I had a crazy ministry season in university, serving non-stop from year one to final year. So, I decided to take a break during my national youth service. I even tried to dodge the Nigerian Christian Corpers Fellowship (NCCF) leadership interview. Long story short, I ended up leading as state president. I learned never to take a break from God’s work.
Friend, don’t rest from God. You should rest in God (Psalm 16:5-11). There should never be a day or season in your life where you take a break from God or spiritual things. While it is important that we rest our body, our spirit should still maintain fellowship with God (Mark 6:31).
We don’t retire from kingdom service. We rather restrategize and refire (Philippians 3:10-14). We can adjust how we serve, but we should not opt out of service. Any attempt to do this is to create a foothold for the devil in our lives. This was the undoing of David. He decided to rest at the time that kings go for war. He paid dearly for it (2 Samuel 11:1-5).
We are not only saved to serve. We also serve to save ourselves (Exodus 23:25). Service protects us from the danger of backsliding. The moment you are no longer at your duty post, you become vulnerable to the devil and his attacks. Temptations would always have a grip on those who take a break (James 1:13-16).
It is not enough to be relevant at a season of your life. You need to sustain relevance (1 Corinthians 15:58). There is no testimony in sharing about your past exploits when you are nowhere to be found in the present move of God in your generation (Job 29:1-16). You are not rated based on your past form. You are rated based on your current form.
Daniel served under several kings in the Bible, including: Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius the Mede, and Cyrus the Persian (Daniel 6:28). He played important roles as a prophet, advisor, and official during their reigns. What about you? How relevant are you in your church, workplace, family, and society at large (Acts 13:36)?
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria