LET US PRAY

“Abraham said, “Please don't be angry, Lord, and I will speak only once more. What if only ten are found?” He said, “I will not destroy it if there are ten.””

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭18:32‬ ‭GNT‬‬

https://www.bible.com/68/gen.18.32.gnt

My heart is heavy. So, a popular pastor took his own life a couple of days ago. I don’t know him. But I felt it. He struggled with depression and was vocal about it. He spoke about it; he knew Jesus too; so what happened? I have so many questions. The christendom feels like its under a siege. People are denouncing Christ and their faith. 

On this issue of depression; Let me paint you a scenario; imagine friend A calling friend B up now and saying she is depressed. At first; friend B might ask A to pray about it and pray with her as well (This is totally okay). But what happens when friend A is still depressed several months after even after praying. Sometimes we can be insensitive (myself inclusive) and berate others unknowingly for not tapping into the grace made available by God to overcome certain struggles. In this instance friend B could begin to hammer that friend A is not doing enough or making enough use of her faith and grace to overcome depression. In friend B’s mind she is motivating friend A. But depression won’t make friend A see it as motivation. 

The fact is; there is so much about depression and suicide that can’t be understood! It’s okay to seek professional help. Sisters, it is okay to advise a friend to seek professional help and you do your part by constantly checking up on your friend and interceding on their behalf. It’s pretty much all you can do; tbh. Depression is a bastard and I curse it with everything I have in me! Amen

The message today is a heart cry for intercessors. I know; we all have our struggles; we need people to pray for us too. But please let us make time to pray for the church. Let us pray for men and women of God; their families too. These people have struggles. Struggles as legit as ours! But more often than not; they have no one to share it with. People might not understand. They would wonder how a pastor whom they have been led to believe should always have his act together can be depressed or have struggles and worse still show it. This is the reality.

When a popular man of God in Nigeria had the sexual abuse scandal not too long ago; I bet we all felt the heat. How dare he; a man of God. Horrible; evil yada yada. I am not defending his actions or how he responded to the allegation. I’m just saying the church and appointed shepherds need prayers. They have demons they battle with. We need to bring down the men of God around us from the pedestal we have put them. We need to pray for these ministers of God! Ministry is not easy fam! Pastor’s children; stand up! I’m sure you feel this more than any of us non preacher’s kids would.

My point is; these people are humans like you and I. They are not supernatural beings. Their faith gets tested every day like you and I. They get depressed too!

I know we all have our struggles but please let us add churches and preachers to our prayer list. You can start with the ones you know and use them as a point of contact to others across the globe.

Let us pray that the Lord would give them peaceful homes; blissful marriages; destiny helping spouses; glorious children. 

Let us pray that the Lord will meet them at the point of their needs; financial; emotional; and so on

Let us pray that the evil wind of depression would see them and their families and pass over 

Let us pray that God would not allow them do anything that would make you and I and the church in general embarrassed to associate with them

Let us pray!!

IT’S YOUR PREROGATIVE

“Guard my life, for I’m your faithful friend, your loyal servant for life. I turn to you in faith, my God, my hero; come and rescue me! Lord God, hear my constant cry for help; show me your favor and bring me to your fountain of grace!

Send me a miraculous sign to show me how much you love me, so that those who hate me will see it and be ashamed. Don’t they know that you, Lord, are my comforter, the one who comes to help me?”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭86:2-3, 17‬ ‭TPT‬‬

https://bible.com/1849/psa.86.2-3,17.tpt

Life in itself is a puzzle. No one can fully comprehend why some things happen the way they do or why they happen at all. No one can fully comprehend Life in its essence. 

Life can be hard! Oh boy! It can be really tough sometimes; And believers are not left out of this hardship. As I type this, I’m laughing at my use of the word hardship. 🤣🤣it’s not that deep. But, you get me though. 

There are requests that have been on my prayer list for a long enough time to question my faith. There are seasons when it appears as though everything is on a standstill. Like, the heavens are closed and God isn’t listening.  Times when everything is dry. 

When it feels like one is just there. You don’t think you are making progress and it’s hard for anyone to convince you that you are not regressing. It feels like you are borderline depressed. I can go on and on. But I’m sure we all get the picture I’m trying to paint.

Only a lying believer will tell me he or she hasn’t ever felt this way. The good news however, is that you are not alone. The greater news is that it’s just a season. The greatest news is that through every season God remains God and never leaves your side!!

The main aim of this piece is to suggest a way to get through this kind of season. It’s pretty simple though. It’s this: FIX YOUR FOCUS aka MAKE A CHOICE.

It’s either you decide to wallow in self pity and allow the 

devil torment you however he likes by magnifying the 

challenges, unanswered prayers, delays or what have you. You can choose to throw a pity party! “Oh Lord, why me? After all my fasting and praying; Who have I offended in this life?” Yada yada. You can decide to just internalize the season, constantly compare yourself to others and hate the world; cutting everybody out because you don’t want a reminder of how behind it appears that you are in life. It’s you and your troubles against the world because no one understands!! Boo hoo hoo 😩😩😭

As christians, we need to strive everyday to know God and His Power more. In dry seasons; as opposed to the attitude seen above, I suggest constant confession of God’s word and promises. It’s something we hear all the time and take for granted. But best believe, it works! When the devil is plaguing your brain with nagging thoughts of ineptness and making you over analyze the unanswered prayers; respond with God’s promises! When he comes at you with comparison, tell the devil out loud if you can, that you choose to focus on God and His existence. Choose to thank God for who He is and what He can do in the twinkle of an eye. Thank Him for being a God that can change your season overnight. As in, 24hrs is too much for Him to blow your mind.

The next time the devil comes and tries to make you see everything that is going wrong; tell him to get thee behind you! Because even though things appear as they do now, even though things are rough and dry and answered prayers are taking longer to manifest in the physical; you have made up your mind to focus on the One who never leaves your side through it all. The one who flipping resurrected from the dead! The All powerful, oh so merciful God. Say to him “Devil; I have a choice! And I choose to focus on how GREAT my GOD is! I choose to believe that all His promises are ye and Amen. I choose to believe that everything, even in this horrid season is going to work out for my good because He loves me so! I choose to trust him because He is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent, has he said, shall he not do it, has he spoken shall he not make it good!! (Num. 23 v 19) Devil back off! You are not bringing me down this time!!”

Wake up everyday believing it is the day you are changing seasons and if perhaps you are still going to bed in that same season, ask the Lord to show you what it is you need to learn in the season and wake up the following day with renewed hope that it is the day!! Keep at it! Laugh at yourself sometimes if you find your dogged hope ridiculous! Cry sometimes if you get frustrated but as you wipe the tears, chin up and declare again how you still believe in the one who can change your season in less than a second and go to bed again with believe that the following day is the day for your season of harvest to begin. Keep on keeping on and eventually you’ll get used to this lifestyle and it’ll all make sense.

P. s. You can also block those nagging thoughts with great music! Sing along too! Block the devils voice out!! Drown his foolish voice in worship. There are some really powerful lyrics outchea!! I recommend two songs for a season such as this and I’m sure you can guess one already! 😁

1. Seasons - Hillsong worship
2. My Hallelujah- Bryan and Katie Torwalt
3. Add yours in the comment section😊

Happy Resurrection season!!

THE BROKEN GLASSES

On Thursday, I was at the clinic for some reason. While I was there waiting to take some tests, a young lady was wheeled in from an ambulance. As I was sitting there wondering what could have happened to this lady, she was wheeled right to my side. They were trying to move her onto another bed that would fit into the scanning room, I watched as she was left for a few minutes while the attendant went to get something to clean the slab/bed or whatever and her husband or brother or relative was cleaning her nose and mouth while she was mumbling something in her dialect to him. He was trying to get her as comfortable as possible. At this point I said to the person beside me, "do you know what these few minutes of waiting can cost this lady and her family?" We went on to talk about our  beloved country and how we need to do better yada yada. While we were at it, I heard an attendant furiously asking why the lady wasn't accompanied by a nurse in the ambulance. He went on to ask what test he was supposed to run and the relative frantically ran across the hall to get the slip which he had left in the ambulance. The other relative that accompanied the lady as well was quietly saying "MRI" "MRI".

I don't know what happened to this lady. She had a neck brace, a swollen hand, an incision in her throat where doctors had possibly used machines to help her breathe through. Her hair, she had braids, packed in a scattered bun. She was probably a mother, sister, friend, wife, daughter. She looked like she was in a lot of pain but she wasn't ready to go yet.

After the scan I was waiting outside the clinic, before my next test and I saw the two men and the lady, they were done with the scan, I presumed. It was time for her to go back to the hospital from where she came. The nurses were setting up her oxygen and it looked as if this time around, she would be accompanied by a nurse.

But yet again, right in front of me, I noticed a change in scenery, I could swear that I heard her breathe her last as the doctors kept trying to revive her, pumping her chest, getting extra help. I sat there watching the whole thing, I even said a word of prayer. But then, I saw the faces of the two men that came with her and I can't explain how I felt. One was barely able to hold himself as he kept "screaming in hushed tones" "hay oh" "hay oh". The other one, was pacing, he looked like he was praying and then suddenly he removed his glasses from his face and threw it on the floor in defeat. They spent good money on the scan, I'm  sure, one they can never get back.

It was time to go in for my next test. I walked past the bereaved and the ambulance trying not to stare, hoping that a miracle would happen and she will be revived. I finished my test and asked one of the clinic staff whom I saw at the scene and had been attending to me as well, if a miracle happened with the lady. He shook his head and as I exited the clinic building, the ambulance was no longer within sight. I saw the relatives at a corner still and as I walked past the broken glasses on the floor, I couldn't help but wonder why I witnessed this whole thing. May the Lord comfort the family of the bereaved and anyone out there who has lost someone dear. I'm sending comfort and strenght from God your way.

When you wake up healthy tomorrow, before you complain about unanswered prayers, think about the dead, the sick and choose to be happy. Choose to live!! Worship like no one is watching, live like your testimonies are already here, smile at random people because it might be the one thing they need. Help in whatever capacity you can. I challenge you to do something everyday this year that will make you smile. Something that will make God smile. What are we alive for anyway, but to worship him. Live for God! P.s. He wants you to be happy!! 1Thes 5 v 16 - 18.

No matter the situation, always remember, where there is life, there is hope!! This phrase resonated with me on Thursday and days after.

Sound pick: Raise a hallelujah - Bethel  music