Prepare for the UK General election
04 May 2017
It is easy to be a little underwhelmed by this General Election. It is our third big vote and national debate in three years with even more political activity if you live in Northern Ireland or Scotland. We had Brenda from Bristol going nationwide with her complaint - “Oh no not another one." Early days have seen repetitive slogans, and it seems people are finding it hard to engage.
But we believe this is a key step in God’s plans for our nations. We are expecting a great move of God. Therefore, this next government will enable a time of harvest. The election comes four days after Pentecost - that great celebration of God’s spirit breaking out of the upper room and into the streets of Jerusalem. Paul makes the link in those well-known verses from I Timothy 2 - "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” God’s plan is that we have the right people in authority to enable people to be saved.
We need to pray - for God’s sovereign will and purpose. God is placing an opportunity in our hands to bless our nations. Please encourage your friends and your church to pray. Just as the political parties stir up people to canvas and promote their issues we should be stirring people to pray. We include some prayer pointers below and will release more themes and links to resources and key websites in these coming weeks. Every election is contested spiritually and this is no exception, Satan will be resolute in resisting God’s sovereign purpose. God calls us to partner with him to bless where we live locally and bless our nations.
Lord may we have a debate and discussion in our nations and through the media that reflects what is on Your heart.
Pray for:
- All those elected in the local and Mayoral elections today (4th May) that they will be granted wisdom and clear direction for the way ahead.
- Every political party as they select General Election candidates before the deadline of 11 May. Praying for candidates of good character.
- Christians standing for election, to know your peace, and walk close with you in this busy and demanding time.
- God’s mercy and protection on our nations. Keep us safe from terrorist attack and from the fear terrorists bring. Bless our police and intelligence services, give them divine understanding.
- Unity within the Body of Christ. Help us to disagree with respect, Your heart is for unity - let Your church be filled with your grace and compassion.
In His mercy God has called us to pray - “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” in homes, communities, workplaces, churches and cathedrals across our nations before this election. It is God’s heart for our nations - your will be done. Amen
Pray Thy Kingdom Come
04 May 2017
It is our joy and privilege as Trustees, team and supporters of World Prayer Centre to be involved in planning and taking part in the Archbishop's call to the Church in the nation and the nations to pray 'Thy Kingdom Come' 10 days prior to Pentecost.
As we have shared, planned and prayed into this call, we increasingly realise the weightiness of praying this prayer and felt it right to share our thoughts with you simply because if we pray for ‘His Kingdom’ to come then other kingdoms have to make way for it. As in the natural a country cannot have two kings, so in the spiritual.
As Christians, through the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ Jesus, we have been taken from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light, God's Kingdom. As we pray on the 25th May and for the ten days that follow, 'Thy Kingdom Come' then we are inviting the Kingdom of heaven into our lives, our families and friends, our church, the health service, the Government, our education system, our media and arts and the business community.
To pray 'Thy Kingdom Come' is asking God our Father by His Spirit, to come into every area of society so that the light of Christ in us - His body - will dispel the kingdom of darkness and all the evil it represents from every area of our society.
As we pray 'Thy Kingdom come' we are praying for righteousness, truth, love, hope, wisdom, justice and peace to come, all of which the kingdom of darkness despises and hates. At a time when we are constantly bombarded with the evil outworkings of that kingdom, what a privilege to demonstrate through our united praying, our words and actions, that light has overcome the darkness and always will.
We are in a battlefield, we are not fighting people, we are fighting powers and rulers of this kingdom of darkness. Our confidence is that the cross has won the field. We stand in unity with you, praying to see His Kingdom come, His will being done across our nation and the nations.
Ian Cole, Founder of WPC
30 days of Prayer for the Muslim World
03 May 2017
Over the past 25 years, millions of Christians have joined together across denominations & cultures to pray in over 23 languages for Muslim people during Ramadan using the 30 Days of Prayer guide.
Would you like to join us?
30 Days of Prayer aims to:
• help Christians gain a better understanding about Muslim people, their faith and their various, diverse cultures;
• see an increase in efforts to respond with love and compassion to the needs of Muslims around the world;
• see a greater interest in Jesus among Muslim peoples.
For more info & to order guides visit http://www.30daysprayer.org.uk
The largest prayer meeting in African history
03 May 2017
Saturday, April 22, 2017, saw the biggest prayer gathering in South African history as close to two million people gathered from all parts of South Africa to pray. The event was held on a farm just north of Bloemfontein which is centrally located in South Africa.
Some 1.7 million people registered on-line to attend this historic occasion and thousands more arrived on the day. The multi-racial crowd spread over more than a kilometer relayed onto multiple large screens and many kilometers of cabling for the sound system.
Popular South African farmer/evangelist, and subject of the book and film, “Faith Like Potatoes”, Angus Buchan called for a nation-wide prayer meeting in the light of the current spiritual and socio-political decline evident in the nation. The event was called, “It’s Time”
Buchan said, “We are tired of people taking the law into their own hands. We are going to call upon The Lord to bring justice, peace and hope to our beloved South Africa. He says ‘If my people who are called by My name’ -- that is you and I, so I want to ask you to pray for us.”
As people kept on streaming to Wilde Als farm near Bloemfontein for the It's Time prayer meeting, organizers were forced to delay the start of proceedings by more than an hour due to people still coming to the venue in large numbers.
Prayer Time Replicated Throughout the Nation
The prayer time was duplicated in hundreds of town and suburbs around the nation. Prayer meetings, for those who couldn't get to Bloemfontein were held in churches, rented halls and homes around South Africa. No television broadcasts were allowed, but Christians around the country followed the event from the social media posts of their friends. Busses and airplanes were chartered for the event.
Despite the magnitude of the event there was no television advertising and little news coverage beforehand. Farmers in the area opened their farms to hundreds of thousands of campers at no cost. Gridlock was reported for up to 40 kilometres (25 miles) away and the event was delayed for an hour and a half to allow more to arrive.
A declaration for Europe
03 May 2017
After the publicity this week, we continue to declare:
“know also that wisdom is like honey for you. If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off”
Proverbs 24:13,14
We thank You that You desire all the nations of Europe shall have a future and a hope, so in the Name of Jesus, we decree right, fair and just outcomes for the United Kingdom and all the nations of Europe as Brexit is negotiated. We declare as Your people pray, You will do more than we ask or think.
We speak Godly authority, Godly wisdom and creative ideas to Theresa May, David Davis, Liam Fox and Boris Johnson. In the Name of Jesus, we decree and declare every agreement, relationship, covenant, bill or treaty that was for the last season will be replaced and renewed according to Your perfect will. We decree immigration, trade, and justice policies will be set according to Your purpose and plan and we call forth Your strategy for every aspect of Brexit.
We stand as Your Ecclesia, and we silence every voice of the enemy to bring fear, intimidation or confusion at this time and we speak peace to the storm which has been stirred through media.
We declare according to Psalm 22:28 “the kingship and the kingdom are the Lord’s and He rules over the nations”
Source: Passion for the Nation
A Mile with Jesus
03 May 2017
Launched on the 25th March 2017, we are aiming to see at least one church per day encourage their congregation walk 'A Mile with Jesus' over the next two years. We are trying to see one church in every postcode area of the UK take part. To date we have had 30 churches from across the UK take part.
The vision came to our Neighbourhood Prayer Network, prayer co-ordinator at the end of a 2 week period of fasting in October 2015. As she was praying she said to God, ' I will go a mile with you.'
She felt the Holy Spirit respond saying, as many as will go a mile with Him, He will go with them.
People have had profound encounters with God as they have walked a mile, or for those unable to do a physical mile, sat at home with a map.
When I personally did several miles with Jesus, I felt God asking me to pray for people I would not normally pray for (silently) and He also told me to look around at all the people that I saw and He told me that He didn't want just some of these people 'saved' but for every last person I could see, to come into relationship with Him. He reminded me of the scripture, 'the Harvest is plentiful, the workers are few, pray for Lord to send more workers into the field.'
My heart attitude to people I might normally walk by without much thought was changed as God reminded me of the love he has for all people without exception. This experience has had a lasting impact on me as I now pray for my heart to be open to loving people more.
'A Mile with Jesus' is also intended to prepare the ground for the HOPE 2018 year of mission where denominational leaders have pledged to aim to see church growth of 10% next year.
Our partners for this are HOPE, World Prayer Centre, Pray for Scotland, National Weekend of Prayer, National Day of Prayer and Worship and 24-7 prayer. Our partnerships are expanding.
One of the things we hope to see is people who would not normally take part in prayer walks joining in. We have written a prayer guide with these people in mind.
Some church leaders have commented that this is something fairly easy to encourage people to do.
To take part
1. Choose a date for your church and sign up at www.neighbourhoodprayer.net/amilewithJesus
2. Decide if you are just going to encourage people to walk a mile on this date as they go to work etc, or if you want to do it as a church altogether...
3. If you want prayer pointers, order our resource 'A Mile with Jesus' from www.resourcesforchurch.com
4. Consider asking other churches to join and get any feedback from people's prayer times that might reveal something God is saying specifically to Your church.
We are keen for churches to sign up in July and August as this part of the calendar is hard to fill with holidays.
If your Church would like to get involved, Click Here to Sign Up.
We've produced a great 36 page, full colour, Prayer Guide to complement A Mile with Jesus,and it's available in single copies, Digital Download or as a Church Pack of 15 with Free P&P.
Originally designed for those with little or no experience of prayer walking, seasoned prayer-walkers have also said how much they have enjoyed using it!
On Friday the 21th of April a group of Taliban attacked a large Afghan Army base close to the Northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif. The Taliban were dressed as soldiers and then killed more than 140 Afghan soldiers and wounded many others. Today is a national day of mourning in the country. Just on 8th of March Islamic State gunmen dressed as medics attacked a Kabul military hospital in one of the safest areas of the city. About 50 people are said to have died as militants armed with guns, grenades and knives targeted patients and staff at the 400 bed hospital. It looks like the Taliban and IS terrorists can hit any place they chose. This attacks have shown how bad the security is in Afghanistan and the increasing strength of the Taliban and IS.
Please continue to pray that these terror organisations would be stopped and finally defeated. These are huge blows against the Afghan Army that has suffered already heavy causalities in the last year. Pray for wisdom and courage for the Afghan government and Army. God has to step in and rescue this country from its cruel enemies! Pray for the Christian humanitarian organizations serving the Afghan people at this great time of need. Pray for their protection and favor in the eyes of the government. Pray that they make bear effective witness and that many will be drawn to Christ through their loving efforts.
Please see this wonderful, Christ-like and moving response to the bombings of the Coptic churches by a Coptic priest. What a testimony and loving attitude.