Evangelist Joshua Orekhie Ministries

EJOM DAILY DEVOTIONAL:

Friday, October 2, 2026

TOPIC: DON’T PLAY WITH GOD’S GRACE

OPENING SCRIPTURES

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1–2)

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” (Titus 2:11–12)

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

MEMORY VERSE

“We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.” (2 Corinthians 6:1)

PRAISE AND WORSHIP

Begin today’s devotion with songs that magnify the mercy and holiness of God: “Amazing Grace,” “Grace Greater Than Our Sin,” and “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Lift your hands and thank the Lord for every day His mercy has kept you alive, for every sin He has forgiven, and for every judgment He has held back from your life. Worship Him not only as the God of grace but as the God of holiness.

Don’t Play With God’s Grace – EJOM DAILY DEVOTIONAL: October 2, 2026

Grace is the greatest gift heaven has ever released to fallen man. It was grace that found Noah in a corrupt generation (Genesis 6:8). It was grace that turned Saul of Tarsus into Paul the apostle.

It was grace that reached down into the miry clay and lifted you and me. Without the grace of God, no man would stand, no sinner would be saved, and no believer would make it to heaven.

But there is a dangerous trend in our generation. Many have turned the grace of God into a licence for sin. They sin freely and say, “God understands.” They live carelessly and say, “Grace covers everything.” They ignore correction and say, “We are no longer under law.”

The Bible calls this turning “the grace of our God into lasciviousness” (Jude 1:4). Beloved, grace is not a toy. Grace is not a cover for rebellion. Grace is the costly gift purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ, and whoever plays with it is playing with fire.

Today, the Lord is calling His people to treat His grace with holy reverence. The apostle Paul anticipated the abuse of grace when he asked, “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” His answer was immediate and forceful: “God forbid.”

Paul had just declared that “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20), and he knew that carnal minds would twist this glorious truth into an excuse for wickedness. So he cut off that deception at the root.

One of the subtle ways people play with grace is through familiarity. When a man has been around the things of God for too long without reverence, holy things become common in his eyes.

Uzzah walked beside the ark of God, the very symbol of God’s presence, and when the oxen stumbled, he stretched forth his hand to steady it. The Bible says “God smote him there for his error” (2 Samuel 6:7).

The ark had been in his father’s house for years, and familiarity had replaced fear. The sons of Eli served in the tabernacle every day. They handled the sacrifices, stood in the house of the Lord, and wore priestly garments.

Yet they treated the offerings with contempt, and Scripture records that “the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD” (1 Samuel 2:17).

God judged Eli’s house because “his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not” (1 Samuel 3:13).

Beloved, being in church is not the same as being in Christ. Singing in the choir, serving as an usher, preaching, prophesying, or leading prayer does not give anyone permission to treat God lightly.

The more grace God gives you, the more reverence you must carry. “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48).

The Bible commands, “let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28–29).

The grace of God does not leave a man the way it found him. Titus 2:11–12 reveals that the same grace that brings salvation also teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. True grace is a teacher. It trains you, corrects you, disciplines you, and pulls you away from sin.

If the grace you claim is not teaching you to deny ungodliness, then you have embraced a counterfeit grace preached by men, not the true grace revealed by God.

Hear this in the spirit: you are dead to sin. “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” A dead man does not return to his old house to eat his old food and sleep on his old bed.

When grace saved you, it buried the old man with Christ. Any doctrine that tells you to keep feeding what Christ crucified is a doctrine from the pit of darkness, designed to keep you in bondage while you sing about freedom.

Many people are deceived because judgment did not fall immediately. They lied, and nothing happened. They committed fornication, and nothing happened.

They stole, cheated, and manipulated, and they still went to church, still prospered, still received prayers. So they concluded that God does not mind.

The Bible exposes this deception: “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11).

The delay of judgment is not the approval of God. It is the longsuffering of God giving you space to repent. “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Romans 2:4).

When God holds back the rod, it is not because He has not seen. It is because He is waiting for you to return. Concerning Jezebel in Thyatira, the Lord said, “I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not” (Revelation 2:21).

The space of mercy has a limit. God declared in the days of Noah, “My spirit shall not always strive with man” (Genesis 6:3). There is a deep mystery many do not understand.

The Bible says, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29). This means a man can continue to operate in a gift long after his heart has departed from God.

He can still preach, still prophesy, still cast out devils, still draw crowds, and everyone around him concludes that God is pleased with him.

But hear the words of Jesus: “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22–23).

The operation of a gift is not proof of the approval of God. Gifts are given; character is built. Gifts are evidence of grace; holiness is evidence of a relationship.

Gehazi served beside the greatest prophet of his generation. He saw the dead raised and the leper cleansed. Yet he played with grace when he ran after Naaman for silver and garments.

Elisha said, “Went not mine heart with thee… Is it a time to receive money?” (2 Kings 5:26), and the leprosy of Naaman clave unto Gehazi. Do not let what God gave you for His glory become an instrument of your greed.

The early church moved in great grace. “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33).

But in that same atmosphere of great grace, Ananias and Sapphira decided to lie. They wanted the honour of generosity without the cost of sincerity.

Peter asked, “why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?” (Acts 5:3), and both of them fell down dead.

Many assume that where grace is great, judgment is absent. The opposite is true. Where the presence of God is strong, sin is exposed quickly. “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17).

Do not bring hypocrisy into a holy atmosphere. Do not pretend before men while lying before God. “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23).

Beloved, do not misread your silence season. That season when God has not yet exposed you is a season of mercy, not a season of permission. Use it to repent, not to sin more boldly.

Samson was a man of extraordinary grace. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, and he did exploits no man had done. But Samson played with that grace.

He played with his Nazarite vow, played with Philistine women, and played with the secret of his strength. Every time he escaped, he grew more careless. Then came the day Delilah cried, “The Philistines be upon thee, Samson.”

He said, “I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him” (Judges 16:20). The most frightening thing is not losing grace; it is losing grace without knowing it. Samson thought it would be like other times. But it was not.

Esau had the grace of the birthright, the double portion, the right of the firstborn. But he despised it for one morsel of meat.

Scripture calls him a “profane person” and declares that “afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears” (Hebrews 12:16–17).

There are doors that close permanently. There are opportunities that do not return again. King Saul received the grace of kingship. God took him from obscurity and anointed him over Israel.

But Saul played with obedience, offered sacrifices he was not permitted to offer, and spared what God commanded him to destroy.

The Lord rejected him, and the Spirit of the Lord departed from him (1 Samuel 16:14). The man who once prophesied among the prophets ended his life consulting a witch.

These are warnings written for us. “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32). Grace brought her out of Sodom, but her heart remained in Sodom, and she became a pillar of salt.

Now let me show you the right way to receive grace. When the woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus, He showed her grace: “Neither do I condemn thee.”

But He did not stop there. He added, “go, and sin no more” (John 8:11). Grace forgives the past and commands a new future. Any message of grace that removes “go and sin no more” is incomplete and dangerous.

Paul is the perfect example of a man who received grace correctly.

He said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

Grace did not make Paul lazy; it made him labour. Grace did not make him careless; it made him consecrated. Grace did not make him proud; it made him humble, for “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6).

Yet in the midst of these warnings, there is good news. The God who judges is also the God who restores. Jonah ran away from God’s assignment, but the Bible says, “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time” (Jonah 3:1).

Peter denied Jesus three times, “And Peter went out, and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62). But after the resurrection, Jesus restored him by the Sea of Tiberias and recommissioned him to feed His sheep (John 21:15–17).

What made the difference between Peter and Judas? Both failed the Master. But Peter wept, returned, and was restored, while Judas despaired and was lost.

The difference is not in the size of the failure but in the response to grace. If you have played with God’s grace, do not run away from Him. Run back to Him. “To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 3:15).

Weep before Him like Peter. Rise and obey like Jonah. And from this day, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).

When you truly understand the price of grace, the blood of Jesus shed on Calvary, you will not trample it underfoot. The Bible warns of those who have “done despite unto the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29).

Refuse to grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). Do not quench Him (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Instead, “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

If you have been playing with the grace of God, the door of mercy is still open today. Do not harden your heart, for “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1).

Come boldly to the throne of grace, not to continue in sin, but to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Confess every hidden sin in your life. Forsake every habit you have been covering with the excuse of grace.

Ask the Holy Spirit to restore the fear of God in your heart. “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6). Today is your day of mercy. Do not receive the grace of God in vain.

PROPHETIC DECLARATION

I decree that the grace of God upon my life shall not be wasted. Every spirit of carelessness and spiritual presumption is cast out of my life. I shall not end like Samson, I shall not trade my birthright like Esau, and I shall not be rejected like Saul.

I receive a fresh fear of God and a heart that trembles at His Word. The grace of God in my life shall produce holiness, labour, fruitfulness, and lasting glory. Where sin abounded, grace has much more abounded, and I walk in newness of life, in the name of Jesus. Amen

PERSONAL CHALLENGE

Today, identify one habit, relationship, or practice you have been excusing with the words “God understands.” Write it down, confess it before God, and take one practical step to cut it off completely. Ask a trusted, mature believer to hold you accountable this week.

EVANGELISM CHALLENGE

Reach out to one person who has backslidden or grown careless in their walk with God. Share with them, in love and without condemnation, that the door of mercy is still open. Pray with them to return to the Lord.

AFRICAN PROVERB

“The fly that has no one to advise it follows the corpse into the grave.”

Meaning: A person who refuses correction and ignores every warning will eventually walk into destruction. The fly sees danger but keeps following its appetite until it is buried with the corpse. So it is with anyone who keeps playing with God’s grace, ignoring the warnings of Scripture, conscience, and the Holy Spirit. Wisdom listens to correction before it is too late.

FURTHER STUDY

Romans 6:1–23; Titus 2:11–14; Jude 1:3–4; Hebrews 10:26–31; Hebrews 12:14–17; Judges 16:15–21; 1 Samuel 15:10–23; Luke 17:26–33; John 8:1–11; 1 Corinthians 15:9–10; 2 Peter 3:9–18; Romans 2:1–11

PRAYER ASSIGNMENT – MORNING

Instruction: Confess and repent your sin today.

Praise and Worship: Sing any of your favourite songs.

Memory Verses: Romans 6:1–2; Titus 2:11–12.

1. Father, I thank You for the grace that found me, saved me, and has kept me to this day.

2. Thank You, Lord, for every judgment You have held back from my life because of Your mercy.

3. Father, forgive me for every time I have taken Your grace for granted, in the name of Jesus.

4. Lord, forgive me for every sin I have committed while presuming upon Your mercy.

5. Blood of Jesus, wash me from every hidden sin and secret fault, in the name of Jesus.

6. Every spirit of spiritual carelessness in my life, be cast out by fire, in the name of Jesus.

7. Every spirit of presumption that makes me sin and expect no consequence, depart from me, in the name of Jesus.

8. Every false doctrine of grace that has made me comfortable with sin, be uprooted from my heart, in the name of Jesus.

9. Father, restore the fear of God in my heart, in the name of Jesus.

10. Lord, let Your grace teach me to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts (Titus 2:12).

11. I am dead to sin; I refuse to live any longer therein, in the name of Jesus (Romans 6:2).

12. Every habit I have been covering with the excuse of grace, I renounce you today, in the name of Jesus.

13. Holy Spirit, convict me quickly whenever I begin to drift, in the name of Jesus.

14. Every voice telling me that God does not mind my sin, be silenced, in the name of Jesus.

15. Lord, let me not mistake Your longsuffering for Your approval, in the name of Jesus.

16. Father, let Your goodness lead me to true repentance (Romans 2:4).

17. Every spirit of Samson that plays with the anointing, I reject you, in the name of Jesus.

18. I shall not lose the presence of God without knowing it, in the name of Jesus (Judges 16:20).

19. Every Delilah assigned to steal my anointing, be exposed and cast out of my life, in the name of Jesus.

20. Every spirit of Esau that trades spiritual birthright for temporary pleasure, depart from me, in the name of Jesus.

21. I shall not sell my birthright for any morsel of meat, in the name of Jesus (Hebrews 12:16).

22. Every spirit of Saul that leads to partial obedience, be cast out of my life, in the name of Jesus.

23. Lord, give me grace to obey You completely, in the name of Jesus.

24. Every door of sin I have opened to the enemy, I shut it now by the blood of Jesus.

25. Every legal ground the enemy gained through my carelessness, I withdraw it by the blood of Jesus.

26. Lord, do not take Your Holy Spirit from me (Psalm 51:11).

27. I will not grieve the Holy Spirit, by whom I am sealed unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).

28. I will not quench the fire of the Holy Ghost in my life, in the name of Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:19).

29. Father, let Your grace upon my life not be in vain, in the name of Jesus (2 Corinthians 6:1).

30. Lord, as Your grace was not in vain in Paul’s life, let it produce labour and fruit in me (1 Corinthians 15:10).

31. Father, clothe me with humility, for You give grace to the humble (James 4:6).

32. Every spirit of pride that resists the grace of God in my life, be broken, in the name of Jesus.

33. Lord, give me more grace to overcome every temptation, in the name of Jesus.

34. Lord, help me to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).

35. Let great grace be upon me as it was upon the apostles, in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:33).

36. I shall not fail of the grace of God, and no root of bitterness shall defile me (Hebrews 12:15).

37. Lord, let my life become a testimony of the true power of Your grace.

38. Father, make me a vessel of honour, sanctified and meet for the Master’s use (2 Timothy 2:21).

39. Every opportunity of grace I have wasted in the past, Lord, restore it by Your mercy, in the name of Jesus.

40. Lord, open my eyes to recognise every season of mercy in my life and use it wisely.

41. Father, give me the grace to finish well and not to fall away, in the name of Jesus.

42. I decree that the grace of God upon my life shall produce holiness and lasting glory, in the name of Jesus.

43. Father, I thank You for answered prayers, in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

PRAYER ASSIGNMENT – NIGHT

Instruction: Examine your conduct today. Confess your sins and ask God for the grace to live differently.

Praise and Worship: Sing any of your favourite songs.

Memory Verses: Romans 6:1–2; Titus 2:11–12.

1. Father, I thank You for Your grace that has kept me through this day.

2. Lord, forgive me for every sin I committed today in thought, word, or deed.

3. Blood of Jesus, cleanse my heart before I sleep, in the name of Jesus.

4. Every seed of carelessness planted in my life today, be uprooted by fire, in the name of Jesus.

5. Every evil seed the enemy wants to sow in my life tonight while I sleep, be destroyed, in the name of Jesus (Matthew 13:25).

6. Every power that wants to lure me back into old sins through dreams, be scattered, in the name of Jesus.

7. Every spirit of backsliding assigned against my life, be arrested by fire, in the name of Jesus.

8. Every Delilah of the night assigned to rob my anointing, be bound and cast out, in the name of Jesus.

9. Every spirit of sexual defilement in the dream, be terminated by the blood of Jesus.

10. Every evil hand trying to cut off my spiritual strength while I sleep, wither by fire, in the name of Jesus.

11. Lord, let Your presence never depart from me, in the name of Jesus.

12. Every power that wants to make me lose the grace upon my life, be disgraced, in the name of Jesus.

13. Every evil voice speaking condemnation over my life, be silenced by the blood of Jesus.

14. Lord, let Your Spirit strive with me and correct me, and let me never harden my heart (Proverbs 29:1).

15. Every hardness of heart within me, be melted by the fire of the Holy Ghost, in the name of Jesus.

16. Lord, give me a tender heart that trembles at Your Word (Isaiah 66:2).

17. Holy Spirit, speak to me in the night seasons and instruct me (Psalm 16:7).

18. Every spiritual drowsiness that makes me careless about my salvation, be broken, in the name of Jesus.

19. Every satanic plan to make me trade my birthright, be frustrated, in the name of Jesus.

20. Lord, keep me from every presumptuous sin; let it not have dominion over me (Psalm 19:13).

21. Every hidden sin the enemy wants to use against me, Lord, deal with it by Your mercy, in the name of Jesus.

22. Father, let the fear of the Lord guard my heart through the night, in the name of Jesus.

23. Lord, let me wake up tomorrow with a renewed hunger for righteousness.

24. Father, let Your grace in my life grow stronger day by day, in the name of Jesus.

25. I shall not receive the grace of God in vain, in the name of Jesus.

26. My life shall be a testimony of grace that produces holiness, in the name of Jesus.

27. Father, thank You for Your mercy that never fails, in Jesus’ mighty name.

28. Father, deliver me from every spirit of familiarity with the holy things of God, in the name of Jesus.