Pray Network Forum

From January to April we prayed Psalm 119 on the
Ranger Joe’s God and Country Show .

To see ALL of the Psalm 119 prayers,
click here



Each stanza has a Key Word, Emphasis and Application which succeeding prayers are built around. We are currently praying the key word for each stanza.


Psalm 119:161-168

Key Word                Stand

Today’s Prayer

Lord, thank You that I can stand and rejoice (Psalm 119:162) even though the evil one harasses me (Psalm 119:161). Father thank You for the armor, especially the shoes Lord, that allow us, in the midst of spiritual battle to stand in peace (Ephesians 6:15). Father forgive us as a nation and as Your church for thinking that we stand, on our own, because of ANYTHING “good” inside of us. Father, bring us to our knees, so that we will hate and abhor ALL falsehood in ourselves and then Lord, change our heart to love Your instructions (Psalm 119:163).

Beginning with the month of May, we began praying The Book of James on the Ranger Joe’s God and Country Show .

Wisdom from Above

¹³ Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. ¹⁵ This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. ¹⁶ For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. ¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. ¹⁸ And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Today's Prayer

Father, thank You, for the clear teaching from Your word is that there is a difference in the wisdom from You and the wisdom from the world. Your wisdom is pure, peace-loving, gentle and cultivates peace, but the wisdom that is not from You denies the truth, brags, is bitter and selfish. Lord, forgive us as a nation and as Your church for demonstrating to the world the wisdom that is earthly, unspiritual, and even demonic. And cause us Lord to show our works by good conduct, with Your wisdom’s gentleness. In the name of Your loving Son, amen.

I was privileged to have dinner here in Austin a few weeks ago with prayer leader and teacher Dan Henderson and another friend. I told him that there is a quote I've used many times which I had thought he had said and he confirmed it again for me. "If you want to have a crowd, don't call a prayer meeting."

And while there are exceptions, settings for group prayer don't typically require overflow seating. Yes, many Christians haven't yet embraced the power and impact of praying or don't feel comfortable praying with others so they avoid corporate prayer settings. We ought to continue to teach on prayer's importance and how to meaningfully pray with others to help change their thinking and posture on prayer.

However, others don't come for a variety of other reasons that are just part of life. Prayer times aren't always practical for many people, especially those with young children. Meetings are regularly in the evenings or early morning and childcare isn't usually provided.

Often we ask everyone to come to one location, the church, and yet many live thirty minutes to an hour away. Some are serving God in meaningful ways that require significant time so adding one more Christian activity simply isn't practical. It's unfair to blame them or call them unspiritual because they didn't make our prayer time.

And many people pray passionately and extensively at home, in their small group, with family members or other friends. They would argue that their prayer life is growing and thriving.  They just can't add one more church activity to their full schedule.

So let me suggest an idea that can at least enhance a church's prayer ministry and impact while understanding the limitations and uniquenesses of today's culture. We tried this on the National Day of Prayer this year and have seen a couple of other Austin churches use it for special prayer emphases.

First we asked people to give us their texting number or best email if they were willing to join others in prayer for the church, city and country the first Thursday in May. Then that day we put out two postings every hour that they would get via email or text to pray for. We asked them to pray right then for that request if possible. The postings also included video and musical options for meditation and praise. We added the same postings to our church Facebook and Twitter pages as well.

Many people told us how much they appreciated being included in the prayer day even though they couldn't come to our campus (we had a 12-1 group time at the church as well). And while our data is limited as to the total response we are confident that hundreds were involved in some way this year compared to only dozens when we had a longer prayer day exclusively at our church.

What if more groups around the world used a similar system to encourage prayer with them about a particular issue, conference or initiative?  Who knows the potential impact!

So perhaps we need to accept that gathering together these days to pray may take on new looks and methodology so that when we ask people to pray we more often than not actually get a crowd. I'm pretty convinced God would like that.

INTERNATIONAL PRAYER CONNECTIONS

June 2012

“Globalizing Prayer, Transforming our World”

IN THIS EDITION

1. 1.           The New Wave is Flowing!
2. 2.           Reflection on the WPA
3. 3.           Ten Points of Thanksgiving from the Chinese Group for WPA
4. 4.           Whither the IPC After the WPA?
5. 5.           Call for Thanksgiving and Continued Prayer for the WPA
6. 6.           Prayer: the Key to Revival
7. 7.           Children in Prayer in Myanmar
8. 8.           Sudan: Desperate Situation in the Nuba Mountains…Children Dying
9. 9.           Pray North Africa
10. 10.       Pakistan and Afghanistan Terrorist Leaders
11. 11.       Mexico – A Call for a Holy Fast…Enough is Enough!!!
12. 12.       Transform World Global Challenge Summit
13. 13.       USA: In Defense of Marriage
14. 14.       Seeking the Spiritual Destiny of Hong Kong
15. 15.       The Church Under Attack in Nigeria
16. 16.       World Refugee Sunday
17. 17.       IPC Events Calendar
18. 18.       The IPC Website
19. 19.       About International Prayer Connect (IPC)
20. 20.       Donating to IPC through PayPal
21. 21.       Contacting the IPC Office

Dear HPN,

Happy May! What a beautiful time of year in Southern California! We have lots of praises and prayer requests this month and we thank you in advance for praying with us, passing on the requests to others and being a part of all that God is doing in Hollywood!

SUMMARY:

• Praise God for a WONDERFUL National Day of Prayer in Hollywood!
• Praise God for a GREAT Biola Media Conference, also at CBS Television on May 5th
• May is always Mothers Day Month. Praise God for our Mothers!
• Pray for three companies who all promote films to the Christian community
• Our friend, radio personality Rich Buhler, passed away on May 7th
• Pray for the Lord to make Himself known at The Cannes Film Festival
• Pray for the people creating this summer’s Blockbuster movies
• Pray for Karen and Caren as we travel to Jakarta Indonesia for the WPA
• Pray for Susan who is in South Korea working on the World's Fair
• Pray for MN HPN Director, Heidi, as she produces a Guy Penrod Concert
• Pray for Actor’s Co-Op and their current play, “Learned Ladies.”

PRAISES:

• Praise God for a WONDERFUL National Day of Prayer in Hollywood! HPN partnered with 5 other LA churches, 5 other entertainment and prayer ministries and hundreds of individuals who came together on the CBS Television sound stage 9 – the home of “Will and Grace” . - We praised and worshiped God and prayed for our nation, our state, our city, our local churches and our entertainment industry. It was so creative with interactive prayer stations, four different worship groups and lots of joy. Thank you to ALL of you who were involved or came. The evening had an eternal impact!

• Praise God for a GREAT Biola Media Conference, also at CBS Television on May 5th. There were great speakers, a good turn- out, lots of friendship connections, both old and new, and a true sense of community. The day ended on a high note with our friend DeVon Franklin, Columbia Creative Exec. and author of “Produced By Faith,” encouraging the group to keep their eyes on Jesus while working in our industry.

• Praise God for our Mothers! May is always Mothers Day Month and we want to take a moment to thank the Lord for our Mothers. Regardless of how good they were as mothers, they brought us into this world, and we now can make the world a better place just because we’re here! Thanks Moms.

UPDATES:

• Many of you have asked how you can get more information on films that are marketed to the Christian community. So we want to give you an update on three friends’ companies who all market films to the church-going audience. Pray for these companies to have continued wisdom and effectiveness in presenting the films they are promoting and for Christians to get information about them, including guides on to how to respond, etc.

Motive Entertainment: http://www.moviemarketing.biz/faithmarket.html
Grace Hill Media: http://www.gracehillmedia.com/whatwedo/
Allied Integrated Marketing: http://alliedadvpub.com/

REQUESTS:

• Our friend, radio personality Rich Buhler, passed away on May 7th, after a long bout with cancer. We will miss him and his love for life and other people! Please pray for his wife Dianne and his children Krista and Brian, his step children and grand children, as they work through the loss of their dear husband, grandfather and father. Rich was a supportive member of our Christian Hollywood community and loved by all who knew him. For more info. click HERE.

• Pray for the Lord to make Himself known at The Cannes Film Festival (May 16 – 27th, 2012 in Cannes, France.) – one of the largest and most prestigious International Film Festivals of the year. Filmmakers, distributors, actors, directors and marketers gather from around the world to see the new films coming out and to make deals. The top decision-makers in the film world show up to sell and or market their projects. May the Lord show up as well, and rock the participants’ world! For more information on the Festival, click HERE.

• May begins the promotion and release for all of the Summer Blockbuster movies, starting with “Avengers” last week-end. Our country spends billions of dollars on films, giving the state of California the rank of 5th largest GNP among any country around the world! Let’s pray for the people creating the films and the impact that they have on audiences. May the Lord guide our nation’s thoughts and actions as we go to the movies! For more info on the summer films, click HERE.

• Pray for the two HPN K/Carens as we travel to Jakarta Indonesia. We actually left on May 12th and scheduled to have our email sent out to you today! We’ll be back on May 19th and look forward to the Lord opening doors for us as we pray for media at the World Prayer Assembly, and as we pray with children and global entertainment professionals throughout the week. May the Lord give us Divine Appointments so that we can bring His love and encouragement to the people there as we pray for them. For more info, click HERE.

• Would you pray for Roma Downey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_Downey) and Mark Burnett (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Burnett), a husband and wife team who are producing 10 one hour episodes of the entire BIBLE for the History Channel. Both Roma and Mark are passionate about retelling the Bible for the television audience. They are currently in Morocco filming and have a website where we can read their prayers for the project. It's an exciting step to have a cable channel embrace this multi-million dollar project and they have asked for our prayers! To pray with them, click HERE.

REQUESTS FROM HPN MEMBERS:

• Pray for our LA HPN friend Susan who is in South Korea working on the World's Fair for the next couple of months. May she do great work and have an eternal impact on the people she works with and see God in a new way in Korea.

• Pray for our Twin Cities HPN Director, Heidi, as she produces a Guy Penrod Concert, through her new ministry, “Music for the Master.” Heidi is committed to bring Jesus into Minnesota through the arts, and we pray with her as she and her team put this concert together. For more details click HERE.

• Pray for Hilary, who has been working at the Daystar TV, the first Christian network in Texas that is nominated for three Daytime Emmys this year. "Two of the nominations are for a program I produced on the Holocaust, and the program is unlike any other on the subject because Jesus is the center of it." Let's ask the Lord to keep using Hilary to impact the viewers and her co-workers.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Don’t miss the events in Hollywood that you can either attend or pray for! One in particular to point out this week is the Actor’s Co-Op show, “Learned Ladies.” Actor’s Co-Op is an incredible theatre company, made up of talented union actors who are also Christians. They constantly win awards for their plays and have been producing powerful theatre for over 20 years. Check them out HERE. Check out all of the upcoming events HERE.

Thanks for praying with us this month and we look forward to being back with an update from Indonesia in June!

Karen and Caren

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TIP OF THE MONTH:
May our words be truthful to man and pleasing in God’s sight. http://philcooke.com/the-difference-between-con-and-content/

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
“The stupid believe that to be truthful is easy; only the artist, the great artist, knows how difficult it is.” Willa Cather

VERSE OF THE MONTH:
“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14

“In moments of fear, anxiety, and trouble, the right step toward experiencing God's powerful deliverance and protection is to simply cry out—to use our voice in fervent appeal for His help.” Quotes by Bill Gothard

Do you ever practice crying out loud to God for help? 

I think most of us have, especially when we’ve been in serious trouble. This is how our Biblical predecessors often prayed. Fervency in prayer and crying out loud is a key to breakthrough in prayer. My husband has often told people that fervent, passionate prayer is the type of prayer you would cry out if your airplane were falling from the sky. You would cry out to God in desperation, with all your heart! There would be no place for distracted, apathetic prayer under those circumstances. No way! It would be a life and death matter! 

Yet many of us are facing impossible circumstances where the "crying out" type of prayer is needed for spiritual breakthrough. Crying out loud seems to be a key to a powerful prayer life that influences heaven and sees tremendous answers to prayer. Often we are urged by the Spirit to cry an impassioned declaration of God’s powerful ability. That demonstrates our total dependence on God to accomplish the victory. We need to catch hold of this truth and apply it to our prayer lives. We read in Psalm 86:7, “In the day of trouble I will call upon you, for you will answer me.” When we cry out to God, we experience His all-sufficient, supernatural power to answer us.

God often arranges our circumstances so there seems to be no way out. 

Haven’t you been there? The problem doesn't seem to go away. But in response to our crying out to Him, He answers. He may bring healing, protection, or direction. He wants to show us that He is our sole saving power when we are at the end of all our known resources. In the Bible there is a consistent pattern of God's people crying out to Him and His answering in His power. David often cried aloud to God with deep emotion when in desperate situations, and God answered his cry. He says in Psalm 61:1, "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their trouble." Bill Gothard in his book, The Power of Crying Out states:

“Many believers today seem unaware of this consistent pattern in God's Word. It could even be said that the most significant difference between the prayers of God's saints in Scripture (so powerfully effective) and our prayers today (so seemingly ineffective) is this: There was a fervency in the prayers of biblical saints - a fervency that is inherent in crying out.”

Crying out to God is not something we do mechanically, but it flows out of our relationship with Him. Do we really know that God actually hears us and longs to hear our cry? He is our father and loves to hear our voice. We have the authority and right as His children to call fervently to our Father. Do we realize that there is power in the spoken word? When it is spoken fervently, sincerely and with all our heart, it is even more powerful. Do we realize that as we cry out to God aloud, He sees that we are seriously and boldly coming to His throne of grace? Do we not comprehend that when we cry out to God in our distress He will answer? 

We will see that crying out in prayer is the very turning point that brings His deliverance. It happened often in the Bible and can happen for us as well. Notice in Psalm 107:6, 13, 19, and 28 how God loves to answer those with a sincere heart in their need. "Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses.” Crying out triggers God's deliverance. Many of you are facing desperate situations in your life. Learn to cry aloud to God with all your heart. Trust Him—your deliverer—to undertake in your behalf.

“Days of trouble. Hours of crisis. Moments of urgent and fearful need. They come to us all unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. How can we prepare for such times? We can prepare by being ready to cry aloud to the Lord for His saving help, boldly expecting His deliverance. God invites and expects His beloved ones to do exactly that: ‘Call upon Me in the day of trouble,’ He tells us; ‘I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.’”

For many years we live on a ship called Doulos. This ship was our moving home that sailed from country to country, spreading the Good News of Jesus and selling Christian and educational books. During one of our voyages—with over 300 persons from 40 nations aboard—we were sailing down the coast of South America and were about to enter the Straits of Magellan. This is a narrow, long passage of quite some distance off the coast of Chile. Our next port of ministry was the southernmost city at the tip of Chile. You could consider this area of the world the “ends of the earth.” The straits are known for their treacherous and dangerous seas. 

The weather at the time was stormy, and the waves were choppy and unsafe which would make it very difficult for our old ship to pass through safely. This ship, built in 1914 and in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest floating passenger ship in the world, caused many of us even more concern as we anticipated this dangerous journey. 

In light of our situation, the captain made an urgent request over the loud speaker. He said that we must all gather together immediately and pray for God to calm the seas. We must cry out to God to give us a safe passage through the Straits of Magellan so that we could arrive on time at our next port. 

With no time to waste, the entire staff and crew gathered together in our main lounge to pray. Imagine the thoughts that raced through our minds and the level of anxiety many of us felt as we hurried to the main lounge. After all, we were on a tiny, old ship anticipating tossing around in treacherous seas. We felt dependent at that moment on a supernatural God who could turn our situation around by His power and might. 

We began to pray and cry out to God to calm the seas for His glory. Perhaps you can guess what happened next. Yes! God answered prayer—the seas became still—and the ship passed peacefully through the narrow passage.

My future husband and I sat on deck and admired the beauty of God’s creation in that gorgeous part of the world. We had met each other on board, and this was our first date and one we would always remember. During that voyage we saw many shipwrecks along the way right in the midst of all the natural beauty of massive rocks and clear blue seas. This was a vivid reminder of God’s powerful answer to our desperate prayers.

Is crying out to God effective? 

It certainly is—Our ship was able to reach its destination safely—We were able to continue our conferences and evangelistic programs right on schedule. God used such a situation to build our faith as we cried out to Him and lived His answer. He wants to break through in extreme situations. He will do the same for you as He did for us on this voyage. I recommend that you read and pray through some of the heartfelt prayers of David. Psalms 16, 25, 31, 51, and 63 are excellent Psalms that you can pray out loud for yourself and others.

You may be passing through dangerous or difficult waters. God hears your cry and wants to take you deeper in passionate, fervent prayer. And remember when He answers your prayers, be sure to give thanks to Him for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds on your behalf. Crying out to God for help is a wonderful way to live. We not only should do it during times of trouble but as we pray for revival in our city and nation. God loves it when we pray with fervency and passion. 

"Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men" (Psalm 107:28-31).

 Intercessors Arise News:

• Two new books will be released this summer: Breakthrough Prayer and Ascending the Heights in Prayer.
• Have your Friends sign up for Intercessors Arise here!
   

Debbie Przybylski

Intercessors Arise International

International House of Prayer KC Staff

deb@intercessorsarise.org

http://www.intercessorsarise.org

In Ps 24, a young King David asks, and then answers a question burning on the young king's heart. 

Who may climb the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the LORD’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior. Such people may seek you, and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob. Ps 24.3-6 NLT

In my prayer time a few days ago, I felt God asking me to take these words seriously. What would it look like in my life if I made sure that I was walking and living with clean hands, and a pure heart? How would I spend my time? How would I spend my money, and the other resources that God has entrusted into my care?

What would it look like if I made sure that in every relationship, I was completely honest, and didn't treat someone as if I had to lift myself up, and come across as though I'm better than another? Are there any idols in my life, things that I give my time, talent and attention to more than I devote my energies to my Father? I know that I'm forgiven, and saved by the grace of God, so these questions aren't about earning his love or favor. But that's not the question that David is asking. David is asking who is the person that will walk with God, that will live with God showing Himself active, present and powerful in his life.

Jesus challenged his followers with the same high expectations regarding our relationship with Him and others. He connected the dots between the quality of our relationships with others, and the temperature of our relationship with Him. In the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:

“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God." Matt 5,23-24

I'm not trying to be legalistic, or tell our pastors what to teach on a Sunday, but what would it look like if at the beginning of a weekend service, before the worship started, your pastor said something like this: 

If you have a dispute with a friend, if you have a broken relationship with a family member, co-worker, etc. it's time to go and make it right. We're not going to have service today. Go, take care of the relationship issues in your life. I'll see you again next week.

And that was it. No songs, announcements, teaching or prayers. The worship ministry left the platform, and the lights came up. What would that be like? 

Maybe a more exciting question is this – What do you think the service the following weekend would be like? Coming into God's presence with a clear conscious, with the weight of damaged relationships lifted from our hearts and hands. What kind of blessing would we then receive from God? David writes, and promised that blessings from come from the Lord, and we would enter into his righteous, powerful, healing presence.

Prayer is more than asking God to do stuff . . . to take care of this, that and the other thing. Prayer starts with God moving in our lives, to change who we are, how we treat others, and how we interact with the world. When you pray, you can expect God to challenge you, to work on changing your heart. Then in the future God is free to move through you, and answer your prayers for others through what He can do through you.

Beginning with the month of May, we began praying The Book of James on the Ranger Joe’s God and Country Show .

James 3:3-12

Lord, we all know this passage, how Your servant James likened our tongue to a horse’s bit, a ship’s rudder and a spark that ignites a forest. We praise You with it, and we curse men with it. Lord, we know that these things should not be this way. Father forgive us as a nation, and as Your church for pouring out sweetness on Sunday and bitterness the rest of the week. Father, cause us to be Your children, that can be counted on, that will be stable Godly men and women every day of the week. In the power of the One who does this in our life, Your Son, amen.

From January to April we prayed Psalm 119 on the
Ranger Joe’s God and Country Show .

To see ALL of the Psalm 119 prayers,
click here



Each stanza has a Key Word, Emphasis and Application which succeeding prayers are built around. We are currently praying the key word for each stanza.


Psalm 119:153-160

Key Word                Rescued

Today’s Prayer

You Lord, are the God who rescues us from suffering, You deliver us from our affliction (Psalm 119:153). Father, forgive us as a nation and as Your church, for being wicked, not bothering with Your decrees, not seeking Your word, not seeking You, and causing ourselves to be far from being rescued (Psalm 119:155). Renew in us a pure heart oh Lord, and renew a right spirit within us (Psalm 51:10). Your Son made it so clear to us, that the ones to be blessed are the ones with a pure heart (Matthew 5:8). Thank You Lord.

It’s relatively easy for me to begin praying with faith and gusto for something huge, even something “impossible.” It’s not so easy for me, however, to maintain that faith and gusto when God doesn’t seem to be doing anything in response to my prayers.

I have several requests that have been on my prayer list for years. Rather, I should say they have been on and off my prayer list for years because, honestly, my enthusiasm for praying about them ebbs and flows.

A month ago, God challenged me about that. I started what I thought would be a friendly, innocuous little conversation with Him. I asked Him if there was anything “fresh” He wanted to share with me concerning our relationship. I heard His reply right away. He wanted me to “test Him.”

In what? I asked. I was curious, but not real thrilled about the idea of “testing” God. I knew it was okay to test Him about tithing (see Malachi 3:10). But other kinds of “tests” made me nervous.

“Test Me in intercession” I seemed to hear Him say. We talked about that for a bit, Him and I. I told Him about the top four “impossibles” on my heart and why they seemed impossible. They all involved imperfect people with free wills who, because He set it up this way, had the liberty to choose something other than God’s will—and who often did. I know lots of you will want to challenge my theology on this, and I welcome you to—but for me, some of the hardest situations for me to pray about are ones where people seem blind or resistant to God’s plans for them. Because sometimes even God won’t interfere with free will, right?

Well, God gently reminded me of Saul on his way to Damascus. He’d interfered with his free will. He reminded me of Nebuchadnezzar whom he had turned mad for seven years until he finally acknowledged the God of heaven. And I remembered other situations, biblical and contemporary, where God had mercifully, miraculously, opened eyes, ears, and hearts that had previously been closed.

Okay, I get it, I said. You want me to ask You to do what seems to me to be the most impossible thing of all: You want me to ask you to change hearts that seem oblivious, self-reliant, or obstinate. Okay, I will. But You know how easily I give up when I don’t see anything happening.

God didn’t give me any promises about time tables, but He asked me to pray every day for four specific situations that I care very much about and have cared about for a long time. He told me that He likes it when I ask Him to do things that only He can do. And when He said that, I actually felt relief because in some of the situations I have felt like maybe there was something I could or should do. I felt responsibility for “helping God” to work in these situations. When I realized that all God was asking me to do was to pray with hope, I felt a complete release from pressure. It felt good.

It’s been a month now. All of the situations I have been praying for still seem a long way from resolution. But to my amazement, in three of these four “impossibles” I have seen undeniable signs of God at work and concrete reasons to be encouraged. Meaningful conversations, unexpected blessings, attitudes softening, situations being clarified—all of which could only happen because of God and that make me think He truly is at work.

I have to be honest, however: the fourth situation only seemed to get worse. I actually did give up praying about it for a few days—not intentionally, it just kind of melted away in the puddle of my discouragement. But when I noticed that I wasn’t doing the “test” I’d agreed to, I asked God for new hope. And He reminded me of the things I had been noticing Him doing in the other situations. And my hope did recharge and I began praying for the really tough situation again.

I’m not sure what specific point I want you to take away from my story, but here are some possibilities:

• God really does move hearts and wills. Free will? Yes. But winsome, persuasive God? Yes!
• Looking for signs of God at work—even tiny forward movement—can really encourage faith
• Persevering prayer makes God happy.
• God loves to do the impossible. If there’s nothing we can do to help make the situation “happen,” He’s fine with that. Sometimes He even seems to especially like it.
• If you don’t see God working in one area you’ve been praying about, boost your hope and faith by noticing and praising Him for what He is doing in another.
• Have fun with God. He likes it when we experiment with Him in prayer and faith.

As for my “test,” it’s officially over now. The month is up. But God has encouraged my faith so much that I think I’ll keep going for another month.

Do you ever do prayer experiments with God? I’d love to hear about it!

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 162 | Wed 06 Jun 2012

NIGERIA & SUDAN: JIHAD AND GENOCIDE (plus Tunisia)

by Elizabeth Kendal

NIGERIA: BOKO HARAM'S JIHAD

At least 15 people were killed and more than 40 seriously wounded on Sunday 3 June when a Boko Haram suicide bomber rammed his car into the checkpoint outside the Living Faith Church in the Yelwa Tudu area of Bauchi metropolis. The blast, that occurred around 9:20am, sent fire and shrapnel burning and slicing through believers who were chatting outside after the church's first worship service. The explosion also rocked Harvest Field Church 25m away across the road, causing part of the building to collapse on worshippers. The death toll is likely to rise, as some believers are still unaccounted for and many of the wounded are severely burned. The Islamic jihadist sect, Boko Haram, has claimed responsibility. The Pastor of Harvest Church, Mbamingo Godia, has asked Christians not to retaliate in any way but pray to God for peace.

Increasingly Christians in Northern Nigeria are attending worship behind barricades and checkpoints constantly reminding them that jihadists are plotting to eliminate them. Attending worship is done at great risk. A photo obtained by Compass Direct News shows a little girl lying on the ground, covered in blood. Furthermore Muslim mobs are persisting with organised night raids against Christian communities. By murdering Christians in their beds the Muslims aim to instil terror and trigger an exodus that will have the effect of ethnic-religious cleansing. Their primary aim, however, is to pressure the government into acquiescing to their demand for Sharia (Islamic) Law. The murderous night raids have Qur'anic precedent: '. . . Our punishment came to them at night or while they were sleeping at noon.' (Sura 7:4 http://quran.com/7/4 .) The National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has declared Saturday 16 June a day of national prayer and fasting for the country. (Add this date to your diary so we might all pray in solidarity.)

SUDAN: KHARTOUM'S NUBA GENOCIDE

Khartoum's genocide against the non-Arab, non-Muslims of the 'New South' (Abyei, South Kordofan and Blue Nile) has been raging for over a year now and shows no sign of abating. Film footage obtained by Al-Jazeera in late March shows the governor of South Kordofan, the indicted war criminal Ahmed Harun, addressing his soldiers before deployment to Nuba territory. 'You must hand over the place clean,' he says. 'Swept, rubbed, crushed. Don't bring them back alive. We have no space for them.' An army commander standing near Harun then adds, 'Don't bring them back, eat them alive.' This is clearly a call to genocide.

According to the medical charity Medecins sans Frontieres, up to 4,000 people are fleeing into South Sudan every day to escape fighting in Sudan's Blue Nile province, with around 100,000 refugees already in camps across the border in South Sudan's Upper Nile State.

Further to this, famine is starting to set in for the displaced Nuba of South Kordofan. Some 38,000 Nuba refugees have fled over the border into South Sudan's Unity State. Yida refugee camp, which already holds 35,000 refugees, is bracing for an influx as refugees desperately trying to cross the border before the rains make travel impossible. Meanwhile, Khartoum continues its aerial bombardment of refugees and its blockade of humanitarian aid. Reporting from the Nuba Mountains, Nicholas Kristoff says that around 800,000 Nuba have completely run out of food in South Kordofan, while some 50,000 are attempting the trek to Yida. However, starvation is taking its toll, with many travellers simply too weak to complete the journey. Samaritan's Purse reports that at least ten percent of the children arriving at Yida are acutely malnourished. Amjuma Ali Kuku, a teacher, says the camp is presently caring for some 2,000 unaccompanied children.

Why is this genocide attracting no attention? Is it because this genocide is an openly declared Islamic jihad and talking about it would risk being politically incorrect? Well, a genocidal Islamic jihad it is! And while the world looks away, hundreds of thousands of predominantly Christian Africans are being deliberately starved to death by the racist, Arab-supremacist, Islamic regime in Khartoum.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL -

* supernaturally draw the hearts of his people to him so that in their despair and desperation they might look to him for all things without losing heart, without losing faith; may he supply all their needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

* rupture all supply lines feeding weapons, funds and fighters into the various African jihads. ' . . . in the name of the LORD I cut them off!' (Psalm 118:10b,11b,12c)

* rise up in wrath and indignation, in justice and righteousness, against the wicked and arrogant regime of Omar al-Bashir in Khartoum. (Pray Psalm 10.)


To view this RLPB with hyperlinks, visit the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog: http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com


SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE

JIHAD AND GENOCIDE IN NIGERIA & SUDAN

At least 15 people were killed and more than 40 seriously wounded on Sunday 3 June when a Boko Haram suicide bomber rammed his car into the checkpoint outside Living Faith Church in Bauchi city. The blast also rocked Harvest Field Church opposite, causing part of the building to collapse on worshippers. Also Christians are still being murdered by Muslim mobs in night raids throughout Northern Nigeria. In Sudan, meanwhile, the genocidal Islamic jihad being waged by the regime in Khartoum against the non-Arab, non-Muslim citizens of its 'New South' (Abyei, South Kordofan and Blue Nile) advances unchallenged by the international community. Hundreds of thousands of predominantly Christian African Sudanese have flooded into South Sudan while hundreds of thousands more await death by forced starvation. Please pray for God to intervene.

We suggest that churches and fellowships using the above Summary might also provide a copy of the listed prayer points to be used in their worship by people who are leading in prayer. 


BREAKING NEWS: TUNISIA

Not too long ago Tunisia was regarded as the most open, free and progressive of all Arab states. Yet recently released graphic footage filmed in Tunisia and aired on 'Egypt Today', shows a young male convert to Christianity being beheaded by Islamic militants. The militants recite the Qur'an and chant Islamic slogans and curses in Arabic while the 'apostate' - who has refused to recant and is resigned to his fate - remains still, quietly mouthing a prayer. Pray for those who have to live with the results of the 'Arab Spring'.


For more information, updates and helpful links see Elizabeth Kendal's blog 'Religious Liberty Monitoring'

http://elizabethkendal.blogspot.com

Previous RLPBs may be viewed at http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com/

This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC team.

If this bulletin was forwarded to you, you may receive future weekly issues direct by sending a blank email to

join-rlpb@hub.xc.org .

The Power of Crying Out - http://eepurl.com/mtPHv

 Christian Grandparenting Network is proclaiming

September 9, 2012 as Grandparent’s Day of Prayer.

Christian Grandparenting Network is asking grandparents all over the world to unite in prayer for their grandchildren on Sunday, September 9, 2012. This date is the official United States National Grandparents Day designated by a Senate proclamation signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1978.

Our grandchildren are living in a desperate moral and spiritual climate navigating in a world hostile to truth. Satan has launched an aggressive attack on all fronts using media, technology, education, social influences and political pressures to desensitize and cloud the boundaries of truth and righteousness that hold nations and families together. Perhaps at no other time in our history is a call to prayer more urgently required than it is today for our grandchildren.

Grandparents are invited to stand in the gap together for their grandchildren as Esther stood in the gap for her people in a desperate time. The call is being issued for prayer warriors to link arms and go to battle for the sake of the next generation in today’s post-Christian culture.

Christian Grandparenting Network is putting a call out to thousands of grandparents who will sign up to pray individually or encourage group participation on this special day of prayer. Everyone who signs up to make Grandparent’s Day of Prayer a high priority to pray will receive a downloadable copy of Scriptures to Pray for your Grandchildren.

^{“. . .}  all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God . . .” Acts 4:24 (NLT)

Sign up and to participant in the worldwide movement to the urgent call to pray for our grandchildren on September 9, 2012.

Just follow the following steps to partner with us to reach our grandkids for Christ by uniting in prayer on Grandparents Day of Prayer.

How?...

1. Start by signing up on Step 1 to unite in prayer with grandparents for their grandchildren on Grandparents Day of Prayer, which is Sunday, September 9.
2. Help us promote this event by spreading the word.
3. Send emails or forward this email to your friends to participate in the Grandparents Day of Prayer.
4. Pass out business card sized announcements to pass out to your friends, available on this website.
5. Volunteers are needed to coordinate the event in their church or community.
6. Go to to www.christiangrandparenting.net/day-of-prayer.html  for additional information, guidelines, and handouts, which you can download on this website.
7. Become an ADVOCATE for grandchildren worldwide. Learn more about how to be an advocate for your grandchildren in our weekly blogs on our website www.christiangrandparenting.net.

Go to the website for additional information at www.christiangrandparenting.net/day-of-prayer-home.html and check out the steps to sign up to participate with grandparents worldwide to pray urgently for their grandchildren. Our goal is to have thousands of grandparents sign up to make praying for their grandchildren a high priority.

If you have any questions or want to order any promotional, materials please email me at lpenner@christiangrandparenting.net.

Lillian Penner,

National Prayer Coordinator for Christian Grandparenting Network

The article on hindrances to corporate prayer that some of your gave me insight into a few months ago, was just posted live at prayerconnect.net.

While there are many hindrances, I discuss six primary ones.

1. No Personal Prayer Life

2. Poor Past Prayer Experiences

3. No Expectations

4. Fear of Complaints or Discomfort

5. Staying in Control

6. Church Is for Me

Check out the article at prayerconnect.net

A friend emailed me recently, concerned because she wonders if she heard God wrong. I won’t go into specifics because hers is a very common concern among people learning to listen to God. It’s one I also experienced when I was first starting out in my two-way conversations with God. The dangers of hearing wrong seem huge:

• We could fool ourselves into hearing what we want to hear, which sets us up for disappointment or confusion
• We could hear something that leads us down a wrong path
• We could hurt someone by sharing or acting upon wrong information we supposed was from God

I wanted to reassure my friend that she had heard accurately. But I have no way of knowing that. I’ve been listening to God for quite a few years now, and I don’t have 100 percent confidence yet. Listening to God like any other aspect of the Christian life is, after all, an act of faith. I doubt that I will ever be 100 percent sure that I always hear God right. But there are several things the Bible assures me of that help me.

Jesus’ sheep hear His voice. If we’re His sheep, communicating with Him is our birthright. He wants us to hear Him speak to us. As sheep, we need to hear from Him for our own well-being and protection; The witness of Scripture. The Bible is full of stories of people who engaged in two-way conversation with God. God speaks often, personally, and specifically to people—and all the more so in these post-Pentecost days when His Spirit indwells us.

The alternative stinks. If we do not hear from God, then the best we can do is to “lean on our own understanding,” which the Bible explicitly warns against. I’ve tried that before—and that to me is far scarier than chance of hearing wrong. I figure that Jesus wants me to hear His voice, He takes responsibility for me as my Shepherd, He expects me to listen to Him, so when I intentionally invite Him to speak to me, I can trust Him to safeguard me from horrible mistakes.

Still, there are several things I do to improve my confidence about hearing God accurately.

• I saturate myself in the Scriptures. By doing so, I have developed a good sense of God’s ways and His character. When I hear something, I ask, “Does that sound like God’s character, based on how the Bible reveals Him? Does it sound like the way He does things?” If not, then I hold what I’ve “heard” very lightly.
• I dialogue with God regularly, nearly every day. I do not just jump in for big decisions. I do not use God like a crystal ball so I can know my future. To me, hearing from God is all about the relationship. And as a relationship, I want to engage in conversations about all kinds of things, frequently. Developing an on-going conversational relationship with God safeguards me from mistakes and deception because, over years of regular practice, I know how God speaks to me. I know how His voice sounds when He is talking to me personally.
• I try to follow through on the things God leads me to do or the things He invites me to try. When my goal is friendship with God and bringing joy to Jesus, I have a built-in protection against deception.
• When it sounds like God is giving me a directive or a promise about some specific situation, I usually seek confirmation. Especially when following through on something I’ve heard God say requires action that involves others, I really want to make sure I’ve heard Him correctly. So I ask Him to confirm His message to me. Or I ask someone else who has a lifestyle of hearing from God well to help me discern. I give it time until I am sure I have heard Him right. God is okay with this. He patiently gives us what we need to trust Him.
• I realize that God’s ways are higher than mine, and that He often operates on an entirely different timetable than I do. In my early days of hearing from God I sometimes would hear Him say something, but then when it didn’t seem to come to pass in the time or manner I thought it would, I would decide that I had heard wrong. Eventually, however, I discovered that what I had heard was often accurate—I’d just made assumptions about it that went beyond what God had actually said. These days, I try not to put God on a schedule or to picture in my mind the specifics of how He will do what He has said He would do. I try to just wait and keep the conversation going. Often He gives clarity as we go along.

I’m glad my friend asked her question. It’s an important one. And she reads this blog—so I’d love for others of you to join in the conversation. How do you know you’re hearing from God accurately? Do you have any encouragement to share?

To all prayer warriors or intercessors living in the Orlando FL area , I  would like very much to assemble a dedicated team of intercessors who are passionate about prayer to pray for revival in all nations and to pray for the children being murdered in Syria and the children in abortion clinics in our nation as well. I live in Orlando FL by Bithilo off of 419 please email me at intercessor777@watchmenforchrist.net

OK, so some of you have already branded me as a heretic. "How can this guy not care about revival?"  Others are at least curious and will read on. Maybe one or two (my best friend and wife perhaps) can't wait to hear more.

Trust me, at least here at the start, when I say that I would love to see revival in my city (Austin), country and the world. I've read about the great revivals in our past (of which there have been few) and heard many messages and exhortations to pray for the next one. I certainly don't criticize others of you who long for a revival of some sort in your lifetime.

But let me tell you why I'm not currently spending a lot of time praying for one.

First, I'm not sure what I'm praying for if I do.  Am I asking for large crowds to pack stadiums, for millions to suddenly march to their statehouses and kneel on the steps, for churches to suddenly be filled with worshipers? What would a revival in the classic sense look like?  And if revival isn't going to occur like it has in the past then what do I ask God to do today?  I would suggest most of us don't have a clue.

If some sort of spiritual awakening is going to happen then perhaps only God knows what it will look like and He wants us to simply till the soil well in our churches and communities so that fruit will easily grow.

Second, there are a lot of other things that need the passionate prayers of God's people right here, right now. In America we need our government leaders and politicians to get a grip on reality and start leading our country with wisdom, discretion and integrity. Marriages in our churches are tanking every day. Families are struggling and priorities are way out of line when it comes to the things of God and what really matters for eternity. 

It seems to me that if we pray for God to work in lives and  homes from the inside out that the revival we seek will more likely occur in some way than if we just pray for the revival itself.

Third, I don't see much Scriptural evidence or encouragement to pray for or seek revival. We are admonished to be holy, to go into the world and make disciples and to love God and people radically.  I feel more compelled to pray for those things to be true in me and in other believers and see what God does as a result.

Finally, I think we are often praying for something that God can do much more subtly and slowly. I remember a man in my former church who was put into a coma to basically save his life. I don't remember all the details but I do know that he miraculously lived but had to be revived from his coma slowly.  Revival isn't necessarily going to be quick or stupendous. We may never see the kind of revival, at least on the surface, that we've seen in the past.

However, God can still do something amazing in our churches, cities and country. Perhaps he'll do it one person or church at a time. Maybe we won't see it while it's happening but we'll look back five years from now and realize that Christians have been renewed and revitalized by the power of the Holy Spirit. I've written elsewhere that God is doing something special in my city of Austin, Texas. It's happening slowly but it's happening. Somehow I'd rather keep praying for that.

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 161 | Wed 30 May 2012

By Elizabeth Kendal

MAY 2012 UPDATE - During May we prayed concerning . . .

* AFRICA (RLPB 157), where Christians are at risk from Islamic terrorism from one side of the continent to the other.

UPDATE: Al-Qaeda-linked rebel forces that are controlling northern Mali have seized a key underground weapons and ammunition depot of the Malian Army in Gao. A regional security source confirmed the seizure, saying the vast cache of weapons will greatly boost al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's (AQIM's) striking power, adding that the group 'is today more armed than the combined armies of Mali and Burkina Faso'. See RLPB 157 for critical prayer points, particularly that supply-lines will be cut off.


* INDIA (RLPB 158), where militant Hindu nationalism, which is advancing unchallenged and with impunity, is bringing great suffering to the body of Christ.

* ACEH, INDONESIA (RLPB 159), where a new Islamist governor is acquiescing to Islamic hard-line fundamentalists and escalating repression against the church.

* SYRIA & LEBANON (RLPB 160), where sectarian violence is escalating and spreading, leaving large Christian minorities in great need of divine refuge and deliverance.

'The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.' (Psalm 18:2,3 ESV)


MAY 2012 ROUND-UP - also this month . . .

* EGYPT: ISLAMISTS BLAME CHRISTIANS

Over 23-24 May, Egyptians voted to elect a president from amongst 13 candidates. There was a low turnout of only 46 percent. The two front-runners will go head-to-head in a run-off over 16-17 June. They are the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi who polled 25.3 percent, and Ahmed Shafiq who polled 24.9 percent. Shafiq, a former air force commander, was former president Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister. For many, the run-off presents an unthinkable dilemma: to risk the feared Islamists or to return to the reviled regime? This choice leaves many Egyptians very angry and deeply conflicted. The Islamists are blaming the unexpected rise of Ahmed Shafiq on the 'unfortunate' and 'sectarian' vote of Christians who, they falsely claim, were following directions from Coptic Church leaders. In reality, the Copts were totally free to vote according to conscience and Shafiq - who campaigned on a platform of stability and security - won most of his votes in the Delta provinces where Copts number only about 5 percent. As Egyptian media fuel the rumours, the Copts are finding themselves under fire from both the Islamists and the young 'revolutionaries'. On Monday 28 May rioting Egyptian youths ransacked and set fire to Shafiq's campaign headquarters in Cairo. Similar protests erupted in other cities. The fear now is that the run-off will accelerate the fracturing of Egyptian society and that the Christians will be slandered as spoilers of the revolution so that all anger might be deflected on to them. Pray for Egypt's threatened Christians.


* INDONESIA: THE MYTH OF RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE

On Thursday 17 May, some 100 members of the Philadelphia Batak Christian Protestant Church in Bekasi, a suburb of Jakarta, in West Java, met for prayer and worship, surrounded - as they are every week - by a large angry Muslim mob. In direct violation of a Supreme Court ruling, local authorities refuse to let the church construct a building. Consequently the believers are forced to meet in the open air where they are vulnerable to weekly abuse and violence from members of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI). As soon as Pastor Palti Panjaitan began speaking, the 600-strong Islamist mob began pelting the believers with stones, frogs and plastic bags filled with urine, forcing the believers to disperse. The police on guard did nothing to intervene and nobody has been arrested. Three days later (Sunday 20 May) the Islamists repeated the abuse, throwing mud, rotten eggs and cups of drainage water at the believers, forcing them to disperse after only five minutes. Pray for the Church in Indonesia.


* KUWAIT: CHURCHES EVICTED AS ISLAMISTS CONSOLIDATE

On 2 February Kuwaitis went to the polls to elect a new parliament. All four female MPs lost their seats and hard-line Islamists (including Salafis and members of the Muslim Brotherhood and conservative Popular Action Bloc) secured 34 of the 50 seats. As reported in RLPB 151 (March 2012) the new parliament is drafting a law that will ban the construction of new churches. On Thursday 3 May, the parliament ruled to amend the penal code to impose the death penalty on any Muslim who insults God, Mohammad and his relatives or the Qur'an. (Such blasphemy is essentially akin to apostasy). If the accused repents, the sentence is reduced to five years in prison plus a fine. Non-Muslims found guilty of insulting Islam will be sentenced to 10 years in prison. Two house-churches affiliated with the National Evangelical Church in Kuwait recently found they were unable to renew their leases. Whilst both have found temporary accommodation, they fear it will be impossible to find permanent meeting places as pressure is applied to landlords not to lease to church groups. Expatriate Christians are beginning to fear for their safety. Kuwaiti converts will doubtless find their already tenuous security diminishing too. Pray for Christians in Kuwait.


* UK: CHRISTIANS TO CHOOSE - CONSCIENCE OR JOB

After hearing Christian counsellor Lesley Pilkington (61) speak at a Christian conference on sexuality, Patrick Strudwick approached her for counselling. He claimed to be 'a believer' who was unhappy about his homosexuality and interested in the 'reparative therapy' involving counselling and prayer that she had spoken about. After two sessions Mrs Pilkington discovered that Strudwick was actually a fake client: a homosexual activist-journalist working undercover in a 'sting'. After Strudwick's 'story' hit the mass media, Mrs Pilkington was charged with professional malpractice. The British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) has now informed Mrs Pilkington she will lose her senior accredited status as a counsellor. Mrs Pilkington told the Telegraph, 'There is a wider agenda that diversity and equality, which is supposed to be what our society upholds, is upheld for everyone except for those who have traditional Judeo-Christian values. I think that is very disturbing.' As noted by the CEO of the Christian Legal Centre, Andrea Minichiello Williams: 'Lesley has been penalised because she was targeted as a Christian and because she believes that people are free to choose to change their behaviour if they wish.'

In the UK, as in the USA, Christians unable to affirm homosexual lifestyles increasingly are being forced to choose between their conscience and their jobs. If this situation does not change, then submission to a totalitarian state ideology will ultimately be a requirement that will force many Christians out of many roles and professions. Pray for an awakening, and that Western Christians will stand firm in faith, trusting the Lord in all things. 'If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.' (Isaiah 7:9b ESV)


* ZANZIBAR, TANZANIA: CHURCHES TORCHED AS MUSLIM SEPARATISTS RIOT

Jumuiya ya Uamsho na Mihadhara ya Kiislamu (Swahili for the Association for Islamic Mobilisation and Propagation) is a radical separatist group. Muslims belonging to Uamsho rioted in Zanzibar across the weekend of 26-27 May as they called for the release of Mussa Juma, an Uamsho leader. Clashes with police erupted in the historic commercial and tourism centre of Stone Town and two churches were torched. Rev Ambrose Mkenda of St Michael's Roman Catholic Church said rioters invaded the church, poured petrol on the structures and set the place alight, stoking the fire with burning tyres. The church was razed. Bishop Dickson Maganga of the Tanzania Assemblies of God church in Kariakoo said that rioters broke into the church and burnt plastic chairs before setting fire to his car which was 'reduced to a shell'. The police and fire brigade put out the fire before it spread. Senior members of Uamsho were arrested, as were scores of rioters. Tanzania's government has pledged to have a new constitution in place by 2014. Uamsho is demanding a referendum on Zanzibar's secession from Tanzania and this is expected to be a major issue in the constitutional debate. Tensions are high.

 
To view this RLPB with hyperlinks, go to Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com


We usually provide a summary to use in news-sheets unable to run the whole of an RLPB. As a summary is not practicable with this monthly update posting we suggest one or more of the above items be used instead.

For more information, updates and helpful links see Elizabeth Kendal's blog 'Religious Liberty Monitoring' http://elizabethkendal.blogspot.com

Previous RLPBs may be viewed at http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com/

This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC team.

If this bulletin was forwarded to you, you may receive future weekly issues direct by sending a blank email to join-rlpb@hub.xc.org

...Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. -Hebrews 10:22-24

The longer I pray for God to bring Revival to our nation, communities, churches, congregations, and pastors, the more I clearly see that God must revive my heart first. A life filled with church doctrine, but strongly mixed with worldly influences has created a normalcy that seems perfectly fine to live in day-to-day. But as I press in to God, He reveals things within this normalcy that aren't pleasing to Him and that He desires for me to change within the life He's given me. I'm reminded again that my life is not my own!

My investment of His gift of time: For me, the Lord has brought about great conviction in this area. "How much of My time are you investing into personal entertainment, Rob?" While I'm not a movie watcher, this question has caused me to consider how much time I spend in the evenings watching sports, entertainment shows on TV, or even playing a game on my computer. The question also has me reassessing what music I listen to and the amount of time I spend doing so. Even the styles of music I perform as a violinist/fiddler- and the purposes for playing them, are open to the Lord's refining. Can I invest more of His time in worshiping Him for who He is? Definitely! Can I invest more of His time in listening to His Spirit lead me in who and what to pray for and why? Absolutely- and I'm learning to re-prioritize!

I'm learning that for God to change our land, He must first begin in me; in each Christian life.

How open are you to allowing God to revive you? If God wants to redefine your normalcy, will you allow Him to do so? Are you willing to change in specific ways He asks- even if it alters your normal, Christian, life as you now know it?

Here is the 90-day prayer guide following the Global Day of Prayer - http://196.44.33.234/public/Videos/PDF/90%20Day%20Prayer%20Guide%20with%20pictures.pdf