Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 (NIV) ⁹ You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. ¹⁰ So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless. —————————— I think one of the biggest misconceptions people have about this verse is that God is against fun. But when I read it, I see the opposite. This verse acknowledges something beautiful: youth is a gift. It's a season filled with energy, dreams, curiosity, friendships, first experiences, and countless opportunities. It's the season where we create memories we'll laugh about years from now and mistakes we'll hopefully learn from too. God isn't telling us to sit in a corner and wait for life to happen. He tells us to rejoice. To enjoy the season we're in. To appreciate the people around us. To embrace the opportunities in front of us. But He also gives a reminder that hits differently: "Know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment." In other words, enjoy life, but don't forget that your choices matter. Not every opportunity is a good opportunity. Not every trend is worth following. Not every desire deserves to be chased. In a world that constantly says, "Do whatever makes you happy," this verse reminds me to ask a different question: "Will this make me proud of the person I'm becoming?" Because youth isn't just about having fun. It's about building a life. The habits we form today become our character tomorrow. The decisions we make today shape the future version of ourselves. That's why Ecclesiastes 12:1 continues with this reminder: "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth." I think the wisdom still applies to everybody: Enjoy your life. Take the trip. Make the memories. Laugh until your stomach hurts. Love the people around you. But don't lose yourself trying to fit in. Don't trade your values for temporary approval. Don't sacrifice your future for a moment of pleasure. God doesn't want us to waste our youth chasing things that won't last. He wants us to enjoy life while walking closely with Him. So yes, have fun. Make memories. Laugh a lot. But don't forget the One who gave you those moments One day, our youth will become a memory. And when that day comes, I hope we can look back and say: "I didn't spend my youth perfectly, but I spent it meaningfully." Because years from now, I don't just want to remember that I enjoyed my youth. I want to remember that I spent it with Jesus. 🧡

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

Robert S. Turner - Retired Minister “God Is Near to the Brokenhearted” Scripture: Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” There are moments when the heart feels heavy and the spirit feels worn down. God doesn’t step back in those moments — He steps closer. His nearness isn’t based on our strength, but on our need. When life presses hard, God presses in with comfort, healing, and quiet strength. He doesn’t just see the broken places — He moves toward them. He doesn’t just notice the crushed spirit — He lifts it. Today, let this truth settle in your heart: You are not facing this moment alone. God is near, and His nearness is your hope. Father, thank You for being close when my heart feels heavy. Lift my spirit, steady my steps, and remind me that Your presence is my strength. Heal what hurts and breathe peace into every part of my life. Amen

**Who you walk with shapes who you become** There's a verse that speaks seriously about this: *"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers"* (2 Corinthians 6:14). Think of it this way: an unequal yoke is when two oxen of different sizes are tied together to pull the same plow. One is strong, the other weak, and in the end neither can plow a straight line. One hurts the other, and the field comes out crooked. That's exactly what happens when you attach yourself — in a friendship, a relationship, a partnership — to someone who doesn't walk with God. Sooner or later, one of the two will pull the other down. And usually it's not the weaker one pulling the stronger one up — it's the other way around. Paul doesn't sugarcoat it: *"Evil communications corrupt good manners"* (1 Corinthians 15:33). It's not judgment, it's just life showing itself for what it is. No one stays close to what's wrong and comes out the same way they went in. You might be standing firm today, full of faith, but the wrong company wears you down little by little. It normalizes things that used to bother you. One day you look back and don't even know exactly when you started drifting from God. That's why Scripture says: *"O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness"* (Psalm 96:9). Holiness isn't about living locked away from everyone. It's about not letting the world shape you. It's knowing who to let sit at your table, who gets the loudest voice in your life, who influences your decisions. Avoid walking with those who don't serve the living God — not because you're better than anyone, but because your faith cost too much to be worn down by someone who doesn't even value what you carry. And the calling remains the same: *"Be ye holy; for I am holy"* (1 Peter 1:16). It's not about being perfect, it's about living differently. Thinking differently, walking differently from the world's pattern. And that includes choosing well who walks beside you — because no one comes through safe and sound while being dragged down by the wrong company. If you've felt yourself grow cold, grow weak, no longer the same person you were a while back — maybe it's time to look around. Reevaluate who's close to you. And choose to walk with those who bring you closer to God, not those who pull you away from Him.

Remaining faithful to God during hard times means bringing your honest pain to Him, holding tight to His past promises, and leaning on a community of believers. Faith does not mean you never feel sad or confused. It means you choose to trust, acknowledging God that He is real and present. Pleasing God requires complete trust and confidence in Him rather than just relying on human works even when life hurts. #FaithComesFromGod #NeverGiveUp #LordsBook

**Psalm 23:5 (NIV)** > **"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."** This verse reminds believers that God is not only our Shepherd but also our gracious Host. Even in difficult times, He provides, protects, honors, and blesses those who trust in Him. ### 1. "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." A prepared table represents God's provision, peace, and care. David did not say God removed his enemies first. Instead, God gave him peace and blessing while they were still present. **Encouragement:** You may be surrounded by problems, criticism, or people who oppose you, but God is able to provide for you right in the middle of your circumstances. Your situation does not limit His faithfulness. **Supporting verses:** * **Romans 8:31 (NIV)** > "If God is for us, who can be against us?" * **Isaiah 54:17 (NIV)** > "No weapon forged against you will prevail..." * **John 16:33 (NIV)** > "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." These verses remind us that God's presence is greater than any opposition we face. --- ### 2. "You anoint my head with oil." In biblical times, oil symbolized blessing, honor, healing, refreshment, and God's favor. Shepherds also used oil to protect their sheep from insects and wounds, illustrating God's loving care. **Encouragement:** God knows your hurts, your fears, and your struggles. He refreshes weary hearts, heals broken spirits, and gives strength to continue. **Supporting verses:** * **Isaiah 61:3 (NIV)** > "...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning..." * **James 1:17 (NIV)** > "Every good and perfect gift is from above..." * **2 Corinthians 1:21–22 (NIV)** > "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us..." God's anointing points to His sustaining grace and His work in the lives of His people. --- ### 3. "My cup overflows." An overflowing cup symbolizes abundant blessing. God's care is not merely enough to survive—it is abundant. His grace, mercy, and love exceed our deepest needs. **Encouragement:** Even when life feels empty, God can fill your heart with hope, peace, and joy. His blessings are not always material; they include His presence, forgiveness, strength, and eternal promises. **Supporting verses:** * **Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)** > "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..." * **Philippians 4:19 (NIV)** > "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." * **John 10:10 (NIV)** > "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." God delights in giving His children what they truly need according to His wisdom. --- ## A Message of Encouragement No matter what you're facing today, remember that God has not forgotten you. He can provide for you in the middle of your trials, strengthen you when you are weak, and fill your life with His peace and grace. Your enemies, difficulties, or fears do not have the final word—God does. Trust the Good Shepherd. Stay faithful, keep praying, and continue walking with Christ. His presence is your greatest blessing, and His promises never fail. > **"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing."** — **Psalm 23:1 (NIV)** May your heart rest in the assurance that the Shepherd who prepared David's table is the same God who faithfully cares for His people today. #WordOfGod #encouragement Christian Worship #christianworship

**Psalm 23:5 (NIV)** > **"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."** This verse reminds believers that God is not only our Shepherd but also our gracious Host. Even in difficult times, He provides, protects, honors, and blesses those who trust in Him. ### 1. "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." A prepared table represents God's provision, peace, and care. David did not say God removed his enemies first. Instead, God gave him peace and blessing while they were still present. **Encouragement:** You may be surrounded by problems, criticism, or people who oppose you, but God is able to provide for you right in the middle of your circumstances. Your situation does not limit His faithfulness. **Supporting verses:** * **Romans 8:31 (NIV)** > "If God is for us, who can be against us?" * **Isaiah 54:17 (NIV)** > "No weapon forged against you will prevail..." * **John 16:33 (NIV)** > "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." These verses remind us that God's presence is greater than any opposition we face. --- ### 2. "You anoint my head with oil." In biblical times, oil symbolized blessing, honor, healing, refreshment, and God's favor. Shepherds also used oil to protect their sheep from insects and wounds, illustrating God's loving care. **Encouragement:** God knows your hurts, your fears, and your struggles. He refreshes weary hearts, heals broken spirits, and gives strength to continue. **Supporting verses:** * **Isaiah 61:3 (NIV)** > "...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning..." * **James 1:17 (NIV)** > "Every good and perfect gift is from above..." * **2 Corinthians 1:21–22 (NIV)** > "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us..." God's anointing points to His sustaining grace and His work in the lives of His people. --- ### 3. "My cup overflows." An overflowing cup symbolizes abundant blessing. God's care is not merely enough to survive—it is abundant. His grace, mercy, and love exceed our deepest needs. **Encouragement:** Even when life feels empty, God can fill your heart with hope, peace, and joy. His blessings are not always material; they include His presence, forgiveness, strength, and eternal promises. **Supporting verses:** * **Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)** > "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..." * **Philippians 4:19 (NIV)** > "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." * **John 10:10 (NIV)** > "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." God delights in giving His children what they truly need according to His wisdom. --- ## A Message of Encouragement No matter what you're facing today, remember that God has not forgotten you. He can provide for you in the middle of your trials, strengthen you when you are weak, and fill your life with His peace and grace. Your enemies, difficulties, or fears do not have the final word—God does. Trust the Good Shepherd. Stay faithful, keep praying, and continue walking with Christ. His presence is your greatest blessing, and His promises never fail. > **"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing."** — **Psalm 23:1 (NIV)** May your heart rest in the assurance that the Shepherd who prepared David's table is the same God who faithfully cares for His people today. #WordOfGod #encouragement Christian Worship #christianworship

August 24th, 2026 Read; Romans 12:15 We are not alone. God gave us each other to live for Him and find our way back to Him. We are called to bear each other's burdens, share in each other's joys, and heal each other's hurts. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. This shows we are meant to care for one another. No Christian is meant to be on their own. Our shared experiences, both happy and sad, connect us in Christ's love. Prayer Dear Father, guide me to those who need their burdens to be carried and their joys to be shared today. Allow me to represent You in Your children's world right now. In Jesus' precious name, I pray. Amen.

I belong to a Celebrate Recovery group and this is a prayer they say in every meeting. Celebrate Recovery is a global Christian organization that is for everyone. To me it is the hands and feet of the church in helping people with hurts, hang-ups and habits. It is a tremendous support group for any issue in your life and we all have issues. It is not just for addicts and in fact only about 20% of the people could be classified with addictions. This is to help with marriages and relationships, pain, anxiety, anger, and unforgiveness and it is all built on the Gospel. God bless!

This thought has been sitting with me for a while now. And every time I think about it, I somehow become even more convinced. I genuinely don't think you can afford to follow Jesus and ignore emotional intelligence. Notice I didn't say every Christian is emotionally intelligent. They're not. We've all met Christians who can quote Scripture for hours but cannot apologize. Who can discern "spirits" in every room but cannot discern that the person sitting beside them is tired, grieving or afraid. Who know how to pray, but don't know how to listen. Who know how to correct, but don't know how to restore. And I don't say that to judge anybody. I say it because I think we've accidentally separated two things that Jesus never separated. We've treated spiritual maturity and emotional maturity like they are different journeys. I don't think they are. Actually... I don't think they can be. Because who exactly are you becoming if you're becoming like Christ? Think about Jesus for a second. And no, not just what He taught. But the way He related to people. That's the part that keeps arresting me. He didn't speak to everyone the same way. To some people, He asked questions. To others, He sat and listened. Sometimes He challenged. Sometimes He comforted. Sometimes He walked away. Sometimes He stayed. He knew when Peter needed correction. He knew when Peter needed breakfast by the sea. He stood in front of a woman caught in adultery and somehow managed to hold both compassion and truth in the same conversation. How? He wasn't just spiritually deep. He understood people. He understood timing. He understood emotions. He understood that the same truth can heal one person and crush another depending on how and when it's delivered. And I think that's where a lot of us struggle. We've become so committed to saying the right thing... that we've forgotten to ask whether this is the right moment. Sometimes the truth is right. The timing isn't. Sometimes the words are biblical. The posture isn't. Sometimes we're so eager to "speak the truth" that we forget Scripture didn't stop there. It says to speak the truth in love. Love changes how truth sounds. I've also noticed something else. A lot of us think emotional intelligence means having deep conversations. Or using words like "boundaries" and "attachment styles." No. Sometimes emotional intelligence is much simpler than that. It's noticing that your friend has gone unusually quiet. It's realizing someone is angry but the anger isn't the real emotion. It's apologizing without adding, "But you also..." It's knowing when your spouse doesn't need another solution. They need to know they're not carrying the weight alone. It's recognizing that the person who keeps interrupting everyone may not be proud. They may simply be desperate to be heard. It's asking one more question instead of making one more assumption. You know what I find interesting? Paul spent so much of the New Testament teaching people how to relate. Be kind. Bear with one another. Forgive one another. Encourage one another. Be patient. Be gentle. Those aren't just spiritual instructions. They're relational ones. And relationships are where emotional intelligence is tested. Not during prayer meetings. During disagreement. During disappointment. During correction. During marriage. During leadership. During friendship. During ordinary Tuesday afternoons when someone says something that hurts your feelings. That's where you find out whether you've just learnt Scripture... or whether Scripture has started reshaping you. Because following Jesus should change more than your prayer life. It should change how safe people feel around you. How you handle conflict. How quickly you assume the worst. How you carry people's weaknesses. How you respond when you're misunderstood. How you hold both conviction and compassion without sacrificing either. If ten years with Jesus has made me more knowledgeable but less patient... something is wrong. If I've learnt how to preach but not how to apologize... something is wrong. If I know every spiritual principle but cannot sit with someone's grief without trying to fix it immediately... something is wrong. I honestly think we've admired gifting more than we've admired Christlikeness. And they're not the same thing. You can be gifted and still be emotionally immature. You can be anointed and still wound people with your words. You can lead thousands and still not know how to love the person sitting across from you. That should bother us. Because the goal of Christianity has never been to know more about Jesus. It's to become more like Him. And every time I read the Gospels, I don't just see a man full of power. I see a man who noticed people. Who made space for questions. Who wasn't intimidated by tears. Who wasn't threatened by people's emotions. Who could tell the hardest truths without making people feel unseen. The more I think about it, the less I believe emotional intelligence is optional for the Christian. Not because it's trendy or because psychology says it's important. But because every step towards Christ should also be a step towards becoming more patient, more gentle, more aware, more compassionate, more self-controlled. More human in the way heaven intended. Maybe that's what emotional intelligence looks like in the Kingdom. And not becoming better at reading people so you can manage them. But becoming so formed by Christ... that people consistently experience His heart when they encounter yours.