“How many of you pastors have time with me during Easter holiday? Are you not always in one program or the other? If it is not crusade, it will be prayer meetings or several nights of vigils or praise nights, though you claim to do all of them for me or for soul winning. How many of you do personal reflection on the death, burial and the resurrection of Jesus during this holiday? I don’t mean a church program you organise with your members, but you and I alone. Many of you are more active than me, activities have replaced relationship for you. You are busy for me but not with me. You love to stand on the podium of churches but your closet lives are empty. People see you every Sunday but I hardly see you in fellowship. You show yourselves without hiding in my Cherith of relationship. You have stands on decorated church altars while your personal altars are full of ashes. You read my word (if you even read at all) only to vomit it on my church for the contingency of office, no time to digest it. Many of you that preach do it not out of relationship with me but for men applause and oratory commendation. Now that there are no Sunday long emergency messages preparations (for those who even prepare at all), Now that there is no big congregation to preach to for now, what are you doing oh man of God? Don’t you think this compulsory holiday is for you? Dust your altar before the lockdown is over, take away the ashes before you start your hustling and bustling and your church activities again. Will you not use this holiday to resurrect your relationship with Me? This period of less activity is not to be glue to your phones and tablets on whatsApp and Facebook and the rest. How many spiritual books have you read this year? Those ones you have on your shelve (if you have personal library at all), are they not for decoration or emergency preaching assignments? When last did you read your bible through (maybe not once) as a Pastor? Remember that when I visited Samson I announced it but the day I left him I never told him, don’t be like Samson after this holiday who went out to shake himself but it was ordinary body exercise without power(Judges 16:20). It is time to get private with me during this holiday. I told Elijah to eat for the journey ahead of him is great (1kg 19:7). Therefore, kit yourself up in the spirit in my presence so that you can cope with the aftermath of this lockdown” 

     Fellow servants of God, I don’t know if God is passing the same message to your heart this hour. How is your relationship with God? Let's be sincere with ourselves now. Do not allow this holiday to elapse without doing anything serious with your spiritual life as a minister. Don’t allow the church or anyone to cumber your head with unnecessary activities, use this temporary lockdown to take way the ashes on your altar and rekinble the fire of genuine relationship with God. Trust God for his death, burial and resusurection to be evident in your life as a minister at this season.

     Happy Easter in compulsory lockdown in God's presence!

     God's blessing upon you all.