WORD OF LIVING WATER DAILY INSPIRATION

WORDS OF LIVING WATERS DAILY INSPIRATION
Monday, 16th February,2026.
Theme: Be Positive about Challenges
(James 1:1-11, Ps 119, Mk 8:11-13)

Beloved, challenges are bound to happen on our ways as people of God. In the first reading, St. James admonishes us to count it all joy when trials come on our way. Because it is a testing of our faith which produces steadfastness. Which makes us strong in faith. In fact, we become so mature in faith when we are positive about them.

My dear friends in Christ the truth is that the challenges or the sufferings have both positive and negative repercussions. For the positive implications, it can make us more mature in our faith, grow in our spirit of discernment as children of God, provoke a search and a return to God, makes us to accept our limitedness as humans, behave well towards our neighbours if it was not the case, makes us acknowledge the fact that we need others around us, and many more. On the other hand if the situation is not managed well, it can lead to anguish, self-absorption, state of despair, revolt against God, commit suicide when life is seen to be meaningless, brings division among families and beyond. But today, Jesus wants us to be more positive about them to avoid this negative effects.

Again, some of us want the whole world to hear our story. The person you have been complaining to, do you know the kind of problems he or she is going through ? Is just that some of them don’t have the courage to tell you their own story. You are complaining too much, please stop it.Let’s rather use that period to intensify our prayers. We shouldn’t behave like the Israelites who had short memories and always resorted to complaining. Don’t easily forget the great deeds of the Lord in your life. I tell you, you have a lot of testimonies to share rather than the problems. Broadcast the goodness of the Lord in your life.

Jesus endured all his sufferings in good faith to the end, and today you and I are enjoying. If he should have also resorted to complaining, I don’t think he would have succeeded to the end. What you are going through has the will of God hidden in it. So try to discover that hand of God in the challenges you are going through. Be positive about them. St. James says that we become perfect and complete in our faith when we remain steadfast in these trying times.

I invite you to turn to Jesus in what you are going through, and he would see you through successfully. Rely on the grace of God, because it is only through his grace that we can overcome.

Beloved, you are an overcomer, so remain focus. Don’t allow any form of distractions, even from those very close to you. Job experienced the same from his wife and close friends. But he didn’t give in to their negative influences, he focused on his God. Cling on Jesus and he will journey with you. Jesus is your answer, hence look up to him. Remember all things work for those who trust in the Lord. And in all situations give thanks to God.

May Jesus grant us the grace to embrace challenges with joy.And may the Lord also have compassion on you today and come into your situation. Amen .

Have a Blessed week.
Shalom. 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Rev.Fr. Akakpo Matthew

WORDS OF LIVING WATERS DAILY INSPIRATION
Tuesday, 17th February,2026.
Theme: Believe in the great deeds of Jesus
(James 1:2-13, Ps 94, Mk 8:14-21)

Beloved, Jesus in the gospel of today was surprised about the posture of his disciples in relation to the great deeds he performs among them. He cautioned them against the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. Meaning against their hypocrisy. But because he mentioned leaven, they thought he was talking about the fact that they didn’t carry bread with them for their journey. Jesus was really hard on them. He asked them whether they are blind to see the great deeds he performs among them, or they are deaf to hear them, or their hearts are hardened or they can’t remember what they witnessed?

The disciples were there when he multiplied five loaves to feed five thousand men, and seven loaves to feed four thousand men, not counting women and children. And in all there were even left overs. Therefore, they shouldn’t have been talking about the fact that they didn’t take enough bread. Because, they have Jesus who can do anything to feed them. He has the power to multiply what they have and provide even if there is none.

Friends in Christ, we are not different from these disciples. Sometimes we get unnecessarily worried about things we know Jesus can turn around for our good. Jesus admonished us not to be worried about what to eat the next minute or the following day or anything about our life in general. Because even the birds of the air don’t work but God feeds them. Hence, why should we who are human beings and valuable than these animals be worried so much about life situations?

We have witnessed great deeds of the Lord in our lives, but we still behave like people who have not experienced the power of Jesus in our lives. The gift of life alone is the greatest miracle ever in our lives. The fact that we are able to wake up everyday is a great deed of God in our lives. Since you were born till now, just sit down and remember the mighty deeds the Lord has done in your life. God indeed has been gracious to you. But for God maybe you wouldn’t have survived that sickness you went through. Some people have died but their condition were far far less than yours. That accident you had, but for Jesus, you would have died. That work wouldn’t have survived if Jesus is not with you. That marriage would have collapsed long time but for Jesus. And the list continues.

God has done a lot in our lives that we need to acknowledge and appreciate. And depend on that to trust him for the journey ahead. Once he has done it before,then we believe that what we are currently going through will also pass one day. He has the track record of performing mighty deeds in our lives. Don’t have a short memory like the Israelites who resorted to habitual complaining. You won’t get anything positive from your continuous complaining. It only worsens your case and you become more worried. Please stop the thinking and trust in the saving power of Jesus. Look up to him in faith with perseverance of prayer, and he would answer you at the appropriate time. Never and ever give up.

May Jesus grant us the grace to always trust in his power of deliverance in our lives. Amen .

Have a Blessed day.
Shalom. 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Rev. Fr. Akakpo Matthew

WORDS LIVING WATERS DAILY INSPIRATION
Ash Wednesday
Wednesday, 18th February,2026.
Theme: COME BACK TO THE LORD
(Joel 2:12-18, Ps 51, 2 Cor 5: 20-6:2, Matt 6:1-6,16-18)

The season of Lent is with us once again. It is a period that we need to dedicate more time to work on ourselves, so that we can develop a deeper relationship with Jesus. We can only achieve this by repenting from our sins to allow a radical change in our lives. Three things the church expects us to intensify: prayer, almsgiving and fasting. We are expected to mature in these areas of our christian life each day of our life, but more importantly to intensify it more during this grace -filled period.

We need to spend more time with the Lord in prayer. Therefore, whatever takes much of our time other than with God, we must fast from them. Hence, fasting is not only about food but from all attitudes and acts which prevent us from spending quality time with God. Yours can be phone, gossip, talking, television etc. I wish to encourage you to focus on one major thing which prevents you from having a deeper relationship with Jesus, and fast from it. So that by the end of the season you might have grown in this area of your life, rather than focussing on many things and you achieve nothing.

If you are a type who spends a lot of time with your phone, then fast from the usage of the phone so that you can get more time to spend with Jesus. It is a time to grow deeper in our spiritual life. If we fast from food and other things which we can save money and other material things, we need to give them as alms to the poor in the society. It will be a useless venture if we keep them in order to use them later by ourselves.

May God help us to grow in our spiritual life in order to love him more during this period. Amen.

Have a spirit – filled Lenten Season.
Shalom 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Rev. Fr. Akakpo Matthew

WORDS OF LIVING WATERS DAILY INSPIRATION
Thursday, 19th February,2026.
Theme: FOLLOW JESUS AND NOT THE WORLD
(Deut. 30:15-20, Ps 1, Lk 9:22-25)

The season of Lent has it major purpose of making us to be more close to Jesus. But to be closer to him depends on the choices we make. Moses told the Israelites either to choose to follow God by doing his will or follow their fleshy desires, which will lead them to destruction. The ways of God leads to eternal life but that of the world leads to eternal damnation. Moses encouraged them to choose God over the world, so that goodness and mercy shall follow them all the days of their life.

What benefit will you and I gain, if we have everything in this world but go to hell after our death? If we choose the world over God , then we should be prepared for it’s consequences. I also encourage you this day to choose Jesus as your closest companion and leave the world behind by intensifying your prayer life and reading your bible frequently. Please make time for Jesus always.

May the Holy Spirit guide our thoughts to follow God’s will always in our lives. Amen.
Have a blessed day
Shalom 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Rev. Fr. Akakpo Matthew

WORDS OF LIVING WATERS DAILY INSPIRATION
Thursday, 19th February,2026.
Theme: FOLLOW JESUS AND NOT THE WORLD
(Deut. 30:15-20, Ps 1, Lk 9:22-25)

The season of Lent has it major purpose of making us to be more close to Jesus. But to be closer to him depends on the choices we make. Moses told the Israelites either to choose to follow God by doing his will or follow their fleshy desires, which will lead them to destruction. The ways of God leads to eternal life but that of the world leads to eternal damnation. Moses encouraged them to choose God over the world, so that goodness and mercy shall follow them all the days of their life.

What benefit will you and I gain, if we have everything in this world but go to hell after our death? If we choose the world over God , then we should be prepared for it’s consequences. I also encourage you this day to choose Jesus as your closest companion and leave the world behind by intensifying your prayer life and reading your bible frequently. Please make time for Jesus always.

May the Holy Spirit guide our thoughts to follow God’s will always in our lives. Amen.
Have a blessed day
Shalom 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Rev. Fr. Akakpo Matthew

WORDS OF LIVING WATERS DAILY INSPIRATION
Saturday, 21st February ,2026.
Theme:NO ONE IS RIGHTEOUS
( Is 58:9-14, Ps 86, Lk 5:27-32)

The self-righteousness of the Pharisees and scribes is the disease of some of us. Some of us are full of spiritual pride, thinking that we are more spiritual and better than others. Yes, it is true that the Lord expects us to strive for holiness in our daily lives. Some of us are doing our best than others but it is our duty to encourage the weak ones to also follow our foot -steps. The strong are to bear with the failings of the weak.

But it is not Christian to show off our spiritual abilities, especially to indicate to others that we are more spiritual than them. Some of us don’t even accept that we are sinful beings. The righteous man even sins seven times daily according to the bible.

Jesus says he came to save sinners and not the righteous. Those who accept that they’re sinners and seek for God’s mercy everyday to do better in their lives are the true friends of Jesus. We cannot mature in holiness if we fail to accept that we are sinners.

Some of us are also dwelling too much on our human weakness, and failing to change from our sinful acts. I don’t equally support this attitude either. The fact that we are weak as humans doesn’t mean we can’t and must not strive for holiness as believers.

May God grant us the grace to accept
our human frailties and do better as believers. Amen.
Have a blessed weekend.
Shalom 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Rev. Fr. Akakpo Matthew