NATIONAL PRAYER ALTAR
MARATHON PRAYERS
Monday 18th – Sunday 24th August 2025
THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT
Thou shalt not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14).
In two previous prayer bulletins, we drew attention to three things that defile a land and bring judgment upon the people:
1. Bloodshed
2. Idolatry
3. Adultery
The scourge of adultery undermines the moral fabric of society and breaks down trust in relationships. Without trust between spouses, family units cannot be cohesive, which, of course, would lead to dysfunctional parenting and result in emotionally broken children who might grow up as traumatised adults. They, in turn, might produce broken homes and ill-bred children. Thus, society becomes the unfortunate harvester of dysfunctional homes.
The devil considers adultery a potent force for manipulating humanity. Globally, adultery has become a social malaise. While it is openly condemned in every country, it continues unabated to different extents from country to country.
God's answer to the breakdown of morality in society is the Church. The New Testament is replete with commands forbidding adultery and all manners of sexual immorality. Unfortunately, the Church in this generation has become entangled in the web of seduction, as cases of immorality within the Church rarely shock people anymore.
The once-glorious Western civilisation has become the pacesetter in granting legitimacy to adultery. The movie industry has become a notorious channel of promoting immorality. As if that is not sufficient evil, reality shows have joined the circus, intent on making perversion look glamorous and exciting. One of such reality shows is “Big Brother Nija.”
Given the comparatively stricter standards of African culture and the religious fervency of the country, it is a mystery how such pervasive shows have become acceptable in Nigeria. The implication is that most Nigerians are not personally committed to moral values, culturally or religiously. How a Church which boasts the largest Christian gatherings in the world can fold its hands and permit a lewd show to air on national TV is an indication that there are few “Christians” in Nigeria. What Nigeria has is many Churchgoers. By August 2025, “Season 10” of Big Brother Naija was airing, with an offer of N150 million as the winner’s prize in a show of shame.
From available news reports, Season 10 of the show has 29 youths between the ages of 21 and 37 years, from all over the country, including the once-conservative northern region. That is where it gets most worrisome. While there is one Muslim amongst the participants, 28 of them identify as Christians!
A comparative analysis of Christianity and Islam shows that while the Bible forbids adultery and all manners of sexual immorality, the Hadith in Islam makes generous allowance for a man to have multiple partners. In Islam, a man is permitted to legally marry four wives. In addition to the four women, if he travels from his home, he can engage in temporary marriage, called “mut’ah” or “misyah”, which can last for 24 hours or for years. In the afterlife, the Muslim male is promised 72 virgins.
The comparison above is shared to point out that whereas a religion that makes generous provision for multiple partners contributed only one participant to the show, Christians, whose religion forbids multiple partners, contributed twenty-eight participants. The question that naturally arises is, “What are they teaching in the churches?” What is going on in churches that produce Christians who cannot separate the sacred from the profane, the holy from the unclean? The average Christian appears to be unaware of what actions are expected of them as Christians. There is neither spiritual discernment nor moral boundary in the lives of many Christians. Even if God does not scream from heaven, should Christians not call themselves to order? This is not the faith that the early missionaries handed over to us. What are Christian leaders doing? And where are the Christian fathers? Those youths come from homes. Who are their mothers?
Not only are church leaders complacent as if moral teaching is no longer part of Christianity, but some pastors are also active in prophesying the winner of the show. In a previous episode, the winner of the immoral show went to her “church” to do “thanksgiving” and share “testimony”.
The consequences of the complacency of the Church are two-fold:
1. the Church’s loss of moral authority
2. society’s loss of moral values
Presently, in Nigeria, several evils bedevil the country. They includes terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, ritual killings, organ harvesting, corruption, cybercrime, drug addiction, abortion, and so on. These are evils that the Church is meant to exercise spiritual authority over and stop. Unfortunately, a Church without moral authority cannot exercise spiritual authority. Consequently, evil prowls the land, unchallenged, while the sons of God plead with temporal powers to defend them. Obadiah 17 says, “But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.” Deliverance must stand with holiness, before the descendants of Jacob can possess their possessions. The Bible says, ”And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled” (2 Cor. 10:6). No evil spirit will obey a sinful Christian, because a rebellious entity cannot exercise authority over another rebellious entity.
Many prayers are going on in the country from remnants in the Church, unfortunately, evil persists. But for such prayers, there might have been total outbreak of evil and destruction. All the same, the prayers might have been more effective if those of spiritual authority in the Church were more committed to holiness and righteousness in the land. Worse still, some have been indicted for conducts inconsistent with Christlikeness.
The second consequence of the Church’s indifference to immorality is the loss of moral value in Nigeria. This is evident in two ways:
1. A survey by an international company produced a report that Nigerian married women are the most adulterous worldwide. With 61% of Nigerian married women who participated in the survey confessing to marital infidelity, Nigeria came first, followed by Thailand at 59%.
2. DNA analysts publicly claimed that 6 out of 10 children brought for paternity determination in Nigeria were not fathered by the man in the house. That is 60% of the children.
How many Christian parents can confidently and truthfully affirm as follows, “my daughter is not yet married, but she is still a virgin.” When a woman is deflowered before marriage, there is no way of vouching for her actions. She could have had multiple lovers and possibly committed abortion multiple times. This may be the reason one social commentator, Mr. Reno Omokri, stated that bride price should not be paid for any girl who is not a virgin at the point of marriage. While some people might disagree, it could be a good step to compelling young women to live a life of chastity. A shameless Nigerian young woman stated on the media that she had slept with over 1,000 men. She was not yet 30 years old when she made that statement.
Even if churches did not emphasize moral teachings, should not Christian parents give due diligence to the moral upbringing of their children? Our African parents did not have pastors, yet they brought up disciplined and morally upright children. Should not this generation have done better?
The National Prayer Altar, on behalf of the Body of Christ, condemns in its entirety the ongoing Season 10 Big Brother and all its preceding episodes. The Altar calls for its immediate cancellation and sanctions on the organizers. The Altar also recommends as follows:
1. All church leaders should condemn this shameful act of immorality and from the pulpit instruct their members not to watch it or join in voting.
2. The apex body of Christianity in Nigeria should write a letter of protest to both the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government, to immediately halt this obnoxious show that is defiling the society and promoting immorality, especially amongst our children.
In April 2022, some primary school children on excursion to Dubai acted their own version of Big Brother, recorded it, and it leaked publicly. That was a low moment for Nigeria, because children learn by observing adults. Despite that incident, the Government still approved that Big Brother should continue. If the government is unable to judge rightly in these matters, should not the Church, as the moral conscience of the country, speak out and call government functionaries to order? What value does Big Brother add to Nigeria?
Christians should remember that we are in the world for a purpose, and righteousness shall be the standard by which the Lord will judge each of us. Our response to these issues will determine our relationship with the Lord. We cannot claim to belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, when sin and evil do not bother us. May we not be found wanting because of lukewarmness.
God bless Nigeria.
PRAYER POINTS
1. 2 Cor. 6:17-18
Repent on behalf of the Church for its entanglement with immorality, worldliness, and perversion.
2. Mal. 3:3
Pray that God will purge the Nigeria Church so that God-fearing Christians can lead the saints into the righteousness of God.
3. Eph. 5:3-7
Pray and condemn every immorality, perversion, and evil that is taking place in the Church and in Nigeria. On behalf of the Body of Christ, condemn these evils before God.
4. Num. 25:6-9
Pray that God will raise influential voices in the Church and in the country to condemn Big Brother Naija and all associated acts of sexual perversion in Nigeria.
5. Heb. 12:22-24
Plead the Blood of Jesus to cleanse Nigeria from the defilement and curses that are brought upon Nigeria through bloodshed, idolatry, and adultery.
6. Rom. 8:26-27
Pray for the help of the Holy Spirit for the remnant in the Church as they intercede for Christianity and Nigeria to be right.
7. Is. 49:24-25
Intercede for Nigeria youths, that God will save them from the wickedness and the perversion of this age.
JOIN US AT THE NATIONAL PRAYER ALTAR
DAILY INTERDENOMINATIONAL PRAYERS FOR NIGERIA
Started since 18th April, 2022
TIME: 9:00pm – 10:00pm daily (Nigeria time)
VENUE: ZOOM
ZOOM link:
https://zoom.us/j/96806190505?pwd=K2RqcUN3YjRwQzEzRDZaMUt2N1ZsUT09
Meeting ID: 968 0619 0505
Passcode: 024184
LINK TO MARATHON PRAYERS ZOOM ROOM
https://zoom.us/j/94064259957?pwd=bm13eDlSNTMrZWhVdTl5bmNRRlBHQT09
Meeting ID: 940 6425 9957
Passcode: Altar