When to pray for political leaders and when to pray them out of power

The fundamental, deep-seated and elemental issue I am raising right now has been debated ferociously for many decades amongst the Christian population in our promising nation and the whole of Africa. Many people believe that no matter how bad a political leader is that the only job Christians have—is to continue to pray for him—for wisdom and long life. They are of the opinion that it is the will of God. For decades, we have been praying for tyrants and visionless political-leaders to live long, and we have been praying for wisdom for them, so that they can continue to loot our collective patrimony.

Many Christians still believe that God is still allowing wicked people to get to power, so that He can teach the citizens of that country some lessons as an effect of their sins. They believe that God has forgiven individual’s sins while retaining that of the whole nation. It is a very laughable belief that is confusing many emerging Christians—who are reading between the lines of God’s word!

Also, same people who believe that God still raises wicked, thoughtless and vision-less political leaders to punish the African nations believe that because of people’s sins that God does not punish the people with sicknesses, diseases, misfortune and backwardness. They believe that God is only blessing the people today, not cursing them. But when it comes to the issue of the nations on the continent of Africa, what they believe changes overnight. Some months ago, someone told me that God is the one who allows wicked people to get to power, so He can teach the affected nations some lessons! If he does not use sicknesses, diseases and adversities to teach people lessons, how can He now be using wicked, lazy and vision-less leaders to teach His people in Africa some lessons?

They also believe that anyone in power is the will of God, even if the person rigs and snatches ballot-boxes to get themselves to power. They believe that an illegality can represent the God who is too holy to behold iniquity. Same people teach that anyone who stole in the past should restitute, but when it comes to elections—rigging and ballot-box snatching do not mean anything. It is heartbreaking how we change the goal-post while the game is still on.

In Nigeria, after rigging and winning elections, our people would go to both mosques and churches for thanksgiving. No wonder religious people are fast losing their young ones in droves. The young ones are beginning to dislike religion as an effect of the kind of hypocrisy they daily see amongst those of us who are neck-deep in the dirty-water of religion. When we rig an election and win, the one who should be thanked is the devil, not God!

Taking this crucial issue a little further, folks believe that every government represents God forever! They believe that a government cannot cease to represent God. They do not know that a government can start with God and later leave Him. Also, a government can be from God and later God would leave it, when it begins to become a terror unto good works. When a government begins to romance evil, it ceases to be of God. And submitting to a government that is evil makes one anti-God. What I am addressing right now is not limited to Nigeria. I am actually addressing the whole continent of Africa.

The question now is; what happens when a government ceases to represent God in Africa? Is it proper to be praying for long life and wisdom for governments that are no longer of God? Is it proper to be subject to governing authorities that are obviously not from God? Also, is it right to keep (through prayer) in power those who God has removed from power?

Believers in Nigeria would have used their powerful prayers to change Nigeria if they are properly taught by their leaders. Believers in Nigeria and Africa as a whole have been praying amiss for centuries, using their prayers to sustain those who are no longer in authority in the “spirit-realm.” If God can open the eyes of many believers to see that those they are praying for are actually not in power in the spirit-realm, they are going to change how they are currently praying for them.

The way I prayed for those in authority radically changed many years ago when I read the story of “Saul and David.” After God had taken the kingdom away from Saul, Saul was still on the throne in the natural for many years, he had stopped being in authority, though! This should let you know that it is possible to be the President of a nation and not be in authority.

Beloved Africans, another question is, are the Presidents of all the African countries—that are suffering lack amidst abundance—just merely in their varied seats of power or—still in authority? Remember, it is possible to be in a State House and not be in authority, because authority is only from God and He gives it only to those who aren’t a terror to good works!

This is where I am coming: When a political leader starts being a terror to good works, he should be prayed out of power. Praying for political leaders, who daily romance evil on this continent is compromise and prayerlessness, but when political leaders are not a terror to good works, they should be prayed for. Praying to God to sustain those who are keeping Africa in poverty amidst abundance is praying amiss. And this is what Christians have been doing in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.