WORDS OF LIVING WATERS DAILY INSPIRATION
Monday, 5th January, 2026.
Theme: Distance Yourself from Danger
( 1 Jn 3: 22-4:6, Ps 2, Matt 4:12-17,23-25)
It is true that the protection of God is always upon us. But that doesn’t mean that when we see danger on our lives, then we do nothing to avoid it. John the Baptist was arrested by Herod the Tetrarch, this happened when John criticized him for taking his brother Philip’s wife, Herodias. Jesus noticed that Herod may also cause for his arrest or the Pharisees may plan evil against his life, hence he left that area. This was to reduced contact with them. There more he stayed closer to them in these areas he was endangering his life and his ministry. Already the Pharisees hated him and wanted opportunity to kill him.Precisely why he redrew to a more gentile territory to have a peaceful environment for the spread of the gospel. Of course, his time was not yet up for him to be killed, hence he needed to protect himself for that moment, but not to be careless to meet it earlier.
Again after healing some people who followed him, he ordered them not to make him known. This is Jesus who is even God and has the power to do anything. But practically he run away from trouble.
Sometimes we need to also avoid troubles and run away from them. Sometimes we are the cause of our own troubles. There are certain challenges we are currently facing, which we could have been avoided. Sometimes you need to remain silent and hide yourself a bit, in order to avoid troubles. We should have the courage to withdraw from certain places and people if that will bring you peace of mind and distant you from danger. Some of us we talk too much and that has landed us in difficult situations. Don’t be pointing fingers at anybody, you are the cause of your own problems. Learn to be quiet sometimes in life.
Jesus said that because of his divine protection on us , even if we step on snakes, scorpions, and other harmful animals or objects, they can’t harm us. But that doesn’t mean that when you see a snake because of this scriptural text, then you intentionally step on it that it can’t bite you. I tell you it will bite you and bite you hard. In our course of duties as Christians, Jesus will always deliver us from any danger that people and evil forces plan against us. This is what Jesus was telling his disciples and by extension us.
But this doesn’t also mean that we should keep quiet over evil. When we see something evil going on because of the fear of what people will do or say about us, so we keep quiet. This is not what Jesus is teaching us today. He himself stood against the Pharisees severally, because of their evil deeds in society.
Remember whatever you do in society people will comment on it. Whether it is good or bad. That’s is why Paul will say that those who think they are doing the right thing in life should continue to do it. You can’t please everybody in life. You can even be doing good to people but they will find fault with it and destroy your name because of that. Don’t be bothered at all, continue your good works, don’t stop doing them. Your reward will come from God not human beings.
May the Holy Spirit help us to always discern well when to avoid danger if it becomes necessary .Amen.
Have a Blessed Week.
Shalom.🙏🏼🙏🏼
Rev. Fr. Matthew Akakpo
WORDS OF LIVING WATERS DAILY INSPIRATION
Tuesday,6th January,2026.
Theme: Present the little you have to Jesus (1 John 4:7-10, Ps 72, Mk 6:34-44)
The Lord Jesus had compassion on a crowd of about five thousand people, not counting women and children. He fed them with five loaves of bread and two fish. This was after feeding them spiritually and healing some of them from illnesses.
Jesus is concerned about both our spiritual and physical welfare. The disciples didn’t believe that they can get food to feed all the people, because they didn’t have the means to do that. But they forgot that they had Jesus with them who is capable of anything. They only needed to present the little they had and Jesus will multiply it to feed all the people. After this encounter I believe their faith had increased in Jesus, because there was even a left over of twelve baskets.
We need to also have faith in Him and present the little that we have. He can change that little to make it blossom. In the eyes of Jesus, there is nothing like a hopeless situation. Your money for the business you want to begin might be too small, but when you invite Jesus into it , He will bless it and that small business will become a flourishing one. You may be coming from an unknown background, but when Jesus is with you, your story will definitely change. You only need to invite Him into the situation and He will turn things around for your good.
Some of us complain too much just like the disciples, even when Jesus is in the situation with us. We sometimes forget that Jesus is a God of possibilities. Impossibility is not in his dictionary.
May He increase our faith in Him in moments when we are giving up. And may the Lord also have compassion on you today and come into your situation. Amen .
Have a Blessed Day
Shalom. 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Rev. Fr. Matthew Akakpo
WORDS OF LIVING WATERS DAILY INSPIRATION
Wednesday, 7th January, 2026.
*Theme: *Don’t be Afraid*
( 1Jn 4:11-18, Ps 72, Mk 6:45-52)
The disciples of Jesus were entertaining fear because of the storms on the sea and the fact of thinking they have been overcomed by the storm. And also they thought they had seen a ghost when actually it was the Lord walking on the sea. The presence of the ghost terrified them. Meanwhile, Jesus was coming towards them to rescue them from the shackles of the storm and waves of the sea .”Take heart , it is 1, have no fear” Mk 6:50b. Why should they entertain fear when Jesus is with them on the sea? Of course, this is a normal human tendency, but we must wake up from our shackles of fear and trust the power of Jesus always. The storm and the waves of the sea ceased when he got into the boat with them.
We have allowed fear to rule our lives. Fear is a powerful force the devil is using to intimidate believers. As a result, we are not able to stand up in faith and fight the devil through prayer. We tend to think that the forces of the world are more powerful than God.
Don’t allow situations of this world to frighten you to the point of becoming very fearful in life. The storm is a symbol of the difficult challenges you and I are facing in life. The boat is the world we find ourselves. Sometimes we begin to think that Jesus is not in the difficulties we find ourselves, therefore we allow fear to take charge. Jesus is with us in all the human situations that we find ourselves. In our moments of difficulties, he is so close to us than before. He is closer to you than your soul. Jesus never abandons his people to perish in the moments of challenges in life. Stand up to the situation and with the grace of God, you shall overcome it. No situation is bigger than Jesus. Seek the face of the Lord in your moments of distress.
As I have always been saying, what God can’t do doesn’t exist. He is capable of anything. We have allowed situations to bully us too much. As if to say, this situation is impossible to overcome. Some of us have allowed human beings to bully us in life. We have come to fear certain people as if they are powerful than God. Please don’t let anybody to frighten you in life. Those people are not God and they can never be. The power and the authority given to us is far far greater than whatever powers they have. Don’t give any chance to the power of fear in you. You are bigger than fear.
We only need to grow in our faith in Jesus. It takes a strong faith to overcome difficult moments in life. We have to also persist in prayer in order to overcome these mountains in life. Never give up in your situations. Jesus is about to step in your situation. Things seem so difficult to bear, but with Jesus in your boat of life, there is hope. He brings hope to hopeless situations. When everybody has given up on you, there Jesus the mighty one comes in to change your story.
May God increase our faith not to allow fear to rule our lives. Amen.
Have a Blessed day.
Shalom.🙏🏼🙏🏼
Rev. Fr. Matthew Akakpo
WORDS OF LIVING WATERS DAILY INSPIRATION
Thursday, 8th January, 2026.
Theme: Love Genuinely
(1 Jn 4:19-5:4,Ps 72,Lk 4:14-22)
Genuine love must be the foundation of all our activities. The commandment of love which has to do with love of God and neighbor, must be the motivation of all our actions on this earth. Jesus is inviting us today to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others by loving them. This is what he did on the cross. He showed an unconditional love to humanity, by even dying a shameful death on the cross.
In the first reading of today, the apostle John indicates that love of God and neighbor are the same. To love God implies to love your neighbor, and vice versa. One can’t claim to love God but hates his or her neighbor. Because that neighbor bears the image of God. Hence, you must see God in that person. Precisely why Jesus will say that whatever you do to these little ones of mine, you have done it for me.( Mat 25:31-46). It is therefore a contraction in terms to claim to love God but can’t extend the same love to your neighbor. You can’t see God but you can see your neighbor. Hence, such a person is deceiving himself. In fact, as St. John will put it, he is a liar, and it is true.
Our world now is full of conditional love. We do things for people because of what we will gain. And the worst of all is sexual love which has taken over our entire society. The agape love which Jesus is inviting us to imitate is missing in us. Don’t express love to someone because of your personal gains but because that person also deserves to be loved.
Let’s become the embodiment of the true love of God in this world. We must live a life which will promote the commandment of love in this world. I want you to check the kind of love which motivate your activities. Agape love knows no bounds, is not tribalistic, is not discriminatory and so on .
May God help us to develop genuine love for our brothers and sisters. Amen .
Have a Blessed Day.
Shalom. 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Rev. Fr. Matthew Akakpo
WORDS OF LIVING WATERS DAILY INSPIRATION
Friday, 9th January,2026
Theme:BE CLEANSED OF YOUR LEPROSY
( 1 Jn 5:5-13, Ps 147, Lk 5:12-16)
Leprosy was a disgraceful disease among the Israelites and in the time of Jesus. The case for me is not different in our time. One became an outcast, because you couldn’t mingle with people but remained at the outskirts of the town or city. Therefore, it was a disease that no one wished for others not even for your enemies.
Our leprosy is one of spiritual case, which is sin. We are all lepers needing cleansing from Jesus. Sin has put us in a disgraceful state that we need Jesus to deliver us. It has equally disconnected us from God and our fellow humans.
Again, any situation in our lives which has brought shame and discomfort in our lives, I consider as leprosy. Some of these situations make us shy to even go to public places. It might be marriage issue just like the the Samaritan woman, your work, finances, family issues to mention a few. I pray today for you that God should deliver you from all forms of leprosy in your life. So that you can become whole again just like the leper who came to Jesus for healing.
Trust the cleansing power of God, that he is able to do all things. I know the God I worship, therefore I want you to also put all your hope in him. He will never fail.
May God cleanse us from all our leprosy today. Amen .
Have a blessed day.
Shalom🙏🏼🙏🏼
Rev. Fr. Matthew Akakpo
WORDS OF LIVING WATERS DAILY INSPIRATION
Saturday, 10th January, 2026.
Theme: The work of God needs more Hands
(1 Jn 5: 14-21,Ps 149, Jn 3:22-30)
In the gospel of today, the disciples of John came to complain to their master the fact that Jesus is also baptizing like their master. Based on their demeanor and their presentation, they didn’t expect Jesus to be baptizing apart from their master. They feared that Jesus will take the glory of their master, because they claimed everybody was going to him to be baptized. Of course, John made them to understand that he alone can’t do the work of God.
Jesus himself acknowledged that the kingdom business is not for a selected few.In fact, he himself realized that he couldn’t have done the work alone or he can’t do the work alone, hence the need for more hands. And truly no one can do the work of God alone. Definitely you would need people to help you to accomplish the mission of Christ in your life.
Jesus Christ who was God and our Savior for that matter sought out for collaborators. He realized that he couldn’t do it alone. That’s why he had to appoint the twelve apostles to assist him and also continue the work after his death. Aside his apostles, he chose some of his disciples and even sent them on mission, according to the gospel passages. He couldn’t have done it alone, not at all.The kingdom business is too big for anybody or any group of people to accomplish alone.Not even Jesus was able to finish it in his life time, not to talk about us.
Beloved, it is very sad when some of us behave as if to say that we can do all the work of God. How possible can that be? Please have you ever sat down to think about it? The fact that you alone can’t finish the work. Someone was one time complaining that someone was taking his work, hence she was fighting the person in the church. She succeeded in discouraging the young lady,who finally had to leave the church. What a sad story. Won’t you even appreciate the fact that someone wants to help you to spread the work of God. Some of us behave as if God is for us alone, or we are the only children of God. Even if God is for you alone, his work can’t be accomplished by you alone. You need people to help you.
The point is that our very mission that has been entrusted to us to do can’t be accomplished by us alone. You need people to assist you in order to accomplish this individual task. Salvation of souls is a collective efforts. You even need people to help you to attain salvation. You can’t achieve it alone. Then why are you discouraging people who also want to contribute their little to promote God’s kingdom? We all have our various roles to play to achieve this collective objective. That’s why God has endowed us with various gifts for such purpose.
Begin to learn to believe in team work and collaborative ministry as well. Involve people in your line of duty. Groom people to carry on with the work you are doing. Believe in division of labour. Some of us wants to do everything without considering involving people. How long will you survive? In no time you would be tired. Some have tried and they are already tired, they wish to quickly handover to others.
Remember also that we are gifted in different ways, hence don’t be jealous of somebody. Because the gifts of your brother or sister is drawing people towards him, you are becoming jealous of that person. But you are also gifted in your own respect. You can never be that person, likewise that person can never be you. Therefore, why should you be jealous of him? Please repent before jealousy makes you a monster.
May the Holy Spirit grant us the grace to always pray for more labourers in God’s vineyard. Amen .
Have a Blessed weekend.
Shalom. 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Rev. Fr. Akakpo Matthew
