From our text, we know that it is the will of God for nations to be exalted. God wills for every nation to thrive, be blessed and prosperous and the Bible says that the way to actualize His will is through righteousness.

Nigeria is one of the most blessed nations in the world. Many advanced nations, including Britain and the United States, do not have the kind of natural and human resources our country is blessed with. At our independence, many developed nations believed that Nigeria would join the league of developed nations in a few short years. Sixty-two years after, we are still talking about the potentials of the country. Why? Righteousness exalts a nation; sin is a reproach to any people.

What we are suffering from is a reproach of sin, wickedness, narrow-mindedness, greed and corruption. A few people have decided to corner the resources of the nation to themselves, wasting it and our nation, one of the most richly endowed nations, is almost on its knees. This is where we are because of wickedness and people whose minds are twisted. Things are so bad now and we’ve never had it this bad. Unfortunately, the people who brought the nation to its knees are still struggling to remain in power. In other nations, such people would resign.

In the face of the kind of situation we are in, the only way out is for righteous people to rise to the helm of affairs in Nigeria. It is only righteous people that can do righteous things. Just as you cannot give what you don’t have, you cannot expect corrupt, rotten men and women to bring positive change. Rather, the change they would bring would be for the worse, which is where we are.

Only changed people can change Nigeria. In my first book written in 1985 entitled: The Role of the Church in Nation Building, I shared how the church can positively change Nigeria. The presence of genuine believers in any environment should make a positive difference, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” [Matthew 5: 13 – 16 NLT].

In the midst of the darkness that has covered our nation, we, believers, are the light, which is often associated with leadership. We have to provide leadership. However, it is pertinent to note and reiterate that you cannot give what you don’t have. The church generally speaking, as it is now, cannot change Nigeria. Still, despite the rot in our society, we have genuine Christians and these are the people that can transform our nation. Our vision as a church is to raise Christ-like disciples who will be agents of transformation in the world. If we fail in raising Christ-like disciples, we can’t produce agents of transformation. This is why we take the discipleship process very seriously. Sadly, the body of Christ in Nigeria has a lot of churchgoers and not disciples; this is why churches are multiplying without positive impact on the country.

So when we talk about the change we want to see in our nation, we must be the change we want to see. We must pray and labor in the church to produce the transformational leaders we need, so that the name of the Lord will be glorified in and through our nation. We are also to organize the church according to professions, so that each group can cater and permanently engage their field in our nation for good. When we engage the nation according to sectors and have godly gatekeepers in each sector, over a period of time, things would begin to turn around. These doesn’t happen by accident or because it is the will of God. The will of God has to be enforced. If you don’t enforce the will of God in any given situation, it will not happen. God reveals His will to us and He wants us to bring it to pass. We have part to play.

Secondly, we are to pray consistently for our nation. Much of our prayers are around our personal needs and challenges. However, we must pray for the wellbeing and salvation of our nation. We are not contending against flesh and blood, but against principalities and spiritual wickedness in high places. Politics is not a place for bread and butter Christianity. There are evil powers to contend with and it is only through spiritual means that you can deal with them. Let no one deceive you that we have prayed enough and it is now time for action. You can never pray enough and every action must be soaked in prayers!

Thirdly, we need to be actively involved in politics. We need to do more than getting our PVCs to vote. We also need to be card carrying members of the political parties on ground. If we are involved at the grassroots, we will be the ones throwing up people to be voted for. Our nation will not get to where it should be when genuine believers are not involved, especially in the decision making process. We must position ourselves to be voted for, after all, we, the children of God, are to be in the world but not of the world.

This coming election is the most critical of all elections we have had in the country. We need to go to war spiritually to free this nation from the grips of Satan and his agents, so that Nigeria will rise and fulfil its destiny under God. The church must rise and do what it is called to do!

QUOTES:

“Sadly, the body of Christ in Nigeria has a lot of church-goers and not disciples, this is why churches are multiplying without positive impact on the country.”

“So when we talk about the change we want to see in our nation, we must be the change we want to see.”

“The will of God has to be enforced. If you don’t enforce the will of God in any given situation, it will not happen. God reveals His will to us and He wants us to bring it to pass.”