Worship Works Wonders

Prayer is no doubt an essential means of communication from men to God. More often than not, we all pray at different times with varying duration. Prayer helps to stop and destroy the activities of the devil. However, when it seems you have prayed and avoided ‘little foxes’ like sins and doubts that destroy the vine; and nothing is happening, then what else? Try worship.

This testimony is that of a man who in the year 2005 was preparing for the entrance examination into the university. A day before the exam, he had a dream that the police arrested him in the exam hall but he woke up and prayed vehemently. The next day he went for his exam, started and about one hour into the exam, another man surfaced who had the same exam number with him. The invigilator came to the man writing the exam, threatened to call the police and sent him out without listening to his explanation. The new comer was told to continue from where he stopped. The first question in our minds would be, didn’t he pray well? I am sure he did.

On leaving the premises of the exam, he headed for the church. He said he was in church for about four hours just worshipping God and rolling on the floor. He was not complaining or grumbling but just worshipping. That day this scripture “for the Father is SEEKING such to worship Him” was fulfilled in his life. He said the Lord came to him that night and said “I will not put you to shame”. And He did as promised. Two days to the release of the results, God gave him a job he never applied for and he also graduated from the university last year (2013).

Are you weary in prayers? If yes, try to worship Him from the depth of your heart irrespective of the situation. He will be the one seeking you not you seeking Him.

But the hour is coming, and now is when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is SEEKING such to worship Him.

                                                                                                John 4:23 NKJV

The LORD shall visit us in Jesus’ name. Amen.

An Appeal to Christians and All Nigerians

It is about a month now that the nation Nigeria has been in a pensive mood concerning the over two hundred young school girls that were kidnapped in Borno State by the Boko-Haram sect. This has led to calls for the release of these girls from various groups like Christians Association of Nigeria, Muslim Council in Nigeria, human right activists and different countries of the world.

It is heartbreaking to hear people wailing and weeping at the loss of their loved ones. In my heart I hear the echoes of our children saying ‘Please let us go back home’. As the adage goes, ‘only the directly concerned know exactly what the experience is’. I am sure that most of us are eating, drinking and laughing, but the relations of these girls find it difficult to eat or even sleep well. If care is not taken we won’t only be talking about loss of lives of the girls but also of their family members which may result from anxiety disorders and high blood pressure.

I therefore seize this medium to appeal to as many that are God fearing, to arise and call on God to intervene. God can use anybody, not only to deliver these girls, but also to restore peace to Borno State and the nation as a whole.

The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.

                                                                             Proverbs 21:1 ESV

From the above bible verse it means God can turn the hearts of the leaders of Boko-Haram. If the word of God never fails then let us call on Him. God will act in Jesus’ name. If Saul became Paul and God has not changed (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8) then He is bound to do it again. He has the authority to end it all.

However, God can also use this occasion to EXALT Himself as He did before in the case of Pharaoh the ruler of Egypt (Exodus 15:1-7). The cry then was ‘let my people go that they may serve me’. But Pharaoh refused. At the end God proved that He alone rules over the affairs of men.

Nonetheless, whatever the grievances are, it is best to remember that love covers a multitude of sins. Moreover, when you love your fellow man, you will not want to hurt him/her. No one that truly cares will kill his neighbour. Let peace reign again.

As Gowon a former Nigerian Head of State once said “there is no victor no vanquished”. I believe it is time to embrace this statement again, because every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. Let us think of our children.

Uprightness and right standing with God (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation) elevate a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.

                                                                    Proverbs 14:34 AMP

Any country that nurtures sin is in danger of reproach/disgrace. Righteousness must be promoted. Nigerians should be in right standing with God. For this to be done, we need to ask God for forgiveness of sins committed and make restitutions. Spiritual leaders should show moderation in all they do (Philippians 4:5) and our focus as Nigerians should be ‘Peace and Unity’ as declared in our National Anthem. Peace! Peace!! Peace!!! This is the cry of passion. Let us return to God and He will give the country rest in Jesus’ name. SHALOM.

Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.

                                                                                    Matthew 11:28 GNB

 

A Prayer Key

Prayers! Prayers!! Prayers!!! I come from a country where prayers are not taken lightly. Churches organise breakfast prayers, vigils and all sorts of prayer programmes. This is indeed encouraging because we are commanded to ‘pray without ceasing’.

However, my concern has always been that how come ‘these prayers’ are not getting the intended results as expected? Anybody can pray, be it believer or unbeliever but it is not all prayers that are heard and when God does not hear, surely there won’t be answer.

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men-extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.

I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess’.

And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!.

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted”.

                                                                            Luke 18:10-14 NKJV

 The Pharisee was a man of prayer. He even offered prayer of thanksgiving to God aside his faithfulness in tithing and fasting which are powerful acts that can open heavens and change difficult situations (John 6:11-12; Malachi 3:10; Matthew 17:21). Despite his actions, God did not regard him. However, the tax collector (the disregarded by men) went home justified. Why? He humbled himself.

Humility is a key to answered prayers. No matter how your commitment to a church is, without humility, it could amount to fruitless efforts in prayers.

If my people who are called by My name will HUMBLE themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven... (2 Chronicles 7:14). To be humble is to empty oneself of his/her self esteem and surrender wilfully to grace through Christ Jesus. It is to always admit that without Christ one is NOTHING. In humility there is no self justification, everything is poured out before God, be it fears, secret sins, self glorification and inadequacies of man. God is not only interested in the prayers alone but also in the vessel offering the prayers. If we, His people can humble ourselves before Him, then God’s response to us will be as that of Elijah (1 Kings 18:30-38). Indeed we can do nothing on our own, without God we are nothing. Let us be humble enough to acknowledge Him in our supplications.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.

                                                                                 1 Peter 5:6 NKJV

Be Slow To Speak

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;

                                                                       James 1:19 NKJV

We are all admonished to hear swiftly yet slow to speak. The bible knows the reason for this. The tongue has been described as powerful and an unruly evil not because it is evil on its own, rather an untamed tongue can cause lots of havoc. This is not uncommon in the family setting whereby families and marriages have been wrecked. Loved ones have died because of abusive words from their spouses; children have become disobedient to parents because their parents have rained negative words on them through careless utterances.

A good number of people have been entrapped via their words. It seems natural for people to have the tendency to speak more than listening. However,If you want to keep your home in order,you have to be slow to speak. Most often than not, when marital crises are to be resolved, the major argument is always ‘he said this, she said that’. This means that quite a number of couples are quick to speak.  It is advisable that when one party is not saying something, do not force him or her in order to avoid rancour. Even Jesus had to be slow to speak when He was asked to talk about paying taxes to Caesar. It is good to be slow to speak; it saves us from unforeseen challenges.

There are times when there would be orchestrated attempts to force words out of our mouths. At such times we need to exercise caution. It is not compulsory or necessary to have an answer for all questions, at least not immediately. When you are asked to contribute to a matter and you have nothing to say then keep quiet. That is wisdom. Even a fool will be respected when he is careful with words.

Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.

                                                                Proverbs 17:28 NASB

Quite a number of people have lost their lives because they did not set a watch over their mouths. It takes consciousness and sincere prayers to God to be able to tame ones tongue. I pray that the LORD shall help us to guard our mouths from being entrapped by the enemies in Jesus’ name. Amen. SHALOM.

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

                                                                        Psalms 141:3 KJV

Together We Stand

Praying is a commandment that we ought to obey (Luke 18:1). Beyond making petitions to God it is an exercise of edification to the soul. Most often we understand the need for us to pray individually. It is not wrong.

However, considering the word of God that says “five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you” (Leviticus 26:8) it infers that the more we are in number when we gather, the mightier we are in battle. Prayer is not only a means of communication with God but also a weapon of warfare. Christians are soldiers expected to take more grounds for Jesus and also set free the captives. When Peter the Apostle was held captive in prison, the church came together to pray for him. This is the desire of God today too. God wants the Church to come back together to unite in love, passion, and care void of ulterior motives or selfishness. This is when we can take the battle to the gates of the enemies.

When the disciples asked Jesus Christ to teach them how to pray His opening was ‘Our Father in heaven...’ (Luke 11:2). The reason is because He wants the Church to be united in prayers before God and He desires the Church to always come together as a formidable force. Brethren, we cannot do it alone. We need one another to enforce victories.

So we, numerous as we are, are one body in Christ (the Messiah) and individually we are parts one of another (mutually dependent on one another).

                                                                   Romans 12:5 AMP

In the year 2003, a member of our Church was kidnapped by ritualists in Lagos, Nigeria and was taken to their ‘den’ where men were slaughtered like rams for evil purposes,but  the Church came together and interceded for her continuously in unity until victory was enforced. A week later she was released alongside another lady but other passengers that boarded that bus with her, lost out. How painful and sad will be the experience of such families.

As Christians, we are ‘one body – one big family’. This is time for Churches to come together holding hands and calling on God to change situations in countries where there are unrests. Jesus said “It is finished (John 19:30), as the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). You here, refer to the body – the Church. Is there someone dying, sick, diseased or held captive? Jesus has and is sending the Church to enforce His victory. It is time we come together again as one body in truth and holiness. I conclude with the words of Jesus which says “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand” (Matthew 12:25). It is my prayers that the ‘body’ will be knitted together again as it was in the beginning and the Lord be gracious to His Church in Jesus’ name. SHALOM

And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.

So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said:“Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,

And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the word of God with boldness.

Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

                                                        Acts 4:23,24,31,32 NKJV

The Prophet Said She Would Die

Quite a number of things have been said to our hearing of which we as Christians either rebuke or accept depending on what was heard. If it is a pronouncement of blessings,we accept it, but if it is a negative one,it is rejected, especially when we have the knowledge of it. However, there are other blessings or negative pronouncements that do not come to our hearing. For the blessings that is good, but the question is, how do we deal with negative declarations when we do not know when they are said?

A friend of mine told me that when he was set to be married, he went to a Prophet with the names of three (3) different ladies and of one, the Prophet said she would die young. My friend for reasons best known to him said he would marry her (now they are married). The interesting part is that he never told the lady about the prophecy.

After some time in the marriage, she had a dream and saw herself and her elder sister in a cage. In that dream she started praying in other tongues and suddenly she flew out of the cage. Then she woke up, knelt down and began to pray. While praying she saw a shadow come close to her and said “you have been delivered from dying young”. Glory to God! No matter the declaration against you, NEVER GIVE UP PRAYERS.

Be unceasing in prayer (praying perseveringly)      

                                                    1 Thessalonians 5:17 AMP

We are admonished to keep praying, no matter the situation. Even when a negative prophecy is given, just hold on to God he can cancel it and He will as long as you do not stop praying. My friend’s wife was and is delivered today because she kept praying even when she was unaware of the death sentence.

Friends, never be weary of praying, in due time there shall be obvious testimonies in Jesus’ name. Amen. Be strong and fervent in prayers. It is only God that has the final say not doctors, prophets or politicians. We can change things when we stand in prayers before God. It shall be well indeed. Shalom.