The Prayer Covenant for Children
31 Jan 2020
Luke 11 opens with the disciples’ simple request, Lord teach us to pray. Since its first publication in 2014, when Tom Victor invited us to launch this book at the 4/14 Best Practices Conference in NYC, God has used The Prayer Covenant for Children to share the gospel message and disciple the hearts of children while teaching them to pray. As children experience the power of answered prayer, they are excited, their faith is strengthened, and they want to pray more.
Prayer is one of the most important spiritual disciplines we can teach our children because prayer nurtures their relationship with Jesus and produces faith that will last a lifetime. The more time they spend with Jesus, the more they become like Jesus—full of his grace, love, compassion and forgiveness. In becoming more like Jesus, they begin to see the world through his eyes and are burdened for those around them. Daily they are praying, “Use me for your glory and to invite others to follow you.” And Jesus is answering their prayers. It is why we have partnered with Go2020 and are excited to see this untapped harvest force being used by God to reach the world for Christ.
God is using The Prayer Covenant to facilitate a movement of prayer and evangelism among children and youth worldwide. As children embark on this prayer journey, they are experiencing God in powerful ways. They are learning how to obey him and respond to the promptings of his Holy Spirit.
Learning to listen is something children are discovering as they grow in a lifestyle of prayer. Our listening to God is as important as our prayers. He speaks through his Word, and often through the gentle promptings of his Holy Spirit. Young Samuel in the Bible learned to discern his voice and God was able to use him to lead a nation.
The mission of The Prayer Covenant is our passion: leading children and adults to follow Jesus through the power of the Prayer Covenant. As we are equipping children with this tool, God is miraculously working in and through them in powerful ways. We have reached over 4 million children in 53 countries worldwide— 4 million children following Jesus together! 4 million children learning to hear and obey his voice!
The Prayer Covenant is not just about establishing a lifestyle of prayer, but about raising life-long disciples of Jesus Christ. It is not just a prayer to pray for the sake of praying, it is an active prayer, seeking results in our lives.
Dear heavenly Father,
Thank you for loving me and making me one of your children.
Help me love and obey you.
Help me love others the way you love me.
I am sorry for my sins. Wash me clean.
I will praise you with my whole heart!
Jesus, I want to follow you as my Lord. Change me any way you want.
Fill me with your Holy Spirit. I want to know your plans for me.
Make me a messenger of your grace, truth and justice.
Use me for your glory and to invite others to follow you.
In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Manjeet Kaur, from North India, is fruit of the Sunday school where she learned about Jesus Christ through The Power of the Prayer Covenant for Children. Our leader there shared:
“Manjeet was born and brought up in a Hindu family. Being Hindu they used to worship idols and believing all rituals. Her father used to drink and always fought with her mother and beat her. Once our coach visited her house and invited her to Sunday school. For one year Manjeet attended regularly and learned about Jesus and received him into her life. She invited her teacher to come to her house and talk with her father. He prayed for her father and said, ‘Jesus will give you living water if you will believe in Him.’ After listening, her Father responded positively and showed interest to know more about Jesus. A few days later her father left his drinking habit and believed in Jesus Christ. His life has changed and is experiencing the true peace only Jesus can give. Their entire family has become Christ followers.”
One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty…. Psalm 145:4,5
Together let us seize the eternally purposed opportunity to lead our hearts and the hearts of our children directly to all that is true and good: to Christ Himself.
Candy Marballi – IPC Leadership Team
www.theprayercovenant.org/children/index.html
Pray for Zero – Printable Prayer Card
31 Jan 2020
In 2019 over 300 people groups received the Bible in their language for the first time!
Brothers and sisters within the International Prayer Council network this would not have happened without your prayers, thank you!
Pray for ZERO Movement 2020 is partnering with Youth With a Mission, GO2020 and another 120 ministries to mobilize 1 million intercessors for the 2,000 Unreached Bibleless peoples of the world.
Within this flood of prayer we are looking especially for those who would Prayer Walk amongst the Unreached Bibleless.
There are currently 197 countries where the Bibleless currently exist, so there is much opportunity for those willing to partner. In December 800 missionaries were sent to prayer walk amongst 292 Unreached Bibleless peoples!
Please download and pray into the new Pray for ZERO Card 2020 and if you interested in creatively designed prayer walk resources as well as more information about contributing to the goal of 2,020 prayer walks in 2020, then please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Thank you!
Download the Pray for Zero Prayer Card HERE
Adopt an unreached people group. Intercede for the Bibleless. Visit www.prayforzero.com #prayforZERO
Australia blessed by rain
30 Jan 2020
Human nature is more interested in bad news than good. Hence news media seemed to almost delight in Australia 'burning' with many phenomenal pictures, hysterical headlines and apocalyptic analyses. In recent days, though, there has been some welcome good news and yet, to a large extent, this is buried away in mid-page columns, if reported at all. I guess 'Australia being blessed by rain' is not as dramatic as 'Australia burning in hell'. Many fires are still ongoing, but there have been some remarkable stories and pictures of the effect of the much prayed for rain. Jeremiah 14:22 tells us that only the Lord brings rain. Gloucester in New South Wales ran out of water, after four years of drought; then in seven days, they had over 100mm of water. The effect is dramatic. What was dead and barren has sprung to life with what one farmer called 'rapid growth'.
More non-evangelical Americans ‘born again’
30 Jan 2020
Just as more Americans are becoming religiously unaffiliated, there is another shift happening on the religious spectrum. More people today say they are ‘born again’ than at any point in the past three decades. While significant portions of the country jettison religion, others are increasingly identifying with a more devout expression of the faith. Across segments of Christianity - not just evangelical Protestants - Americans are heeding the scriptural call that ‘you must be born again’ (John 3:7), even when the label has not historically been part of their faith traditions. 60% of black Protestants claimed to be born again in 1988, now it’s 80%. The increase for evangelicals was 68% to 78% during the same time period. Also, across all Christian traditions, including mainline denominations and Roman Catholics, the born-again identity is trending up.
Bishops differ on sexual relationships
30 Jan 2020
The CofE's bishops appear to be at war after some distanced themselves from a statement reiterating a longstanding Christian teaching that sex is for male-female marriage only. The Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek, said that she was ‘deeply frustrated and saddened’ by the way the statement was published. She continued, ‘I recognise that it has fanned into flame unnecessary pain and distress and I wish to acknowledge my part in that’. In the House of Bishops’ document responding to the introduction of mixed-sex civil partnerships, they wrote, ‘For Christians, marriage - that is, the lifelong union between a man and a woman, contracted with the making of vows - remains the proper context for sexual activity. Sexual relationships outside heterosexual marriage are regarded as falling short of God's purposes for human beings. The introduction of same sex marriage has not changed the church's teaching on marriage or same sex relationships.’
Salvation Army challenges Government
30 Jan 2020
Thousands of Salvation Army members, officers and supporters are joining forces to warn the Government that, unless urgent action is taken, it is on course to break a manifesto pledge on rough sleeping. The pledge was to end rough sleeping by the end of this Parliament, but since 2010 there has been a 165% increase in people sleeping on the streets. The church and charity has called on its members, officers, employees and supporters in England to ask their local MP to lobby Government to prioritise funding to tackle homelessness. The campaign coincides with a recent poll which found that 68% of the public did not think the Government would deliver on its commitment to end rough sleeping. Anyone can take part in the campaign by going to the Salvation Army campaign page:
UK prayer survey
30 Jan 2020
57% of UK adults say they never pray, and only 12% say they pray at least once a day. By contrast, 49% of Americans say they pray every day. Despite Britain’s concerns about the Brexit future, people are not responding in prayer. Global phenomena like secularisation, immigration, and technological development are overhauling the UK Church, and for every Anglican church in London that closed its doors between 2016 and 2020 more than three Pentecostal churches were launched. British churches are struggling to retain members, but churches with strong African and Asian immigrant bases are growing. As the demography of faith changes, prayer trends are changing too. The increase of prayer in London may point to growing Pentecostal and immigrant-operated churches, but a large share of British Muslims live there also. Muslims are Britain’s most prayerful faith community.
Franklin Graham deemed ‘unacceptable’
30 Jan 2020
Franklin Graham is scheduled to preach the gospel in eight cities across the United Kingdom later this year, but one of those stops is now in jeopardy after the venue cancelled the 12 June booking over his biblical views on LGBTQ issues. ACC Liverpool, an arena and conference centre, said, ‘Over the past few days we have been made aware of a number of Graham’s statements which we consider to be incompatible with our values. In light of this we can no longer reconcile the balance between freedom of speech and the divisive impact this event is having in our city. We have informed the organisers of the event that the booking will no longer be fulfilled.’ Graham, though, said that everyone is welcome. ‘The Gospel is inclusive, I'm not coming out of hate, I'm coming out of love.’ A Change.org petition that labelled Graham a ‘homophobic hate preacher’ had gathered more than 350 signatures as of 28 January.