Table of Contents
OPEN HEAVENS 8 JULY 2026 TODAY DEVOTIONAL & COMMENTARY
TOPIC: EXCEED IN PRAYER
MEMORISE:
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
— Ephesians 6:18 (KJV)
READ: Genesis 32:24-30 (KJV)
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
OPEN HEAVENS 8 JULY 2026 TODAY MESSAGE
Sometime in 1975, my Father in the Lord, Pa Josiah Akindayomi, came to stay with me in my little house in Ilesha, a city in South West Nigeria. Even though it was a mud house that was plastered with cement, I was happy to host my Father in the Lord.
When it was nighttime, we prayed together, and I prepared to go to bed. As I went into my room to sleep, I saw that he was still on his knees, praying, and when I woke up to use the toilet in the middle of the night and again around 5am, the old man was surprisingly still on his knees, praying. I was worried, so I asked if there was a problem, and he said I would soon understand. I have followed in his footsteps since then, and I truly now understand that, as believers, we ought to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Beloved, God has called all His children to a life of prayer. Unfortunately, however, many believers don’t see any reason to pray when things are going well for them. They feel that there is no need to pray because they are not experiencing any challenges. However, if you are a genuine child of God, you must pray without ceasing.
No matter how much you pray now, you can always go higher in the place of prayer. Never let your current prayer lifestyle, no matter how vibrant you think it is, make you feel as if you are doing your best. Keep pushing to be better so you don’t begin to relax and lose your fervency.
When I became the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, I went with six of my best friends to Ilorin, a state in North Central Nigeria, to pray for 36 hours nonstop. After the 36 hours of prayers, God revealed several things to us. We felt good with ourselves, and we thought we had achieved something unbelievable. The following week, however, I was told about a man who prayed nonstop for 30 days!
In today’s Bible reading, we saw Jacob wrestling until he obtained a blessing from God that changed his life for good. Beloved, God expects you to hold on to Him in prayer without fainting (Luke 18:1). Do not relax or boast about any milestones you might have reached in the place of prayer; rather, always seek to exceed them. May the Lord continually empower you to wait on Him as you should in every season of your life, in Jesus’ name.
KEY POINT:
God wants you to keep going higher in the place of prayer.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Proverbs 27-29
HYMN 11: I’VE FOUND A FRIEND IN JESUS
Verse 1:
I’ve found a Friend in Jesus,
He’s everything to me,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
The Lily of the Valley, in Him alone I see
All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.
In sorrow He’s my comfort, in trouble He’s my stay;
He tells me every care on Him to roll.
Chorus:
He’s the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.
Verse 2:
He all my griefs has taken, and all my sorrows borne;
In temptation He’s my strong and mighty tower;
I have all for Him forsaken, and all my idols torn
From my heart, and now He keeps me by His power.
Though all the world forsake me, and Satan tempt me sore,
Through Jesus I shall safely reach the goal.
(Chorus)
Verse 3:
He’ll never, never leave me, nor yet forsake me here,
While I live by faith and do His blessed will;
A wall of fire about me, I’ve nothing now to fear,
With His manna He my hungry soul shall fill.
Then sweeping up to glory, to see His blessed face,
Where rivers of delight shall ever roll.
(Chorus)
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL 8 JULY 2026 COMMENTARY
MEMORISE: Ephesians 6:18
This verse is the apostle Paul’s command for the believer’s prayer life. “Praying always”—not occasionally, not only in crisis, but always. “With all prayer and supplication in the Spirit”—every kind of prayer, led by the Holy Spirit. “Watching thereunto with all perseverance”—alert, persistent, refusing to give up. “And supplication for all saints”—prayer is not selfish; it includes the entire body of Christ. Daddy Adeboye anchors today’s devotional on this text because it establishes that prayer is not a side activity for the Christian; it is the very atmosphere in which we live.
BIBLE READING: Genesis 32:24-30
This passage records Jacob’s all-night wrestling match at Peniel. Jacob was alone, facing the return of his brother Esau, whom he had deceived years earlier. Esau was coming with four hundred men. Jacob was terrified. He had sent his family ahead, divided his camp, and was left alone. In that moment of desperation, a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw he could not prevail, he touched Jacob’s hip, dislocating it. Yet Jacob would not let go. He declared, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” Then the man gave him a new name: Israel, meaning “prince with God.” Jacob had wrestled with God and man and had prevailed. Daddy Adeboye uses this to show that persistent, wrestling prayer that refuses to let go is what brings the life-changing blessing.
Pa Josiah Akindayomi: A Father in the Lord’s Prayer Life
1. The Night That Changed Daddy Adeboye’s Prayer Life
“Sometime in 1975, my Father in the Lord, Pa Josiah Akindayomi, came to stay with me in my little house in Ilesha, a city in South West Nigeria. Even though it was a mud house that was plastered with cement, I was happy to host my Father in the Lord.” This was a humble setting. A mud house, plastered with cement. But the value was not in the building; it was in the guest. Pa Akindayomi was the founder of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. His presence was a blessing.
2. The Prayer Marathon
“When it was nighttime, we prayed together, and I prepared to go to bed. As I went into my room to sleep, I saw that he was still on his knees, praying, and when I woke up to use the toilet in the middle of the night and again around 5am, the old man was surprisingly still on his knees, praying.”
Consider the timeline: at nighttime, Daddy Adeboye and Pa prayed together, and Pa was on his knees. At bedtime, Daddy Adeboye went to sleep, but Pa was still on his knees. In the middle of the night, Daddy Adeboye used the toilet, and Pa was still on his knees. At 5:00 AM, Daddy Adeboye woke again, and Pa was still on his knees.
“I was worried, so I asked if there was a problem, and he said I would soon understand. I have followed in his footsteps since then, and I truly now understand that, as believers, we ought to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).”
Pa Akindayomi’s lesson was that prayer is not a brief duty but a lifestyle. Prayer is not only for crisis but for all seasons. Prayer can continue through the night and is not limited by time. A father’s example shapes the son, and Daddy Adeboye followed his footsteps. The old man was not in crisis. He was not praying because something was wrong. He was praying because that was who he was—a man of ceaseless prayer. And his example became the inheritance of the son who watched him.
The Error of Crisis-Only Prayer
“Beloved, God has called all His children to a life of prayer. Unfortunately, however, many believers don’t see any reason to pray when things are going well for them. They feel that there is no need to pray because they are not experiencing any challenges.”
Crisis-only prayer prays only when there is a problem, treating prayer as an emergency call. Continuous prayer prays in good times and bad, treating prayer as oxygen. Crisis-only prayer makes the relationship with God intermittent. Continuous prayer makes the relationship with God constant. Crisis-only prayer is weak when the crisis comes. Continuous prayer is strong because the connection is always live. “However, if you are a genuine child of God, you must pray without ceasing.”
Why must you pray without ceasing? Not because God needs your information. Not because you need to twist His arm. But because prayer keeps you connected to the Vine (John 15:4-5). Prayer keeps you alert to the enemy’s schemes (Matthew 26:41). Prayer aligns your will with God’s will. Prayer positions you to receive what God wants to give. Prayer is how you abide in Him.
The Danger of Spiritual Plateau: There Is Always Higher
“No matter how much you pray now, you can always go higher in the place of prayer. Never let your current prayer lifestyle, no matter how vibrant you think it is, make you feel as if you are doing your best. Keep pushing to be better so you don’t begin to relax and lose your fervency.”
The danger of feeling you have arrived is that you stop growing, you become complacent, and you lose your fervency. The remedy is to keep pushing to be better, never feel you have done your best, and always seek to exceed your milestones.
“When I became the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, I went with six of my best friends to Ilorin, a state in North Central Nigeria, to pray for 36 hours nonstop. After the 36 hours of prayers, God revealed several things to us. We felt good with ourselves, and we thought we had achieved something unbelievable.”
36 hours of nonstop prayer is extraordinary. Most believers have never prayed for 36 consecutive hours. Daddy Adeboye and his friends had every right to feel they had done something significant. “The following week, however, I was told about a man who prayed nonstop for 30 days!” Daddy Adeboye’s 36 hours felt like an achievement, but the unknown man’s 30 days put 36 hours in perspective. They thought they had done something unbelievable, but this revealed that there is always higher. Their 36 hours were good, but not the ceiling. It was a reminder not to relax.
“Do not relax or boast about any milestones you might have reached in the place of prayer; rather, always seek to exceed them.”
If you pray 30 minutes a day, do not settle there. Press to one hour. If you pray one hour, press to two. If you pray two, press to an overnight vigil. If you pray one night, press to three nights. There is always higher. There is always deeper. The moment you think you have arrived in prayer, you have begun to decline.
Jacob at Peniel: Wrestling Until the Blessing Comes
“In today’s Bible reading, we saw Jacob wrestling until he obtained a blessing from God that changed his life for good.”
Jacob’s wrestling teaches us that prayer sometimes requires sustained, prolonged effort. He refused to let go, declaring, “I will not let thee go except thou bless me.” He was persistent even when injured—his hip was dislocated, yet he still held on. He walked away with a new name: from Jacob (supplanter) to Israel (prince with God).
“Beloved, God expects you to hold on to Him in prayer without fainting (Luke 18:1).” Luke 18:1 says, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” The persistent widow kept coming to the unjust judge and refused to give up, eventually receiving justice. Likewise, Jacob kept wrestling through the night, refused to let go, and eventually received the blessing. Do not faint in prayer. Do not give up after five minutes because you have not felt anything. Do not stop after one request because the answer has not come. Wrestle. Persist. Hold on. The blessing comes to those who refuse to let go.
How to Grow in Prayer Without Ceasing (Practical Steps)
Based on Daddy Adeboye’s teaching and the examples of Pa Akindayomi, Jacob, and the 30-day praying man, here is how to press higher in prayer:
1. Establish a Non-Negotiable Prayer Schedule
Do not pray only when you feel like it. Set fixed times. Daniel prayed three times daily (Daniel 6:10). David prayed evening, morning, and noon (Psalm 55:17). Start with a schedule and stick to it.
2. Lengthen Your Prayer Time Gradually
If you pray 15 minutes, aim for 20. If you pray 30, aim for 45. Do not be satisfied with your current duration. Add five minutes this week. Another five next week. Growth is incremental.
3. Incorporate Prayer into Every Activity
Pray without ceasing means turning daily activities into prayer. While driving, pray for other drivers. While cooking, pray for your family. While walking, pray for your neighborhood. While waiting in line, pray for the people around you.
4. Plan Extended Prayer Sessions
Do not rely only on daily short prayers. Schedule a weekly prayer vigil (one night per week), a monthly prayer retreat (half day or full day), or an annual prayer fast (24 hours, 3 days, 7 days, or more).
5. Learn from Those Ahead of You
Daddy Adeboye learned by watching Pa Akindayomi. Who is ahead of you in prayer? Ask them to mentor you. Watch how they pray. Learn from their example.
6. Never Compare Downward; Always Compare Upward
When you hear of someone who prayed 30 days straight, do not feel discouraged. Feel challenged. Say, “If they can do that by God’s grace, perhaps I can press further than I have.”
Warning: The Danger of a Comfortable Prayer Life
Daddy Adeboye’s devotional carries a sobering warning: comfort is the enemy of fervency. When things are going well, the temptation is to pray less or stop praying. The remedy is to pray without ceasing regardless. When life is stable and predictable, the temptation is to rely on routine rather than God. The remedy is to keep the connection live. When you have prayed a “long” prayer, the temptation is to feel you have arrived. The remedy is to remember there is always higher.
Pa Akindayomi did not pray all night because there was a problem. He prayed all night because that was his lifestyle. Do not wait for crisis to drive you to your knees. Stay on your knees even when the sun is shining.
Conclusion: Your Prayer for Perseverance in Prayer
Daddy Adeboye closes with a prayer that the Lord will continually empower you to wait on Him in every season. Do not relax. Do not boast. Keep pressing.
Pray this:
“Lord Jesus, I thank You for the example of Pa Akindayomi—a man who prayed through the night not because of crisis but because of devotion. Forgive me for the times I have prayed only when I needed something. Forgive me for being satisfied with my current prayer life. Forgive me for relaxing when things are going well. Today, I ask for the spirit of Jacob—the spirit that wrestles through the night and refuses to let go until the blessing comes. I ask for the perseverance to pray without ceasing, not just in emergency but as my daily breath. Break every comfort that makes me complacent. Show me there is always higher. Help me to exceed every milestone I have reached. Give me 36 hours. Give me 30 days. Give me a prayer life that never stops. In Jesus’ mighty name.”
Action Steps:
-
The Prayer Audit: Track your prayer time for one week. How many minutes per day? How many hours per week? Be honest. Then set a goal to increase by 10% next week.
-
The Extended Prayer Plan: Schedule one extended prayer session this month (e.g., 2 hours, 6 hours, or overnight). Put it on your calendar as a non-negotiable appointment with God.
-
The “Higher” Challenge: Identify one person you know (or know of) whose prayer life exceeds yours. Ask God: What can I learn from their example? Then commit to one specific practice they model.
