“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lamp stand from its place – unless you repent” (Rev. 2:5).
“Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.
So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm.
Gather the people sanctify the assembly, assemble the elders, gather the children and nursing babes; let the bride groom, go out from his chamber, and the bride from her dressing room..
Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, weep between the porch and the alter; let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not give Your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why, should they say among the peoples, “Where is their God?” (Joel 2:12-17).
Father, I come into Your holy presence in the name of Your Holy Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. I bow my knees unto You. Father I humble myself in repentance for my own sins and those of the body of Christ in Nigeria.
We have sinned and committed iniquity; we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments.
Father, forgive us for our sins as a body. Forgive us for bringing ridicule to your name among the heathen. Forgive us for locking You outside Your Church. Forgive us for going into the world and permitting the world to creep into Your church.
Forgive us for our unconcern towards our persecuted brethren in the northern part of the country. Forgive us for failing to heed their cry for help in time of need.
Forgive us for propagating false doctrines, for mishandling the Scriptures and twisting them to say what we want. Forgive us for depending upon our own techniques, methods, human wisdom and strength instead of upon your Holy Spirit.
Forgive us for replacing the message of the Cross and resurrection of Your Son with the prosperity and self help messages. Forgive us for our lack of love for one another and our lack of compassion for a lost and dying world. Forgive us for misrepresenting who You truly are to the world.
Forgive us for our Luke warmness, indifference, apathy, lethargy and compromise. Forgive us for the sin of unbelief. Forgive us for turning our gathering together unto You to empty noise, entertainment centres and social clubs. Forgive us for our worldliness, love of money, covetousness and greed.
Forgive us for all the gimmicks and manipulations to rip and extort Your flock of their money. Forgive us for been so mindful of the things of this world that we forget who we truly are – pilgrims here on earth.
Forgive us for the sin of disobedience and flagrant rebellion against Your holy word. Forgive us for rendering Your Church powerless and without authority because we fail to seek Your face and wait on you.
Forgive us for all the deceptions, lies, and false prophecies going on the church, saying, “Thus says the Lord,” when You did not say so. Forgive us for the sin of syncretization of the gospel and Your Church.
Forgive us, Father, for we have sinned terribly against You, Your Son and Your Spirit. Do not cast us out of Your presence, O Lord. Do not take away your Holy Spirit from us. Do not send us into exile. Do not hand over Your heritage into the hands of the heathen. Where shall we go Lord from your presence? Have mercy on us. In your wrath remember mercy.
O Lord, Lord Jesus, please come back into Your Church. Do not spit us out of Your mouth. Dear Holy Spirit, please don’t leave Your Church. Where shall we go in this sinful world, You are all we have.
Please pour upon us, O Lord, the spirit of repentance and mourning for our sins. Open the eyes, ears and minds of our spiritual leaders to see, hear and understand the lateness of the hour. Raise up for Yourself and Your Church Shepherds after Your own heart, to feed Your flock and tend Your lamps.
We have failed You Lord, but let your mercy over ride judgement. Truly judgement must begin in Your house, but, O Lord, have mercy upon us. For like the Laodicean Church we are poor, naked, blind and miserable. Our wealth have blinded us and we think we are rich, we think prosperity is a sign of Your approval.
O Father, our sins are so great before You, please forgive us and show us mercy for Your holy name’s sake!
Pour upon Your Church the spirit of mourning, supplication and repentance for our sins. Purge us from our iniquities, wash, cleanse and sanctify us once again in Jesus precious name I pray, Amen.
