02 - ANOINTING BREAKS THE YOKE

 

ANOINTING BREAKS THE YOKE 2.

We stated earlier in this meditation that the anointing breaks, or in a more specific sense, destroys yokes and liberates from every satanic bondage in whatever guise. I want to invite you to be open to the power of the anointing in your life as we journey along because the anointing flowing through this meditation can shatter any kind of yoke or burden in your life.

The Lord Jesus Christ invited those who needed rest from bondage to come to Him; that is to avail them self of the flow of the anointing. (Matt.11:28) He was the anointed and the anointing; the Church is His body; hence the Church represents the anointing and the anointed. The Church is not the building or the different denominations we identify with. The Church is made of people like you and me; we are the anointed of God and we represent the anointing. If you have given your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, gotten baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, you need to understand that a level of the anointing is resting on you. You can now go further to invite the Holy Spirit to fill you. For the sake of some people who are controversial about this third level, let us read,

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:14-17NIV

There are four things mentioned here;

They accepted the word of God.

They were baptized in the water into the name of Jesus Christ.

The apostles laid hands and prayed for them to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

The good news is that they were filled with the Holy spirit.

There are believers who erroneously believe that it is only those in the pulpit ministry that need the anointing; that is the apostles, the prophets, evangelists, the teachers and the pastors. So, they believe that our present meditation on the subject of the anointing does not really concern them. There are others who believe that when we talk about coming under the flow of the anointing, we are referring to those who need healing and deliverance. These are very wrong and unbiblical positions to assume.

The first official statement about the anointing for service was for artisans; jewelers, carpenters, tailors, woodcutters and their like.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts — to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you: Ex 31:1-6NIV

Take note that it was God who chose Bezalel and Oholiab; it was God who gave them the ability, skills and the requisite knowledge to make artistic designs. God chose them and gave them the gifts and then to cement these together they needed the anointing, so He filled them with His Spirit; He gave them the anointing. Read further and see that every member of that workforce also received the anointing for their side of the job and these men were not into the pulpit ministry.

We are trying to establish that, no matter what your enterprise is, you need the anointing. You need the anointing as a doctor or a nurse. You need the anointing as a lawyer and an engineer. You need the anointing as a university lecturer, banker, transporter or a sports coach. You need the anointing as a trader or driver. The anointing is for everyone. Our world would be a better place to live in if we all operated under the anointing. Our families and homes will be full of more joy if every member was under the influence of the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

The unfortunate thing is that most people only begin to seek the anointing in the face of imminent trouble. God called and empowered Moses to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt and by divine instruction he appointed some leaders and elders from among the people. A time came when it became difficult to manage these people but unfortunately Moses thought that these people needed more food, water and meat to be happy. He cried to out to God and you need to read for yourself His reply to Moses,

The Lord said to Moses: "Bring me seventy of Israel's elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone. Num 11:16-17NIV

The Lord said, “Moses I understand that you are anointed but that is not enough to have stability. I also understand the talents and experience among your leaders, but it is not enough to have stability in your team. The people and leaders under you need to carry the same anointing that is flowing from you. Only then will they flow along and cause you less stress. If they must be able to help you in carrying the burden in your assignment, they too need the anointing in your life to flow into their life.”

Glory to God!

Is it not true that many parents today make the same mistake like Moses did? They think that a very expensive school is what their children need. Some CEOs think that their employees will be loyal if they are well educated and well paid. Even some pastors erroneously believe that what their members need to be loyal is food and material things. That is not correct. The spirit in a person governs the person’s behavior.

As a father that is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, once in a while, gather all your children and lay hands on them in prayer and call on the Holy Spirit in your life to rest on them. As a mother that is a believer, once in a while, call your daughter and speak the anointing in your life into her life. Do that deliberately; do it intentionally. As a head of an organization, once in a while, gather your staff in a season of prayer and call down the Holy Spirit in your life into their life. You can solicit the support of your pastor in this direction. As the senior pastor or head of a religious organization, do not major on leadership training only; organize an impartation service and call for the anointing of the Holy Spirit on your life to rest on your workers. The Lord said to Moses, this is one of the ways to evolve synergy among your people and diminish the stress of leadership.

The only problem here is if you are not a prayerful person or the spirit in you is a demon of drunkenness and gambling; or the spirit of nagging at your husband or quarreling about everything. Then, you need to repent before the Lord and invite the Holy Spirit into your life. This is one reason you need to have a pastor or mentor who understands spiritual things and principles. Once in a while, solicit prayer from a man of God you respect or submit to, and ask him to specifically speak the anointing into your life. Invite him to your home and ask him to speak the anointing into your family. If he lives faraway, call him on phone and make the specific request that he should speak the anointing into your life.

Some genuine believers who God elevated to high positions in their life and career, often disconnect themselves from the anointing that elevated them and they only begin to seek the anointing again if a problem arises. It is sad that not everyone remembers to run back under the anointing flow in their time of need. Queen Esther did not remember to run under the anointing flow. She rather kept her problem secret. She did not want anyone to know the true state of her marriage. She had not had any contact with her husband for a whole month. The people outside knew she was the queen but a wizard called Haman had stolen her husband from her. It took the provocation of Mordecai to awaken her. (Esther. Chapter 4-6). Like most women believe, Esther thought that what her husband wanted was sex with many other women, not knowing that witchcraft was at play in her home. Hear me, daughter of Zion, there are women out there who employ the power of witchcraft to draw men away from their lawful wives and destroy their families. Only through the instrumentality of violent prayers under the anointing can such men be rescued.

Thank God that we have a promise today that the anointing breaks every yoke.

Just like I am provoking you now, Esther was provoked into prayer by her mentor and that was when she went to do the prayer for three days and nights to soak herself in the anointing. After the fast, she did not resort to cosmetics as before, she stepped into the presence of her husband and the anointing flowing from her season of prayer shattered the yoke of witchcraft spell from her husband. That was how she recovered her marriage.

Amen!

The anointing does not rest on us to show up and while away time,

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. Acts 10:38NIV

I don’t know how some fellows who claim that they are anointed could stay in a place without moving. This scripture says that God anointed the Lord with Holy Spirit and power and the next thing, He went about… He became mobile! He started to move out in the direction of people’s need. He did good things and He began to heal the sick and cast out demons. He became dynamic.

Somewhere else He said,

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Act. 1:8

Take note of the command that they will be in action and in a progressive motion; Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. The anointing that is stagnant is questionable. The anointing that is idle is doubtable. We should doubt the anointing that is not provoked in the face of human needs. The anointing that only raises controversy about theology and doctrines, cannot be the same anointing of the Holy Spirit that I carry.

Yes, before this time, they were raising questions about times and seasons and divine timetable for the activities of heaven on the earth, but He told them,

He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Act. 1:7-8

Why do some people seem to have more proof of the anointing in their life? They are the ones that take action. They are the ones that dared to lay hands on the sick. They are the ones that got involved in something. They are the ones that dared to preach. The doctor that laid his hand to pray for his patient will most likely have more testimonies of the power of the anointing than the one who does not. The teacher that prays with the pupils under her care will more likely have testimonies than the one who does not. You will have more proof of the anointing when you act.

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So there was great joy in that city. Acts 8:4-8NIV

We are not told that it was God who called or sent them. They preached wherever they went and the Lord confirmed His word on them. Stop waiting for a thunder blast from heaven or a visit from angels before you can act; just start acting from wherever you are now.

And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." … Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. Mark 16:17-20NIV

The Lord gave the promise and the disciples went out in obedience preaching everywhere, and consequently the Lord confirmed His word.

The anointing is resting on you now, but you may not know it experientially until you act.

(To be continued).

Emma your brother pnurnigeria@gmail.com

ANOINTING BREAKS THE YOKE

ANOINTING BREAKS THE YOKE - 01

The Lord Jesus is referred to as the Christ, implying that He is the anointed and He expressed and lived the title of the anointed,

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matt 11:28-30NIV

The anointing is a bondage breaker and yoke destroyer. The anointing comes to set the people free. This agrees with this scripture,

It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil. Isa 10:27 NKJV

The anointing stands for 3 things for the Church;

It stands for the authority of the name of Jesus Christ. His name is anointed and exalted above every other name and at the mention of this name every other name or dimension of authority must bow. (Phil.2:9-11)

The anointing represents the mandate that is given to the Church to represent Jesus Christ on this earth. That is the Church is empowered and positioned by a divine fiat to act on the behalf of Jesus Christ. The Church can speak and do things in His behalf and this is the right of every individual member of the Church. It is also a collective responsibility on the Church leadership on earth. This is what is known as the authority of the believers.

Thirdly, the anointing represents the presence of the Holy Spirit on the individual members of the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit is often represented as oil and it is the oil of lubrication for the renewal of the Body of Christ in the area of healing, revival, transformation and unbinding rusted organs in the body of every child of God. (Rom. 8:11). The same way that lubricating oil can release rusted nuts in engines and machines, the anointing power of the holy Spirit can generate healing and renewal in the organic body.

The anointing has the power to lift the burden of depression, demonic oppression and the rust of curses that create difficulties on the part of those who would come to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ said that we will have to come…(Matt. 11:28). If we feel and recognize our need for deliverance and release from demons, sin and evil habits that are destroying our lives, He asks us to come. We are supposed to approach and open ourselves up for the oil or the anointing to flow into our lives.

For the anointing to flow into our lives, there are three very important spiritual factors every child of God needs and none of them is less important than the rest.

Prayer

The word of God

The anointing for the miraculous

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. Luke 5:16-17NIV

The Lord read and studied the word of God as we all should. It was recorded that at about the age of 12 that He stayed back in the temple just to interact with those who taught Him the word of God. It was from what He was taught and read on His own that He taught others. (Luke. 2:46-47). There should be a deliberate effort on our side to study the word of God in the bible.

We can receive God’s word by reading the bible and other inspired books on our own. Listening to video and audio messages and sitting under sound teachers of the word of God are other sources of the word of God. Through the word of God, we can develop our faith to an effective dimension (Rom.10:17). It is important that every child of God should have a good knowledge of the basic truths of God’s word. The word of God is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. (John. 1:1-2). There is power in God’s word.

However, quality time spent in secret prayers is the hidden generator of the miracles that accompanied the earthly ministry of the Lord. Take note of the clause, “But Jesus often withdrew..” (Luke. 5:16). It was His habit. It was in the place of prayer that He received the empowerment of the Holy Spirit for the great things and deliverances that His ministry was known for. If the miracles will continue to flow, then He must continue to find time to withdraw to a lonely place for the purpose of prayers.

Take note also, “Lonely places..”. This proves that no matter what city or whose home He found Himself, He still managed to search out a lonely place for the purpose of His private prayer.

Maybe this will answer the question for some people, “When I was coming up as a young believer, I used to witness the manifestation of God’s power and the miraculous in my life and ministry, but now I do not see them anymore. Why is it so?”

I can tell you by my personal experience that as a young believer, my heart was set on one thing; God and the pursuit of His presence. As I grew older, I started getting distracted by my pursuit of some men and women who I believed knew more about God or with whom I hoped to receive some favor to help me in life. It was not long before I began to spend lesser time in prayer and fasting. I soon began to worry about my life instead of living in a daily surrender to the Holy Spirit. When this happened, the regular refilling of the power of the Holy Spirit began to diminish and so also was the manifestation of His power.

In some cases, we begin to replace the time we spend in prayer and God’s word with religious activities and sacraments. It is very clear from the bible that no religious sacrament will take the place of the power of God and this power will not be generated just because you have fulfilled any religious sacrament or obligation. This is very evident from the earthly life of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. Matt 3:16-4:2 NIV

Take note that He was baptized in water, but that did not take the place of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. He was filled with the Holy Spirit but the infilling of the Holy Spirit did not automatically imply the available power for effective Christian life and ministry. The beautiful thing is that once the Holy Spirit took hold of Him (as should be the case for every one of us), He led Jesus Christ to the place of prayer in the wilderness. The place of prayer is the place of another dimension of empowerment to prepare Him for the exploit that would later accompany His ministry. The devil, as should be expected, joined Him there in the wilderness just to tempt and possibly derail His purpose. The devil knows how important prayer is in your life and he will do everything to discourage you from visiting there often.

It was after He had spent time in the place of fasting and prayers that we read,

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, Luke 4:14NIV

Luke 5:16 says that it was not a onetime thing, rather He often withdrew to lonely places to pray. For many believers, they are still flaunting that one and first time they fasted as the ground for their expectation of God’s power. Some even boast that they enjoy the power of God without following the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is where lazy Christians have a serious problem because lazy people cannot pray more than the brief sacramental prayers of meal time, bed time and opening prayers for fellowship meetings. The result is that they cannot connect to the kind of power that can cause a major shift in the spirit. So, they look for cheap and easy sources of power; they go to mystic shops to buy items like anointing oil to make people to fall on the ground, salve to drop in their eyes so they can see in the spirit or they follow the usual pattern of Simon the sorcerer where they give an anointed person money so he could give them some of the ability to perform miracles (Act. 8:18-19). If he has some money, he could arrange and pay some people to fake miracles; some charlatans step up in his programs and claim that they got miracles while he prayed for them. All these because he was too lazy to get up from his bed early in the morning or late at night to stand up in the place of private prayer. On the last count, he will begin to argue that there are no more miracles today because they do not happen in his church or ministry. Anyone who has lived all his life at the creek will also argue that planes do not reach the ground.

There are those who have risen lately to say that all we need to do is to teach the people the word of God, and they add that if the people know the word of God, that would be OK for them. Our main text said that the Lord was teaching them the word of God but that was not all of it; it further said that the power of God was present. (Luke 5:17).

It is important that you take a special note of the reason for the presence of the power of God; the power of God was present to heal the sick. Initially there was no one in that meeting that expressed the need for the available healing anointing but it was not long when they noticed the movement in the roof and some desperate fellows laid their friend right in front of the Lord. Thank God that the power was available and the teachings of the Lord was not empty of power. The sick man got healed immediately.

Glory to God.

The Apostle Paul said about his ministry;

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. 1 Cor 2:1-5NIV

Take note of. “A demonstration of the Spirit’s power”; it was evident and visible to those who were in his meetings. If the anointing is there, it is there; if it is not there, then it is not there. If you have any doubt about how he acquired this kind of power, read the place the Lord introduced Paul to another servant of God.

The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. Acts 9:11NIV

“He is praying!”

I have seen some men who claim to be students of the teachings of Paul but they are not people of prayer; they are just talkers. Paul was a man of prayer. Peter was a man of prayer and you will never find any person who functioned under genuine anointing power who does not spend quality time in prayer.

In Acts chapters 9 and 10, we saw that Paul and Peter, both received revelation for the next level of their calling and ministry while they were in their different places of prayer.

Prayer generates the power of the anointing on the believer.

Prayer generates power of the anointing on the word of God.

Prayer generates the power of the anointing for the manifestation of the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Without the anointing power, the word of God would be mere letters and somewhere the Lord said that letters without the anointing is poisonous.

The presence of the anointing will break every kind of yoke.

(To be continued).

Emma your brother pnurnigeria@gmail.com

02 - DEPRESSION: CAUSES AND THEIR HIDDEN DANGEROUS IMPLICATIONS 2

DEPRESSION: CAUSES AND THEIR HIDDEN DANGEROUS IMPLICATIONS 2

(PNUR Global Day of Fasting and Prayers  06/11/2025)

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matt 11:28-29NIV

Glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. I am glad to announce to you that God has a wonderful package for you today as we seek Him in !prayers. No matter what your needs are, remember that prayer is the opportunity that God has given to you to say something about your life. 

We started talking about depression the other day and the Lord has laid it in my heart that He wants us to dwell on it a bit longer. We all come to the point where we feel depressed and it does not matter how spiritually developed you are. You just need to know how to recognize depression and resolve it. 

Even David came to a point when he began to question the turbulence in his soul.

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon — from Mount Mizar. Ps 42:5-6NIV

A depressed person is downcast and disturbed in his soul; he is suffering inside in such a way that the onlooker might not see. His mind is charged up as the circumstances around him and the devil is giving him a false signal. So, he is not able to recognize all the wonderful good things around him and his entire attention is on some problems that may not even be in existence, but a mirage. That is why most people are surprised when they hear that the person they see every day has done something unthinkable. The beautiful thing we can take from the life of David is that he knew to take his problem to God in prayer. If you are reading this piece now because you are seeking the answer to the problem of depression, let me assure you that Jesus Christ is still the answer to all the problems of the world today. His invitation is still open and all you need to do now is to run into His open arms. In our main text He asks us to come to Him with all our problems and He promised to help us with them.

The Little Boy and The Vulture

The Little Boy and the Vulture" most commonly refers to a Pulitzer Prize-winning 1993 photograph by Kevin Carter, depicting a starving boy collapsed while a vulture lurks nearby in Sudan. Kevin Carter, a photo-journalist took his own life in the year 1994 due to depression but you would be shocked when you learn the reason for his suicide. There was a severe famine in Sudan and the United Nations Organization was making every effort to draw the attention of donors to the life-threatening situation. Kevin Carter travelled to the region in 1993 as a photo journalist and captured a photo image with his professional camera. It was a starving boy who appeared to be close to the point of death resulting from the famine. Beside the boy was a vulture and the heading on the news report said that the vulture was waiting for the boy to die so it could feed on him. New York times published the photo and truly it got the desired global attention and Kevin Carter won an award because of the photo. In the course of a live radio discussion, one of the call-in contributors said that there were two vultures on that day waiting to feed on the child. One was the bird and the other was the photo man who did nothing to save the child. Many other voices joined together to condemn Kevin Carter and they claimed that he was a heartless person who preyed on the child’s difficult condition to win a global award because, according to their understanding, instead of helping the child, he took a photograph. As simple as this story seems but it got Kevin Carter depressed which resulted in his committing suicide. Unfortunately, there are still many voices supporting this false narrative.

Now, here are some proven facts; even the initial report referred to the child as a girl, he was a boy. The child did not die. The child was actually at the UNO food center location and he did survive the famine. His name was Kong Nyong. This false accusation made Kevin Carter to commit suicide at the point of his greatest success in his entire career. What they said was not true but Kevin Carter kept juggling this false narrative in his mind until he believed the lie and killed himself.

We took time to analyze this to show us that it is not always true that people suffer and die from depression because of difficult times. The truth is that some of them are in the best season of their life. As we proceed, I want you to check yourself.

We have a lot of bible accounts to support this.

Amnon was the son of the most powerful man on earth in his time, King David, who raped his stepsister, Tamar. Before he carried out this art, here is the way different versions of the bible described his state of mind.

2 Sam 13:2

And Amnon was so troubled that he fell sick for his [half] sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and Amnon thought it impossible for him to do anything to her. AMP

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. NIV

Amnon became so obsessed with Tamar that he became ill. She was a virgin, and Amnon thought he could never have her. NLT

None of these translations said that he was poor or afraid. In summary, he became depressed because he felt like having sex with the girl. He wrongly believed that he was in love. When he eventually succeeded, this is what the bible said,

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 13:14-15NIV

It has been established that greatest number of depressed people have the urge to kill themselves or take actions that will hurt them. 

Moses was at the highest point of his ministry when he suffered depression.

Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. He asked the Lord, "Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?  Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers? Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, 'Give us meat to eat!'  I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now — if I have found favor in your eyes — and do not let me face my own ruin."  Num 11:10-15NIV

Here again, Moses was depressed because of the grumbling of the people and then he began to quarrel against God and pray for his own death. That is the point some leave the church and resort to sport gambling on Sundays.

Elijah had depression after he won an epic battle against his enemies on Mount Carmel and turned an entire nation back to God. Depressed Elijah also prayed for death.

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." 1 Kings 19:3-4NIV

This is the point that pastors quit the ministry. A man who came to my office narrated how he quit his good paying job and lived to regret every action. It was depression.

In none of these instances did God answer the prayer of these servants of God. That is because their prayer was turned in the wrong direction. This may be the reason most so-called radical prayers do not receive any response from God. If you read further, you will discover that their depressed state of mind misinterpreted the situation they were into. What God offered them was a direction on how to resolve their problem. 

I want to believe that if Kevin Carter sought counsel from a matured servant of God, he would have lived longer to see his own vindication. Here is another benefit of being a spirit-led child of God. At moments like this the Holy Spirit will begin to drop some words in to your spirit to remind you of what the word of God said about your situation. Satan and his demons will also try to tell you how desperate your condition was but it is at the same time the Holy Spirit urges you to get up and visit your pastor or call another spirit-filled child of God.

In the volume one of this meditation, we mentioned the different possible causes of depression but I am of the opinion that most victims of depression are under demonic oppression.  Witches and wizards also cast spells on people and most of them begin to feel the stranglehold of darkness enveloping their soul. The demon of depression comes over its victim like a thick cloud and the result is that they are not able to reason freely. That is why most of them take decisions that harm their person.  We said that depressed people could harm people around them but the truth is that it is only in the secondary sense. They can harm people who are trying to keep them from harming them self. The man that killed his children, saw them as the reason he had to keep on living, or as a way to get revenge at someone else.

Let me make the following suggestions for victims of depression.

1. Recognize it as a spiritual battle. No matter what your medical report says, see it as the devil trying to oppress you.

2. Recognize that with the help of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, you will come out victorious.

3. Go into simple prayers like, “I thank you, Jesus Christ”. say it repeatedly. “I cover myself with the blood of Jesus Christ!” etc

4. If you can, pick up your bible and read the promises of God. Otherwise, repeat Psalm 23 as many times as possible. 

5. Try to share the pressure you are facing with someone. Talk to someone but prayerfully seek out someone who is not going to complicate your case with a wrong advice.

6. Consult a doctor if there is a medical connection to what you are facing, but preferably a doctor that is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.

7. Do some personal warfare prayers. You can download, “Powerful Prayers by the Authority in the Blood of Jesus Christ”. It has helped many people

8. Seek out a servant of God who has some understanding in deliverance and spiritual warfare and go for deliverance. You can ask an available child of God to pray for you and command the demon of depression to get out of your life.

9. Where it is possible, do not fail to attend church fellowship. Heb. 10:25

10. Do not let your confidence in God shake. Psalm 46:10

We will be saying more on this subject in the course of our prayers today.

Remember to join the fast today.

Remember to invite other people to join us.

Remember to choose time and location for your personal prayers.

We are praying for you.

Emma your brother pnurnigeria@gmail.com 

DEPRESSION: CAUSES AND THEIR HIDDEN DANGEROUS IMPLICATIONS

A locked cockpit door turned an airliner into a weapon.

On March 24, 2015, German wings Flight 9525 was cruising from Barcelona to Düsseldorf. Nothing seemed unusual. Then, when the captain stepped out of the cockpit, tragedy began. Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked the reinforced cockpit door. From that moment, no one could get inside. He quietly programmed the plane into a steady descent toward the French Alps. The captain pounded on the door. Passengers screamed in the cabin. Air traffic controllers tried to make contact. But inside the cockpit, Lubitz said nothing. He simply watched the altitude fall. At 700 km/h, the Airbus A320 slammed into a mountainside. The crash killed all 150 people on board in seconds. Families, children, and an entire high school class on a trip — gone. The investigation revealed chilling details. Lubitz had a long history of severe depression. He had been declared unfit to work by doctors. But he hid his condition from his employer. He even searched online for ways to crash a plane in the days before the flight. A single locked door decided the fate of 150 people.

Depression is an emotional condition which is very rampart today and the story you just read is just one example of how it could end.  It could be caused by stressful conditions at home or the office; it could be caused by a sense of lack of personal fulfilment, especially for those who set a very high target for themselves. For example, some set a target for themselves on what age they believe that they would have bought their first car, gotten married and/or built their own house. More often than not, other factors interrupt their plans and they fail to reach the goal at the intended time. This has resulted in depression for some people.

Leaning too much on public opinion; a senior accountant committed suicide and the suicide note said that people in his office did not openly appreciate his efforts in the company and he felt his life was not making any difference. Unfortunately, he was the highest paid staff in the company and the CEO held him in esteem. 

A sense of rejection for women when they are not able to have their own baby and for the men, when they are not able to have sex with their wives. Some women have felt depressed at their middle-ages of 40s-50s when they noticed that men stopped showing interest in them for sex; this is especially when many of such women have a strong urge for sex at that age bracket. For men, when they are not able to meet the financial need of their family and unfortunately, some women nag such men to  their early graves with words like, “How can I be suffering like this as if I am a widow even when I am living with a man in the house?”

It was reported few years ago that an American lad committed suicide when he noticed he had low grades during his examination. Unfortunately, it was discovered that the low grade was the result of a typographic error. We have heard reports of pastors who suffered from depression because they were not seeing growth in their ministry. A young minister pronounced curses on the elders in his church and resigned because they kept obstructing his plans to move the church forward. These are serious emotional conditions and only the victims know how it feels.

Hormonal changes in men and women; for women at the time of menopause their entire body system experience a lot of changes and they are not able to understand them self. In the absence of an understanding spouse, this could be catastrophic and a number of them have walked out of their marriage. I got to know what andropause was when I experienced it. If not for the emotional support of my wife, I don’t know how I would have turned out. I thought I was going impotent and many other things I cannot say here.

There are those who have this unfortunate factor in their genes; that means, depression is something that runs in their family line.  That is why it is important that everyone should study their family tree, spiritually, medically and emotionally. The Lord Jesus Christ said that a tree is recognized by its fruit. It is not a death sentence if you have it on your family tree because He also said that you can work on your family tree. Matt. 12:33 to make it good. (You can learn more on the subject by reading my book, The Challenges Associated to the Family Tree. Available on the PNUR Online Bookstore. You can order directly from my office.)

Abuse of alcohol and hard drugs can lead to depression. Unfortunately, some people who are facing crisis run to these things for comfort and they end up making things worse. Gambling and pornography are major causes of depression. Anything that one does which he will not be proud to make public could cause depression.

Falling in love with someone who has no feeling for you. Many young women who have given all to a man only to discover that the man has no feeling for them, have spent the rest of their life depressed and unable to fall in love again. 

Repeated illness and especially when the causes cannot be traced. This kind of patients are often depressed. Loss of loved one has also contributed to depression.

One last contributor is demonic possession and many counsellors are not even aware of it. In fact, most of the cases that ended in suicide are caused by demons. Once you cast out the demon, the person becomes relieved.

 Mark 5:3-5

This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

This scripture shows the level of danger those who stay around depressed people are exposed to;.

The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand and he hurled it, saying to himself, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice. 1 Sam 18:10-11NIV

 King Saul had a demon and that caused him discontent; he was not happy with himself and he expressed that towards another person who he considered a rival. There was the news of a man in the USA who killed his four children and invited the police to come and arrest him.

Some depressed people end up taking their own lives. Some make the mistake of resorting to hard drugs or alcohol. Some depression resulted from the nagging wives or abusive husbands and by this they extend their unhealthy emotional conditions to their immediate families and colleagues at work. 

A Nigerian army man once opened fire on a number of his colleagues and then killed himself. It was traced to depression. Here in Port Harcourt the son of a pastor bought himself some poison and took his own life. He had returned from school a few days ago and was complaining about some things. His father saw it as one of those things young people do and left him to go to church but when he came back, he saw the lifeless body of his son in the house; he took his life.

Depression is more than just having a bad day; some things are not really in their rightful places in their mind. It is often connected to changes or movements in the brain. It could be the result of some demons driving their victim to self-destruction. What we refer to as OCD in the deliverance ministry.

 For those who are facing this challenge currently, my advice is that you have to talk to someone; preferably a servant of God you respect. I want to say to parents and ministers of the gospel, at times all the person needs are listening ears and a hug after. At times what the victim is talking about does not make sense to you, but it means everything to him or her. Just listen. If you believe that you are not emotionally prepared for it, help him or her find someone who can handle it.

The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. Isa 50:4NIV

I also encourage us to try all we can, not to allow negative words out of our mouth. I remember when I used what I considered a joke at a brother, only to discover that I touched on a very serious matter in his life. I had to apologize immediately. 

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Eph 4:29NIV

This is very important for pastors and parents; a woman ran to my house after Sunday service in her church with eyes drenched in tears. She had been in a childless marriage for over ten years but during his sermon, her pastor had said that most women who are not able to have children was because they damaged their womb during unlawful abortion as young ladies. I can bet that her pastor did not have her in mind when he said that.

Some women who nagged their husbands to death only began to see their mistake after the man had died. A man threw out his wife to marry another woman because she could not have a baby. The same woman got pregnant only a few months after with another man. The other man received her the way she was and her body was relaxed to conceive. Her former husband got married to another woman who deceived him that he got her pregnant. Years after it was discovered because the child was a Sickler; the man was AA genotype. He lost it all. Let us learn to be there for one another.

This also goes for the way we treat our pastors. We hear people talk and insult pastors calling them jobless people. The work of the pastor is in the same level with the teachers’, lawyers and consultants. We gladly give these people money but ignore the pastor. For some people, the pastor is more like an ambulance that is only consulted when there is bad news. The result is that most genuine servants of God have abandoned their churches and members to search for secular jobs. Fake prophets now take their place and they are exploiting people. The same people who pushed away their pastor are complaining. 

There is no one way to know the signs of depression in everyone. For some people, they sit quietly without talking to anyone. This is the worst condition because no one knows what is building inside. For some people, they complain about everything and weep over any little provocation. There are those who become violent. There are those who cover their condition with “always busy doing something” attitude. Some women get aggressive when approached for sex. They just want to remain alone. There are those who just accuse everyone of not thinking about their own problem. In whatever way it expresses itself, depression is a serious emotional condition that should not be overlooked.

Are there other ways you have noticed the signs of depression in yourself or others?

Kindly share with us at the comments section 

Emma, your brother pnurnigeria@gmail.com

GOD’S AGENDA: WHERE YOU COME IN

 

GOD’S AGENDA – WHERE YOU COME IN

Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. 2 Thess 3:1 NIV

The message of the Lord is the message of salvation and deliverance for people in bondage. It is important that we understand that any delay in the flow of the gospel could mean that someone dies somewhere and ends up in hellfire. A delay could also mean that a genuine child of God somewhere will miss the opportunity to receive a very important direction in his life. That is why it should be our prayers that the message should spread unhindered. But it can only spread when it finds a vehicle to carry it. Some of the vehicles may not be very sophisticated. Yes, it may just be a piece of paper in the form of gospel tracts.

One of the most powerful testimonies I have heard on sharing the gospel randomly is that of Apostle Zilly Aggrey. He lives and has the headquarter of his church in Port Harcourt city. Before his conversion, he suffered from epilepsy and we don’t need to be told that it made his life miserable. I have the sad experience of seeing a man who suffered from epileptic attack while we were talking. This condition drove Apostle Zilly Aggrey to decide to take his life. He went to a medicine shop and bought some drugs which he knew will take his life. However, divine providence had it that the chemist person wrapped the drugs with a gospel tract. When he got home, he was attracted to the subject on the tracts, he read it and at that point gave his life to Christ. That marked his conversion and subsequent healing from epilepsy.

I still encourage brethren to print and share tracts. Even though we complain that godless people often receive tracts to waste them just like the chemist man, but the case of Apostle Zilly Aggrey should remind us that God can use bad people to fulfill His purpose.

 There was this account of some street preachers who gave a tract to a mad woman who kept pestering them to give her a copy of the tract. Initially they refused considering it a waste of scarce resources. When they could not take it anymore, they offered her one. She withdrew to a corner of the road where she sat and started eating the tract. To the surprise of onlookers, this mad woman was delivered from the spirit of insanity. She regained her sanity and that led to her conversion.

We have many such testimonies regarding our online newsletters which we share via WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media platforms. A woman based in the USA sent me some seed faith and testified that she got delivered by using a prayer collection that I shared online. Another man in Nigeria sent me an offering, testifying that he followed my series on witchcraft in the neighborhood. I can proudly say that a good number of my online followers read my articles randomly online and then decided to connect.

A young pastor that met me in the just concluded Open Heavens Prayer Summit in Uyo, Nigeria called today to testify that reading one of my books, Confronting Witchcraft in the Neighborhood, just led him to deliverance from some satanic yokes while he used the prayer collections. He is a young pastor who needed some spiritual supports. He did not have a smartphone to follow online, so I just handed him the hard copies. I thank God for the new phase of his life.

I am sharing these to show you that sharing our articles and books has been used by God to reach many souls around the world. I have met people online who are from countries that I can’t find on the map but we have been able to reach them. 

Our conferences has been used by the Holy Spirit to meet the spiritual and emotional needs of many children of God and ministers of the gospel. 

I want to tell you, my wonderful members and partners that we have achieved so much because some of you committed their time and money to support us. I am glad to say that God has placed some wonderful children of God on the PNUR Platform and like we have often stated, it takes only a genuine sincere lover of God and His word for anyone of you to have remained on this network for so long; some for over six years now. But we have to go beyond just being blessed to joining the work force so the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ will reach more people.

Talking to the brethren in Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul boldly said that the gospel he preached was honored among them and he prayed that, it will be OK for him if the other people he would meet in other places were like them. In fact, that is the way I feel about a lot of you. Just like the Apostle Paul, I don’t wish that the gospel I preach should end with you. I want to reach many other people and I know it is the will of God that we all should join our efforts to this end. The Lord has given me several revelations that encouraged me to persist in sharing the gospel via the social media. He has told me repeatedly that we are achieving goals beyond our imagination. We have several English language platforms, French language and Swahili language platforms. Every morning, we make sure that we send out something and we are glad to do it.

However, I want to remind us that we now need everyone of you to get involved one way or the other. When you read any article or listen to any message on our platform, we want to ask that you pass them to other people. As we saw in the case of Zilly Aggrey, that may be a message that could save a soul in danger. Our Youtube channel has many testimonies of people who got delivered because they got in touch with our messages this way. 

A lady in a part of India told me that she met Christ by following the gospel online and she is the only Christian in the community where she lives. This kind of person relies on our messages for their spiritual development. You will do well to send out messages randomly and the Holy Spirit knows how to direct it to them.

Another area we need your support is towards our conferences. From the month of August to October 2025 we have organized three major conferences in three cities and we have two more before us. It would be heartwarming if members of the PNUR Family sent us some financial support. We have the time to go and everyone cannot travel the way we do. One thing you can do is to send us your support.

Pastor Kassey and his team launched out for street evangelism and other teams are preparing to launch out too. We need money to print tracts, books, advert flyers and for other logistics. Some of our followers even forget that ministering to you online cost money and my staff need to be taken care of. You do not need to wait for when you have plenty of money to send. Those of you in D R Congo and South Africa has an arrangement to send any amount God has made available to you. Just ask your admin.

The Lord has placed this sense of urgency in my spirit and by the grace of God and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will continue to do the Lord’s work while we wait for His return. I don’t want to end this message without reminding you that we need your prayers too. 

Finally, we will be glad to have you as a volunteer worker in the PNUR Team. Private chat me if you need more information.

NB: we need funds to print gospel tracts, hard copy of our books and to organize more conferences. Contact us if you are led to give. +2348035724526, +2349092862555

Emma your brother pnurnigeria@gmail.com

I SHALL NOT DIE BUT LIVE

*PNUR Global Day of Fasting and Prayers 23/10/2025*

_I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. Ps 118:17 NIV_

Glory to the Lord Jesus Christ for bringing us into another special day of appointment with our God. Somewhere the Psalmist said that this is the day the Lord has made, we will be glad and rejoice in it. I encourage you to tighten your seatbelt as we deal with every satanic force that want to cut short your life.

I don’t know where you are while reading this, but be assured that God’s powerful hands will touch you in Jesus’ name.

At times we hear that a certain woman died while trying to put to bed. Some believers will announce, “God has given and God has taken”. This kind of confession puts God in the position of a wicked person, who gives a beautiful lady to a young man, gives them fruit of the womb and then at the point of delivery, the same God kills the lady, leaving the man shattered from heartbreak and exposing a newborn child to the agonies of living without her mother.

This cannot be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am calling on you to throw aside such beliefs as we proceed today. It is true that the bible said somewhere that we should give God thanks in every circumstance, but that scripture did not say we should not take advantage of the available spiritual revelations that could prevent such circumstances.

No matter the situation, prayer is the opportunity that God has given to you to say something about your life.

One day Prophet Isaiah worked into the palace of King Hezekiah to pronounce a negative prophecy.

_In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover." 2 Kings 20:1 NIV_

Hezekiah did not begin to quarrel with the prophet and he did not sink into depression. He proceeded straight to the throne of God and tendered his testimonial.

_Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, "Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 2 Kings 20:2-3NIV_

It is our habit to remind you as often as possible, that prayer is the opportunity that God has given to you to say something about your life. Hezekiah understood this principle and he knew that, even though he was not a prophet, God will listen to his prayer too.

He was right because God listened to him;

_Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord.  I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.'" 2 Kings 20:4-6 NIV_

Glory to God.

God proceeded to give him the remedy for his sickness.

_Then Isaiah said, "Prepare a poultice of figs." They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered. 2 Kings 20:7 NIV_

Premature death is not your portion. I want you to note that if Hezekiah did not storm the throne with valid proof that he has lived a life of effective service to God, perhaps that would have been his end. Here again we are reminded that God expects us to invest our energy and finances for His kingdom purposes. He respects people who serve Him in this way, just as He honored Hezekiah.

In the case of Hezekiah, God gave him the medical solution but in the case of Abimelech, God instructed that a servant of God should pray for him.

_Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die." Gen 20:7 NIV_

Take note of the order that God recommended;

Restitution – Before seeking prayers for healing and a turnaround, return what he has unlawfully taken. This is not a popular teaching today. Some teach that God is so merciful that He does not mention or bother if we sin. That is not the God of the bible. Pray all you like, there are breakthroughs you will never receive from Jehovah until you do the right thing. This is one of the main reasons that a lot of prayers have not received answer. The person praying need to return what they took from others unlawfully. They need to go back and correct a misdeed against a brother or sister. It is like a password to move beyond that point.

The second thing was that, Abimelech needed someone else to pray for him. Someone with the divine mandate. Why did God not just heal him? I mean that Abimelech was talking to Jehovah Himself; wouldn’t it be faster and sweeter to hear that, “I, King Abimelech was sick and Jehovah healed me?”

Of course, it was possible, but God has placed a man here on earth to do that. That is why we will be ready to pray for anyone who will ask for prayers in today’s PNUR Global Day of Fasting and Prayers. You can send a private chat to me or any of the ministers under me asking to be prayed for. We will be glad to do that.

One more thing, Abimelech knew to approach God’s servant with an offering in hand,

_Then Abimelech brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. And Abimelech said, "My land is before you; live wherever you like." To Sarah he said, "I am giving your brother a thousand shekels a of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated." Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his slave girls so they could have children again, for the Lord had closed up every womb in Abimelech's household because of Abraham's wife Sarah. Gen 20:14-18 NIV_

Glory to God. Our God answers prayers and you will receive your own answer in Jesus’ name!

In both cases we have mentioned, there was imminent death and only a quick action salvaged the situation.

There is a third case and I would want us to study it together.

_Now Elisha was suffering from the illness from which he died. Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him. "My father! My father!" he cried. "The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man's body into Elisha's tomb. When the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet. 2 Kings. 13:14, 20-21 NIV_

Take note;

It was the sickness that killed Elisha – he suffered from and eventually died because he was sick. Every indication says that this was a protracted sickness. Go through the bible and you will notice a pattern regarding the death of servants of God; no matter the circumstances surrounding their death, you will notice a phrase like, “he was gathered to his fathers…; Joshua grew old…; Daniel, you must rest with your fathers…; It is my time to rest with my ancestors … God said to Moses handover to Joshua because … Tell Aaron to handover because he is going to die… ”

Unfortunately, in this case of Elisha it was reported that it was the sickness that killed him.

Sudden and torturous death is not and has never been the will of God for His children.

Elisha was still passionate about his ministry. Sudden death will imply that the child of God has not finished his divine assignment. This has nothing to do with how long the person has lived but the divine assignment he has on earth. Sickness and other kinds of hardship like poverty, demonic and witchcraft oppression and lack of peace in the home are among the many factors that could drain the energy of the child of God, so that while he was yet alive, he will dissipate time, energy and financial resources struggling to remain alive. 

I make bold to declare to you that you must not welcome this as the will of God for your life.

Elisha was mightily used by God and kings and the people of many nations looked up to him for spiritual support in their battles of life. Barren wombs and dead children were restored back to life. He had a tight schedule training the school of the sons of the prophet that he inherited from his mentor, Elijah. Unfortunately, this sickness incapacitated him and that meant for the period he was sick, the divine mandate upon his life was confined. I have the feeling that Elisha hoped that somehow a miracle will happen and he will recover.

I pray for you that every force that is draining your energy will be drained away by the power of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name!

While you are active and helping people, many will seek you out and praise you. The sad reality is that once this kind of situation comes on one’s life, most people forget about them.

Even God was not through with Elisha by divine timetable and that was why the anointing remained on his bones even after he was dead. Elisha did not handover to a successor even till his death.

In today’s prayer it is an opportunity for you to reject everything that is trying to shorten your timetable.

My prayer for you today is that any kind of sickness or difficult conditions that has attached itself on you to drain your energy will be destroyed as we pray today, in Jesus’ name.

Believe me, child of God, there are people who have died not because it was God’s time but this kind of wicked forces cut short their lives. There are people who are facing law suits that they are not able to concentrate on their divine calling; there are good children of God caught up in circumstances in their marriages, offices and other life’s ventures that they are not able to become the best version of themselves. By the anointing on today’s PNUR Global Day of Fasting and Prayers, these people must be liberated in Jesus’ name.

Declare a loud, Amen!

Our main text tells how to deal with this matter; declare that you will not die.

In the year 2015, I had a health challenge and concluded that it was my time to die. But at one time, I told my wife that I wanted to withdraw to a prayer mountain and seek the face of God. I was glad that I did because God told me that I was not under any witchcraft or any other kind of satanic attack. He told me that He was the one that wanted to call me home. The Lord presented before me and my wife eleven things that I was doing wrong. He said that He did not want to lose me.

The good news is that after I repented and promised to make amends, immediately, He healed me. That affliction has not returned again till date.

I believe that there were some issues between God and His servant Elisha which was not resolved. At times it could be the result of depression coming from many negative behaviors towards the servant of God and decides to succumb to death.

Child of God, do not succumb to death, sickness or any kind of negative condition. Rise up in faith and declare with the Psalmist;

I shall not die; I will live to declare the works of God.

God promised to do for you the very words that comes out of your mouth. Your confession must be in line with what God has said about you in his word.

I shall not die!

I shall not fail!

I shall not be defeated!

I cannot be barren!

I cannot abide in lack or poverty!

I will overcome every challenge before me today!

I have the authority through the Lord Jesus Christ to overcome every demonic and occult powers!

This year will not see my end!

I will see the end of this year!

Now go into prayer;

“Every power of premature death, get out of my life now, in Jesus’ name!”

“Every power of sicknesses and frustration in life, I command you to get out of my life now, in Jesus’ name!”

Now continue to pray and I will come back to you.

Remember to encourage other people to join the fast.

Remember to fix a time and place for your personal prayers.

You know I am praying for you.

Emma your brother pnurnigeria@gmail.com

ONLY GOD CAN DO THIS

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Rom 8:28-30NIV

Nobody believed that Ugochukwu will one day show interest in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was not the kind of unbeliever that persecuted his wife. In fact, he would be the one to remind her that time was running out against her for church, even though Helen felt he was trying to hurry her out so he could bring in one of his numerous girlfriends. He was a heavy drinker but was never seen drunk. That has remained a surprise to all his friends. Some of his friends stole money from their wives but Ugochukwu drank from his salary. He was not into taking hard drugs but a heavy smoker of cigarettes.

Helen tried all she could to make him to change but it turned out futile. It was his drinking and smoking habits that forced her to leave her mother church to her present church. The pastor of her new church had time to visit and pray with her husband. One funny thing was that Ugochukwu gave rapt attention each time the pastor came but immediately after he would join his friends at the drinking place.

He was also into gambling but she only heard when he won some money. she knew that he won if he came home with jumbo sized bread and “suya” for her. It was her pastor that asked her to stop rejecting his gifts and to also stop quarreling with him if he returned late.

If not for the encouragement of his pastor and his wife, Helen would have left Ugochukwu for Ukachi, her former boyfriend. Ukachi was married too but complained that his wife was giving him problems as well. Helen and Ukachi felt that they made a mistake by not getting married. That was the point they were when Helen met Pastor Ike and everything changed. She started giving more time to God and church activities and Ukachi returned to his wife. Unfortunately, the battles in her own home persisted.

One midnight Ugochukwu got up from bed and went to sit outside. He stayed like that for a long time and refused her entreaty to come inside. He stayed there until it was daybreak and then went to take his bathe, dressed up and sat down in the living room. It was a Sunday morning and so she also dressed up for Sunday service.

Not wanting anything to distract her with a long discussion, she stepped out to church without saying anything to her husband, but she was surprised to see her husband walk into the church right behind her. She did not know how to respond but went over to join the church workers’ prayers. However, that was how Ugochukwu started attending church.

From that first day, he was never late to church and he asked many questions during the Sunday School session and the pastor did his best to give all the answers. He asked the most questions on the day that the pastor discussed tithing and offerings. In fact, at one point Helen asked him, “Are you the only one in the church? Let others say something too.”

One obvious change since Ugochukwu started attending church was that he stopped drinking and smoking. It was clear that he was no longer into gambling and so the family had more money and peace of mind. But one night he woke Helen in the middle of the night and asked for her attention.

“Sweetheart, since that day the pastor discussed tithing and offering, I have been receiving a message from the Holy Spirit”.

Helen sat up to hear what the Holy Spirit had told her husband who has been only few months in the Lord.

“I believe that Holy Spirit is telling me that ten percent is too small to give for God’s business in the church. He is asking me to give fifty percent of my monthly salary to God every month”.

Cold shivers ran throw Helen’s veins and she could only manage one sentence, “That cannot be the Holy Spirit.” She said and turned to sleep.

To her alarm Ugochukwu went on to tell the pastor what he believed that God told him. She did not know what the pastor answered him but at home she tried to explain to him that the voice he heard was not from God.

“My dear, I don’t know why you are finding it difficult to believe me, but you remember how I squandered my money in those days on gambling, alcohol and smoking. You could not stop me. Why are you trying to stop me now, that I want to serve God with my resources?”

Helen had tried to control her temper but this time, she lost it. “Must you always want to torture me and our children? Yes, those days you squandered your salary and I and the children suffered. So, you want to return us to the suffering again by giving the pastor half of your salary.”

“Did I hear you right? So, you believe that the money we give to the church is given to the pastor?”

“If not him, who else?” Helen thundered back.

He never talked about it again. She knew him that when he kept quiet that way he would proceed with his decision and there was nothing she could do. So, she took out time to visit the Pastor’s house and, even she herself was shocked the kind of words she used at the pastor.

“So, you want my husband to hand you over his salary. How is his family going to survive? You have brainwashed my husband and you think it will work for you?”

She said many other things that accused the pastor of things she was sure was not true, but she was doing everything that the pastor will reject the fifty percent from her husband. After her noisy ranting she walked away angrily.

She did not tell her husband where she went but she heard him talking with the pastor over the phone. He left the house and returned three hours later.

“So, you went to insult the pastor. You said it was the pastor that deceived me to give all my money to the church. Is that the kind of Christian you have been? Listen to me; I am not giving my money to the pastor and the pastor cannot stop me from giving my money to my God. I will go ahead to give the money and if you don’t like it, go find another church because I must remain in that church.”

That was how it stood and he proceeded with giving the money even though the pastor tried all he could to discourage him.

“Pastor, I am not giving my money to you. Your responsibility is to record the money I brought. I used to waste more than that amount when I was living in sin”.

Helen felt vindicated when Ugochukwu was laid off at his work place after three months. She went ahead to mock him and the pastor before whomever would listen.

The next shocker was that Ugochukwu told the pastor to provide him with tracts because he believed that God wanted him to spend his entire life preaching to the unbelievers in order to win them to Christ. Helen now became an instrument of persecution. She denied him food and mocked him almost every day he comes back from evangelism. This did not discourage Ugochukwu.

He had a friend who was a senior military officer and he decided to focus on Captain Tanko until he repented and join him in church. They used to be drinking and gambling partners and so all his officers knew Ugochukwu.

Tanko would tell his officers to tell Ugochukwu that he was not at home but he would warn the officers, “Liars will be in hell fire. You must not lie to me.”

After a while, Tanko surrendered. He would sit down and let Ugochukwu say all he wanted and then pray for him. Tanko would generously give him enough money that could carry him for every week. Tanko’s wife was happy with the new development and she would fill her car with food items and ask one of the officers to send them to Ugochukwu’s house. In no distance time, Ugochukwu no longer lacked anything for himself and family.

It was about this time that there was a military takeover of the government and Tanko was appointed a military administrator. Tanko was from northern Nigeria and he was appointed the military administrator in a southeast state. He could not speak Igbo language and have little knowledge of the terrain. While he was narrating all this to his wife, she reminded him that his posting was in the state of his friend, Ugochukwu. Tanko was too happy to appoint Ugochukwu as his personal assistant.

The last time I heard Ugochukwu’s performance in his church, God has used him to transform his church. Many people who sought the attention of the military administrator knew that they needed to join Ugochukwu in church and by this many souls were won to Christ.

How would you respond if you were in Ugochukwu’s position?

Do you think that Helen was right in her position against the 50% gift to the church?

I will love to get your reactions

Emma your brother pnurnigeria@gmail.com