MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 22nd - Sunday 28th July 2024
THE GODLY SEED
Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell (Prov. 23: 13 - 14).
In a viral video on social media, a Muslim cleric based in Florida, USA, was boasting to a Muslim congregation that churches were “emptying out” because the younger generation was no longer interested in Christianity. He bragged that Church buildings were becoming empty, and Muslims were purchasing the properties.
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 15th - Sunday 21st July 2024
THE VISION OF THE TREE
A few days ago, during our regular prayers, a brother shared his unique experiences over days, culminating in a profound dream with significance for Nigeria. A flash interpretation to the dream was provided. This indicated that it was a vision about a great political figure who was soon to fall in the country after his house of beasts shall have risen against him as his leviathan powers are judged. Days later, a more insightful interpretation was provided, with an impressive clarification of the season that now is. Both the vision and that interpretation are provided below.
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 8th - Sunday 14th July 2024
THE SAMOA AGREEMENT
Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants (Lev. 18: 25).
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 1st - Sunday 7th July 2024
THE POVERTY OF COURAGE
And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. (1 Sam. 17: 24).
Last week, during the nightly intercessory prayers for Nigeria at the National Altar, a distinguished professor, while leading prayers, lamented what she called the “poverty of courage” in the land. Evil, corruption, unrighteousness, injustice, and perversion have pervaded the land because “men” are no longer standing as “men”.
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 24th - Sunday 30th June 2024
WHAT DO YORUBA PEOPLE MEAN BY “SERIA”?
This prayer call analyses the impact of political ideologies on Nigeria. There are currently two conflicting political ideologies contesting for supremacy in the constitution. The consequence of the contest is the dysfunctionality of the Nigerian state. It is in the interest of Nigerians that this contest is resolved in favour of the political ideology upon which Nigeria was established as a country.
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 10th - Sunday 16th June 2024
NLC: THE CONSTITUTION IS THE PROBLEM, NOT WAGE INCREASE
Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors, there is safety (Prov. 11: 14).
We commend the leaders and members of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), with all their affiliate bodies, for rising to the challenge of defending the rights of the ordinary citizen in Nigeria. The recent nationwide strike of the labour should be a wake-up call to a self-seeking and heartless political class, that it can no longer continue to take Nigerians for granted.
In the prayer call of 25th – 31st May 2024, we carried an article entitled “WHO OWNS NIGERIA?” In that prayer call, we highlighted the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as the bane of the Nigerian society. We further highlighted four areas in which the 1999 Constitution (as amended) negatively impacts Nigeria.
The 3rd – 4th June 2024 warning strike of NLC aims at negotiating better wages for Nigerian workers. This is a noble objective, but it falls far from the goal of making life easy for all Nigerians. It does not matter how much salary increase labour leaders are able to negotiate, inflation will wipe it off as soon as it arrives. Nigeria is no longer productive, because it runs a dysfunctional constitution that chokes the life out of the constituent units in the country and prevents them from working. Therefore, any salary increase at this time will harm the economy. It will be too much money chasing too few goods.
There was a time in Nigeria when the monthly salary of a university graduate was N484.00. At that time, monthly rent for a three-bedroom flat was N200.00 in some cities, while a brand-new car was N4,804. This was in 1984. Today, both the rent and the car are priced in millions while the monthly salary of the graduate must be in six figures for it to make sense. Even for a graduate earning a monthly salary of N100,000 today, he will have to make do with the minimum basics of life to survive the month.
Therefore, when NLC and TUC repeatedly propose certain figures as new national minimum wage, what do they think would happen to the economy? Are we going to purchase a loaf of bread for N100,000? If labour is piqued with the irresponsible legislators who allocate to themselves humungous monthly salaries and allowances, the solution is not a tit-for-tat humongous salary increase across board. An eye-for-an-eye will make everyone blind.
There is a better way to handle the problem, and it will not cost the labour unions any extra effort, but it will guarantee maximum benefit for everyone in the country. The same nationwide strike and shutting down of services (excluding essential services) is all that is required, and far-reaching rewards will accrue to all the citizens.
The problem of Nigeria is not lack of money. Nigeria is a stupendously rich country, but its sovereignty has been hijacked. At present, Nigerians are not free citizens in their country. Some faceless forces have hijacked the liberty of the people and turned them into “dhimmis”, second-class citizens, in their country. What labour is doing is akin to slaves going on strike in a sugarcane plantation for better treatment. Even if they obtain the better treatment, they are still slaves. Is it not better to fight for freedom?
The sponsors of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) usurped the sovereign right of Nigerians to give the country a constitution and organize Nigeria according to their wish. Nigerians are suffering today because they did not organize Nigeria in its present manner. It was done by a group of forces, who blatantly lied by claiming that “WE THE PEOPLE” of Nigeria produced the 1999 Constitution (as amended) when, in fact, WE THE PEOPLE knew nothing about it. It is an act of treason. It is that illegitimate constitution that has locked up Nigeria in a cell of poverty and death. This is what NLC and TUC should resolve and not wage increase.
In the prayer call of 25th – 31st March 2024, we highlighted four areas (amongst many others) in which the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is harming Nigerians.
Those four areas are: 1. Insecurity 2. Unemployment and poverty 3. Religious intolerance 4. Corruption
If leaders of labour could concentrate on getting a new Constitution for Nigeria, they would resolve these four harmful points, as well as the many unnamed others. Then, there would be no need for any salary increase. Employment opportunities will blossom. There would be peace and safety all over the country. The cases of insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism will die a natural death. Productivity will increase all over the country and each constituent part will generate its electricity and provide effective transportation system for the people. The quality of education will improve, and it will be free. Quality healthcare will be accessible to all citizens and the brain drain of medical personnel will cease. The cost of foodstuff will drop as farming activities will resume in full scale all over the country. All these will make life easier for all the citizens.
There are two ways to go about the new Constitution:
1. There could be a demand for an immediate return to the 1963 Republican Constitution. This can be achieved within a few months with minor amendments. A transition program can be put in place for the current political office holders till 2027 when their tenure will end. If the country can revert to the Independence Anthem, why can it not revert to the Independence Constitution? 2. The other option is for a conference of ethnic nationalities to be convened for the various constituent units to renegotiate Nigeria and develop a new constitution from their negotiations.
All these can be achieved in 2024.
The fraudulent and illegitimate 1999 Constitution (as amended) acknowledges in its Section 14 (2)a that “sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this Constitution derives all its powers and authority;” This being the case, labour should reclaim the sovereignty of the people over Nigeria so that the country can be organized by the people in a manner that will benefit the citizens. The sovereignty of Nigeria has been hijacked. This is the reason votes no longer count and courts have replaced the ballot box.
If NLC and TUC are truly desirous of helping Nigerian workers, they should focus on resolving the constitutional dispute in the country and leave wage increase. Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well.
God bless Nigeria.
If this prayer call makes sense to you, kindly share it until it gets to leaders of NLC and TUC.
PRAYER POINTS
1). Prov. 11: 14 Pray for Godly counsel to guide Nigerians in positions of authority and influence so that they can use their positions to lead the country aright.
2). 2 Samuel 15: 31; Ezekiel 11: 2 Pray that God will overturn every evil and wicked counsel that is working against the peace and progress of Nigeria. Pray that God will silence all evil speakers within and outside Nigeria.
3). Isaiah 28: 14 – 15 Pray that every covenant that some political leaders have entered into with forces of darkness, that makes them insensitive to the suffering of the people, shall be annulled, in the name of Jesus Christ.
4). 2 Cor. 11: 13 – 15 Pray for the swift judgment of God on Church leaders who entered into covenant with marine spirits and traffic with the occult while claiming to be servants of Jesus Christ.
5). Isaiah 27: 1 Take authority over the spirit of leviathan and bind its power and influence over Nigeria. Pray that the judgment of God shall come swiftly upon leviathan, and it shall be cut off from Nigeria.
6). Isaiah 25: 6 – 8 Pray that all Nigerians shall arise in one accord and demand a new constitution for the country. Pray that the veil and the spell placed upon the country shall be destroyed.
7). Col. 2: 14 – 15 Decree and nullify every constitution, decree, treaty, ordinance, byelaw, and any regulation in Nigeria that causes oppression, suppression, and regression of the country and the people. Amen.
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 3rd - Sunday 9th June 2024
THE CALENDAR OF GOD
Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him. (Eccl. 8: 6).
God is Sovereign. For every purpose upon earth, God has a time and a judgment. Once the calendar of God starts running, it can neither be interrupted nor abrogated. There are instances in which God gives man an idea of His calendar. A situation might not seem pleasant or palatable, but it could fit into God’s eternal purpose. Under such conditions, it does not matter how much prayer, fasting, or cries one offers, the calendar will run its full course.
However, because God is sovereign, He might also decide to break into His calendar and accelerate events, as indicated in Matt. 24:22: "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened". Whenever God breaks into His own calendar, it is amazing grace.
In His dealings with nations, God establishes programs of action to purge, prepare, or preserve the people, for His purpose. We see two examples of such dealings with Israel in which the nation went through a calendar of fire to prepare and purge the people to fulfill God’s purpose.
That is where it gets interesting. Once God commences His calendar, its termination or fullness of time is left to the people. If they are alert, they will terminate the calendar at its fulness of time. However, if the people are rebellious or careless, they could extend the calendar. This is true for nations as well as for individuals.
In Daniel 9: 2, Daniel wrote, "In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem." Daniel was on the alert, waiting for the seventy years to be accomplished for the Jews in Babylon. He did not pray before the seventy years were completed, because he knew it would not work. The prophetic calendar had to run its full course.
Daniel was still on his knees when the answer came from heaven. "And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God; Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation" (Dan. 9: 20-21). Heaven was waiting for the nation to arise and demand a termination of the calendar of judgment. Only one man understood the times and the seasons. That single individual ended the calamity for the entire nation.
We find another example in Gen. 15: 13. God told Abraham, "... Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years" The calendar of God for Israel in Egypt was 400 years. They spent 30 extra years. When Moses started stirring in the 390th year, they drove Moses away with, "who made thee a prince and a judge over us?" Moses fled to Midian for forty years. That was what brought their servitude in Egypt to 430 years. They extended the calendar by 30 years.
There is an interesting historical account in the public domain that concerns the calendar of God for Nigeria. In that account, Uthman Dan Fodio was shown a vision in which he was told that the empire which he had built on blood would last for 200 years. That was in 1804. In 2004, the Caliphate publicly celebrated its 200 years of existence. What does that tell us? Where were the Daniels in the land to mark the calendar? Twenty years after, in 2024, the throne is still exerting an influence over Nigeria and exercising power in the politics, economy, religion, as well as the sponsorship of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
At the dot of the 200 years, God made sure that the throne celebrated the calendar for the whole world to know that the time was up for them. It was a valedictory celebration. Unfortunately, Nigerians did not catch the signal.
The Church leaders who, as the gatekeepers over the land, should have given direction to the people, were consumed with the vanity and covetousness of the world. Consequently, they could neither discern the times nor the seasons God appointed for Nigeria. As a matter of fact, when some of them were reminded about the importance of the season, they were offended. Because there was no understanding of visions, the people continued to perish. Prov. 29: 18
Certain thrones are still speaking in Nigeria while, in the calendar of God, they are dead thrones. Their time has run out. It is therefore not strange that death has filled the land. Dead thrones cannot dispense life, only death.
In a previous prayer call, it was mentioned that the currency to pay for empires is blood. Every empire is built on the foundation of blood. Once the duration of an empire expires, if the beneficiaries do not want it to die, they must pay double the amount of blood that was paid to establish it in the first instance. The calendar of an empire ended in 2004, five years later, in 2009, massive bloodshed started in Nigeria. Connect the dots. An empire whose tenure has expired is still tenaciously clinging to power in Nigeria by attempting to double the blood price.
A few months ago, God gave a revelation, that Heaven had ended the tenure of some thrones in Nigeria. However, like Daniel, the people must pray them out so that the demonic Prince of Persia would give way. The major assignment now is to travail in prayer and remind God that His calendar for Nigeria is due. It is 20 years overdue. Gather the wailing women. Call together the mourning women. Jer. 9: 17 - 18. Let them lament the desolation of the land and the breach of the divine calendar.
Let the hosts of heaven mobilize into Nigeria and enforce the divine order. A new light has dawned for this country. It is the era of the Son of God. "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors, that the King of Glory" may enter Nigeria.
Nigeria, arise and shine, for your light is come. The glory of God is risen upon Nigeria.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Dan. 2: 20 – 22 Thank God for revealing to His people the mystery of His calendar for Nigeria. Thank Him for changing the times and the seasons for the country.
2. Dan. 9: 2 Remind God that while His calendar for Israel in Babylon was 70 years, His calendar for Nigeria was 200 years. Call upon God to end the desolation of Nigeria just as He ended the desolation of Israel in Babylon.
3. Ez. 32: 18 – 27 Pray that every dead throne that is still speaking in Nigeria be dismantled and buried in 2024.
4. Isaiah 49: 24 – 26 Pray that every evil structure that is sustaining oppression, regression, and suppression in Nigeria be dismantled in 2024.
5. Rev. 12: 10 – 11 Plead the Blood of Jesus to silence and nullify the power of every blood that has been shed as sacrifice to keep Nigeria in bondage to dead thrones.
6. Rev. 12: 7 – 9 Pray that the hosts of God shall be released by God into Nigeria to drive Satan and his forces out of the country the way they were driven out of heaven.
7. Isaiah 60: 1 – 2 Proclaim the glory of the Lord over Nigeria.
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 27th - Sunday 2nd June 2024
COMMUNIQUE NIGERIA: THE DILEMMA AND THE WAY OUT
In furtherance of its efforts at providing solutions to the challenges facing Nigeria, the National Prayer Altar, in addition to its daily prayers for Nigeria, organized a conference to provide practical solutions to the problems of the country.
At the end of the Prayer Conference, the participants agreed as follows:
1. The 1999 Constitution (as amended) is a major obstacle to the peace, progress, and prosperity of Nigeria.
2. The Conference was unanimous that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) fails every test of a sovereign document for a federal system of government and should be decommissioned without further delay.
3. The Conference disagreed with the amendment exercise currently being undertaken by the National Assembly and insists that a fraudulent and illegitimate document cannot be amended; it must be discarded and replaced.
4. The Conference also stated unequivocally that a constitution can only be negotiated, not legislated into existence the way the 1979 Constitution was done via Military Decree 104 and Military Decree 24 for the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
5. Participants called on the ethnic nationalities to fulfil their responsibility and take steps to give Nigeria new constitutional arrangements.
6. The Conference acknowledged that the 1963 Republican Constitution still stands as the only authentic constitution of Nigeria in existence, having been negotiated at several conferences in Lagos and in London, before it was finally approved in July of 1963 at the Constitutional Conference in Lagos.
7. The Conference also acknowledged that the 1963 Constitution was only suspended by Gen. Ironsi’s Decree 1 of 1966; not abrogated.
8. The Conference affirmed that it was an error for the Military to have introduced the 1979 and 1999 Constitutions while the 1963 Constitution was still in place.
9. The Conference appreciated the efforts of the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination (NINAS) in the past twenty-five years to resolve the constitutional dispute in Nigeria occasioned by the illegitimate 1999 Constitution (as amended).
10. The Conference acknowledged the five-fold proposition of NINAS as a veritable roadmap for the consideration of the ethnic nationalities to resolve the constitutional impasse in Nigeria.
11. The Conference agreed that new constitutional arrangements can be introduced in 2024 while a transition can be put in place for the government, till 2027.
12. The Conference lamented the apathy of intellectuals and religious leaders in the country to issues that threaten the corporate existence of Nigeria notwithstanding the genocide that has been unleashed on many ethnic nationalities.
13. The Conference affirmed that the ethnic nationalities do not require the permission of the government to meet and produce new constitutional arrangements for the country.
14. It was equally affirmed that the role of the National Assembly is to make laws and not to produce a Constitution. The responsibility of producing a constitution rests on the indigenous ethnic nationalities.
15. The Conference concluded by calling on all Nigerians to arise and demand new constitutional arrangements for the country, to replace the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which was imposed on Nigeria by the Military.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Gal. 5: 1 Pray and reject every instrument of bondage imposed upon Nigeria. It is for liberty that Christ has made up free. Reject before the Almighty God the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which was introduced to place Nigerians under bondage.
2. Isaiah 10: 27 Pray that the anointing of the Almighty God shall destroy the yoke of bondage placed upon Nigeria through the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
3. Ps. 2: 7 – 9 Demand of Heaven that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) be decommissioned in 2024.
4. Matt. 16: 19 Take authority over the forces of darkness sustaining the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to further the program of the kingdom of darkness. Break the hold of Satan and his forces over Nigeria.
5. Ps. 9: 15 - 20 Pray that all the foreign nations that have ganged up against Nigeria shall fall into their pits of bondage and destruction.
6. Isaiah 51: 9 – 10 Pray for righteous indignation and a stirring in Nigeria against every instrument and structure of oppression and bondage.
7. Rom. 4: 16 – 17 Call forth a new constitution for Nigeria, which will promote righteousness, justice, equality, and fairness in the country.
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 20th - Sunday 26th May 2024
NIGERIA: THE DILEMMA AND THE WAY OUT
In 1 Chro. 12:32, the Bible talks about “the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.” Every season has its peculiar characteristics that demand skillful understanding of how it should be handled. “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Eccl. 3:1). There is a time for war and a time for peace; there is a to love and a time to hate. How one handles a time of war would be different from how one would handle a time of peace. The peculiarity of each season demands wisdom, insight, and foresight.
That Nigeria is in crisis is no longer news. That it stinks globally due to corruption and unrighteousness is neither a secret. The issue now is, what should be done to restore normalcy? What does this season demand?
Several intellectuals and well-meaning citizens have identified the number one obstacle to peace, progress, and prosperity of Nigeria: the fraudulent and illegitimate 1999 Constitution (as amended). Many analysts have dissected the 1999 Constitution and authoritatively affirmed that, so long as that document is in force as the sovereign document of Nigeria, the country is not going anywhere.
With this awareness, which is in the public domain, it beats the imagination how a country of over 200 million people could fold the hands and allow the situation to persist. Nigeria neither lacks intellectuals nor is destitute of human rights activists, yet a Constitution responsible for daily bloodshed in the land, for the penury of the people and discord amongst the citizens has been allowed to operate for twenty-five years.
This season demands the rising of all citizens in Nigeria to unanimously demand that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) be decommissioned and set aside. New constitutional arrangements are required urgently to initiate the rebuilding of the country. The so-called “amendment” exercise by the National Assembly is nothing but a political distraction. The current exercise would be the 6th alteration to the 1999 Constitution (as amended) without any positive result in the country.
The political class, which profits enormously from the dysfunctional constitution, would not be willing to support new constitutional arrangements. It is not a secret that most of the politicians place their selfish interests above that of the country. However, they are able to persist only for as long as the people permit it. The illegitimate 1999 Constitution (as amended) acknowledges in its Section 14 (2)a that “sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this Constitution derives all its powers and authority.” If sovereignty belongs to the people, why would the politicians not listen to the people? It is because the people have not spoken. Individuals and groups are speaking, but "the people" have not spoken.
If Nigerians are tired of suffering, it is time for the people to speak and demand new constitutional arrangements for the country. The 1999 Constitution (as amended) has been given 25 years to operate. That should be enough. The people should organize themselves to raise their voices all over the land against oppression, suppression, and regression.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) should be congratulated for taking up the case of workers in the land, by demanding wage reviews. This is commendable, but it does not provide the answer that this season requires. The season does not demand salary increase. Rather, it is calling for a complete overhaul of governance. It does not matter how much wage increase NLC is able to negotiate, inflation will soon wipe it off. There was a time in this country when the monthly salary of a university graduate was N484.00. A brand-new car was sold for N4,804.00, while a three-bedroom flat could be rented at N200.00 per month. This was in the 80s. Today, all those goods and services are transacted in millions of Naira.
The current season in Nigeria is calling for new constitutional arrangements to renegotiate Nigeria. Why should a Federation have only one constitution? Each federating unit, whether it is state or region, should have its constitution, which it will use to negotiate its position within the union. As of today, there is no union. There is only a geographical area held together at gunpoint. If NLC, as the official representative of the Nigerian workers, is truly desirous of solving the problem of the workers, it should drop the agitation for salary increase and demand new constitutional arrangements for Nigeria.
The combination of the voice of the Nigeria Labour Congress with that of the other trade/professional unions like ASUU, NBA, TUC, NASSU, NMA, NUJ, MAN, NUT, etc, and the voice of the ethnic nationalities will dismantle every resistance to new constitutional arrangements for Nigeria. The people have suffered enough.
Nigerians are not poor people requiring salary increase. They are freeborns whose sovereignty has been hijacked by hostile forces for the purposes of racial, cultural, and political domination. Therefore, the focus of Nigerians should be on regaining their sovereignty and liberty as a people. Consequently, agitating for salary increase while ignoring the weighty matter of the liberty of the people is not the perfect way to go for now.
This prayer call is inviting all readers to become an advocate for the liberty of Nigeria. The 1999 Constitution (as amended) has become an instrument of oppression and regression in the country. The land is mourning because the people are in bondage. It is time to break the chains and dismantle the shackles of oppression.
For additional information, readers might wish to refer to two previous prayer calls entitled "WHO OWNS NIGERIA " (Parts 1 & 2). This prayer call should be shared for awareness, mobilization, and prayers. As we pray, we must be prepared to speak out so that the ethnic nationalities will rise as one to put in place new constitutional arrangements for Nigeria.
Our prayers must be backed with action. Faith without works is dead.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Ps 124 Thank God for sustaining Nigeria over the years. The attacks and conspiracies against the country have been many, but God in His mercy has sustained the country.
2. Ps. 133 Pray that God will pour the anointing of unity upon all the divergent groups in Nigeria so that they will act as one to give Nigeria new constitutional arrangements.
3. Matt. 15: 13 Pray that God will uproot any individual or group of individuals that stands in the way of new constitutional arrangements for Nigeria. Pray that such opposing persons shall be neutralized by the power of God.
4. Isaiah 8:9–10 Pray that every foreign nation that opposes the liberty and progress of Nigeria shall be broken in pieces and all their conspiracies nullified by God.
5. Luke 10: 18 – 19 Take authority over Satan and all the forces of darkness contending God’s purpose for Nigeria. Take authority over Leviathan and nullify all its powers with the Blood of Jesus Christ.
6. Isaiah 26:9–11 Pronounce judgment on all evil priests and priestesses servicing satanic altars and shrines in the country. Shut down every portal they have opened to hell.
7. Isaiah 32:13–18 Pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit all over Nigeria, for the healing of the land and the restoration of the people.
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 13th - Sunday 19th May 2024
A WAKE-UP CALL
On 11th May 2014, exactly ten years ago, God caused a message to be delivered to His Church, as well as to Nigeria. Amongst other things, the message, tagged "THE WAKE-UP CALL," warned that the All Progressives Congress (APC) should not be permitted to form a government. The message specifically warned Christians in Nigeria, “do not dig the grave of the Church with your thumb”. The message urged Nigerians to beware of APC.
Propelled by the Spirit of God according to Ps. 68: 11, "The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it." that message took on a life of its own and went viral. As it was being shared, it provided light and guidance to Nigerians. Eventually, APC discovered what was going on and approached a prominent Church leader in Nigeria to counter and nullify the message. The Church leader consented via a letter on 3rd October 2014. He described the message as, “wickedly false, unsubstantiated, ill-conceived and borne out of mischief.”
Interestingly, the same Church leader had earlier endorsed the message. After the visit from APC delegation, he instructed those who had the CD of the message to dispose of it. His position was strengthened by the APC, which appointed a pastor from his denomination as its Vice-Presidential candidate and used the appointment to campaign that the party had no agenda of religious intolerance.
Following the intervention of that Church leader, some influential Christians went all out to campaign for “CHANGE”, and Muhammadu Buhari became President of Nigeria. Nigerians can now look back, after ten years of the WAKE-UP CALL, and review the consequences of the action of that church leader.
As a direct consequence of that letter, millions of Nigerians have allegedly been murdered in cold blood. Hajia Kalthoum Alumbe Jutami, the Hausa female Emancipator, has claimed in her messages that over seven million Hausa people were murdered in the eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari. (Adolf Hitler killed six million Jews during the Second World War.) Even if this figure was contested, the murderous activities of Fulani herdsmen, and the other Islamic terrorists, under APC, cannot be denied. Thousands of Nigerians have been kidnapped and treated in the most barbaric and inhumane manner. Millions of families have been pauperized while those who are able have fled the country. All national infrastructure have collapsed, and a whole election was hijacked in broad daylight. It is no longer strange to see Nigerians protesting on the streets, wailing, “We are hungry”. It was ten years of hell in Nigeria under APC.
The Lord, Who is plenteous in mercy, gave another word in June 2018 as the country was preparing for another election in 2019. That word was published and delivered at a Christian Conference held in Lagos. Amongst others, the word admonished that the apex body of Christianity in Nigeria should be re-organized. While the word in 2014 dealt with unbelievers, the word in 2018 dealt directly with the Church.
The Church was called upon by God to re-organize itself or lose control of the 2019 elections marking the next milestone in the 20-year cycle of God’s dealing with Nigeria. Rather than seek God’s face concerning the message, some Church leaders gathered in Abuja in July 2018 and denigrated the message. Today, Nigeria is ruled by a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Under the circumstances, what should Nigerian Christians do? Naturally, the first suggestion would be repentance. A lot of repentance has been done in the Church, and we thank God for that. However, there is a critical group in the Church whose concerted and public repentance is still outstanding. God deals with His people through their leaders and the condition of the leaders before God determines how He deals with His people. The problem on ground was caused by the leaders, therefore they must lead in the repentance. The Word of God makes clear that hell shall not prevail against the Church. However, what would happen if the gatekeepers themselves opened the gate for hell?
God spoke in Isaiah 1: 5 – 7 asking, ”Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence,”
Could anyone deny that this scripture aptly describes the current situation in Nigeria?
This is not a condemnation of Church leaders. What has happened has happened, but we need to work towards a solution. No stone should be left unturned in the effort to obtain divine intervention. Joel 2: 17 – 18 says, “Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.”
We must acknowledge that Church leaders are also humans, capable of error of judgment. Therefore, if any infraction is committed by Church leaders, they should accept responsibility before God and repent. Since Church leaders teach Christians how to confess and repent, they should not be reluctant to do the same.
The Nigeria Church has learnt a bitter lesson, a lesson marked with blood and death. It is a lesson that should not be repeated. Genuine repentance by Christian leaders is the first step in ensuring that such error does not occur again.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Prov. 1: 24 – 30 The rejection of the counsel of God in 2014 by Church leaders became collective guilt upon the entire Church. Plead the blood of Jesus to atone for the rebellion of the Church in 2014.
2. Joel 2:17–18 Pray for genuine repentance amongst church leaders so that God’s mercy shall be hastened over the land.
3. Isaiah 52: 3 – Pray that the mercy of God shall prevail upon the Church and the nation.
4. Ezekiel 21: 25 – 27 Pray that God will uproot and overturn every wicked government in Nigeria and hand the throne over to a righteous ruler.
5. Isaiah 28: 5 – 6 Take authority over the gates of hell unleashed upon Nigeria by the APC. Shut the gates of hell and execute judgment on the forces of darkness wreaking havoc in Nigeria.
6. Ps. 149: 5 – 9 Come against the curses of sorcerers, enchanters, diviners, and prognosticators contending for the throne of Nigeria. Bind the evil spirits working with them and execute judgment on all their forces.
7. Isaiah 32: 13 – 18 Pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the land for healing and restoration.
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 6th - Sunday 12th May 2024
WHO OWNS NIGERIA? – PART 2
In the prayer call of 25th – 31st March 2024, we posed the question above and drew attention to the need to resolve the constitutional dispute in Nigeria. In that prayer call, we pointed out that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is of doubtful origin, and it is responsible for most of the crises in Nigeria. That prayer call identified four areas in which the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is dysfunctional and a liability to the Nigerian state:
In a short viral video clip, Chief Nnia Nwodo, a former Minister of Information, and a former President of Ohaneze Ndigbo, said, “… 49 people selected to write a constitution, wrote a constitution. 40 people in the Supreme Military Council promulgated a constitution for us, under General Abubakar, a government in which I served. I was in the Executive Council; I never saw the draft constitution and I was Minister of Information. It was my responsibility to publicize it to the country. On the day of swearing-in of Obasanjo, we didn’t have a copy of the constitution. I didn’t know who was printing it and my Ministry was supposed to pay for the printing. And, Obasanjo was sworn on a constitution that has not been read by anybody. And the National Assembly could not be constituted until four days after his swearing-in because there was no clean copy of the constitution! You cannot build on quicksand. A country cannot live on falsehood.”
Based on the foregoing, those who claim that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is an illegitimate and fraudulent document cannot be faulted. The 1999 Constitution (as amended) did not pass any credible test to be considered the sovereign document of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. To worsen matters, it has become the source of poverty, sorrow, and death to Nigerians.
What should concern Nigerians now is how to resolve the constitutional dispute and ensure that the country obtains a legitimate constitution. There are four perspectives presently in the public space. They are as follows:
1. Amendment of the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly 2. Adoption of the 2014 National Conference Report and its draft Constitution. 3. Adoption of the 1963 Republican Constitution and amendment of the same to reflect current realities. 4. A new Constitution developed by the ethnic nationalities.
There is a school of thought that suggests that the quickest way of replacing the illegitimate 1999 Constitution (as amended) is a return to the 1963 Republican Constitution after due amendments. This school of thought argues that this is the constitution that was negotiated by the ethnic nationalities led by the founding fathers of Nigeria. It was thoroughly debated at various constitutional conferences held in Lagos and in London before it was eventually approved at the Lagos Constitutional Conference which held on 25th – 26th July 1963. This is believed to be the authentic constitution of Nigeria.
It is argued that the 1963 Republican Constitution is still in force because it was only “suspended” by Gen. Ironsi’s Decree No. 1 of 1966. The 1963 Constitution was neither nullified nor abrogated. One immediate advantage in reverting to the 1963 Constitution would be reduction in the cost of governance. Under the 1963 Constitution, Nigeria was funding 5 governments: the Federal Government and the four regional governments. Under the 1999 Constitution, Nigeria is funding 812 governments from the Federation account when one adds up the Federal Government, the 36 state governments, the National Assembly and the 774 Local Governments.
The enormous cost of running government is one of the reasons Nigeria cannot offer free education, free healthcare, and national infrastructure has collapsed. With a political class that is protected from prosecution by the “immunity clause” in the 1999 Constitution (as amended), all the arms of government engage in mad rush to loot whatever is in the national treasury. Consequently, Nigeria became the poverty capital of the world.
There is another school of thought sponsored by the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self Determination (NINAS) that conference of the ethnic nationalities is indispensable to put in place new constitutional arrangements for Nigeria. NINAS has produced five-fold proposition to guide Nigeria into seamlessly developing new constitutional arrangements for the Federal Government and the federating units.
On 16th December 2020, accredited delegates of the Nigerian Indigenous Ethnic Nationalities of the Southern and Middle Belt of Nigeria issued a declaration titled “Notice of Constitutional grievances, declaration of constitutional force majeure and demand for transitioning process for an orderly reconfiguration of the constitutional basis of the federation of Nigeria.” The declaration was signed by a total of 140 representatives of the South and Middle Belt areas of Nigeria. It was carried in full in the Guardian Newspaper on 21st January 2021. https://guardian.ng/features/notice-of-constitutional-grievances-declaration-of-constitutional-force-majeure-and-demand-for-transitioning-process-for-an-orderly-reconfiguration-of-the-constitutional-basis-of-the-federation/
On whichever side of the divide one stands, one thing is clear, Nigeria requires new Constitutional arrangements. The current 1999 Constitution (as amended) has been proven, beyond doubt, to lack legitimacy. Since sovereignty belongs to the people from whom government derives its power, it is imperative that Nigerians must unite to negotiate new Constitutional arrangements for the country.
The political class must be prevailed upon to place the interest of millions of Nigerians above their personal and political interest. It is possible to take a decision on this issue in 2024 while a transition arrangement can be put in place so that the current elected government officials can complete their tenure.
This is a call for Nigerians to focus all their energy and attention on providing a lasting solution to the problems facing the country by going to the root of the problem. Sovereignty belongs to the people. Prayers should focus on dismantling the illegitimate and fraudulent 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the enthronement of the genuine constitution approved by the people for the people. Where there is a will, there is a way.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Isaiah 10: 27 The 1999 Constitution (as amended) is an instrument of oppression, suppression, and regression upon the indigenous ethnic nationalities of Nigeria. Pray that every power of Satan that is sustaining this illegitimate and fraudulent document shall be nullified and destroyed in the name of Jesus Christ.
2. Isaiah 27: 1; Ps. 74: 12 – 14 Pray that every power and influence of leviathan in Nigeria shall be nullified and destroyed by the power of the Almighty God, in the name of Jesus.
3. Zech. 4: 6 Due to the promotion of personal and selfish interests, the political class would not want to support the decommissioning of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). Pray that the anointing of God shall break through every resistance. The anointing of God shall destroy the yoke of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
4. Rev. 12: 11 Pray that every blood sacrifice and occult ritual deployed to keep Nigerians docile and in bondage shall be nullified by the Blood of Jesus Christ. Pray that the Blood of Jesus shall answer their bloods.
5. Isaiah 8: 9 – 10 Pray that every foreign nation that is part of the conspiracy to undermine and enslave Nigerians shall have its peace and tranquility withdrawn.
6. Isaiah 51: 9 – 10 Pray for a stirring in the land, that many voices shall arise, demanding the abrogation of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). Pray for a stirring in the people and great indignation against every instrument of oppression in the land.
7. 2 Cor. 6: 2 Make a righteous demand from heaven, by the Blood of the Lamb of God, that today is the day of the deliverance for Nigeria.
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 29th April - Sunday 5th May 2024
STILL ON THIS MATTER OF BLOODSHED IN NIGERIA
In one of our previous prayer calls, we pointed out that three things defile a land and bring curses upon the people:
1. Adultery 2. Idolatry 3. Bloodshed
Of these three vices, the worst is bloodshed, because it is not easily atoned for. The only atonement provided in the Bible for the shedding of the blood of the innocent is the blood of the person who did the killing. “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.” (Num. 35: 33)
The relentless and ruthless shedding of the blood of innocent people in Nigeria strongly suggests that there is a deliberate sinister agenda behind it. It is therefore in our collective interest to understand the intention of those behind the massive shedding of blood, which has been ongoing for fifteen years in Nigeria. This issue should not be treated with levity.
Every empire is established upon the foundation of blood. The currency to pay for an empire is blood. All the Gentile empires mentioned in the Bible were established on the foundation of blood. The Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman empires were all established on the foundation of blood.
This principle is not restricted to the Gentiles. To build the nation of Israel in Egypt, the foundation was laid on blood, the blood of the Passover lamb, as a type of the blood of Jesus. Going further, to build the eternal Kingdom of God on earth, the foundation was also on blood, the Blood of Jesus shed on Calvary.
In contemporary times, we see this principle playing out with the current superpowers in the world. The United States of America was built on the foundation of the blood of the native Americans, the “Red Indians”. Millions of those natives were slaughtered by the Caucasian race from Europe. To sustain the “American empire”, USA engages in global shedding of blood unparalleled in human history. No country on earth sheds blood like the USA, either directly through wars or indirectly through proxy wars manipulated by the USA. In some instances, the USA has been known to fund both conflicting parties, as it is currently doing in the Israel and Iran conflict. It is all about sustaining the American global empire through constant bloodshed.
Every human empire, irrespective of the price that was paid for it in blood, has a terminal date. There is no human empire that is eternal. The only empire that will last forever is the Kingdom of God built on the sacred and sinless blood of Jesus Christ. Whenever a human kingdom is reaching the end of its tenure, if the beneficiaries of the kingdom wish to extend or renew it, they must shed double the amount of blood that was shed initially to establish that kingdom.
It is a historical fact that Othman Dan Fodio had a dream in which he was told that the Fulani empire, which he established, would last two hundred years. The two hundred years lapsed some years ago. It is within this context that we should view the current Fulani sponsored bloodshed taking place in Nigeria. An empire that is supposed to be dead is being forcefully kept alive with the hope of extending its lifespan. Hence, the beneficiaries of the empire must double the blood that was shed to establish it originally.
A Hausa female emancipator, Hajia Kalthoum Alumbe Jutami, alleged that millions of Hausas were killed in the eight years of Muhammadu Buhari's presidency in Nigeria. That is massive bloodshed. Even if one were to contest her claim, no one can deny the murderous activities all over the country, of the Fulani terrorists being cleverly called “bandits”. More than sufficient data is available in the media.
Under the circumstances, the indigenous ethnic nationalities must view with seriousness the continued plague of bloodshed in Nigeria. It should not be treated with levity. The experience of the “Red Indians” in America, as well as that of the aborigines of Australia, should serve as serious warning. Today, the aborigines do not have a voice in the parliament of Australia. A major referendum, which was held on 14th Oct. 2023, to give the aborigines a voice in the Parliament and government on issues that affect them was defeated, yet the aborigines are the owners of the land. The Nubians of Egypt were decimated to a tiny number while the Arabs took over the land and claimed to be Egyptians. The Nubians are dark skinned, like Nigerians.
Nigerians must recognize the far-reaching implications of the bloodshed taking place in the country and apply corrective measures immediately. In addition to ceaseless intercessions, the following preventive measures, amongst many others, should be considered:
1. There must be a concerted effort to dismantle the Caliphate sponsored 1999 Constitution. A new constitution must come into effect in 2024. The indigenous ethnic nationalities should accept the challenge and responsibility of giving Nigeria a new constitution in 2024. Nigeria must be renegotiated. 2. The current debate over State Police should be resolved quickly. The argument that state governors may abuse the power is untenable. After all, the national Police is under the president. 3. There should be a deliberate program of sharing this information with Nigerians at every available forum. The awareness should spread to places of worship, schools, as well as in the social media. This is not "ethnic profiling", as some might guiltily wish to dismiss it. Available and irrefutable data strongly confirm that there is a sinister motive behind the bloodshed taking place in Nigeria. Seeking permanent solutions to the bloodshed that afflicted Nigeria in the past fifteen years cannot be dismissed as “ethnic profiling”.
For Christians, two Bible passages are instructive. They are: 1. My people perish for lack of knowledge. (Hos. 4: 6); 2. Faith without works is dead. (Jam. 2: 17).
Christians must seek a deeper understanding of the spiritual implications of events occurring in Nigeria and embark on deliberate programs of intervention to provide lasting solutions. Christians must not stop at prayers alone. This season calls for the manifestation of the sons of God. May God find us willing in the day of His power. Amen.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Num. 35: 33; Gen. 9: 6 Pray that God will raise a righteous government that will execute justice and judgment on those who conspire to shed blood in Nigeria.
2. Rev. 16: 6 – 7 Pray that the foot-soldiers and the sponsors of the bloodshed in Nigeria shall carry the consequence of all their blood shed in Nigeria. Pray that every spiritual consequence of the blood shall be heaped upon them and their house.
3. Num. 16: 31 – 35 Pray that the fire of God will consume all the false prophets, sorcerers, diviners, necromancers, and enchanters manipulating blood to cast spells, deploy destructions, and curses upon Nigerians.
4. Is. 49: 24 – 26 Plead the blood of Jesus to nullify every satanic manipulation to exterminate and enslave the indigenous ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.
5. The NT in Heb. 12: 24 provides the solution for appeasing blood that is calling for vengeance. Plead the blood of Jesus to cleanse Nigeria and atone for the blood of the innocent so that blood guiltiness will stop afflicting the land. Pray that the blood of Jesus will assuage vengeance of the blood from calling for more blood.
6. Ecc. 10: 8 It is written, “He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it;” Pray that all those who conspired evil against Nigeria and the indigenous ethnic nationalities shall be consumed by the evil they unleashed.
7. Isaiah 60: 18 Proclaim everlasting peace upon Nigeria.
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 22nd - Sunday 28th April 2024
RIGHTEOUSNESS EXALTS A NATION …
“What money cannot do; more money will do” is the unfortunate axiom of the current political leaders in Nigeria. Their leadership principle seems based on bribery and corruption. The consequence is a corrupt, decadent, and lawless country. As a common proverb goes, the fish rots from the head.
However, one might be unfair in heaping all the blame on the current set of leaders who were themselves products of a corrupt system. The Nigerian system was compromised right from Independence, when an ethnic leader claimed that the newly independent country was “an estate" of his great grandfather. That irresponsible and reckless statement set in motion unwarranted competition and distrust rather than cooperation and mutual trust in the new country. Events soon spiralled out of control leading to the 1966 coup, the civil war, and the military interregnum. It was during the era of the military that corruption became an institution in Nigeria.
An amusing but very unfortunate incident occurred around the ‘90s while the military was in power, and it underscores the mentality in Nigeria. A luxury bus travelling from Lagos to the East was waylaid by armed robbers along the Benin-Shagamu express road. The thieves ordered all the passengers to disembark and hand over their money and other valuables. One young man moved towards the rear of the bus and quickly stuffed his money into his sock leaving a dirty and ragged looking 50 Naira note in his hand. Unfortunately for him, one of the robbers saw him.
The robber accosted him and demanded his money. Tearfully, the young man presented the dirty currency note pleading that was all he had. He explained that he went to visit his sister in Lagos, but she had travelled. In fact, he told the robber, it was her neighbour who gave him money to return to Benin.
The armed robber looked at him contemptuously. With disgust written all over his face, the thief said, “simple honesty, simple honesty. That is the problem with this country, no one is honest. Ordinary bring out your money, you were hiding it in your sock. I saw you. Get out my friend, you are not an honest man. That is the problem with Nigeria, no one is honest.”
That was in the ‘90s. Fast forward to 2024 where the annual national budget was allegedly padded with trillions of Naira. The Senator who raised the alarm was suspended by the Senate. He was not an “honest” man in their midst.
The situation certainly would not have been this bad if the God-appointed custodians of moral standards in Nigeria, the Church, have not joined in the fray. In the past few years, the impression has been firmly established that the Nigeria Church is more corrupt than the world. Every attempt to call the Church to order is termed "rebellion" and the "promotion of disunity" in the Body of Christ. A generation of leaders appeared in the Nigeria Church, which, like the corrupt sons of Eli, “knew not the Lord” (Judges 2:10; 1 Sam. 2:12) These corrupt priests fraternize with corrupt politicians and endorse them publicly.
Consequently, the Nigeria Church has lost moral authority. Now, perversions and pollution fill the sanctuary of the Lord. With the Church in such moral disarray, the country has had no moral compass to navigate its society in a godly and righteous manner. The bloodletting, corruption and immorality all over the country are the consequences of the loss of moral standard in the Church.
The challenge facing Nigeria Christians is to restore righteousness within the household of faith. This would require believers to take the stand of Paul against Peter in Galatians 2:11 – 16. It is not sufficient for Christians to pray about and condemn the evils in the land yet condone the evils and hypocrisy in the Church. The Lord expects His people to place His righteousness above everyone, for God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10: 34).
If Nigeria Christians continue to indulge in and accommodate sinful and corrupt church leaders (contrary to the will of God in 1 Cor. 5:12–13 and 1 Tim. 5:20), righteousness shall continue to elude Nigeria. The moral authority of the Church must be restored before it can fulfil its role as the conscience of Nigeria. Today, Nigeria operates without a conscience, at every level. The ugly situation will persist until the people of God arise in righteous indignation and begin to judge the evil within the Body of Christ. God established a pattern in Haggai 1:9-10 when He said, “Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.” The house of God cannot be in disarray while Christians expect God to tidy up their country.
A lot of prayers are going on, but faith must be combined with works for results to show (Jam. 2: 17.) It is insufficient for Christians to pray for a new Nigeria. They must also raise new leaders that “know the Lord”, leaders who will promote righteousness within the Body of Christ.
It is righteousness that exalts a nation. That righteousness must commence from inside the Church.
PRAYER POINTS
1). John 1:9 The condition of the Church has resulted in collective guilt upon all Christians. Let us confess the failure of Christians in this generation to uphold the holiness and righteousness of God in the Nigeria Church.
2. Matt. 16:18 Appeal to the Lord of the Church to step in and help Nigerian Christians to overcome the sons of Belial who daily pollute the Church.
3. Jude 3 & 4 Pray for the outpouring of the zeal of God, that Nigeria Christians shall become militant against corrupt and hypocritical Christian leaders.
4. Hebrews 1:7 Pray for fresh fire upon Nigeria Christians, fire that will consume all dross and chaff in the Church. Pray that Nigeria Christians shall be on fire for truth and righteousness.
5. Acts 5:1-11 Pray for the discipline of the Holy Spirit to restore the fear of God in the Church.
6. Acts 13:1-4 Pray that henceforth, the Holy Spirit shall raise leaders in the Nigeria Church. Pray that all leaders not appointed by the Holy Spirit shall be uprooted from leadership positions in the Church. Matt. 15:13
7. Ps. 75: 6-7 Pray that God will promote and empower Spirit-filled Christians into positions of authority and influence in government as well as in the seven mountains of the society.
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 15th - Sunday 21st April, 2024
BLOOD FOR BLOOD: THE CLEANSING OF THE LAND
According to the Creator, it takes blood to wash away blood; either the blood of the guilty or a relation of the guilty (Genesis 9:5; 2 Samuel 21:1-14), for which blood will keep being spilt, or the redemptive blood of a vicarious one, an animal, in the Old Covenant (Deut 21:1-8) or the blood of the Lamb (Hebrews 12:24).
“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” (Numbers 35:33).
There has been a cycle of blood – in families, in communities, in the nation. It is time to step out as priests of God in our various capacities to address those. If a present generation can he held accountable for the bloodguilt of their ancestors (Luke 11:50-51), then a present generation can also time-travel into the past to clear inherited liabilities of blood (Leviticus 26:38-42).
Prayer Points
1). Genesis 4:15; Ezekiel 9:6 – The Mark of Preservation In this season of so much bloodthirstiness, where old blood keeps crying for more blood, may we beseech the Lord for the mark of preservation, upon us and ours; upon the righteous and innocent.
2). 2 Kings 2:32-33 – Blood upon the Guilty and Declaration of Innocence So many innocent people have suffered for blood that they had no hand in. May we, like Solomon, begin to i) send blood back upon the heads of the guilty and their accomplices, as well as ii) declaring the exoneration of ourselves, our households, our thrones, our seeds from the consequences of blood seeds sown in our spaces.
3). Hebrews 12:24 – Judicial Appeal to the Higher Blood Since it takes blood to cleanse blood, may we begin to apply the blood of Jesus to our consciences seared stiff against guilt and to our lands defiled many times over with blood. Let us appeal for that blood to speak for us, for our land, better things that the reproaches being compelled by shed bloods.
4. Hosea 4:6 – Requesting Wisdom in Dealing with Blood Praying amiss can costly; not discerning one’s crisis and not knowing what to do about the symptoms can be deadly. May we request the opening of the eyes in dealing with blood matters in our age.
Amen.
THE VOICE OF BLOOD The series of teachings titled "The Voice of Blood" ( Part 1 - 3) are available below: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkMNl-9DvS_7Iz5TBMMkPIGreoPrTwEj7
MARATHON PRAYERS Monday 8th - Sunday 14th April 2024
BLOOD GROUPS AND THE POLLUTION OF THE LAND
Medically, there are four major (or eight broad) blood groups, each classified according to whether or not the A and B antigens are present on the surface of the red blood cells. They are blood groups A, B, AB, and O. In spiritual hematology, there are five broad blood groups, classified according to the circumstances of their spillage:
i) Blood of War, spilled by law-enforcement agencies in the course their civil duties or by others in the course of self-defense (1 Kings 2:5),
ii) Innocent Blood - the blood of the guiltless shed in rituals, extra-judicial murders, assassinations, robberies, and by tyrants as well as by greedy professionals who cut corners and bring fatal accidents upon innocent people in open wells and collapsed buildings (Matthew 27:4; 1 Samuel 19:5; Deuteronomy 19:11-13),
iii) The Righteous Blood of saints and prophets martyred for their faith (Matthew 23:34-35),
iv) Accidental Blood of Manslaughter and other accidents not intended by the causer of death (Deuteronomy 19:4-7), and
v) The Guilty Blood of those who bring their death upon themselves through rebellion (Ezekiel 18:10-13).
Against the backdrop of all these, the Bible warns, “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” (Numbers 35:33). Something defiled and polluted cannot produce maximally. Might that also explain some of our national and communal and personal retardations? Political bloods, ritual bloods, jihadist bloods, abortions, etc.!
What is our answer to these? Nothing but the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 12:24).
Prayer Points
1). 1 Kings 2: 31-33 – May the Guilty Bear the Bloods Solomon had to declare his ancestry’s innocence in the blood implications of Joab the Army Chief under his father David. Next, he sent the consequences back upon the guilty. Let us declare our innocence (where we are), and send blood back upon all the sponsors of jihad, kidnapping, political assassinations, etc.
2). Numbers 35:33 – Discernment May we pray for proper diagnosis of our many national and family crises, so we can apply proper therapies. It is waste of time cleansing a polluted land with fresh but ineffective fertilizers and helpless farming tractors. Ask discernment for spiritual and other leaders in handling the multiple crises of the time.
3). Numbers 35:33; Blood for Blood May all who have loved blood, who have profited from the blood and tears of others, begin to drink of their own cups as God gives them blood to drink – in their palaces and in their caves. “For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy” (Rev 16:6).
4). Luke 22:38 – Enforcing the Right to Self-Defence The enemies of justice and peace have systematically disarmed the innocent and strengthened their killers against them. Peter carried a sword for physical defence all the time he followed Jesus the Son of God (Luke 22:38; Matthew 26:52-54), and Heaven had an army with weapons of war ready before the war came there (Rev 12:7). May there begin to be administrative enforcements of people’s armed rights to self-defence against their marauding killers, and a reset to the theologically-induced passivity that makes people unfortunate preys.
5). Hebrews 12:24 – Invoking Blood against Blood To the extent that it takes blood to cleanse or answer blood, may we as kings and priests apply the Blood of Jesus to every desolation and pollution arising from blood on the land.
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..
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