Daily Bible Plan - Joel 1:1-20
- Reverend Joseph Antwi
- May 13
- 3 min read
13. May 2026
Devotion by Reverend Joseph Antwi
Theme: Reliving the Pentecost Experience - The aggresive Faith
Church, I am excited for us to enter into the book of Joel as we finish studying first and second Timothy. As we relive the Pentecost experience, we must also study Joel because it gives us a strong foundation concerning God’s mercy, His warnings, repentance, prayer, and the spiritual condition of His people.
Joel, the son of Pethuel, begins by calling the elders and inhabitants of the land to pay attention to what God is saying:
“Hear this, you elders, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land” (Joel 1:2)
Then Joel says something very powerful:
“Tell your children about it, let your children tell their children, and their children another generation” (Joel 1:3)
Church, the message of God must move from one generation to another. In Fortified City Church and all our fellowships, we must make sure our children hear the Word of God and continue in the ways of the Lord.
Joel then describes a devastating attack upon the land:
“What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten” (Joel 1:4)
He mentions different kinds of locusts:
* chewing locusts
* swarming locusts
* crawling locusts
* consuming locusts
Each one destroyed what the other left behind. Spiritually, this reveals how the enemy slowly attacks believers little by little:
* prayer life
* holiness
* joy
* passion for God
* church commitment
* hunger for the Word
* and spiritual discipline
Joel describes the attack like a strong nation with teeth like lions (Joel 1:6), destroying the land and affecting everything around them.
Then Joel says something very deep:
“The grain offering and the drink offering have been cut off from the house of the Lord” (Joel 1:9)
Historically, the grain offering represented thanksgiving, worship, and dedication to God (Leviticus 2). The drink offering symbolized surrender and a life poured out before God in worship (Numbers 15:5–10).
So when these offerings stopped, it meant:
* famine had entered the land
* resources had dried up
* worship was affected
* and even the house of God was suffering
Church, this was not only a physical problem—it was a spiritual crisis.
Sometimes even today:
* pastors can become spiritually exhausted
* leaders can dry up
* believers can lose spiritual hunger
* prayer altars can become weak
* and churches can lose spiritual fire
Joel continues:
“Surely joy has withered away from the sons of men” (Joel 1:12)
One of the greatest things in the house of God is joy and gladness. We pray today that joy will never leave Fortified City Church, Love City Church, Lucerne City Fellowship, BIWC Bern, and the Global Prayer Hub family.
But Joel also gives the solution:
“Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly” (Joel 1:14)
Joel calls the priests, elders, and people to:
* fast
* mourn
* pray
* gather together
* and cry out to the Lord
Church, this is the foundation of revival. Consistent prayer, fasting, worship, fellowship, and seeking God always bring us back on track.
This month, we declare:
* our joy is restored
* our prayer life is restored
* our spiritual hunger is restored
* our faith is restored
* and our fire for God is restored
In Jesus’ name.
Joel cried:
“O Lord, to You I cry out” (Joel 1:19)
May that become our cry in this generation. Let us not become spiritually dry, distracted, or cold toward God.
Attend church services regularly. Be part of Prayer Gyms, Bible Academies, discipleship classes, and every gathering where believers seek God together.
Tomorrow, by God’s grace, we will continue into Book of Joel chapter 2 and go deeper into what God is revealing through the prophet Joel.
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Reflection Questions
* What areas of my spiritual life have become dry?
* Have I allowed the enemy to slowly steal my joy or passion for God?
* Am I responding to God’s call to prayer and repentance?
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Prayer
Lord Jesus, restore every dry area of our lives. Let our prayer life, joy, holiness, and hunger for Your presence return again. Every spiritual locust assigned against our lives, families, churches, and ministries, we rebuke in the name of Jesus. Help us remain faithful, spiritually awake, and rooted in Your presence. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I thank God for His daily manna has come even today! Thank you Reverend Joseph and comms team for this devotion.
Joel 1 is a powerpacked chapter and this revelation of the locusts, so beautifully broken down by our Pastor, is truly impactful.
I think sometimes one of these locusts comes into our life and suddenly things start to fall apart and as Pastor said what the previous locust could not eat the next one does. So, you become dry, you lose discipline etc. But thank God that Joel gives as the solution.
As Pastor stated _“Church, this is the foundation of revival. Consistent prayer, fasting, worship, fellowship, and seeking God always bring us back on track.”_
I encourage you…
I find it always so astonishing how the devotions are aligned with my current situation.This shows me, how deeply rooted we all are. Sometimes it all can get quite overwhelming, relationships, church, family, work..ect. and we can lose the fire we once had and tend to forget why and for who we are doing all of this. But God is omniscient, and shows us that He is many steps ahead of us. He exposes us, and gives us the solution. He reminds us that we are not suffering for our sake, but also for the sake of the next generation and their next generation and so on. When we feel like we are lacking, we shall call out to Him,…
Today’s devotion has been instructive and powerful, as always! 🔥
The Word (Joel 1:3) taught me that No generation is above it’s need for God’s Word. This gives me assurance in the power of God’s Word - its never-fading relevance to exhort, correct, rebuke, and instruct in righteousness at all times, no matter how technologically sophisticated, knowledgeable, or highly a generation thinks of itself.
This devotion has laid on me the burden of ensuring there is also transformation in the lives of those around me and those who come after me, a sign that I heard the Word and obeyed. And our role, as Pastor powerfully puts it, is to “make sure our children hear the Word of God and…