TOPIC: CONTROL YOUR APPETITE
MEMORISE: But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:27
BIBLE READING: MATTHEW 4:1-4
1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
MESSAGE:
Self-control is one of the fruit of the Spirit. Self-control, especially in the area of food, is something that is lacking in the lives of many children of God in the world today.
Some people eat without caution, and this can lead to obesity, sickness, or even premature death.
For a child of God to live a healthy life or grow in the Spirit, such a fellow must have self-control and be careful of what and where he or she eats.
I recall a time when I visited my hometown some years ago. Before I got there, the Holy Spirit had told me not to eat anything.
However, when I got there, I couldn’t resist the bowls of pounded pounded yam, soup, and assorted meat which I was served.
A few minutes after I finished eating, I received a message to go and pray for one of my elder sisters who was dying.
After receiving the message, I felt confused and heavy. Suddenly, I remembered what God had told me earlier, and I knew that how I felt was the reason He did not want me to eat in the first place.
So, I went behind the house, dipped my finger in my throat, and vomited everything I had eaten.
After then, I became light and comfortable enough to engage in prayers of warfare over my sister. After the prayers, the Lord restored her health.
My dear child, controlling your appetite is part of learning self-discipline.
Therefore, if you are finding it difficult to control your appetite, I implore you to ask the Holy Spirit to help you overcome that struggle today.
I pray that the Lord will indeed help you to exercise self-control in every area of your life, in Jesus’ name.
REFLECTION:
Have you set aside a day(s) to fast and pray every week?
OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 9 MAY 2026 HYMN 12:
LEAD US HEAVENLY FATHER LEAD US
1 Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us
o’er the world’s tempestuous sea;
guard us, guide us, keep us, feed us,
for we have no help but thee;
yet possessing every blessing,
if our God our Father be.
2 Saviour, breathe forgiveness o’er us:
all our weakness thou dost know;
thou didst tread this earth before us,
thou didst feel its keenest woe;
lone and dreary, faint and weary,
through the desert thou didst go.
3 Spirit of our God, descending,
fill our hearts with heavenly joy,
love with every passion blending,
pleasure that can never cloy:
thus provided, pardoned, guided,
nothing can our peace destroy
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: MARK 13:1-13, DEUTERONOMY 11-13
Authors: Pastor E. A. Adeboye and Pastor Folu Adeboye