Ogo James; “How then do we reverse recession be it economic, emotional or spiritual?”

RECESSION, THE ONE WORD HAS SHOT TO THE FORE OF EVERY NATION, BUSINESS AND FAMILY; and that irrespective of whether they fully understand the meaning or not. The word has come to paint a picture of pain and dread – stock crashes, business closures, job losses, income depreciation and debt burdens. Economists worldwide are caught gaping as to where they all got it wrong. And like cancer or the HIV/AIDS epidemic, no one is sure of the cure.

But quite typical of every phenomenon, it is so easy to view recession just in terms of economics; recession occurs also in the emotional and spiritual realms. After all, what is recession is not a decline in growth and output? So when, as believers, we no longer love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength; when we lose our “first love” for the Lord, we are experiencing a spiritual recession. And when our hearts no longer find joy and excitement in our relationships, especially our covenant relationships, we must be experiencing emotional recession. We need a stimulus plan, the Bible calls it REVIVAL!

There are as many causes of economic recession as there are economic theories. But recession, economic recession, wherever it occurs in the Bible days was attributable to three main things:

Wicked, ungodly and corrupt leadership in a nation (1 Kings 17-18; Kings 6, 7)
Unfaithful stewardship on the part of God’s people (Haggai .1:1-11)
God’s judgement on either or all of the above (2Sam.24:1-13)
And so, recession is never just a measure of economic indices, it is also usually a measure of God’s pulse towards a people, especially for those nations and people that lay claim to His name. The consequences, like those of sin, may spread to others but the root cause could be traced to God’s verdict on our stewardship of power, responsibilities and resources.

How then do we reverse recession be it economic, emotional or spiritual?
The Bible offers two prescriptions: REPENTANCE and FAITHFULNESS…