Yes You Can!

One great man of God was asked the secret of his success in ministry and he said: I only set myself on fire and the people just love to watch.

Well, the reality of this truth was brought home to us recently with the turn of events in North Africa. A young man literally did exactly that. The report says:

The Tunisian uprising began on December 17, when Mohammed Bouazizi—a college graduate eking out a living selling vegetables whose unlicensed cart was confiscated by the police—set himself on fire, an act of desperation that inspired the country's thousands of unemployed graduates to take to the streets in protest. Despite severe police repression—arrests, beatings and murders—the protests continued for several weeks, spreading from Bouazizi's hometown of Sidi Bouzid to the rest of the country and culminating on January 14, when Ben Ali and his family fled the country.

That singular act by a desperate man is still reverberating through the entire North Africa and the Middle East. We only know the beginning of this episode. Nobody knows how it will end. It has already claimed the fall of two dictators. Only God knows how many will still go with this wave.

But here is my point in this article: No power can stop the one who decides to be what God wants Him or her to be.

I know how we can pray concerning this matter when we want to be religious. Something like this: Lord, set me on fire for you. But that will miss the point of the matter. Bouazizi set himself on fire without the help of anyone. In fact, if any one was fingered in that act, the story would have taken another turn than we have today.

When Esau was in utter confusion and serious lamentation at how his life would be having missed the blessing; the father made a statement that is worth revisiting. Gen 27:40

You'll live by your sword, hand-to-mouth, and you'll serve your brother. But when you can't take it any more you'll break loose and run free. (MSG)

The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ removed every limitation placed upon humans by the Fall. So any limitation now is self-imposed. That is why Paul the apostle counseled:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Gal 5:1

Friend, you can break free from that limitation. You can break free from that curse or whatever it is called. You can! Yes you can! It is possible. Many young people in Egypt and Tunisia are basking in the joy of freedom for the first time in their life. It is the dawn of a new day there. Yours is just waiting for you.

The moment you decide to stand firm, God will stand with you. You will just discover that you are not alone. All the resources of heaven will be deployed on your behalf.

Bakare is not the Messiah we want

I know we tend to be biased when it comes to one of our own seeking anything good. We have the tendency to ignore or put aside all the parameters with which we judge and assess others. I know we are gullible with anything that is wrapped in the cloak of Christianity especially when it comes to men of God. I also know that I may be standing alone on this position but I know for sure that I’m not alone.

While we all share a strong desire for a godly and god-fearing person to become the next president of our beloved nation Nigeria, I want to out rightly reject the candidature of Pastor Tunde Bakare as a vice-presidential candidate in the next election.

What qualifies Bakare for this position? What prior position has he held that give him the right to want to vie for the highest office in the land? How has he performed in his own church? While not disputing the fact that every Nigerian has the constitutional right to vie for any office he or she so desires, we know very well that it is not every one that qualifies for that office. Does pastoring a sizeable congregation give one the right to that office? Does activism or being a socio-critic confer on one the right to seek that office? What movement has he led? What project has a spearheaded for Nigeria? In which office or position or organization has he distinguished himself in the past? Even in Nigerian evangelical circle, where is Pastor Bakare?

If being called the “convener” of the SNG is what qualifies him for this office, then let every union leader go and get a form also. Let all Human Right activists go and register a party.

While we all appreciate the role he has played in the recent past of Nigeria history that is not synonymous with approval for the highest office in Nigeria. Nigerians love the late Lagos lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi, but that did not result in any electoral dividend for him. Nigerians are content for them to remain in the task God has committed into their hands—speaking for the downtrodden masses of our country.

Looking at what played out at the demise of Umaru Musa Yar’adua, we now know well that a serving vice-president can become the president of the nation. So when we are considering any candidate for that position, we need to have in mind that the fellow can become the substantial president tomorrow. That is why we need to scrutinize anyone seeking that office just like the way we will do a presidential candidate.

I am of the opinion that Pastor Bakare should be content with the mission God has given him in life, and that is a prophet and a voice for the church and the masses of this nation. Critics have never been known to be good leaders. In fact, when given any office they have been found to perform worse than even the self-seeking politicians we have in the country. I know all kinds of corruption scandals our union leaders in the university faced, and these were the same people that graduated to become leaders of one movement or the other in the society.

A man that sees no good in other people is not fit to rule Nigeria. A man that does not appreciate God’s grace on others is not qualified to vie for any position of leadership. A man that sees himself as the only righteous one is not qualified for that office. If at all, let him remain in his parish and be doing all the criticism that his “God” has commissioned him to do.

I know some are quick to compare the Buhari/Bakare ticket to the Buhari/Idiagbon team of the 80s, but that is not what Nigeria need now. Gone are those days, and we don’t pray they ever return. We cannot use the approach of yesteryears to solve the problem of this time. Even in countries where such an approach appears to be working, the people are dying silently.

That he called us out to protest in 2010 and we responded does not mean we will vote for him come April 2011. A word is enough for the wise!

God is Good

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Gen 1:31

If it is God, it is good! I know some have turned that around to say: If it is good, it is God. But that is not a complete truth, for not every “good” thing is from God. Even the Bible says Satan often disguises himself as angel of light.

We have a better way of saying this in church: “God is good, all the time. And all the time, God is good.”

It may not look like it, but one thing is sure: As long as it is of God, it will stand. It will come through. God is always a winner. Oh yes, it may appear as if the enemy is winning, but like one man said: “In every war, there are many battles. It is not him that wins the battle that is a winner but he that wins the war.”

So the enemy may appear to be winning in some areas in your life, but don’t worry. You are winning the war.

If God led you into it, it is good. If that spouse is from God, it is good. It may not look like it, but it is good. If it’s of God, it is good!

When your heart accepts and embraces this, and you are at peace with God, then, He is able to "make all things work together for your good" (Rom. 8:28). He is able to turn things around in ways you can never imagine.

But in the meantime, when things are not looking too good, “be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

When you do this, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phillipians 4:6-7). You will not be able to explain how you can be at peace in the midst of such a crisis, but that is the work of the Holy Spirit. As God spoke to Zerubabel: Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty (Zech 4:6).

Welcome to the Year 2011

As I opened my Open Heavens Devotional to its first page this morning, it struck me real hard that wow! God is giving me another opportunity to get it right, again!
And that is one good thing about each year. It’s like God is giving us another opportunity to get it right; to adjust; to make amendment; to take stock about our lives.

Life is in cycle. Thanks goodness we are serving a God of second chance; third chance; tenth chance and so on. I don’t know what number you are on now, but for me, this year will make my fortieth chance! Wow! So I just must get it right this time around, for a fool at forty is …

That you are privileged to see this New Year 2011 is a great sign from heaven that your case is not yet closed. There’s still hope for you. Heaven is still very hopeful about your life. God still believes you can make it; you can get it right; you can do it! Isn’t that amazing! What a faith-full God!

I remember the parable of the fruitless tree in Luke 13:6-8. Each year the lord of that vineyard comes around expecting some fruits, and yet there was nothing to pick, only to leave with the pleading of the keepers saying: “Let’s give it another chance; one more year.”

Well, I’m happy to announce to you that that prayer has been answered concerning you and I. There you are; you got it! One more year. What would you do with it?
A new page has just been turned in your life. A new chapter has been opened! Are there things you need to do differently this year? Are there adjustments you need to make.

I know for me, definitely, there are. If you don’t realize that need, then, there is a problem.

Wishing you a prosperous new year. Here in the eastern African, it is a year of Extra Measures—in everything!