Dear Partner,
Warm greetings in the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Whose we are and Whom we serve. I am well and so are you. God be praised for His relentless love towards us.
Happy Independence Day Celebrations to all our partners from Nigeria.
Last month we began to look at the question. “What is that in your mouth?” We will continue that next month. I feel impressed, however, to take a detour this month and ask another question? With Nigeria turning 59, what do you see?
Partner, when you look at Nigeria, what do you see?
I want to share some truths to this using the following long portion of Scripture.
17 Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains,
18 and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many;
19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds;
20 whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.
21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near the entrance of Hamath.
22 And they went up through the South and came to Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs.
24 The place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster, which the men of Israel cut down there.
25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.
26 Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.
27 Then they told him and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.
29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.”
30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”
32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.
33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
Numbers 13:17-33 NKJV
Truth #1: What you see is a function of how you see yourself as compared to the enemy.
33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
Numbers 13:33 NKJV
The ten spies saw themselves as people without the ability to possess what God had promised them. They saw themselves as grasshoppers before giants and so they were confused.
What giants do we see in Nigeria at 59? Giants of mediocrity, giants of corruption, giants of illiteracy, giants of crime, giants of dishonesty, giants of self-delusion, etc.
There are also strong, fortified cities of politics, of certain areas of business where the people that dwell there are apparently very strong.
I guess if they described that the land was one that devoured its inhabitants and they also said that the land had only giants, then, they must have concluded that all the non-giants in the land had been eaten up?
30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
Numbers 13:30 NKJV
For Caleb, the issue was not the strong cities and strong people – the issue was how he saw himself and the children of Israel. He saw them as people that were well able to overcome every obstacle.
How do you see yourself?
As a grasshopper? Then, you can never possess the land.
You are a carrier of the grace of God, so, if anyone is able – you are the most qualified – by the undeserved grace of God. Caleb was so confident that he was willing to go up at once – that’s a sign of self-confidence. He was a man who saw himself the way God saw him – so at eighty he was asking for more land to conquer!
Partner, declare out loud: I see myself as the righteousness of God in the face of corruption, I see myself as a standard of excellence in the face of mediocrity, I see myself as a beacon of light in the midst of darkness, I see myself as a vessel of truth and integrity in the mires of dishonesty and compromise, I see myself as one in the bubble in the face of crime, I see myself as a giant killer in the presence of giants!!
Truth #2: What you see is a function of what value you have placed on the good of the land.
18 and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many;
19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds;
20 whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.
21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near the entrance of Hamath.
22 And they went up through the South and came to Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs.
24 The place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster, which the men of Israel cut down there.
25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.
Numbers 13:18-25 NKJV
They went to spy out the land and its inhabitants with the possibilities of both extremes – strong people, weak people, few or many, etc….yet God was talking about bringing fruit. As far as God was concerned, if they were of GOOD COURAGE and kept their focus on the good of the land, they would bring out the fruit irrespective of what kind of people they saw there – AND THAT WAS WHAT HAPPENED. In spite of the “giants” they said they saw, they still were able to cut fruit! So, why were they not willing to go back and face the giants squarely?
Because their focus on the giants devalued the fruits they had tasted from the land. We have all tasted some good from the land of Nigeria too. Yet, what we have tasted is just a cluster of what lies in the land. The land is a land of endless opportunities.
Partner, are the grapes not worth facing the giants for? What of the pomegranates and figs? Wasn’t the milk and honey worth fighting for?
2 And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!
3 Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”
4 So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.”
Numbers 14:2-4 NKJV
Some of us are so overwhelmed by the giants that we want to run away and go across the ocean to Egypt!
I’d rather face the enemy for the milk and honey in the land God has given to me than be given portions of cucumber and garlic in a land where I will always be a slave or the son of a slave.
34 “‘Because the men who explored the land were there for forty days, you must wander in the wilderness for forty years—a year for each day, suffering the consequences of your sins. You will discover what it is like to have me for an enemy.
Numbers 14:34 NKJV
Different translations read: You shall know my displeasure, my breach of promise, my breaking off, the altering of my purpose.
18 And of Zebulunhe said “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar in your tents!
Deuteronomy 33:18
There are some Nigerians called to be Zebuluns (to leave the country) but there are others who ought to be Issachars (to stay here!). Some Issachar Nigerians ran away to the Egypt of London, America and they are experiencing the breach of His promise. Suffering in the wilderness for 40 years and only their children – the next generation – may begin to enjoy life.
Truth #3: What you see is a function of which voice you are listening to.
7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out
6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; an exceedingly good land.
8 If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’
9 Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”
Numbers 14:6-9 NKJV
30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
Numbers 13:30 NKJV
Caleb stilled, quieted, hushed the people – Why? He no longer wanted them listening to the voice of unbelief that was spewing from the mouth of the ten spies. It was a Herculean task because he was outnumbered. There are so many voices that want to drown all our faith and all our hope in Nigeria. Some of those voices are loudest in the Body of Christ, where the just are expected to live by faith. Some of those voices are loudest among the citizenry and others are loudest in the defensive remarks of those in the diaspora, even the foreigners on their networks are a loud voice eroding anything good there is to see in our beloved nation.
If the Christians in China played a role in the opening up of China economically and spiritually, if the Christians in Russia had a part to play, if the Christians in South Korea are the defining difference between North and South Korea, then…helloooooo Nigerian Christians!
The Bible-believing Nigerian Christians have a role to play to listen to the VOICE of GOD and thereby constitute themselves an ALTERNATIVE VOICE to all the voices tearing down this nation.
The present state of Nigeria at 59 is not a state of Nigeria on trial or Nigeria on the hot seat but it is a state of PURPOSE on trial and PURPOSE on the hot seat. For those who have a purpose or a calling in this nation, it is time to line up your words and your actions to make a difference in the land where God has called you to.
It is a New Day in our Nation. There has been a shift in our perspective of our Nigerian men.
Please click here to get my gift for this month. It is the Psalm “Out Of Egypt” from my book Dancing With Your Spirit.
Glory be to God, we are out of Egypt and we are never going back!!
We continue to celebrate daily TV on MyFaithTV. More partners are joining our Circle of Partners and running with the New Day Vision. Tell others about Freshdew and let the Circle grow.
Our rephrased New Day Vision:
FRESHDEW CONTINUES DAILY TV ON FAITH TV WITH MORE PARTNERS.
Engage, explore and be enriched by all we have on our website freshdew.tv and spread the word! It gets better everyday! We now have our own YouTube channel freshdew TV where you can watch Freshdew episodes freely from anyway in the world and through our phone lines. The phone line for calls from within Nigeria is 0700-FRESHDEW which is: 0700 3737 4339. For calls from outside info@freshdew.tv You can contact us at Nigeria the number would be: +234-700-FRESHDEW which is +234 700 3737. We now have a new WhatsApp line which is: 0809 111 1154. For calls from outside Nigeria, the number would be: +234 809 111 1154. The lines are open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, except on Sundays when it is open from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Partner, thank you for your dedication to Freshdew and thus to the Gospel, the heartbeat of God.
Love and Blessings,
Pastor Nkechi Ene (Mrs.)