Today started out as every other normal day for me. I had been so occupied at the college to even pay so much attention to the day and what it meant to me as a nigerian. Truth hurts people say and i agree. My heart had been heavy the day before as i had read online the terrible happenings in the country. I thought to myself " what is there to be happy about? After 54 years? " Then halfway into my day i got the call that would change the direction of my heart. It was from my pastor. The Lord had given Him a word for the nation. There was still hope! All wasn't lost! Things could change! Oh how my heart leapt for joy after listening to it. The full message is below.
Dear fellow Nigerians, let me use the opportunity to congratulate you on the independence day Celeberation and to thank God for His mercy and longsuffering towards us as Lamentations 3: 23-24 says it is of The Lord's mercies that we aren't consumed. They are new every morning, Great is His faithfulness. Thank God that He hasn't judged us as a nation according to the level of our iniquities and spiritual misbehaviour.
The lord has told me that this isn't a time of merry making but a sobering time for all. It is a period of humility, brokeness and repentance before God through praying and fasting. This is something that everyone born in that country must do.
The Lord said " I have done and given that land all she needs to be the best but unfortunately the people have done all they can to make the land worse" Then He drew my attention to 2 Chronicles 7:13 and 14. Verse 13 says "If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people" beloved, does this not describe our land? Famine, chaos, diseaseses, insecurity, drought and pestilence...the list goes on. It would be foolish of anyone walking in The Spirit not to see the similarity here. It is glaring!
Now despite everything brethren there is still hope because there is also a solution to the many problems that plaugue our nation. We see it in verse 14. "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, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." There are 4 major steps outlined here.
1. Humility.
We as a nation must acknowledge that we have sinned against The Lord through our evil lifestyle.
2. Pray for mercy.
3. Seek His face in truth and in spirit.
4.Turn away from our evil and wicked ways.
Beloved, Glory to God for giving us the antidote we need for this situation. Whenever a continent, country, city, town, village, community, family or even an individual find themselves in the verse 13 situation then the way out of it would be to do as The Lord said in the following verse. My prayer is that your heart will be genuinely touched and convicted after reading this and you will be moved to get on your knees and cry out to The Lord daily. God bless you.
Pastor Elijah Sogo.
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