Praying Mothers -Nigeria by Fadeke Adepetun

PRAYING MOTHERS - NIGERIA

We must intercede for our country, Nigeria, it is not an option. It is compulsory. Nigeria is hounded by forces that want to bring her to her knees, but we the children of God must not allow that to happen. 

We will pray that the face of the lord should be against those who want to destroy the good plan God has for this land. We may not be in politics, but we have a voice which we can use to cry out to God. 

God is more than enough to turn around our situation for good in Nigeria. The same God that delivered us from Ebola and caused nations in the world to ask us how we did it, is still on the throne today. He has not changed.

We have a very good biblical example of one man that interceded for his nation. I suggest that we read Daniel.9 when we get home. 

Daniel said in

Daniel 9:17-19 NLT

“O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary. “O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy. “O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.” 

That is going to be our prayer this morning - that God should have mercy on us in Nigeria, He should hear, He should listen, He should forgive and He should act!

1) Repentance

Our first prayer point is going to be on Repentance. We are going to stand in the gap for the nation and ask God to forgive us of the sins of past generations. A lot of innocent blood has been shed on the land over the years and is even still being shed and this blood is crying out for vengeance. However, because we know that our God is a God of mercy, we will pray that He will turn and have mercy upon us in Nigeria. 

Psalm 79:8-9 NIV

(8) Do not hold against us the sins of past generations; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need. 

(9) Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.

2) Lets Pray against violence 

 (a) We will first of all have to cancel every negative word that has been pronounced over the nation

II Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 

(b) Isaiah 60:18 AMP

Violence shall no more be heard in your land, nor devastation or destruction within your borders, but you shall call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise. 

Psalm 7:9 NIV

Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure— you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts.

Pray against the spirit of violence that is controlling the hearts of men

(c)  Pray that God will confuse the plans of those who are planning evil at these times.

(d) Pray that God should destroy the plans of the wicked.

e) Psalm 35:1-6 NIV

Contend, Lord, with those who contend with the peace of Nigeria ; fight against those who fight against us. Take up shield and armor; arise and come to our aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who are planning violent acts. Say to us, “I am your salvation.” May those who plan violence in Nigeria be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot her ruin be turned back in dismay. May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away; may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them. 

We decree O Lord that the Gates of Nigeria are called Praise and her walls are called Salvation

(3) Peace

Let us now begin to speak peace over the nation. Let us command the wind of peace to go to the 4 corners of the country 

Father we speak Peace to the North of Nigeria, peace to the south, peace to the center, peace to the east and peace to the west.

(4) Guidance  

Some people have said they heard from God and some have said they have seen visions. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with these. But because I know that God is not a God of confusion and that He reveals things to His children, I have decided to shut out all voices and listen only to the voice of God. I have asked God that He should reveal to me just like He has been revealing to others who I should vote for.

We cannot afford to make decisions based only on what man is saying to us because, Like a friend of mine says The best of man is Man at his best. What this means is that at the end of the day, man is only man not God. Our decision on who to vote for should be Holy Spirit guided.

Psalm 32:8 NIV

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. 

Isaiah 48:17 NIV

This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.

(a) Father, open my ears to hear your voice clearly, silence the voice of man so I can hear your voice. Instruct me o Lord, teach me what is best for Nigeria as I cast my votes in Jesus name.

(b) Father, let Your will override my desire as who to vote for. Let Your will and not mine be done in Jesus name. 

(c) Father, let every citizen of this nation vote according to your will. Guide us all into Your will o Lord

5) Pray that the elections will be free and fair.

This is one prayer point that needs Great Faith because of our past experiences. However, we must remember the 2 scriptures we started with at the beginning: 

Jeremiah.32:27

Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?

John.11:40

Jesus said to her, Did I not tell you and promise you that if you would believe and rely on Me, you would see the glory of God?

(6) Pray that God will put confusion in the camp of those who plan to rig the elections. Pray that God will confuse their language as they gather to strategies on how to rig the elections.

(a) Pray that God will despatch His angels to stand guard over the polling booths and boxes to prevent anybody from tampering with the votes.

(7) Father, let Your counsel concerning the next set of leaders be established in Jesus name

Isaiah 32:1-8 MSG

But look! A king will rule in the right way, and his leaders will carry out justice. Each one will stand as a shelter from high winds, provide safe cover in stormy weather. ..... No more will fools become celebrities, nor crooks be rewarded with fame. For fools are fools and that’s that, thinking up new ways to do mischief. They leave a wake of wrecked lives and lies about GOD, Turning their backs on the homeless hungry, ignoring those dying of thirst in the streets. And the crooks? Underhanded sneaks they are, inventive in sin and scandal, Exploiting the poor with scams and lies, unmoved by the victimized poor. But those who are noble make noble plans, and stand for what is noble.

(a) Give us a President that will rule in the right way

(b) Give us leaders that will carry out justice. In every position of leadership, Gubernatorial, ministerial, local government, senate, house of assembly

                    - God fearing men and women

                    - men and women of integrity

                    - compassionate leaders who will not turn their backs on 

                       the homeless and needy

                    - leaders who will make noble plans and stand for what is 

                      noble

(c) Arise o Lord, intervene in the affairs of our nation so that no longer will fools become celebrities in Nigeria nor crooks be rewarded with fame.

(d) Jeremiah 24:7 NLT

I will give them hearts that recognize me as the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly.

Father, when you select these leaders, please give them hearts that will recognize You as Lord, hearts that will worship You and make them return to You wholeheartedly

8) Isaiah 51:3 NLT

The LORD will comfort Israel again and have pity on her ruins. Her desert will blossom like Eden, her barren wilderness like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found there. Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air. 

Father, comfort Nigeria again, 

- have pity on her ruins, 

- let her barren wilderness be like the garden of the Lord

- let joy and gladness be found in Nigeria and let songs of

   thanksgiving fill the air.

(9) Isaiah 65:17-19 NLT

“Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard in it no more. 

Father, we thank You because we believe that you will create a new Nigeria, and no one will even think about the old one anymore. We will be glad; We will rejoice forever in Your creation! We thank You Lord for we believe that You will create Nigeria as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy. You will rejoice over Nigeria and delight in us Your people. And the sound of weeping and crying will not be heard in Nigeria anymore in Jesus name.

Isaiah 32:15-18 AMP

(15) Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is valued as a forest. 

(16) Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation) will abide in the fruitful field. 

(17) And the effect of righteousness will be peace [internal and external], and the result of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever. 

(18) My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, in safe dwellings, and in quiet resting-places. 

(a) Father, pour down Your Spirit upon Nigeria afresh

(b) Father, turn every wilderness situation in Nigeria to a fertile field

               - spiritual wilderness

               - moral wilderness

               - economic wilderness

(c) Let this fertile field begin to yield bountiful crops 

(d) Father, judge everything causing the wilderness situation in Nigeria

(e) Pour down Your righteousness upon Nigeria 

                          - body of Christ 

                          - Leadership 

                          - Schools, homes, etc

(f) The effect of righteousness is peace so let's pray down God's peace over the nation at this point in time.

(g) Finally, let's declare that Nigeria is  peaceable habitation, a safe dwelling and an undisturbed place of rest.

 My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, in safe dwellings, and in quiet resting-places.

Father, we decree that Nigeria is a peaceable habitation, it is a safe dwelling and it is a quiet resting place.

Psalms 46:4-7 NLT

A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it. The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts! The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress 

So therefore, we decree This morning, that the River of the Holy Spirit will bring joy to Nigeria; Nigeria cannot be destroyed. From the very break of dawn, God will protect Nigeria. The Nations may be in chaos and their kingdoms may crumble! God's voice thunders, and the earth melts! We decree that the Lord of Heaven's Armies is here among us in Nigeria; the God of Israel is our Fortress. 

Psalm 126:1-3 NIV

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. 

CHILDREN

Ephesians 4:14 NLT

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.

JEZEBELS

Ezekiel 13:20-21 NLT

“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against all your magic charms, which you use to ensnare my people like birds. I will tear them from your arms, setting my people free like birds set free from a cage. I will tear off the magic veils and save my people from your grasp. They will no longer be your victims. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 

Nigeria Must Rise!

Good morning Nigeria

May the one chosen to lead Nigeria to fulfil destiny be chosen today.

May there be peace and calm in our land.

Nigeria must rise out of the ashes of corruption, inequity,mediocrity to attain its full potential.

So help us God.

Amen!

Bible mis quotes-part 2

 

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 

Luke 2:13-14 | NIV

 

For the moment, I have been examining the idea around this subject and I am continuing my thoughts about bible mis quotes. I have decided that examining the context of scripture will give me more depth and understanding of it. A popular bible teacher called Bill Johnson talks about the need for christians to 'know the tone of God's voice' in one of his videos that I watched. That is a nuance, and a delicate subtle thing- tone. Bill Johnson's assertions corroborate the idea that one should look deeper and wider at scriptures in front of us in order to fully understand/ assimilate what we are supposed to.

 

I have seen countless greeting cards that declare the words in Luke 2:14, but the quote is always cut short after the word peace. I was quite taken aback actually, when i read the second part. It was a 'screech to a halt, woah moment' for me. So the peace on earth we wish everyone at Christmas is actually meant 'for those on whom His favour rests'

What does this mean for you and I?

What does this mean for all the people of our world?

Who are those on whom His favour rests?

 

Please comment on this topic, it would be great to hear your thoughts about it and specifically the questions I have posed here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Bible mis quotes

After my devotion this morning, I was thinking over what I had just read and how it applied to me and my life. It occurred to me that several bible passages are quoted out of context, and I have done this on many occassions. I searched 'bible misquotes' and really enjoyed the write up who's link I am posting here. 

This is worth thinking about In order to get a fuller, perhaps more accurate interpretation of scripture. It shows clearly that the contexts in which the original texts were written matter.

Click on the link below.

http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2014/04/01/five-bible-verses-you-need-to-stop-misusing/31534

Happy reading! 

Please read the comments posted by various people as well, there are a series of interesting perspectives which may assist you in moulding your own.

By the skin of our teeth!

Time stood still and raced ahead in alternate pattern on our way to the airport to catch our Delta flight to Miami via Atlanta. We had planned everything to a tee, packed ahead of time, and thought through all sorts of logistics. However, on the day, Lekki Phase one was in gridlock from about 11.30 am. By the time we hurriedly got into the car with our baggage at about 5:15 pm, we were already utterly exhausted. We would have fallen into deep sleep on the journey to the airport, but for the high anxiety of possibly missing our flight. I have never seen so many cars jammed packed on the road, it was like those epic movies where everyone is leaving town because of some impending disaster. 

Our driver Moshood, came into his own weaving through the traffic, never sparing the tiniest opening, and sometimes bullying his way in. He used the horn liberally, and for the first time ever, we remained silent and did nothing to curb his aggressive driving. It was in fact accurate and very skilled.
We could not sleep, as we had planned to because our eyes were pinned on the road as though that would somehow miraculously do something to clear the mayhem.
We tuned our car radio to a channel that had people calling in to report on traffic at various points in Lagos. The reports were not encouraging at all! Someone called in and announced in a very excited voice telling us that Ozumba was free, and he could see all the way to Bonny camp. I tried my best not to resent the man, who advised, we should avoid Osborne. 'Ya! ha-loooo I am stuck on Osborne, so what gives?' One man called in and made a hilarious comment that can only come from a Nigerian. He said "Traffic come tie wrappa!" There was all sorts of dialogue going on in my head ranging from various resentful attitudes towards the free flowing traffic areas to silently whispered prayers for God to help us. Hmmm,it was a challenge, my usual ability to remain calm and patient flew right out of the window. I could hardly think and was totally overcome with emotions such as fear, panic, impatience and all sorts of images flashed through my head. It was quite intense, and thankfully, the high energy of the emotions combined with sheer exhaustion from our prior activities, sent us into a sleepy stupor for a while. It did not last long, and we were soon awake again, and I had a crick in my neck from all the held in tension. 

The most nerve racking part came when we were within sights of the ramp leading up to the departure drop off zone. My eyes flitted between the digital display of time on the dashboard and our position on the ramp and my mind kept calculating and making assumptions based on these as to our estimated time of arrival. It did not feel good at all, I felt so much as though I was in a pressure can about to self combust. So I got into an animated discussion with hubby as to whether or not we should just jump down with our cases and get one of the roaming touts behind trolleys to convey our baggage into the airport building. Moshood kept faith and kept reassuring us that we would make it, all the while inching forward with precision, not letting as much of a hair's width of space go to waste.

At that very moment, I was in fact so agitated that I felt like flying out if the car and sprinting to the Delta airlines desk. We were in front of departure drop off with twenty minutes to when the check in counter closed. On reaching the drop off zone, there was absolutely no where to park, or pull in to drop our bags, so we sort of double parked. The nano second hubby and I got down to offload our bags from the back of the car, a couple of gun toting , pot bellied individuals in uniform ( I honestly don't know which uniform) came forward trying to shoo us off, and stopping us from offloading. I took a split decision there and then, yanking down our two biggest bags in no time flat. I had no idea I had that kind of strength in my arms! It was one of those 'sense of wonder ' moments like the story of a mother who single handedly lifted a car off her child's body. Adrenalin is a fabulous hormone that will deliver a super hero quantum of ' kick ass power' when you need it. Hubby yanked down the hand luggage bags and later on when all sanity had retuned , he asked me why I chose to grab the two bigger bags. I was silent. I cannot explain why, it just happened, and I just saw a difficult situation that I attacked with all the adrenalin pumping gusto I could muster.

If all the preceding stress was not enough, we still had to negotiate entering the airport building's doors, where the airport authorities of MMA1 had cleverly installed one single scanning machine for all passengers coming through to check in. It was one of those daft decisions, which make me wonder what exactly is wrong with us as a people, and why we are incapable of forward planning, rational thought and managing crowds.

It was like Tejuosho, Mushin and Ajegunle on steroids. The ground was wet from the recent rain, there were muddy puddles waiting to be stepped into, and everyone was surging forward towards the doors at the same time with a variety of sizes of luggage. The smell of sweat was thick in the air, I was aware of being far too close to various people's mostly squishy anatomical parts, and I was literally eyeball to eyeball with one lady. Everyone was shouting and pushing, and it was absolute pandemonium, but the super hero adrenalin enablement had not subsided. I shamelessly pushed past them all, elbowing unseen people who had no idea that I was not deranged at all but making sure we got to the check in counter before it closed. There was too much at stake, two connecting flights and a cruise ship at the end of it, and all our friends who were going to be on the same cruise for a destination birthday gathering. We just about poured ourselves in through the crowded door, and made it to the check in counter.

I have never been happier to be at the boarding gate, and it was an enormous relief to get seated on board. Very soon, our bodies caught up to the pace of the recent activity and we fell into a deep sleep, knowing that we had the length of twelve and a half hours ahead to unwind. The chirpy, smiling Delta airways cabin crew's hospitality was so welcome, I could have group hugged them out of sheer relief.