International Days Of Prayer (IDOP) this month
04 Nov 2016
On 6 and 19 November, millions of Christians around the world will unite in prayer for the persecuted church. Approximately 100 million Christians globally face persecution daily. They face routine harassment and often suffer in silence and isolation. Over the years, the IDOP has been a platform to highlight their stories, advocate their plight, and encourage prayer; this brings solidarity and encouragement to persecuted Christians by reminding them that they are part of a larger, global family of believers. We can join millions this Sunday and again on the 19th, and ask the God of the nations to strengthen and deliver His suffering saints. Today we can pray for even more people this year to hear about this initiative, and for those in sorrow to experience triumph in the face of the enemy. Pray that in spite of persecution, wherever they are in the world, our brothers and sisters in Christ will be strong in their faith, holding on to God and His promises.
Syria: keep praying
04 Nov 2016
The Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, flagship of the Russian fleet, entered the Mediterranean last weekend, with a long stream of media interest. It is a symbol of Russia’s intention to influence events in Syria, with its land-based aircraft already there. Between 8 November and 20 January, there is a danger that power in Washington will be at a standstill. It is the time between the next presidential election and his/her inauguration. Key international decisions will not be made during that period. If the US administration changes, its non-interventionist policy may also change. Hillary Clinton supports a no-fly zone over Syria. Donald Trump has many friendly contacts in Russia. We can pray for Russia to resist the temptation to take advantage of America’s season of change, and not to act more aggressively in the region of Aleppo. If the next American president decides to act more forcefully, they could deploy an aircraft carrier to the region within a few days.
Global oppression
04 Nov 2016
23% of the world’s population cannot exercise their most basic rights of expressing views, assembling peacefully or organising meetings independently. Citizens who assert their rights suffer harassment and imprisonment, and are subjected to physical or psychological abuse. In Belarus, President Lukashenko is Europe's last dictator, showing no sign of bowing to Western pressure to relax his grip on the country. Chechnya: former rebel Ramzan Kadyrov heads the Republic and is personally implicated in instances of torture and murdering those opposed to him. In China, human rights activists face imprisonment, detention, torture, commitment to psychiatric facilities, house arrest, and intimidation. Cuba’s government represses individuals and groups who criticise them or call for basic human rights. Other countries which are ruled by force or laws that put unreasonable limits on people’s freedom are Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Laos, Libya, Myanmar, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tibet, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Western Sahara, and Zimbabwe. In almost all of these countries Christians are persecuted, and are often treated worse than any other citizens.
US Christians praying for election
04 Nov 2016
Our American brothers and sisters in Christ are praying for the coming election next Tuesday. Since early voting started last month, there has been a prayer surge through National Prayer Conference Calling, partnering with Christ for Revival. There have been weekly Saturday morning joint prayer meetings across the USA, with the heart of John 17:20-23. Intercessors across America have been making three-hour national conference call prayers in advance of Election Day. We can also cover this election in prayer, interceding for the election of President, members of Congress, the Senate and other elected officials. The apostle Paul linked these prayers to the peace of a nation, ‘that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness’. See also
Zimbabwe: economic crisis looming
04 Nov 2016
Against all financial and economic logic, the Zimbabwean government is about to introduce bond notes into the financial system. Many believe this will wreak havoc with the economy, and that the poor and downtrodden will suffer. Zimbabwe imports 75% of all industrial, manufacturing, agricultural and food requirements. The governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, in his monetary statement published a few days ago, admitted that the state of the country’s financial health is very depressing and disturbing; he stated that it has less than one month’s import cover by way of foreign currency reserves. It will take many, many years before Zimbabwe will be able to re-introduce its own currency. He said, ‘Our national financial situation is dire’. The staple food is maize meal. To import it and other essential goods, hard currency is needed. Bond notes are not hard currency. Some Zimbabwean business-people have decided to take legal action against the introduction of bond notes.
Iraq: Christian minority seeks autonomy
04 Nov 2016
Operation ‘liberate Mosul’ has freed many districts and villages of Nineveh province. People are praying for unity in Iraq in a post-IS era. For the Christian minority residing there, a majority in some areas, the future is uncertain. People are asking whether Christians can survive there, in view of what has happened in neighbouring countries such as Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. That is why some are calling for an autonomous region in the Nineveh plain, traditionally an area where people of different minority faiths have lived in coexistence. The emphasis is on the fate of Iraqi Christians. It is their homeland, and they are not only an indigenous group in the area but one of the oldest - living continuously on their land.
Central African Republic: Seleka v Christians
04 Nov 2016
One correspondent writes: ‘Seleka rebels have changed the course of CAR’s history, through sheer barbarity. Many people expected UN forces to put an end to the suffering, since there is no longer a national army to provide security, but there have been incidents where UN soldiers opened fire on protesters. Our part of town was deserted last night, everyone having fled. It's like being in a battlefield, with sustained gunfire and rockets exploding all around. In one district, there have been clashes between different factions of the Seleka, with leaders killing each other. It's like a story in the Bible where God caused the enemies of Israel to turn their swords against each other. But we do not despair! A number of teaching and training sessions have been held recently in different places, to strengthen the church. The latest was attended by hundreds of church leaders, Christian workers and government authorities. International speakers provided input. The work of rebuilding the CAR church on new spiritual foundations continues.’
Angola is situated in Southern Africa and is the seventh largest country in Africa. As a Portuguese colony, Angola did not encompass its present borders until the early 19th century, following resistance by various ethnic groups. Independence was achieved in 1975 under communist rule backed by the Soviet Union after a liberation war that lasted 14 years. That same year, Angola descended into an intense civil war that lasted until 2002. It has since become a relatively stable, unitary presidential republic.
The 4th April 2002 a peace agreement was signed between the rebel group Unita and the Angolan government, which ended decades of war that devastated the country, killed millions and robbed Angolans of any hope for the future. This was the result of a nationwide prayer movement, involving Christians and encouraged by the participation of IPC teams as part of prayer initiatives held within the country, involving churches and church leaders. Since then peace was fully established and there has been a great move to consolidate peace, stability, national reconciliation, and economic building.
Today, Angola´s economy is among the fastest growing in the world. Small holders and plantations that dramatically dropped because of the Angolan Civil War have begun to recover. The transformation industry that had come into existence in the late colonial period but collapsed at independence, has begun to reemerge with updated technologies, because a new class of Angolan and foreign entrepreneurs has emerged. Similar developments can be verified in the service sector.
In spite of this, the standard of living remains low for the majority of the population, life expectancy and infant mortality rates are among the worst in the world. Angola's economic growth is highly uneven, with the majority of the nation's wealth concentrated in a disproportionately small sector of the population.
Angola had a serious humanitarian crisis, as the result of the prolonged war, drought and minefields. Vast areas fit for agriculture were inaccessible due to the mines placed during the war. Since then, there have been tremendous efforts to clear vast areas for agriculture.
Although the country's economy has developed significantly since it achieved political stability in 2002, mainly thanks to the fast-rising earnings of the oil sector, Angola faces huge social and economic problems. These are in part a result of the almost continual state of conflict from 1961 onwards, although the highest level of destruction and socio-economic damage took place after the 1975 independence, during the long years of civil war.
However, high poverty rates and blatant social inequality are chiefly the outcome of a combination of persistent political authoritarianism, of "neo-patrimonial" practices at all levels of the political, administrative, military, and economic apparatuses, and of a pervasive corruption.
Now the country is undergoing a socio-economic crisis, due to the decrease of price of oil, the main commodity which granted hard currency. There is also a need to deal with cyclic crisis which are the cause of Angola´s reduced population rate apart from war, in proportion with the size of the country.
Politically, the new constitution, adopted in 2010, further sharpened the authoritarian character of the regime. It allows no presidential elections; the president and the vice-president of the political party which wins the parliamentary elections automatically become president and vice-president of Angola.
Roman Catholicism used to be the major religious group, but the 2014 census shows that protestant and evangelical groups have become the majority, and this trend shall continue growing due to the prayer and evangelistic zeal of these groups.
Culturally speaking, the main feature of Angolan culture is the ancestral worship with all its demonic aspects such as: dedication of streets and communities through names, dedicated lands and trees, curses due to sins of forefathers, idolatry, bloodguilt, cultural festivals, etc.
Our people have already witnessed the goodness of our God and what He did in 2002. They are sure that His Mighty Hand is able to change the prevailing situation and bring about transformation and healing, at the same time grant the continuation of consolidation of the already existing peace and reconciliation.
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chr. 7: 14).
Based on this word, we are planning to build up the prayer movement, mobilizing the church, its leadership and intercessors. This move has already started with prayers for the church leadership, churches and existing intercessors to join the movement. Our wish and prayer is the establishment in Angola of a permanent ministry of Strategic Intercession so that the word of (Is. 62: 6-7) becomes a reality: “On your walls, O Jerusalem I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, and give Him no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and make it a praise in the earth”. This, indeed requires a lot of prayer so that the Lord intervenes to bring about change of the prevailing situation and the setting up of solid teaching about Spiritual Warfare, which will grant the basis for continuation of the movement for the generations ahead. Please pray for us so that the Lord helps us attain what is in His heart for Angola and the people of Angola.
David Nkosi
October 21, 2016
- Pray for God to intervene bringing about spiritual unity and understanding among church leaders of various Christian denominations in preparation of the joint prayer effort for the nation.
- Pray for consolidation of the peace and reconciliation obtained in 2002 as the result of the Lord’s answer to prayer.
- Pray for our God’s Mighty Hand to intervene in Angola bringing about transformation and healing in all aspects people and nation life.
- Pray for the building up of a prayer movement, which includes churches, church leaders and intercessors.
- Pray for the establishment in Angola of a permanent Estrategic Intercession, according to (Isa. 62: 6-7), supported by a solid teaching on Intercession and Spiritual Warfare.