Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Cling tightly to your faith in Christ, and always keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences, as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.¹

Victor Hugo, who is famous for his novel the Hunchback of Notre Dame, also wrote a story called Ninety Three. It tells of a ship caught in a dangerous storm on the high seas. At the height of the storm, the frightened sailors heard a terrible crashing noise below the deck. They knew at once that this new noise came from a cannon, part of the cargo on the ship, that had broken loose. It was moving back and forth with the swaying of the ship, crashing into the side of the ship with terrible impact. Knowing that it could cause the ship to sink, two brave sailors volunteered to make the dangerous attempt to retie the loose cannon. They knew the danger of a shipwreck from the loose cannon was greater than the fury of the storm.²

Life can be like this. At times, it is not the external storms that cause us the most problems, but the storms that rage within us. Bitterness, jealousy, pride, greed, and other loose cannons like unresolved hurt, anger, a lack of forgiveness, guilt, amongst several other feelings and internal problems can cause much damage. If we do not confront and work to resolve these, they can cause a shipwreck within our relationships, our faith, or even our life. People with loose cannons in their lives can also cause damage within the churches or other organizations they are a part of. In order to reach the full potential God has for us and be a productive part of His Kingdom work, let us take care of the loose cannons we may have in our lives and be ready and willing to be used by God.

Suggested prayer: Dear God, thank You for Your Word that continuously reminds me of how I should live. Please confront me with any issue in my life that needs to be resolved, so that I can avoid any shipwrecks within my faith, relationships, and life in general. I want to be free of any bondage and be used by you. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

1. 1 Timothy 1:19 (NLT).
2. Brett Blair, Cited on www.eSermons.com

The Encounter for today was written by: Crystal B.

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