FROM THE PREACHER"S LENSES

Sam AwedaTuesday, April 10, 2018
[email protected]
Lagos, Nigeria

IT IS NOT LATE FOR NIGERIA (PART 3)

Continued from Part 2

strongly believe that it is not late for the fortune of Nigeria to be restored.

This is what I have been preaching about in the last two sermons and this is my third sermon on this subject.

It is not late only if we can return to the style of life we lived before independence and few years after it, which made our country to be developing and why we were able to live a bit comfortably.

This is my plea to the entire citizens of this country; government and governed, that we return to the previous life style of the fathers.

Other than the poverty, which will be eradicated, our journey to heaven will also be made easier. How? If we live comfortably, temptations to be lured into sin will be minimized and we can live a life, which will be acceptable to God for Him to make us live with Him in heaven after we die. I do not know anyone who will want to live in hell after he died.

In the last two sermons, I have been drawing our attention to certain of our behavior and thinking that must change if the fortune of Nigeria should be restored.

First and foremost is that we should all start to work for the prosperity of the nation, because the prosperity of the nation is the answer to a lasting and enduring prosperity of the individual citizen. Secondly, we must oppose anything that is detrimental to the building and prosperity of the nation

Before I closed last time I was pleading with our Senior Advocates (SANS) and other lawyers to stop defending those who stole the wealth of the nation, those whose atrocities have led and still leading people to their untimely death.

A Yoruba adage says that the person who helps a thief bring down the theft from the roof is the greater culprit.

Only few days ago, certain men who work for the American President, Trump; the greatest power of the world pleaded guilty for lying. They were lawyers by training. Tell me how the country of US and her citizens will not prosper. As far as those lawyers are concerned, the US is greater than Trump.

Lawyers in Saudi Arabia only plead mercies for people charged with misdemeanor. They do not defend lies.

They will not because of money stupidly prevent justice being meted to those who want to destroy their country. Their country is important to them, greater than anything or anyone. It is the future of their children and their generation.

Tell me how the citizens will not prosper.

Only recently, Saudi authority gathered their big men who they charged with looting their treasury, locked them up in a hotel and made them to cough out every Riyal, which they have stolen. That is a country.

Listen, Nigerian Lawyers, you have made wealth by preventing town destroyers from getting justice. Listen, it is blood money you are gloating over. You have thereby become accomplices to many deaths caused by the rogues. And if no one has told you, you are on your way to hell. Period. Have you ever considered how your actions of today can affect your future generation?

Some preachers preach prosperity of individualism. It makes no sense in a country where all the necessary infrastructures on which anyone's business or plans can thrive are broken down. Such a preaching has mostly only succeeded in escalating unrighteousness, frauds and insincerity.

Let me ask, which prayer is wise to make; to pray for many job vacancies in excesses of applicants or to pray to be the one to fill only one vacancy competed for by thousands of other applicants?

The first prayer was what we operated on until early 80's when two or more jobs were waiting for a final year undergraduate. Undergraduates got paying jobs during summer vacations. Compare that with the present situation where thousands of graduates are roaming the streets without employment.

Prosperity preaching becomes relevant when the market is saturated with job vacancies i.e, when available jobs are in excess of applicants as it was in the past and as it is in the countries where we always desire to live. We can return to this status and this is why I say it is not late for things to turn around for our good if those of us, particularly who are meanwhile suffering desire it and obey God and ask Him for help. This is why I say it is not late for our fortune to be restored.

I am preaching on the topic "It is not late to restore our fortune". No. It is not over.

But since nothing good is achieved on the platter of gold, everyone; young and old, government and governed, priests and laities must be prepared to make sacrifices.

Beautiful cities of the world came into being through the sacrifice of all citizens.

People in their government knew what they wanted. They wanted and still want their countries to be the cynosure of the whole world, to outsmart cities of other nations, so they did not divert the peoples' wealth into their private pockets.

The only thing that satisfies the people in those governments is to leave the country better than they met it.

Their only desire is to make all citizens happy; provide them with employments, get food on their table, give them good health services, give them good roads and make them to live in safety.

Their talks are not empty or hypocritical. They just do not blow grammar in the chambers. Not to show off, how well tailored, their garments are; garments purchased with the money stolen with the commonwealth, shouting Mr President or Mr Speaker a million times in order to utter just a sentence. The people in the government, which loves their country sincerely and their names want their names written in gold at the end of their stewardship. With these ambition, they are very able to suppress in their minds, greed and any temptation to steal the peoples' wealth. At the end of their tenure, the records of their achievements are not lies but realities. Their achievements are not mere propagandas.

There is meanwhile a big noise about a third party coalition or third force.

But many of the names I read in the coalition movement are the same that have been in circulation from the beginning of corruption, names that did not add any positive value to the lives of the citizens when they held power.

It will achieve nothing except they are ready to repent of their various past and present atrocities to the nation and make necessary restitution, the type made by Zacchaeus of Jericho, who not only returned the loot but even penalized himself and returned to the people he cheated, in four folds.

If this cannot happen, it is another ruse, deceit or trick to get back to power, which is destined to end in futility and another frustration to the citizens as it was in the past. We can just forget it.

My appeal is a clarion call for a coalition of citizens who love Nigeria with the determination to build a nation of pride and form a political party to save Nigeria.

We have millions of Nigerians who have not soiled their hands in corruption (who have not bowed their knees to Baal) (1Kings 19:18; Rom. 11:4).

Next time by the grace of God, I will list what other sacrifices every one of us should be prepared to make in order that our fortunes be restored.

Let us pray.

Continued from Part 2

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