Faith cannot be silent in the face of devastation. Faith will not be inactive when actions are demanded for. Faith is power. Faith acts, it produces results, it creates effect, and it acts effectively. Hence the question of David, “what will be done for the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away reproach from Israel?”
“I would rather err on the side of faith than on the side of doubt.” – Robert Schuller
In verse 29 of that passage, David added yet another revolutionary remark “IS THERE NOT A CAUSE?”
How does a man of faith behave? What is the right response of a man that believes in the power of faith, at the devastation of his nation? Let’s learn a few lessons from the life of a man of faith per excellence, David the King of Israel.
1. A man of faith does not keep quiet when there is a demand for him to speak. It is this principle that will not allow me to buy into the stereotype that pastors should never speak to the political situations of their nations. This is especially incomprehensible when a nation is at a cross road, as Nigeria was before the 2015 general elections;
2. A man of faith believes that the power of faith is capable of changing any situation; either political, social, ethnic, economic, etc. I cannot buy into the teaching that says once you are a pastor, you no longer have the right to speak about your beliefs and convictions regarding the situations in your country. I actually think this is a grand plan by Satan to eliminate men of virtue from playing a major role in the destiny of their nations;
3. A true man of faith will not hold back his wisdom and insight when his country desperately needs the voice of a deliverer;
4. A true man of faith will not allow the rules of men and the protocols of bureaucracy to deprive him the use of the divine power that has been entrusted into his hands. David did not allow the army to shut him up through their numerous protocols and bureaucracy; he stood for what he knew to be right. That is how men of faith become deliverers of their nations;
5. When there is devastation in the land, be it economic, political or social, men of faith are supposed to stand up. Remember power is the ability to produce effect. The people who truly possess the power of faith are never indifferent in the face of devastation. This reminds me so strongly about the epic role Archbishop Benson Idahosa played in the national affairs of our country before his transition to glory. Our nation needs more men like him;
6. Men who know and possess the genuine power of faith never remain inactive when actions are demanded for in their nations;
7. If faith is truly a power, if faith truly produces results, if faith is indeed effective, if faith really works, it would be absolutely impossible for someone to possess it and not get involved in everything where he could make a difference. Men of faith cannot be quiet or indifferent when the power in them can bring about a total change in the status quo;
I hope that this message helps not only my nation Nigeria, but also the Christian Church worldwide to begin to put into use the power of faith that indwells in her.
I remember many Christians in Nigeria complained profusely about the All Progressives Congress (APC), calling it a Muslim party. My response was, why won’t it be a Muslim party when the messages we preach in our churches is that politics is a dirty game that Christians should not be involved in?
This is one of the most evil deceptions of Satan that has successfully penetrated into the Christian church. How could you say that light should be kept away from darkness? This is absolutely against the teaching of our lord Jesus Christ that says, a candle is lit to give light to the room and not to be hidden under a bushel.
“Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” – James 2:17
May the words of David always be our attitude as Christians today. “IS THERE NOT A CAUSE?”
• Friends, is there not a cause, in your country, for the power of God to be released?
• Is there not a cause to end poverty in your nation?
• Is there not a cause for the maternal child mortality to be stopped?
• Is there not a cause for corruption to be dealt with?
• Is there not a cause to make our people stop living on one USD a day?
• Is there not a cause to get beggars off our streets?
• Is there not a cause to stop our ladies from being sold into prostitution both at home and in foreign nations?
• Is there not a cause to stop the disgrace our young people bring upon the nation by becoming drug pushers?
• Is there not a cause to make our society 100 percent literate?
• Is there not a cause to construct better roads for our people to travel by?
• Is there not a cause for more universities to be built, so that our children don’t go wasting away in foreign lands?
• Is there not a cause to have steady water supply in every home and village?
• Is there not a cause to supply our nation with constant electricity?
• Is there not a cause to provide our people with better medical facilities?
• Is there not a cause to provide cheap and affordable accommodation for our people?
• Is there not a cause for us to produce our own airplanes, cars and trains?
• Is there not a cause for our nation to become the leading nation in the world?
• Is there not a cause for our currency to be at par with the strongest currencies of the world?
• Is there not a cause for us to be proud of being Nigerians?
It is for this cause that I, as a pastor, dedicated myself to raising up worthy sons for God in all spheres of life: politics, finance, business, economy, media, education, sports, entertainment, art, etc. These people must by the power of faith, bring back the glory of God. Reclaim the earth back to the master, for His kingdom to come, for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
It is my belief that the primary calling of the local church is to raise up men and women who will go and establish the kingdom of God in all spheres of the earth. The church is the foundation and the pillar of the truth. For this purpose, we were entrusted with the power of faith. That this earth should become the kingdom of our God and His Christ.
“Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.” “And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.” – Judges 7:3
From this scripture, we see that God does not tolerate the lack of faith in His army, because any form of lack of action means the lack of faith. Such in-activities only lead to deprivation, devastation and national decay. WHEN MEN WHO ARE ENTRUSTED WITH POWER, AS IN THIS CASE THE POWER OF FAITH, REFUSE TO JUSTIFY THEIR CALLING, GOD SENDS THEM HOME!
If the Nigerian church will continue to abdicate her God given responsibility for the society and the nation at large, I am afraid that the church as we see it today will become history. God always has His remnants, who will come forth in due season to lead God’s army to victory.
I therefore want to use this forum to appeal to everyone that can still hear the cry of the spirit, to come out of the wilderness and step forth in faith even as David did to deliver our land from national dissipation, moral decay, social pervasion, corruption, immorality, economic collapse and societal disharmony. IS THERE NOT A CAUSE?
God gave us all as believers the power of faith. Not just for domestic use like stopping my own headache or getting money to buy myself a loaf of bread and butter. But even more than that, the power of faith is given to us as a trust that we might use it to address the pressing issues of our land.
Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t know what you have chosen to use the power of your faith for. You may choose to use your faith to buy a new house. You may choose to use your faith to buy a new car. You may choose to use your faith to buy a new suit. You may choose to use your faith to buy a laptop. You may choose to use your faith to buy a tablet. You may choose to use your faith to travel. You may choose to use your faith to get a new or better job etc. But I have decided to use my faith to change and subdue nations for God.
As for me and my household, we have decided, THERE IS A CAUSE!!!
Credit: Sunday Adelaja, PT