Evangelist Joshua Orekhie Ministries

EJOM DAILY DEVOTIONAL:

July 21, 2026

Topic: The Danger of Taking God for Granted

Opening Scriptures

Malachi 1:6–8 (KJV)

“A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.”

Memory Verse

Ecclesiastes 5:1 (KJV)

“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.”

Praise and Worship

Sing songs that exalt the holiness, majesty, and faithfulness of God. Thank Him for His mercy, His patience, and the privilege of knowing Him. Ask Him to give you a heart that honours Him in every area of your life.

EJOM DAILY DEVOTIONAL: July 21, 2026 – The Danger of Taking God for Granted

One of the greatest spiritual mistakes a believer can make is becoming too familiar with God. When you begin to limit the limitless power of God in your mind, you unknowingly underestimate His greatness and fail to recognize what He is truly capable of doing in your life.

It is a dangerous spiritual condition when a person no longer takes the things of God seriously. Taking God for granted means disregarding His instructions, neglecting His voice, and treating His presence as something ordinary. Excessive familiarity often breeds contempt and disregard.

The more people become accustomed to God’s blessings, the less they value His presence. This is a dangerous place to be because whatever you take for granted, you will eventually stop appreciating; whatever you stop appreciating, you will stop valuing; and whatever you do not value, you are likely to lose.

The same principle applies to our relationship with God. The moment you stop appreciating His mercy, His grace, His presence, His Word, and His daily guidance, your spiritual life begins to decline often without you even realizing it. In the process, you also begin to lose the countless blessings and benefits that flow from maintaining an intimate and consistent fellowship with Him.

Sadly, many people have lost God’s manifest presence, divine opportunities, spiritual gifts, favour, anointing, and heavenly blessings because they slowly began to take Him for granted. They became so familiar with His mercy that they forgot to honour the One who continually extended that mercy to them.

They enjoyed His blessings but neglected the Blesser. They sought His hand but ignored His heart. What was once precious became common in their eyes, and what they failed to value gradually slipped away from them.

A person may be very prayerful, attend church services regularly, fast frequently, and even serve faithfully in ministry, yet still be taking God for granted in certain areas of life. Spiritual activities alone are not enough to prove that we truly honour God. Christianity is not measured by how busy we are in church, but by how obedient we are to God’s voice.

It is possible to pray every day while deliberately ignoring God’s instructions. It is possible to preach powerful sermons to others while refusing to practise what you preach. It is possible to sing in the choir with a beautiful voice while living in quiet disobedience.

It is possible to pray passionately for others yet secretly doubt that God can still answer your own prayers. It is even possible to encourage others to fast and seek God while you personally neglect the place of fasting and spiritual discipline. These are signs of a heart that is gradually losing its reverence for God.

One of the clearest signs that a person is taking God for granted is selective obedience. Such a person obeys only the instructions that are convenient and ignores those that require sacrifice, humility, or repentance. But partial obedience is still disobedience in the sight of God. Delayed obedience is also disobedience.

God is not looking for people who merely hear His Word; He is looking for those who are willing to obey it completely. The moment you stop taking God seriously, you begin to make dangerous decisions that can affect your destiny. Your conscience no longer convicts you as it once did.

Beloved, people do not usually backslide overnight. Spiritual decline is often a gradual process. Before a person falls publicly, they first drift away from God privately. They lose the fear of God. They become spiritually careless. They ignore the gentle warnings of the Holy Spirit.

They resist divine correction. With time, their spiritual sensitivity begins to fade until they can no longer distinguish between what pleases God and what grieves Him. Another dangerous sign of taking God for granted is remembering Him only in times of crisis.

Many believers become serious with God only when they have pressing needs. When they need healing, they begin to fast. When they need a job, they organise vigils and pray throughout the night. When they are trusting God for marriage, they attend every church programme, every revival, and every prayer meeting.

But once God answers their prayers, their passion begins to fade. They become too busy for prayer. They no longer have time to study the Word. Their devotion becomes irregular, and their commitment to God steadily declines. They begin to live as though they no longer need the God who brought them through difficult seasons.

This is a dangerous spiritual condition because the God who blessed you desires an ongoing relationship with you, not occasional visits whenever you have a problem. King Saul is a painful example of someone who took God for granted. God chose him from among the tribes of Israel, anointed him by His Spirit, and elevated him from obscurity to the throne.

Saul did not earn this honour; it was a gift of God’s grace. Yet, instead of remaining humble and dependent on God, success changed him. Pride entered his heart. He became impatient, self-willed, and rebellious. He began to rely on his own judgment rather than God’s instructions.

Saul’s downfall did not begin on the battlefield, it began in his heart. He repeatedly disregarded God’s commands, offered sacrifices he was not authorised to offer, and spared King Agag and the best of the Amalekite possessions when God had commanded total destruction. He believed his own reasoning was better than God’s command.

The Prophet Samuel confronted him with these unforgettable words:

“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22)

Because Saul consistently took God’s instructions lightly, he eventually lost the kingdom, the anointing, and the favour of God. His life reminds us that no matter how highly God has lifted us, we must never become too familiar with His grace or too proud to obey His voice.

Beloved, never allow your blessings to make you forget the One who blessed you. Never become so familiar with God’s mercy that you stop honouring Him. Continue to fear the Lord, cherish His presence, obey His Word, and walk humbly before Him. Those who honour God will continue to enjoy His favour, guidance, and abiding presence.

The life of King Uzziah is another warning. As long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosperous. His kingdom became strong, his influence increased, and his enemies feared him.  But when he became powerful, pride entered his heart. He assumed he could perform duties that God had reserved for the priests.

Instead of respecting God’s order, he entered the temple to burn incense. While the priests pleaded with him to stop, he refused. Immediately, leprosy broke out on his forehead, and he remained isolated until the day of his death. His downfall did not begin with weakness; it began when success made him forget his dependence on God.

Beloved, grace should never make us careless. The fact that God forgave you yesterday is not a licence to continue living carelessly today. His mercy should produce gratitude, holiness, humility, and deeper obedience. The more God blesses you, the more you should honour Him. The more He lifts you, the more humble you should become.

The more He answers your prayers, the more committed you should be to His service. One of the signs of taking God for granted is ignoring His voice. God may repeatedly warn someone to stop a sinful habit, end an unhealthy relationship, make restitution, forgive someone, or obey a particular instruction.

Instead of responding quickly, the person delays, makes excuses, or completely ignores God’s direction. Every act of delayed obedience weakens spiritual sensitivity. Eventually, the person can no longer recognize when God is speaking. There are believers who have become so familiar with holy things that they no longer appreciate them.

They hear powerful sermons every week but never apply them. They receive prophetic words but ignore the instructions attached to them. They witness God’s miracles yet quickly forget His faithfulness when another challenge arises. Familiarity has robbed them of gratitude.

One of the quickest ways to lose spiritual sensitivity is to despise the small promptings of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit may whisper, “Pray now.” “Read your Bible.” “Call that person.” “Forgive that offence.” “Do not go there.” “Give that offering.” “Avoid that relationship.” If these promptings are continually ignored, the heart gradually becomes hardened.

God still speaks, but the believer no longer listens. One major sign of taking God for granted is when you no longer tremble at His Word. There was a time when one Bible verse could convict your heart. Today, you hear powerful messages without any desire to repent or change. The conscience gradually becomes dull because the fear of God has disappeared.

Taking God for granted limits His effectiveness in your life. It is not because God has become powerless, but because your heart has become hardened. God speaks, but you no longer listen. God warns, but you ignore Him. God opens doors, but you fail to recognize His hand.

When God is no longer your priority, you begin to live your own life. You may begin to things out of order. You may be breaking God’s order and rules. When people begin to take God for granted, they lose the fear of God, become careless in their spiritual life, and start treating holy things as ordinary.

They no longer value prayer, the Word of God, fasting, worship, or obedience as they once did. Taking God for granted does not always mean openly rejecting Him. Sometimes it is seen in the little attitudes we ignore. It is promising God something and failing to keep that promise.

It is receiving His blessings without gratitude. It is asking Him for help only in times of trouble but forgetting Him when life becomes comfortable. It is expecting His protection while deliberately living in disobedience. It is coming into His presence without honour, reverence, or preparation.

The Bible records many people who suffered because they treated God lightly. Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire before the Lord instead of obeying His instructions. King Saul repeatedly ignored God’s commands until he lost the kingdom. Samson became so confident in the gift God had given him that he failed to guard the source of his strength.

He assumed that God would always be with him regardless of how he lived. Sadly, there came a day when the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him, and he did not even realize it. When God blessed them financially, they became too busy to seek Him.

When He answered their prayers, they gradually abandoned the prayer altar. When life became comfortable, they forgot the God who brought them out of their difficult seasons. Never forget that the God who lifted you is also able to remove His hand if you continually dishonour Him.

Every blessing we enjoy today is sustained by His mercy. Taking God for granted also affects your faith. When your relationship with God becomes weak, unbelief begins to grow. No matter how many prophecies are spoken over your life, you struggle to believe them.

No matter how many people pray for you, your heart quietly says, “Nothing will happen.” Why? Because somewhere deep inside, you have concluded that prayer does not work. The problem is not that prayer has lost its power. The problem is that your confidence in God has been weakened through spiritual neglect.

Faith cannot flourish in a heart that has gradually drifted away from God. Another danger is depending more on God’s gifts than on God Himself. Some people become so confident because God has blessed them with wealth, influence, spiritual gifts, knowledge, or success that they gradually stop depending on Him.

They begin to believe that they can handle life without seeking God’s direction. This is exactly what happened to Samson. His confidence shifted from the Giver to the gift. He assumed that because God had always given him victory, the same victory would continue even while he lived carelessly.

Sadly, the day came when “he wist not that the LORD was departed from him” (Judges 16:20). What a painful statement! May that never be our testimony. Taking God for granted can also be seen when people become selective in their obedience.

They obey the parts of Scripture that are convenient but ignore the commands that require sacrifice, repentance, forgiveness, holiness, or humility. True obedience is not partial. If Jesus is Lord, then He deserves complete obedience, not occasional obedience.

A heart that truly reverences God does not ask, “How little can I obey?” Instead, it asks, “Lord, what will please You?” Many people today are surrounded by prophetic words, yet they doubt every one of them. They attend revival meetings but expect nothing.

They receive anointing oil but have no expectation. They ask pastors for prayers, yet inwardly they have already concluded that nothing will change. This is one of the greatest consequences of taking God for granted. Your expectation dies before your miracle arrives.

The Bible says, “According to your faith be it unto you” (Matthew 9:29). If your faith disappears because you no longer value God, you may remain where you are despite all the opportunities God places before you. We must also remember that familiarity can destroy honour.

The Israelites witnessed countless miracles in the wilderness. They saw the Red Sea divided. They ate manna from heaven. They drank water from the rock. They saw God’s cloud by day and fire by night. Yet they still murmured, complained, and questioned God.

Because they became familiar with His miracles, they stopped appreciating Him. What once amazed them eventually became ordinary. As a result, an entire generation died in the wilderness without entering the Promised Land.

Many people assume that because they are still enjoying certain blessings, God must be pleased with them. That is not always true. Sometimes God’s mercy keeps speaking while His Spirit has already been grieved. His patience is not approval. God is not looking for people who merely perform religious activities.

He desires people whose hearts are completely surrendered to Him. Never allow your blessings to replace your dependence on God. The promotion you received came from Him. The ministry you lead belongs to Him. The business that is flourishing today survives because of His favour.

The family you enjoy, the health you possess, the wisdom you have, and even the breath in your lungs are gifts from God. We own nothing apart from His grace. Beloved, do not wait until you face another crisis before seeking God. Let your love for Him be constant whether you are in abundance or in lack, whether your prayers are answered quickly or you are still waiting.

Make God your daily priority. Honour Him with your time, your worship, your resources, your character, and your obedience. Never allow familiarity to replace reverence. Continue to fear God, treasure His presence, and value every opportunity to walk with Him. Those who honour God will always discover that He is faithful to honour those who sincerely honour Him.

Beloved, always remember where God brought you from. Remember the prayers He answered when everyone else had given up on you. Remember the battles He fought for you when you had no strength. Remember the doors He opened when every other door was shut.

Remember the mercy He showed you when you deserved judgment. Gratitude protects the heart from pride, while remembrance keeps your love for God alive. Never allow success, position, influence, knowledge, spiritual gifts, or years of Christian experience to make you feel that you no longer need God.

The higher God lifts you, the more humble you should become. The more He blesses you, the more you should honour Him. The more He entrusts to you, the more faithful you should be. A life that continually acknowledges God will continue to enjoy His guidance, favour, and sustaining grace.

Determine today that you will never become spiritually careless. Continue to honour God’s presence. Continue to obey His Word without excuses. Continue to value prayer, worship, holiness, and fellowship with other believers. Let every new day find you loving God more than the day before.

Those who continue to honour God will discover that His presence remains their greatest treasure, both in this life and in eternity. If you discover that your love for God has grown cold, return to Him today. Do not wait until affliction forces you back to your knees.

Ask the Holy Spirit to restore your first love and renew your passion for prayer, worship, and obedience. Make time daily to read the Scriptures, listen for God’s voice, and thank Him for both the great and the small blessings in your life.

Choose to honour God in every area of your life. Value His presence above material possessions, His approval above human applause, and His will above personal convenience. Walk in the fear of the Lord, remain grateful, and obey Him promptly. Those who continually honour God will never lack His guidance, protection, favour, and abiding presence.

Never take God for granted, for the greatest treasure you have is not what He has given you, it is God Himself. Remain teachable. Remain grateful. Remain prayerful. Never become too successful to kneel before God. Never become too knowledgeable to learn from His Word.

Never become too busy to spend time in His presence. Those who continue to honour God will continue to experience His guidance, favour, protection, and divine help. The safest place for every believer is at the feet of Jesus. When you daily acknowledge that you can do nothing without Him, His grace will continually sustain you.

Prophetic Declaration

I decree over your life today that you shall never lose your hunger for the presence of God, in the name of Jesus. May the Lord restore your first love for Him. Every spiritual dryness and lukewarmness in your life shall come to an end today, in the name of Jesus.

May the fear of the Lord remain in your heart all the days of your life. You shall honour God in your thoughts, words, decisions, and actions. Every blessing that God has given you shall draw you closer to Him and never pull you away from His presence.

I decree that you shall never lose your anointing through carelessness. You shall never lose your divine assignment through disobedience. You shall never lose your crown through compromise.

Personal Challenge

Take time today to examine your relationship with God honestly. Ask yourself whether your prayer life, worship, Bible study, and obedience are growing stronger or becoming routine. If you discover any area where you have become spiritually careless or have taken God’s grace for granted, make a conscious decision to return to Him wholeheartedly. Renew your commitment to honour God daily, not only when you need His help but also when life is going well. Let your love for God be demonstrated through obedience, gratitude, humility, and a sincere desire to please Him in all that you do.

Evangelism Challenge

This week, reach out to someone who has become spiritually discouraged, backslidden, or distant from God. Encourage them with the love of Christ and remind them that God is always ready to receive those who sincerely return to Him. Share a Bible passage with them, pray together if possible, and invite them to a church service, fellowship, or Bible study. Let your life be an example of reverence, gratitude, and wholehearted devotion to God, so that others will be inspired to honour Him and never take His grace for granted.

Prayer Assignment (Morning)

1. I declare that you will never lose your passion for God, in the mighty name of Jesus.

2. Every spirit of spiritual lukewarmness and carelessness operating in your life is destroyed by the fire of the Holy Ghost, in Jesus’ name.

3. May the fear of the Lord remain in your heart all the days of your life. You shall not become spiritually careless, in Jesus’ name.

4. Every power assigned to make you neglect your prayer life and your relationship with God shall fail, in Jesus’ name.

5. I decree that you will never take God’s grace, mercy, favour, or presence for granted, in Jesus’ name.

6. Every spirit of pride that wants to separate you from God is broken over your life today, in the mighty name of Jesus.

7. Wherever you have become spiritually cold, receive fresh fire and fresh hunger for God’s presence, in Jesus’ name.

8. I prophesy that your prayer altar shall receive fresh oil. You shall not grow weary in seeking the face of God, in Jesus’ name.

9. Every blessing that is hanging because of disobedience or spiritual negligence shall be restored as you return to God, in Jesus’ name.

10. May the Holy Spirit make you sensitive to God’s voice. You shall not miss divine instructions anymore, in Jesus’ name.

11. Every power that wants to harden your heart against the Word of God is broken today, in Jesus’ name.

12. I declare that you will not lose your first love for Christ. Your love for God shall grow stronger every day, in Jesus’ name.

13. Every spirit of unbelief and doubt that has weakened your faith is consumed by the fire of God, in Jesus’ name.

14. You shall not become too familiar with God’s blessings that you forget the God who blessed you, in Jesus’ name.

15.  The grace to obey God promptly and completely shall rest upon your life, in Jesus’ name.

16. Every satanic distraction pulling your heart away from God is removed by divine intervention, in Jesus’ name.

17.  I decree that you will never become too busy for God. Every distraction that is taking your heart away from His presence is removed today, in Jesus’ name.

18. Every spirit of familiarity that makes people lose respect for holy things is broken over your life, in the mighty name of Jesus.

19. May God deliver you from every attitude that grieves the Holy Spirit. You shall walk in obedience all the days of your life, in Jesus’ name.

20. I prophesy that your spiritual appetite shall return. You shall hunger and thirst for righteousness, and you shall be filled, in Jesus’ name.

21. Every altar of prayer that has collapsed in your life receives fresh fire today, in the mighty name of Jesus.

22. You shall not become a Christian by title only. Your life shall reflect the power, holiness, and character of Christ, in Jesus’ name.

23. Every blessing that pride has delayed in your life, receive mercy and restoration now, in Jesus’ name.

24. I decree that God will remove every stubborn heart from your life and give you a heart that trembles at His Word, in Jesus’ name.

25. May your ears never become deaf to divine correction. Whenever God speaks, you shall hear, understand, and obey, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer Assignment (Night)

1. O Lord, search my heart tonight and expose every hidden area where I have taken You for granted. Have mercy upon me, in Jesus’ name.

2. Father, forgive me for every act of disobedience, spiritual carelessness, and neglect of Your presence. Wash me clean by the blood of Jesus, in Jesus’ name.

3. Every spirit of lukewarmness that has entered my spiritual life, die by fire, in Jesus’ name.

4. Holy Spirit, restore my first love for Christ. Let my heart burn again with passion for prayer, worship, and Your Word, in Jesus’ name.

5. Every power assigned to make me ignore the voice of God, release me and die, in Jesus’ name.

6. Father, remove every pride, self-confidence, and self-sufficiency that is replacing my dependence on You, in Jesus’ name.

7. O Lord, baptize me with the fear of God. Let me never become familiar with holy things to the point of dishonouring You, in Jesus’ name.

8. Every spiritual blessing I have lost because of negligence, carelessness, or disobedience, be restored by the mercy of God, in Jesus’ name.

9. Every satanic distraction drawing my heart away from God, catch fire and be destroyed, in Jesus’ name.

10. Holy Spirit, make me sensitive to Your voice. Let me hear You clearly and obey You without delay, in Jesus’ name.

11. Every altar of prayer in my life that has gone cold, receive fresh fire tonight, in Jesus’ name.

12. Father, deliver me from every spirit of unbelief and doubt that makes me question Your power and Your promises, in Jesus’ name.

13. Every chain tying me to sin, compromise, and worldly pleasures, break by the power in the blood of Jesus, in Jesus’ name.

14. O Lord, remove every stony heart from me and give me a heart that fears You, obeys You, and delights in doing Your will, in Jesus’ name.

15. Every power assigned to steal my hunger for God’s Word, be consumed by the fire of the Holy Ghost, in Jesus’ name.

16. Father, let my life never become a disappointment to Your Kingdom. Help me to live a life that glorifies You always, in Jesus’ name.

17. Every evil habit weakening my relationship with God, be uprooted tonight by fire, in Jesus’ name.

18. O Lord, preserve me from the errors that caused Samson, Saul, Judas, and Demas to lose their place in destiny. I shall not repeat their mistakes, in Jesus’ name.

19. Father, do not allow me to become too busy for You. Help me to put You first in every area of my life, in Jesus’ name.

20. Every blessing, anointing, opportunity, or divine assignment that is under attack because of spiritual negligence, receive divine preservation and restoration, in Jesus’ name.

21. Holy Spirit, convict me whenever I begin to drift away from God. Never allow me to become comfortable in sin, in Jesus’ name.

22. O Lord, let Your presence never depart from my life. Whatever will make me lose Your presence, remove it from me today, in Jesus’ name.

23. Father, keep me humble in success, faithful in trials, grateful in blessings, and steadfast in every season of life, in Jesus’ name.

24. Every agenda of the enemy to make me backslide before my breakthrough, scatter by fire, in Jesus’ name.