Pray Network Forum

PRAYER IS THE STRATEGY OF HEAVEN

“Intercession is standing before the court of heaven and pleading a case or cause before an Holy awesome God. There are things that deeply touch the righteous Heart of the Father and above all, He is jealous of His glory…” Michael Howard

Our God is a mighty warrior. He is a God who has a strategic plan. You and I can take part in this strategic plan.

I doubt if very many of us wake up in the morning and enter the day realizing that we are at war and that strategy is of utmost importance. The truth is that prayer is the greatest strategy in the world. Prayer is the strategy of heaven. As we use this mighty weapon, God then gives us His strategy for life on earth.

The majority of the Church worldwide has not, yet, awakened to this strategic weapon of prayer and intercession. If we did, we would be using it daily, and our prayer meetings would be packed to overflowing. I envision the day coming when we will begin to realize more and more that nothing happens without prayer.

Often in the natural we look to man-made methods and schemes to get the job done. We think big money and promotion will reach the world. We try harder with our human ingenuity. That will never work, at least not long-term. Prayer and intercession will prepare the way for the harvest. We must choose to use heaven’s strategy rather than man’s human devices. We must set our minds above and learn to intercede. We read in Colossians 3:1-2:

“Since, then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

It is in prayer that God gives us heavenly strategy to do the work on earth that will touch the world. I have seen this over and over again. In intercession God gives us the greatest plan. In the quiet place God opens to us His greatest secrets. Everything that will make a difference has to have the touch of the supernatural. God does the work through us, and He gives us His plan in prayer. The days we are living in are evil, and nothing but intense intercession will bring in the harvest.

A woman came to a missionary in India asking him to prevent a certain Christian from praying for her anymore. She was asked how she knew that Christian was praying for her. She replied: “I used to perform my worship to the idols quite easily before and now I can’t. He told me he was praying for me and my family, and now my son and daughter have become Christians. If he continues to pray, I may become a Christian as well! Things happen when he prays. Somebody must make him stop!”

This Christian knew that prayer was the strategy of heaven and so did the idol worshipper who did not want to experience the power of prayer! God wants us to go deeper in strategic prayer. These are days of opportunity, and God is raising-up intercessors to touch people’s lives in every nation. Never underestimate the true potential of prayer. Ephesians 5:15-16 says:

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

Never fail to realize that an hour in prayer can make a huge difference in the strategic outcome of your day and in the lives of others. But how do we touch this heavenly strategy?

Ways to Touch Heaven’s Strategy of Prayer

I find in my life personally that a faster way to enter into the throne room of God is through worship, praying the Word of God, and fasting. This brings me quickly into heaven’s perspective. These are three secrets to a deeper prayer life. This is what we practice regularly at the International House of Prayer here in Kansas City. You and I have every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3 says: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

We touch heaven through our praise, through praying the Word, and when we deny ourselves through fasting. We are then able to concentrate more fully on God’s heart. Let’s look at these three ways along with quotes from Michael Howard, a mighty intercessor, in his book called Proven Arrows of Intercession:

• Worship and Praise. Worship, praise and thanksgiving should be incorporated into your life as much as possible. When you are down or discouraged, try the medicine of praise and thanksgiving. It is a good medicine because it puts your attention back upon the greatness and the glory of God. Praise is a powerful weapon of war. 
  
  “We can never underestimate praise as one of the greatest and most powerful weapons of war which the Lord has placed in our hands. And, when praise becomes high praise, it commands the unlimited resources of heaven because it gives absolute glory to the Lord. In a way which is beyond our understanding, deliverance and redemption are wrought through praise with great power for such conclusively speak of the supreme victory of Jesus.” 
  
  
• Pray the Word of God. If you want to grow in your prayer life, start praying the Bible. God loves us to pray His Word and use the sword of the Spirit in intercession for the lost. It keeps us on-target, and we begin to think the very thoughts of God.
  
  “The promises and blessings of God’s Word are conditional. What God has done before, He will do again under the same climate and by the same standards. It is for this reason that intercession must be solidly built upon and directed by the Word. This means that the intercessor must know and quote the Word. This is not so the devil can hear but because a case must be made before the Lord… God is committed to His Word and the fulfilling of it.
  
  
• Fast and Pray. Fasting is a key to a powerful prayer life. Fasting together with prayer will help you to tap into heaven’s riches and strategy in a way nothing else can. It quiets your outer man so that your inner man can hear the heartbeat of heaven. 
  
  “Jesus was always ‘prayed and fasted up’ while the disciples were not. This is why He always had authority in any situation. It is too late in the crisis to ‘get fasted and prayed up,’ so to speak… The benefits, blessings and powers of fasting are clearly revealed in the Word. Firstly, fasting brings the flesh into submission in all areas and herein lies the secret of the power… Fasting is a total denial of self that is mandatory if one is to be a true disciple of Jesus (Mt. 16:24). Thirdly, there is a mysterious relationship between fasting and the power of heaven intervening on our behalf.” 

Is it always easy to go heaven’s way? No, we are so often tempted by earth’s attraction. We are tempted by quick results and man-made schemes, by things that look so good. We are attracted by fleshly fame and fortune. But in reality prayer is what really will get the job done. Prayer and intercession will bring glory to the King and touch earth with heaven’s riches. Prayer is the strategy of heaven. Prayer is the work, the strategic work, of the Kingdom. Prayer will prepare the way for the King. 

Never forget this truth, because your enemy will tempt you in every way possible to get the job done through human resources. He will promise you a quick, painless way to get results. But, the quickest way is go straight to the King in prayer. And He will reveal to you a strategy of life that will release His greatest glory through you here on earth. Why is this true? It is because you will be living and doing exactly what you were made for.

And I promise you that this is a joyful and fulfilling way to live.

Have your friends sign up for Intercessors Arise here!

“God puts no limitations on His ability to save through true praying. No hopeless conditions, no accumulation of difficulties, no desperation in distance or circumstances can hinder the success of real prayer. The possibilities of prayer are linked to the infinite rectitude and to the omnipotent power of God. There is nothing too hard for God to do. God is pledged if we ask, we shall receive God can withhold nothing from faith and prayer.” E. M. Bounds

Debbie Przybylski

Intercessors Arise International 

International House of Prayer KC Staff 

deb@intercessorsarise.org 

http://www.intercessorsarise.org

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 156 | Wed 25 Apr 2012

By Elizabeth Kendal

WELCOME to the intercessors who have joined the list this month.

'. . . casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.' (1 Peter 5:7 ESV)

APRIL 2012 UPDATE - During April we prayed concerning . . .

* SUDAN (RLPB 153), where some 700,000 ethnic 'Southerners' had until 8 April to register as citizens of the Islamic state or face loss of citizenship and rights, purely on the grounds of their ethnicity.

UPDATING SUDAN:

(1) THE BATTLE FOR HEGLIG. From late March through to mid-April, South Sudan's army fought and repelled Sudanese forces that had been launching attacks against South Sudan from the disputed region of Heglig. (Heglig is south of the January 1956 border, but after oil was discovered there in the 1970s Khartoum seized it, using Arab militias to drive the Southerners out.) According to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement some 20 percent of the border remains to be negotiated. Khartoum's reluctance to negotiate about Heglig is doubtless because it is historically 'Southern'. After Sudan retook control of Heglig on Thursday 19 April, President Bashir addressed a rally where he vowed never to negotiate with 'insects' that should be eliminated - the language of genocide. 'Heglig,' Bashir told the cheering crowds, 'is not the end, but the beginning.'

(2) CHURCH TORCHED. On Saturday 21 April, in the wake of Sudan's re-conquest of Heglig, a mob of several hundred Muslims besieged and torched a church, Bible school and dormitory complex in Khartoum's Al-Gerief (Al-Jiraif) district while shouting insults at 'Southerners'. This Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical church is attended mostly by Nuba. The pogrom was reportedly incited by the Salafi imam of a local mosque who called for the Muslims of Al-Gerief to rise up and purge the land of 'infidels'. It appears the police helped the mob gain access and did nothing to stop them. Heavy machinery was brought in to aid the destruction. The fire brigade said the fire could not be put out. Furthermore, it has been reported that several other churches have received orders from police to vacate their 'illegal' properties.

(3) SOUTHERNERS TRAPPED. Compass Direct News reports that ethnic 'Southerners' attempting to travel south have been unable to board flights for Juba. Land routes have also been closed since 9 April. With Khartoum mobilising for war, the regime may well have decided to stop ethnic 'Southerners' from travelling to South Sudan where they might bolster southern forces. Could Sudan's Christians be facing internment or genocide?

(4) AERIAL BOMBARDMENT OF SOUTH SUDAN. Dozens were injured and one young boy was killed on Monday 24 April when Sudanese planes dropped eight bombs in South Sudan's Unity State.

(5) LRA REVIVED. According to Ugandan intelligence, Khartoum has resumed contacts with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) which has moved from its hideout in the forests of Obo, Central African Republic, to an area close to the Sudanese border, sparking fears that the LRA could be returning to the conflict.

The 'international community' has essentially abandoned the South Sudanese; the Church must not.


* MALI (RLPB 154), where al-Qaeda-linked jihadists, under the cover of a devastatingly violent and destructive Tuareg rebellion, have seized control of northern Mali. With their churches burnt, their charities looted, at least one pastor and his family assassinated and Ansar Dine jihadists enacting Sharia (Islamic) law, northern Mali's traumatised Christians have fled. Please pray for them.

* AFGHANISTAN (RLPB 155), where the infamous Pakistan-based Haqqani network launched the Taliban's Spring Offensive with co-ordinated attacks inside Kabul's most secure areas. Beneath the violence, corruption and chaos, yet rising far above it, is a small but growing Afghan Church that desperately needs our prayers.


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

* BURMA: THE CHRISTIAN KACHIN ABANDONED

The European Union recently lifted its sanctions against Burma, retaining only an arms embargo. This follows similar moves by the US and Australia. The junta - which remains devoted to ethnic Burman and Buddhist supremacy - is delighted, for it has been working to legitimise and perpetuate its power. So too are those who are eager to invest in Burma, such as the West, which has been working to secure access to Burma's markets and resources including timber, minerals and cheap labour. On the other hand, most human rights monitors and exiled activists are unhappy that the rewards are coming faster than the reforms with horrific human rights abuses continuing in ethnic minority areas. According to reports from KachinNews, Burmese troops are massing around Laiza for what is expected to be a massive military assault on the Kachin Independence Organisation's de facto capital, home to more than 25,000 Christian Kachin refugees. The West has essentially abandoned Burma's ethnic-religious minorities; the Church must not. Please pray.


* UPDATING 'EGYPT: SLIDING INTO A DARK AGE' (RLPB 152)

In Abu Al-Reesh village on 4 March, some 1500 armed Muslim villagers rioted against the Notre Dame Language School, besieging two nuns in the school's guesthouse for some eight hours, threatening to burn them alive while the property was being thoroughly ransacked. UPDATE: At a recent 'reconciliation' session, the Christians were told they could have peace in exchange for signing over parcels of land that include the school guesthouse. The school manager, Magdy Melad, refused the terms saying, 'If we give in to that, they will take everything.' However, to end this present spasm of violence, the school had to agree not to press charges against any of the Muslim rioters, vandals and looters, nor against those who besieged and terrorised the nuns or threatened the children. As the school administration notes, such 'reconciliation' sessions are nothing other than legalised extortion. So long as impunity is the order of the day, violent persecution against Christians will only escalate. The situation in Egypt is extremely dangerous. Please pray for Egypt's threatened Christians.


* INDIAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR: CHRISTIANS ARRESTED

Mafford Maharaj Singh (62) and his wife Kusum (60), a Christian couple from New Delhi, have been arrested in northern Kashmir and charged with 'promoting enmity' - a criminal charge under Article 153A of the Ranbir Penal Code. According to authorities the couple, along with a local girl, were distributing leaflets about Christianity. However, the couple's family in New Delhi maintains that their parents travelled to Srinagar on 16 April to attend a wedding and were merely shopping in the Bandipora market when Mr Singh got into a conversation with a vendor. When it emerged that Mr Singh was a Christian, he was set upon, beaten up and then arrested. If found guilty, the believers could face fines and from three to five years in prison. Please pray for justice in Kashmir.


To view this RLPB with links, 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

Psalm 40

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;

he turned to me and heard my cry

Waiting and patience are two words that the average American does not like to hear.  We leave restaurants if service is not fast enough.  We fire contractors if their work is not completed in the proper time.  We buy and purchase services based on who can provide the quickest, fastest and most economical services to us.  We live in a competitive society where businesses daily compete to provide their services to customers at faster pace than their competitors. Everyday someone is attempting to do something faster and quicker in our society.

But Yet God says to Wait on Him!

While the world is speeding up at a pace that yet is known to man, God is saying wait.  God is not just saying slow down, but God is saying wait on him because it is what we learn in waiting on him that is the most important part of our life with God.

The reason most Christians do not like this scripture is because it seems to collide with other things that God tells us. He tells us that whatever we ask in his name that he will give us the desires of our heart.  Mt 21:22, Mk 11:24, Jn 11:22, I Jn 5:15

There is no value in waiting.

Often we have been told to wait, but what value is there in waiting when God already knows my needs and he knows the timing of my needs.  We have all heard words from the pulpits that say waiting produces patience.  But if I have serious needs patience is not what I need. I literally need God to answer my prayers and I need the answers now.  And God knows that even more than me..

Could it be that God has a greater desire than just answering our prayers?

Many of us see prayer as nothing more than a check list of needs that we feel that God wants to do for us and what he may want to do for others on our behalf.  So at times it takes great discipline to make time to pray unless our needs are so great that they drive us to our knees – in that case we never have a hard time finding time.

John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

The bible says over and over again that God wants to answer our prayers but he also says eternal life is knowing him.  How does knowing him and our prayer life relate? 

Could it be that we have only used prayers to meet our own selfish needs when God wants to use prayer as his avenue to get to know him.  Could it be that God wants to use prayer as an opportunity to share his heart and his very soul with us?  Could it be that God wants to use prayer to speak to us and to build our faith by knowing him?  Could it be that God wants to use prayer to teach us to listen to him and also teach us to talk to him?  Could it be that God wants to use prayer so that we might literally experience him in more ways than we can even think or ist here?

 Don’t limit prayer to praying for needs.

When churches have little knowledge and connection with God it may be because they lack an active and an alive prayer meeting within their own church.  Does your church develop a culture of prayer that leads people to place of knowing God or does it only pray when there are needs and emergencies.

One of the most common reasons that I hear of why churches do not have corporate church prayer meetings, is that they often say that no one would attend.  Most recently I spoke to a pastor and he stated that it was impossible to get people to come out to another meeting other than the minimal Sunday morning service.  But could it be that if prayer moved beyond praying for our own needs to the place of encountering and experiencing God –  Maybe then our churches would become spirit  filled with hungry men and women finding God.

Prayer breaks through spiritual dullness and religiosity and it opens up our churches to the overflow of the Holy Spirit.

Learn to use prayer for more than our needs.  Use it as the main ingredient to know God on a daily basis.  Use it as the main ingredient to encounter and experience God daily by the work of his Holy Spirit.

God Bless

"What can we do for you?”  That was the question asked of ten church planters in an area where less than 2% of the population claim to be a part of evangelical Christian churches. All but one responded with the same first answer – “pray for us.”  There were other answers with other expressed needs, but prayer was always first on the need list. The truth is - prayer is much more of a felt-need on the front lines of ministry being carried out on Satan’s turf, than in areas where Christian churches are populated and Christian resources are plentiful.  Unfortunately, when we can provide for ourselves, we become less dependent on God to provide, and thus our need for intercessory prayer diminishes in our minds. Seeing God’s response to intercession for these unreached areas and the pioneers who serve there, makes me wonder what God would do if folks in the Bible-belt, with ample human and financial resources, would take prayer seriously.  Yes, there are exceptions, but they are far too few.  The Apostle Paul, who often served in areas heavily populated with unreached people, requested of the believers in Ephesus, “Pray for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel” (Eph. 6:19).  In Satan’s strongholds, the “mystery” is what God can do in a life.  In the Bible-belt, the “mystery” is often, what God would do if properly asked.

From January to April we are praying 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 119:57-64

Key Word                Sought

Today’s Prayer

Lord, forgive us for we are a people who once sought You. We no longer seek Your favor and Your blessings with all our heart (Psalm 119:58). But Father, we ask You to forgive us, this nation and Your church, for not completing the race or keeping the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). Lord, change our heart that we would be committed to finishing this race well, finishing spent. Lord, let us consider our lives worth nothing (Acts 20:24), living dead to sin, and alive to Your Son (Romans 6:11)

From January to April we are praying 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 119:49-56

Key Word                Comfort

Today’s Prayer

Father, often times we think of the comfort you’ve given us in times of affliction (Psalm 119:50) and wonder why it wasn’t better, or more. Lord, forgive us as a nation and as Your church, for being so stuck on ourselves, that we miss how gentle and loving Your comfort was. Father, forgive us because we then are unable to comfort others in the self-same way that You have comforted us, which is one of the reasons You allow those difficulties. (2 Corinthians 1:4).

 

 Grandparents can be great encouragers or cheerleaders when their grandchildren get discouraged, lack self-confidence and low self-esteem. They often face lots of homework, activities, disappointments, challenges, and fears. Encouragement is inspiring another person with hope, courage, or confidence. It literally means ‘to give courage to’ a person, to reassure them, spur them on, support their efforts to succeed. A definition for a cheerleader is to be an uncritical enthusiastic supporter.

One of the most valuable blessings that we can give our grandchildren is to be their cheerleader. Their enthusiasm and energy levels are low, and emotional batteries may be drained if they are discouraged and don’t feel good about themselves. They tend to focus on their discouragement rather than the encouraging promises of the Lord.

When my grandchildren were younger, they loved to watch the Gaither children’s video “I’m Something Special.” I especially liked the words in the song “I am a promise, a possibility, a potentiality, I can be what God wants me to be,”¹ Let’s pray for our grandchildren to understand that they are a promise, a possibility and a potentiality under construction.

As grandparents, let’s be their cheerleaders encouraging them with positive words

such as:

“Keep up the great work!”

“I admire your persistence.”

“I know you can do it.”

 “You’ve put a lot of work into this, and it shows.”

“I want you to overcome! I want you to succeed.”

Encouragement is always a welcomed gift.

¹ YouTube, “I am a Promise” (A good video for children)

By Lillian Penner

I was talking with God recently about a person who had offended me. The offense was not deeply wounding—my toes had been stepped on and there was some money involved, but really, it wasn’t a big deal. I kept telling myself that: This is not a big deal.

But then if it wasn’t a big deal, how come I couldn’t stop thinking about it?

Eventually, when the offense kept nagging at me, I reluctantly decided to pray about it. “Reluctantly,” I say, because I was embarrassed that such a small thing could consume me so.  I wished I didn’t have to admit to God how stuck I was.

But I pulled out my journal and began telling Him exactly what so-and-so had done and how angry it made me feel. My prayer was full of justifications for why it made sense for me to feel as I did. Reading over it now, I can tell you it was neither pretty nor “spiritual.” But it was honest, and I know that God desires truth in the inner places (Ps. 51:6).

After I’d poured it all out, I gave Him a chance to reply. What He said was gentle but firm: Forgive her.

Well, that’s hardly a surprise. Of course God would tell me to forgive her. The problem was, I really didn’t want to. I wasn’t proud of that, and I sure wasn’t trying to rebel against God! But despite the fact that my head agreed with God—of course I needed to forgive!—my heart was like a two-year-old about to have a tantrum.

What’s going on, Abba? Please help me! I can’t do this without your help!

His reply was immediate: What does spite look like?

An image of a woman with a permanent scowl on her face came to mind. I recognized her as someone who all her life had inwardly nursed petty offenses while saying outwardly “It’s no big deal.” If the woman had ever been attractive, she wasn’t now because her countenance was full of resentment and spite.

Oh, Father! I don’t want to look like that! I don’t want to be like that!

I immediately realized that to choose unforgiveness was also to choose resentment and spite. They are inseparable. And they have ugly consequences.

Then Father helped me to see the peace and wholeness that could be mine if I would forgive my offender and give Jesus the hurt.  My anger started to dissipate. And soon my heart joined my head in wanting to forgive her. So I did.

And they all lived happily ever after. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you that, would you? So here’s the rest of the story: thoughts of the offense still return from time to time. But never as powerfully as they did before I forgave. When the thoughts come now, I remind myself that I have forgiven and I choose peace instead of spite. I ask God for help, and before long, I am peaceful again.

Moral of the story? I can’t narrow it down to just one, so here are three:

1. Forgiveness is a spiritual power struggle which cannot be won apart from the help God offers through prayer;
2. To choose not to forgive is to invite ugly emotions to take up residence in your heart and eventually your countenance;
3. Pouring out your heart to God—even (especially?) when what’s inside isn’t pretty—is always the best thing you can do. God promises to give mercy and grace in your time of need (Heb. 4:16).

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 155 | Wed 18 Apr 2012

AFGHANISTAN: CHURCH 'A SMOULDERING WICK' (ISAIAH 42:3 NIV)

By Elizabeth Kendal

On Sunday 15 April the Haqqani network launched the Taliban's 'Spring Offensive' in Afghanistan. The Haqqani are an ethnic Pashtun network based in Pakistan's tribal border regions with ties to both the Taliban and al-Qaeda. In Mahmud-i-Raqi, the capital of the eastern Kapisa Province, the city's military chief was assassinated. Then at about 1.30pm simultaneous attacks were launched in the capital, Kabul, and three other major cities. The US & NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which is finalising plans for a transition to Afghan security control, has belittled the strikes as 'largely ineffective'. However, the insurgents have demonstrated their ability to stage complex operations inside Kabul's most secure areas. 'This is just the beginning,' declared Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, who boasted that the insurgents 'can attack anywhere we want'.

In Kabul the insurgents executed a sophisticated, well-rehearsed operation. They stormed and occupied an unfinished tower-block in the central diplomatic area of Wazir Akbar Khan, making it their base. From there they launched gun-battles and suicide attacks while firing rocket-propelled grenades into the German, British, US and Japanese embassies. Before long, the newly built Kabul Star Hotel was engulfed in flames. Camp Eggers, the headquarters of the ISAF, came under rocket attack, while an attack on the Presidential Palace was foiled. On the western side of town, rockets were fired at the Russian Embassy and the Afghan Parliament. When militants subsequently launched a full-scale assault on the parliament they were fought off by some of the MPs who, being former warlords and military men, carry their own weapons. Camp Warehouse, the ISAF base on the Jalalabad Rd, was attacked with mortars. Governors' offices, police training facilities and military bases were attacked in Jalalabad to the east, at Pul-e-Alam in Logar Province and Gardez in Paktya Province to the south. An attack in the northern city of Kundoz was foiled.

REMEMBER THE CHURCH

Back in May 2010 a privately-run Afghan television station, Noorin TV, broadcast video footage reportedly showing Afghani converts being baptised and participating in Christian worship. Angry Muslims protested, demanding the expulsion of foreign 'missionaries'. MPs called for the Afghan converts to be murdered or publicly executed as apostates. To appease the Islamic fundamentalists President Karzai ordered that measures be taken to prevent apostasy. More than 20 Afghan Christians were subsequently arrested and tortured, triggering a retreat underground and an exodus to India and beyond. (See RLPB 059 http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com.au/2010/06/059-afghanistan-christians-menaced-as.html )

In January 2012 Open Doors CEO Carl Moeller wrote, ' . . . after the nationally televised exposure of Afghan Christians on the internet, it became widely known that Afghan Christians actually exist. Though many were angry about this revelation, others started to ask questions and began to seek. In recent years a number of well-educated and skilled Afghanis have become believers and begun participating in underground Christian activities.' [This was confirmed by Mohabat News in a 27 March report which added that even some MPs had embraced Christianity.] 'Although the complete lack of religious freedom for Afghan Christians makes gatherings of believers dangerous and difficult,' continues Moeller, 'family and friend groups have started to meet together. There is a growing awareness among Afghan believers that they are not alone.'

The principal gospel witness and Bible teaching comes via Afghan Christian radio, satellite TV and internet ministries (see http://www.afghanhost.com/ ). The Afghan Church might be very small in number and profoundly imperilled, but God has promised: 'A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice. (Isaiah 42:3 NIV)'

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL --

* give his profoundly imperilled Church refuge, security and comfort in the shadow of his wings until the storms of destruction pass by. (Psalm 57:1b ESV.)

* prepare the hearts of the longsuffering Afghanis and empower every word of gospel witness from courageous local believers and from radio, satellite and internet ministries, so that the harvest might be a hundredfold (Matthew 13:8).
* meet the needs of all Afghan gospel ministries for funding, equipment and workers (Psalm 24:7).

* frustrate the plots of those who would like to eradicate the Church (Psalm 146:9) and direct the government to see that without religious freedom Afghanistan will never recover (Proverbs 21:1).

To see this RLPB with hyperlinks go to http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com.au


SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE

AFGHANISTAN CHURCH 'A SMOULDERING WICK' (ISAIAH 42:3 NIV)

On 15 April Islamic militants attacked Kabul and three other major cities. After occupying a building in Kabul's most secure sector, attacks were launched against the German, British, US, Japanese and Russian Embassies, as well as against government facilities and military bases. Amidst all this,the Church in Afghanistan, though very small and 'underground', is a reality and is growing. A massive crackdown followed TV scenes of Afghani converts participating in baptisms and worship in May 2010. This triggered an exodus of some Christians as well as a growing awareness of and interest in Christianity. It is reported some members of Kabul's influential elite have since become Christians. Christian radio, satellite TV and internet ministries are the principal means of outreach and teaching. Please pray for the Church in Afghanistan.


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.

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 .

Dear Prayer Partners of the World Prayer Assembly,

Your role as intercessors has been so crucial in the process of arranging the WPA. Thanks so much for continuing to uphold the WPA and all the preparations being made by the Indonesian national committee, the WPA office in Jakarta and our international mobilization, program and finance teams.

Those of us who are organizing the WPA believe that God is going to use it to carry revival and transformation to the nations like a tsunami wave of the Spirit. There are clear signs that this spiritual tsunami is building in Indonesia already:

1. Several million believers in 350+ cities in Indonesia will participate in the WPA on May 17 through a live TV link.
2. 20,000 praying children and 20,000 on-fire youth will be praying with us in the national stadium plus many tens of thousands more young people in cities across Indonesia in a truly tri-generational event.
3. The unity of Christ's church in Indonesia is deepening in conjunction with the WPA through the adoption of joint ministry strategies within Indonesia like the "My Home" Project in which up to 15 million local Christians will adopt their streets in prayer and then reach out in loving service to their neighbors.
4. Many there and elsewhere increasingly feel that the WPA will be a "New Wave--a New Pentecost" that will benefit the global Body of Christ.

You will not want to miss being part of this great prayer revival that the Lord will use to rock our world for His glory! If you are unable to come to Jakarta, you can still participate by prayer from where you are, and some of the WPA will be carried on the internet through the God TV website so you can see it. There may be another website as well, and we will let you know if that is the case.

Please pray with us for the following current concerns:

1. There has been a wave of late registrations almost doubling the total of what we had before--4,600 as of today, April 17. That is the good news for which to rejoice. A continuing concern is that the great majority have not paid their registration fees and hotel costs yet which could become a serious problem for the Indonesian hosts. Please pray that the registrants will be moved by the Lord to pay as soon as possible.
2. We applied for about 100 speaker's visa approvals three months ago and have been waiting for them to be processed. Please pray for His favor with Indonesian immigration and other government authorities for the WPA and that the remaining visa approvals will be granted quickly and that all our speakers will be able to then apply and get their visas without any problem and in time to come to Jakarta.
3. Pray for His anointing and guidance for all the speakers, session facilitators and worship leaders so they will know how to provide sensitive and effective leadership.
4. Pray too that all the participants will be spiritually prepared and that we will consecrate ourselves to the Lord before coming to Indonesia so that we will be ready to play our part and so that the Lord can manifest His presence to the maximum and fully accomplish all His purposes through the WPA.
4. The WPA office in Jakarta and the national committee members there are under increasing pressure with so many details concerning logistics, ground transport and accommodations to arrange for such a large group coming from around the world. Pray for His special grace, love, strength and unity as they work on these things together and that they will feel His arms surrounding and upholding them every day and hour as all the final preparations are being made.

May the Lord encourage your heart and fill you with His joy as we all participate together in this amazing opportunity to be His instruments. May we see through the WPA a spectacular release of the knowledge of His glory among the nations (Habakkuk 2:14)!

Warm greetings and deep thanks,

John Robb
Chairman, International Prayer Council
International Facilitator, World Prayer Assembly 2012
www.ipcprayer.org
www.wpa2012.org

From January to April we are praying 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 119:41-48

Key Word                Love

Today’s Prayer

Lord, the idea here is Your unfailing love (Psalm 119:41). But there is also the idea of me, Your servant, loving Your words (Psalm 119:47-48). Father forgive us, humble us, bring us, as a nation and as Your church, to our knees Lord, until our souls yearn, even faint for You, for Your courts and for Your word (Psalm 84:2).

How do we hear the Spirit’s voice today? He generally speaks to us through scripture, a sermon, a book, a movie, a song or even a dream, but He also speaks directly into our spirit by His still, small voice! “Holy Spirit intuition” is a God-given gift to all who have spiritual ears to hear what the Lord is saying at any given time for any particular situation that requires His guidance, approval or command. It is the supernatural ability to know right from wrong—truth from error—God’s leading from your leading, which seldom makes sense to our natural minds!

Intuition simply means “knowing or sensing something without reason”. Jesus declared seven times in the opening chapters of Revelation a foundational rule of Kingdom living that never fails to keep us or to take us where we are to be, doing what we are called to be doing.“He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying unto the churches”. What is the Spirit saying at this present time to His Church? Well, for one, He’s enforcing His certain threat to resist the proud and give grace to the humble. He’s counseling us to get the stinking pride out of our lives and ministries as God prepares to shake all things that can be shaken, and woe to all the “spiritually superior” celebrity preachers and TV evangelists who defiantly continue to walk in arrogance as they proudly build their own extravagant kingdom against the Spirit’s warning when God’s judgment falls. Pride goes before destruction and Jesus is returning for a beautiful Bride clothed in humility, not haughtiness.

Pride was Lucifer’s downfall to disgrace and damnation and he uses the same spirit of arrogance today to delude all who will listen to his lying voice—the same insinuating voice that deceived Eve into falling into the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Adam & Eve’s spiritual intuition became corrupted by satanic logic and rationality. For that very reason, genuine, spiritual impressions are hard to explain to the average, lukewarm christian, whose typical response to your intuitive step of faith, whether spoken or thought is “How do you really know this is what God is wanting you to do? This makes no sense! Just who do you think you are—a prophet or something? Come back down to earth!” Sometimes your only answer is a direct “I just feel it in my spirit!” Unspiritual, rational christians don’t like that kind of a smug answer! Where’s the logic? Where’s the responsibility? Where’s the common sense? And yet you know that you’ve heard the unmistakeable voice of the Holy Spirit! Go confidently from there, alone if need be.

There are times, however, when your intuition may not be crystal clear. In matters of uncertainty, the Bible tells us in 1John 4:1 to test the spirits to see if they are from God—how do we do that? The following are seven considerations in testing spiritual impressions.

1. Does this impression line up with God’s Word or does it plainly contradict its obvious teaching? The Bible always takes precedent over thoughts, feelings and voices.

2. Will the carrying out of this impression bring honour to Christ? Would Jesus approve?

3. Does this impression bear witness with my spirit, or does it make me sick to my stomach? “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16)

4. Does this impression bring peace and excitement or confusion and fear? “God is not author of confusion, but peace” (1Corinthians 14:33)

5. Does this impression leave me with a clear conscience? “Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly” (Hebrews 13:18)

6. Do my pastor and my trusted Christian advisors agree that this impression is of the Lord? “In the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14)

7. Is this impression staying with me over time or is it a fleeting emotion?

As you pray and quiet your thoughts, expect the Spirit to respond in His still, small voice with the very direction that you are seeking. Jesus assures us in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” Amen!

The Global Day of Prayer is coming soon. The day itself will be Pentecost Sunday, May 27, 2012. It is a simple but powerful way to pray for God’s highest purposes: the glory of Christ and the blessing of all nations.

GDOP is more than a one-day event. There will be ten days of continuous prayer, guided and focused from Thursday, May 17 to Saturday, May 26. Following the example of the first ten-day prayer gathering in the upper room leading to the first Pentecost, the prayer guide has been designed to help align and focus the prayers of people all over the world. Download and print or photocopy all the copies you need. www.gdopusa.com/resources/prayer-guide/

On May 27, 2012, Christians will again gather to pray and repent with sincere hearts and united hopes. Once again we will be gathering locally but praying globally. This year we will see even more of an emphasis on local churches praying the “Prayer for the World” as part of their normal Pentecost Sunday services.

I want to encourage you to do three things:

1. If you have not yet decided to plan a gathering on Pentecost, there is still time. A small, well-organized gathering can be a great catalyst to propel your community forward in the coming months and years. The Global Day Organizer Guide offers some great ideas. www.gdopusa.com/resources/

2. Participate as a church. Ask the leadership of your church to join in during your Sunday services on May 27, 2012. Set aside just 7 minutes to unite with millions around the world by praying though “A Prayer for the World” together. www.gdopusa.com/resources/a-prayer-for-the-world/

3. We would like to know about your plans to coordinate a GDOP celebration. Please register your event or your church plans for participation at www.gdopusa.com/how-to-be-involved/community-event/. Registration is simple and free.

It’s about six weeks before Pentecost. Now is the time to explore how your church or community might be part of this important prayer event.

For Christ’s glory,

Stephanie Tucker

Global Day of Prayer USA

512.419.7729

Facebook: www.facebook.com/GDOPUSA

Twitter: www.twitter.com/gdopusa

WayMakers / PO Box 203131 / Austin, TX 78720 / 512.419.7729

From January to April we are praying 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 119:33-40

Key Word                Observe

Today’s Prayer

Lord, it is one thing to be taught Your word, our longing is not just to be taught Your words, but then for us to keep them, to the end (Psalm 119:33)! Lord, the idea of observing Your laws reminds me of the opportunity the apostles had, to sit at Your Son’s feet and listen to every word that You gave Your Son to speak (John 12:49). Forgive us Lord, as a nation and as Your church, for being lukewarm with Your words. We ask You to be gracious to us and not spew us out of your mouth. Give us one more chance Oh Lord. (Revelation 1:15-16).

 

Lord, we know that Your word encourages us, especially when we are in great sorrow (Psalm 119:28). Father, we also know that shame causes us to hide from Your Son, the Way, the Truth and the Light (John 14:6), but strengthen us Father, to first repent, as a nation and as Your church, and then to allow His light to shine upon us, especially when, because of shame, we do not want to come out of the darkness that we are sitting in. Lord, allow us to trust His light to guide us to peace (Luke 1:79)

 

 

The Lost Art of Courage

Multiple times in the Book of Joshua, Joshua encourages the Israelites to be courageous if they wanted to enter into the Promised Land and if they wanted to receive all of the promises that God had for them. 

Today courage is honored and revered for those who dedicate their lives or even risk their lives for the sake of a cause that we respect.  It may be a policeman, a fire fighter, an athlete, a political activist or just an average person that attempts and accomplishes above average things. 

In Bible days and during the making of the history of our Nation, we find those God fearing Christians who were not afraid to be courageous on behalf of God.  They were found to be couragous for that which they believed in and for that which they knew to be true. 

Joshua 1:9
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." 

Joshua 10:25
And Joshua said unto them, "Fear not, nor be dismayed. Be strong and of good courage, for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight." 

Where is courage amongst Christians?

Where are the Christians today when it comes to standing on behalf of God for righteousness and justice in our Nation?  Where is the courage of Christians standing on behalf of the 53 million children that have been murdered in our very own nation since 1973?  Where is the courage of Christians to stand with God on his behalf of the God given sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, while a gay genderless lifestyle is being promoted even to our youngest children at the earliest age in our public schools?  Where is the courage of Christians to stand on behalf of God when our nation is attempting to remove every influence of God from our every fabric of our society, all in the name of Freedom of Religion.

Courage does not mean the lack of fear 

Courage does not mean that a person is immune from fear.  But courage looks fear in the eye and courage says I will not yield to fear even when I may feel fear or when I am facing it face to face.  Fear may even surround me but I choose courage in God. 

Today is a time when it is a time for us, to move up to the front of the line and stand before God and the devil to see all of our victories won.  We need to see victories won in our own personal lives and we need to see victories won in our Nation so that God’s blessings will continually increase in our lives and in our nation.

Is the fear of God greater than the fear of the enemy? 

Fear is also a healthy attribute if it is directed towards God in reverence and respect towards him.  But the fear that keeps me from stepping out into new areas in my life is the fears that courage can overcome. 

Joshua knew that there would be many battles facing the Children of Israel as they moved into their promised land.  He knew that fears would naturally overcome them if they did not exercise courage.  Joshua knew the challenges that would face them as they were inheriting their promises and that is why he told them over and over again, that they would need to be courageous. 

Jason Crabb sings a popular song that says “You can’t have a victory without a fight”. 

My courage must be built upon something substantial 

My courage must be founded upon the written Word of God and it must be founded upon the Word of God that the Holy Spirit has given to me. From this place we cannot doubt.  Most of us know what the Bible already says and most of us already know what God is saying to us - but it takes courage to act upon God’s word and what he is saying for us to do. 

Obedience becomes easier and easier as we use courage to overcome our fears and intimidations - until eventually we look forward to challenges

We need courage in our Nation. 

Our nation was founded upon courageous men and women who were willing to be courageous in the midst of fears of life and death. 

But is seems like the anti-God sentiment in this nation has overcome the lack of courage amongst Christians and the American church. 

Where do we stand today?  Will courage fill the average church once again?  Will courage be a common word used daily amongst Christian families in their homes and within their daily living?  

Will the courage of Christians once again fill this Nation so that God himself will be honored and revered in our society once again?

God Bless. 

Ron Brumbaugh

From January to April we are praying 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 119:17-24

Key Word                Counseled

Today’s Prayer

Lord, we know that scripture, written long ago, was written to teach us, to counsel us. Lord we trust You for endurance, encouragement and hope from these scriptures (Romans 15:4). Father, forgive us as a

nation, and forgive Your church Lord, for desiring the wisdom of the world, the wisdom that You made foolish! The wisdom of the world Lord, could not come to know You (1 Corinthians 1:20-21). Cause us Lord to seek You for counsel (Psalm 119:24).

From January to April we are praying 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 119:9-16

Key Word                Hidden

Today’s Prayer

Lord, we know that the context of this key word, “hidden” is memorizing scripture so as to not sin (Psalm 119:11). And yet we know that to avoid sin, we trust Your word and then submit to You. Father so often we try “resisting the devil” even though the passage, in it’s completeness says that we are to submit to You. Lord, teach us that by the act of submitting to You we resist the devil, and then, by the power of Your Spirit he flees (James 4:7). Father, forgive us, this nation and Your church for no longer memorizing scripture. Lord, cause us to memorize scripture, letting us always be mindful that You have given us Your promises, that we would escape the corruption which is in this world (2 Peter 1:4)

It’s hard to feel Christ’s peace and to act with His grace when the environment you’re in is full of negativity and contention. At least it’s hard for me. I recently spent a few days in that kind of relational setting, and it left me feeling like a spiritual failure. Instead of bringing light to the darkness, as I had prayed ahead of time to do, I felt as if the darkness sucked me in. I tried to pray, but my prayers only seemed to ricochet off the ceiling. God seemed a trillion miles away.

Later, when I was able to talk with God about it, I confessed my sense of defeat. Why did You seem so far away? I asked. Why was praying so hard? Why couldn’t I stay near You so I wouldn’t get taken out?

The Holy Spirit’s answer surprised me. What I think I heard Him say was, I was quiet but I never left you. I was quiet because I was grieving, too. You weren’t the only one who felt the oppression and sadness in that place. I went there with you; I felt it all, too.

It wasn’t news to me that the Holy Spirit has emotions. As a Person, He, like the rest of the godhead, feels. I knew that He can be quenched (1 Thess. 5:19) or grieved (Eph. 4:30).  But I’d never thought about Him being grieved by the same things, at the same time, as I was grieved. Who knows? Perhaps the grief I was feeling didn’t even originate with me—maybe its source was the Spirit in me!

At any rate, I felt His consolation as I pondered this idea. There is something comforting about having someone to cry with. The Holy Spirit’s grief validated the grief I was feeling. It didn’t change circumstances, but it made me realize that feeling what I was feeling (instead of peace and joy) was appropriate in God’s eyes.

I asked the Holy Spirit how to avoid missing Him when I encounter similar challenging situations in the future. Romans 8:26 came to mind: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (ESV).

I realized that I had seemed to be missing God in that situation because I’d been looking for the wrong thing. I was thinking that somehow if I were truly in step with the Him that all would seem right with the world. But the world I was in most definitely did not seem right. What the Holy Spirit seemed to be telling me was that it was not right with Him, either. Why should I think I should be feeling perfect peace when He was grieving and groaning?

I had jumped the gun. I had been trying to be content in whatever situation I found myself in (Phil 4:11)—and bypass anything that felt yucky. But that’s not how Jesus does it (e.g. Isa. 53:3, Lk. 19:41, Jn. 11:35, Heb. 5:7). And it’s not how the Holy Spirit does it. So why should I try to do it that way?

It seems that the Holy Spirit is inviting me to groan and grieve with Him when circumstances call for it. Those groans become prayers of intercession, Him praying in me, for me, and through me in my weakness. I’d rather pray prayers of joy and thanksgiving. But sometimes nights of weeping must precede mornings of joy (Ps. 30:5).

What about you? I’d love to hear from those of you who have grieved and groaned your prayers to God in the company of the Holy Spirit. What was that kind of praying like for you?

Lord, for a myriad of reasons we love Psalm 119, not the least of which is the way it starts, “Blessed are…” and then again, “Blessed are…” Oh Father, forgive us, as a nation and as Your church, for turning from You. Cause us to walk blameless, do what is right, speak the truth, slander no one, and keep our oath, even when it hurts (Psalm 15:2-4). For we know that “Blessed are” those who keep Your law and seek You with their whole heart (Psalm 119:2), and that is our desire Lord.