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!

God gave His Best; He will give the Rest

Rom 8:32

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

I have three. I don’t care how much you are ready to offer, I’m not ready to part with any of them. But He’s got only One, and yet He gave Him up for us all. Wow! Can you beat that!

So if He has given His best, and His all, what else will He not be willing to give again?

Let nothing stop you from enjoying this season. I know so many expectations have not been met; so many desires have not been granted; so many prayers have not been answered. BUT, one thing is sure: Delay is not Denial! He has given His best; He will release the Rest. He has done the hardest, the rest are easy.

Merry Christmas.

Is Christ Formed in You Yet?

My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you. Gal 4:19

My wife had just gone through a process—a process that resulted in the birth of our boy, Enoch. As it applies to all humans, the process lasted nine months. And as it applies to all humans as well, at the end of the nine months period, when the baby is fully formed, it came out. Joy comes as the mother, whether first time or veteran, beholds the fruit of her travail. I remember the smile and joy on my wife’s face when she first saw the image of her new born.

Here is my point in this article: When the baby is fully formed, there is something to show. There is evidence. There is a fruit. Something manifests. Something comes out.

This is exactly the message Paul was trying to pass on to the Galatians: Christ needs to be formed in you, but before then, there is a process; there’s a pain. And usually, that pain is borne by the leader if a church is involved (like in Galatia) but by the individual, if it is one person. My focus in this article is on the latter option.

When someone is born again, Christ is implanted in that fellow. It is like the fertilization in human reproduction. But then, that is not the end of the matter. The zygote which is later called the foetus must grow and develop.

Spiritual Death

Cases abound where there is no growth despite fertilization. And the moment there is no growth, the automatic result is death. Isn’t it amazing that there is no middle ground in life!

Many new Christ-ians have died prematurely like that, not coming to full term. Christ was implanted in them, but Christ was never fully formed in them!
This is the big question: Is Christ fully formed in you? Maybe you are asking back: How would I know?

Christ-Likeness

Well, it is simple. Have you given birth yet? Have you delivered? Is there something to show? Can people see something different in you? Just like we have baby Enoch to show for my wife’s nine month pregnancy, do you have something to show for your years (or maybe months) of walking with the Lord?

When Christ is fully formed, there is bound to be a delivery. Christ must be delivered. Christ must be seen. Christ must be manifested. Christ must come out. And this is the main essence of Christianity—for Christ to be formed in us; in our lives, attitudes, character, action and everything. In simple term: To be like Christ.

Look at the testimony about two men:

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13-14

So allow me to rephrase the question: Has anything changed in your life since you met with Christ? What has given in your life since you traveled to Calvary? The wordings of this great song came to my mind now:

Great change since I’m born again
Great change since I’m born again
Great change since I’m born again
There’s a great change since I’m born again.

And the writer went on to list several things he used to do but which he could not do again.

Painful

Just like a woman in the process of childbirth, the process is not going to be easy.
Like Paul confessed, there are pains. To say no to what you have said yes to all your years is not going to be easy. It is going to be painful. To set fire on all you have used your money to gather all these years is going to be painful (Acts 19:18-19). And to say yes to something that is far remote from anything you could ever imagine is going to be painful. But that is the process of Christ formation. It calls for endurance. It calls for single-minded focus and determination.

The Help of the Holy Spirit

Aubrey Malphurs defined spiritual formation as “a process through which the Holy Spirit transforms us into Christ’s likeness or image.”

We are never left alone to sort things out ourselves. God has given us His Holy Spirit to help us with the task. But that requires our cooperation.

The angel told the prophet: “So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.” Zech 4:6

Are you ready to pay the price? To answer no is to forfeit the life of Christ inside of you. There’s no middle ground.

My Heart Bleeds … Not for the Eagles but for Nigeria

I’ve just read a piece by the Nigerian celebrated columnist Reuben Abati in the Nigerian Guardian Newspaper titled, “This can’t be right.” You can click on the link below to read the article or copy and paste in a browser.

http://ww2.guardiannewsngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14062:this-cant-be-right&catid=38:columnists&Itemid=615

My heart bleeds for Nigeria. We must not enter our jubilee like this. We need to get out of this rot. We have dwelt in this for too long, for 50 loooooooooooong years. I wept and prayed. Please, those of you praying for Nigeria don’t stop praying for the nation. We are not out of the woods yet.

And somebody will call him/herself the Managing Director of the airport. What on earth is he/she directing? What are they managing? How many international gateways do we have into Nigeria that we cannot maintain them in a state of excellence? Singapore opened her third terminal of international and most modern standard over two years ago. India will launch a brand new international airport in few weeks/days time. The only one we’ve had ever since we cannot maintain. This madness must stop!

Nigeria needs a radical surgery. Nigeria needs a divine intervention.
I was leading a prayer meeting yesterday, and I was led to consider God’s word to Moses in Exodus 12. I think we need to pray this Scripture for Nigeria.

God is speaking here:

On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn — both men and animals — and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. Ex 12:12

God must pass through Nigeria; to execute judgment on everyone that will not let go; on every Pharaoh that will not allow Nigeria to go into her destiny. This cannot be right! This is not what God has destined for Nigeria. We are about to celebrate 50 years after independence and yet we are not free.

Please, let’s pray and say:

1. Lord, pass through Nigeria; from the north to the south, from east to west; and execute judgment on everyone that will not let Nigeria go.

2. Lord, execute judgment on all the gods, and all the lords of Nigeria; everyone that profits from the fruits of darkness and deceit, let your judgment come upon them.

3. Everyone that is in high and low places that will not let Nigeria go into her destiny and takes her place in the comity of nations, Lord, bring down your judgment upon them.

Nigeria shall be saved!