but because of what Jesus has done. In understanding this great truth, you should want to do everything for the Lord’s glory—not to earn His approval, but because you already have it. God bless you!

Many are prisoners who are caught up in chains of bad thoughts, actions, addictions, guilt, doubt, shame and unforgiveness. *The Lord annointed us to proclaim The Good News and set free the prisoners free from their chains (Lk 4:18).* Whatever we do to the least of our brethren, we do unto The Lord Amen (Mt 25:40) ✝️

SUNDAY 30TH AUGUST 2026 IGNITE YOUTH DEVOTIONAL Topic: Your Mistake Is Not Your Identity Bible Reference For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again. Proverbs 24:16 (NKJV) A Short Story Samuel was doing well in school until he made a serious mistake. He had always been one of the better students in his class, but during an important examination, he allowed fear and pressure to influence him. He cheated, and he was caught. The school punished him, and his parents were deeply disappointed. After that experience, Samuel changed. He stopped believing in himself. Whenever people talked about academic success, he remembered his failure. He began telling himself that he was no longer the responsible person everyone thought he was. Even when teachers encouraged him to work harder, he felt that his past had already ruined his future. One afternoon, his teacher, Mr. James, called him aside after class. He told Samuel that what he had done was wrong and that he should not pretend otherwise. However, he also told him something Samuel needed to hear. You made a bad decision, but you are not a bad person. Take responsibility for what happened, learn from it, and make better decisions from now on. Samuel went home thinking about those words. He realised that he had made two mistakes. The first was cheating in the examination. The second was allowing that mistake to become the way he saw himself. He decided to start again. He apologised to his parents, accepted the consequences of his actions, and became more serious about his studies. He stopped looking for shortcuts and began preparing properly for his examinations. His journey was not easy. There were times when he remembered his past and felt ashamed, but he refused to return to his old way of thinking. Eventually, he became more disciplined and performed much better in his next examinations. Samuel never forgot his mistake, but he stopped allowing it to define him. The experience became a lesson that helped him become more honest, responsible, and disciplined. Today's Message Everybody makes mistakes. Some mistakes are small, while others can have serious consequences. As you grow through your teenage years, young adulthood, career, relationships, business, and family life, you will make decisions that you will later wish you had handled differently. You may fail an examination. You may choose the wrong friends. You may waste money. You may enter a relationship you should have avoided. You may make a poor business decision. You may say something that hurts someone. You may fall into a sinful habit. You may make a decision that brings shame or disappointment. When this happens, do not pretend that the mistake did not happen. Take responsibility for it. Learn from it. Apologise where necessary. Accept correction and make changes. But do not allow one mistake to convince you that your life is over. Proverbs 24:16 says that a righteous person may fall seven times and rise again. The message is not that righteous people never fall. It is that falling does not have to be the end of their story. Peter denied Jesus three times, yet Jesus restored him and gave him work to do. David made serious mistakes, yet he humbled himself before God and continued to serve Him. The Bible does not hide the failures of these people because God wants us to understand that failure does not automatically cancel a person's future. You may have made a mistake that you are ashamed of. Perhaps nobody else knows about it, but you think about it whenever you are alone. You may have told yourself that God cannot use you anymore. You may believe that you have gone too far to start again. That is not the message of Scripture. If you have sinned, repent. If you have hurt someone, apologise. If you have made a foolish decision, learn from it. If you need help, seek it. If there are consequences, face them. But after doing what is right, do not spend the rest of your life punishing yourself for a past that God wants to use as a lesson. There is a difference between guilt that leads you to repentance and shame that makes you believe you are worthless. God can correct you without destroying you. His correction is meant to bring you back, not to convince you that you have no future. You also need to be careful about the names you give yourself. Do not keep saying, I am a failure. Do not keep saying, Nothing good can come from me. Do not keep saying, I always make bad decisions. Do not allow a mistake to become your identity. You made a mistake. That is different from saying that you are a mistake. Your past may explain some things about you, but it does not have to control your future. What matters now is what you do with the lesson. Perhaps you failed in one area of your life. That does not mean you must fail in every other area. Perhaps one relationship ended badly. That does not mean you can never have a healthy relationship. Perhaps your business failed. That does not mean you can never become successful. Perhaps you performed badly in school. That does not mean you cannot improve. Start again with wisdom. This time, do things differently. Get better advice. Build better habits. Choose better friends. Study harder. Pray more. Ask questions. Be accountable. Avoid the environment that led you into the mistake. Starting again does not mean returning to the same behaviour and expecting a different result. It means taking what you have learned and using it to make better choices. Your story is not finished because you made a mistake. There is still room to grow. There is still room to change. There is still room to rebuild. There is still room to become better. Get up and keep moving. What To Do Today 1. Think about one past mistake that still affects the way you see yourself. 2. Accept responsibility for it, learn the lesson, and decide what you will do differently. 3. If you need to apologise or make something right, take that step. 4. Stop describing yourself by your past mistakes and begin focusing on the person you are becoming. Prayer Lord, help me to learn from my mistakes without allowing them to destroy my confidence or my future. Give me the humility to accept correction, the courage to apologise when I am wrong, and the wisdom to make better decisions. Help me to receive Your forgiveness and move forward with a clean heart. Teach me to see myself through Your Word and not through my past failures. Give me grace to rise again and become the person You have called me to be. In Jesus' name, Amen. Daily Challenge Think of one mistake you have allowed to define you. Write down the lesson you learned from it, then make one decision today that shows you are moving forward. Remember: You may have fallen, but you can rise again. Your mistake is part of your story, but it does not have to be your identity. ©️ Anthony Ijere Christian Author and Revivalist

Daily Devotion: 1 John:5-22 · 1m “The testimony is this: God has given us eternal life, and this life has its source in his Son. Whoever has the Son has this life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” GNB Being born again in Spirit means that your entire life will change. Perhaps you once lived a life of greed, or you were filled with bitterness and hatred. Perhaps your troubles were so bad that it weighed you down, perhaps you lived a life of sin and frivolity, indulging your desires and urges. Perhaps you just felt lost and alone. While all those troubles and temptations will not go away in a flash, you will find that you are less inclined to feel anxious or depressed. Those worldly temptations would not seem so attractive anymore, in fact,, compared to the peace and joy the Holy Spirit gives, those heady parties would seem decidedly dull. Faith in Christ Jesus lifts the burden Whether you carry a burden of sin, shame, guilt or are just troubled by cares and worries, accepting Jesus as your Saviour will lighten the load. Psalms 55:22: “Leave your troubles with the LORD, and he will defend you; he never lets honest people be defeated.” GNB Matthew 11:28-29: “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest.” GNB Spiritual rebirth makes you a new creature You are no longer a slave of your sinful life, for Christ has set you free. You are renewed in spirit, washed in the blood of the Saviour, you are forgiven. Your old life must be left behind; its sins and shame forgotten, and you must live a new life in Jesus. The Holy Spirit lives in you now and you will be guarded and guided by Him. This is the beauty of salvation, you can start fresh, have a clean slate and build a new way of living, seeing the world with Spirit-filled eyes and bearing fruit to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come.” GNB 1 Peter 1:23: “For through the living and eternal word of God you have been born again as the children of a parent who is immortal, not mortal.” GNB You’ve received eternal salvation Your salvation cannot be taken from you. Your redemption is permanent, even if you should falter as a child of God. God understands that we are human beings, and that we are weak. That is why He sent the Holy Spirit to reside in us, so that we can stand firm and not wander off  the path of righteousness. Psalms 37:23-24: “The LORD guides people in the way they should go and protects those who please him. If they fall, they will not stay down, because the LORD will help them up.” GNB Romans 9:38-39: “For I am certain that nothing can separate us from his love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above or the world below –  there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.” GNB You’ll have a need to become a disciple Once the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in your heart, you will feel the need to share the Good News with those who still live according to the rules of the world. If you are afraid to talk in public for fear that others may mock you, do not worry, for God will give you the words to speak. Ezekiel 2:7: “You will tell them whatever I tell you to say, whether they listen or not. Remember what rebels they are.” GNB Luke 12:11-12: “When they bring you to be tried in the synagogues or before governors or rulers, do not be worried about how you will defend yourself or what you will say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” GNB You can be sure of eternal life Forgiveness and a clean slate are not the only prizes we receive through faith in Jesus Christ. The ultimate prize is eternal life. As Jesus promised before He ascended to the Father, He will prepare a place for us and then, when the time is right, He will return in the same way He went. He will come on the clouds to collect His children so that they can join Him in victory, forever praising God in the New Jerusalem. Romans 6:23: “For sin pays its wage – death; but God’s free gift is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.” GNB 1 Peter 1:3-5: “Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with living hope, and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away. They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God

A case not about their guilt or innocence, but whether the evidence points to the actual crime they committed. Could the sin of Adam and Eve be the beginning of a chain of events linking the golden calf, Passover, the dispersions, death, murder, debt, wars, abortion, even the last days of Jesus in a common Biblical pattern? In this compelling work, I delve into an unprecedented inquiry, treating the ancient tale as a criminal case—examining the motives, means, and elusive truth behind the guilt of Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. Their culpability is not in question; what remains shrouded in mystery is the specific act that transgressed the divine commands, birthing mankind’s first sin.

The Sin Paradox offers a fresh perspective, challenging the traditional narrative while engaging readers in an intriguing examination of theological history. It presents a unique opportunity to dissect, analyze, and contemplate the origins of humankind’s moral fabric. In this compelling work, I delve into an unprecedented inquiry, treating the ancient tale as a criminal case—examining the motives, means, and elusive truth behind the guilt of Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. Their culpability is not in question; what remains shrouded in mystery is the specific act that transgressed the divine commands, birthing mankind’s first sin. The repercussions of their actions reverberate throughout history, shaping humanity and all of creation; but what could two individuals with nothing, not even garments, have committed that would cascade into an epoch-defining transgression impacting the entirety of existence?

“Don’t let yesterday’s burden become today’s barrier to tomorrow’s miracle.” Hebrews 12:1 — “Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us…” This verse tells us not only to lay aside sin, but also to lay aside “every weight.” Because burdens can become a definite hindrance to reaching the purpose and destiny God has set before us. If we continue carrying the wounds, disappointments, rejection, failures, guilt, bitterness, worries, and the inability to forgive others from our past, we cannot run with complete faith on the new path God has placed before us. God brought Lot and his family out of destruction. As they left Sodom, God clearly commanded them not to look back. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:26) Her feet were moving forward, but her heart was being pulled backward. This is also a warning for us. God may have brought you out of an old situation. But if you continue carrying old wounds and memories, your body may move forward while your heart remains stuck in the past. Run away from sin. Lay your burdens before God. Stop constantly dwelling on the past, and run toward the future God has prepared for you. Your past does not have to become the verdict of your future. God still has a path for you; there is still a race to run, a goal to reach, and a miracle ahead of you. Don’t carry yesterday’s burden while running toward tomorrow’s miracle. Lay it at the feet of God and run! When the burden becomes lighter, the race becomes faster. When the heart is set free, faith becomes stronger. The moment you surrender your burden to God can become the beginning of your new race! Hepsi Sam ✍️

August 25 🌿 “WHO GOD IS TO ME” MY HIDING PLACE 📖 Psalm 32:7 (LLV) — “You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Sometimes we need a place to hide. Not because we are running from life. Not because we refuse to face what lies before us. But because our hearts need somewhere safe to become quiet again. David knew such a place. “You are my hiding place.” Notice that David does not say, “You provide a hiding place for me.” He says, “You are.” God Himself was the place David could go. When guilt weighed heavily upon him. When enemies surrounded him. When fear filled his thoughts. When life became too loud, David knew where to retreat. To God. There is a difference between hiding from God and hiding in God. We hide from God when shame makes us afraid to come near. We hide in God when we finally understand that He is the safest place we can go. We do not have to arrive with everything figured out. We do not have to pretend we are stronger than we feel. We can simply come. And remain for a while. “You will protect me from trouble.” David does not say trouble will never come. He had already experienced far too much to believe that. But trouble would never have the final word. Then David says: “You surround me with songs of deliverance.” What a change. At first, David is surrounded by trouble. But when he rests in God, he discovers something else surrounding him. Deliverance. Grace. Faithfulness. The evidence of all the times God has already carried him through. Perhaps we sometimes need to become quiet enough to hear those songs again. To remember the prayers God answered. The doors He opened. The strength He provided. The valleys He carried us through. And the grace that met us when we thought we had wandered too far. There will always be noise outside our hiding place. But inside, there is a familiar voice reminding us: You are safe with Me. A new beginning sometimes begins by withdrawing for a little while: when life becomes too loud for my heart, God Himself is my hiding place. Reflection: When my heart becomes overwhelmed, where do I instinctively retreat—and have I learned simply to become quiet in the presence of God? Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for being my hiding place. When life becomes noisy, when worries crowd my thoughts, or when my own heart becomes weary, draw me close to You. Teach me the difference between hiding from You and finding shelter in You. Quiet my heart long enough to remember Your faithfulness and hear again the songs of deliverance with which You surround me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

🕊️ DOMINION DAILY DEVOTION ~ DAY 237 DATE: 25TH AUGUST 2026 TOPIC: COME TO JESUS, AND FIND REST ANCHOR SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 11:28 (NKJV) “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Devotional message: Are you struggling with sin?Are you struggling with fornication, pornography, or masturbation?Are you battling guilt and self-condemnation?Are you carrying bitterness, unforgiveness, rejection, or disappointment?Are you struggling under sickness, oppression, or the weight of circumstances that seem too heavy to bear? Perhaps you have reached a place where you feel overwhelmed and wonder whether there is still hope.There is hope—and His name is Jesus. Jesus does not merely offer temporary relief; He offers Himself. He calls the weary, the broken, the burdened, and those who have wandered away to come to Him. He says:Matthew 11:28–30 (NKJV) “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest... For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Notice that Jesus does not say, “Fix yourself first, then come.”He says, “Come to Me.”You do not have to clean yourself up before approaching Him. Come with your brokenness. Come with your failures. Come with your questions. Come with your burdens. Come with the struggles you have been unable to overcome by yourself. Jesus is able to forgive, restore, transform, and give you a new beginning. The Apostle John gives us this assurance:1 John 1:9 (NKJV)“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”Your sin is not greater than His grace.Your past is not greater than His mercy.Your failure does not have to become your identity.There is forgiveness in Christ. Jesus also invites us into fellowship with Him. Revelation 3:20 presents the picture of Christ standing at the door and knocking:“If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”The invitation is personal.He is calling you to open your heart and allow Him to reign over your life. But receiving Jesus is more than merely repeating words. It is surrendering your life to His lordship—turning away from sin, trusting Him, following His Word, and allowing His Spirit to transform you. And if you have already received Christ but find yourself struggling, do not run away from Him in shame. Run toward Him. The enemy may tell you that you have failed too many times, that God will never accept you again, or that your situation can never change.Do not believe that lie. Perhaps today you are carrying a burden that nobody else knows about.Jesus knows.Perhaps you have been smiling publicly while secretly fighting a battle.Jesus sees. Perhaps you have reached the point where you have exhausted every human option. Jesus is still calling:“Come to Me.”Bring Him your guilt,brokenness,sin,fears,disappointments and burdens.He is able to give you the rest your soul desperately needs. PRAYER Lord Jesus,I come to You just as I am. I acknowledge that I need You and cannot save or transform myself by my own strength.Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me to follow You all the days of my life.I receive Your rest, Your grace, and Your new beginning.In Jesus' name, Amen. 🙏 DAILY BIBLE READING Psalm 103:1–5,Isaiah 1:18,1 John 1:5–9,Luke 15:11–24,Jhn 8:31–36 Author : Alfred Wabuko Manyasi Contact : Email : Dominionvoicesminisrty[gmail].com Facebook : Alfred Wabuko Manyasi 🌐 Dominion Daily Devotion, 2026 © Dominion Voices Ministry

DAY 2 25TH AUGUST 2026 SERVANT OF GOD ARENA, KENYA MISSION WEEK *DEFEAT THE ENEMY CALLED GUILT* There is an enemy called *GUILT* that the devil uses to draw people away from Jesus. He makes you believe that your sins are too great to be forgiven and that you are beyond the reach of God’s mercy. But the Word of God tells us otherwise. *Ps.103.3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. (NLT)* And Hebrews gives us this assurance: when God forgives our sins, He chooses not to remember them anymore (Hebrews 8:12). Today, God is calling/inviting you to come to Him. *“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow.” — Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV)* Do not allow guilt to keep you away from the One who is ready to forgive you. Your past does not have to determine your future when you surrender it to Jesus. Defeat guilt today. Take a step toward Jesus. His arms are open, and He is calling you to Himself. He came for you and for me so that we may remain with Him and experience the true rest that this world cannot give. *Come to Jesus today. There is forgiveness. There is mercy. There is rest.* Your brother, Alfred Wabuko Manyasi