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

Mateo may be the hero of the story. But none of his journeys would happen without Verbum Aeternum.

It rests inside an abandoned church in the mountains of Nicaragua.

Father Tomás watches over it.
Doña Rosa knows about it.
And both seem to understand far more than they're willing to tell Mateo.

At first, Verbum appears to be an enormous, ancient Bible.

But is it?

In today's Behind the Story, we meet the mystery at the heart of Mateo and the Secrets of the Eternal Word.

Who Is Verbum Aeternum?

Read the new post on my blog:
https://www.steverhartwigauthor.com/blog

#ChristianMiddleGrade #BiblicalFiction #ChristianFiction #KidsAdventureBooks

Good evening, brethren.
1. Evening devotion for today.

ED.i. *DAILY WALK WITH CHRIST*
(COCIN DEVOTIONAL)

*DATE:*
TUESDAY 25TH AUGUST, 2026.

*SUB-THEME:*
YOUTHS: VESSELS OF GOD’S GRACE.

*TOPIC:*
HANDLING YOUR THOUGHTS.

*TEXTS:*
ROMANS 12:2; 2 CORINTHIANS 10:5.

*ROMANS 12:2.*
2. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.

*CORINTHIANS 10:5.*
5. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

*TOPIC:*
HANDLING YOUR THOUGHTS.

*THE MESSAGE;*
Each day, our minds are flood with streams of thoughts - some uplifting, others discouraging. If we are not vigilant, negative thoughts can take hold, dragging us into a state of despair that God never intended for us to experience. The first text urges us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, while the second reminds us to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. This means we must not allow any thought that contradicts God's word to go unchecked. The moment you recognise a harmful or untrue thought creeping in, stand firm in your identity in Christ. Reject it, confront it, and replace it with the truth of the Scripture. The more you study scriptures, the easier it will be for you to recognise lies and false teachings. This will prompt you to turn away from them and walk in the truth.

*REFLECTION:*
Let the scriptures guide your thoughts.

*PRAYER:*
Lord, help me to think rightly. Amen.

*MEMORY VERSE FOR THE MONTH:*
2 TIMOTHY 2:21.
"If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be instruments for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master, and prepared to do any good work."

*TODAY'S BIBLE READING PLAN:*
EZEKIEL 34-36.

ED.ii. SHAMGAR'S CATTLE STICK

"After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an ox goad. He too saved Israel." - Judges 3:31

Shamgar was a farmer and one day while he was plowing the enemy, the Philistines, came. They were out to rob, kill and destroy Israel.

Shamgar had no sword, spear or shield like the Philistines who were well-armed and trained men. In 1 Samuel 13:19 it says: 'The Philistines wouldn't allow them for fear they would make swords and spears for the Hebrews.'

The hero Shamgar

The only thing Shamgar had was a cattle stick - a stick of about three meters long and four to five centimeters thick. On this cattle stick, there was a small point sticking out which is used to spur the oxen. On the other side of the stick, there was a chisel to scrape the plowshares. There was an army of 600 armed men and there was Shamgar with his cattle stick. Many of us would choose the easiest way out and leave. But Shamgar approached them with his cane and struck them down one after the other. Can you imagine this: 600 men beaten by one man with a stick? Shamgar became a hero on that day and was appointed to judge in Israel.

Today we also have enemies, from whom the evil one is the worst. The Bible says he came to steal, kill, and destroy. And he comes with many demons.

Use what you have

Shamgar did not wait like so many people do but he used what he had. Let us also confront the enemy with what we have. Jesus is with us and with Him we are more than conquerors! Do not wait for what you do not have but use what you have. God is on your side.


https://www.theblessingdevotional.com

2. Evening Prayer for today.

EP.i. Evening Prayer

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. ⏤ Proverbs 3:5-6

The man who prays grows; and the muscles of the soul swell from this whipcord to iron bands. ⏤ Leonard Ravenhill

O God, the Author of our being and the Preserver of our lives—we come to Your throne of grace this evening, placing ourselves under Your care for the night. Bless us and grant us Your special peace. Cleanse our hearts before You, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from us. Shine the light of Your countenance upon us, and grant us Your salvation.

The evening is here; come, O Jesus, and abide with us. Keep us securely in Your care. Strengthen our faith so that it will not fail. May we always keep our eyes on You, setting You before us, so that we do not lose our way. We are too prone to trust our own desires and to choose our own ways. Help us to always do what pleases You so that we do not sin against You. Keep us from discouragement and despair. May we learn to leave all the affairs of our lives in Your hands, trusting You to bring about what is best for us and for Your glory. Teach us how to commit our way to You so that You may bring forth our righteousness.

We bring before You each member of our home. You know each one of us and all our needs. You know the temptations each of us faces—they are not the same, though we live under the same roof. Match Your grace to our specific dangers and needs. Reveal Yourself to us always as the Friend we need, offering the help we need.

Sanctify all the experiences of the day for us. May our disappointments prove to be Your appointments, and may the way You have led us be indeed the right way. In Your great mercy, forgive all our sins, and bring us into Your heavenly kingdom through Jesus Christ. Amen.

https://www.youdevotion.com/daily-prayer/miller/51/evening

#taptapstudio
#youdevotion.

Our hero makes a cup of Turkish coffee, gets his pack of cigarettes, and goes into his room, responding to some emails and messages, then goes to exercise in his home gym; the workout is the same with dumbbells, sometimes light barbell deadlifts, and simple moves with weights.
He posts the workout live on YouTube; he has a YouTube channel, even though he does not know why he cares, but it gives him something to do when there is no work; it was a Monday; that's when he goes to church for bible study and a family prayer meeting.

Being a Coptic Orthodox Christian is different; he loves the church, but he is always uneasy and confused and does not know where he stands about his faith; he believes in the creed.

He was born on 9/9/1986; now he is 39 years old, has a lot more wisdom and knowledge about life and work, and he tries to follow Christ, but he always feels like he is not doing enough; being with mental illness determines what he can and cannot do, although he may pass as totally normal.

It goes into his head: what is normal, who defines it, or how being normal can be defined; he is like 60% analytical, and the rest is just total and utterly unrealistic “he is out of his mind in the remaining 40%.”

He comes back from church, takes his medication, and goes to sleep. He dreams of his father; they are having a conversation. Before he gets up, he tells his father I will talk to you when I get up, that is weird.
:
His father passed away like 10 years ago, and before that he had progressive supranuclear palsy and became paralyzed for the last 10 years of his life.

This is the way with dreams, unrealistic and never complete, but sometimes his thinking is more unrealistic than his dreams.
But if you ask him what his dreams are, he will not be able to answer; this is a question that he never had an answer to.

Others dream of fame and fortune, but he thinks being unknown is amazing. Money for what? All lives start the same and end the same; money can buy luxuries that are unessential, and the most expensive foods, which go down the same.


The world is fascinated with Alion Musk, President Trump and Mohamed Slah, without noticing the sacrifices they had to make, to live for their work and it only, they may look happy, they do what they love so they are happy, so do the work that makes you happy, but life and work is not that simple, young adults get married and within after 9 months their first born, they are not ready, but it is dictated by the community they live in, and it is a disaster not to have kids after 2 years of marriage, that is if the relationship happens in the context of marriage.

This is thought that passed through his head, he realizes that he does not conform with his community and church, he grew up in a mix of ideas and beliefs, adding to that the tragedies that happened in his life, these morphed the person he is now, he believes in Christ, he loves others as he loves himself, but he knows that not one denomination has a monopoly on Christianity and that only God knows the hearts of his creation.

But when he enters his church, he feels that God is truly present with him. When he listens to Christian songs that praise and glorify God, his spirit rejoices, and he feels a deep sense of peace and closeness to Him. He is also inspired by the way Catholics serve their communities, helping those in need and putting their faith into action through love, compassion, and service.

But all these thoughts just hit a wall when he tries to articulate them to someone, specially to Orthodox and Catholics, he sees great understanding in Evangelicals.

He realizes that those thoughts pop up because he has not gotten a project in a long time, but that is freelancing for you, he was unable to hold a steady paying job for more than 5 days, most of those was call center jobs, others were busboy jobs, he did not understand life as he does now.

He works from home, but like all freelance jobs there is no steady salary, that is a problem for when and if the miracle happens and he finds a wife, it is not only the age and work it is also the medication he must take.

May be deep down he think he does not deserve love; he cannot imagine his life with a wife and kids, how can he have children to face this life in this world, how can he repeat the cycle, and of course his feelings of impending doom and end, he is fascinated with Bible prophesy and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Today he has a confession, he goes in and tries his best, he confesses his hesitation in the Orthodox faith, and that he cannot fast and be ready for communion, with his condition and all.

He is sure of one thing that gods answer his prayers all of them, something happens and he remembers he prayed for that a long time ago, some answers are in the way.

The medication timing can make or break the patient’s life, taking a sedating medication in the morning is very counterproductive, and if psychiatrists have their way all patients will be walking zombies, he sees this happens.

Talking about the hospital, anyone how goes there may see it as a horrible place, he sees it as therapeutic, when you see people who can’t walk or unable to take care of their basic needs you really thank God for everything you can do and have.

He sometimes thinks of his father and the cross he caried, to be totally paralyzed for 9 years, unable to speak, unable to move, unable to eat sold food, his father was a good man, he has his downfalls, but he had a good heart.

Our hero remembers his first day in university, he was young and outright weird, with his father in this condition, he was unable to adapt, this is when his illness started, he tried his best to study but after his father passed away, he left this university in his third year.

At the beginning of his healing journey his psychologist and mother were trying to push him to have a social life, like going to church meetings and university and other social events, she is a virtuous woman but narrowminded.

SHE NEEDED A HERO… SO THAT’S WHAT SHE BECAME.

There comes a point when you realize you survived things that were supposed to destroy you.

You stop waiting for someone else to rescue you.
You get back up.
You find your strength.
You find your purpose.
And most importantly… you find JESUS.

I’m not standing here because life was easy. I’m standing here because GOD WAS FAITHFUL.

I’ve been broken. I’ve been knocked down. I’ve walked through darkness.

But look what God can do with a life surrendered to Him.

She needed a hero… so that’s what she became.
And she LOVES JESUS.

If you’ve survived something you thought would take you out, drop a below and remind somebody else that their story isn’t over!

FOLLOW FoxxFusion Ministries for faith, recovery, encouragement, testimony, and the reminder that JESUS STILL CHANGES LIVES!

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Amazing Facts.
Daily Devotionals

Sheep Farmer Endurance.

August 4th, 2026

In 1983, a 61-year-old sheep farmer named Cliff Young decided to participate in the world’s toughest race, a 544-mile ultra-marathon from Melbourne to Sydney, Australia. When the 150 world-class athletes gathered at the starting line they were amused to see old Cliff enter the race wearing overalls with galoshes over his work boots.

As soon as the race started, the pros quickly left Cliff shuffling behind. Spectators were hoping someone would stop the crazy old man before he hurt himself, but he kept plodding along. Normally the contenders run about 18 hours and sleep 6 hours during the seven-day race. But no one told Cliff he was supposed to sleep!

So while the other runners slept he kept running, gaining on the pack a little more each day. By the last night, he passed all of the world-class athletes. By the last day, he was way in front of them. Incredibly, not only did Cliff run the Melbourne to Sydney race at age 61 without dying, he won first place, breaking the race record by 9 hours and becoming a national hero!

When asked how he could run all night, Cliff said. “See, I grew up on a farm where we couldn’t afford horses, and whenever the storms would roll in, I’d have to go out on foot and round up the sheep. We had 2,000 head, and sometimes I would have to run those sheep for two or three days nonstop.”

Throughout the race, he just imagined he was chasing sheep. When Cliff was awarded the first prize of $10,000, he said he didn’t know there was a prize and insisted they split it among the other lead runners. The nation fell in love with the 61-year-old vegetarian who came out of nowhere to defeat the world’s best long-distance runners.

Cliff Young, because of his upbringing, had incredible endurance. The Bible says we also must have endurance for “the race that is set before us.” But where do we get the strength and stamina we need? The Psalms tell us that God is “He who gives strength and power to His people,” and “It is God who arms me with strength” (Psalm 68:35; 18:32). The strength and endurance we need come only from Him.

Key Bible Texts
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1 KJV)

Continuation chapter 3 3.1
The book of Proverbs, that ancient collection of wisdom and one-liners, gives us the antidote: "A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back." (Proverbs 29:11). A fool gives full vent. He opens the valve and lets the emotional steam blast out in every direction, scorching everyone in the vicinity, and then he calls it "transparency." The wise man, on the other hand, holds it back—not to suppress it forever, but to examine it first. He looks at the cake and says, "Before I serve this to everyone and insist it's from God, let me check the ingredients. Was this anger baked with love, or was it fried in last week's resentment? Was this righteous fury, or am I just tired and hungry and someone looked at me funny?" The wise man puts a pause between the feeling and the action. The fool just hits "send" on the email he wrote while the emotion was still a fresh, steaming loaf of nonsense.
‎
‎Now, the truly spectacular part of this whole theatrical production is that the illusions are not random. They have a specific purpose. They are designed—by you, for you—to protect your fragile ego from the unbearable truth that you might be wrong, or selfish, or in need of genuine change. The illusion is a bodyguard hired by your pride. It stands at the door of your consciousness and says, "No, you can't come in here with that nonsense about humility and repentance. This person is a victim! A hero! A misunderstood prophet!" And the emotion that the illusion generates is the bodyguard's paycheck. As long as you stay angry, the bodyguard stays employed. As long as you feel sorry for yourself, the bodyguard gets a bonus. As long as you're right and they're wrong, the bodyguard gets a corner office with a view.
‎
‎So how do you fire the bodyguard? How do you shut down the bake-off and stop eating the emotional cake that's making you spiritually obese? You do the one thing the illusion absolutely cannot survive: you laugh at it. Not a bitter, cynical laugh. A genuine, delighted, "oh my goodness, I've done it again, I actually convinced myself that my indigestion was a prophetic word" kind of laugh. You step back from the emotion and say, "There goes my heart again, being deceitful above all things. What a rascal. What a brilliant little con artist. Look at it go, spinning that same old story about how I'm the victim and they're the villain. It's almost adorable, like a hamster trying to operate a forklift." And when you laugh, the illusion loses its power. It cannot thrive in the light of genuine, humble humor. It needs you to take it seriously. It needs you to believe the drama. The moment you chuckle, the whole set collapses, and you see the strings and the plywood and the guy in the back operating the smoke machine.
‎
‎King David, who was no stranger to emotional chaos—the man once danced nearly naked in public and also wrote some of the most anguished poetry in history—had a habit of talking to his own soul. He would say, "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God." (Psalm 42:5). Notice what he's doing. He's not taking his downcast soul on a road trip of despair. He's interrogating it. He's cross-examining the witness. "Why are you downcast? Give me a reason. Is it a good reason, or did you just eat bad spiritual pizza again?" He's refusing to let the emotion drive the bus without showing its license. And then he redirects the soul to hope in God. Not to hope in the resolution of the immediate problem, not to hope in being proven right, but to hope in the character of the Almighty. That's not suppression; that's redirection. That's saying to the emotional cake, "Thank you for your submission, but I'm on a diet of actual truth now."
‎

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

When I started this writing journey, I had no plan, no thoughts, no direction … less one. Serve God. As I got rolling with it, I thought that it was annoying and cool at the same time that I would wake up in the wee hours of the morning with messages … yes, messages. Sometimes I would write a devotion and then turn around and write one, two, and sometimes three poems. When my first book got picked up by a traditional publisher, I was super stoked and almost quit my job. Because you know, I was going to be a published author and my book would pay my bills. Obviously, God spoke sense into me, and I did not quit. Though I took quite some time off from writing, until now, anything that I wrote was for Him. He was my focus. My writing was and is all about bringing glory to Him.

I belong to several online writing groups. There is a mixture of traditional (publisher does all the hard work like editing/marketing) authors, vanity (author pays publisher for the editing and marketing), and Indie (author does all the work and publishes through specific free publishing sites) authors in these groups. You can see through the comments where their heart lies. I read the posts and find the information that God wants me to see, and comment only where He leads me to comment. One common theme with them is that we all have one familiar mindset … ‘that is not how I thought this worked’.

Traditionally, with the help of television and other stories, writing a book and getting it published was set on certain parameters. If you did not conform to those parameters, you were left out in the cold. Well, anyone who knows me knows that I do not conform well. Haha. I have always been an odd duck.

In my scrolling, I have gotten several different ideas on how to better market my books. All of which require me to be present. To have face-to-face encounters. To sign all copies … without a separate fee. To get His message out there. To show the chaotic world that peace is possible. One of the areas that I found to market is in supermarkets. Yes, you saw that right … supermarkets. That concept gave me all kinds of ideas. I do a lot of small town fests and farmer’s markets. The other day, well before the 4th, I saw a tent set up in a Burger King parking lot to sell fireworks … I instantly thought, “Why can’t I do that?”

When I first started looking at doing book signings, my mind was stuck in a rut of libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops. Places typically or stereotypically are associated with reading … but why not some place no one expects to see an author set up … grocery stores, fast food, random retail establishments … why not?

John the Baptist was not a conformist. He actually was considered a radical. I have often called Peter my hero or soul mate of the apostles because of my hot temper; however, I am leaning into John the Baptist’s radical stubbornness … spread the word no matter how I look or sound or where I am located. Speak truth. Always. Everywhere.

What is it that God is asking you to do that sounds too off kilter? What is keeping you from jumping in feet first? Nothing that Jesus did was in line with the religious leaders' vision of godliness, so why are you worried about the optics of the world? Why not be a part of the revival that is confusing those stuck on the law of tradition?

My plan, moving forward, is the same as it has been … honor God … but in those places, any place, that I can set up … and speak Truth to the lost. If it is fests, markets, stores, fast food, or the middle of a random parking lot, I am in. How about you? Are you in to spread the Good News … regardless of the world’s view?

Be blessed.

**But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.—1 Corinthians 1:27
**Therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.” –Isaiah 29:14

OUR FREEDOM HAS A NAME... IT'S CALLED SACRIFICE.

Every freedom we enjoy today was purchased by the courage of men and women who answered the call to serve.

Some came home with medals. Some came home with scars. Some never made it home.

Today, we honor every veteran who stood in the gap so generations after them could live in freedom. Your courage inspires us. Your sacrifice humbles us. Your service will never be forgotten.

But honoring our veterans doesn't stop with saying "Thank you."

Check on them. Pray for them. Encourage them. Stand beside them.

Sometimes the greatest way to honor a hero is simply letting them know they're not alone.

If you support our veterans, comment with a or write "THANK YOU" below. Let's flood the comments with gratitude and remind every veteran who sees this that they are loved, appreciated, and never forgotten.

Follow FoxxFusion Ministries for powerful faith-filled messages, inspiring content, and daily encouragement that uplifts hearts and honors heroes.

#Veterans #HonorOurHeroes #ThankYouVeterans #SupportOurVeterans #NeverForgotten #Military #FreedomIsNotFree #Faith #FoxxFusionMinistries #GodBlessAmerica

JESUS isn't just my Savior... He's my HERO.

He stepped into the battle I could never win.
He carried the cross I deserved.
He defeated sin and death.
He never gave up on me—even when I had given up on myself.

If Jesus has ever changed your life, don't stay silent. Let the world know who your Hero is!

Comment: "JESUS IS MY HERO" if you're standing with Him today!

Share this post to remind someone they're never too far from God's love.

Follow FoxxFusion Ministries for daily encouragement, Bible truth, and faith-filled content that points people to Christ.

#JesusIsMyHero #FaithOverFear #Christian #JesusSaves #FoxxFusionMinistries