The Crises of Blood on the Destiny of a Land: Nigeria
Genesis 4:11-12 11 And NOW art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 12 When THOU tillest the ground, it shall not HENCEFORTH yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
Innocent blood may be concealed, but it does not leave the land of the killer without consequences. Abel’s blood was concealed, but that did not spare the killer and his land. Nigeria is daily drowned in bloods: from accidents caused by carelessness, ritual murders, politically and otherwise motivated assassinations, jihads, abortions, etc. According to God the Creator, blood both pollutes and “defileth the land” (Numbers 35:33). What is polluted does not yield maximum benefits. Polluted water might seem to quench the thirst, but it can kill. A defiled church might be full of members, yet far from God. What the enemy cannot prevent, he tries to pollute. Our land is destined for greatness but is threatened with seeds pollution by the enemy.
PRAYER POINTS
1). Psalm 51:2, 14 - REPENTANCE Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. … Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God..,” May we acknowledge guilt, where there is, and ask cleansing from bloodguiltiness, for self and the community. Guilty as Cain was, he besought the Lord. May we not be too intelligent to repent.
2). Genesis 4:15 – THE MARK OF PRESERVATION ...And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.” May we request God’s mark of preservation from the beastly avengers of blood that sprawl the lands, preying on the blood of school children, disadvantaged youths, etc.
3). Genesis 4:11-22 – DISCERNMENT And NOW art thou cursed from the earth … it shall not HENCEFORTH yield unto thee her strength …” You cannot fight what you do not know; you cannot treat a disease you are unable to diagnose. May we request divine insights into the calendars of dryness resulting from blood, so we can properly address them.
4). Hebrews 12:24 – BLOOD FOR BLOOD And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. It takes blood to cleanse blood (Numbers 35:33). May we appeal to the higher Blood and the High Priest Jesus to intervene in our cases. Let blood speak over blood.
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 25th - Sunday 31st March 2024
WHO OWNS NIGERIA?
Yes, "the earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof" (Ps. 24), however, whom has God handed Nigeria over to? Acts 17: 26 says that God “… hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;” Each nation has a specific portion of planet earth allotted to it by God. It would be logical to conclude that Nigeria belongs to the indigenous ethnic nationalities. This conclusion may however pose a problem when we consider the next question: Who wrote the current Constitution of Nigeria?
The Constitution is the sovereign document of a state, determining how the country should be governed. It is produced by the citizens, if the country is free, or it is produced by a colonial power if the country is a colony. Under the colonial rule, Nigeria had such constitutions as the Clifford Constitution of 1922, the Richards Constitution of 1946, the Macpherson Constitution of 1951, and the Lyttleton Constitution of 1954. Nigerians did not produce the constitution of the country then, because they were under colonial rule. Now that the country has gained independence, who should produce the constitution of Nigeria?
It is time to answer the question, "Who produced the 1999 Constitution for Nigeria?" Was it produced by Nigerian citizens or was it handed over to them? The reality that Nigerians must face is that some forces are brazenly saying that Nigeria does not belong to Nigerians. They have affirmed this by giving Nigeria a constitution that was not produced by Nigerians. After ending colonial rule on 1st October 1960, Nigeria entered another servitude which commenced on 29th May 1999. This is the reality on ground. What was not made public is the identity of the new colonial master.
To placate Nigerians and lull them into a false sense of security, the National Assembly was persuaded by the new “owners” of Nigeria to conduct regular “amendments” of the Constitution. This has become a ritual that each Assembly does to silence protests and create the impression that Nigerians have a say in the Constitution of the new colonial master. Since 1999, there have been five of such alterations to the Constitution. A few days ago, the National Assembly gave notice of the sixth amendment and called on Nigerians to submit memoranda.
Did any of the previous alterations to the Constitution bring any meaningful change to Nigeria? The 8th Assembly in 2017 made thirty-two (32) amendments to the Constitution. Did it impact the country in any meaningful way? The 9th Assembly conducted its constitutional merry-go-round in 2020 and could not solve the problems of insecurity and poverty. As a matter of fact, after the 9th Assembly concluded its amendments, Nigeria officially became poverty capital of the world. In 2024, the new Assembly is calling for memoranda for another session of motions without movement.
The 1999 Constitution is at the root of the current calamities that have befallen Nigeria. This sovereign document, that was produced by a faceless colonial master, and imposed on the country by Military Decree 24, has locked Nigeria in a cage of violence and poverty. Nigerians may not come out unless they summon the political will to break the chains. We shall highlight four key areas in which the 1999 Constitution is a liability to Nigeria.
CORRUPTION The pillar of corruption in the country is the “immunity clause” in the 1999 Constitution. The clause accords immunity to the President, Vice President, Governors, and Deputy Governors while they are in office. The immunity clause gives them protection from all civil and criminal prosecution no matter the crime they commit. They can only be tried after the expiration of their tenure. It is this immunity that birthed executive impunity in Nigeria. The President and the Governors can loot and mismanage without any fear of prosecution. The immunity clause prevents leadership accountability. Once the leaders are not accountable, the followers will naturally follow suit and the leaders will have no moral authority to query them.
INSECURITY The 1999 Constitution concentrates security in the central government. Nigeria is a Federation in which the federating units have no power to defend themselves. The State Governors are referred to as Chief Security Officers of the state, but the entire security apparatus is controlled from Abuja. In April 2016, Nimbo in Enugu state was attacked by terrorists. The Governor held security meetings with all security formations in the state to prevent the attack. After the security meeting and various assurances given to Governor Ugwuanyi, the terrorists struck. The Governor, as the Chief Security Officer of Enugu state, had no authority over the security forces. In Nigeria, there is neither state nor community Police. Consequently, kidnappers, bandits, insurgents, cultists, armed robbers, ritualists, as well as drug dealers ravage the country unmolested. It is the 1999 Constitution.
UNEMPLOYMENT & POVERTY The 68 items in the Exclusive Legislative List are commercial and developmental projects that only Federal Government can undertake. This list bars states from exploiting resources within their zones for development purposes. Each federating unit should be in control of its resources and pay royalty to the Federal Government. Consequently, Nigeria has resources that it is not adequately benefiting from. Too much responsibility is saddled on the Federal Government by a “colonial master” determined to control every aspect of the lives of Nigerians.
RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE Nigeria obtained independence as a democratic country under Common Law jurisdiction. The National Ideology of Nigeria at independence was Parliamentary Democracy. The 1999 Constitution legitimized dual conflicting ideologies of Democracy and Sharia for Nigeria. Both are antithetical to each other. This was done without the consent of Nigerians. At present, Nigeria has joined Islamic countries like Bangladesh, Brunei, Gambia, Malaysia, and Pakistan in the classification of countries under Common Law and Sharia. Again, it was imposed by virtue of 1999 Constitution. This Constitution is the bedrock of religious insurgency in the country. Religious terrorists will continue to bedevil Nigeria so long as the 1999 Constitution is in force. Sharia in the Constitution gives the Islamist insurgents legitimacy to operate in Nigeria.
On 18th March 2024, some eminent Nigerians, under the aegis of the Patriots Group, gathered in Lagos for a Conference commemorating 10 years of the National Conference. The Patriots Conference passed a resolution calling on the Government to adopt the report of the 2014 National Conference. The Report of the National Conference came with a draft new Constitution for Nigeria.
Every Nigerian must begin to agitate for a new Constitution. The National Assembly must be told in clear terms that another amendment of the 1999 Constitution is no longer required. What is paramount is for the National Assembly to legislate a bill for a new Constitution. The process will be fast-tracked by the adoption of the Report of the 2014 National Conference. Nigeria requires a new Constitution, not an amended Constitution.
For Christians, demand for a new Constitution should form a major prayer focus. It is for liberty that Christ has made us free. The yoke of bondage placed upon Nigeria through the 1999 Constitution must be destroyed so that Nigeria can be free to fulfil the mandate of God. Christians should specifically demand that in 2024, Nigeria shall have a new Constitution, in the Name of Jesus. Amen.
PRAYER POINTS
1). Ps. 129: 1 – 8 Thank God for preserving Nigeria despite countless attacks and afflictions.
2). Isaiah 7: 4 – 7 Decree by the authority of the word of God that every conspiracy of foreign nations to capture and dominate Nigeria shall not stand neither shall it come to pass.
3). Isaiah 8: 9 – 10 Pray that all the faceless forces, locally and internationally, that are behind the 1999 Constitution, shall be scattered and broken in pieces.
4). Zech. 1: 14 – 17 Pray that indignation shall break out from heaven and cover the earth against the 1999 Constitution. Pray for a stirring in the land that shall overwhelm the sponsors of the 1999 Constitution.
5). Matt. 16: 19 Take authority over every satanic manipulation designed to keep Nigerians docile and spellbound. Nullify all those works of darkness with the Blood of Jesus Christ.
6). Gen. 9: 6 With the blood of Jesus, silence the voices of blood crying for vengeance against Nigeria. Decree the judgment in Gen. 9: 6 upon everyone who has shed innocent blood in Nigeria.
7). Isaiah 11: 1 – 4 Pray that the Spirit of God shall brood over the National Assembly and compel the legislators to initiate the process for a new Constitution for Nigeria in 2024.
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 18th - Sunday 24th March 2024
WHAT ARE THE LEGS OF IRON? And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. (Dan. 2: 40).
Over the years, Bible scholars have sought to interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar by concluding that the legs of iron in that revelation refer to the Roman Empire. While the Bible clarified the head of gold in that dream as representing Babylon, the breast and arms of silver as the Medo-Persian Empire, and the belly and thighs as the Grecian Empire, no mention was made of the identity of the legs of irons. However, a careful study of the Roman Empire and contemporary world events reveal that the empire described as the legs of iron could not be the old Roman Empire. The following few points could be considered:
▪️Several Bible scholars subscribe to a revived Roman Empire in the last days. Undoubtedly, we are in the “last days,” but there is no military build-up in Italy. The last military strongman there was Benito Mussolini who appeared during the 2nd World War, 79 years ago. ▪️The devastation and destruction credited to the legs of iron were not typical of the Roman Empire. When the Romans conquered any place, they did not engage in wholesale destruction. Rather, they preserved the cultural artifacts and paved the way for civilization. That was how the saying came, that “all roads lead to Rome”. Unlike the Roman tradition of preserving their conquered places, the legs of iron in Nebuchadnezzar's dream did "break in pieces and bruise.” ▪️The nations that will fight Christ in the Battle of Armageddon are Islamic nations. When we read of Teman, Dedan, Cush, Midian, Moab, Amon, Put, Elam, and so on, they are the current-day Islamic nations. ▪️In the prophecy of Gog in Ezekiel 38, the eight locations that will invade Israel, are today’s Islamic nations. Five of the locations are in Turkey, while Elam is Iran, Put is Libya, and Cush is Sudan. ▪️The “feet and toes … iron mixed with miry clay” represent Islamism and secularism. The word “mixed” is the Hebrew word Ereb and the Aramaic word Arab. The Arabs are the mixed tribes of the desert. Islam is their unifying factor.
Islamism - that is, political Islam - is responsible for global insecurity and bloodshed, while secularism is the root of moral perversion and widespread sexual immorality. Nigeria is in a precarious situation. Islamism is coming from the North while secularism is spreading from the South. The Church is caught in-between.
▪️Mystery Babylon in Rev. 17 could not be Rome. John was carried in the spirit to the desert (wilderness) to see the woman. Rome is not in the desert. The Salafi and Wahhabi ideology that is at the root of Islamic terrorism is based in Saudi Arabia. ▪️According to Dan. 8:21–25, the antichrist will come from the Grecian Empire of Alexander the Great. The four nations that represent that empire today are: Syria, Egypt, Turkey, and Greece. ▪️The head of the beast that was “wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed" (Rev. 13: 3) could only be the Caliphate.
The Islamic Caliphate is the historical Islamic Government or empire, which began with the Rashidun Caliphate in 632 AD shortly after the death of the prophet of Islam, and culminated in the Ottoman Empire, which officially came to an end in 1924. The leader of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal, the Atatürk, dismantled the Caliphate in 1924 and adopted Western civilization so that Turkey could develop. A group of Islamic fundamentalists, led by Hassan Al-Banna, felt that the decision of the Atatürk was a betrayal of Islam. In 1928, they met in a village named Ismaila, in Egypt, and founded the Islamic Brotherhood. The Islamic Brotherhood had two objectives at its foundation:
1. To implement Sharia worldwide 2. To re-establish the global Islamic state known as the Caliphate
The Caliphate was the beast that was wounded to death (in 1924) and was healed (in 1928). The whole world is now wondering after it, in UK, Europe, USA, and of course, in Africa. The Western powers treat Islam like a religion while Israel responds to it as an empire. Consequently, Islam has conquered the West without waging conventional war.
The global upsurge in Islamic terrorism and global expansion of the religion are the direct result of the activities of the Islamic Brotherhood. The goal is to make Sharia a global ideology. In effect, while Islam is outwardly a religion, it is inwardly a world empire, a ruler of the gentiles in the category of Babylon, Assyria, Medo-Persia, and Greece. As an empire, the Caliphate is bent on territorial conquest and global domination. Nigeria has been marked by the Caliphate for conquest because the capture of Nigeria signifies the capture of Africa.
Repeatedly, the National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) has warned Nigerians, particularly the Christians, that the problem of Nigeria is primarily the conflict between Democracy and Sharia in the country. This conflict was smuggled into the 1999 Constitution, producing a sovereign document with dual conflicting ideologies for the country. It is these dual ideologies that are tearing Nigeria apart. For example, the 2023 election was not a democratic exercise. It was Sharia. Every democratic norm was violated in the 2023 elections.
To date, the indigenous ethnic nationalities and the Christian community, are underestimating the Caliphate. The goal is to build the coalition of the antichrist that will face Christ at the battle of Armageddon. According to Biblical eschatology, Christians are expecting an antichrist at the end of the age. In like manner, the Muslims are expecting a saviour at the end of the age. His name is Imam Mahdi. Authorities on this subject believe that the antichrist the Christians are expecting is the leader the Muslims are expecting. It is natural that Satan will want Nigeria in that coalition since God has designated Nigeria a sheep-nation that will spearhead the last days harvest of souls into the kingdom of God. Satan always opposes whatever God initiates.
The battle going on now over Nigeria is intense in the spirit realm, and Christians must be careful where they stand and how they live. There is a titanic struggle going on for Nigeria, and many saints are falling due to greed, covetousness, carelessness, and love for the vanities of the world. It is time for Christians to rebuild the ancient altars of truth and righteousness in the land because the army of darkness is on the move. Only the truth can stop them.
In addition to intense prayers, Christians should participate in the agitation for return to regionalism in the country, so that a multi-layer security architecture can be built from the national to the community level. The terrorists should not be perceived as a rag-tag group of thugs. They are the advance forces. They are globally coordinated, well-funded, and strategically deployed to deliver Nigeria to the Caliphate. This would be at the expense of Christian lives. Not only are Christians at risk, even the indigenous ethnic nationalities, irrespective of religion, are equally at risk. As can be seen from the mass murder of Hausa Muslims in Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Niger, Kaduna, and Katsina, even the indigenous Muslims are not safe.
While we take solace in the assurance of God that Nigeria will not be handed over to Islam, the Caliphate will inflict maximum damage in the attempt. Every effort must be made to mitigate the damage. Prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Ps. 124 Thank God for holding back the flood of the fury of the Caliphate against Nigeria. If not for the Lord Who was on our side, the Caliphate would have devastated Nigeria.
2. Jer. 10:11 Pray that all the forces gathering against Nigeria, both in the spirit realm and in the physical realm, shall be destroyed by the power of God.
3. Lam. 3:37 Nullify the spells, sorceries, divinations, incantations, satanic rituals, and blood sacrifices going on in the country to weaken and destroy Nigerians. Plead the Blood of Jesus against every incantation and enchantment in the atmosphere.
4. Heb. 1:14 Pray for angelic support for Nigeria Christians in the wake of terrorist attacks all over the country. Pray that God shall release His angels to drive these forces of evil out of Nigeria, the same way Lucifer and his forces were driven out of heaven.
5. Hosea 4:6 Pray for more understanding in the Church about the program and purpose of God in this season.
6. John 8:32 Pray that the truth shall make Nigeria Christians free from doctrinal errors and political manipulations.
7. Acts 1:8 Pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church.
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 11th – Sunday 17th March 2024
THE DAY OF VISITATION
“For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation” (Luke 19:43–44).
In the prayer call of last week, we considered a 1995 prophecy and the consequence of an indifferent response from the Church. In this week’s prayer call, we shall consider another prophecy given to the Church in 2013. Already, the consequences of the Church's lukewarm response are being felt, but there is hope that the situation could be remedied if appropriate caution is taken. As it is usual with God, He makes a way of escape for His people whenever He sends warnings to them.
In 2013, two years before the 2015 elections, God sent the Church the warnings in Luke 19:42–44. With the benefit of hindsight, it is now clear that God was not only looking at the 2015 elections but also farther down the road to the 2019 elections. That election was the crucial one, but the unfortunate choices made in 2015 were to impact unfavourably on the outcome of the 2019 elections.
In Matthew 1:17, the Bible records that God dealt with Israel in a cycle of 14 generations, representing 420 years. Israel spent 430 years in Egypt; the period of the monarchy from king Saul to the Assyrian captivity was 410 years; the judges ruled for a little over 400 years; and the period between Malachi and Matthew is regarded as the 400 Silent Years, which silence was broken by the arrival of Archangel Gabriel to deliver a message to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist.
While Nigeria is not old enough to experience a cycle of 420 years, it nevertheless has shown a cycle of divine dealings every 20 years. That cycle started in 1939, and may be highlighted as follows:
▪️1939 – Southern Nigeria was divided into East and West, which hastened development in the South. ▪️1959 – Constitutional Conference and preparations for Independence in 1960. God delayed the Independence till 1960 because Nigeria had to receive Independence on the Day of Atonement which, that year, fell on 1st October 1960. ▪️1979 – The 1979 Constitution and return to Civil Rule. ▪️1999 – The 1999 Constitution and another return to civil rule. ▪️2019 – The next cycle for political configuration of Nigeria - the elections.
Due to misplaced priorities by some Christian leaders, Islamists took over political power in Nigeria in 2015 and began to afflict the land and the people. God was prepared to re-organize Nigeria at the next cycle of political configurations. As the 2019 elections approached, signals came from Heaven, that God was set to return power to the people. A lot of people caught the signal even though many did not fully understand what they were responding to. It would be recalled that Nigeria had the largest turn out of Christians contesting for presidency in 2019. There were over 50 Christian presidential candidates.
Those who understood what was about to happen started planning for a Christian political consensus. That was imperative, so that one Christian presidential candidate could contest against the two Muslim candidates who had taken the tickets of the two major political parties.
Armed with the knowledge of the 20-year cycle and the prophecy of 2013 that Nigeria must not miss divine visitation, arrangements commenced under the Christian Social Movement of Nigeria (CSMN) and the National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF), to harmonize and mobilize Christians to prepare for divine visitation.
A press conference was held on 23rd November 2018 in Lagos, followed by a meeting with 13 Christian presidential candidates on 30th November 2018. The Christians presidential candidates unanimously gave NCEF the mandate to endorse one of them while the other candidates would support. It was clear to everyone that there could only be one president. The selection process was to commence on 10th December 2018.
Without prior involvement in the Christian political consensus project, the apex body of Christianity in Nigeria suddenly issued a press statement, that it would “interview” presidential candidates on 10th December 2018. The NCEF had convened in Abuja to commence their process on that same day. The Christian Elders reviewed the development and opted to step down their process and await the Christian presidential candidate to be announced by the Association. That “interview” never was. The announcement of it seemed to have been a strategy to dismantle the Christian Political Consensus Project of the NCEF
The apex body eventually interviewed 10 presidential candidates made up of 8 Christians and 2 Muslims, at the National Christian Centre, Abuja. It followed up with an advertorial on 21st December 2018 which said nothing about a Christian political consensus.
As if to truncate the CSMN/NCEF Christian Political Consensus Project, the apex body did an advertorial in PUNCH newspaper of 14th December 2018, asserting that it had dissolved the NCEF which is has no constitutional power to do. It was a political mischief, frustrating the Christian Political Consensus Project and making easy way for a jihadist to return to power. The Christian Political Consensus Project collapsed, and the Church lost in 2019. The consequence is what everyone is suffering today.
Soon as Buhari was “re-elected”, officials of the Association were one of the first to visit the presidential Villa to publicly congratulate him, even though that election was still being contested in the court. The jihadist would seem to have been their cherished candidate notwithstanding that in his first term, he had pursued an agenda of blood against Christians.
All that is now history. What should concern Christians at the moment is the next cycle in 2039. At the rate of attacks on the Church and mismanagement of the country, no one needs to be told what lies ahead if God does not intervene.
Fortunately, we serve a merciful God Who hears and answers prayers. A lot of prayers have been made, that God would break into that 20-year cycle and reconfigure Nigeria. The signals from Heaven are positive. As carried in the prayer call of last week, an outpouring of the Holy Spirit is imminent upon Nigeria.
The story of the 20-year cycle is being narrated because of the expectation of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, so that Christians would take care not to miss another divine visitation. God will intervene, but Nigeria Christians must be prepared to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
It shall be well. Amen.
PRAYER POINTS
1). Dan. 9:8–10 Pray in repentance for God’s mercy upon Nigeria even though the Church missed divine visitation in 2019. Confess careless missing of that visitation, which has placed mammon above God.
2). Eccl. 8:11 Pray God’s judgment upon everyone who willfully frustrated the deliverance that God had purposed for Nigeria. If God does not judge those, others will join them for selfish gain.
3). Dan. 4:34–35 Plead with God to exercise His sovereignty in Nigeria by breaking into the 20-year cycle before the next due date in the divine calendar. Pray that God would re-organize Nigeria and deliver the land from oppressors.
4(. Eph. 6:12 Following the access given to Hamas to enter Nigeria, there has been an escalation of terrorist activities in the country. It is reported that 113 females were abducted by Boko Haram in Borno State last week, and over 280 school children abducted in broad daylight in Kaduna State, while the killing of Christians has increased in Benue State. Take authority over the forces of darkness behind all these terrorist attacks.
5). 2 Thes. 1:6 Pray divine judgment upon all human collaborators of these forces of darkness. Pray that God would judge the sponsors of terrorists in Nigeria: their sorcerers and diviners, the religious and political leaders protecting them, as well as the terrorist foot soldiers themselves.
6). Isaiah 52:1-3 Pray spiritual alertness upon the Church in Nigeria, that Christians would not miss another divine visitation.
7). Isaiah 44:3-5 Pray for an early outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Nigeria, so that the land would have rest.
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 4th – Sunday 10th March 2024
"TOHU VA BOHU" In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Gen. 1:1–4).
The condition of planet earth before God decided to renovate it for habitation was a state of indescribable desolation and emptiness. The Hebrew language described the earth as tohu va bohu, without form, and void. An expanded description of the situation could be rendered, “formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness.” There was no order; there was only chaos.
That situation could be likened to present day Nigeria. It would be in alignment with prophecy to describe the country in a state of tohu va bohu, irrespective of our positive confession or patriotism. Nigeria presently is in a state of confusion, without order, politically, economically, and socially.
In June 1995, God spoke from Isaiah 32:9–18 to a group of gospel ministers concerning Nigeria. The message was treated with the urgency that it deserved, which led to a series of high-level meetings of Church leaders that eventually culminated in the National Prayer for Repentance and Reconciliation, which held in September 1995. The repentance program held nationwide, and Nigeria appeared to have escaped the prophetic judgment outlined in Isaiah 32:9–14. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The repentance prayer of September 1995 was not complemented with a penitent attitude. By November 2016, Heaven lamented: “Nigeria Christians are praying and fasting, but they are not repenting.”
A cursory look at Isaiah 32: 9–14 shows that God keeps mentioning the cause of the problem: “carelessness.” Thrice in that short passage, God addressed carelessness. Rather than solve the problem of carelessness in the Church, the situation worsened, and by September 2013, another word came from Heaven, describing the Nigeria Church as “irresponsible”; that the “Nigeria Church is guilty of the sin of irresponsibility.”
An honest appraisal of the condition of the Nigeria Church will reveal that those two reports from Heaven well characterize it – “careless and irresponsible”. Time and space will not permit the list of the various acts of omission by the Church, spiritually, morally, ethically, and socially. The Church went into a freefall. Every attempt thereafter to call the Church to order was resisted, especially by the leadership. Today, scandal upon scandal rocks the Church, and some Christians who can no longer cope have opted to sit at home on Sunday mornings. Unfortunately, their number is increasing.
As the Church stumbled and staggered, its condition spilled over into the country. A Church without moral compass will ultimately throw the country into a spin. The consequence is a country in a state of tohu va bohu. It will be superfluous at this stage to mention the distressing conditions of Nigeria. Even if one attempts to list only the key problems of Nigeria, from where would one begin?
Fortunately, God does not give up in the face of tohu va bohu. In Genesis 1, as tohu va bohu reigned upon earth, the Spirit of God appeared, followed by the Word of God, and light dispelled the darkness; order replaced chaos, restoration commenced, and fruitfulness took the place of emptiness. When the Spirit of God appeared, the earth was renovated and restored.
This same pattern of deliverance is what God has promised Nigeria. It is undeniable that according to Isaiah 32:10 “many days and years shall ye be troubled,” and “Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers” (v. 13). That verse has been fulfilled yet, there remains the glorious promise in verse 15, that those distressing conditions would persist “Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high”.
As the Spirit of God reversed the chaos and emptiness “in the beginning”, so shall the outpouring of the Spirit of God reverse the present reproachful condition of Nigeria. What Nigeria is waiting for is the promise of the Holy Spirit. Nigeria is not waiting for restructuring, innovative as that might sound. Nigeria is not waiting for State Police to enhance national security. Nigeria is waiting for the promised gift of Holy Spirit outpouring. If God promised two things and one has come to pass, then the second shall unfailingly be fulfilled. The prophecy that foretold “many days and years [to] … be troubled” is the same prophecy that assures us that the situation shall persist only “Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.” (v. 15).
With this understanding of prophecy, Christians should focus prayers on the fulfilment of God’s promise of Holy Ghost outpouring upon Nigeria. All the problems of injustice, unrighteousness, immorality, perversion, corruption, and insecurity in the country shall be addressed when the Spirit of God is poured upon Nigeria. There is no reason for Christians to be despondent, depressed, or fearful. It is time to exercise faith in the word of God and prayerfully remind Him of His promise of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Yes, we have experienced tohu va bohu, but according to prophecy, we shall “arise and shine, for [our] light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon [us].” (Isaiah 60:1). In Nigeria, darkness shall give way to light, and order shall replace chaos. It is time to pray fervently for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Lam. 3:21–23 Thank God for His faithfulness and mercy upon us in Nigeria. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we have not been consumed.
2. Num. 23:19 Thank God that He is faithful to keep His word. He has promised Nigeria an outpouring of His Spirit, and it shall not fail.
3. 2 Cor. 6:2 Pray that God will hasten His word to perform it in Nigeria. Pray that the Spirit shall be poured out upon Nigeria today.
4. Acts 1:8 Pray for divine empowerment for the saints. Pray that a powerless Church shall be made powerful again by the Holy Spirit; powerful to exercise dominion over the land.
5. Joel 2:28–29 Pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Nigeria’s youths.
6. Ps. 85:4–7 Pray for Holy Ghost revival all over Nigeria.
7. Isaiah 32:9–17 Pray that as Nigeria has seen the days and years of trouble, Nigeria shall also witness the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 26th – Sunday 3rd March 2024
The prayer call of 8th – 14th January 2024 carried Part 1 of this message, “THE EARTH IS FILLED WITH HAMAS”. Genesis 6:11 states, “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.” The word “violence” is the Hebrew word “_hamas”. This week continues that prayer call, especially in response to disturbing developments in the country in the past few days.
A few days ago, leaders of the Hamas terrorist group were given visa by the Tinubu administration to officially enter Nigeria, which suggest the government’s endorsement of international terrorism. As if opening the doors of the country to an international terrorist organization had not been enough, Hamas was given permission to justify and defend its terrorist activities on Channels TV. Hamas denies that it is a terrorist organization, but the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom designate it as such. More importantly, the modus operandi of Hamas confirms it is a terrorist organization.
While Hamas claims that it is a political group, it draws its support base mostly from Muslim nations involved in the age-long determination of the Arabs to exterminate the nation of Israel. That Hamas is primarily associated with religion should have cautioned the government that Section 10 of the Constitution would be violated by extending invitation to such a group.
The unfortunate Palestine conflict might have been resolved with the two-state solution. Regrettably, on multiple occasions when that was proposed, Hamas has rejected it, while Israel accepted it. What Hamas wants is the complete vacation of the land by Israel. Hamas joins other terrorist groups like Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), as well as a host of Arab nations, all of whom are committed to wiping out Israel. Prominent amongst those nations are Iran, Turkey, Lebanon, and Iraq.
Today, Arab nations are seeking strategic countries in Africa to co-opt into their anti-Israel agenda. Many years ago, God gave Pastor Elton a vision of Africa as a pistol, when the map of Africa is placed sideways. Nigeria occupies the position of the trigger while South Africa is the muzzle where the bullet fires from. Prophetically, both Nigeria and South Africa occupy sensitive positions in the end time agenda of God for Africa and the world.
A few weeks ago, South Africa sued Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for genocide in Gaza. South Africa overlooked the fact that on 7th October 2023, Hamas launched an unprovoked brutal attack against Israel. Why hasn’t Hamas gone to ICJ by itself to state its case against Israel?
Each life is sacred. We condemn the destruction of lives in whatever form and at any time. However, justice demands that the truth must be applied to every case if problems are to be solved. When Hamas attacked Israel on 7th October 2023, it killed unarmed men, women, and children. That prompted Israel to react in self-defense to prevent future attacks. South Africa condemned the reaction of Israel but overlooked the action of Hamas that precipitated that reaction. What Hamas did on 7th October 2023 was genocide. According to UN definition of genocide, it does not consist in the number of people killed. The murder of one person out of racial motivation or as an act of ethnic cleansing constitutes genocide.
South Africa would appear to have been co-opted into the coalition of Arab nations against Israel. Having co-opted the prophetic “muzzle” of Africa, the Arabs are turning to the “trigger”, Nigeria.
For years, the politics of religion and religious insurgency has threatened Nigeria. Islamism (political Islam) has hijacked power in Nigeria, with the unfortunate connivance and endorsement of some prominent Church leaders who have placed personal and selfish interests about the interest of Nigeria and the Church.
The objectives of the Islamists are not hidden, as published in their communique entitled “The ABUJA DECLARATIONS 1989.” Excerpts from that communique are as follows: • To ensure the appointment of only Muslims into strategic national and international posts of member nations. • To eradicate in all its forms and ramifications all non-muslim religions in member nations (such religions shall include Christianity, Ahmadiyya and other tribal modes of worship unacceptable to Muslims). • To ensure that only Muslims are elected to all political posts of member nations. • To ensure the declaration of Nigeria (the 24th African and 48th World member of the OIC) a Federal Islamic Sultanate at a convenient date any time from 28th March 1990, with the Sultan of Sokoto enthroned as the Sultan Supreme Sovereign of Nigeria. • To ensure the ultimate replacement of all Western forms of legal and judicial systems with the Sharia in all member nations before the next Islam in African Conference.
Clearly, this communique has been the script running government in Nigeria for many years. The escalation of the politics of religion and religious insurgency is the intentional design of some forces. At present, the first five offices in Nigeria are occupied by Muslims. They occupy the Number 1, 2, 4, and 5 slots in the political hierarchy of the nation, from the Presidency, through the parliaments to the judiciary. It is not a coincidence. The “Abuja Declarations 1989” was made public in 2014. Instead of Church leaders to treat it with concern and caution, a prominent Church leader wrote a letter condemning the warnings against it, calling on Christians to ignore that warning. Church leaders threw caution to the winds and fully endorsed Islamist candidates in the 2015, 2019, and in 2023 elections. Without the support and endorsement of Church leaders, Islamists could never have gained power in Nigeria.
Now that the sponsors of the politics of religion are no longer hiding their intentions, what will the Church leaders do? The access given to Hamas, coming shortly after the invitation extended to Dr Zakir Naik in November 2023, are indications that the Islamists are preparing for a major offensive.
Concerning the visit of Dr Naik, Premium Times in an editorial on 14th November 2023 noted thus,
“Media accounts of the just concluded visit to Nigeria by the controversial Indian Islamic televangelist, Mr. Zakir Abdulkareem Naik, suggest nothing but an apocalyptic scenario, in which a flaming terrorist was given an expanded platform in Sokoto, Abuja, Keffi and Ilorin to plant the seeds of discontent that ultimately bodes the Nigerian political environment nothing but impending chaos, turmoil, and bloodbath in the very near future” (https://www.premiumtimesng.com/opinion/editorial/643039-editorial-a-cleric-his-message-and-the-media-storm.html).
It was after the visit of Dr Naik that the gate was opened for Hamas.
What will the shepherds of the Nigeria Church do? The National Prayer Altar suggests as follows: 1. The Church leaders should organize a one-day solemn assembly for the confession and repentance of the clergy for their mismanagement and misleading of the Nigeria Church. They must accept responsibility before God for the distressing condition of the Nigeria Church and of Nigeria as a country. 2. The Church leaders should immediately contact the government and insist that it equally extends invitation to Israel to send a delegation to Nigeria for a balanced report of the situation in Gaza. After hearing from Hamas, Nigeria must hear from Israel. This will ensure that government complies with the neutrality of the state on religious issues as enshrined in Section 10 of the Constitution. 3. There must be an immediate Christian Leadership Conference to consider the threat posed by political Islam in Nigeria. There has not been any such conference since the insurgency started in 2009, fifteen years ago. This Conference should include Christian professionals in various fields. It should not be a conference of the Clergy alone. 4. To strengthen the Church, we reiterate our earlier recommendation that churches should import food for free distribution to members of their congregations. The responsibility of the shepherd is to feed their flock. 5. Churches should engage in mechanized farming as well as re-introduce free education. In the coming days, Christians will be further required to take a stand for the Church. If they cannot see the relevance of the Church in their lives, particularly in their hardship, they will not stand – for themselves or for the Church. 6. Christian leaders should return to discipleship teachings. An imbalanced prosperity message weakens the Church.
If this Prayer Call seems appropriate to you, kindly help it to get to your church leader and every other church leader you can.
God bless Nigeria.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Isaiah 8:9–10 There is an international conspiracy against Nigeria. Pray that all the conspiring nations shall scatter, and their counsel shall not stand.
2. Ps. 2:1–9 Satan has gathered many nations to contest the Lordship of Jesus Christ in Nigeria. Pray that every country and individual in that conspiracy to resist the Lordship of Jesus Christ in Nigeria be broken in pieces with God’s rod of iron.
3. Isaiah 7: 7 Pray that every decision in the Abuja Declarations 1989, as well as in other strategy meetings of the Islamists, be nullified by the blood of Jesus and the authority of the word of God.
4. Isaiah 60:18 Pray that violence and destruction shall cease in Nigeria.
5. Col. 2:14 –15 Sorcery, divination, and incantations are being massively deployed into Nigeria against the people, to keep them docile, suppressed, and helpless. Come against all those works of darkness with the blood of Jesus. Saturate the atmosphere in Nigeria with the blood of Jesus for cleansing and deliverance of the land and the people.
6. 2 Cor. 5:11 Pray that the terror of God shall fall on the Church leaders and they shall be persuaded to repent and amend their ways.
7. 2 Cor. 3:17 Pray for a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Nigeria, to give Nigeria liberty from Satan, from the forces of darkness, and from the children of the devil
Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1)
For the Church in Nigeria, 2013 was an interesting year. It was a year in which the Lord sent messages to Nigeria Christians. The results are now manifest. We shall look at some of those messages.
1. Your Church leaders are like Rachel sitting on an idol. They will rather die on top of the idol than get up.
2. If care is not taken, in 30 to 40 years, Nigeria will be like Turkey.
3. The Nigeria Church is guilty of the sin of irresponsibility.
Nigeria is facing enormous challenges, socially, economically, and politically. The challenges are a reflection of the deep crisis within the Church. The Lord endowed His Church in Nigeria with enormous capacity for national transformation and the spiritual liberation of the country. Unfortunately, at every critical junction in the life of Nigeria, Christian leadership has failed to act like Jesus. That is the deep crisis within the Church.
The first casualty is the Church itself. Nigeria is in disarray today because the lamp of the light bearer has been smashed in many places and its glow has gone dim. Most of the acts of insincerity that weaken the Church are from within.
After the dispensation of the early missionaries who, to the best of their ability, laid a credible Christian foundation for Nigeria, leadership of the Church fell on the shoulders of indigenous Christians. In August 1976, forty-eight years ago, God established a central management body for the Church with the mandate, “That they all may be one”. As of 1976 when the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) was established, the following were some of the stable conditions of the Church:
1. Christian influence was paramount in government and in the society.
2. There was free Christian education all over the country.
3. Church buildings and properties were not being burnt.
4. Christians were not being murdered and maimed.
5. Christian communities were not sacked, and the Christians driven to IDP camps.
6. Christianity was well respected in the society.
7. Christians were amongst the most trusted and credible people in the country.
CAN met the Church in a stable condition in 1976. Fast forward forty-eight years to 2024: what is the condition of Christianity in Nigeria?
a). Christian influence is insignificant in Nigeria. Islam rules the country.
b). There is scarcely free Christian education in the country. Where Christian schools exist, the fees they charge are the highest in the neighbourhood.
c). Church buildings are burnt in their thousands without repercussions to the arsonists.
d). Christians are murdered daily on a genocidal scale. Current statistics indicates that 82% of global mortalities due to faith-based persecution are Nigerian Christians killed in Nigeria.
e). Hundreds of Christian villages have been sacked by insurgents who often invade in their hundreds, and the Christians are driven into IDP camps. Millions of Christians are in IDP camps while their villages have been occupied by Muslims (mostly from the desert) and the names of the villages changed by the new residents.
f). Christianity in the country has become a joke and a ridicule. Comedians make a living by poking fun at Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, the Blood of Jesus, and of course, the pastors and their wives.
g). Christians are the least trusted in Nigeria.
The parable of the unprofitable servant in Matt. 25:14–30 provides a scriptural perspective to the state of the Nigeria Church from 1976 to 2024. How have the clergy managed Christianity in Nigeria, resulting in a stable Church in 1976 becoming a distressed Church in 2024?
The situation would not have been so bad if church leaders accepted Godly counsel. A few years ago, God raised some Christian Elders from the six geo-political zones in the country to professionally support the Church leaders, but those were offended that anyone would seek to advise them. They headed for PUNCH newspaper and paid for an advertorial entitled “CAN HAS NO SUPERVISOR”. Nobody could talk to them. The consequence of that sad display of power is what both Christians and other Nigerians are suffering today.
It is a spiritual reality that when leaders sin, their followers suffer consequences. Under the circumstances, what should the followers do? It is time for Christians in Nigeria to demand accountability from their leaders. That way, they will absolve themselves before God of complicity. What has happened in the Church cannot be swept under the carpet. Too many people have died without justification. Questions must be asked, and answers provided.
The Lord is jealous for His Church, and He will hold accountable those who undermined it, and their supporters, too. Unfortunately, when the Lord comes to judge, He will not judge the leaders only. He, however, gives grace, that if judgment is executed on the earth, Heaven would refrain or review other actions. In 1 Cor. 11:31, it says, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”
If the Church does not call itself to order, evil will continue to multiply in the Body. Too many things have gone wrong since 2009. Tens of thousands of innocent Christians have been murdered, millions of lives have been devastated, and the credibility of the glorious Church of Jesus Christ compromised. The Church has no option but to query itself. If Christians do not do it on earth, the Lord would do it from Heaven, with serious consequences. The spirit of jealousy has been provoked.
Demanding accountability from Church leaders in Nigeria should cover the following areas:
1. What role did the Church leaders play in 2015, 2019, and 2023, in handing political power in the country over to the Islamists who have daily murdered Christians and inflicted hardship on the populace?
2. What warranted the neglect of the persecuted Christians who are daily wallowing in abject poverty and suffering?
3. In the ongoing famine in Nigeria, how come the Nigeria Church has not adequately helped suffering saints, as demonstrated in the scriptures, in Acts 11:27-30?
4. What action did the Church leaders take about the cases of corruption and abuse of office reported in the Church?
5. Despite the much money that enters the Church every week, why haven't church leaders sustained the tradition of free quality education which the early Church leaders in the country offered, without access to funds such as today’s Church has?
In every organization, spiritual and secular, leadership is crucial. The success or failure of an organization depends on the quality of its leaders. It is time for Nigeria Christians to pray fervently for Good Shepherds like the Lord Jesus Christ. The spirit of jealousy is lamenting over the distressing state of the Nigeria Church.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
PRAYER POINTS
1. 1 Peter 4:17
Pray that God will commence judgment according to His word, against every corruption, treachery, and betrayal of Jesus Christ by those entrusted with leadership in the Church.
2. 1 Cor. 11:31
Pray that the spirit of judgment shall be stirred in the Nigeria Church, and Christians shall be of one mind, and the Church be purged from evil and wickedness.
3. 2 Cor. 11:13–15
Raise a lamentation to heaven against the hypocrisy and duplicity of those claiming to be Christian leaders yet they work at cross purposes with the Holy Spirit. Pray that God will terminate every Church leader who has placed personal interest above the collective interest of the Body of Christ in Nigeria.
4. 1 Cor. 12:26
The neglect of persecuted Christians in Nigeria, which amounts to criminal negligence by the Church, was on account of some Church leaders who frustrated support from reaching persecuted brethren, in deference to their Islamist patrons. Pray that the Lord would judge all who deliberately frustrated, and are still frustrating, every effort to minister to persecuted Christians in Nigeria.
5. Job 5:12-16
Pray for God’s intervention on behalf of the masses of Nigeria from the hands of a greedy and covetous political class inflicting suffering on the people. Pray that all their conspiracies to inflict further sufferings on the people shall be nullified.
6. Acts 10:38
Pray that the Nigeria Church shall return to good works, which the early missionaries established as tradition in the Church; good works such as the provision of free education, free health care, taking care of the poor, and humility amongst the clergy.
7. Ps. 75:6 -7
Pray that God will promote righteous and God-fearing Christians into positions of relevance and authority in the Church.
“… Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me…? Feed my sheep” (John 21: 17).
In August 2020, former President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020. That law, amongst others, stipulated that “The Commission may by order suspend the trustees of an association and appoint an interim manager or managers to manage the affairs of an association where it reasonably believes that there has been any mismanagement in the administration of the association”. The law threatened the leadership of various churches in the country. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) promptly headed to the court when “all attempts to convince the Federal government why it should not intervene or interfere with the management of the Church in the country through any of its agencies failed.”
A BULLOCK FOR THE PRIEST, A BULLOCK FOR THE CONGREGATION
For the third week now, we are persuaded to draw the attention of Christians in Nigeria to crucial issues bordering on their personal survival and that of the Church. Since 2009, Islamist insurgents, funded, protected and deployed by some influential people within and outside Nigeria, have daily been decimating the Christian population. The carnage has assumed genocidal proportions. According to World Watch Monitor, in the past 12 years, Nigeria has been the most dangerous country in the world for anyone to be a Christian.
Three things defile a land and bring curses upon the people. They are:
a. Adultery
b. Idolatry
c. Bloodshed
Of these three factors promoting curses, the worst is bloodshed, because it is not easily atoned for. The Bible says in Num. 35: 33: “So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.”
I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. (Rev. 1: 11).
We might consider 2021 “the year of letters”; the year in which the Lord sent different people to write letters to the leaders of the Nigeria Church. We are aware of five of such letters, but we have four of them in our possession. The letters were written on 11th April 12th April, 8th May, and 26th August 2021. In the letters, the Lord admonished His Church in Nigeria to repent or face judgment. (We do not have access to the fifth letter, which was also written in May 2021 by a Pastor, but we are aware that it was written to 12 Church leaders.)
“You have just three months of grace, three months of my patience after the issuance of the first letter (11th April 2021) to repent and turn from your evil ways and bring forth the fruit thereof.
Since 2014, God, by His grace, has been sending me to the Nigerian Church with various warnings. Unfortunately, some Nigerian Christians, particularly Church leaders, perceive of one as a rebel. However, the reality on the ground repeatedly confirms that one is neither a rebel nor a troublemaker. I speak the truth in Christ Jesus.
Early hours of Sunday, 11th April, 2021, about four (4) captains of separate destructive troops from the LORD came into the country. They had a warrant from the LORD to kill without mercy, without regard and without restraint. They had all kinds of weapons to destroy all categories and calibres of people.
I had the view that Leah was a usurper and an opportunist, but suddenly, I began to see her in a new light!
The way she was introduced in Chapter 29 of Genesis, projects her as disadvantaged, Though the first daughter of Laban, she was not as beautiful and comely as Rachel her younger sister. But Leah is beautiful. Her beauty may not be physical. Her beauty lies in her strength, in her character and in her perseverance..
In the dimly lit parking lot of a nondescript grocery store, 15 years ago, a chance encounter altered the course of my life forever. At the lowest point in my journey, I had lost my way, my marriage and my sense of purpose. A stranger, motivated by a divine calling, approached me with a prophetic word that seemed improbable at the time. That moment marked the genesis of a prophetic journey that I never could have envisioned.
The National Prayer Altar is a daily trans-denominational prayer initiative of Christians from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, Christians in the diaspora, as well as nationals of other countries. The Prayer Altar started on 18th April 2022 and has sustained its daily online prayers to date, with participation in the hundreds.
We see an instructive statement in Jeremiah 1:9 and 10: “Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.’”
"And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite for I have provided me a king among his sons.
"... And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and called them to the sacrifice.
" And it came to pass when they were come that he looked on Eliab and said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.
"But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature because I have refused him, for the Lord seeth not as man seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance but God looketh on the heart.
" Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. Neither has the Lord chosen this.
"Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by, And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this.
" Again Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen these.
"And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest and behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him for we will not sit down till he come hither.
" And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord SAID, ARISE ANOINT HIM: FOR THIS IS HE."
9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. Exodus 1:9-11
Two weeks ago, I shared several practical guidelines on how to leave a church gracefully. I wrote this because I hear so many stories about people storming out of churches because their feelings got hurt. But one astute reader didn’t appreciate my observations because I didn’t mention the fact that some churches manipulate, control, or abuse people.
In January I spent four days preaching at Emmanuel College, a Christian liberal arts school in Georgia. I love speaking to college students because they are spiritually hungry, they love passionate worship, and I can preach in jeans without offending anyone.
If you saw a door with a sign labeled “Repentance” hanging on it, would you want to walk through it? And if you went through this doorway, what would you expect to find inside the room?
We all love true stories of people who boldly share their faith. We admire the overseas missionary who shared the Gospel even though she could be imprisoned for it. We respect the man who resigned from his job because he was asked to compromise his beliefs. We praise the college student who takes a stand for Christ when a professor challenged the truth of the Gospel.
It was a particularly hectic day. I was tired and also discouraged over so many things. I had gone to CMS, Lagos that day to see the publisher of my books as per royalty. I had been particularly broke financially for some time. This was the cause of discouragement.
Declining attendance, evaporating finances, sexual scandals, and the threat of false doctrine can cause the staunchest believer to doubt the future of the localized body of believers known as the church. She has survived civil wars, world wars, pandemics, dictators, and civil discourse; yet, today, we worry that the social, economic, and spiritual climate will be her demise. Rest assured Christian, the church founded on the rock of Jesus Christ is not suffering a depression requiring pharmaceutical medication or in bankruptcy needing governmental funding.
The times in the book of Esther were a period of warfare, violence, and bloodshed. In those times, beautiful women were play-things in the hands of the chauvinistic kings, princes, and nobles. They were like artifacts to be collected, kept, and disposed of when no longer needed!
The House of Karis is a Christian publishing house focused on providing pure and truthful information that shall enable Christians live in righteousness and in the fear of God.
