THE NATIONAL PRAYER ALTAR
MARATHON PRAYERS
Monday 13th - Sunday 19th Jan. 2025
FAITH WITHOUT WORKS
Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle (Deut. 2:24).
After promising Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob the land of Canaan, by an everlasting covenant, God gave the Israelites a curious command as they were about to possess the land. In Deut. 2:24, God instructed them to "begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle." That God has promised an individual or a nation a gift does not imply they should fold their arms and wait. There is a battle to be fought for the manifestation of every promise of God. For the Israelites in the Promised Land, there were giants daring them to go in and possess the land.
In Matthew 12:29, the Lord asks, "Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house?"_ Matthew 11:12 states, " And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force".
The catch phrase in the mouth of many Christians in Nigeria is “The New Nigeria”. Christians are waiting for a restored country filled with righteousness, justice, and peace. In anticipation of the new Nigeria, a lot of prayers and fasting are going on. That is good. However, prayer should not be the only preparation for the manifestation of the new Nigeria. The other side is to “contend in battle”.
It is in contending in battle that Nigeria Christians have a serious challenge. The response of the Church over the years to issues of serious national challenge confirms that Christians in Nigeria are strong in “faith” but weak in “works”. The notion is that having prayed, God would do the rest.
If that attitude does not change, the new Nigeria might be delayed. The new Nigeria would still come, because when God makes a promise, it will come to pass. If a generation does not claim the promise, the next generation would. Therefore, if the promise of the new Nigeria is to be appropriated by this generation of Nigerians, the Church must get militant. The concept of militancy here is not with reference to carrying guns and exploding bombs all over the country. Militancy means that the Church must be prepared to plan and be determined to execute its plan.
A major deficit amongst Christians is the ability to plan. Almost everything is spiritualized and left for God after they have prayed. Meanwhile, in dealing with man, God separates what He would do for man, from what man would do for himself. God only does what man cannot do. If a problem can be solved on the earth, God will not provide the solution from heaven. If an information can be provided on the earth, God will not provide it from heaven. Revelation is God telling an individual what no one can tell him on the earth. There are problems of man that God will not solve from heaven, but man must solve it on the earth.
This is the reality that nations like China, Singapore, Malaysia, not to talk of Europe and USA, have accepted. God gave man brain for man to solve his problems. Even in Israel, where the manifestation of God was rife, God never went to the battle while Israel stayed at home. God always met Israel on the battlefield. The people must be prepared to engage the enemy before God would come and help them.
At present, Nigerians are groaning under cruel taskmasters who pretend to be statesmen. This group of devourers hijacked the state ten years ago with no intention of leaving in 2027. They have stolen, killed, and destroyed (John 10:10). If they are left in office for another ten years, they will continue to steal, kill, and destroy. Majority of the citizens are tired of them. They have replaced governance with propaganda.
If one should ask the average Nigeria Christian what he is doing to get rid of bad government, he would respond with “we are praying”. Ask again, “after the prayers, what are you going to do?” You will hear, “our Church is fasting. After the fasting, you will see what will happen in this country.” Nothing will happen. Faith without works, is dead.
At the National Prayer Altar, we believe in prayers and fasting. The Prayer Altar prays every night for Nigeria, and it will clock three years of unbroken prayer exercise by April 2025. However, we strongly affirm that practical works based on careful planning must be added to prayers. We have often expressed this through some of the interventions we have made on national issues. Everyone ought to pray and work. It is not sufficient to call ourselves to prayer and fasting for Nigeria without adequate strategic planning for Nigeria.
The Nigeria Church has the capacity to transform the country by virtue of its potentials. Christians constitute the largest demographic group in Nigeria. They are the most educated, the most civilized, and the most skilled. They constitute the largest group of academics, intellectuals, scientists, technocrats, business entrepreneurs, skilled artisans, business magnates, and professionals in all fields. Even the wealth of Nigeria, be it oil, gas, ports, water ways, and the bulk of the arable land are on Christian lands. Yet, in Nigeria today, Christians are underdogs. The problem? Christians do not plan; they only pray. Faith without works, is dead.
Even when a plan was prepared, like National Christian Elders Forum did for the Church, some Church leaders killed that plan in 2016. To date, the Nigeria Church has no plan against insurgency, poverty, sexual immorality, corrupt and incompetent government, and apparently no plan to establish a righteous government. Only calls to prayer and fasting!
It can change, and it must. What has been lacking is proper leadership. If Christians will agree and rally round the structure that previous Church leaders built for socio-political engagement of the Church, credible efforts can commence to prepare for the emergence of the new Nigeria. The Nigeria Church has two leadership bodies: the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Christian Social Movement of Nigeria (CSMN). While CAN was established in 1976 to build Church unity and it is managed by the clergy, CSMN was established in 2001 for socio-political engagement of Christians, and it is managed by the laity. Both bodies were established by the five Church groups that make up Christianity in Nigeria. They are the only two groups, so established.
A central mobilizing and harmonizing body is required because of differing denominational and sectional preferences. If Christianity is going to utilize its enormous potentials for societal transformation, Christians must be harmonized to work in unity. Hitherto, Christian political assets have been divided, turning Christians into minority groups during elections.
For 2027, Christians in Nigeria must speak with one voice and consciously present a competent presidential candidate on a credible political party platform. For this to happen, Christians must accept a leadership institution to drive the process. Whoever says Christians should not participate in politics has not read Isaiah 9:6: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder". Christ is the Head, and the Church is His body. The Government is resting upon the “shoulder,” which is His body. It is the responsibility of the Church to provide righteous leadership for Nigeria, and the channel to do that is politics. We must begin to plan.
It would be a shame on all Christians if devourers should return to power in 2027. It would be to our collective condemnation, if the new Nigeria does not manifest as God has promised.
In the meantime, Christians in each denomination/ministry should establish a “Social Forum” for Christians interested in politics and governance to interact. They will work with CSMN to mobilize all the members of their assembly in preparation for the emergence of righteous government in Nigeria. We must match our faith with works. The new Nigeria shall emerge.
CSMN can be contacted at:
PRAYER POINTS
1. John 17:21-23
Pray for unity and peace amongst all Christian groups in Nigeria to birth a righteous and just government for the country.
2. Rom. 16:17-18
Pray that God will silence and incapacitate those who cause division amongst Christians.
3. James 1:5
Pray for divine wisdom to plan and overcome the wiles of the devil and the craftiness of politicians.
4. 2 Cor. 2:11
Pray against every attack and manipulation of Satan and his forces to destroy the Christian political consensus project.
5. Isaiah 9:6
Pray that the Nigeria Church shall be empowered by God to carry the responsibility to birth a righteous and God-fearing government in Nigeria.
6. Ex. 31:1-6
Pray that everyone that God has filled with wisdom and ability to birth the new Nigeria shall come forth.
7. Rev. 11:15
Proclaim that the Kingdom of Nigeria has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. Amen
