Evangelist Joshua Orekhie Ministries

EJOM DAILY DEVOTIONAL:

September 25, 2026

Topic: Breaking The Power Of Backwardness

Opening Scriptures (KJV)

Deuteronomy 28:13, “And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them.”

Exodus 14:15, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.”

Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Isaiah 43:18-19, “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”

Memory Verse

Deuteronomy 28:13, “And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath.”

Praise and Worship 

Sing songs that celebrate God as the One who moves His people forward, restores wasted years and makes a way where there seems to be no way.

Breaking the Power of Backwardness – EJOM DAILY DEVOTIONAL: September 25, 2026

Backwardness is a condition in which a person finds it difficult to make meaningful progress or repeatedly returns to a position he or she should have moved beyond.

It can be painful when you know that you have ability, dreams, plans and opportunities, yet your life appears to be moving in circles. You make progress today, but tomorrow you find yourself struggling with the same problem.

You begin something promising, but somehow you return to the beginning. You work hard, yet there seems to be little evidence of advancement.

Backwardness can manifest in different areas of life. A person may experience backwardness financially, academically, professionally, spiritually, emotionally, or in business. Someone who was once doing well may suddenly begin struggling.

A person who had overcome a destructive habit may return to it. Someone may repeatedly lose opportunities through the same mistakes. Another person may remain trapped in patterns that should have been corrected years ago.

Deuteronomy 2:3 says, “Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.” Israel had spent considerable time moving around the same territory. Then came a divine instruction: You have remained around this mountain long enough. It is time to change direction.

There are moments when you must look at your life and say, “I cannot continue like this.” You cannot continue making the same mistake and expecting a different result.

You cannot remain in the same destructive relationship, or the same problem repeating itself. Sometimes deliverance begins when you become tired of repeating what is destroying your progress

One major sign of backwardness is repeated return to a place you should have moved beyond. You solve a problem today, but shortly afterward you are facing exactly the same situation.

You receive money, but soon return to serious financial difficulty. You make progress in your career, but repeatedly lose opportunities through avoidable mistakes.

You begin growing spiritually, but continually return to habits that weaken your relationship with God.  Paul declared in Philippians 3:13, “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.”

Some people are physically living in the present but mentally living in the past. They continually remember what they once had, who once loved them, how successful they once were or how life used to be.

There is nothing wrong with appreciating good memories, but the past should not become a prison. You cannot drive successfully into the future while continually looking backward. Perhaps you lost an opportunity. Perhaps a relationship ended.

Perhaps a business collapsed. Perhaps you made a terrible mistake.  Your past should become a classroom, not your permanent address.

Some people repeatedly return to relationships that wounded them because loneliness makes the past appear better than it was. They remember a few pleasant moments but forget the manipulation, disrespect and pain.

Others return to destructive habits whenever pressure increases. If you refuse to close the door to yesterday, yesterday may continue interrupting tomorrow.

Jesus said in Luke 17:32, “Remember Lot’s wife.” She left Sodom physically, but her heart remained attached to it. When she looked back, her movement ended. Her story warns us that there are seasons, environments and relationships we must leave completely.

Looking back may appear harmless, but attachment to the past can hinder obedience. Breaking the power of backwardness requires the help of God.

The enemy can use different circumstances, relationships, habits and weaknesses to pull a person away from progress and return them to a former condition.

Anything that continually makes the past appear better than the present may be opening the door to backward movement. The danger is not merely remembering the past; it is allowing the past to become more attractive than the future God has prepared for you.

Dreams in which you repeatedly return to your former village, old house, previous school or past workplace may sometimes represent a return to an old season, unresolved matters or forces attempting to reconnect you with a former condition.

Similarly, seeing a vehicle moving backward instead of forward may symbolise delay, reversal or movement in the wrong direction.  Backwardness can hinder progress, frustrate effort and consume precious years.

It can even cause a person to work hard without producing meaningful results. It may delay opportunities, attack faith, and keep someone occupied with struggles they should have overcome long time ago.

This is why every destructive pattern of backwardness must be confronted through prayer. A person may remain in a relationship for many years before realising that they had ignored serious warning signs from the beginning.

Another may continue in an unsuitable business because they are afraid to change direction. Someone else may remain in an unhealthy environment because familiarity feels safer than taking a step of faith.

Backwardness can delay and stagnate a person’s destiny by making failure, laziness and mediocrity appear more comfortable than discipline, growth and success.

Nevertheless, not every instruction to return somewhere represents backwardness. God may direct a person to revisit a place, relationship or unfinished responsibility for a specific purpose.

He may ask you to return, make peace, correct a mistake, recover something valuable or complete an abandoned assignment. When God leads you back, it is not to imprison you in your past but to accomplish His purpose and prepare you to move forward.

The enemy, on the other hand, wants to drag you back into Egypt. He wants you to return back to the same problem. His purpose is to imprison you in a condition you should have outgrown.

Most people who have moved into a better home would not willingly return to live permanently in their former house, no matter how familiar that house may feel. In the same way, you should not desire to return to the same people or place from which God has brought you.

Familiarity must never persuade you to exchange progress for bondage. Poor health can also slow a person down, limit productivity and introduce confusion or weakness. When someone is constantly battling sickness, it may become difficult to carry out his purpose unto fulfilment.

There are also people whose backwardness is not primarily caused by the devil. What continually pulls them backward may be fear, laziness, procrastination, financial indiscipline, refusal to accept correction, lack of knowledge, poor preparation or the habit of beginning many things without completing any.

If you spiritualise everything, you may spend years rebuking what you should be correcting or seeking wisdom to address. Pray against spiritual opposition, but also examine yourself honestly.

You cannot properly confront what you refuse to identify. Paul declared in Philippians 3:13, “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” Paul understood that he could not fulfil his divine assignment while remaining mentally imprisoned by his past.

There are people who cannot move forward because, in their minds, they are still living ten years ago. They are still thinking about the person who rejected them. They are still thinking about the money they lost.

They are still thinking about the marriage that failed.bThey are still thinking about the opportunity they missed. They are still thinking about the mistake they made. They are still thinking about the painful words someone spoke against them.

Learn from your past, but do not build your house there. Remember the lessons, but refuse to remain imprisoned by the pain. Your past may explain certain things about you, but it does not have to control everything about your future.

Through the help of God, you can break free from every spiritual and self-created pattern of backwardness. Pray, examine yourself, receive correction, acquire knowledge and take deliberate steps forward. You have remained at that mountain long enough. It is time to rise and move in the direction of God’s purpose for your life.

Prophetic Declaration

I declare that every power dragging you backward is broken today. Every cycle of delay in your life shall come to an end. You will no longer return to the bondage, failures and destructive patterns God delivered you from. Your delayed opportunities shall be restored, your unfinished projects shall receive grace for completion, and your feet shall move forward. From today, you shall rise, advance and fulfil God’s purpose for your life, in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER ASSIGNMENT – MORNING

Instruction: Confess and repent your sin today.

Praise and Worship: Sing any of your favourite songs.

1. Father, thank You because Your plan is to move me forward and establish me in Your purpose, in Jesus’ name.

2. O Lord, forgive every sin and wrong decision that has opened the door to stagnation and backwardness in my life, in Jesus’ name.

3. By the blood of Jesus, I separate myself from every covenant and agreement connecting me to backwardness, in Jesus’ name.

4. Every power assigned to drag my life from progress into failure, lose your hold over me, in Jesus’ name.

5. Every chain binding my destiny to the failures of my past, break by fire, in Jesus’ name.

6. Every spirit of backwardness operating in my family line, your influence over my life is terminated, in Jesus’ name.

7. I reject every evil pattern of rising and falling, gathering and scattering, beginning and abandoning, in Jesus’ name.

8. Every power returning me to battles I have already overcome, be defeated by the power of God, in Jesus’ name.

9. Every negative cycle repeating failure, disappointment and delay in my life, break permanently, in Jesus’ name.

10. Any spiritual rope pulling me away from my place of blessing, catch fire, in Jesus’ name.

11. Every arrow of regression fired into my career, business, ministry, marriage or finances, come out and be destroyed, in Jesus’ name.

12. Every negative power using dreams of my former house, school, village or workplace to reconnect me with the past, lose your influence over me, in Jesus’ name.

13. Every evil vehicle carrying my destiny backwards in the spiritual realm, stop and be destroyed, in Jesus’ name.

14. I cancel every dream of moving backwards, returning to an old life or losing my position, in Jesus’ name.

15. Every inherited limitation saying I will never rise beyond the level of my family, be broken, in Jesus’ name.

16. O Lord, deliver me from fear, laziness, procrastination and every attitude hindering my advancement, in Jesus’ name.

17. Father, expose every wrong relationship and association dragging me away from Your purpose, in Jesus’ name.

18. Every power assigned to waste my time and divert my opportunities, be frustrated, in Jesus’ name.

19. I recover every opportunity, position and blessing lost through ignorance and carelessness, in Jesus’ name.

20. Every spirit of near-success syndrome operating against my efforts, be broken, in Jesus’ name.

21. Every invisible barrier preventing me from entering my next level, clear away by the power of God, in Jesus’ name.

22. O Lord, restore the years and opportunities that backwardness has consumed, in Jesus’ name.

23. Father, give me wisdom to recognise and correct every habit working against my progress, in Jesus’ name.

24. I receive the discipline to complete every good project I have started, in Jesus’ name.

25. Every voice of discouragement telling me to abandon my purpose, be silenced, in Jesus’ name.

26. I refuse to remain mentally and emotionally imprisoned by past rejection, failure and disappointment, in Jesus’ name.

27. O Lord, heal my mind and give me courage to move forward again, in Jesus’ name.

28. Every evil hand pushing my finances into debt, waste and constant loss, wither away, in Jesus’ name.

29. Every power turning my helpers away from me, be frustrated, in Jesus’ name.

30. Father, reconnect me with every genuine opportunity and divine relationship necessary for my progress, in Jesus’ name.

31. Every good thing that has stopped working in my life, receive fresh strength and begin to function again, in Jesus’ name.

32. O Lord, order my steps and prevent me from making decisions that will return me to bondage, in Jesus’ name.

33. I receive grace to learn from my past without becoming imprisoned by it, in Jesus’ name.

34. Every limitation placed upon my advancement by the words of people, break now, in Jesus’ name.

35. I reject demotion, reduction, stagnation and unprofitable labour, in Jesus’ name.

36. From today, my efforts shall produce good results, and my labour shall receive divine rewards, in Jesus’ name.

37. Father, open doors that will move my life, family, career and ministry forward, in Jesus’ name.

38. I declare that my children and household shall never inherit patterns of backwardness, in Jesus’ name.

39. By the power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, I rise above every limitation and move into my season of progress, in Jesus’ name.

40. I shall move forward, advance, increase and fulfil my divine purpose; backwardness shall have no place in my life, in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER ASSIGNMENT – NIGHT

Instruction: Confess and repent your sin today.

Praise and Worship: Sing any of your favourite songs.

1. Every evil decree commanding my life to move from abundance to scarcity, be cancelled by the blood of Jesus, in Jesus’ name.
2. Every satanic embargo placed upon my advancement, expire now by the authority of Christ, in Jesus’ name.
3. Evil altars demanding that I remain beneath my potential, be silenced by the blood of Jesus, in Jesus’ name.
4. Every ancestral voice summoning me back to the struggles of previous generations, be silenced forever, in Jesus’ name.
5. Powers exchanging my promotion for demotion, surrender and restore what belongs to me, in Jesus’ name.
6. Every manipulation turning my testimonies into fresh battles, be overturned by the power of God, in Jesus’ name.
7. Every spiritual padlock placed upon the gate of my advancement, break into pieces, in Jesus’ name.
8. Any evil handwriting programming decline into my future, be wiped away by the blood of Jesus, in Jesus’ name.
9. Every power assigned to make me serve beneath those I am destined to lead, release me now, in Jesus’ name.
10. Every satanic timetable prolonging my season of struggle, be cancelled by divine authority, in Jesus’ name.
11. O Lord, accelerate every good thing in my life that has suffered unnecessary delay, in Jesus’ name.
12. Every evil load placed upon me to slow down my journey, fall away and burn to ashes, in Jesus’ name.
13. Powers assigned to replace my excellence with mediocrity, be disgraced, in Jesus’ name.
14. Every spiritual parasite feeding upon the fruits of my labour, be removed by the fire of God, in Jesus’ name.
15. My hands shall never labour for strangers to harvest; I shall enjoy the fruits of my efforts, in Jesus’ name.
16. Every curse causing me to lose valuable things after acquiring them, break permanently, in Jesus’ name.
17. Every power that waits until I am close to success before attacking my progress, be exposed and defeated, in Jesus’ name.
18. O Lord, close every hidden entrance through which regression enters my life, in Jesus’ name.
19. Every evil observer monitoring my advancement to enforce setbacks, be blinded and frustrated, in Jesus’ name.
20. Every spiritual transaction exchanging my glory for shame, be reversed by the blood of Jesus, in Jesus’ name.
21. Every strange mark attracting demotion and rejection to my life, be erased by the blood of Jesus, in Jesus’ name.
22. Father, remove every counterfeit opportunity designed to take me away from my divine destination, in Jesus’ name.
23. Every satanic diversion leading me into wasted years and unprofitable ventures, be terminated, in Jesus’ name.
24. O Lord, restore my spiritual alertness and help me recognise traps before entering them, in Jesus’ name.
25. Every power making wrong choices appear attractive to me, lose your influence over my judgment, in Jesus’ name.
26. Father, give me the courage to leave every environment where my destiny is being buried, in Jesus’ name.
27. Every evil wind blowing away the rewards of my hard work, become still now, in Jesus’ name.
28. My blessings shall no longer disappear at the point of manifestation, in Jesus’ name.
29. Every devourer assigned to consume my income and leave me with nothing, be rebuked by the Lord, in Jesus’ name.
30. O Lord, establish the work of my hands and cause my productivity to increase, in Jesus’ name.
31. Every power manipulating my speed so that others continually overtake me, release my destiny, in Jesus’ name.
32. I receive divine momentum to advance beyond every place where I was previously stopped, in Jesus’ name.
33. Every garment of inferiority making me afraid of greater opportunities, catch fire, in Jesus’ name.
34. Father, deliver me from the mentality that glorifies yesterday and fears tomorrow, in Jesus’ name.
35. Every memory of past pain that weakens my willingness to embrace a new beginning, receive divine healing, in Jesus’ name.
36. O Lord, breathe upon every neglected gift and abandoned vision within me, in Jesus’ name.
37. Every good plan buried through discouragement shall receive new life and divine direction, in Jesus’ name.
38. From today, I shall grow from strength to strength, glory to glory and testimony to testimony, in Jesus’ name.
39. The enemy shall never convert my celebration into sorrow or my increase into reduction, in Jesus’ name.
40. By the mighty hand of God, I cross every boundary of limitation and enter my season of irreversible advancement, in Jesus’ name.