Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach/disgrace to any people (Proverbs 14:34).
If you’re like me, you’ve probably been waiting for a long time for Nigeria to become a righteous nation (a nation full of righteous leaders and followers), and that is a valid desire that CAN be achieved if you and I (the body of Christ) fulfill our mandate as we ought. However, about the middle of last year, God began to show me that we (the body of Christ) are the righteousness that God has placed in Nigeria.
When Abraham stood before God in Genesis 18:22-32, God made it clear that the righteousness of a few was all He needed to preserve a nation. Proverbs 11:11 takes it a step higher: “By the BLESSING of the upright the city is exalted, but by the MOUTH of the wicked it is overthrown/destroyed.”
Ezekiel 22:1-12 & 25-29 is a prophecy that aptly describes the Nigerian situation (please read). In verse 30, God said that the reason He would bring judgment on the land was because He found NO MAN to make up the hedge and stand in the gap for the land. This is similar to Isaiah 59:16 where He said He found NO INTERCESSOR, so His own righteousness sustained Him.
Please understand, according to 2 Corinthians 5:21, we are the righteousness of God in Christ, but the privilege, authority and access we have are not just for ourselves but also for our families, for other people, even for Nigeria (1 Corinthians 7:14, Proverbs 11:11).
When Jesus finished the work of redemption and imparted the Holy Spirit to His disciples (John 20:22&23), He said to them “anyone whose sins you remit/forgive, they are forgiven and if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained”. For a long time, I wondered how this was possible, until I heard a teacher of mine explain it in a way I believe is applicable. We have retained Nigeria’s sins a lot of times by rehearsing them constantly in God’s hearing. We complain, grumble and lament about the corruption and injustice in the country, but we hardly pray about it or speak the blessing over the land.
It is time for us to change.
It is time for us to begin to actively use the righteousness that we are & have, to use the privilege, authority and access that we have, to exalt Nigeria. We are righteousness, we can exalt this nation or we can put it down, because God has permitted us to do so. We are responsible, we are responsible, I repeat, we are responsible for where we are today. Yes, corrupt politicians and administrators will answer for their sins, especially if they don’t bring them to the cross of Jesus, but we are still responsible. We are responsible for cursing this nation over the years, and then cursing her some more when we see the fruit of our curses. We are responsible for not taking our place in prayer as we ought, sometimes praying amiss. We are responsible for voting them in too. We are responsible for the wrong actions we have taken because of a need for self-preservation, the times we have bowed down to corruption, the times we have compromised our integrity. We are responsible for the things we have said and done. But, see God’s Word to us: “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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
If you’re like me, you’ve probably been waiting for a long time for Nigeria to become a righteous nation (a nation full of righteous leaders and followers), and that is a valid desire that CAN be achieved if you and I (the body of Christ) fulfill our mandate as we ought. However, about the middle of last year, God began to show me that we (the body of Christ) are the righteousness that God has placed in Nigeria.
When Abraham stood before God in Genesis 18:22-32, God made it clear that the righteousness of a few was all He needed to preserve a nation. Proverbs 11:11 takes it a step higher: “By the BLESSING of the upright the city is exalted, but by the MOUTH of the wicked it is overthrown/destroyed.”
Ezekiel 22:1-12 & 25-29 is a prophecy that aptly describes the Nigerian situation (please read). In verse 30, God said that the reason He would bring judgment on the land was because He found NO MAN to make up the hedge and stand in the gap for the land. This is similar to Isaiah 59:16 where He said He found NO INTERCESSOR, so His own righteousness sustained Him.
Please understand, according to 2 Corinthians 5:21, we are the righteousness of God in Christ, but the privilege, authority and access we have are not just for ourselves but also for our families, for other people, even for Nigeria (1 Corinthians 7:14, Proverbs 11:11).
When Jesus finished the work of redemption and imparted the Holy Spirit to His disciples (John 20:22&23), He said to them “anyone whose sins you remit/forgive, they are forgiven and if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained”. For a long time, I wondered how this was possible, until I heard a teacher of mine explain it in a way I believe is applicable. We have retained Nigeria’s sins a lot of times by rehearsing them constantly in God’s hearing. We complain, grumble and lament about the corruption and injustice in the country, but we hardly pray about it or speak the blessing over the land.
It is time for us to change.
It is time for us to begin to actively use the righteousness that we are & have, to use the privilege, authority and access that we have, to exalt Nigeria. We are righteousness, we can exalt this nation or we can put it down, because God has permitted us to do so. We are responsible, we are responsible, I repeat, we are responsible for where we are today. Yes, corrupt politicians and administrators will answer for their sins, especially if they don’t bring them to the cross of Jesus, but we are still responsible. We are responsible for cursing this nation over the years, and then cursing her some more when we see the fruit of our curses. We are responsible for not taking our place in prayer as we ought, sometimes praying amiss. We are responsible for voting them in too. We are responsible for the wrong actions we have taken because of a need for self-preservation, the times we have bowed down to corruption, the times we have compromised our integrity. We are responsible for the things we have said and done. But, see God’s Word to us: “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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
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