God Our Refuge and Strength

God Our Refuge and Strength

Daily Devotional God Our Refuge and Strength April 27, 2026 Read Psalm 46:1-11, Hebrews 13:5-8 Everyone in life is fighting for security. Even people who look strong and well-positioned — the first thing they talk about is their security detail. It’s a major focus everywhere you go. _Protection, Refuge, Fortress._ Those are the words you hear daily. So we build fences, install camera, keep dogs, buy guns, hire askaris and soldiers, and surround ourselves with people who make us feel safe. But let me ask you: What worries you most today? And what is your security? “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble… He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalms 46:1, 10 NIV A refuge is a place we run to when the chaos breaks and the world shakes, the earth gives way, mountains fall and waters roar! We do not fear because God is there. He is not distant. He is present. He is not only refuge from the storm; He is the strength through it. _“The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress”_ v.7, 11. That’s why Hebrews 13:5 promises, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Because He never leaves, we say, _“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid”_ (v.6). So what do we do? “Be still, and know that I am God” v.10. Stop struggling. Drop your weapons. Run to Him for cover and draw from Him for strength. He is both our hiding place and our power source. Affirm it: When the world shakes, I will not because God is my refuge and strength. Prayer Lord, You are my refuge and strength, ever-present in trouble. When life shakes, help me not to fear, for You are with me and will never leave me. Teach me to be still and know You are God, my shelter and my strength today. In Jesus’ name, Amen. By Rev Joshua Ssali Ssalongo

Hope in Christ, The Steadfast Anchor

Daily Devotional Hope in Christ, The Steadfast Anchor Read Psalm 18:1-9, Hebrews 6:17-20 Growing up, we spent hours by the road watching cars. Each time one passed, someone would shout, “That one’s mine!” Sometimes it led to fights — “I called it first!” — until we wrestled our way to an agreement. Our dream was simple: one day, we would own one. That’s hope. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:19-20 NIV Hope is not a wish. It’s the unwavering certainty that God will fulfill His promise. Like a child who sees a car and says, _“That one is mine,”_ we live with real expectation because God said it. Life is heavy with storms — expensive fuel, delayed medical results, criticism, high expectations, poverty, discouragement. But hopelessness pulls everyone down. Hope lifts us because it’s anchored in Christ, not circumstances. _1 Corinthians 13:13_ reminds us that hope remains. So we trust the Lord with confident expectation that something good is ahead. Christ is our anchor. Sailors throw a heavy piece of iron with hooks into deep water. It hits bottom, holds fast, and keeps the boat from drifting when wind and waves hit. _Hebrews 6:19_ says, _“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”_ Our anchor isn’t thrown down — it’s thrown up, behind the curtain where Christ is. He holds us. That’s why David, hunted by Saul with death at his door, could cry out in _Psalm 18:6_ and then declare in _v.2_, _“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.”_ Deliverance came when he dropped the anchor and trusted God. So what does it mean to be steadfast? It means planted and strong. Like a mango tree in a storm — branches shake, leaves fall, but the trunk stays because it’s rooted deep. When storms hit, drop the anchor — trust God. While waiting stay steadfast — keep praying, keep planning, keep discipling. Because Christ already secured the future, we don’t drift today. Anchored in Christ, we don’t drift. Steadfast for Him, we don’t quit. Prayer Father, You are my rock, my fortress, my deliverer. In every storm I face today, I drop my anchor in Christ, my steadfast hope. Thank You that my soul is held firm and secure in You. Keep my hope alive in Christ alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen. https://youtu.be/rkMapZB8qMk?si=OCaelrR68ZEWZNEB By Rev Joshua Ssali Ssalongo

Remember and Pray for Families

Daily Devotional Remember and Pray for Families Read Deuteronomy 4:6-10 Let's take a moment to reflect on our journey this week. Think about the promises we've made and whether we've kept God's Word at the heart of our homes. Are we waiting for Sunday to bring our children to church, or are we actively involved in their spiritual growth? As a father, are you choosing to spend quality time with your family rather than being caught up in your phone or work? Sometimes, our busy lives can make us forget to keep God, the Master Builder, close in our daily routines. As we embrace the theme of Intentional Parenting, what are the thoughts or feelings that stand out to you most? “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” Deuteronomy 4:9 NIV Joshua told Israel to take 12 stones from the Jordan and set them up as a memorial. “In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them...” Joshua 4:6-7. Gaining experience with God is important, but it’s equally vital to acknowledge it. When we don’t celebrate what God has done, we might forget the powerful things God has spoken into our lives. Parenting intentionally becomes so much richer when we create stones of remembrance—beautiful stories of God’s faithfulness woven into the fabric of our homes. Let’s close with this declaration: We will not forget what our eyes have seen. The Lord has helped us this far. Our home is built on the Word, watered by daily discipleship, covered by a present father, and surrendered to the Master Builder. Our children will know the Lord because we will tell them. This is our heritage. This is our reward. We parent from the knowledge and wisdom of God, not from our experiences or the nurture we received. Prayer Father, thank You for building our homes this week. Forgive us for the days we forgot You. We raise an Ebenezer today — “Thus far the Lord has helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12). Seal the Word You wrote on our hearts, multiply the conversations we had, strengthen the fathers to keep standing, keep building what we surrendered, and let our children never ask, “Who is God?” because they see Him in us. Bless every family represented. Heal the broken homes. Raise fathers in the gap. Let our testimonies become their inheritance. In Jesus’ name, Amen. By Rev Joshua Ssali Ssalongo

Intentionality Trusts God With What We Lack

Daily Devotional Intentionality Trusts God With What We Lack God Builds Through Praying Parents, Not Perfect Ones. Read Psalm 127:1-5 By Friday, most parents feel heavy and unaccomplished: I am not enough. Am not patient enough. Am not wise enough. Am not experienced enough. We started Monday with a meditation on the experience needed for a job slot, which is not the case for parenting! On Tuesday, we shared the Word on our hearts. On Wednesday, we taught as we walked or while driving. On Thursday, we called upon fathers to stand up and take their position. But what if you still feel unqualified? It is a good feeling because you then surrender to God, withholding nothing. “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain... Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.” Psalm 127:1,3 NIV Parenting without experience is possible because parenting has never been about your ability. It’s about your availability to the Builder. We often operate on lies, or call them presuppositions; here are two of them that the Psalmist disqualifies! 1. “If I work harder, my children will be better.” The psalmist says, “Unless the Lord builds... labor in vain.” You can perfect all your routines, but without God, your efforts are likely to collapse. 2. “Children are a burden I must survive.” The psalmist says, “Children are a heritage and a reward. Not a project. Not a problem. A heritage — something of value, and legacy from God Himself.” Employers demand experience before they trust you. God gives you the child, then gives you the experience as you trust Him. Deuteronomy 28 shows what happens when we follow the flesh: curse, confusion, and collapse. Psalm 127 shows what happens when we follow the Spirit: He builds, He gives sleep to His beloved, He rewards. Your job is not to be perfect. Your job is to be prayerful. To invite the Builder into every room of the house. Nehemiah didn’t rebuild Jerusalem with perfect bricks. He rebuilt with broken people, a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other — and with prayer in his mouth. Please note that your home is under construction. The enemy will oppose you. But the Builder never sleeps nor slumbers, Psalm 121:4. Let Him build through your prayers, not your pressure. PRAYER Lord, I surrender my house to You. Forgive me for building in vain — for trusting my methods more than Your mercy. I confess: I am not enough, but You are. I receive my children as a heritage, not a burden. Build this home. Build their faith. Build my character. Grant me rest from striving and strategy from Your Spirit. What I lack, You are. Today, I stop laboring without You and start leaning on You. In Jesus’ name, Amen. By Rev Joshua Ssali Ssalongo

Intentionality Requires Fathers To Stand Up

Daily Devotional Intentionality Requires Fathers To Stand Up Ephesians 6:1-4 NIV A seed does not grow because the soil is perfect. It grows because the farmer is present — watering, weeding, watching. Your child is that seed. Your presence is the water. You don’t have to be an expert farmer. You just have to refuse to leave the garden. In parenting, the primary call is to fathers. Mothers are everywhere; in school, hospital, market, kitchen, shower room, name it! Fathers, where are you? Very few are committed to the parenting mission. This is what you can declare as a father: “I will not be an absent father or an angry father. I will be a present father. I don’t need to be perfect — I need to be available. I am raising children, not just paying bills. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I will bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4 NIV Many young mothers are exhausted, but many young fathers are absent — even when they are in the house. Society trains men to provide money, not presence. To discipline in anger, not disciple in love. Paul speaks to fathers directly. Not mothers. Not grandparents. Fathers. Because God wired the home with a gap only a father can fill. When fathers are silent, children scream for attention in other ways. When fathers are harsh, children become exasperated — crushed in spirit, provoked to wrath. You might say, “But my father was not there for me. I have no example.” Then hear this: become the first one to break that syndrome. God is not asking you to be perfect. He is asking you to be present. You don’t need 3 years of experience. You need 3 minutes of obedience today. Experience is built when you show up. Moses said in Deuteronomy 28 that curses come when we turn from God’s commands. One of those commands is fatherhood. The flesh of a man says, “I worked all day, I am tired.” The Spirit of God says, “Stand up. Your son is watching. Your daughter is forming her view of God as you watch.” Rise up, dear father, and take your place. PRAYER Abba, Father, forgive me for believing the lie that my presence doesn’t matter. Forgive me for provoking my children through absence or anger. Today I stand up. I may not have had an example, but I have You. Teach me to train, not just to shout. Teach me to instruct, not just to correct. Make me a father after Your own heart — present, patient, and pointing to Christ. For the sons and daughters who have no dad, raise up men in the Body to stand in the gap. In Jesus’ name, Amen. By Rev Joshua Ssali Ssalongo