YOU DO NOT NEED TO RELY ON ANYONE TO COME TO GOD!

Dearly Beloved, YOU DO NOT NEED TO RELY ON ANYONE TO COME TO GOD! “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 NKJV). I was surprised to see a message trending on social media appealing to some notable Nigerian religious leaders to pray against ugly occurrence of stealing and forcefully acquiring women’s underwear for diabolical purposes. A certain person purportedly composed the message. He asked people to continue broadcasting the message till it reaches the religious leaders so that the leaders can use their spiritual influence to pray to God against the menace. Surprisingly, people were rebroadcasting the message. It is a fact that the nefarious deed and its perpetrators should be prayed against. However, must one rely on another person, especially religious leaders, before one can approach God? Does the prayer of the so-called religious leaders have more efficacy than the prayer of the ordinary Christian? Must one circulate a prayer request on social media before God can answer such prayer? Why can the composer of the prayer request not go to the Lord in his closet or arrange a prayer meeting to intercede on this issue? Why does one need to rely on another person before one can relate with God? Why is this overreliance on religious leaders when it comes to spiritual matter? There are many more questions to be answered on this matter. In the Old Testament, the people relied on their religious leaders to take their requests to God and to hear from God (cf. Exodus 20:19; 1 Samuel 7:8; Hebrews 1:1). They even had a limitation of where they could reach in their places of worship (see Hebrews 9:1-7). However, with the coming of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in every true Christian, the limitation has been removed (compare the removal of the veil at the temple during the death of Jesus Christ [Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38]) and every true Christian can approach God through Jesus Christ without any other intermediary (1 Timothy 2:5). We now have direct access to God (see Ephesians 2:18; 3:12-13; Hebrews 10:19-20). We do not need to rely on any man, no matter how highly positioned he is. Nonetheless, the problems of some of these people that rely on their religious leaders are inferiority complex and hero worship. Who told them that they could not pray to God directly without the input of their religious leaders? Who told them that that so-called religious leader is closer to God than they are? Unfortunately, some so-called religious leaders have taken this advantage to wrongly manipulate their followers. Religious leaders are there to guide people in spiritual matters. They are not demi-gods. They do not have any special relationship with God that is more than other believers’ relationship with Him. Come bold to God. He has given us that assurance. You do not need to rely on anyone before you can intercede before God, or before God can answer your prayer. In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Point: Pray that you will not rely on anyone before you come boldly with your requests to God in prayer.