Category: Worship

• Text: “… the sons of God came … and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.” Job 2:1

By Venerable Henry O. Adelegan

Are you having issues with your education, finances, challenge of acute paucity of cash or marital hiccups? Are your children not doing well as you would have loved, are you experiencing perennial sicknesses in your family, avoidable errors at work, delay in marriage, unfruitfulness after marriage, intractable marital squabbles over nothing tangible, thoughts of divorce or separation, no employment etc?, it is surely not over with you. There is a moment of joy after season of struggles. In ancient days, most Yorubas considered Offa, a town in Kwara State, to be very far so they would say that “Offa jin amo Oje tun jina ju Offa lo”, meaning that Offa (a defunct town after Offa), is far but Oje is farther than Ofa. As they moved beyond Oje however, they discovered many more towns and lands such that they could not cover everything so the elders changed their words to “Ohun ti n mbe leyin Offa o ju Oje lo”, meaning that the things and places that are farther from Ofa are more Oje. What this proverb means contextually is that there is more to life than knowledge, that there is more to a matter than what is seen or known or that things aren’t always what they seem.

One of the challenges that believers face in this spiritual world is with the devil and his agents, his companions or his recruits. The enemies are people we engage daily at our places of work, spaces of our commissions and area of our assignments. The devil recruits people daily and places them on assignments to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10a). Ephesians 6:12 says that we are in a battlefield and the warfare is not against any human being but with the devil and his agents, who operates as principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places (Psalms 56:1,2,5,6). Not only that, 1 Peter 5:8 says that the devil is the adversary of believers and he walks about as a roaring lion in daily search of whom to devour. In Revelation 12:10, Jesus Christ revealed himself as the accuser of the brethren who is always looking for offenses.

From our text, we are faced with an upright man called Job, a man who was uploaded with the nice things of life by God but was offloaded of all by the devil. It is unfortunate that the destinies of lots of believers. particularly children of great glory, are being destroyed and offloaded on a daily basis. It no wonder that Solomon said that I have seen servants on horses and princes walking on the ground. Following the first accusation by the devil, the hedge of Job was removed and he became defenseless. Consequently, and in one day, Job lost his oxen, donkeys and servants to the Sabeans, fire burnt his sheep and servants, and the Chaldeans who were hobnobbers of the devil, took away his camels and killed his servants and that same day, a great wind, an accomplice of the devil, came from the wilderness and snuffed life from his sons and daughters.

Despite the severe travails of Job, in Job 19:25, he exclaimed that “I know that my Lord lives”, and in Chapter 42, the devil removed his hands from his life and he was restored double – Halleluyah! Beloved in Christ, please note that it is for such austere and bad times that Jesus Christ, the son of man, was made manifest in other to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). Psalm 30:5 says that ‘weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning’. I congratulate you because this is the advent and morning of your Mega miracles. It doesn’t matter how adverse things are with you today, please be assured that there is a silver lining at the end of the dark tunnel, the austere times of today shall bow to your time of prosperity tomorrow. For every destiny destroyer, you have a God who is the destiny restorer. His name is Jesus Christ. He is the Captain of your salvation, He is your shield and our Buckler, He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the Great One of Shekinah glory. I have a good news for you from above. Your season of rejoicing is here. Enough of complaining and weeping, this is your season of joy. You are going to arise and shine. The glory of God shall be seen upon you. As the Lord lives, that Prince of Persia in your father’s house and mother’s house shall let go of your blessings and your joy shall be restored in the name of Jesus Christ.

What you need to do is to surrender your life to Jesus and renounce all association with the devil and his agents, be spiritually vigilant and put off carnal works of darkness (I Peter 5:8), cry to God for help (Psalm 56: 9), put on the full armor of God (Proverbs 21:31), resist the devil (James 4:7) and avoid negative thoughts (Proverbs 4:23). Please note that this season of Lent is the kickoff of your victory over the devil, his agents and their plans. There is therefore no plan of hell and there is no scheme of men that can and shall be able to abort your divine plan and purpose in the name of Jesus

Prayer: Lord, deliver me from the manipulations and control of the devil, and restore my lost grounds, in the name of Jesus.

LEAD Pastor and Founder, of HillTop City Christian Center, (HTC), Victor Akintunde has appealed to church leaders to place more emphasises on the true gospel of Jesus that saves souls and prepares men for heaven and avoid doctrinal teachings that run contrary to the teachings of Christ.

Akintunde said this recently in an interview with The Nation at the church Singles Connect held at the church International Headquarters in Ojodu, Lagos, said that the church must stay clear from an ideology that runs contrary to the word of God.

He said that the word of God remains our standard and is the touch we bear, and they are high, unbroken, and unchangeable.

He sounded a note of warning to men of God who monetizes gospel gathering and revivals, reemphasizing that salvation has been given freely to humanity by Christ Jesus.

He lamented that the influence of the internet and the global village phenomenon possess a serious challenge to ministers of God today, stressed that every man of God called by God must know that they have a responsibility to teach the people the right message and if they don’t, they will bear part of the responsibility for their errors ultimately.

He admonished singles preparing for a happy marriage life to establish their place in God before venturing into marriage. 

He urged Christian singles not to go through the route of the world in choosing who to marry, adding that glorifying God in all things, including marriage is imperative.

 “Let us focus on things that God will be happy about. It is very possible to have a clear relationship in our time. It is possible to have a relationship that does not glorify the flesh”.

 “We need to establish our place in God. The desire to marry must not overshadow our desire t please God, saying that some will not marry until they died”.

He asked are you willing to serve God if the marriage fails to happen. It is important that we re-established our relationship with God because many have missed it because of the pressure to marry/

 “They compromise on God’s standard and they pay for it. It is troubled and their relationship with God cut off and eventually, their marriage ended and they are back to square one”, he said.

The Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (CPFN), Lagos State Chapter has thrown its weight behind the Lagos State governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his deputy, Dr. Kadri Olufemi Hamzat, ahead of the forthcoming governorship election coming up on March 18.

CPFN Lagos State Chairman, Pastor Dr. Samuel Olumuyiwa Adeosun said this at a press conference held recently at The Apostolic Church, LAWNA Territorial Headquarters, Ketu Lagos.

Adeosun said that since the coming of this present unbroken democracy, Lagos State has been blessed to have highly intelligent people at the helm of her affairs that always come up with good programmes for the betterment of the masses.

He, therefore, said PFN had seen Sanwo-Olu’s performance, and it would continue to support him.

He noted that the Church supported Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his two terms of eight years and another person that took over from him was Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola who continued the good work for another eight years.

“The Church asked the party to give us a Christian candidate among them that is the political class, and so they gave Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, but he only served one term of four years. The Church insisted that they must give us another Christian and so came Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu whose first-year tenure is about to end and has won the nomination of his party for a second term.

“The Church is satisfied with his performance and we have agreed to stay solidly behind him for the success required for this second term bid at the poll coming up on Saturday, 18th of March. He has performed creditably well, he deserves a second term and by the grace of God, he will have it.”

Adeosun added: “the church will vote for him; Muslims equally promised to vote for him en-bloc; Lagos and Nigeria shall experience peace and prosperity in Jesus’ Mighty Name.”

He appealed to the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to play according to their set rules by getting to Polling Units on time with every necessary material needed for the hitch-free poll.

“Security officials should beef up security in violent prone areas to ensure votes count, lives and properties are safe; The electorate should come out en-mass and vote without abuse or any form of violence.

“Let us show the world that we are capable of organising elections peacefully even in a megacity like Lagos without riots and loss of lives. Remember that, it is just an election and another one shall be coming in four years’ time,” he said.

The Former Chairman of the Financial Accountability Commission of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and General Superintendent of the Holy Spirit Mission (aka Happy Family Centre), Bishop Charles Ighele, spoke to Adeola Ogunlade on the just concluded Presidential elections, and the way forward for Nigerians.

Before the election, a lot of prophets spoke in support of the different candidates, and one would ask, did they hear from God?

When the issue of a Muslim/Muslim ticket came up, some pastors supported the candidates of the All-Progressives Congress (APC) and some were against his candidature. So when the church saw what was going on, some pastors began to speak less of politics.

I will not speak for those prophets. I have my colleagues, the high and the up and coming ones, who did not prophesy, though they have supported their candidates. I don’t want to say things that will further cause a problem. I like people to learn. I have my members across the country, but I did not tell them who to vote for. I told them that they should vote for their conscience. This time, I just sat and looked. I acted like a statesman. I wanted to look at how things would pan out. The church never prophesies about who will become Nigeria’s President. 

There are claims that the door to the Aso Villa was closed against the church for two years after the 2015 elections because of the stance of the church in 2015. Can we say Adeboye, Primate, and Archbishops of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Catholic Bishops were not allowed into Aso Rock?

These people had access. The most prominent figure in the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Pastor Enoch Adeboye had access not because Osinbanjo is the Vice President. Femi Adesina, the spokesperson of President Buhari glowingly praised the General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor William Kumuyi for not criticizing President Buhari after a visit to the President.

Nigeria has elected its new President, what should be the takeaway?

There is a challenge to the establishment. In the 1979 election when former President Shagari won, the establishment won, and the class and power brokers won. Shagari was not as intelligent as Chief Awolowo, but he was not the candidate for the establishment. Shagari did not perform well, though he won a landslide victory in 1984, he did not perform well, the economy was bad, and the country was largely polarized. The first exodus of Nigerians abroad started about that time. A coup took place that made Buhari the Head of State. The next establishment emerged in 1999 when Former President Obasanjo took over from the Head of State, Abdusalam, and the same establishment-backed Yaradua. Former President Jonathan became President after the Law of Necessity was raised when Yar’adua was ill. The establishment backed Buhari. This is the first time that the establishment has been challenged in Nigeria’s history. Obi got into the prominence he is today because Nigeria had suffered, and they were asking themselves who would deliver them from those milking them dry and taking their paternity. Obi emerged without an organised structure. Who will have thought Labour would clear Delta State? It lacks structure. It surprises me. There is an establishment right now and whoever becomes President should be humble in victory and work for the interest of the common man.

Does the Obedient Movement look more like a rudderless movement that may not stand the test of time considering their performance in the Presidential election?

When you look at the history of revolutions all over the world, they hardly start with a leader, but a people becoming discontent with the system. God sent Moses to deliver the children of Israel after many years of groaning in Egypt. When people are groaning, only a few are organised. In the process, someone will show up, just like in the French revolution. It is not about the man that heads it, but as much as the groaning continues, the movement will continue. The seeming victory of the Labour Party was conceived in the womb of the ENDSAR movement

Social media influencers have continued to latch on to the ENDSARS protest to gain unnecessary popularity, it looks like a fad.

If 133 million Nigerians are multidimensionally poor, it is not social media, it is the reality on the ground. Three years down the line, the government has not done enough to address the grievance of Nigerians. ENDSAR was just a name. I was not part of it but I watched all that happened. I warned in 2020 that the government must do something quickly to address the yearnings of the poor. My memory goes back to 1831 when the monarchy and political elites were maltreating the people and things were tough for the peasant farmers and commoners. The people protested and it became a major issue in English history today. In 1831, N-Teller who led the protest was executed but the monarchs and elites began to introduce new measures to alleviate the difficulties of the poor. Government should mobilise both human and material resources for the development of the country.

 What is the way forward for the President-Elect?

A big problem will come up in June, July, and August and it will test the ingenuity of the President-Elect. In this year’s budget, by May petroleum subsidies will cease. Petroleum subsidy is only in the budget until June. I don’t know why the present administration put an end to the subsidy until the expiration of this term. I think the subsidy should have been removed in January or December. That would have been honest. Deliberately or not, it is a big trap that can kill a big rat. I have told my people to wake up because the prices of food items will increase. Diesel was cheaper than petroleum until the subsidy on diesel was removed and the price went up to N800. The price of PMS will reach that level. If nothing is done, the price of things will skyrocket and the people will begin to cry against the new government. Though all parties agreed that subsidy on petroleum should be removed, we must start thinking now on the way forward. We must think beyond palliatives. Thinking about increasing workers’ salaries is not enough to cushion the effect of subsidy removal. The poor are in the millions. Garri, a staple food for the poor, is gradually getting out of the reach of the poor, the challenge is that when the subsidy on PMS is removed, garri will completely be out of the reach of the poor. When Former President Olusegun Obasanjo became President-Elect, he went for a retreat with a different thinking team on how the government would run. The celebration should stop after the March 11 elections, assemble a team now, the problem the president-elect is inheriting is far more than the problem Buhari inherited. The problem can be solved through a higher level of thinking, and great thinkers.

What is the way forward for the church?

The church is expected to support the new government because the Bible enjoined all to do so. When the Muslim/Muslim ticket came up, the church was angry, but the church did not want to cause political tension, so the church became silent. 

Was it because there was a change of guard at the national level of CAN?

No, the new President of CAN and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria spoke loudly a few weeks after his election against the Muslim/Muslim ticket, but the Bible teaches us not to do things out of anger but wisdom. National or religious balance goes beyond Muslim votes or Christian votes. We can see that it affected APC votes. There are certain things above religion. Balance the ticket based on geography and under it is religion and not just elevating religion to the top. Though APC did that due to the exigency of the moment, the mistake should be avoided next time. 

• Text:” ……if we ask any thing according to His will, he hears us” I John 5:14

By Venerable Henry O. Adelegan

One of the most spiritually heart rendering questions from believers in the world today is that, “does God still answer prayers?” Who will blame those skeptics when in actual fact a number of them have been praying without answer to their prayers; who will convince them otherwise when they have fasted and prayed and their ‘mountains‘ have refused to move. John the beloved, from our text, confirmed that God answers prayers and that He still gives Victory over circumstances and challenges of life. The Psalmist, while asserting the greatness of God said in Psalms 94:9 that, “He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? He that formed the eye, shall He not see? (Psalm 94:9). The position of the Psalmist was further buttressed in the words of Jeremiah that, “Thus says the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord is His name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show you great and mighty things, which you know not.” (Jeremiah 33:2-3). The precursor to prayers been answered, and a life of Victory this year however, is that it must be in tandem with His will. Anything outside that is a waste of time and efforts.

Beloved in Christ, kindly be informed that your Victory at the polls or life is guaranteed but what will qualify you for it is by staying in His will. If you are out of His will or wander off His commandment, your season of prayers shall be mere noise, your days on the mountain of prayers shall be merely for excursion purposes and your season of fasting shall be bare religious practice which amounts to nothing, and not acceptable to God. The answer to such prayers shall be held down by the accuser of the brethren called the Prince of Persia until the wrongs are righted (Daniel 10:12-13).

Who or what is this ‘Prince of Persia’? The ‘Prince of Persia’, apart from being a metaphor of the unseen, also stands for whatever is capable of not allowing believers have access to answered prayers. The ‘Prince of Persia’ that is reigning across the globe now, more that ever in history, is sin. We are in the perilous times that Paul told Timothy about, when people shall be “…. lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof…(2Timothy 3:2-5)

 Beloved in Christ, kindly be informed that the Almighty God is holy and He cannot behold iniquities (Habakkuk 1:13). The principal requirement of God before He answers prayers is the spotless state of man. God told the rulers of Sodom in Isaiah 1:15 that, “… when you spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yes, when you make many prayers, I will not hear for your hands are full of blood”. In Isaiah 59:1-2, God said further that “…..the Lord ‘s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness”.

 Dear brothers and sisters, when you pray according to the will of God, He will give you all that you asked for and spice them up with the things He believes are right, good and proper for you. In Isaiah 65:24, God said that, “…. it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear”. Besides that, because He is God, the creator of heaven and earth (Isaiah 40:28), He has capacity to “….do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think….” (Ephesians 3:20; cf 2 Chronicles 1:11-12)

For your Victory to be a done deal during season of Lent, it is imperative of you to surrender your life to Jesus Christ, confess His Lordship with your mouth, acknowledge that He came to die for your sins, ask Him to forgive your sins (Romans 4:7,8), flee the appearances of sins, restitute your ways, separate yourself from people that influence you to sin and be a committed member of a Bible believing church. Kindly be informed dear children of God, that “….the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows them that are His. And, Let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity” ( 2 Timothy 2:19). Following that, you must be thankful to God in all situations of life and stop complaining (Philippians 4:6; Colossians 4:2; Hebrews 5:7). And when you pray to God, you must pray in faith without doubting (Hebrews 11:1, 6. Matt. 21:22; 1 Timothy 2:8;James 1:5-7) and avoid praying repetitively for showmanship ( Matthew 6:5-8). Quite related to that, you must check your motives for prayers and pray with the right intentions (James 4:3). This season of Lent is the time for your Victory and you are unstoppable. It has been divinely established that there is no plan of hell and there is no scheme of men that shall be able to hinder your testimonies. This is your season to celebrate and be celebrated, says the Lord of hosts, and it is settled, in the name of Jesus.

Prayer: Oh Lord arise and deliver me from whatever is standing between me and my Victory in the name of Jesus.

• Text:”…..Nebuchadnezzar……was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen…….” (Daniel 4:33)

By Venerable Henry O. Adelegan

God is not only the Ancient of days (Daniel 7:9,13,22), He is the Almighty God (Gen. 17:1). He has all powers at His command (Psalm 62:11) and gives it to whosoever He wills (Romans 13:1). He said that, “By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth” (Proverbs 8:15-16). More importantly, He has the power to install whosoever He wills as king; and at His perogative, He can remove installed kings. When the Israelites demanded for a king, He was the One who gave them Saul the son of Kish, but when Saul went against His command, the Strength of Israel didn’t look at his penitent outlook and plea to give him another chance; He rejected, removed and replaced him in a jiffy (1Samuel 15).

King Nebuchadnezzar was a very powerful King over Babylon. He had God’s delegated powers and authorities “… over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant” (Jeremiah 1:10). One day however, King Nebuchadnezzar became self-conceited about all that God had blessed his life with and appropriated all the blessings to himself – he became so garrulous and egocentric (Daniel 4:29-31). “…….But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him” (Daniel 5:19-29) King Nebuchadnezzar was chased out of the palace like an animal because of pride but when his sense was restored, he begged God for forgiveness and was restored after many years in the forest as an animal (Daniel 4:34-37).

It was the same with King Herod when one day, he adorned himself in royal apparel, gave an oration that made the people answer him that, “…… It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost” (Acts 12:22-23). He died like a flower that was plucked in its bloom! This is a word of caution and counsel to all that have been called to positions of authority in the country following the recent election of 25th February 2023 in particular and leaders generally.

Beloved, whatever you are, who you are, where you are and the position you occupy, they are all products of God’s grace, and surely not predicated on your works (Ephesians 2:8-9). The only sustaining grace that is available to lift up, keep you standing and never allow you go down in relevance, influence and power is humility. Jesus Christ was an example of humility. Despite being God, He humbled Himself to the gruesomely end on the Cross of Calvary. On the third day, God raised Him from the dead and rewarded Him with a name that is above every other names and that at the mention of His name every knee shall surrender – Halleluyah! (Phil. 2:6-11). It is based on this backdrop that Paul the Apostle admonished in Philippians 2:5 of the indispensability of having the same mind of humility like Jesus Christ. Brethren, if you don’t want the hand of God to be against you, kindly ascribe all glory and honor to whom it is due (God Almighty) and take off that toga of pride because it will only lead to shame (Proverbs 11:2), bring quarrels (Proverbs 13:-10), lead to destruction (Proverbs 16:18) and bring down from the lofty height (Proverbs 29:23).

During this time of lent brethren, take stock of areas where you have been exhibiting pride, ask God for forgive you, pray for the spirit of humility, amend your ways, learn to accommodate others, extend your hand of love to all around you, live in love with everyone and pray for grace of lift up. As Jesus Christ lives, you shall be located with a testimony that will shock you and astound the world; instead of going down, you shall continue to be lifted in Jesus’ name

Prayers: Father, deliver me from pride and clothe me with the garment of humility all the days of my life, in Jesus’ name.

• Text: “…… it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land” (Haggai 2:6)

By Venerable Henry O. Adelegan

During those days of manual black and white television sets with control switches at the front and the back, the act that brings order to the set whenever the image was unstable to get it stabilize it entails hitting the top of the television set and for voice clarity, one needed to hit it at either of the sides. Whenever such a shaking is made, order is interestingly brought into disorderliness; and the harder one hits it, the better its conformity to order – a big shaking is coming!

From our text, the Almighty God said that in a little while, His hands will shake the entire creation. Who is this God? He is the Almighty God (Genesis 17:1). He introduced Himself as the Central Bank Governor of the world economy – He said that Gold and Silver are His (Haggai 2:8). Whenever God shakes anything, all the ripe fruits, either low, medium or high hanging, visible to human sight or covered by leaves, that are set for human consumption and necessary for human enjoyment, strength and vitality are duty bound to drop. In fact, they all drop of their own accord.  For your sake, and during this Lenten season of Mega miracles, God is going to shake all shakeables and your ripe fruits shall drop of their own accord into your hands, in the name of Jesus.

At Philippi, which is the chief city of Macedonia, Paul and Silas were held bound and thrusted in the inner prisons with their feet fast in the stock, God caused a shaking such that “….the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed” (Acts 16:26 cf Job 9:6). When God shakes, He addresses issues of the foundation (Psalm 11:3). A foundation is that unseen but most important aspect of a structure that controls the seen. When God shakes, He brings order into disorderliness and form into formlessness (cf Genesis 1:1-3). Doors that have also hitherto been locked shall open of their own accord. What this means is that where they have told you that there is no way, God has the capacity to suspend order and make not only a way but introduce ways therefrom (Isaiah 43:19 cf Exodus 14:15-16); and where there is none to help you, the help of the helpless shall arise for you (John 5:5-9).

When He shakes, He has promised that the desire of nations shall come, that He will restore the glory of the latter days which shall be nothing comparable to the former and that He will arrest every storm with peace (Haggai 2:7-8 cf Mark 4:35-42). His shaking will provoke the manifestation of the sons of God which the entire creation had been waiting for (Romans 8:19). His shaking will change menopause status to ‘menostart’ and the the restrictive laws and embargoes by human contraptions shall be lifted for extraordinary happenstances. Suffice to say that His shaking will bring to externalisation answers to prayers, fulfillment of divine purpose and actualisation of the essence of creation. It therefore doesn’t matter the level of your hopelessness or what your desires or prayers have been, when He shakes, manifestation shall come.

Beloved, there is a time for everything on earth (Ecclesiates 3:1-8). Permit me to announce to you that this is the season for your Mega miracles. This is the beginning of your joy, peace, progress and testimonies. God is about to do new things in Nigeria and we are on the verge of singing new songs of triumph. The night time of weeping, that will herald a new morning is over. This season is the set time for God to shake, reposition, favor and elevate Zion (Psalm 102:13). “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former’, says the Lord of hosts: ‘and in this place will I give peace” (Haggai 2:9). To be a partaker of the blessings of this set time, you must to surrender your life to Jesus Christ because holy things are not for dogs (Matthew 7:6). You must hand over the affairs of your life to Him and ask Him to shake the heaven, the earth and the waters for your sake. As He lives who honours His words more than His name, God shall restore your lost grounds and you shall not only celebrate but you are set to be celebrated. Nigeria shall rise again in the name of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, arise in Your mighty power and shake the nations for your name to be glorified forever in the name of Jesus Christ

• Text:”…. he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side….. And there arose a great storm of wind….” ( Mk. 4:35,37)

A storm is a very dangerous wave that has devastating tendencies. While there are natural storms, we also have spiritual storms. A natural storm originates when a low pressure system is surrounded by a high pressure system. Small areas of low pressure can form from hot air rising off hot ground. Hot air will rise, and when the hot air collides with cold air, the hot air is forced up over the colder, drier air. When the warmer air is displaced upwards, it causes surface air pressure to drop, which creates something of a vacuum effect where the two air masses meet. Cold air then rushes in to fill the area of lower air pressure, and this in turn forces more warm air upwards. This starts a cycle of cold air rushing in, pushing the warm air upwards. It is this very turbulence that causes the natural storm.

When a storm occurs, there are displacement of organised structures; the family, home and places that have been organised suddenly become disorganised, and things are turned upside (Job 21:28, 27:21). To reduce the adverse consequences of a storm, captains of ships avoid stormy locations. When a natural storm is in sight, the passengers are instructed not to loiter, luggages are properly arranged in their compartments, breakable utensils are kept out of the reach of passengers and cargoes are jettisoned to lighten the weight of the vessel (cf Acts 27:18) among other precautionary measures.

While the effect of a physical storm can be sighted and ameliorated, a spiritual storm is not visible to human eyes, it evolves suddenly like the experiences of the woman with the issue of blood, the great Naaman who was afflicted by leprosy and the only child of the Shunamite woman who died due to headache (Mk. 5:25-26; 2Kings 5:1-14; 2 Kings 4:18-20). The destructive capacity of a spiritual storm is colossal and devastating. The damages therefrom are beyond human imagination, they lead to injuries and destruction of properties and institutions; and even loss of lives. The spiritual storm manifests in sudden hatred among couples leading to thoughts of separation or divorce, sudden strange behaviors, a thriving business suddenly going down, perennial visits to Doctors, unexplainable loss of revenue, a thriving business outfit going down, increasing expenditure without commensurate increase in income, inability to meet financial, matrimonial and occupational demands, friends suddenly becoming enemies, hatred by superior officers etc.

From our text, Jesus Christ informed His disciples of an important transition to the other side, a journey that was obviously targeted at freeing a great man who was destined for greatness but bound by powers of darkness (Mk. 5:1-20). On their way, a great storm arose to hinder them from getting there and possibly terminate their lives in the process but His presence surmounted the raging storm. The disciples drew the attention of the Ancient of Days to their dilemma and with a word, He rebuked the wind and it ceased instantly. Eventually, they arrived at their destination and He delivered the great man that was bound, released his destiny from bondage and he became an Evangelist in Decapolis. I have an impression in my Spirit that the current post-election political storm in Nigeria is for a short tenor. It shall simmer soon and take us to His Promised land in the name of Jesus Christ.

Brethren, that Jesus is in your boat does not exclude you from a spiritual storm. That your are a born again Christian or a Pastor does not exclude you from the challenges of a storm. David buttressed this by saying that ” many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers them from all” ( Psalm 34:19 cf Jn 16:33). James the brother of John was killed in a spiritual storm orchestrated by Herod Agrippa when the church was silent but when the church rose to pray, the story changed and the captors became the captives ( Acts 12).

It therefore doesn’t matter what your experience may be today, there is a God who specialises at making ‘the storm calm, so that the waves thereof are still’ ( Psalm 107:29). He is the One that is “a refuge from the storm” (Isaiah 25:4). The Almighty God is He that “sits upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in” (Isaiah 40:22). He is your God and will never allow you to be put to shame. The present storm that you are wading through has a terminal date with Him- it cannot stop you! At His presence, the evil spirit behind the roars of the storms shall be silenced and its powers are made of no consequence.

At this Lenten season brethren, I encourage you to build your life on the Rock (Matthew 7:24 cf Romans 9:33), allow Him into the boat of your life, surrender to Him absolutely, call on Him at all times, obey Him in all things and have faith in His power to deliver. As you continue to fast, pray and have faith in God, He would reverse every evil order and give you peace over the spiritual storms in Jesus’ name.

•Prayer: Lord, visit our beloved country and lives at such a time, silence the gathering and raging storms, and take us to Your Promised land for us in the name of Jesus Christ.