Displaying items by tag: Australia

Crews are currently battling 120+ fires. ‘Leave now' warnings have gone to homes and dozens more are at ‘Watch and Act’ level. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed, and over a million hectares consumed. A water-bombing helicopter crashed in gusty conditions. Pray for the farmers who have lost entire crops and farm infrastructures. Ask God to comfort residents told to evacuate immediately and now fearful of what they will return to. Pray for stamina for the crews fighting fires and those patrolling smouldering zones. Pray for the police to have wisdom and discernment as they contend with looters impersonating firefighters to gain access to empty homes. The deputy prime minister dismissed talk of climate change as the concerns of ‘raving inner-city lefties’, adding, ‘We've had fires in Australia since time began’. See also

Large navy vessels will watch at chokepoints while smaller vessels will patrol key transit lanes, and airborne assets will monitor traffic in the Persian Gulf. This stems from a new coalition officially launched on 7 November from its Bahrain headquarters. It will protect shipping in the troubled waters after a string of attacks that Washington and its allies blame on Iran, threatening the world’s oil supply. Iran denies responsibility for the attacks, and has put forward its own proposals for boosting Gulf security - that pointedly exclude outside powers. The new mission, dubbed Operation Sentinel, will see vessels escorted through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic chokepoint at the head of the Gulf and the main artery for transporting oil. Australia and the United Kingdom are the main non-Gulf countries to have sent warships to escort shipping. The newest member, Albania, joined on 6 November.

Australia Calls the World to Pray for the Nations

Australia Christian prayer leaders invite their brothers and sisters in Christ, prayer groups, prayer networks and churches to join with them all over the world to pray at sunrise on New Year's Day 2020 at a public location such as a hill, lookout or landmark in your city or town.

This year our focus is to pray for the nations. Over the last two years we had registrations from 50 different countries including USA, South Africa, Namibia, Pakistan, Japan, United Kingdom, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Zealand, and Australia.   

Warwick Marsh, coordinator for Australia’s National Day of Prayer & Fasting said, “David said in Psalm 108:2, “I will wake the dawn with my song.” During this time of prayer, we want to focus on giving great praise to God. We also want to pray for revival and transformation, that God will bring healing to each of our nations: 2 Chronicles 7:14. Let us all pray for a great harvest of souls for the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Marsh continued, “In declaring Jesus Christ as Lord at this worldwide Sunrise Prayer Relay we are circling the globe with prayer, praise and worship and surrendering our lives to Jesus Christ for the glory of God. Psalms 113:3 says, “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.” This year we want to challenge people to pray for the nations. Use the prayer resources on the website and social media and register your location at: www.sunriseprayerrelay.org  

Our prayer is that with your help, this worldwide Prayer and Praise Relay will go viral.”

Pat Steele, a prayer & evangelist leader in Wollongong Australia, said, “We encourage you to pray the Lord's Prayer together aloud as the sun rises and make a declaration that Jesus Christ is Lord of your life, your family, your region and your nation. Let’s also join to pray for the nations.

At your location we encourage you to include praise and worship, prayers, and scripture readings. We suggest 30 minutes, but you can pray for longer. You could even take communion, shine a torch, or light a candle. What you do for your sunrise celebration is up to you.”

Share photos and videos from your location on social media.

Use the hashtag: #sunriseprayerrelay 

Website: www.sunriseprayerelay.org  

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sunriseprayerrelay

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sunriseprayerrelay

YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSTHRAixKOQ     

Contact: Warwick Marsh 61 418 225212 or Pat Steele by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

In June police raided Australia's national broadcaster and arrested a prominent journalist, Annika Smethurst, after government allegations of ‘publishing classified material’. At the time ABC stated, ‘An untrammelled media is important to public discourse and democracy’. Recently Australia’s biggest news outlets, normally fierce rivals, united in support of press freedom with a campaign including blacked-out newspaper front pages and slots on prime time broadcasts. The media are highlighting the constraints on them under strict national security legislation. The news outlets joined forces through a coalition known as the 'Right to Know’, in a joint action designed to agitate readers into action. One newspaper asked, ‘When government keeps the truth from you, what are they covering up?’ Annika Smethurst now faces possible criminal charges, ironically because she reported that the government was considering new powers to spy on all of us.

From Queensland to New South Wales, successive droughts and the need for extra water to fight bushfires have caused unprecedented shortages. Regions face the prospect of taps running out within months. This is a portion of a national prayer for rain issued by Christian leaders: ‘We acknowledge that You are the Lord of the universe, the One who provides the rain to water the Earth so that crops, livestock and humans can flourish. We ask that in Your mercy You would send rain. We pray for physical rain and spiritual revival rain to flow through Australia. We thank You, Lord, for past revivals, and pray that the latter rain would be even greater than the former rain. Bless the work of our hands, especially the farmers on the land, and give us peace. We thank You for renewal of our land and renewal of our faith.’ See also

A five-year-old boy, from a family of Holocaust survivors, suffered anti-Semitic harassment at a school in Melbourne where pupils hounded him in the school toilets, calling him a ‘Jewish cockroach’. He was chased continuously to the bathroom and laughed at for being circumcised, to the point that he started to wet himself in class rather than using the toilet. His mother said that after behaving strangely for months, one morning he burst out crying over breakfast and literally fell down on the floor, saying, ‘Mummy, you shouldn’t love me. I’m a worthless Jewish rodent. I’m vermin’. Meanwhile a 12-year-old Jewish student was forced to kneel and kiss the shoes of a Muslim classmate. Then nine boys beat him up. Because the incident happened outside school, education officials denied responsibility for the incident. Melbourne media also reported other acts of anti-Semitism.

Warwick Marsh an Australian Prayer leader who is the Coordinator for the Canberra Declaration, after much consultation with Australian Christian leaders feels challenged to call the Nation to Pray & Fast for rain in October.

James Condon the Chairman of the National Day of Prayer & Fasting (NDOPF) and the Executive team of the NDOPF are also endorsing this prayer call as are many other Christian leaders, Churches and Christian Ministries all over the nation.

Australia is desperate for rain but our nation’s greatest need is for Repentance and Renewal. 

Watch this 3 minute video about the drought: https://vimeo.com/344449314

Every state in Australia has encountered some level of drought over the last several years. Some areas of Northern NSW and Southern Queensland as well as WA, SA and NT are equal to the driest on record. Some say the worst drought ever.

Some towns in Australia are about to run out of water and some towns have already run out of water. Elders Long Range Forecast shows little indication of significant rain over the next 28 days. The Bureau of Meteorology are forecasting a hot dry spring and summer.

In regional drought affected areas one farmer a week is committing suicide. The needs at every level in the bush in regional Australia are massive. 

Now is the time for both prayer and action.

Register now to receive daily devotions and login details for the daily 8PM AEST Time Pray for Rain calls from the 1 – 31st of October 2019 at WWW.CANBERRADECLARATION.ORG.AU/PRAYER-FOR-RAIN

Australia has a desperate need for RAIN, but we have an even more desperate need for God. We pray that as we get down on our knees to pray for RAIN in October that God will give us the grace of REPENTANCE and the RENEWAL of our love for our Father in Heaven. 2 Chronicles 7:14

1. Pray for Repentance – Father give us the grace to repent as a nation in Jesus Name: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Acts 3:19
2. Pray for Renewal – Lord we pray for renewal in our hearts, in the church, in the community and in the nation: “And now I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken… The Lord is long suffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving the iniquity and transgression (of the nation) … Pardon the iniquity of this people I pray, according to the greatness of your mercy… Then God said, ‘I have pardoned according to your word’.” Numbers 14:17-20
3. Pray for Rain – Father we pray as we unite together to pray the first two prayers that you will give us the rain because of your abundant mercies: “The Lord sends the rain on the just and the unjust.” Matthew 5:45

We encourage our friends overseas to share this call for a Month of Prayer & Fasting for REPENTANCE, RENEWAL & RAIN  1 -31 October 2019 with your own prayer group, church and Denominational leaders.

Yours for Revival & Rain

Warwick Marsh - Canberra Declaration
http://WWW.CANBERRADECLARATION.ORG.AU/PRAYER-FOR-RAIN

Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an Australian-British lecturer in Islamic studies at Melbourne University, was arrested last September, tried, and imprisoned for ten years for espionage. She is in solitary confinement in Tehran’s Evin prison, with no contact from family or friends. The British and Australian governments have kept the identity of their arrested citizens out of the public domain, believing diplomatic efforts for release would be more effective if conducted behind closed doors. Others argue that publicity will generate international, community and political support, providing impetus for release negotiations. Meanwhile, Jolie King, a British-Australian woman and Cambridge University honours graduate in Middle Eastern studies, and her Australian boyfriend Mark Firkin were arrested ten weeks ago near Tehran for flying a drone near military installations. They were shooting pictures for a travel blog of their overland journey from Perth to London. Also, please continue praying for Nazanin Ratcliffe.

Australia Honours and thanks the nations for your Intercession

in our looming hour of crisis and hope.

“I have always believed in miracles” declares our unashamedly Christian Prime Minister following his “highly unlikely win” in the May 18 Federal Election. He also secures a far more workable Senate.

The Great Southland of the Holy Spirit, Australia, was pivoted on a historic threshold of persecution or reformation, or both. My sense is that we are getting both.

At stake were many affronts to our Judaeo-Christian heritage  including the following:

Legal abortion to full term in all states and territories.
Threat to our relationship with Israel including building an embassy in Jerusalem.
Removal of opening Parliament in prayer including the reference to “humbly relying on Almighty God”.
Defunding of Chaplaincy.
Removal of charitable status for churches.
Imposition of gender fluidity doctrine on our children.
Assault on freedom of thought, conscience and belief in many contexts including the curriculum in our Christian schools.

We have a 3-year window to pray and work to see Australia fulfil her mandate as the Great Southland of the Holy Spirit.

Our Prime Minister has been shown great favour by President Trump by choosing him to have Dinner at the G20 meeting of nations, inviting him to be an observer at the G7 meeting and hosting him at a historic State Dinner in the White House next month. There appears to be a growing closeness between the first ladies - Ivanka Trump and Jenny Morrison. My sense is that our Prime Minister has been raised as an Ambassador of International reconciliation in the midst of tensions between China and America and the escalations in Hong Kong.

 The abortion issue has also flared up in two of our States.

The sequence of Abortion being liberalised was UK, Adelaide South Australia, the rest of Australia, before Roe v Wade opened the global bloodgates for the destruction of young lives and the breaking of the hearts of our women. There is a sense that, if we can wind back here in this source city of Adelaide we could see reversals like in the USA, everywhere. A submission has been prepared by lawyers from the UK, Australia, USA and doctors from around Australia centred on care for women, care for babies, care for children in the womb, care for families and care for life (“5Cs”) movement. An adapted submission is in the hands of politicians in New South Wales. As the fight against the Spirit of Death and Hell rages in the next weeks in the Parliaments of both States, this Saturday, we will be concluding 21 days of prayer near the abortion mill in Adelaide (loveadelaideprayer).

Please pray as you are led along the following suggestions :

That wisdom, counsel and might will be upon our praying Prime Minister especially as he has opportunity to privately minister to International leaders and be an Ambassador of reconciliation between them.
That the Ekklesia in Australia will be willing in the day of His power to maximise the opportunity she has been given.
That healing and hope will touch the hearts of the one in four women in Australia who have an abortion in their lifetime.
That the veil that the wicked one has placed over the eyes of our sisters and our communities will be lifted.
That life will be celebrated without condemnation for those who have been ensnared and that our laws will reflect or Heavenly Father’s heart.
That the Esther’s, Deborah’s, Daniels, Mordecai’s, David’s, Josephs and other modern equivalents are revealed and begin to fully function.

Thank you for this great victory and opportunity as Australia moves toward reflecting our Father’s heart in every sphere of society as the seeds of a  discipled nation.

May your love and intercession for this nation be multiplied and showered on your own cities and nations.

Mark Mudri

Facilitator Advocates Oceania
Executive member Global Council

www.advocatesinternational.org

Mission Australia is a Christian charity supporting disadvantaged families and children, fighting homelessness and issues around mental health and addiction. They have invited young people aged 15-19 to participate in a wide-ranging national survey. Last year’s survey identified mental health as the top issue facing young Australians, with a rating of 43% (it was 34% in 2017 and 21% in 2016). The top three personal concerns in previous surveys were coping with stress, school or study problems, and mental health. The annual survey provides a valuable snapshot of where young people are and offers important insights that inform the work of charities, community groups and government decision makers.