I was resting after our morning devotion this
morning, when ring from my phone jolted me. It was our sister, ASP Grace
Ogbonna, one of PNUR coordinators in Abakiliki, Ebonyi State Nigeria. She
called to give me update on the terrorist activities in North-East, Nigeria.
More than forty students had died as a result of a suicide bomb attack and many
more wounded. I immediately lost my sleep.
Every day people are dying all over the world due
to the activities of Terrorists. That does not include those that die through motor
accidents; arm robbery and cult activities. One question came to my heart, “Has
PNUR done enough? Have we fought the fight with all our energy and eagerness to
the point of shedding even our own blood? If Christ were to appear now, can we tell
Him that we have done all that is within our power?”
Just like in our world today, the following
scripture says what most believers are doing;
All
the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the
cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he
lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
The
captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your
god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish." Jonah 1:5-6 NIV
All our presidents from countries all over the
world and their legislators are afraid; all our army, police, air force, navy
etc are afraid. Doctors are scared and many nurses are quitting the profession they
once loved because of the scare of Ebola virus.
But where are those God called to stand in the
gap? Where are the intercessors and prayer warriors? Where are the preachers
that should stand up and guide them out of this dangerous moment? Where are the
evangelists and prophets?
They are down below the deck of church politics
and worldly pursuit; they have gone down the deck of worldly pleasures; they
are down the deck of pursuit of seeking worldly titles. That is why we don’t
hear fire messages anymore.
Will our generation of believers go down in
history as the most indifferent to the purposes of God and the need of the
people? See how frantic the captain and crew are in their search for solution.
They want solution from wherever and whatever. They are talking of doctrine or
theology now; they don’t mind the religion anymore; just give them solution. At
this point most difficult people will bow to Christ.
I pray that every believer reading this will be
jolted as I was from our sister’s call. May the Holy Spirit shake us from this
stupor that leads to death.
Matters
Arising from the Retreat:
Let’s make it clear
We thank God for the success of our General
Retreat this year. As we look forward to the central International Prayer and
Revival Conference coming up 25-29 August 2014 there are matters arising from
the General Retreat which we ought to make very clear.
It was observed that most PNUR partners did not
know the difference between the meeting in April and that of August. Again
because of the recent growth and spread of the ministry across the globe, most
partners have not really had opportunity to ask questions. Most time times we
have asked people to visit our website, few have done so, yet fewer have taken
time to study it. The result is most partners do not know the difference
between PNUR and other ministries. Some tend to put us under pressure to do
what other ministries are doing. In as much as we appreciate these other
ministries, it is necessary that we keep within the confines of our assignment,
to avoid unnecessary duplication of functions. Yet, in some cases, PNUR is not
ready just now for some duties which God may have for us; if we rush into it,
we shall discover our inadequacies in a sad way. That is why I feel the need,
to let all my wonderful partners have a better understanding of PNUR.
1.PNUR
is not a Christian organization. This point is clear to almost all the
partners.
2.PNUR
does not wish to be controlled by any denomination: In this we have problem;
because we use church auditoria for meetings, some local church pastors have
hijacked our prayer meetings, imposed themselves on the partners insisting on
saying how things go. Some have instead of allowing us to run our meetings our
way, insisted that we should go their own way. Even, some partners have advised
that let them have their way so we can have a large turnout. This will
frustrate the original purpose of PNUR
3.PNUR
President, Emma N J Nwosu, as a minister of the gospel can minister anywhere,
but would not want to preach in meetings that undermine the PNUR vision. Hence have
politely turned down some invitation. This should not be misunderstood as
pride.
Our
Ministry Program.
1.Set
Apart Prayer Retreat: This is only for prayer warriors and those who want to
join. It is intensive prayers; pregnant women or nursing mothers are not
welcome. In this program, we arrive at venue in the night, and carry on prayers
for 48 hours with fasting, resting only on interval of one hour thirty minutes.
This is where we train our workers.
2.Just
Prayer and Revival Retreat: this is the one we hold on the week immediately
after Easter. Anybody who can fast from six in the morning to six in the
evening is welcome. In this we have often made a mistake; this meeting is for
PNUR partners and those who wish to belong. We provide free feeding and accommodation
for all delegates. From 2015 it shall be zoned and the zonal coordinators will
publish venues and date soon.
3.International
Prayer and Revival Conferences: These are non-denominational prayer and revival
conferences we host from city to city across Nigeria and some parts of Africa.
The President is the main speaker alongside other PNUR partners. We have had
ugly experiences where we brought in some guest speaker who says or does
something, that in our judgment is not in agreement with the Word of God. This is
has been saddening, especially when some people in that meeting may be
attending PNUR meeting for the first time. We therefore concluded in the recent
retreat that we will not accommodate guests speakers in our meetings that are
not cleared from the headquarters. We liaise with Christian organizations like
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria
(PFN), Nigeria Missionaries Association- most time outside Nigeria- etc. we
print the posters, fliers and flex banners when we are breaking new grounds. Coordinators
and partners stand up to support in areas we have members and partners. This is
a conference; we are not responsible for the feeding and accommodation of the
delegates. Partners can extend hospitality to others, but this should not be
seen as the rule. Most times we have a special morning session for Pastors and
church workers, and a general evening session.
4.Central
International Prayer and Revival Conference: We hold this in Port Harcourt-
Nigeria last week of August each year. Because Port Harcourt is the Headquarter
of PNUR, we see it fit to arrange for the feeding and accommodation of partners
coming in from distant places. This hospitality is planned only for those from
afar and most times for the first day of arrival of delegates. We do not feed
everybody all through the conference; hence, we arrange for food vendors within
the premises of the conference venue.
5.Crusades
: Many partners have been agitating for open air meetings, general called
crusades. We have been reluctant about owing to the challenges associated with such
meetings. Light, public address system, movement of chairs and canopies,
follow-up arrangement etc. Crusades cost more and the pressure is greater. Any coordinator
who is considering crusades should consider these too. Even meeting calls for
prayers, but crusades demand more. We suggest that for now, let us remain with
the Retreats and Conferences.
High-light
of Retreat- Board of Governors
Before this time, we
have had people who we address of board of governors. Most of them have not
been active and rarely show-up in our meetings. We thank God who has phased out
this kind and brought in more responsible leadership. Here are names of those
who volunteered to work in this capacity. I mean that the President did not
appoint them or persuade them to accept this responsibility.
Eldad Ifechukwu
(Onitsha- Annambra State), Moses Ranti Adejare (Lagos), Enoch Ikoghuya
(Ughelli- Delta State), Angelica Nwokocha (Calabar- Cross Rivers State), Mercy
Stephens (Yola- Adamawa State), Praise John (Yola- Adamawa State), Joy Emmanuel
(Port Harcourt), Essien U Umoh (Port Harcourt). One more name is not mentioned
because he was not present at the meeting. Even though he is committed and will
most likely gladly accept, we want to be sure everybody in this list is in it
by personal choice.
I wish thank all of
you for standing by my side for all these years. As continue to trust God, we
shall cover more grounds.
I want to thank God for his wonderful gift in the person of my wife, Joy.
Our wedding will be fifteen years by the 24th of April, 2014.
We are still serving God together and still love each other more than ever before.
There have been challenges and there are yet some presently,but glory to God, we are on top of every situation. With four wonderful children, who have remained a blessing, we give all thanks and praise to God.
So
his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. She was wearing a richly
ornamented robe, for this was the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the
king wore.Tamar put ashes on her head
and tore the ornamented robe she was wearing. She put her hand on her head and
went away, weeping aloud as she went.
Her brother Absalom said to her, "Has
that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet now, my sister; he is your
brother. Don't take this thing to heart." And Tamar lived in her brother
Absalom's house, a desolate woman. 2 Sam 13:18-20 NIV
Most people believe that bad things only happen to
bad people. It appears that Tamar was of this opinion. Immediately this
happened to her, the first question was “what did I do wrong? I was good to
everybody, obeyed my parents and loved my brothers and sisters. I did my best
to help everybody and avoided every appearance of sin; that’s why I wear this
special robe meant for virgins”.
Of a truth Tamar was right to feel betrayed. It
looked like her whole family conspired against her. She was raped by her step-brother
right under her father’s roof. She fell into that trouble because she obeyed her
father and he did nothing to Amnon after his wicked act. Perhaps she hoped that
her brother Absalom will step out immediately to avenge her but the way he
spoke to her suggested that he did not see it as too bad an incident. Even
after,
Absalom never said a
word to Amnon, either good or bad 2
Sam 13:22NIV
All these were what other people had done to
Tamar, but what did she do to herself?
Tamar
put ashes on her head and tore the ornamented robe she was wearing. She put her
hand on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went.
It is like Tamar did more harm to herself than her
supposed enemies did to her. Her enemies meant to ruin her life; they only took
one step each but Tamar packed-up herself. She put a conclusive end to her whole
existence. It is true she was hurt, betrayed and abandoned. But that was only
an incident in her life. There was no reason for Tamar to help her enemies to
terminate her own life.
And
Tamar lived in her brother Absalom's house, a desolate woman.
Hear this; bad things
happen to everybody. The difference between the overcomer and the defeated is what
they do at the point of a bad incident. Joseph the son of Jacob found himself
in the same condition; his father sent him to send food to his brothers who
left home many days with the sheep. He went to care for them and bring back
news for his father; but his brothers took him and sold him out to Ishmaelite
traders. That resulted in many years of horrible experiences as a slave and
latter prisoner. That was what the enemy did to Joseph, but Joseph put his life
together in all this. He continued to express his spiritual gifts even in the
prison. That opened door for him to appear before the king. You know the rest
of the story; he became the prime minister of Egypt and all his enemies bowed down
before him. This resulted because he did not pack up his entire life because of
one incident.
Hagar, Abraham’s
concubine tried to pack up her life because she was thrown out of home by a couple
she had trusted and allowed herself to be used as a baby making machine. She and
Her baby were thrown out of home. Her worries blinded her to the supply of
water by her side. She was ready to let her son die.
When
the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a
bowshot away, for she thought, "I cannot watch the boy die." And as
she sat there nearby, she began to sob.
God
heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said
to her, "What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the
boy crying as he lies there. Lift the
boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation."
Then
God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the
skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
Gen
21:15-19 NIV
Did you read that? Then God
opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. Water was not her problem contrary
to her views; she had closed her eyes by her concentration on an incident that
happened “yesterday”. She refused to see anything else. Thanks be to God who had
mercy on her and opened her eyes.
Everybody knew Tamar was raped; even if every
other person believed she was immoral, there will always be somebody who will accept
her as she was. Rehab was a pronounced prostitute yet was mentioned in the
genealogy of Christ.
Counsel:
There are many ills that befall young people which are not their making: some
suffer like Jabez, the father abandons the mother or may deny the responsibility
for the pregnancy. That will mean suffering for what one does not understand. One
may be falsely accused or even go to jail for a crime one knows nothing about. One
may be carrying disease he inherited from the carelessness of parents. One may just
fall out of favor in a family of many children, especially a polygamous family.
Don’t pack up your life
because of one incident. Pick up the pieces of your life. Who knows, there may
be a throne waiting for you ahead. Follow the example of Jabez (1 Chron.
4:9-10), turn your back on every other thing or person and cry out to God. The God
who answered Jabez will answer you. extract from a book by Emma N J nwosu www.pnurnigeria.org
In the course of
time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of
Absalom son of David.
2 Amnon became
frustrated to the point of illness on account of his sister Tamar, for she was
a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.
3 Now Amnon had a
friend named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd
man.2 Sam 13:1-3 NIV
These four had royal
blood, from the richest and most powerful family on earth at the time. They
were under the roof of a globally recognized servant of God with god fearing
priests and worshippers. There was nothing they lacked in any sense; yet, they
failed. Two of them were princes and heirs to the throne, but died young and unmourned,
leaving no children.
Amnon
– Destroyed by obsessive compulsive drive (OCD).
One day Amnon noticed
this pressure on his soul and will; he must have sex with his step sister or
die. He called it love, and did not know where this pressure was coming from and
could not resist it. Soon this pressure diminished all the opportunities and
privileges around him. He lost appetite and interest on whatever else. This
soon became noticed by his close friend and confidant who then suggested how he
could satisfy this urge.
The victim of his
beastly urge warned him-
Don't,
my brother!" she said to him. "Don't force me. Such a thing should
not be done in Israel! Don't do this wicked thing.What about me? Where could I get rid of my
disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in
Israel.
2
Sam 13:12-13 NIV
What about you, Amnon? That was the least
thing he wanted to consider then. That urge had come to destroy him, but he lacked
sufficient will power to reason then. He was obsessed. In other words, he was
mad. This madness was driving him by a compelling force to ruin his future and
the destiny attached.
This can be the story
a lot of young people. Once any young person comes under this influence, he
does not want to see those that he knew could dissuade him from the path he has
made up his mind to follow. At such time the youth begins to withdraw from his
parents, guardians and teachers. The person the young person wants to listen
to, is fellow youths that he knows would not stop him but encourage him on the
path to self-destruction.
At times this comes
as sexual urge; for girls it could be at a likely time to get pregnant. It
could be urging for a particular fashion lifestyle. In the case of the prodigal
son in the bible, it was urge to leave home and live independent. It could come
as pressure to test alcohol or rape. The more fatal case is to attempt suicide.
In Nigeria within the year 2013 more than four university under graduates committed
suicide in four different cities. They all
cited that they were fed up with life. All of them were below twenty four years
and their parents were still living.
After taking this
self destructive step, they always recover, but then the irreparable harm is
done. In Amnon’s case -
But
he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.
Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In
fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, "Get up
and get out!"
2
Sam 13:14-15 NIV
He thought he loved
her, now he has done the irreparable damage to the girl and more to himself, he
discovered he never loved her; he was only mad, which madness he could not
resist until he had ruined his chance to the throne and earned himself a life
time enemy in his step-brother Absalom which resulted in his death.
He died as a rapist,
guilty of incest, self-condemned prince unfit for the throne. In Tamar’s words,
he had become like one of the wicked fools of the land of Israel. Foolish could
be excused but wicked was deserving of death. His father could not kill him
because he was his son but judgment came through his offended step-brother.
Counsel-
When young people come under such pressure, let they run to a more matured
person and confess their condition. If Amnon had spoken to his father, mother,
the priest or teacher about this; none of them would have made the satanic
suggestion Jonadab made. It is not also wise to try to handle this alone. It
was Amnon’s effort to handle this alone that resulted in his losing weight
which brought in Jonadab.
The best person to
talk to in such case is a pastor, or where available a youth counselor. Youths
who have learnt to pray have an edge in such matter. But just like Amnon, most
youths see praying as old fashioned, hence, do not join their parents in prayer.
When such youth come under such problem he is helpless.
It is necessary to
make mention that such pressure could be hereditary. In the case of Amnon, his
father David had succumbed to such pressure earlier and committed adultery with
Uriah’s wife. In this also parents should not be shy to confess their
weaknesses before their children, and warn them of such pitfalls. Most parents
boast before their children as perfect people, who have made no mistakes in
life. When the children find themselves under pressure, they see themselves as
never do-wells, considering their challenges only peculiar to them. That could
be why Amnon kept his pressure to himself. If he ever saw that his father had
faced such problems, he would have reached out to him for help.
Parents should open
up to their children in such a way as to help them avoid the pitfalls to which
they were victims.
