Apostle Ayo Akerele, senior pastor of Rhema Assembly and founder of the Voice of the Watchmen Ministries in Ontario, Canada, has shared a powerful personal testimony of how God led him from crisis into divine rest. He emphasizes that revelation becomes more powerful when backed by experience, and his journey into rest began not in comfort but in tears, foreign lands, and seasons where nothing made sense.
The European Wilderness: Three Years of Closed Heavens
About 20 years ago, Akerele lived in a European city where everything seemed to work against him. Despite his efforts in labour, study, applications, work, and prayer, nothing moved. The heavens felt like brass, and every attempt to rise was swallowed by stagnation. He was pursuing an engineering career, believing it was the path to success, but every door remained shut.
After three years of unfruitfulness, he threw himself into intense prayer, crying out for direction. In that place of prayer, God gave him three life-changing instructions. First, God told him he was not aligned with His purpose: although pursuing engineering, he was called into the teaching ministry. Second, God instructed him to leave that city, saying the land was too small for him. Third, God directed him to step into academics, research, and teaching. When he obeyed, doors that had been shut for years opened effortlessly, opportunities multiplied, and favour increased.
The South Africa Furnace: A Season of Pain Before Rest
Years earlier, Akerele left Nigeria for South Africa with dreams and prophecies, believing he was following divine direction. Instead of comfort, he entered a furnace of immigration battles, economic hardship, xenophobic hostility, betrayals, and unending cycles of loss. He faced rejection after rejection, and for two full years, his UK visa was repeatedly rejected, standing like a mountain mocking his faith.
In the midst of that pain, God sent a trusted servant who declared: “Apostle Ayo, your season of rest has come. Within one month, God will overturn what has been resisting you for years.” Exactly as spoken, his rejected UK visa was reversed after two years, he received a BA scholarship, and doors opened effortlessly. He entered his season of rest.
Understanding Rest: The Certainty of Results
Akerele defines rest not as the absence of work but as the certainty of results. Rest is when seeds begin to speak, harvests begin to answer, and efforts produce outcomes without struggle. He cites scriptures such as Matthew 11:28, Hebrews 4:9, Exodus 33:14, and Joshua 21:44 to show that rest is a covenant promise, divine, and a gift. When a man enters rest, results become predictable, enemies lose power, finances stabilize, health flourishes, and the mind becomes calm.
The Lasting Foundation of Rest: Jesus Christ
The greatest form of rest, according to Akerele, is rest in the soul, which begins when Jesus becomes Lord. He emphasizes that money, marriage, or success cannot guarantee sustainable rest; only Jesus gives lasting rest through forgiveness of sins and a new heart. Sin and rest are sworn enemies; rest is the inheritance of the righteous.
Discerning Your Season of Rest
Akerele provides scriptural signs that a season of rest has come: God speaks clearly (as seen with Moses, Israel, and Solomon); unusual storms arise after a word (Mark 4:35–39); harvests begin to arrive; enemies become powerless (Isaac at Rehoboth, early church after Saul’s conversion); a major test appears; and unusual favour locates you (Ruth and Mary). He concludes that rest announces itself through favour and discernment is critical to gain strength, courage, and clarity.
