Conflict and Courage. Daniel 2 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: and he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding. Daniel 2:20, 21. Behold the Jewish captive, calm and self-possessed, in the presence of the monarch of the world's most powerful empire. In his first words he disclaimed honor for himself and exalted God as the source of all wisdom. To the anxious inquiry of the king, “Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?” he replied: “The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king; but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days.” ... In the annals of human history, the growth of nations, the rise and fall of empires, appear as if dependent on the will and prowess of man; the shaping of events seems, to a great degree, to be determined by his power, ambition, or caprice. But in the word of God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold, above, behind, and through all the play and counterplay of human interest and power and passions, the agencies of the All-merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels of His own will.... In the history of nations the student of God's word may behold the literal fulfillment of divine prophecy. Babylon, shattered and broken at last, passed away because in prosperity its rulers had regarded themselves as independent of God, and had ascribed the glory of their kingdom to human achievement.... The kingdoms that followed were even more base and corrupt; and these sank lower and still lower in the scale of moral worth. The power exercised by every ruler on the earth is Heaven-imparted; and upon his use of the power thus bestowed, his success depends.... To recognize the outworking of these principles in the manifestation of His power who “removeth kings, and setteth up kings”—this is to understand the philosophy of history.1Prophets and Kings, 494-502.

hello my brothers and sisters in Christ Iam in need of some help. I am a cancer survivor, and at the moment I do not have a job or a stable source of income. My landlord is putting a lot of pressure on me because I am struggling to pay my rent. I do not want to ask anyone to support me every month. Instead, I am hoping that someone can help me with a car so that I can work, earn a living, and become financially independent. I am not asking for a handout—I am asking for an opportunity to work and support myself. If there is anyone who can help me with a reliable car, I would be deeply grateful. Please keep me in your prayers, and if you are able to help, may God bless you abundantly. 🙏

Our Sewing Center is a place where we teach sewing skills to girls and women, especially those from needy families and widows. We want to help them learn a practical skill so they can become more independent and support themselves and their families. When the girls get married, we bless them by providing them with a sewing machine so they can continue using their skills to earn a living. We also support widows by teaching them sewing and providing them with food packages every month through the support we receive from people who care about this ministry. Through this Sewing Center, we are not only teaching a skill but also sharing the love of Jesus Christ by helping families build a better and more hopeful future.

SATURDAY 29TH AUGUST 2026 IGNITE YOUTH DEVOTIONAL Topic: Do Not Give Up on Your Dream Bible Reference Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 (NIV) A Short Story Esther had always loved fashion. Even as a teenager, she enjoyed drawing clothing designs in her notebooks and helping her friends choose what to wear. After completing her education, she decided that she wanted to build a fashion business. She believed that it was something she could become good at and that it could eventually provide a source of income for her and her family. However, the beginning was not easy. Esther did not have enough money to buy all the equipment she wanted. She started with a small sewing machine and worked from a corner of her mother's house. Her first few customers were people she knew, but some of them complained about her work. One customer refused to pay the full amount because she was not satisfied with the finishing. Esther became discouraged. She began to wonder whether she had made a mistake by choosing fashion. She saw other young designers on social media displaying beautiful shops, expensive machines, and large numbers of customers. Compared with them, her business looked very small. One afternoon, after another difficult week, Esther told her friend Sharon that she was thinking about giving up. Sharon listened and then asked her, What if you are not failing? What if you are simply still learning? That question changed Esther's thinking. She realised that she had expected success to come quickly. She had forgotten that every skilled person had once been a beginner. Instead of quitting, Esther began looking for ways to improve. She watched tutorials, asked experienced designers questions, practised every day, and listened carefully to customer complaints. She stopped using other people's success to measure her own progress. The business did not become successful overnight. Esther still had difficult months, but she kept improving. With time, her work became better, her customers became more satisfied, and more people began recommending her. Years later, Esther looked back at the little corner where she had started. She realised that the biggest decision she had made was not buying better equipment or getting her first major customer. It was choosing not to quit when things became difficult. Today's Message Many young people have dreams, but not everyone has the patience to keep working when the dream becomes difficult. You may have a business idea, a career goal, a ministry vision, a desire to write a book, a plan to learn a skill, or a dream of becoming financially independent. You may begin with excitement, but after a few disappointments, you may start wondering whether you should stop. Failure can make you question yourself. Rejection can make you feel unqualified. Slow progress can make you believe that nothing is happening. Seeing other people succeed faster can make you feel like giving up. But slow progress does not mean that your dream is dead. Galatians 6:9 tells us not to become weary in doing good because there is a proper time for harvest. The verse does not promise that everything will happen immediately. It reminds us that persistence matters. Sometimes you are closer to a breakthrough than you realise, but you stop because you become tired. Think about a farmer. After planting a seed, the farmer does not dig it up every morning to check whether it is growing. He waters it, protects it, and gives it time. Growth takes place even when he cannot see it immediately. Your life can be like that. You may be studying today without seeing the result yet. You may be learning a skill without earning much money yet. You may be building a business without having many customers yet. You may be serving God without seeing the impact yet. You may be working on yourself without seeing the changes immediately. Keep going. However, refusing to give up does not mean refusing to change your approach. Sometimes the dream is good, but your method is wrong. If something is not working, learn, adjust, and try again. Ask questions. Improve your skills. Seek advice. Correct your mistakes. Persistence is not stubbornness. Persistence means continuing toward a worthwhile goal while being willing to learn and improve along the way. You also need to stop comparing your beginning with somebody else's middle. You may see someone who has already built a successful business, written several books, established a ministry, or achieved financial stability. Remember that you may not know how many years that person spent learning and struggling before the results became visible. Do not despise your small beginning. Your first business may be small. Your first sermon may be imperfect. Your first book may not sell many copies. Your first job may not be your dream job. Your first attempt at something may fail. That does not mean you should stop. Learn from it and continue. There will be days when you feel motivated and days when you do not. Discipline becomes important when motivation disappears. You cannot build your future based only on how you feel each morning. Some days, you will have to keep working because you have already decided that the goal is worth pursuing. At the same time, remember that not every dream must be pursued forever. If God redirects you, if you discover that your plans are wrong, or if wise counsel shows you that you need to take a different path, be willing to adjust. Giving up on one plan is not the same as giving up on your purpose. What matters is that you continue moving toward the life God wants you to build. Do not let one failure become the final chapter of your story. You may have failed an examination. You may have lost a job. Your business may have failed. Someone may have rejected you. A relationship may have ended. An opportunity may have passed you by. Learn from it. Get up. Pray again. Plan again. Try again. Your present difficulty does not have to determine your final outcome. What To Do Today 1. Write down one important goal you have almost given up on. 2. Identify the main reason you became discouraged and decide what you can do differently. 3. Take one practical step toward that goal today, even if the step is small. 4. Ask a mature and trustworthy person for advice on how you can improve. Prayer Lord, give me strength when I become tired and discouraged. Help me not to abandon the good things You have placed in my heart simply because they are taking time. Give me wisdom to learn from my mistakes, courage to try again, and discipline to keep working. If You need to redirect my plans, help me recognise Your direction. But where You have called me to continue, give me grace not to give up. In Jesus' name, Amen. Daily Challenge Return to one good goal you abandoned because of disappointment and take one practical step toward it today. You may not see the harvest yet, but keep planting, keep learning, keep working, and keep trusting God. ©️ Anthony Ijere Christian Author and Revivalist

A Nugget of Truth. WHY DID GOD SAY, “LET US MAKE MAN” IN GENESIS 1:26? One of the most mysterious statements in the creation account is found in Genesis 1:26: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” The question is simple but profound: Who was God talking to when He said, “Let us”? Many explanations have been given, but we must allow Scripture to interpret Scripture. 1. “LET US” DOES NOT MEAN THERE ARE MANY GODS The Bible is very clear that there is one God. Deuteronomy 6:4 declares: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.” So Genesis 1:26 cannot be used to teach that there are multiple independent gods. The phrase “let us” must be understood consistently with the rest of Scripture. 2. CHRISTIANS UNDERSTAND THIS IN LIGHT OF THE TRINITY The clearest Christian understanding is that Genesis 1:26 gives an early glimpse of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity does not mean three gods. It means one God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Notice what happens throughout Scripture: THE FATHER CREATES: Genesis 1:1 speaks of God creating the heavens and the earth. THE SPIRIT IS PRESENT: Genesis 1:2 says the Spirit of God was moving over the waters. THE SON IS INVOLVED IN CREATION: John 1:1–3 teaches that the Word was with God and that all things were made through Him. Colossians 1:16 likewise connects creation with Christ. Therefore, when God says, “Let us make man,” Christians see a beautiful harmony with the later revelation of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 3. BUT THERE IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT POSSIBILITY Some interpreters understand “let us” as God speaking in the presence of His heavenly court, angelic beings. There are other passages where God is pictured among heavenly beings, such as Job 1:6 and 1 Kings 22:19–22. However, there is an important distinction: God did not say, “Let us create God.” He alone is the Creator. And Genesis 1:27 immediately changes the wording: “So God created man in his own image.” Notice it carefully: “Let us make man” then “God created man.” The Bible does not say that angels created humanity. 4. THE MOST IMPORTANT PART IS NOT “ US " IT IS “OUR IMAGE” Genesis 1:26 says: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Then verse 27 says humanity was created in God’s image. This means human beings possess a unique dignity and calling within creation. Being made in God’s image does not mean humans physically look like God. Rather, humanity was created to reflect God in a unique way through qualities such as moral responsibility, relational capacity, rational thought, stewardship, and the ability to represent God’s rule on earth. 5. GENESIS WAS WRITTEN BEFORE THE FULL REVELATION OF THE TRINITY This is extremely important. Genesis does not give us a complete theological explanation of the Trinity. The fuller revelation comes progressively through Scripture. In the New Testament, we see the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together in passages such as Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:14. So Genesis 1:26 can be understood as consistent with the Trinity, but we should not pretend that Genesis alone gives the entire doctrine. THE DEEPER MESSAGE The mystery of Genesis 1:26 ultimately points us toward something greater: Humanity was not an accident. God intentionally created mankind. You were created with purpose. You were created to bear God’s image. And that means human life has value that cannot be measured merely by wealth, status, appearance, education, or social position. The same God who said, “Let us make man,” is the God who created humanity with dignity, responsibility, and purpose. TEACHING SUMMARY Genesis 1:26 is not evidence of many gods. The phrase “Let us make man” has been understood by Christians primarily as fitting the revelation of the Trinity, while some interpreters also see the possibility of God addressing His heavenly court. But Genesis 1:27 makes the central truth unmistakable: God alone is the Creator, and humanity was created in God’s image. The great mystery is not merely: “Who was God talking to?” The greater revelation is: “Why did the eternal God choose to create human beings in His image?” Because humanity was created to know God, reflect His character, exercise responsible dominion over creation, and live in relationship with Him.

The Architecture of Reality: Beyond the Map of Theology The tragedy of the modern seminary is the man who spends four years refining a blueprint he never intends to build. In the landscape of professional theological formation, a subtle but devastating crisis has taken root: the tendency to mistake the "blueprint"—the systematic loci and taxonomies—for the "architecture" of the reality of God. The distinction is vital: Nobody has ever lived in a drawing. You can study a blueprint for a lifetime without ever visiting the site, and nothing in that study will warn you that you remain outside. To move beyond the taxonomy, we must engage the "Checkable Argument"—the exactly five sentences in the Johannine corpus where being is predicated of God absolutely: God is Love (twice), God is Light, God is Life, and God is Spirit. Crucially, Love is the only one repeated, once in a negative frame and once in a positive. This repetition is the strongest internal evidence that these declarations were given with a learner in view. Mistaking the map for the territory stalls spiritual perception; the five sentences are not a list to be filed, but a structure to be entered. The Problem of the Inverted Order The sequence in which we learn determines the shape of what we know. Traditional formation begins with "Method" or "Prolegomena," attempting to fix the criteria of knowing before stating the nature of the One known. Strategically, this is an inversion: it establishes a "criterion in the dark" by which to evaluate the sun. When we master the map before we see the country, we become "filers" rather than "knowers," and our formation stalls in the lobby. This inversion is exposed by the "Seam Test." Traditional theology "files" sin in one locus and God’s nature in another, leaving a gap where the two should meet. The Johannine Architecture closes these seams by recognizing that sin is simply the privation of what God IS. The difference lies in what governs the second step of inquiry: * The Conventional Order: Revelation → Extraction of Propositions → Philosophical Categories → Systematic Organization → Application. * The Revealed Order: Revelation → Revealed Pattern (The Triad) → Relational Reality → Integrated Understanding → Transformed Life. The Triad: Light, Love, and Life In the Johannine framework, God is defined by three co-inherent names: Light, Love, and Life. These are not attributes God has; they are names for what God is absolutely. They are not components, but a single movement where each grounds the next. We must distinguish between three deliberate orders: 1. The Nominal Order: (Love–Life–Light). The name as it rests in the ear, signifying a reality with no first and no last. 2. The Pedagogical Order: (Light → Love → Life). The path of learning for a creature standing outside. We begin with Light because nothing is loved which has not been shown. Light reveals reality; Love reorders the will toward it; and Life embodies it. 3. The Ontological Order (The Circle): The co-inherence of the divine nature where each is the whole of God under an aspect. In the Ontological Order, the walls are the foundation. Because this is a circle, removing one element abolishes the others. Light without Life is merely "information"; Life without Love is a contradiction. To understand God is to enter the circle where the three imply and contain one another perfectly. The Diagnostic Reversal: Evil as Privation If God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all, then evil cannot be a rival substance or an independent kingdom. Grounding the definition of evil in the "Light axis" protects the sovereignty of God and removes the Manichaean threat of a competing power. Evil is not a "thing"; it is a privation—the absence and corruption of a good that ought to be present. Using the imagery of Jeremiah, we see the contrast between the "fountain of living waters" and the "broken cisterns." Life is the running water; evil is the stale, leaking collection of the cistern that attempts to hold water apart from the source. This framework identifies three particular absences: * Love Disordered: Desire misaligned and bent away from its proper object. * Life Severed: The "broken cistern" attempting to hold existence apart from the Fountain. * Movement into Darkness: The active hiding from the Light to avoid the exposure of deeds. This necessitates a Diagnostic Reversal. Instead of hunting for "harmful substances," a community is directed to identify "absent goods." When we see evil as the privation of Light, Love, and Life, we move from a defensive posture of "hunting" to an architectural one of "building" the presence of the good. The Final Provocation: Restoration through Sight Theological formation is not a matter of habit-building or intellectual accumulation, but the reorientation of vision. Salvation is the restoration of a severed relation: to be loved, to participate in the divine life, and to see God as He is. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2) Likeness follows sight. We do not become like God by cultivating capacities in the dark; we become like Him by looking at Him. The cost of ignoring this order is permanent: a man who waits for clarity before he obeys waits forever. The "map" is for the man who is outside, but once you enter the Architecture, the map is irrelevant. The road is a fact about travelers; it is not a fact about the destination. The way, the truth, and the life. Nobody has ever asked which came first, and nobody ever should have asked it of the other three.

Hey! I’m reaching out to my friends, family, and associates to ask for a little support with my music. 🙏🏽🎶 I’m an independent Christian artist with Trusting in God Music, and I’m trying to get my music moving up the charts. I’m not asking you for any money at all. ❤️ If you have Spotify, YouTube, or another streaming platform, I’m simply asking you to take a little time to listen to my music, stream it, and share it if you enjoy it. Every listen, stream, and share helps, and it would mean a lot to me. I’m trying to see what we can accomplish together. 🙏🏽🔥 Please support me by giving the music a listen. Free to listen, and your support could help push it to the next level! Thank you for believing in me and supporting Trusting in God Music. God bless you! ❤️🎶🙏🏽 Click one of the links below 👇 👇 👇 https://youtube.com/channel/UC1NjyTd0jWhp548HB8d1l5A?si=zNB_q1E6Ana1Cygp https://open.spotify.com/artist/0tnVTeuJ5g2MrVfeC0VwiN?si=Q5i0ZS8nQzalOML8LfN2Fg&utm_source=copy-link&sci=spotify%3Acard-config%3A1drlOSkl8dPkFXPxD2kClh https://music.amazon.com/artists/B0GL3BFSYD/trusting-in-god-music?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_RsPRt0QIU2JBuPgKaGFPBBAmv https://music.apple.com/us/artist/trusting-in-god-music/1874108319?ls https://music.youtube.com/channel/UC1NjyTd0jWhp548HB8d1l5A https://tidal.com/artist/73927686/u

Every church born within the first seventeen years of Pentecost was spawned from the Jerusalem church. But these new churches had neither a formal nor a subservient relationship to the church in Jerusalem. In this regard, the New Testament always envisions autonomous (independent), but fraternally related, churches. The early churches made their decisions apart from external control. It is for this reason that Paul admonishes the assemblies he worked with to take charge of their own internal problems.

Hey! I’m reaching out to my friends, family, and associates to ask for a little support with my music. 🙏🏽🎶 I’m an independent Christian artist with Trusting in God Music, and I’m trying to get my music moving up the charts. I’m not asking you for any money at all. ❤️ If you have Spotify, YouTube, or another streaming platform, I’m simply asking you to take a little time to listen to my music, stream it, and share it if you enjoy it. Every listen, stream, and share helps, and it would mean a lot to me. I’m trying to see what we can accomplish together. 🙏🏽🔥 Please support me by giving the music a listen. Free to listen, and your support could help push it to the next level! Thank you for believing in me and supporting Trusting in God Music. God bless you! ❤️🎶🙏🏽 Click one of the links below 👇 👇 👇 https://youtube.com/channel/UC1NjyTd0jWhp548HB8d1l5A?si=zNB_q1E6Ana1Cygp https://open.spotify.com/artist/0tnVTeuJ5g2MrVfeC0VwiN?si=Q5i0ZS8nQzalOML8LfN2Fg&utm_source=copy-link&sci=spotify%3Acard-config%3A1drlOSkl8dPkFXPxD2kClh https://music.amazon.com/artists/B0GL3BFSYD/trusting-in-god-music?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_RsPRt0QIU2JBuPgKaGFPBBAmv https://music.apple.com/us/artist/trusting-in-god-music/1874108319?ls https://music.youtube.com/channel/UC1NjyTd0jWhp548HB8d1l5A https://tidal.com/artist/73927686/u

Gods Creation,100 / evolution,0 YOUR BODY'S BUILT-IN DEFENSE SYSTEM Right now, specialized cells are patrolling your body looking for threats. They're called natural killer cells, and they're an incredible example of the complexity God built into the human immune system. Natural killer cells can recognize cells that aren't behaving normally, including many virus-infected cells and certain cancer cells. But they don't simply attack everything around them. They evaluate molecular signals on other cells, essentially receiving combinations of "stop" and "attack" signals before responding. When an NK cell identifies a dangerous target, it can release perforin, which helps create openings in the target cell's membrane. Then proteins called granzymes can enter and help trigger the abnormal cell to destroy itself. The NK cell can then move on and continue its work. Think about what this requires: detection of abnormal cells, recognition of healthy cells, communication through chemical signals, controlled delivery of destructive proteins, and mechanisms that help prevent unnecessary damage to surrounding tissue. This isn't merely a weapon. It's a weapon combined with a targeting and control system. From a biblical creation perspective, systems like this point us back to purposeful design. Our bodies exist in a fallen world where disease and biological breakdown are realities, yet God created living organisms with remarkable mechanisms for protection, maintenance, and repair. The immune system doesn't behave like a simple collection of independent parts. Its components work together as an integrated system. The deeper we look inside the human body, the more astonishing that engineering becomes. “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” — Psalm 139:14