(From the Iraq-Syria Update by Robert Lee Maginnis
Author of 2015 book by Defender: Never Submit: Will The Extermination Of Christians Get Worse Before It Gets Better?)
APRIL, 2016
- Syrian peace talks unravel. Peace talks in Geneva to end Syria's civil war seem all but finished after the main opposition body, the High Negotiations Committee, decided to formally suspend its participation, Deutsche Welle reported April 20. A Western diplomat close to the situation said an end to talks now would be devastating, adding that they might not restart for at least a year. The opposition's announcement followed reports that airstrikes in Syria's Idlib province on April 19 killed more than 40 civilians. The U.S. State Department said the Syrian government was likely responsible for the airstrikes. Opposition delegates said they refuse to participate in negotiations while reports surface of government troops violating the country's crumbling cease-fire. With heavy fighting throughout the country, the cease-fire seems to be at its breaking point, and rebel leaders are openly calling for more arms support from outside backers. For its part, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the High Negotiations Committee of blackmail for walking out of negotiations and used the opportunity to call for other opposition groups to participate in the talks.
Please pray that the Syrian peace talks and ceasefire will get back on track and that the recent violations will be stopped.
- ISIS and Boko Haram collaborate more closely. The New York Times reports that American officials claim ISIS and Nigeria’s Boko Haram terror network are collaborating more closely and planning more attacks on American allies in North and Central Africa. On Wednesday, the commander of American special operations forces in Africa cited a weapons convoy believe to belong to ISIS in Libya that was headed for the Lake Chad region, an area devastated by Boko Haram. Officials said the convoy demonstrates a direct link between the two extremist groups. That shipment was seized near the Chadian border with Libya on April 7.
Pray that links between terror groups will be cut off and that their plans to attack will be discovered and foiled.
- Chaos continues in Iraqi parliament reshuffle dispute. Chaos continues in Iraq's parliament amid an ongoing fight over Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's proposed Cabinet reshuffle, NRT reported April 20. Speaker Salim al-Jabouri canceled the parliament's April 20 session, disregarding a recent vote by a number of protesting lawmakers to replace him. At the same time, Kurdish party blocs announced a boycott of all parliamentary sessions until they deem the parliament once again legitimate. The al-Ahrar bloc, a group of Shiite parties affiliated with powerful Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, also said it would not attend any parliamentary sessions… The political drama, coupled with the country's deep financial woes, comes during a critical time in the battle against the Islamic State.
Pray for the unity and stabilization of the Iraqi government and that they will be successful in their military effort against ISIS.
- Iraqi anti-ISIS efforts stumble, Pentagon wants to come to the rescue. The Military Times reports the Pentagon is finalizing plans to deploy more American ground troops to support Iraq’s offensive to retake Mosul. That plan is headed for the White house. “The timing is focused on the next phase of the campaign, which is towards Mosul,” Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said. Dunford declined to provide a number of additional troops but unnamed defense officials reported indicate those numbers are closer to 5,000. There are now officially 3,870 U.S. personnel authorized for the counter-ISIS effort in Iraq.
- ISIS targets Germany for Brussels-style attacks. Reuters reports that ISIS posted pictures on the Internet calling on German Muslims to carry out Brussels-style attacks in Germany and especially Chancellor Angela Merkel’s offices at the Cologne-Bonn airport. The ISIS images published in German media outlets on Thursday included slogans in German inciting local Muslims to commit violence against the “enemy of Allah.” A German federal police spokeswoman said, “We are aware of this material and our experts are checking it. It is clear that Germany is the focus of international terrorism and that attacks could happen, but this material doesn’t change our security assessment.”
Pray that any intended attacks on Germany or other nations will be found out and overthrown.
- Obama rallies support to keep ISIS from obtaining nuclear material. Bloomberg reports that President Obama is using the nuclear summit in Washington to call for stepped-up efforts to keep ISIS from obtaining nuclear material perhaps for a radiological bomb attack. Bloomberg reports that Obama’s call comes after investigators into ISIS’ attacks last year in Paris found surveillance footage of a senior official at the Nuclear Research Center in Belgium, the nation where 32 victims were killed in a series of attacks on March 22. U.S. officials told Bloomberg ISIS leaders have the intent to use any weapon they can to murder or create fear but, according to those officials, ISIS doesn’t currently have the capability to deploy nuclear or radiological weapons such as a “dirty bomb.”
Pray that terrorists will be unable to get access to weapons of mass destruction whether nuclear, chemical or biological.
- ISIS inside the Saudi kingdom. The New York Times reports about a growing ISIS-influenced insurgency inside the kingdom. This shouldn’t be surprising because ISIS embraced elements of Saudi Arabia’s conservative version of Islam – a Sunni creed known as Wahhabism. “Wahhabism is fundamental to the Islamic State’s ideology,” said Cole Bunzel, a scholar of Wahhabi history at Princeton University. “It informs the character of their religion and is the most on-display feature, in my opinion, of their entire ideology.” There have been at least 20 ISIS-inspired terrorist episodes in Saudi Arabia since late 2014 and in each case the ISIS terrorists claimed Saudi Arabia practiced a corrupted version of the faith
- Merging ISIS and AQ franchises into greater global menace? Foreign Affairs reports that our so-called terrorism experts keep misjudging groups like al Qaeda. John Brennan, the president’s Homeland Security and Counterterrorism advisor, said in 2012 “we can look ahead and envision a world in which the al Qaeda core is simply no longer relevant.” This February James Clapper, director of National intelligence, painted a bleak picture of the newly resurgent al Qaeda alongside the expansionist ISIS as a global threat. Clapper admitted in Senate testimony, al Qaeda has “proven resilient and are positioned to make gains in 2016.” Clapper went on to describe ISIS as “the preeminent terrorist threat because … its branches and emerging branches in other countries, and its increasing ability to direct and inspire attacks against a wide range of targets around the world.” The Foreign Affairs piece speculations that over the next few years al Qaeda and ISIS might reunite or “at least have entered into some form of alliance or tactical cooperation.” Why? Consider the following that might drive the groups together. (1) ideological similarities between ISIS and al Qaeda and they share the same enemies – Western democratic kafur/infidels, (2) their differences are over clashing egos not substance, (3) they share the same strategy – resurrection of the caliphate and establishment of the Islamic State, and (4) reuniting has been a regular feature of the behavior and rhetoric of both sides.
Pray that no alliance of ISIS, Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups will be possible. May they be thrown into confusion, division and defeat!
- West African group pledges to ISIS. The Long War Journal reports that the Islamic State West Africa (ISWA), also known as Boko Haram, reaffirmed its allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. In a video message an ISWA spokesman said the “steadfastness of the monotheists” and that the “enemies of Allah the Almighty hold conferences and meetings to come up with a solution for the hole into which they fell, thinking that they can rescue their proxies and allies from the assault of the soldiers of the caliphate.” The ISWA spokesman promises his group will inflict harm on their enemies in “Nigeria, the Niger border, Cameroon, or Chad.” The spokesman also lambasted the Nigerian government for claiming “victory is imminent” over the jihadist group. “Neither the disbelievers nor their apostate henchmen were able to extinguish the light of Allah, so they rushed to use trumpets of hypocrisy from among media personnel and journalists to achieve what they can of fake victory.”
- Giant Islamic “gray zone” in Europe etc. The Gatestone Institute published an article musing just how large is the Muslim “gray zone” in Europe today. The term “gray zone” originated in the 1970s when Europe was terrorized by communist groups and the big question when was “How deep is the ‘gray zone’?” – the sympathizers of terrorism. Peggy Noonan speculates in the Wall Street Journal that perhaps 10% of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims harbor feelings of grievance toward “‘the West,’ or desire to expunge the infidel, or hope to re-establish the caliphate.” That translates into 160 million who would become jihadi or give them aid. It is noteworthy a BBC commissioned report found 27% of British Muslims have sympathy for the terrorists who attacked the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris and another poll released by Newsweek found 16% of French Muslims support ISIS. The most enthusiasm for ISIS comes from Qatar with 47% and Pakistan with 35%. Worse for Europe, among young European Muslims support for suicide bombings range from 22% in Germany to 42% in France, according to a Pew poll.
Let’s continue to pray for the overthrow of ISIS and other radical groups like Boko Haram and Al Shabab. Pray for the peace and healing of Syria and Iraq and that the international coalition will be successful in its military, social media, and other actions to effectively counter this growing terrorist menace to our world. Pray that radical Muslims are unable to get their hands on weapons of mass destruction and that the intelligence community will be able to track and interdict any such intentions. Pray too that many of today’s terrorists will be converted by the power of God through visions, dreams and the courageous sharing of the Gospel by believers with whom they come into contact. May Sauls become Pauls and become mighty missionaries to the Muslim world!
We in the IPC are deeply involved in putting on the UPRISING: World Youth Prayer Assembly this July 26-29 in South Korea. Up to 2000 on-fire young people (under 35 generation) are expected to come from around the world to pray for their generation, get connected with one another, and become His movers and shakers to mobilize others of their generation in their own nations and regions for Christ’s global mission. These next generation leaders will become change-agents in all the Seven Mountains, including business, media, the arts, and other walks of life besides serving in church and missions leadership. We anticipate the WYPA being an ignition point for a developing global youth prayer and mission movement that will grow to a much larger gathering in Indonesia in 2018 (up to one million)
Please pray that the right youth and young adults will hear about the WYPA and be able to come from every region of the world to take part. Intercede for the organizing team and for those working on the program. Pray too for the provision of the remaining funding that is needed for this epic event for the next generation.
Here are two additional things you can do that will greatly help the cause:
- Please introduce the WYPA to any under-35 youth and young adults with a heart for serving the Lord in your network, sharing the attached video and information below and asking them to consider joining us in South Korea.
- Share the UPRISING with older generation people that have a heart for the next generation, the fulfillment of the Great Commission, and the raising up of new leadership for His purposes worldwide through the international prayer movement. We would welcome their involvement in participating in South Korea as mentors. Also, there are significant financial needs to be met and we would greatly value yours and their financial support which can be given through the website below.
Here is the latest brief video that our young UPRISING colleagues have produced and their message and registration information is also attached.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwymdPyVARk
Message from the UPRISING planning team:
Our generation has lost so much already. Day after day, immorality kills our conscience, violence destroys our peace, and selfishness steals our compassion.
Now is the time to say, "Enough!" Now is the time to take a stand. NOW IS THE TIME.
Join the rising up of our generation as we take back what is rightfully ours. Join the warriors who will engage in battle on our knees. Join the UPRISING!
UPRISING 2016 July 26-28 Ilsan Kwanglim, Ilsan, South Korea July 29 Nuri Peace Park, DMZ, South Korea
REGISTER NOW! www.unitedprayerrising.com For inquiries, contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Watch out for the Conference Schedule and Recommended Accommodation to be available at the website very soon!
Blessings,
UPRISING Team
Over this last month, we have seen incredible momentum build toward Together 2016. Partnerships have grown and more ministries are jumping on board. Jesus is showing up in amazing ways. We want to fill you in on more exciting ways you can be part of Together 2016 and remind you of our upcoming monthly ministry partner call.
How you can be part of Together
Get a free promo kit
Let us equip you with all the tools needed to spread the word about Together 2016 with your network. Flyers and posters are all included in our new promo kits. Request a kit at reset2016store.com and only pay for shipping!
Volunteer
Putting on an event of such size requires many hands. Over 5,000 volunteers are needed to make Together 2016 run smoothly. Sign-up your ministry group for a shift of volunteering and be part of the day. See the different volunteer opportunities at reset2016.com/volunteer.
10,000 NEXT Opportunities
Our hope is to provide 10,000 young leaders with internships and next-step oppportunities after Together 2016. Does your ministry offer programs in U.S. missions, global missions, or internships? Register at reset2016.com/next the opportunities your ministry has for those who feel called into a season of service.
Monthly Ministry Partner Call
Join our monthly ministry leader call to hear Together updates and provide your own input or ask questions!
Ministry leader call will be Thursday, April 7, at 10AM (CST).
Here's the information for joining the video call: Go to http://campusrenewal.zoom.us/j/814337982 (the software takes about a minute to download) OR join by phone: 415.762.9988 Meeting ID: 814.337.982
Praying with you,
The Together Team
On May 5, hundreds of thousands will be praying on the National Day of Prayer for this kind of change. Some will gather in Washington, D.C.; others will be at more than 40,000 smaller gatherings scattered throughout the nation. We encourage you to go to their website (www.nationaldayofprayer.org) and find a prayer event near you. We are partnering with them to pray for revival and spiritual awakening to sweep our nation.
Prepare Yourself
Immediately following the National Day of Prayer, we will launch our Together 40-Day Fast. From May 6 to June 14, we will fast and pray as a way to “prepare ourselves” for the gathering in Washington, D.C. on July 16. You can download a prayer guide at www.reset2016.com/prayer. Please encourage your friends and church to join you in an extraordinary time of seeking Jesus.
Here are some prayer requests for this month:
- We are now less than four months away from the July 16 event. Just imagine all the details that need to come together to host a million people on the Mall! Please pray for continued favor with the National Park Service, as well as coordination with vendors, production teams, and all who will serve in some way.
- National exposure to Together is increasing. Pray that the event will be portrayed accurately, the message is clear, and that God will guard against negative backlash.
- The media campaign for Together is ramping up. Pray that television ads (especially on The Voice on NBC) will be effective in drawing people to the website. Pray for the Spirit to prompt viewers to desire to join this movement of unifying around Jesus.
- Pray that the use of social media, the Together website, and other means of communication will be effective in encouraging a million people to come on July 16.
- Pray for pastors and churches to get behind Together and promote it to their congregations (and sign up your church at reset2016.com/churches).
- We are praying in advance for the weather on July 16 to be conducive for a million people to spend the day on the Mall—praying, worshiping, and being together around a vision for Jesus.
- As division in our nation seems to grow, pray for an increased desire for a history-changing moment in the way that matters most—Jesus!
Carol Madison
Together 2016
34 13th Ave NE, Suite B001
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Let’s pray for the Together 2016 leadership team and for His wisdom, guidance and unity as the move towards the gathering of up to one million on the Washington Mall to pray for a reset of the USA on July 16. Pray for effective mobilization and a terrific response from praying believers from across the country that will take part.
HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN JAPAN:
Although I am of full Japanese ancestry, I am a third-generation (“sansei”) American and thus not fully versed in Japanese history or language. However, I have lived in Japan for 4 years and have ministered there for over 20 years.
I begin by quoting Shusaku Endo (1923-1996), probably the most famous Christian novelist in Japan, who has called Japan a “swamp” that “sucks up all…ideologies (including Christianity), transforming them into itself and distorting them in the process” (Silence, xix). Christian missionaries often call Japan, a “graveyard of missionaries,” for despite the absence of legal restrictions on evangelism in the 20th century and the valiant efforts of generations of missionaries, Japan remains merely 1-2% Christian. Why?
THE MARTYRS:
At one time, Christianity, in revival, flourished in Japan, but largely during the 17th and 18th centuries, a massive martyrdom of Christians, which we would call today “genocide,” took place under shogun rulers. In 1638 in Shimabara, over 30,000 Christians were murdered. Over time, some say 100-200,000 Christians were killed (men, women and children), often by crucifixion, some by burning at the stake, others by “anazuri” which is being hung upside down over a pit and slowly bled to death. In most cases, Christians were challenged to trample on a “fumie,” a crude carving or drawing of Jesus. If they refused, torture and martyrdom ensued. Satan ruled.
During the Tokugawa era, this was reinforced by the concept of “gonin gumi” which was a form of collective responsibility for spiritual deviation as Christians. This was part of the “sakokujidai” or closed Japan ideology. Christianity, the foreign religion, was extinguished.
NAGASAKI ATOMIC BOMB:
However, once Christianity was allowed again, revival broke out in what was called the East Asian revival where thousands turned to Jesus. Then on 9 August 1945, unintentionally, Nagasaki became a target for the atomic bomb and as the pilots flew over the city, the clouds parted exposing an enticing target -- St. Mary’s Urakami Cathedral, the center of revival. The church (during holy communion) became “ground zero”! With 12,000 baptized members, over 8,500 died as a direct result of the A bomb. Again, a revival was extinguished.
I believe firmly that under the altar of God in heaven, there are tens of thousands of Japanese martyrs, wearing white robes, who have “been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they maintained” (Rev 6:9-11).
“SPIRITUAL FORCES OF EVIL” IN JAPAN:
Paul wrote clearly, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph 6:12)
No different from any other nation, the devil and his cohorts has been battling for total control over the Japanese. “Forces of evil” are working through human agencies. Through deception (Rev 13:14; 20:8,10), the devil has perpetrated four colossal evil lies (Jn 8:44) in Japan:
- Christianity is a foreign religion and has to be eradicated completely. Christians are the enemy. Christianity is non-Japanese, a pernicious import. Japan must be closed to foreigners. When asked if they are Christians, Japanese often respond, “No. I am Japanese!”
- The basis of Japanese society is communal loyalty and therefore peer / social pressure must be used to ferret out Christian traitors.
- As the Japanese are not only polite, thoughtful and loyal to their peers, they are also obedient towards established authority. The concept of “bushido” with virtues of obedience, loyalty and self-sacrifice have become focused on the emperor who himself was elevated to the status of a god (“kami”).
- See below.
Japanese mythology reinforced political power. Through the “Kojiki” (680 AD) and
“Nihonshoki” (720 AD) mytho-histories, the dragon (perhaps imported from China) was elevated. The first “emperor of Japan, Jimmu (660 BCE) claimed that he was himself a descendant of the sun goddess, “Amaterasu-omikami;” he proclaimed himself a “kami” or god. He allegedly also practiced high level sorcery and some Japanese history books say he gave Japan to spirits in a covenant exchange for power.
In various occult ceremonies (e.g. the “daijo-sai”), the royalty in essence channel in ancestral spirits related to the sun goddess. Through various Shinto rites to this day, including the “obon” and “ohigan” festivals, spirits of the dead (in this case allegedly the spirits of dead ancestors) are summoned up by most Japanese. This concept is related to Chinese Taoism (e.g. the “hungry ghost” or “qing ming” festivals).
In 1879, the Emperor Mejiji established the now highly controversial “Yasukuni jinja” (shrine) holding over 2,400,000 “kami” or divinities (souls of departed warriors). Each year, political leaders attend ceremonies at the shrine to pay homage to these gods and some say to channel in the spirits in exchange for prosperity and power. The perceived power of dead spirits to protect, empower, bless, and provide are pervasive and culturally valued. Heroes can be immortal and are “gods” (“kami”). Thus the fourth deception is:
5. People may die physically, but their spirits remain or can return, be summoned up, channelled for wealth, power, even love, etc.
GOD’S FINGERPRINTS IN JAPAN:
Please view “God’s Fingerprints in Japan,” especially Volume II. In it, we miraculously found an ancient scroll in which all Japanese “kami” can be traced back (even in the “kojiki”) to “amenomi-minaka-nushi-no-kami,” ( 天御中主) the one chief God, the first kami, in the center of heaven who created all things.
From Romans 1:20 and Acts 17:26-28 and experiences in many nations, we know that God has revealed Himself to the Japanese people before human rulers, before foreign missionaries. His Presence is evident in the Japanese personality, even today, of honor, humility, service, self-sacrifice, respect for elders, loyalty, fidelity, and abiding interpersonal commitment and love.
PRAYER::
Please pray:
- That Japanese will know that above all, God “loves” them (John 3:16). Love, especially a “father’s” love, is difficult for Japanese to imagine.
- That the deception and lies of satan (above 5 points) be bound (Mt 18:18). That God will sovereignly open the “eyes” of the Japanese that they might see the truth, “hear” with their ears, “understand with their hearts,” “turn and be healed” and saved! (Is 6:10).
- That the Japanese will know that in His love for the Japanese, God has already made Himself -- as “amenomi-minaka-nushi-no-kami’ (the one true God, the creator who dwells in the center of heaven) -- “clearly seen” and “understood” to the Japanese (Romans 1:20) prior to Western missionaries. Hence, the true God is not an import or foreign God. To be Japanese is to know, love, and follow Jesus the Christ.
- That the Japanese will see that there is no power in ghosts, spirits of the dead, ancestors or even imperial “kami,” but that there is only one name at which “every knee should bow… and..every tongue confess..” and that is that “Jesus Christ (the) Lord” of all creation, of all things in earth, of Japan (Ph 2:9-11). For “by him” and “for him” “all things (including the Japanese people) were created” (Col 1:16).
Here is a link to the fascinating video “God’s Fingerprints” that will help you to understand and pray for the Japanese people with greater insight and compassion. Additional helpful resources are included on the website.
https://sites.google.com/site/alohakeakuaministries/resources/dvd-video
Dear Prayer Partners for Turkey and the Middle-East,
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
We, the United Prayer Movement(UPM), are planning an international prayer gathering of intercessors and worshippers from Turkey and the rest of the world in 2016. This gathering will be at Kapadokya (Cappadocia) in Turkey from May 18th to 21st, 2016.
The purposes of this prayer gathering are for;
1. the continued spiritual breakthrough and revival in Turkey
2. peace and advancement of God's kingdom in the Middle-East
3. preparing Messiah’s Highway for His return.
Our theme, which summarizes our goals for the UPM gathering in Kapadokya is:
Arise, Shine! – A light to the nations
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1)
The Lord willing, we are praying to mobilize about 800 people for this prayer gathering:
300 Turkish pastors and church ministers, 200 (foreign) workers in Turkey, and 300 prayer partners from the rest of the world. Also, there will be prayer teams going out in the days before the initiative to prayer walk every province in the country.
Peace be with you,
Planning Committee for "2016 Kapadokya UPM"
Let’s pray for the organizing committee for His wisdom, unity, clarity and protection. Pray also for hundreds of participants from within Turkey and other nations to come and pray for His breakthrough in this, one of the most unreached nations in the world with only about 8000 believers out of a population of 80 million. Pray for the strong anointing and guidance of the Holy Spirit and for excellent security and God’s keeping power to surround this gathering.
“No one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless her first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.” (Mark 3:27)
“All over the world the Church is called to cast out demons, not only out of individuals but also nations. God wants the Church to rule, to bind principalities and powers with authority, and to determine the politics of nations.” - Ingolf Schmidt, German pastor
Recently a group of prayer leaders met in the USA to consider the presence of spiritual strongholds in our nation and how they are affecting our political and social context. Some helpful research underlined to us that we must not be “ignorant of the enemy’s devices” as the apostle Paul exhorts us. We came to the conclusion that it is crucial to further unite intercessors and prayer networks to stand together for the deliverance of the nation. On one level, bringing deliverance to our nation seems like a daunting project. However, it is encouraging to reflect on the fact that just as Jesus sailed across the Galilee with His disciples to bring deliverance to the Gadarene demoniac and his territory, so He is still in the boat with us to help us bring the same liberation to our nations of today!
Over the last 25 years or so, ministry colleagues and I have discovered that God actually does use united prayer initiatives to “determine the politics of nations”. To His glory and by His grace alone, we have witnessed stunning political change in many of the 61 national initiatives that we have had the privilege of facilitating. These initiatives have connected Christian leaders from across the denominational spectrum, and the Lord has used them to bring about truly amazing political and social transformations as well as spiritual revival among the participating ministry leaders.
In this process, we have observed recurring patterns and principles by which the Lord intervenes to change history, often in the midst of humanly hopeless situations. This normally involves the practice of Matthew 18:18-20 unity and Luke 10:18-21 authority, exercised by spiritual leaders and intercessors who have first practiced unhurried confession and repentance for personal and corporate sins (a la Daniel 9 and Nehemiah 1). They have also gotten fully reconciled with one another for past misunderstandings and hurts, both between individuals and institutions.
We have found that this approach is a recipe for real breakthroughs in the macro as well as micro levels of a society. It is as if God is just waiting for us to get our relationships right and then He moves in on this new John 17 oneness to change the headlines by doing those atmospheric things we could never do ourselves. When relationships have been put right through confession, repentance and reconciliation, the local participants have often then felt led to assert Christ’s authority over the spiritual powers that have hindered the progress of the Gospel and brought moral and spiritual bondage to their nation. In this way, over and over again, we have seen the spiritual leaders actually set the agenda for the politicians who carry out what has already been transacted with God through united, authoritative intercession.
In such a prayer encounter with the Lord, Joshua got the strategy for the occupation of Jericho and the rest of Canaan. God’s promise was “every place you put the sole of your foot will be your territory”. In the same way, we need to get our strategies for united, authoritative prayer and the Spirit-led actions that flow out of such praying through a similar encounter with God. Even a small minority can affect the history of their nation in this way as theologian Walter Wink put it so well:
“History belongs to the intercessors, who believe the future into being…Even a small number of people firmly committed to the new inevitability on which they have fixed their imaginations can decisively affect the shape the future takes. These shapers of the future are the intercessors, who call out of the future the longed-for new present. In the New Testament, the name and texture and aura of that future is God's domination-free order, the reign of God.”
How do we identify spiritual powers at work in our nation? German theologian Heinrich Schlier provides this helpful definition of principalities and powers:
“Principalities do not merely possess power, they are power, pure power, capacity, dominion in person. These principalities exercise their being by taking possession of the world as a whole and of individual men, the elements, political and social institutions, historical conditions and circumstances, spiritual and religious trends.”
Domination and control over human societies and territories are the main objectives of these demon gods called “principalities”, “powers”, “thrones”, “dominions” in the New Testament. The acquisition of power and influence over human beings and their societies is their obsession. In Old Testament times, Baal was a major Canaanite god with several localities named after him, such as Baal Peor, Baal Gad, and Baal Hermon. People secured his favor through ritual prostitution, child sacrifice, and other detestable activities. The name Molech, god of Ammonites, meant “ruler”. The Ammonites, and even at times the Israelites, offered their first-born children to him as sacrifices by fire. The name Shamash, the national god of Moab possibly meant “subduer”. He also brought the Moabites into moral and spiritual bondage. In New Testament times, Ephesus was where the false goddess Artemis was worshipped (Acts 19:35) and that spirit may have provoked a mob riot at the preaching of the Gospel by the apostles. Pergamum, another city in Asia Minor, was described as where Satan has his throne and lives (Rev. 2:13)
Today, if you investigate you will still find the influences of such spiritual powers, building strongholds in your nation that are both external and internal. Author and researcher Alistair Petrie defines such strongholds this way:
“A sphere of influence upon and within our lives families, churches, communities, cities, and even nations that feeds upon sin (both individual and corporate, personal and inherited) that gives spiritual and geographical leverage to the enemy of God's people, thus blinding them to the truth of seeing things from God's perspective.”
Places and practices involving occult rituals that worship and honor such powers bring about an external atmosphere that is oppressive and can also blind people to the truth of God (2 Cor. 4:4 “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers…”) until they are disempowered through united, authoritative prayer. Spiritual powers also gain internal control over people through false patterns of thought and deceptive ideologies. In that case, we need to combine authoritative prayer with a Holy Spirit-empowered reasoned presentation of the Gospel to bring liberation (2 Cor. 10:4-5 “demolish strongholds… arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God..take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”)
Pastor and author Francis Frangipane incisively affirms: “There are satanic strongholds over countries and communities; there are strongholds which influence churches and individuals. These fortresses exist in the thought patterns and ideas that govern individuals as well as communities and nations. Before victory can be claimed, the strongholds must be pulled down and Satan's armor removed. Then the mighty weapons of the Word and the Spirit can effectively plunder Satan's house.”
Here are some initial questions that can be used to guide your investigation. Such research should always be undertaken as part of a group effort in which covering, protective prayer is involved.
1. What are the principalities and powers that are manifesting themselves in our nation?
2. What are the strongholds, both atmospheric and ideological, that we are facing in our nation right now?
3. What human beings and institutions are agents of spiritual darkness?
4. Are there specific places of occult influence and defilement that need our attention in the prayer movement?
5. How could all this be affecting the current situation in our country?
Kjell Sjoberq, a great Swedish prayer leader who led teams to many nations to pray with locals for the deliverance of their nations came up with these additional helpful questions for the “spiritual mapping” of a society:
1 What are the main gods of your nation or city?
2 What are the altars, the high places and temples connected to worship to fertility gods?
3 Have political leaders, such as a king, president or tribal chief dedicated themselves to a living god?
4 Has there been bloodshed that pollutes the land?
5 How was the foundation of the city or nation laid?
6 How were the old seats of power built?
7 How have God’s messengers been received?
("Spiritual Mapping for Prophetic Prayer Actions", from Breaking Strongholds in Your City, ed. Peter Wagner, 1993)
Suggested guidelines for discerning and understanding the identity and influence of spiritual powers:
- Be as objective and specific as possible.
- Let Scripture be your guide.
- Use your critical and rational faculties, avoiding flaky, purely subjective opinions.
- Don’t be “politically correct” but hold each other accountable, speaking the truth in love if someone is going off the deep end or down a rabbit trail!
Alistair Petrie, in his recent book, gives some good advice for developing a research and deliverance team:
1 Determine who else of like mind is in your area.
2 Determine regular times of meeting for prayer and relationship building.
3 Determine who has done any similar research in the past.
4.Come together often for times of envisioning and encouragement since from this a higher level of trust and cooperation develops. .
5.Determine who else may be part of God's developing strategy and who needs to be invited brought out and encouraged.
6.Collate any and all prophetic words and or earlier attempts in developing a transformation template and determine what happened.
7.Ask leaders and intercessors to determine three main strengths and weaknesses of the area.
8. Develop researchers and intercessors under leadership teams, ensuring that these people are correctly trained in a manner that builds up the entire body.
9.Determine what is involved in your assigned attainable area. Both physical and spiritual boundaries need to be understood in any project.
10. Develop contact with those in surrounding areas. With the leadership group continuously seeking the direction and unction of the Lord, gradually see the jigsaw pieces emerge and connect.
(Alistair Petrie, In Holy Fear: Rediscovering the Fear of the Lord, chapter 6)
May the Lord multiply and guide many “special ops” teams to bring liberation to the nations that He loves and longs to set free into His glorious light!
John Robb, IPC Chairman
A compassionate judge shows God’s love
29 Apr 2016
District Court Judge Lou Olivera presides over a treatment court for veterans with mental health issues in North Carolina. Sergeant Joseph Serna had been through a lot and earned three Purple Hearts, but suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. He recently came to Judge Olivera’s court charged with driving ‘under the influence’, even though he has fought to stay sober. He confessed to Olivera that he had lied about a recent urine test. In response Olivera sentenced Serna to one day in jail, drove him to the jail, and spent the 24-hour sentence with him. ‘When Joe first came to turn himself in, he was trembling,’ Olivera said. ‘I decided that I’d spend the night serving with him.’ As Serna sat down on the cot in his cell, the door rattled open again and Olivera came in and sat down beside him. Serna said, ‘Are you here for the entire time with me?’ He replied, ‘Yeah, that’s what I am doing.'
Holy Spirit touches soldiers on front line
29 Apr 2016
‘I was with my family, whom I hadn't seen in 13 weeks, and was soon to graduate from the Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego, California, when a man walked up and thanked me for helping his son return to the Lord. While in the service, I found myself witnessing in many non-traditional forms. I led a prayer group at boot camp and marched recruits to chapel services, all as a previously burned-out youth pastor with plans to become a chaplain. Later, while I was training for deployment to Iraq as a field radio operator, a close friend of mine gave me the call sign “Preach”, which stuck. The call sign was a term of endearment as well as a fresh reminder of God's call on my life. I was amazed to experience first-hand the fulfilment of the prophecies in Joel 2:28-29 and Acts 2:17-19. Wherever I went, I witnessed God speaking to men and women in uniform. He even spoke in dreams to fellow infantrymen while they were on training operations in the field leading up to deployment.’