True Governance Is Co-Ruling With God
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
— Galatians 5:22–23
My friend,
In many African homes, we grew up hearing this phrase:
“If I were president for one day…”
We have opinions about everything. Fuel prices. Elections. Corruption. Policy failures. We can diagnose a nation in one sitting.
But here is the uncomfortable question:
If you governed a nation the way you govern your own life… what kind of nation would it be?
Stephen M.R. Covey observed:
“We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior.”
That is not just a leadership flaw.
It is a spiritual one.
We demand righteous governance from State House…
while excusing chaos in our own hearts.
But Scripture introduces governance very differently.
It begins within.
We Were Created to Rule — But Not Alone
In Genesis 1:26–28, God did not create Adam to merely exist. He gave him dominion — not as an independent ruler, but as a co-ruler under divine authority.
That is Africa’s forgotten theology.
Authority without accountability is not dominion.
It is rebellion.
Yet our generation chants new slogans:
“I am self-made.”
“I answer to no one.”
“My truth is enough.”
But when Israel rejected God’s rule in 1 Samuel 8, what they thought was empowerment became bondage.
This is not just ancient history.
It is a warning.
Self-rule without God always produces instability.
And we are living in unstable times.
The Vision Crisis in Our Generation
Proverbs 29:18 declares:
“Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint.”
Look around.
We see brilliance without discipline.
Energy without direction.
Spiritual language without spiritual depth.
Many of our young men fall into two extremes:
Deeply spiritual but allergic to responsibility
Highly ambitious but spiritually empty
Very few are both disciplined and devoted.
Why?
Because vision has been replaced with vibes.
When purpose disappears:
Commitment weakens
Integrity becomes optional
Short-term survival replaces generational thinking
And Africa suffers not only from corrupt leaders — but from ungoverned hearts.
Paul writes in Philippians 2:1–4 that we must not think only of ourselves, but of others. Governance is not about today’s comfort. It is about tomorrow’s inheritance.
What we tolerate privately becomes what we protest publicly.
Work Is Not a Curse
Somewhere along the way, we began treating hard work as punishment and excellence as pride.
But Genesis 2:15 shows us something profound: work existed before sin.
Work was partnership.
Philippians 2:14 commands:
“Do everything without complaining or arguing.”
In many of our cultures, we know the dignity of labour. We watched our mothers wake before sunrise. We saw fathers build with their hands. We understand sacrifice.
But we have also inherited fatigue, disillusionment, and systems that reward shortcuts.
So we complain.
Yet Scripture calls us higher.
In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul lists hardship as evidence of faithfulness — not failure.
History echoes this truth. During the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival, repentance reshaped entire communities. Crime dropped. Systems changed.
Because when hearts are governed, nations follow.
Revival is not noise.
It is alignment.
Walking Back to Eden
Africa does not only need better policies.
She needs governed souls.
Eden was not about control. It was about communion. Authority flowed from relationship with God.
True governance is not seizing power.
It is surrendering first.
It is allowing the Spirit of God to rule;
Your temper
Your ambition
Your finances
Your desires
Your private decisions
Because the fruit of the Spirit is not political.
It is governmental.
Self-control is governance.
Faithfulness is governance.
Gentleness is governance.
Before we demand accountability from presidents and parliaments, we must ask:
Who governs me?
Because when a generation learns to co-rule with God, they become trustworthy with cities, industries, and nations.
And perhaps the Africa we pray for…
begins in the discipline we practice today.
Featured…
A docu-series about the 1900’s Revival in Wales, and it’s impact on the day to day welsh lives.
