EUPHORIA Devotional (The spirit of joy, an ecstasy that comes from God) January 14, 2026 SHUT THE DOOR TO DISTRACTIONS REV. AROME E. TOKULA Isaiah 30:15 - For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “In RETURNING and REST you shall be SAVED; in QUIETNESS and CONFIDENCE shall be your STRENGTH." But YOU WOULD NOT.” A certain minister of the Gospel once said he discovered that the quality of time that he spends in the Father’s presence in the morning is what buys him time in the day to be effective. The truth is time spent with the Father in prayer is never wasted time because you cannot accomplish much and be exceptional in your life as a Christian if you don’t have quiet time. In Matthew 6:6 Jesus taught this principle when He said, “But you, WHEN YOU PRAY, go into your room, and when you have SHUT YOUR DOOR, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” I want you to note that Jesus didn’t say, “… IF you pray…” He says, “… WHEN you pray…” meaning He didn’t suggest whether we should pray or not because it isn’t optional, rather He teaches us ‘how’ to pray! Jesus teaches that when we pray, we should *shut our doors*! The lesson here is that prayer shouldn’t be a ‘show.’ While there is nothing wrong with public prayer, we must constantly have times of being alone with God in ‘quiet times’ by shutting the door to every form of distraction. Your quiet time isn't necessarily about your physical location; it is more about where your mind is. You must learn to shut the door of your mind to distractions and allow God to speak to you! Quiet times aren’t primarily times of you talking to God and pouring out your problems to Him but a time of listening to Him and receiving life and direction in your spirit man. In our text in Isaiah 30:15, the prophet says that it is in returning to God and resting in Him that we are saved from all the agitations and struggles of life, and it is in ‘quietness’ and confidence that we find our strength, but many would not because they are too busy! As a believer, you shouldn’t start your day trying to round up things from the day before or move on to other things until your day is spent doing much but getting very little in terms of results. While it is good to have morning devotions, it is better to make your quiet time with God a top priority. It could start with 15 minutes every day and then you keep increasing the length of time. Start your day from rest and not from work. In Isaiah 30:16 God through the prophet said to the people, “…And you said, "No, for we will FLEE ON HORSES" Therefore you shall flee! And “We will ride on swift horses, THEREFORE THOSE WHO PURSUE YOU SHALL BE SWIFT!” Don’t make the mistake of thinking that if you run on horses (your ideas, concepts, principles, connections, and efforts) you will make it through life because life will always outrun you. If you return to God in the place of rest and quietness, you will be strengthened and empowered to make great progress in life! Your experience will be best described as captured by the Psalmist in Psalms 16:11, “You will SHOW ME THE PATH OF LIFE; in YOUR PRESENCE IS FULLNESS OF JOY; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” DECLARE I choose to start my day waiting upon You, Father, in prayer! You are my strength and my life because without You I can do nothing and with You, I can do all things. In Your presence, I receive the needed strength and wisdom to function as I shut the door to every distraction and open the portals of my spirit to Your Spirit. Thank You Father for making me a success in Jesus' Name. PONDER Learn to shut the door of your mind to distractions and allow God to speak to you. #IOFWithPastorArome #MorningDevotion #Euphoria #Devotional #January #2026_RevelationAndUprise