Russia: 755 U.S. Diplomatic Staff to be Expelled, President Says. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia will expel 755 U.S. diplomatic staff and could consider imposing additional measures against the United States as a response to new U.S. sanctions, Reuters reported July 30. Moscow ordered the United States on July 28 to cut hundreds of diplomatic staff and said it would seize two U.S. diplomatic properties after the U.S. Congress approved new sanctions on Russia. Putin said in an interview that the diplomatic and technical staff would have to leave Russia by Sept. 1. When it comes to responding to Washington's actions, Moscow has creative options for retaliation.

U.S.: Bombers Fly Over Korean Peninsula. The United States flew two supersonic B-1B bombers over the Korean Peninsula in a show of force on July 30 after North Korea's recent tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles, the U.S. and South Korean air forces said, Reuters reported. The bombers took off from a U.S. air base in Guam, and were joined by Japanese and South Korean fighter jets during the exercise. The flight was in direct response to the July 28 North Korean missile test and the previous July 3 launch of the "Hwansong-14" rocket, a U.S. statement said.  

Another successful THAAD test as tensions over North Korean threat grows.  NBC reports the U.S. conducted a test of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) defense system in Alaska by launching a ballistic missile over the Pacific Ocean.  The target was fired by a U.S. Air Force plane and intercepted by THAAD, according to the Missile Defense Agency on Sunday.  This was the second such test in a month by THAAD interceptors.  The U.S. has deployed THAAD in South Korea to guard against North Korea’s shorter-range missiles, an action that angers China, which claims the system’s radar can probe deep into its territory.  

ISIS claims attack on U.S.-backed troops.  The Atlantic reports ISIS claimed on Friday to have attacked a U.S.-backed formation near Raqqa, the group’s de factor capital in Syria.  The alleged attack against Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – a Kurdish group allied with the U.S. – took place in the Homs province.  ISIS claims it destroyed two armored vehicles and killed 53 Kurdish fighters.  Meanwhile, SDF claims to have captured 40 percent of Raqqa and ISIS jihadi are in retreat.

CONSEQUENCES

Iran’s expanding influence across the Mideast.  BuzzFeed reports Iran has tens of thousands of Shi’a representatives who are armed and decisively engaged across the Middle East seeking the regime’s singular objective of growing the Shi’a crescent, stretching from Afghanistan to the Mediterranean Sea.  Those jihadi form a dominant force in the region, enabling Tehran to execute its coherent strategy, upstaging a coalition of Sunni dominated nations and the White House’s strategy for the region.  Much of Iran’s success is attributable to the secretive Quds Force of the IRGC and its commander General QassemSuleimani.

PACOM commander focuses on three major regional threats.  The Military Times reports Navy Adm. Harry Harris said his command is focused on three major threats: North Korea, China’s interactions in the South China Sea and the spread of ISIS to the Philippines.  These distinctive threats are a serious challenge to the command’s reach and stretch its resources in the vast Asia-Pacific.  Adm. Harris told the Japan-U.S. Military Statesmen Forum in Washington, D.C., on Friday that North Korea is an “immediate threat to our alliance.”  “While I don’t know if those missiles can actually hit what they’re aimed at, but like in horseshoes and hand grenades, getting close is all that’s needed when you’re dealing with nuclear weapons.”   Note: I’ve twice visited the Asia-Pacific command this year and I have seen the growing anxiety there over the many challenges on their plate.

U.S.- Iran tensions rise as Washington imposes new sanctions on Tehran.  Agence France-Presse reports Iran vows to press ahead with its missile program in spite of new U.S. sanctions, fueling the rhetoric between the two countries.  Meanwhile, Tehran and Washington accused each other of the latest provocative manoeuvres in the Persian Gulf where a U.S. helicopter deployed flares.  The U.S. Navy said it responded to an IRGC vessel that raced at high speed and came too close to one of its vessels.  An Iranian government spokesman said his country “will continue with full power our missile program….We consider the action of the U.S. as hostile, reprehensible and unacceptable, and it’s ultimately an effort to weaken the [2015] nuclear deal.”

North Korea celebrates latest ICBM Launch and warns U.S. against sanctions.  Yonhap News Agency reports North Korea on Sunday warned of “a stern action of justice” if the U.S. seeks more sanctions in response to the Friday’s ICBM test.  “If the United States sticks to its military adventurism against us and super-intensive sanctions schemes, we will respond with a stern action of justice as we have already declared,” a North Korean spokesman said.F

South Korea asks U.S. for more powerful ballistic missiles.  The Atlantic reports South Korean president Moon Jae-in asked the U.S. to open negotiations that would allow South Korea to build more powerful ballistic missiles to counter North Korean aggression.  Evidently Pyongyang’s Friday launch of yet another ICBM nudged President Moon to make the request which evidently was welcomed by the U.S. national security advisor H.R. McMaster.  This is a remarkable turn-around for Moon who won his office on a platform that favored dialogue with North Korea and opposed to hosting U.S. missiles.  Predictably the request upset China which issued a statement saying that “THAAD won’t solve South Korea’s security concerns, won’t solve the related issues on the Korean Peninsula and will only further complicate issues.”

RELATED ISSUES

Iraq: Shiite Leader Muqtada Al-Sadr Visits Saudi Arabia. Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr arrived in Saudi Arabia on July 30 in what is his first visit in nearly 11 years, Al Arabiya reported. The Saudi minister of state for Gulf affairs greeted al-Sadr on his arrival. Al-Sadr enjoys a wide base support as leader of al-Sadr political movement. Al-Sadr last visited Saudi Arabia in 2006. The trip highlights Saudi Arabia's interest in Iraq, which has developed ties with the kingdom's regional rival, Iran.

Robert Maginnis
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.facebook.com/RLMaginnis

We are sharing this word about North Korea, from Rick Ridings who many readers will remember from the World Prayer Assembly:

My friend Dutch Sheets sent out a call to prayer and prophetic word concerning North Korea yesterday on July 7th.  That same day, I was with a team at the border of North Korea to pray.  I had been speaking for a conference in Seoul, and the Lord had spoken beforehand to go after my speaking to the DMZ, the “Demilitarized Zone” along the cease-fire line that became the border with North Korea. I have ministered in conferences in South Korea many times in the past seven years, but never felt I had a release from the Lord to go to the DMZ.  But this time, I felt a compulsion to go there for a specific ‘prophetic action’.

We went as a group of five, including a pastor who had escaped from North Korea, and who leads a church in the area near the DMZ.  Two other local Korean pastors joined us there, making a team of seven praying on 7.7 on the Gregorian calendar and during the year 5777 on the Hebrew calendar.

I felt strongly that I was to drop a plumb line there, and proclaim from Isaiah 28:14-18 over the regime of North Korea.  These verses speak of floods of water ”overflowing” hidden lies, exposing them and sweeping them away.  It says that the flood will come in waves like a whip against those evil rulers, and annul their covenant with death.  

When I proclaimed the same verses in Washington, D.C., in January 2016  (Patti and I were leading worship in “David’s Tent”, a place of 24/7 worship and prayer at the base of the Washington Monument), I stated that flooding would happen in Washington as a sign that the Lord would do this spiritually.  Immediately afterward, heavy rains started, and the next day the Washington newspapers reported flooding there, and soon after that many political secrets were exposed.  

The same thing happened along the DMZ region bordering with North Korea!  As I finished proclaiming these spiritual floods to expose the lies and sweep away the North Korean regime, a heavy downpour of rain started (during a time they had been experiencing unusual drought), and the next day, the news reported flooding in that area along the DMZ.

I had taken a small piece of the Berlin Wall that I threw over the barbed wire face declaring that the same LORD who brought down the Berlin Wall and Soviet communism in a sudden surprise, would bring down the barrier between North and South Korea to reunite them and bring healing to the Land.

I was in prayer conferences in Germany during the time preceding the reunification of Germany.  I had heard their sincere confession of the sins of their forefathers and their nation towards the Jewish people.  And we proclaimed at that time, as they had humbled themselves in many corporate gatherings and confessed the sins of the nation (as in 2 Chronicles 7:14), that the LORD would heal their divided land as He promised.

I have now been in, and know of, many conferences where South Koreans have confessed the sins of their nation, and felt this was the time I was to proclaim that the LORD has heard and will bring about the reunification of Korea with a sudden event. Only afterward, did I find out that Dutch Sheets had sent out on the same day we prayed at the DMZ (July 7th) a prayer alert where he explained that he had recently prophesied in South Korea that “…the man-made barrier between North and South Korea would be removed, and the rebirth/rebuilding/ restoration of all of Korea would happen so amazingly fast that it would be a sign and a wonder to the world”.

I believe that Satan would love to use North Korea to bring great devastation upon the world, and to hinder the LORD’s calling on all of Korea to be a great missionary sending nation, especially impacting the Middle East.  But our God is greater!  Let us pray for His plumb line of justice and righteousness to continue to be extended over North Korea, for His floods to expose their regime’s lies, to “annul its covenant with death”, and to bring about its collapse and the liberation of North Koreans to worship the LORD.  Let us pray for all of Korea to be one reunited, healed and mighty missionary sending nation!

Rick Ridings
http://www.succathallel.com

Prayer is about God and His purposes for our world. It is not just a devotional activity or punching the clock to satisfy a sense of religious duty. It is getting in sync with Him for the joy of that most intimate of relationships and out of that prayer partnership to see our personal situation, community, nation, or far-off people groups changed in favor of His kingdom and values. It is the way we transact business with God to see His kingdom manifested in our day-to-day lives, our own neighborhoods, and at the other side of the world where there is pain, suffering or lostness.

Jesus taught that we should pray that His “kingdom come” and “will be done on earth as in Heaven”. He gave staggering promises about the power of prayer to groups of people, always using the plural “you” to underline the importance of united prayer for seeing breakthroughs to transform our communities and world. In Matthew 18:18-20, He affirmed that “whatever” we bind or loose on earth, even just two or three of us, will be bound or loosed in heaven. In this way, whatever we agree about, “anything”, can be affected deeply by such praying. Prayer with others is therefore the most powerful thing we can do as His followers. It is the most important way we become agents of His transformation for our darkened and desperate world because it brings the God of the impossible into situations that are way beyond human solution.

United prayer was the culture of the early church. They “joined constantly together in prayer” (Acts 1:14). All the breakthroughs, from Pentecost on, came out of this culture of prayer agreement as the Spirit led them.  In order for us to see modern-day breakthroughs in reaching the remaining unreached peoples, we also need to start with God in prayer. Missions is a supernatural business, involving His intervention in the calling of the right people to go as missionaries, the binding of principalities and powers that hinder, and the receptivity of the target people to the Gospel. The integral involvement of the Spirit of God all the way through is of paramount importance, and that is why engaging in prayer for His clear guidance, strategy and help is so essential. If we want the same results of the early church that “turned the world upside down” through their mission efforts, we need to connect with the same source of power and wisdom they had.

This year at the Finishing the Task event, for the first time ever there will be a specific track dealing with this issue-- the linking of prayer and mission. We will deliberate together as to how we can achieve a greater convergence between the prayer and mission movements and how an ongoing culture of prayer can become practically integrated in efforts to disciple the remaining unreached peoples for Jesus Christ. Please pray with us for an effective time towards these ends.

Even now, let’s obey Jesus and pray to Him, the Lord of the harvest and the Lord of breakthrough. Enlist others to pray with you. Let’s also be encouraging churches, prayer groups, and especially the younger generation of youth and children, to adopt these peoples for ongoing prayer until they are reached. (Excellent prayer cards for this purpose can be found at https://joshuaproject.net/resources/prayer.)

John Robb
IPC Chairman
www.ipcprayer.org

Dr. Jason Hubbard, Director, LOWPC

The International Prayer and Mission Leaders' Consultation, May 8-12th convened together 120 of the world's top prayer and mission's leaders from 34 nations. We partnered together with the International Prayer Council, www.ipcprayer.org led by John Robb.  In John's words, "Together, we transacted business with the King of Kings for His world."

John Robb and the IPC council asked us at Light of the World Prayer Center to administrate and organize the event, together with his oversight and leadership! John is an amazing leader and it was truly an honor to work together with him! Jamie Frey, one of our full-time staff members, and I started planning back in August of 2016.  Over the next number of months we helped create a vision statement and set goals for the event, drafted an invitation email to key leaders, launched a website to share vision and process registrations, and put together complete color program booklets for the each of the delegates.  

The impact of the Moravian community, both the intercessors and missionaries, is undoubtedly one of the greatest stories in church history! We have patterned our house of prayer and prayer strategy in the 'spirit of the Moravians.' Our vision is become a modern-day expression of this inspiring community, linking together night and day prayer, revival and mission to the remaining unreached, unengaged peoples on the earth!

It was a such a joy to travel together as a family, Kristie, Gracelyn and Joshua. It was the first international trip for Gracie and Josh!  Kristie connected much with our amazing friend Sue Williams, sharing tea together and praying for one another. Sue served with us for a year at LOWPC as our staff development leader and now is one of the primary leaders at the Jesus Haus (house of prayer and retreat center where the Consultation gathered). Gracie sang with Sue on the worship team on Wednesday night, and Joshua helped Michael Lienau in capturing the Moravian story on video. We are praying for the provision to produce a full-length documentary on the history of the Moravians!  

Mark Iblings, LOWPC board president, and Tim Scott, one of my prayer partners and our Education sphere leader both came to help serve the 120 leaders, carrying bags and escorting/driving many of them around during the event! They were such a huge help!  

Tom Victor, director of the Great Commission Coalition, who serves as one of our advisory board members also joined us. From Tom's perspective, "The International Prayer and Mission Leaders Consultation in Herrnhut was, from my perspective, one of the most powerful mission and prayer gatherings of our day. Bringing together key leaders from the global prayer and mission movements as well as leaders of the children in prayer and youth prayer movements was so strategic, especially in light of the history and heritage of the Moravians and Herrnhut."

Paul Wemmer, author, historian, and one of our original leaders at LOWPC, was also with us and donated a copy of his book on Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians to each of the 120 delegates.  

Serving together with Jamie Frey, Mark Iblings, Tim Scott, Tom Victor, Paul Wemmer, Sue Williams, and our on-site intercessors in Whatcom County...What a joy!  I am so proud of our team...All for the Glory of the Lamb!

The vision for the consultation was to gather key mission and prayer leaders from around the world to ask God how the global prayer and mission movements could unite in our day - to accelerate the fulfillment of the Great Commission. I have personally never been in a gathering before with such humble men and women of God, young and old, who truly longed to encounter the Lord together, and grow in loving and serving one another!  

Dick Eastman, the president of Every Home for Christ, was one of the 120 leaders. The ministry of Every Home for Christ sees about 20,000 decisions for Christ every day around the world, giving Dick a unique perspective. After the consultation he wrote, "I am more convinced than ever that the Moravian movement of prayer and missions was the greatest such movement in the history of missions, especially in light of the challenges they faced in that unique time in human history."

Dick shared that this gathering was "the most personally significant gatherings he had been a part of in his 5 decades of full-time ministry." Wow!

We sensed the Lord's leading to gather in historic Herrnhut, Germany to learn from the Moravian story of a canopy of 100 years of continual prayer, beginning in 1727, which launched the start of a Protestant Missions Movement across the earth!  At its core, the motivation and watchword of the Moravian prayer and missions movement was this: "May the Lamb who was slain receive the due reward of his sufferings!"  He is truly All-Deserving!

As we walked through the Moravian cemetery (pictured here), we were on historic ground.  The graves here honor 6000 intercessors and missionaries who had fully embraced God's heart for missions. They had joyfully taken the gospel to those who had never heard, many at the cost of their lives. These radical Moravian missionaries launched over 5000 missionary settlements around the world!  

The legacy of Count Nicholas Zinzendorf, the leader of the Moravian prayer and missions movement, is astounding.  Zinzendorf was famous for saying, "I have but one passion, and that is Jesus, only He." The seal of the Moravian church has in its center the white Lamb of God .  He holds a staff with a victory banner displaying the cross.  In a circular band on the outer edge it says: "Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow Him!"

During the consultation, descendants of the Moravians shared with us about the lifestyle of prayer and missions that emerged in Herrnhut, and the powerful role that children and youth played in the movement. It was truly an honor to be with the elders and leaders of both the church and the Jesus Haus. We love them and stand with them as they continue to see day and night prayer and worship established together with the sending of missionaries to the ends of the earth to share the good news of Jesus!

A request went out to leaders of children in prayer around the world, asking them to pray as we met in Herrnhut. 1,000 Royal Kids in Chennai, India, committed to pray for 100 hours and then added another 50 hours while we met!

We were so aware of the prayers of thousands of children around the world.  It was an honor to meet and learn from Anton Cruz, the leader of this amazing orphanage in Chennai, India.  Here is a powerful video clip of the children praying for our gathering!

Paul Eshleman,with Campus Crusade for Christ, (CRU), founded the Jesus Film Project, the most watched movie in the world. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Finishing the Task Network and as President of the Issachar Initiative, passionately calling us to make our lives Count for Zero, that there would be Zero unreached people groups without a witness for Christ.

Paul challenged us with research showing that, with more than 2.7 unreached people, Asia is the focal point for the global mission challenge. While other regions of the world have on average one missionary for every 1,000 unreached people, Asia has only one missionary for every 46,000 unreached people! There are currently 1570 remaining unreached/unengaged people groups yet to hear the good news of Jesus, and 521 of the largest remaining unreached people groups on the world map have over 500,000!  We also learned that 90 percent of the missionary force and finances today goes towards the reached world. We came away with the passionate conviction and cry, "Lord of the Harvest, send forth laborers into the remaining harvest fields of the world!" (Matt. 9:37)

A final personal highlight for me was gathering together at the Bertlesdorf church. This historic church, known as the church of reconciliation, is where the Holy Spirit was poured out among the Moravians, young and old, in a powerful way during a communion service on August 13th, 1727.  We celebrated communion together there, and reconciliation took place on several fronts! I truly believe we experienced a 'baptism of love' for one another. Coming away from the gathering, we had such a sense of family and affection for one another, desiring to continue to partner together in prayer and mission across our various denominations, generations and nations!  The Lord truly knit our hearts together and I believe much fruit will come in the generations to follow!

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).

We only love to the degree that his love, most fully revealed at the cross, is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5). Just as Zinzendorf and the Moravians were compelled by the Glory and Love of the Lamb, to pray 24/7 and go on mission, I believe the Lord is calling forth a "Lamb's Reformation" in the church in this hour - a new reformation that will lead to a great transformation!  

Prayer: "Father, I believe that the hour has come for your Son, the Lord Jesus to be honored, and treasured as the Worthy Lamb who was slain! Even as the Lamb is in the center of the throne in Heaven, we declare and decree that it's time for the Lamb to become the center of the throne on the earth! Father, we know that you are always looking at the wounds of your Son and we ask for a Lamb's Reformation in the church that would wake us up again to his cross, to bring your Son the reward he deserves for giving his life as a Lamb!"

"Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power, and wealth, and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing" (Rev. 5:11-12).

For the Supremacy of Christ in all things,
Jason Hubbard

These monthly prayer calendars are a great resource from the World Shapers Club, led by Mary Tome who is also involved with the Esther's network in the USA.

In partnership with Gloria Au Yeung, these have been translated into Chinese – and we are making them available to you through the IPC Website.

This is so good that the Christian Chinese speaking children can also pray altogether and participate in transforming our world!

PrayerHub Singapore inaugurated

New satellite images of the two most notorious North Korean prison camps show undeniable proof that the government, while persistently denying the existence of such camps, continues to upgrade the torturous facilities that appear to be ‘very much in working order.’ A new report from Amnesty International showed images of the two camps that differed from those released by the UN in 2014. In one camp there are six additional guard posts, while the old guard posts have also been maintained. These changes ‘strongly suggest that Camp 25 remains an active detention facility.’ The images also revealed ongoing agricultural activities from 2014 to 2016, with people working the land. In the past it was recorded that prisoners worked for 12 to 15 hours per day, receiving very little food. They suffered malnutrition, lost their teeth, their gums turned black and their bones became weak.