Jesus motivational

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH 2026.

TOPIC: FROM STEADY PROMOTION TO EXTRAORDINARY PROMOTION

MEMORISE
Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. - (Psalm 37:3)

BIBLE READING: GENESIS 26:1-14 (KJV)

1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.

2 And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

6 And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:

7 And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.

8 And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.

9 And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife; and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.

10 And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.

11 And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him.

13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:

14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

MESSAGE

Steady promotion happens when, if nothing goes wrong, and a fellow works diligently, he or she progresses to the next stage. After that, the fellow moves on to the next stage and continues to progress steadily. A great example of steady promotion can be seen in the case of Isaac in our Bible reading for today. There was a famine in the land, and things were really difficult. However, he obeyed God's instruction not to relocate, sowed in the land, and reaped a hundredfold return. He did not stop there; rather, he kept sowing and reaping until he waxed great. Things continued to progress steadily for him until he attained a very great height.

Steady promotions are good because they represent a slow but steady ascent. Those who experience steady promotion move predictably from point A to B, to C, and then to point D. The challenge with steady promotion, however, is that it only increases by addition, while extraordinary promotion increases by multiplication. For example, when you keep adding 2 and 2, you will need to add a lot of 2s before you can get to 2,000, while on the other hand, if you were multiplying, you would arrive at 2,000 a lot faster.

God desires for His children to progress from the realm of 'steady promotion' to that of 'extraordinary promotion' where they will experience exponential liftings that will cause people to marvel. For example, Joshua experienced steady promotion from serving as a servant to Moses (Exodus 33:11) to becoming a spy for Israel (Numbers 13:1-16). Later on, he experienced an extraordinary promotion and became Moses' appointed successor (Numbers 27:18-21) before eventually becoming the Commander of Israel (Joshua 1).

God does not just want you to have life; He wants you to have it abundantly (John 10:10). He wants you to have much more than you currently do, and He wants to make you a thousand times more than you currently are (Deuteronomy 1:11). When something jumps from one to one thousand, it is no longer operating under natural laws of progression; rather, it is operating by exponential or supernatural laws. This is the pattern that God wants your promotion to follow.

Beloved, my prayer for you is that you will begin to experience rapid and accelerated extraordinary promotions in all areas of your life, starting from today, in Jesus' name.

KEY POINT
Steady promotions are good, but God desires that you also experience extraordinary promotions.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR EZEKIEL 44 - 46

HYMN 20 - I'M PRESSING ON THE UPWARD WAY

1. I'm pressing on the upward way, New heights I'm gaining
everyday; Still praying as I onward bound "Lord, plant my feet on higher ground."

CHORUS
Lord, lift me up and let me stand, By faith, on Heaven's table-land; Where love, and joy, and light abound, Lord, plant my feet on higher
ground.

2. My heart has no desire to stay where doubts arise, and fears dismay; though some may dwell where these abound, My constant aim is higher ground.

3. Beyond the mist I fain would rise, to rest beneath unclouded skies, above earth's turmoil peace is found By those who dwell on higher ground.

4. I long to scale the utmost height, Though rough the way, and hard the fight, My song, while climbing, shall resound Lord, lead me on to higher ground.

5. Lord, lead me up the mountain side I dare not climb without my Guide; And, heaven gained, I'll gaze around, With grateful heart from higher ground.

*OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL*

*DATE: THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 3RD 2026*

*TOPIC: TRADING WITH GOD II*

*MEMORISE:*
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." Luke 6:38

*BIBLE READING: 2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-8*

6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

*MESSAGE:*
Many years ago, God asked me what kind of pastor I wanted to be. He asked, "Do you want to be the best or the worst?" I told Him that I want to be the best. He asked further if l want to be the poorest or the richest, and I said that I want to be the richest. I have experienced being poor, and I can tell you that it is not good. For instance, for the first 18 years of my life, I had no pair of shoes because my parents could not afford any. Shortly after God asked me what kind of pastor I wanted to be, I was at a church gathering, and it was time to give our offerings. Suddenly, God repeated the question He had asked me earlier, and I replied, "The greatest, the best, and the richest." Then, He said, "Give Me the biggest currency note in your pocket." That was hard, because it was a lot of money. I almost shouted, "Get behind me, satan," but I know God's voice, so I stammered, "Yes, yes, Lord." Not long after that, there was another gathering, and He asked the same question again. I gave the same answer, and He said, "Double what you have been giving Me," so I doubled it. Not long after that, He asked me to triple it. I did, and then He began to act. Every day, different people would approach me to give me something, so I started to expect it. One day, I was about to sleep when I remembered that no one had approached me to give me anything. I told God, "Daddy, I didn't receive Your messenger today. Nobody gave me anything today." Around midnight, somebody knocked on my door and said, "Sir, God asked me to give you this." I asked the fellow how he could be out that late, and he said, "I know that the God who sent me to you will take care of me."

Beloved, let me ask you, "What kind of Christian would you like to be, a poor one or a rich one?" I want you to trust God and let Him prove Himself in your life as the Almighty Supplier. Give to Him continually out of the resources He has blessed you with, and I can assure you that a time will come when you will say to Him, "God, are these blessings not becoming too much?"

*KEY POINT:*
God always blesses those who give to Him.

*AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE*

*BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: EZEKIEL 31-32*

*HYMN 27: WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS*

1 What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!

2 Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer!

3 Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge--
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield you;
you will find a solace there.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 2ND 2026

TOPIC: TRADING WITH GOD I

MEMORIZE:
"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Galatians 6:7 (KJV)

BIBLE READING: 2 CHRONICLES 1:6-15

6 And Solomon went up thither to the brasen altar before the Lord, which was at the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it.

7 In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.

8 And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead.

9 Now, O Lord God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.

10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?

11 And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:

12 Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.

13 Then Solomon came from his journey to the high place that was at Gibeon to Jerusalem, from before the tabernacle of the congregation, and reigned over Israel.

14 And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he placed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.

15 And the king made silver and gold at Jerusalem as plenteous as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the vale for abundance.

MESSAGE:
Some years ago, a member of the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International declared that he would cover the cost of every evangelistic programme held in his chapter throughout that year, and everyone agreed. Later that year, the man shared the testimonies about what the Lord had done for him as a result of his giving, and the other members of the fellowship were truly amazed. Then, he offered to cover all the costs of the chapter's evangelistic programmes for the next year, but other members of the fellowship said in unison, "No way!" They also wanted to partake of the blessings that come with giving and didn't want the man to enjoy them alone.

In today's Bible reading, we read that Solomon sowed a thousand burnt offerings as a sacrifice to God, and that night, God appeared to him and asked what he wanted. Solomon asked for the gift of wisdom. God granted his request and also gave him unparalleled riches, wealth, and honour. Solomon was so blessed that the Bible tells us in (2 Chronicles 7:5) that when he gave another offering, he sacrificed 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep!

One of the many beautiful things about trading with God is that God can never owe any man. If you give Him something, He will repay you monumentally. Nobody trades with God and suffers a loss. Hebrews 11:6 calls Him a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him. John 6:5-13 tells us the story of a boy who offered his five loaves of bread and two small fishes for Jesus to feed the multitudes. What happened next was that he witnessed one of the greatest miracles of all time, as he watched his tiny lunch multiply to feed thousands. Apart from that, he also received twelve baskets of leftover food, which I believe were given to him since it was his lunch that was used to feed the multitude. A child who came with a little lunch pack suddenly needed the help of adults to carry baskets of food back to his house.

Beloved, Ephesians 3:20 says that God can do exceeding abundantly above all that you can ask or think. This clearly shows that you can never trade with God and become worse for it. Whatever you give to God will be given back to you in multiple folds, far beyond your wildest imagination.

KEY POINT:
Nobody trades with God and suffers a loss.

BIBLE READING IN ONE YEAR: EZEKIEL 28 - 30

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMNAL 26 - THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING

1 There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

REFRAIN
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

2 There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.

3 There shall be showers of blessing:
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come and now honor Thy Word.

4 There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we're confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 1ST 2026

TOPIC :THE LAW OF HARVEST

MEMORIZE:
"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." Genesis 8:22 (KJV)

BIBLE READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:37-44

37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:

38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.

40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

MESSAGE:
The law of harvest is one of the most powerful laws created by God. It states that ‘whatever a person sows is what he or she will reap’ (Galatians 6:7), and it is so powerful that God applied it to Himself when He wanted more children.

John 12:24 says a corn of wheat must first be sown into the ground and die before it can bring forth much fruit.

So God sowed His only begotten son (Jesus Christ), so that He might gain many more children, and Jesus would become the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29).

Many years ago, there was a man in Nigeria who would hand out cash to people randomly wherever he went.

People followed him everywhere he went because they knew that he would give them money.

Some people wondered if he was mad, but he wasn’t; he only discovered that the more he gave out money, the more he received.

Anyone who truly discovers the secret of the law of harvest would never be begged to give.

The law of harvest is so powerful that when a person sows a seed of kindness or wickedness, the fellow will harvest what he or she has sown in bountiful folds.

Nobody sows a grain of corn and harvests a grain; if you sow a grain of corn, the least harvest you can expect is a cob of corn with many grains.

Job 4:8 says “…they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.” People who spend their time scheming to harm others will eventually fall into the traps they created.

Likewise, if you sow kindness, you will reap an abundance of kindness. Hosea 10:12 says that when people sow in righteousness, they will reap in mercy.

Beloved, one thing you must constantly sow as a believer is good works. Dorcas could never have known that the harvest of her good works towards the widows in her community would come in the form of her being resurrected from the dead (Acts 9:36-42) – that is another mystery about the law of harvest.

Today’s Bible reading tells us that whatever is sown often returns in another form because God gives the seed a body as He pleases.

Dorcas’ seed of kindness returned in a bigger, better form as God’s gift of resurrection.

Keep sowing good works, and watch God repay you in ways beyond your wildest imagination.

KEY POINT:
You will reap what you sow; therefore, sow good works everywhere you go.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

BIBLE READING IN ONE YEAR: EZEKIEL 25-27

HYMN 16: TIS SO SWEET TO TRUST IN JESUS

1. ’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord.”

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er!
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!

2. O how sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to trust His cleansing blood;
Just in simple faith to plunge me
’Neath the healing, cleansing flood!

3. Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
just from sin and self to cease;
just from Jesus simply taking
life and rest, and joy and peace.

4. I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Saviour, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.

*OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL*

*DATE: MONDAY AUGUST 31ST 2026.*

*TOPIC: JUST KEEP SOWING*

*MEMORISE*
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. - (Galatians 6:9)

*BIBLE READING: ECCLESIASTES 11:1-6 (KJV)*

1 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

2 Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

3 If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.

4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.

6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.

*MESSAGE*

Some people attain a level of success in life and believe they have reached the pinnacle of success, so they stop doing the things that helped them become successful. Before long, however, they often come to the realisation that they have begun to regress. This is why, if you have found a key that has helped you make progress in any area of your life and become successful, you must keep using it. The moment a fellow stops doing the things that helped him or her to become successful, such a person will begin to regress.

*Genesis 26:12-14 says:*

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

Isaac sowed in a time of famine because God told him not to leave the land (Genesis 26:2). He sowed the first year and had a hundred-fold return. However, he didn't stop there. I imagine that in the second year, he sowed again, and because he had a hundredfold more than he used to have, he sowed a hundred times more seeds than he sowed the first year and reaped an even greater harvest. I imagine that he kept sowing year after year, thereby compounding his harvest. As a result, he continued to progress until it reached a point that his prosperity became very evident. He became so prosperous that the king of the country came to tell him that he had become mightier than the entire nation, even though he was an immigrant (Genesis 26:16). Isaac didn't stop at one level of prosperity; he kept sowing and moving forward until an entire nation envied him.

Of a truth, it is God who gives prosperity. In (1 Corinthians 3:6), Paul said, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." Paul may plant, Apollos may water, but it is God who ultimately gives the increase. However, there will be no increase if nothing has been planted and watered. This means that the more seeds you plant, the greater your harvest should be. Based on the principle of sowing and reaping, when a person stops planting and watering, the flow of prosperity and increase will also stop. Beloved, do not be tired of sowing because that is the key to perpetual prosperity.

*PRAYER POINT*
Father, please give me the grace to keep sowing in season and out of season, in Jesus' name.

*AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE*

*BIBLE IN ONE YEAR EZEKIEL 23 - 24*

*HYMN 26 - THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING*

1 There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

REFRAIN
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

2 There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain. [Refrain]

3 There shall be showers of blessing:
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come and now honor Thy Word. [Refrain]

4 There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we're confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call! [Refrain]

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SUNDAY AUGUST 30TH 2026

TOPIC: DON’T OVERWORK YOURSELF II

MEMORIZE:
"It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." Exodus 31:17 (KJV)

BIBLE READING: EXODUS 20:8-11

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

MESSAGE:
When I became the General Overseer of RCCG, I was so concerned about the church’s growth that I would fast, pray, and preach for years without taking any rest or going on holiday.

Suddenly, I discovered that whenever I preached for more than 15 minutes, I would lose my voice. I followed numerous recommendations from people to combat the issue, such as drinking tea with honey, but it persisted.

One elderly woman discovered what was wrong with me and said, “You are suffering from what is called ‘teacher’s disease’. You keep teaching without resting your voice, and now it is in rebellion.” I asked her for the cure, and she said,

“Don’t talk for 15 days.” I responded, “How am I going to do that with my busy schedule?” She answered and said, “When your voice no longer lasts for up to five minutes when you preach, you’ll do what I said.”

Therefore, for the first time since became General Overseer, I took a holiday and went to Germany. I stayed with the Nigerian ambassador there, who had a sauna in his house.

He told me that it warms the body from the inside out, and when I enter, I must exit after 15 minutes at most because I would have been sweating profusely. I went into the sauna, and 5 minutes later, I hadn’t sweated.

Ten minutes later, I still hadn’t sweated. It wasn’t until after 15 minutes, when I was supposed to be out, that I began to notice a little sweat.

I stayed in the sauna for 45 minutes before any real sweat came out. I had put my body under so much stress that it wasn’t functioning as it should anymore.

Since then, I have learned that I must not overwork myself and must rest from time to time if I am going to fulfil the assignment that God has given me.

In Exodus 20:1-17, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, and you will notice that four of the verses emphasise the law of the Sabbath. God emphasised the need for His people to rest on the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.

To emphasise its importance, God revisited the issue of the Sabbath in Exodus 31:12-17, instructing Moses that anyone who violated the law of the Sabbath should be put to death.

Beloved, getting rest from time to time is important. When you rest as often as you ought to, you will keep yourself refreshed and preserve your life.

KEY POINT:
You must always find time to rest if you want to fulfil your God-given assignment.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

BIBLE READING IN ONE YEAR: EZEKIEL 21-22

HYMNAL 59: I WANT TO BE LIKE JESUS

1. I want to be like Jesus,
So lowly and so meek;
For no one marked an angry word
That ever heard him speak.

Refrain:
I want to be like Jesus,
God's well beloved Son;
I want to be like Jesus,
The pure and holy One.

2. I want to be like Jesus,
So frequently in prayer;
Alone upon the mountain top,
He met his Father there.

3. I want to be like Jesus,
Engaged in doing good,
So that of me it may be said,
He hath done what he could.

4. Alas! I'm not like Jesus,
As any one may see;
Thy gentle Spirit, Savior, send,
And make me like to thee. [Refrain]

*OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL*

*DATE: SATURDAY AUGUST 29TH 2026*

*TOPIC: DON'T OVERWORK YOURSELF I*

*MEMORISE:*
"And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made." Genesis 2:2

*BIBLE READING: 1 KINGS 19:4-8*

4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.

6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.

7 And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.

8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

*MESSAGE:*
Elijah must have used up a lot of stored-up spiritual energy when he prayed, and fire fell from heaven in 1 Kings 18:36-38. After that, he drew upon the same reservoir of spiritual energy to summon rain from heaven. It had not rained for three and a half years, and the sky was absolutely clear, but he put a significant demand on his reservoir of spiritual energy by praying until it started raining (1 Kings 18:41-45). Furthermore, he used even more spiritual energy to run faster than the king's chariot (1 Kings 18:46) for a distance that some Bible scholars estimate to be about seven kilometres. After doing all these, he hadn't rested or taken time to recharge his spiritual energy when he received news that Queen Jezebel was after his life. His spiritual energy had been grossly depleted, so he ran for three days and nights to save his life. By the time he got to the juniper tree in today's Bible reading, he was so weak and spiritually drained that he prayed to God to end his life. As soon as he said this prayer, he fell asleep because he had not slept for more than three days. The angel of the Lord came to wake him up to eat, and after eating, he fell asleep again, even though he was aware that Queen Jezebel was still after his life. The angel of the Lord had to wake him up a second time to eat again because he needed strength for the great journey ahead of him. You must also take time out to rest and recharge your spiritual energy if you want to run the race ahead of you successfully.

In Genesis 1:1-31, the Bible describes how God created one thing after another. It was a lot of work, but as the account progressed to Genesis 2:2, which is today's memory verse, you will see that God rested. Beloved, you cannot be wiser than God. If God Himself rested after creation, then you must also create time to rest from time to time. Do not finish one demanding task after another without taking time to rest. Many people have overworked themselves to the point of exhaustion, but this is not God's plan for anyone. He wants you to know when and how to take rests so you don't burn yourself out.

Beloved, I pray that the Almighty God will shower you with His wisdom so you will know how to preserve your strength, in Jesus' name.

*REFLECTION:*
Do you rest when you ought to?

*AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE*

*BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: EZEKIEL 18-20*

*HYMN 28: GUIDE ME, O THOU GREAT JEHOVAH*

1 Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven!
Feed me now and evermore;
Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven!
Feed me now and evermore.

2 Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fiery, cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer! Strong Deliverer!
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.
Strong Deliverer! Strong Deliverer!
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.

3 If I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Bear me through the swelling torrent,
Land me safe on Canaan's side:
Songs of praises! Songs of praises!
I will ever give to Thee.
Songs of praises! Songs of praises!
I will ever give to Thee.

4 Saviour, come! We long to see Thee,
Long to dwell with Thee above;
And to know in full communion,
All the sweetness of Thy love,
Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus!
Take Thy waiting people home
Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus!
Take Thy waiting people home.