In one day, O Africa!

For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in ONE DAY. Zech 3:9

God can remove the iniquity of Africa in one day.

Africa’s problems are multifaceted; some are peculiar while others are common. The enemy uses diverse weapons against diverse regions. Children are not spared from the onslaught. In some regions it is war and strife, in others it is corruption and criminality, in others still it is disease and famine, whilst in others it is what can simply be stated as a tragic lack of Jesus Christ.

Various solutions to these problems have been attempted. Food has been sent, money has been thrown at the issues by western governments. The United Nations has been left confounded, the African Union is incapable of solving Africa’s problems and even the Church in many regions has been under attack.

The fact is that the Africa’s problem is a spiritual issue and not a natural one. So far these organizations and philanthropists who mean well have been trying to solve spiritual problems with natural solutions. This is an exercise in futility. The natural can be combined with the spiritual but true revival is a spiritual thing.

Yet I ask: Can money forgive our sins? Can aid heal our hearts? I am here to tell you however that my bible tells me that God can remove the iniquity of a nation, of a people, of a land in one day. And just as importantly he is ever willing to do so, but there is a prerequisite.

Landing in Lagos


I just returned a few weeks ago from a trip to Nigeria which I can only describe as one filled with the sweet voice of God. Now Nigeria, being the most populous black nation in the world can often serve as a microcosm of Africa’s problems.

Of paramount interest to me was getting a sense of the spiritual climate of the land. This was brought home to me when as the plane landed at Murtalla Mohamed airport in Lagos a thick booming voice sounded from the back of the plane declaring: “Praise the Lord!” Virtually the entire plane responded “Alleluia!”. Again he shouted “Praise the Living Jesus!” and everyone intoned “Alleluia”. Finally he shouted “God is good?” and the entire plane agreed saying “All the time”.

I smiled and knew that I was home. My Nigeria, where God is given glory for everything, where that there is God is a natural thing to assume.

As I attended Church that Sunday and heard the message that was preached there was an internal battle that was waging within me. Much has been made with regards to prosperity preaching and I asked the Lord if I was being self righteous for not agreeing with a lot of the message that was centered mostly around the claiming of promises. However one thing God made me understand was: “If you go to a hospital you will preach healing. If you go to a burial you will preach death and resurrection. If you go to Nigeria you will preach prosperity”.

This harsh reality is brought to bear by the tough living condition of the people. However, God showed me that to the extent that these people are coming into his house on Sundays to worship, to the extent that they still know where their help comes from, there is much that can be done with that.

Another Level

But God wants to take us all to another level. God wants us to move on as hard as it is from praying for ourselves and our prosperity to praying for our neighbors, leaders, pastors, nation! God wants us to be intercessors and only then will we begin to see change take place.

In America I spend time praying for Africa with friends and various prayer groups. But the reality as I saw it in Nigeria was that the there is hardly a sense of Nigeria let alone a sense of Africa. The living conditions are so hard for people that it is hard to think beyond seeking God for your basic needs to seeking him for the needs of others.

I took a sample, just asking people I came across if they prayed for Nigeria but 1 person said yes: A dear friend of my sister whom God placed it upon her heart to start praying for Nigeria. At first she did not understand why but the burden grew bigger. Seeing that God is speaking in this way gave me joy. The truth is this is what God has required of us in this generation.

The prerequisite

God wants to heal our land. He wants to take away the iniquity of Africa in one day, but there is a prerequisite. This prerequisite can be found in II Chronicles 7:14.

One afternoon, in the city of Enugu in eastern Nigeria as I cried out to God for that city the word of the lord came to me in the form of this scripture “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” II Chr 7:14

On the surface one might tell me that of course, I know this scripture by heart…didn’t I know that it applied? Yes, I do and yes I did…however on that day I heard it from the heart of God. I can only describe it as a desperation in the voice of the Lord as he said over and over these words “I will forgive their sins, I will heal their land”. It was with many tears that I spent time in his presence that day, and such was the desperation that was transferred over to my heart that I left this message with 2 Pastors in Nigeria that God gave me the opportunity to speak to, and now I leave it with you. That the person living in sin is no longer just doing something terrible to himself/herself but there is a healing that God wants to bring that the person is delaying because he is not joining others in turning to God, because the seeking that God requires has to be done by people in unity.

There has always been a prerequisite. The healing that we seek will not come until we turn to God in one accord, putting aside every sin that has held us back.

The scripture that God gave me concerning Africa’s healing is Ezekiel 11:19-20 “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you, and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people and I will be their God”.

I went back to take a look at that scripture and decided to read the verse that preceded it and there in verse 18 I saw a prerequisite: And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.

This is what must happen before he takes away our hearts of stone and gives us a heart of flesh.

The tall palm trees of Calabar

During my stay in Nigeria I visited the old city of Calabar. It is a beautiful place filled with history and natural beauty.

During my time in that place I visited a slavery museum. As I saw the harsh realities of the trans Atlantic Slave trade brought to life, as I looked upon the waters upon which the slave ships were docked I could not help but think that in many ways this is where it started.
The gospel had to come to us somehow. Jesus Christ had to be preached and the light of this world had to shine even in Africa. And here we are…

Through many tears and many tragedies, many struggles and forced removals Africa stands on the edge of a mighty visitation from God. We know what God wants to do and what he has required of us. Go and tell your friends and family that in Zechariah Chapter 3:9-10 the lord says “I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree"

To this Lord of hosts be all the glory, honor and power. For he has created all things, and for his pleasure they are and were created. Through Christ our lord. Amen.