Leaders from all over the world gathered for this significant forum in Uganda. Among the other speakers and delegates were senior leaders in business, many Church leaders and numerous politicians.
It was a privilege to share as a plenary speaker and workshop leader for ‘EXPOSED – Shining a light on corruption’ and Unashamedly Ethical. There was tremendous interest and support for both campaigns, and of course there were many wonderful friends who are leaders and participants in the Global Day of Prayer. I am confident that God’s work has been taken another step forward.
The Lord placed Proverbs 31.8-9 on my heart at the start of the conference:
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
One trillion US$ goes missing each year as a result of corruption. Just 1% of the world’s wealth could solve the problem of poverty across the world. Half of the world’s population lives on less that $2 a day. The theme of my presentations was ‘Corruption has a name. Poverty has a face. You have a voice’.
It is so important that Christians rise up to do what Jesus himself did during his earthly ministry. He still calls the body of Christ to do the same today – to stand against injustice, to expose corruption, and to pray and work for God’s loving Kingdom to be established in every sphere of society.
There are a few news stories about EXPOSED going into the press over the next few days. This one by ChristianToday may be of some interest:
<http://www.christiantoday.com/article/exposing.corruption/30421.htm> please do share it with others!
Please pray fervently for Dion Forster, Graham Power and their colleagues as they seek to battle corruption through the Exposed and Unshamedly Ethical efforts around the world. Pray that an army of Christian people in every sphere of society will join them in a massive effort to bring reform and eliminate corruption in the nations.
It is particularly strategic to be in prayer for Muslims as they celebrate Ramadan, a month of prayer and fasting, around the world. Here are two websites with information on how to do this:
http://www.30-days.net/
http://www.30-days.net/resources/email/
Night of Power - August 14th. What will you be doing while millions of Muslims are praying?
August 2012 Muslims will celebrate Laylat al-Qadr – the Night of Power. This is the night they believe an angel gave Mohammad the Qur’an. It is also when they expect to have visions and dreams. According to the Qur’an, Laylat al-Qadr is “better than a thousand months.” Muslims seek Allah with greater intensity on this night. They expect to have divinely inspired dreams and see visions. They also believe that on Laylat al-Qadr, special angels perform special missions. If they worship with enough diligence on this night, Muslims think their sins will be forgiven.
Some Muslims expect God to answer their prayers on Laylat al-Qadr. It is also known as the Night of Destiny. Many Muslims spend all night in prayer in hopes of receiving direction or experiencing something supernatural. “Some Muslims rise well before dawn to make their requests, others pass much of the night in prayer,” explains “30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World.” They are encouraged to ask Allah with sincereity and conviction for anything and everything they need…”
Our Call to Prayer:
During the Night of Power, millions will be praying from the Muslim world – what will you be doing? Will you join us as we pray? Will you stand in the gap for Muslims globally? Do you believe God will use your prayers and open their eyes to the revelation of Jesus Christ?
What can I do?
1. Hold a prayer meeting on the Night of Power
2. Follow our Pray4Saudi Initiative on Facebook and Twitter which will have daily prayer points.
3. Pray with leaders globally through Visual Chat
4. Prayerwalk around local Mosques
Pray for:
1. The Lord to reveal Himself to Muslims on this night. Pray for them to have dreams and visions of Jesus Christ. (The Bible, Acts 2:17)
2. The hearts of Muslims to be open to the Gospel. Pray for the veil of deception to be removed from their minds. (The Bible, II Corinthians 4:3)
3. The strongholds of Islam to be demolished. Pray for the lies of this false religion to be exposed. Ask the Lord to set free all who have been deceived and misled by Islam. (The Bible, II Corinthians 10: 4,5)
4. The salvation of the leaders in the Muslim world – especially heads of government, imams, and members of terrorist groups. (The Bible, 1 Timothy 2:1-4)
5. A great harvest of souls as the Kingdom of God come in great power in the Islamic world. (The Bible, I Corinthians 4:20)
We are happy to respectfully inform you that on 5 July 2012, in a historic moment for the Protestant churches in Malaysia, nineteen (19) church and prayer leaders met at the office of the Methodist Church in Malaysia, Petaling Jaya. The came from all over the country, representing most of the major prayer networks in the country, including those of NECF and CCM, and also denominational and regional Pastors’/Ministers’ Fellowships. All came at short notice but with prepared hearts and minds, as each had been burdened with an urgent sense of the Lord’s call for united prayer for the church and nation.
During the dialogue, various participants shared their concerns. There was general agreement that the country is facing many critical issues, and the Malaysian Church needs to come together in prayer. And it was noted that, if the church is to play a significant role in national transformation, we must take seriously the call to live as a holy people, to strive for genuine unity, and to pour our hearts out in prayer for our nation!
The meeting was marked by a great sense of unity and hope, as well as much joy in every heart over the common desire for a united prayer initiative to bring the whole church together to seek God’s blessing for our country. We believe that through such an expression of unity and love for one another (Ephesians 4:1-6) Christ would be truly glorified. We praise and thank God for giving us this unity of the Spirit in the first place! We therefore would like humbly to invite all the churches and Christians in this country to join with us in a common prayer platform for the nation. We do this in response to God’s promise in 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (NIV):
“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” This united platform will be called PRAYER UNITED, and its terms of reference are:
THE VISION
• All Christians, churches, and prayer networks in Malaysia coming together to pray for the church and our nation.
THE PURPOSE
• The first purpose is to set up a united prayer movement for the whole church to coordinate prayer and to enhance unity among Christians.
• The second purpose is to challenge the whole church to pray together for the transformation of society and nation. In particular, the focus will be on the two upcoming key national events, namely, the National Jubilee Celebration, beginning on 16 September, 2012, and the upcoming General Elections, GE13.
THE OBJECTIVES
The following are the objectives of PRAYER UNITED:
• To identify key strategic issues for prayer and to communicate these clearly and quickly to all prayer networks and churches.
• To serve as a link for all those involved in prayer in our churches, including both those in NECF and CCM, and to coordinate our efforts to ensure that our prayers are united in purpose and focus.
• To challenge the church to pray for God’s special blessings upon our nation in the Jubilee Year (Level. 25:10-12), the 50th Year of the formation of our nation, so that it will usher in a new season of peace, prosperity, freedom, and justice for our land.
• To call on the church to pray that the upcoming General Election, GE13, will be carried out peacefully and with integrity and that those elected will be honest and able men and women who sincerely have the country’s true and long-term interest in their hearts.
THE WAY FORWARD
1. The work of Prayer United will be coordinated for the moment by an Interim Committee with representations from all major prayer networks present at the meeting on 5 July, 2012. This committee will function until after the Jubilee Celebrations and GE13, when the present set-up will then be reviewed.
2. All communications from PRAYER UNITED will be coordinated by the two Joint Secretaries, Ms. Chrisanne Chin and Rev. Andy Chi, who are respectively in charge of the prayer ministries of CCM and NECF.
3. All communication released would be made available in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Chinese, and Tamil for dissemination to the churches.
We look to you to join us in this spiritual venture of prayer so that all of us will see the Lord’s blessings poured out upon our nation, bringing about a powerful transformation for the good and well-being of all citizens in our land. May our prayers and our lives serve to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ, even as we pray: ‘Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!’ Les us humbly seek God together to ask Him to reveal His glory in Malaysia in our day. Let us also ask Him for grace that we may fulfill His purpose for His church and nation in our generation. May His name be praised and glorified exceedingly in every way!
The Interim Committee, PRAYER UNITED
In the spirit of 2 Chronicles 7:14, we at Intercessors for America sense a renewed call from God to humble ourselves, pray, seek His Face, and turn from our wicked ways. We believe this call is deeply personal and that God wants His people to seek Him with an attitude of repentance.
The prophet Isaiah spoke against wickedness and backsliding among God's people. Still, it was a time when they were going to the temple regularly and fasting. Yet God asked "Is it a fast that I have chosen...?" (Isaiah 58). God then described specifically what He had called them to do, which required a deep personal, self-reflective look at their relationship with Him.
We invite you to join us, as we together seek God's face daily for 21 days, commencing on the anniversary of 9/11 and continuing through 10/1/2013. Each day we will send a brief devotional looking at one aspect of Isaiah 58 and the commitment to which God still calls His people.
How You Can Participate:
• Sign up to receive devotionals for 21 days to encourage you beginning on 9/11 and continuing through 10/1/2013.
Click Here to receive the Daily Emails (http://www.formstack.com/forms/?1550917-JF3YY8fxJJ)
• Set aside quality time each day to pray and seek God's face.
• View our daily devotion through email, on Facebook, Twitter, or on our website: NationalDayofRepentance.org
• Keep a prayer journal for the 21 days and record what the Lord shows you.
• Forward this email to a friend.
We believe setting dedicated time aside and giving up something as a type of fast will be profitable.
Fasting traditionally means abstaining from food for a time period, but God may lead you to fast from other things. We encourage each person participating to pray and ask God to lead you during these 21 days.
Sharing: Each day there will be an opportunity to share what God has spoken to you so that other fellow believers will be encouraged. However, we understand that in some areas, it might be too personal to share publicly what God has revealed to you. We are excited to hear and see how God reveals and draws each of us back to Himself in specific ways during these 21 days of praying and fasting. We believe that He will greatly honor this time.
It is a desperate hour in our nation's history. Repentance is the key that will unlock revival. Please join us!
David Kubal
President/CEO
Intercessors for America
1. Nepal
Thank you so much for your continuous prayer for Nepal and House of Prayer in Nepal. After the WPA, prayer activities have been ongoing on very strongly and it is felt this is the "most need for Nepalese Christian Community". Today, we had discussion with pastors and businessmen and praise the Lord that three prayer groups were formed. Businessmen's prayer day will be on Sunday, businessmen's wives prayer is on Monday, intercessors prayer is on Tuesday and Thursday, and there will be general prayer Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
1. Please pray for us that a House of Prayer will be established in Nepal and for volunteer staff and rental funds.
2. Please pray for House of Prayer to be in every city of Nepal by 2020. I talked with many pastors about House of Prayer. All are agrees that this is God's vision.
3. Please pray for National Board and its members that it will be forming very soon.
Govinda and Sujita
House of Prayer,
Kathmandu, Nepal
2. Democratic Republic of Congo
In Gisenyi, a city in Rwanda next to Goma (DRC), I hold a meeting with church leaders to give them report about the WPA and especially about Children and Youth Programs and about Prayer in Unity. This same meeting is being planned in Goma (DRC). In Goma and in Gisenyi, we are about to develop Prayer Cells.
I believe a mustard seed is sown in this part of both DRC and Rwanda, and God is going to let it grow to a significant wave.
Gatimbirizo Nkundimana
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
3. All Nations Prayer House in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Thank you for the encouraging report on developments of the WPA, and it will surely go further than any man can carry it. The Lord spoke to me that He will take me to 8 nations while I was there in Jakarta. Immediately after the WPA conference within a period of 40 days, that promise was fulfilled and miraculously provided for since I am a full time minister. It was as though I was carrying a torch and lighting fires to many churches to start praying. Amazingly I met one pastor in Switzerland who said he was also there in the WPA conference in Jakarta. Seeing the great cry and need of the people of God to pray, while returning from Europe, the Lord clearly said He wants me to establish a 24-hour prayer house in the city of Kuala Lumpur. I am believing God for the right place and connections and proceed in His timing. Please continue to intercede for the Malaysian revival children to adults must Watch, Catch, Match and March. Remain Blessed.
Rev. Paul Singam
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
A practicing lawyer, Ruth Lew, another WPA participant from Ampang, Malaysia, also intends to start a house of prayer in this city which is part of greater Kuala Lumpur. Believers and leaders from several churches of Ampang just completed a Prayer Advance, August 31-September 1, with approximately 200 taking part. John Robb, IPC Chairman, was asked to speak for it on “Shaping the Future of A Nation through Prayer”, “Catching the Wave: Becoming a House of Prayer for All Nations” and “Investing in the Future: Raising up A Movement of Children and Youth in Prayer”.
It is very encouraging what the Lord is doing to bring churches and prayer ministries together into a united prayer movement in the nation. Some see this as a direct outcome of many Malaysian leaders’ participation in the WPA. Let’s pray that it will spread and deepen throughout the nation!
4. Solomon Islands National House of Prayer
After WPA in Jakarta, I was totally consumed with the passion to start new Houses of Prayer in our five Melanesian nations namely: Fiji, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. These HOP will become the National Power Houses for these nations.
I am a Solomon Islander missionary serving in Australia for 24 years. Now God burdened my heart to start the first National House of Prayer in Melanesia in my own country. Already more than 100 intercessors are praying every week in Honiara. I will move back to Honiara early next year 2013 to prepare the SOLOMON ISLANDS HOUSE OF PRAYER for our international launch in June/July 2013. I am over enthusiastic about this venture because it will represent the 'NEW WAVE' focusing on Prayer, Worship & Mission and will be fully accommodating the three generations, children, youth and adults as intercessors, worshippers and missionaries.
You are invited to join us next year in Honiara at the official launch of this first National House of Prayer in Melanesia.
I am passionately impacted by the WPA and give my whole life and ministry in spreading the me the 'New Wave' message.
Rev. Roy Funu
House of Prayer for All Nations
Sunshine Coast, Queensland Australia
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
5. North East India
It was my great pleasure to have joined the World Prayer Assembly in Jakart. I can say that it was unprecedented historical prayer and intercession gathering in the Christian world...I am already involved 'prayer and intercession movement since 15 years, and we have a 24/7 prayer house in Siliguri, India. When I attended WPA, my focus was enlarged, especially among the children and the youths. Now I am organizing more prayers among the children and also among the pastors, leaders, and youths. Praise God that the 'new wave is flowing' to many nations, and it has to reach out all the nations before Jesus' 2nd coming. Hallelujah! We all coworkers are frequently praying for you and your team members to good wisdom and knowledge to bring His anointing and blessings among the several nations.
Ps. Jiwan Rai
Glory Place Prayer Center
Siliguri, N-E India
Shamir Rai (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
6. Switzerland
It is good to hear from WPA headquarters and to know the New Wave is still spreading around the Globe. I heard about this event through Daniel Lim from IHOP Kansas City. I attended it and was so blessed and ignited with a new fire and faith to dream for Switzerland and Europe. I am dreaming that the Lord would bring such a gathering in Switzerland. God put in my heart to invite all the intercessors of the world to Switzerland and lift up Switzerland and Europe before God for a mighty visitation of God before His coming.
The WPA in Jakarta gave me such a faith to dream and pray and wait for His time. I am blessed, and we are praying fervently for this move. This January, the Lord enabled us to open up a house of prayer in Basel Switzerland. We are excited about the future developments; please pray for us. I am looking forward for the next WPA.
Larwin Nickelson
www.bete.net and Oikos International Church
It really took me by surprise. I was in Jakarta, Indonesia, for the World Prayer Assembly in May and was excited about hearing from prayer leaders around the globe. But by the end of the first day, God had pulled me completely off my focus and onto His. By the end of the week, I couldn’t wait to come back to the States and give myself fully to the task of calling our nation to pray as never before – to passionately pray for the forty days before our elections!
You see, during the course of that week, God sent six different prayer leaders from six different nations to tell me that they had been mobilizing their intercessors to pray for the elections in the United States! Wow, talk about convicting! If Christians in China, India, Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Great Britain were praying for our elections, how could we not? They then graciously posed this question – which I took as a challenge – “Are Christians in America praying?”
As I’ve shared this experience here at home, the response has been incredible. All across the nation, Christian leaders are issuing calls to pray before the elections. Whole denominations, para-church ministries, and individuals are developing powerful websites and tools that point believers to the critical role of prayer. The elections and all of the issues facing our country are obviously a huge touch point and a catalyst to ignite this growing movement to pray.
Ultimately, I believe that God is simply using what’s important to us – the elections, to accomplish what’s important to Him – mobilizing a praying church. His desire is for His people to humble themselves and trust Him to accomplish His purposes in His people. Accordingly, the call to prayer rolling out across the nation is not merely for God to help us select leaders for our country but is a cry of repentance and humility – a plea for revival and longing for righteousness to be established.
I’m convinced that the destiny of our nation is dependent upon the prayer response of the people of God! We must be a people who pray! The call to prayer that America’s National Prayer Committee and many other leaders have issued encompasses and encourages all of the prayer initiatives that we’ve seen the Lord raise up. Simply put, it is a call for all Christians to pray. No programs . . . no required curriculum . . . no big budget . . . just prayer!
As a leader in your church and community, I would like to personally encourage you to raise up a standard with me! For the 40 days between September 28th and November 6th, let’s allow ourselves, our friends, and our congregations to be challenged by the same question that I was asked in May – “Are Christians in America praying?” Let’s get the word out through every means possible, so that millions of Christians in America can join together and answer with one resounding voice, “YES WE ARE!”
May the Lord richly bless your efforts as you lead people to pray!
David Butts
President, Harvest Prayer Ministries
Chairman, National Prayer Committee
P.S. We’ve created a website called 40daysofprayer.net and have made some great tools available to help engage the millions of believers who will be praying for our nation the 40 days prior to the elections – and beyond. Desperate for Change (http://www.40daysofprayer.net/resources/desperate-for-change) is a powerful, non-partisan, Scripture-based prayer guide to use.
Purchase copies of Desperate for Change (http://www.40daysofprayer.net/resources/desperate-for-change) for you, your small group or congregation. The books are available right now so click here to place your order (http://www.prayershop.org/40-Days-of-Prayer-for-America-p/pin-bud-bk-002.htm). Even though online delivery is inexpensive, we’ve found that more people will pray with a hard copy in their hands!
The content of this guide will also be available free of charge online during the 40 days (September 28 - November 6). Receive each day's entry via email/RSS feed. You can sign up today. There are two different sources that will be running the entries during those 40 days: Connection (http://connection.harvestprayer.com/), the daily devotional of Harvest Prayer Ministries (http://www.harvestprayer.com/) and our Blog at this website (http://www.40daysofprayer.net/blog/topic-articles). Click on a link and sign up to receive them. Feel free to put these links on your website and tell others about it via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/prayforelection) or by email.
Note: We would deeply appreciate your prayers for the USA between now and the national election on November 6 for the 3 Rs - revival, righteousness and right leadership.
A woman in Burma spoke to CSW about the horrific devastation the Burma Army has been wreaking on her village. The soldiers have been torturing, raping, and killing the mainly Christian civilians in Kachin State – and leaving churches in ruins along the way.
Burma’s ruling military junta is trying to convince the world that they’re making the country more peaceful and democratic. And it’s true that some changes have been made. But while rape, murder, and destruction of churches is taking place in Kachin and other states, the full story is clearly very different.
Churches Occupied and Destroyed
“Villagers had stored some of their property in the churches, thinking that the church would be safe, but the Burma Army troops took whatever they wanted...They stayed in the church for three days and destroyed almost everything – the leaves for the roof, personal property - and they burned down houses near the church.”
Helen (not her real name) had already fled to a refugee camp by the time we spoke to her. Her village had been invaded by the Burma Army with the troops occupying and destroying both the Roman Catholic and Baptist churches. “We never loot or destroy or disrespect Buddhist pagodas, but they do this with our churches.”
She also told us about the soldiers stealing money and possessions from the villagers. A heavily pregnant nursery teacher had saved 500,000 kyats (US$500) for the baby’s birth, but the troops robbed her of this money. When she pleaded with them to return the money, they gave her back a little but kept the rest.
Continue to pray that the reforming process going on in the central government will be extended to all parts of the nation so there will be an end to this ethnic conflict and mistreatment of minority peoples like the Kachin.
North Korea has been hit by flooding again with a lot of devastation and hardship. The South Korean Red Cross has been providing some relief along with other organizations, but it is still very difficult. To make things more complicated, there are major changes occurring in the economy from wages replacing food distribution in some places to distribution centers selling food. There is also serious inflation in relation to Chinese currency and the price of rice. At the same time, the North Korean central bank has been trying very hard to gather foreign currency, even to selling rice for hard currency.
While we do see economic reforms under way, it is a very difficult time. We can probably expect to see more changes as the new leadership continues to establish itself and look for ways to improve the situation. Keep North Korea in your prayers as it goes through all these changes.