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Download the GO21 Year of the Upper Room - 40 Days Prayer Guide - with a daily focus on an unreached people group.
The year is divided into 9 seasons of 40 days Prayer, Fasting, Worship and the Word.
Praying for the lost in ‘Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria & ends of the earth’. Acts 1:8
The current Season 5 runs from 13 June – 23 July 2021. The Theme is '40 Days to Keep the Harvest' - “but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 13:30.
The downloadable / printable prayer guide includes space to write the names of 5 people that we can commit to pray for and seek the opportunity to share Jesus with.
We are pleased to bring you this mid-June 2021 edition of IPC Connections.
As we have transitioned from an amazing, busy month of Prayer during May for GO MONTH and several partner prayer and mission activities under the Hope of Harvest banner, we have so many reasons to be thankful! Despite the challenges that we are all facing with the pandemic, we are seeing a great move of God across the nations as huge numbers have been coming to faith in Jesus Christ. We are collating testimonies and feedback from each continent that we will share with you in our July edition, but we are sure that you will want to give thanks with us for prayers answered and souls saved.
In his Editorial article entitled: Gospel Explosion in the Nations, Dr Jason Hubbard takes us on a journey that deepens our understanding of what true biblical revival is about. He shares this point – ‘“What would it take to see a genuine move of God initiated and sustained in a geographic area?” It is not enough to just see revival, we want to see transforming revival in communities, cities and even whole nations before the return of Christ!’
We are grateful to Mike Bickle, Founder and Director of International House of Prayer, Kansas City for allowing us to share with our prayer partners his recently written article entitled ‘Five Reasons We Value Studying the End Times & Four Pastoral Challenges’ which we believe imparts some valuable truths and teaching for such a time as this.
We continue our series of introductions to the IPC Council members with a profile of our friend and colleague, Liz Adleta. Liz is based in Texas, USA and has been associated with IPC since we started. She now co-leads our ‘Praying for Unreached Peoples’ focus team. She brings a wealth of knowledge, giftings and experience to IPC.
Thank you for continuing to partner with us in mobilising and informing united prayer across nations, denominations, movements, and generations for the fulfilment of the Great Commission.
May we express grateful thanks to Andy Page and the IPC Editorial Team who put this email together each month.
Every blessing,
Jason Hubbard - Director
International Prayer Connect
Please use this link if you would like to sow into IPC’s ministry with a donation
Disclaimer… The views and opinions expressed in IPC Connections and the articles on our website are those of individuals and our partner organisations. They do not necessarily represent the policies or views of IPC or its individual leaders.
We aim to respect the diversity within the prayer movement and yet embrace our unified calling to mobilise prayer for the nations. (2 Chron 7:14) If you wish to discuss the appropriateness of any articles, please contact us.
It’s our desire to see a massive full-scale revival and awakening erupt in the nations of the earth! We have been asking for another historic move of the Holy Spirit to sweep across our land and awaken a generation to wholehearted love and surrender to Jesus!
It’s all about a Christ-awakening, where the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to reawaken God’s people back to God’s Son for all that He is!
We want to enter into the power and pleasure of being obsessed with the magnificence of Jesus. He is the dominating personality in this age and in the age to come!
We are longing for a Gospel Explosion, a tsunami of revival to come crashing in on the beaches of the nations for the spread of his fame, for the extension of his reign, for the increase of his gain and for the honor of his claim! May the slain Lamb receive the due reward for his sufferings.
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:14).
God is truly bringing us into a ‘decade of harvest.’ One of the goals that we launched in 2020 was to see 100 million in united prayer for a ‘billion soul harvest.’ During the month of May this year millions were praying and sharing their faith around the world in partnership with the Go Movement. Since the global pandemic, ministry leaders have reported to us that more people have been coming to Christ than at any time they have seen previously. In both 2020 and 2021, IPC partnered together in prayer with RUN ministries, a disciple-making house church movement based in regions around the world of massive remaining unreached peoples. They just released this incredible report to us below:
“First in 2020, by God’s grace, and with an increase in prayer and focus on evangelism tied to church planting movements the Lord blessed us with tremendous growth. Although the data is still being reviewed, the preliminary reports are that more than 20 million souls from the unreached world were added to the Kingdom! To God be the Glory! We are now a family of movements totally approximately 3 million house churches and 60+ million Jesus followers!
In the 2021 month of prayer we were able to mobilize 64 million believers to pray and encourage one another to share their faith and begin discipline relationships with family, friends and loved ones. Our estimation is that the average would be each person sharing their faith with 5 people. This would be approximately 320 million people (of course there could be lots of overlap with this number, right). So the most important number is that we were able to inspire 64 million Jesus followers to pray and share their faith during this season” – William J Dubois
A key question that we like to ask is this, “What would it take to see a genuine move of God initiated and sustained in a geographic area?” It is not enough to just see revival, we want to see transforming revival in communities, cities and even whole nations before the return of Christ!
George Otis Jr. describes a transformed community this way …
- A neighborhood, city or nation whose values and institutions have been overrun by the grace and presence of God
- A place where divine fire has not merely been summoned, it has fallen
- A society in which natural evolutionary change has been disrupted by invasive supernatural power
- A culture that has been impacted comprehensively and undeniably by the Kingdom of God
- A location where Kingdom values are celebrated publicly and passed on to future generations
Samuel Davies reminded us from his vantage point of the Second Great Awakening, “there are eras when only a large outpouring of the Spirit can produce a public general reformation.” He witnessed first-hand how revival and awakening brought a cultural change that nothing else could accomplish. The pastor of St. John’s-Wood Presbyterian church declared after the Welsh revival, in which 100,000 people came to Christ in nine months (1904-1905) that “the mighty unseen breath of the Spirit was doing in a month more than centuries of legislation could accomplish.”
The Power of the Gospel
We are convinced that transforming revival is first and foremost about the glorious gospel of Christ heralded and proclaimed among the nations in this generation! God is calling his church to embrace the gospel again, living grace-addicted, truth-filled, Jesus-exalting lives! The Gospel is the good news that God’s kingdom power has entered human history through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ!
As John Piper writes,
“The Gospel is the news that Jesus Christ, the Righteous King, died for our sins and rose again, eternally triumphant over all his enemies, so that there is now no condemnation for those who believe, but only everlasting joy!”
Daniel Montgomery shares three helpful aspects of the gospel, the kingdom, cross, and grace…
- The gospel of the kingdom is life with God under God’s rule.
- The gospel of the cross is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus by which God accomplishes our salvation, rescues us from his wrath, incorporates us into his people, and inaugurates his reign in the world.
- The gospel of grace is the wonderful news that God accepts us, shares his life with us, and adopts us as heirs of his kingdom not because we have earned it or deserve it, but because God chooses to give all of this freely at Christ’s expense.
The gospel is news not advice. The gospel is not what God requires. The gospel is what God provides! The gospel is not an imperative, demanding things you must do. The gospel is an indicative, declaring things that God has done. The gospel is not about human action. The gospel is about divine achievement. The gospel is not a moralistic Do. The gospel is a merciful Done! The gospel should inform, control, and energize all we do in worship, prayer, family, discipleship, community, and mission— all are the fruit of the grace that God has given us in Jesus.
The gospel is the center of the Bible, and it ought to be the center of our lives, homes, churches, ministries, spiritual disciplines, songs, parenting, marriage-everything! The Christian life is formed by the glories of the gospel - it’s patterned and powered by the gospel of grace in all of life - for the rest of life! We don’t worship the gospel, we worship the God of the Gospel, Jesus Christ! The gospel is God’s act of turning scoundrels into saints, turning sin seekers into people who know and find their utmost satisfaction in God! Dave Keesling put it this way, “the gospel’s simplicity is its ability to, in a moment, change literally everything”
- We worship Jesus because “he is the radiance of the glory of God” (Heb. 1:3)
- We focus on the gospel because “for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21)
- Our hope is wrapped up in the truth that “he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace and by his wounds we are healed (Isa. 53:5)
- We center our lives on Jesus because “we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again. Death no longer has dominion over him” (Rom 6:9)
- We sing, pray, sacrifice, and follow Jesus because, “there is one God and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus” (I Tim. 2:5)
- We have confidence in life, and death because of Jesus, “who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever! Amen” (Gal 1:4-5)
- We walk with joy and no condemnation because, “he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin, and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (I Peter 2:24).
- Jesus is our great reward and love because, “in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph 1:7)
- We go on gospel mission because “the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’” (I Tim. 1:15)
May this gospel, this great good news of Jesus EXPLODE in every region of the world!
Hunger
As George Otis reminds us, “the process of transforming revival in the nations is triggered when our appetite for God’s presence trumps all other hungers.” This hunger is ignited and fanned into flame through the gospel of God’s glorious grace!
As Leonard Ravenhill wrote, “The only reason we don't have revival is because we are willing to live without it.”
He was famous for exposing our idol-driven lives when he stated, “Are the things you are living for worth Christ dying for?"
True revival experienced by many throughout human history has always been accompanied by extraordinary conviction of sin, fear of God and his judgment, revelation of God’s love and mercy, confession, deep repentance and people inquiring, as on the day of Pentecost, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 2:37)
God is especially attracted to an environment of humility, brokenness, desperate spiritual hunger, repentance, grace-empowered obedience, and urgent united prayer. Duncan Campbell, the great preacher during the Hebrides revival of 1949-52 summed up revival well when he wrote,
“Revival is when men in the streets are afraid to speak godless words for fear that God’s judgment will fall! When sinners, aware of the fire of God’s presence, tremble in the streets and cry out for mercy! When (without human advertising) the Holy Spirit sweeps across cities and regions in supernatural power and holds people in the grip of terrifying conviction! When every store becomes a pulpit, every heart an altar, every home a sanctuary, and people walk carefully before God! This, my beloved, is truly REVIVAL FROM HEAVEN!”—Duncan Campbell
Revival is Jesus-centered! It is gospel driven! (Acts 19:10, 17). Revival challenges the status quo and changes the spiritual atmosphere until a community is ‘Saturated with God.’
Extraordinary Prayer
It goes without saying that prayer is the incubator and furnace of revival. As AT Pierson wrote,
“There has never been a spiritual awakening in any country or locality that did not begin in united prayer.”
Revival is preceded by extraordinary prayer. As Matthew Henry remarked,
“When God intends great mercy for His people, the first thing he does is set them a-praying!”
Edwin Orr, one of the great scholars of revival was asked once,
“Does prayer make revival happen? He responded, ‘No… but it does make it possible’”
As A.W. Tozer wrote in an article entitled, “There is no Limit to Revival,”
“There is no limit to what God could do in our world if we would dare to surrender before him with a commitment that says, ‘O God I hereby give myself to you, I give my family, I give my business, I give all I possess. Take all of it Lord—and take Me! I give myself in such measure that if it is necessary that I lose everything for your sake, let me lose it. I will not ask what the price is. I will ask only that I may be all that I ought to be as a follower and a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Let’s position our minds and hearts before the bonfire of God’s all-consuming Son, the Lord Jesus, asking for greater revelation of Who He is, where He is headed, what He is doing and how He is blessed. Let’s ask for a glorious Gospel Explosion to erupt for His renown in the nations!
Steve Hall one of my good friends wrote an excellent prayer, asking for an outpouring of the Spirit of Christ upon the nations. You can pray it for your specific nation and for all nations.
“COME, LORD JESUS” (Rev. 22:20)
PRAYING FOR AN OUTPOURING OF CHRIST UPON THE NATIONS
The “Come, Lord Jesus” prayer in Revelation 22 sums up all the prophecies, promises and prayers of the Word of God—by imploring Christ to (one day) physically return to earth in all His power and glory. Yet, we also desperately need an outpouring of ALL of Him (through His Spirit) right now too! The prayer below is meant as a starting point for all followers of Christ to unite in urgently praying for Him to “rend the heavens and come down”… (Isaiah 64)—upon our families, our congregations, our cities, our leaders, our nations—all people!
Dear Father,
I/we Rejoice (believe unconditionally) that the Lord Jesus Christ is the fullness of the Godhead and of ALL Scripture. He is the Creator, Sustainer and Ruler of all heaven and earth. He is Lord of ALL! In Him is all LIFE and HOPE. All hail King Jesus!
I Repent that I and many other believers across our nation have failed to continually exalt Christ’s unlimited supremacy, and to put every part of our lives and the world around us under His authority and will. We have lost our first love. We have become unresponsive to the vast hope we have in Jesus. Please create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us.
I Resist all the ways the powers of darkness have been keeping believers from seeing Christ for all He is and all He offers—and from living victoriously in all of Him. Please cover us with the blood of Jesus, and deliver us from the evil one. Help us to put on Your full armor and to stand firmly against the devil.
I Request an outpouring of Christ upon me and upon EVERY BELIEVER across our nation. Reveal His fullness to us—so we will become fully awakened to Him! Revive our love for Him, our devotion to Him, and our witness of His Gospel to the world. Oh, how we need to be following only the Good Shepherd—in Him we will not be in want. Consume us in Him as our preeminent “Hope of glory.”
I also Request an outpouring of Christ upon our WHOLE NATION—upon all men and women, young people and children, of all ethnicities, among all our citizens and immigrants. Release the whole Jesus upon ALL our people. May He be their Way and their Truth and their Life! Reform (transform) them by the renewing of their minds. Redeem them out of the kingdom of darkness into Christ’s glorious light. May righteousness exalt our nation!
I Recommit myself to living in the fullness of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, and to urging other believers to live in and pray for a sweeping Christ Awakening throughout our nation. Please put an unquenchable flame for Christ in all of us—no holding back, no turning back—consumed in Him and poured out for Him. For His is the kingdom and the power and the glory, now and forever! COME LORD JESUS!
I pray these things in Jesus’ life-giving name. Amen.
For the Supremacy of Christ in all things,
Dr. Jason Hubbard – Director
International Prayer Connect
Five Reasons We Value Studying the End Times & Four Pastoral Challenges .
The nations of the earth are in a season of acceleration towards both the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the greatest hour of pressure in world history. Isaiah made it clear that both darkness and the glory of God will increase to unprecedented levels together in the generation that Jesus returns (Isa. 60:2).
“For the darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples [the nations]; but the Lord shall rise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you.” (Isa. 60:2, NKJV)
Yes, a time of deep darkness is coming, yet at the same time, the glory of God will be seen upon His people in an unprecedented measure. In essence, Haggai prophesied the same thing, declaring that the Lord will shake heaven and earth, the sea, and all the nations. In context to this global shaking, multitudes will come to Jesus who will be seen as “the Desire of all nations” (Hag. 2:7).
For thus says the Lord of hosts: “I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations [Jesus].” (Hag. 2:6-7, NKJV)
In other words, the greatest harvest of souls is coming in context to the end-time shaking of the nations. This shaking will be like a “perfect storm,” affecting many areas of life—financial, political, societal, spiritual, military, and more. It is in this context that God's glory will be seen and magnified in the nations.
I do not ask anyone to accept my views of what the Scripture teaches on the end times unless they can clearly “see them with their own eyes in their own Bible”—in other words: be a Berean (Acts 17:11). My understanding of the end times is not complete. I deeply value learning from other ministries. I embrace a view which differs from the popular view that the Church may be raptured at any time and, thus, will miss the great revival and the pressures that will occur during the Great Tribulation (Rev. 7:9, 14). We honor the godliness and biblical scholarship of many who hold this view, but I see it as a mistake that will leave multitudes of God's people spiritually unprepared when negative events escalate more in the end times.
5 Reasons We Value Studying the End Times
#1 Reason—There will be Unique Dynamics—Due to an Unprecedented Increase of Good and Evil
The generation of Jesus’ return will have very “unique dynamics”—there is only one generation that will see both the greatest revival and the greatest pressure in all history occurring on earth at the same time.
These two great extremes will come together in one timeframe. Yes, the dynamics on the earth will be totally unique—nobody has ever walked that path before. No other generation has had to navigate these two extremes. This will create a situation in which many will be afraid and confused, searching for answers. That is one reason why the Lord put more information in the Bible about that one generation.
#2 Reason—There are Biblical Reasons—as seen in 150 Chapters with an End Time Focus
By far the most described generation in Scripture is the generation that will be alive when Jesus returns. In fact, the events occurring in the generation in which Jesus returns is the main focus in over 150 chapters in the Bible (find the complete list on Google or YouTube—The 150 Chapters of the Bible on the End Times). To get a perspective on how important these 150+ chapters are, consider that there are 89 chapters in the four Gospels that focus on Jesus’ first coming to accomplish salvation. In contrast to these 89 chapters, almost twice as many chapters (150) in the Bible focus on events or trends that will occur in the generation that Jesus returns to rule the earth openly.
God’s people easily receive the good news about a coming great revival. The challenge lies in interpreting the unprecedented pressures that will occur at that time without being afraid or offended by the many negative things happening. Therefore, God’s people must understand the biblical narrative related to the coming pressure, or they will be left, by default, to embrace a secular narrative. Ideas have consequences. The problem with the secular narrative of the end times is that it is based on many wrong ideas leading to many wrong conclusions. Some present ideas about the end times that are overly optimistic; they refuse to acknowledge what the Bible says about the coming negative events and pressures. Others go to the other extreme and present views that are overly pessimistic. Only by embracing the biblical narrative of the end times will God’s people be able to process the pressures in a way that will help them to grow in love and peace with a steadfast faith in Jesus’ excellent leadership.
Far too many in the body of Christ in the nations are almost totally unaware of the biblical narrative contained in these 150 Bible chapters. Understanding the biblical narrative includes more than knowing a few general ideas about the end times such as the Antichrist, the Tribulation, and the Rapture. The Scripture has much more to say about what will happen in that generation and why. People will respond according to the narrative they embrace. Those who don’t understand the biblical narrative or storyline of unfolding events will be much more vulnerable to be overcome with fear and even to being offended at God. As pressure increases, many will be greatly perplexed about where things are going if they are unaware of the biblical narrative of the end times. To them it will seem like the “train of history” is veering off the tracks, and it will feel as though no one really knows where things are going or why.
There is power in knowledge. I have good news! Since the Lord can accurately foretell the details of His end-time plan, we know that He has power over them and is able to use them redemptively for the good of His people. He can overrule the negative events causing them to work for the good of His people (Rom. 8:28). Since Jesus has total control and deeply loves His people, we are in His good hands. We can stand in faith, filled with peace and thriving in love. Only those who interpret what is happening from God’s point of view will be equipped to respond with such faith and confidence.
#3 Reason—There are Prophetic Reasons—as seen in the Biblical Signs of the Times
The Lord was gracious to give His people prophetic information about the generation of His appearing referred to as “signs of the times.” The biblical signs of the times include events and trends that are predicted by Jesus, the apostles, or the Old Testament prophets—these signs will alert God’s people (who are alive in the generation of Jesus’ return) of His soon return.
In Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, Jesus identified 22 signs of that time. Now, for the first time in history, most of these signs are increasing and making global headline news. When all the signs accelerate at the same time, then God’s people are “to know” they are living in the generation of Christ’s return. In fact, Jesus actually commanded one generation “to know” that His return was near (Mt. 24:33)—this command was for the generation living when all 22 signs prophesied in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 occur.
“So you also, when you see all these things, know that it [Jesus’ return] is near—at the doors... this generation will by no means pass away until all these things take place” (Mt. 24:33-34, NKJV).
The first mention of “all these things” (Mt. 24:33) refers to the signs of the times before and during the Great Tribulation (Mt. 24:5-28). The second mention of “all these things” (Mt. 24:34) refers to what occurs after the Great Tribulation, at the time of Jesus’ returns in the sky (Mt. 24:29-31). It is possible that there are people alive on the earth today who will see His return. No one knows how long that final generation will be, but the Lord indicated that a generation may last up to 100 years (Gen. 15:13-16).
#4 Reason—Scripture Promises Increased Understanding—in the End-Time Church
Jeremiah prophesied that the Lord would give His people “perfect,” or mature, understanding of His end-time judgments against the Antichrist’s empire (Jer. 23:20). In other words, He will raise up people who will gain mature understanding of His end-time plans as set forth in the Scripture.
“The anger of the Lord [His end-time judgments] will not turn back until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart. In the latter days you will understand it perfectly” (Jer. 23:20, NKJV)
We can only have mature understanding as we honor, relate to, and learn from one another across the different streams in the body of Christ. No one group will have it all, but together the body of Christ can gain mature understanding. I believe that only in the collective wisdom of the body of Christ across the nations can we have a full understanding of the end times. We need each other to grow in understanding.
Daniel prophesied a promise of the Lord to raise up “people of understanding” who will help many others understand the biblical narrative related to the end times (Dan. 11:33; 12:10). This promise is available to all believers. He emphasized that “many” will be hungry for answers from God’s Word.
“And those of the people who understand [end-time messengers] shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall [be martyred] by sword and flame, by captivity… 35to refine them, purify them… until the time of the end.” (Dan. 11:33-35)
This passage had a partial fulfilment in the days of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-163 B.C.), but the complete fulfilment will come in the end times. The promise to be “one of the people of understanding” is available to any believer in Jesus who will search out what He says in the Scriptures. Notice that Daniel prophesied that “many” or multitudes (Dan. 11:33) will be hungry for answers from God’s Word about the end times from “the people of understanding.” In other words, the Lord’s messengers will make the biblical narrative known in diverse ways to “many” in the body of Christ and to the uninstructed millions of unbelievers who will be desperate to gain understanding.
This information is to be used evangelistically in a way that may surprise us. Unbelievers are interested in knowing what the Bible says about the end times. By growing in understanding, we can be a part of the solution instead of adding to the confusion of those who embrace the secular narrative and are overcome with fear, offense, lust, or deception. We don’t have to be confused. By having a robust biblical picture of the unique dynamics of the end times, God’s people will be equipped to have right expectations and interpretations of various negative events. By understanding the biblical narrative, God’s people will have the tools to process escalating pressures in a way that will help them thrive spiritually and grow in love.
#5 Reason—We Recognize 4 Pastoral Challenges—that will Escalate in the End Time Church
There are also pastoral reasons we should pay attention to these 150 chapters of the Bible. I identify four negative responses Jesus warned the end-time church to be prepared to overcome. Again, I emphasize that people must understand the biblical narrative of what will happen, or they will be left, by default, to embrace a secular narrative of the increasing pressures, making them more vulnerable to be overcome by fear, offense, lust, and deception. Jesus highlighted 4 issues that will challenge many in the end times.
I use the acronym F-O-L-D to help me to remember these 4 pastoral challenges:
Fear (Lk. 21:26), Offense (Mt. 24:10), Lust (Lk. 21:34), and Deception (Mt. 24:11)
1) Fear: Jesus warned that men’s hearts will be overcome with fear in the end times if they are not properly equipped in the Word and walking in the Spirit. This warning applies to both believers and unbelievers. People who are overcome with fear are far more vulnerable to make terrible decisions. Jesus prophesied that people will be overcome with fear (Lk. 21:26).
“…men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things…” (Lk. 21:26, NKJV)
2) Offense: Many will be offended at God and one another in context to the escalating pressures in the end times. Some will be offended at Jesus’ leadership because they grew up being taught that things were mostly only going to get better or that Jesus would rapture them before the trouble increased too much. Thus, many will be offended at God, even questioning Jesus’ leadership and whether the Bible is true. People who are offended at the Lord cannot respond to Him with wholehearted love and strong faith.
“And then many will be offended, will betray one another…” (Mt. 24:10, NKJV)
3) Lust: Jesus warned His people not to allow their hearts to be weighed down with carousing and drunkenness. The word for “carousing” speaks of self-indulgence, with the main idea being immorality.
“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing [lust, immorality, etc.], drunkenness [lust]…and that Day [Jesus’ return] come on you unexpectedly.” (Lk. 21: 34)
Often people who are overwhelmed by fear, anxiety, depression, or offense seek to find temporary relief from their stress in drunkenness, drugs, and immorality. In other words, they “self-medicate” with lust in seeking some relief from their fear, pain, and more. The explosion of immorality in our culture will intensify even more as new cutting-edge technology provides multitudes with intense new ways to engage in internet pornography. Imagine how intense the pornified culture will be in the next few decades with holograms, virtual reality, augmented reality, and state of the art robotics with “skin” that feels human.
4) Deception: Jesus prophesied the enemy will use many false prophets for his deceptive purposes.
Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.” (Mt. 24:11, NKJV)
Do not think of false prophets only as cult leaders and crazy eccentric people with bizarre religious ideas. There will surely be some people that like who will deceive others. But I believe some of the most dangerous false prophets will be popular social commentators and media personalities who are dignified, good looking, cool, caring, intelligent, and well-spoken. They will use dynamic, creative social media platforms to communicate to multitudes. They will promote a false narrative regarding what is happening—a deceptive narrative that will oppose the biblical narrative of what is unfolding across the nations. They social commentators will be very persuasive in their call for new values and perspectives on social, sexual, and financial issues—issues currently escalating quickly in the social conversation of many nations and identified as key topics in the cultural wars. They will come across as logical and loving to many who listen to them. They will seek to “rescue” people from old-fashioned biblical values and perspectives. The enemy is raising up even more popular new voices to spearhead counterfeit justice and mercy movements. They will use the biblical terms, “justice, unity and love,” but not in the same way that the Bible defines them. These false voices will lead many people away from Jesus, the God of the Bible.
The combination of escalating fear, offense, lust, and deception will result in some believers falling away. Scripture prophesies that some will fall away from their faith in the end times. (1 Tim. 4:1-2; 2 Tim. 3:1-7; 4:3-5; Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26-31, 39; 2 Pet. 2:1-3, 20-22; 3:17). The end-time falling away will be one of the most tragic realities in history. People who become fearful or offended are more vulnerable to drift away from their faith because they are not able to make sense of the increasing troubles in the world.
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith and giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” (1 Tim. 4:1, NKJV)
Paul presented the end-time falling away to be as obvious and significant as the appearing of the Antichrist (the man of sin) as a prominent political leader on the world stage.
“Let no one deceive you in any way. For that Day [Jesus’ return] will not come unless a falling away comes first, and the man of sin [Antichrist] is revealed [on the world stage]…” (2 Thess. 2:3, NKJV)
The Lord has gracious given His people a significant amount of biblical information as part of His zeal to prepare them to walk in love and victory even amid the greatest pressures in all history which will occur in the generation that Jesus returns. With love and confidence, we cry, “Maranatha, come Lord Jesus.”
MIKE BICKLE is founder of the International House of Prayer Missions Base of Kansas City in 1999.
IHOPKC combines 24/7 prayers for justice with 24/7 works of justice.
Bickle is author of 12 books, including God’s Answer to the Growing Crisis, Growing in Prayer, and Growing in the Prophetic.
More: Find hundreds of teaching videos at Mike’s Free Teaching Library at www.mikebickle.org
Continuing our series of articles introducing you to the leaders at IPC, this month we would like to introduce you to our friend and colleague, Liz Adleta. Liz serves on the Council of International Prayer Connect and co-leads our Focus Team mobilizing prayer for the unreached peoples.
Liz, tell us a bit about your family, where you live and your personal/leisure interests outside the ministry work?
I was born and raised by Christian parents in Austin, Texas, and grew up in a Southern Baptist Church where I gave my life to Jesus at the age of 8. After a number of years of going my own way away from the Lord, I met and married my husband, Tom, in 1979 in Dallas, Texas. (Read Tom’s Bio)
At age 36, Tom had committed his life to Jesus. God brought us through a rather rapid and intense discipleship through a Bible Church, then a Spirit-filled church called Shady Grove Church in Grand Prairie, Texas, early in our marriage.
Prayer, praise and worship and missions were part of our early spiritual DNA. We had begun a crisis pregnancy ministry called Someone Cares and some other local ministries before being called by God to missions, first in China, then many other venues around the world.
Tom and I had eight children (he had 2 additional children from his previous marriage) who we home-schooled a good bit of their lives. They are all grown-up now and we have 19 grandchildren.
My husband, Tom, passed away in October last year. I live now in Sherman, Texas, together with my youngest daughter, Honour, her husband, Kirk, and their two daughters, Charley Hope and Merida Faith. Honour and Kirk also work full time in ministry in serving networks and organizations in communications, security, social media, technology and graphic design.
I just turned 69 years old in March and continue so far actively in ministry. As I have time, I enjoy “hanging out” with my children and grandchildren, a number of whom live nearby.
Tom and I travelled so much in ministry that we have been Million Milers with the airlines. We settled back in Tom’s hometown, the Dallas area, in 2015 because of Tom’s health. With Tom’s decline over the last couple of years and COVID, it feels like I live on Zoom between prayer times and meetings these days! I am still full time in international ministry but now would love to be better connected locally. I am engaging in several grassroots efforts here in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex where over 350 languages are spoken in the homes and over 1,600 different ethnic groups live. I recently helped facilitate 10 Days of Prayer DFW to pray onsite in the 10 zones of this metropolitan area.
Tell us how you became involved in the prayer and mission movements as you do?
Our ministry always hinged and was birthed from prayer. We spent 25 years in Asia training church planters, which always involved prayer as foundational to ministry. God eventually took us to Africa, Europe and Central and South America. In 2004, I was one of a group of global leaders that started the Ethnê Movement and I facilitated their prayer working group until 2013 when a colleague, Jenny Oliphant, also now with IPC, stepped into my roles there. I continue to work alongside her in a number of international ministries including the 24:14 Coalition, Int’l Prayer Council, Int’l Partnering Associates, Extraordinary Prayer Task Force, Global Family 24-7 Prayer, and 10 Days as well as others.
Believing prayer is the indispensable key to the unfinished task, I helped found Fellowship of Prayer Strategists in 2014 to serve those prayer leaders working in networks, organizations and field teams. FPS focuses on the role of the prayer strategist and prayer strategies—on expanding our understanding of prayer and applying those to extending the Kingdom of God, especially among the unreached.
Tell us how you connected with IPC.
I first met John Robb as our prayer journey led by George Otis, Jr. met up with his team in Thimphu, Bhutan, in late 1993 as one of the first prayer journeys with AD2000 and Beyond Movement. John and I kept running into one another over the years in various airports!
Over the years, I have had the privilege to work alongside a number of other IPC leaders, including Brian Mills. Brian served the SEANET Buddhist world partnership while we were developing the Billion Hours prayer initiative. Brother Austen Ukachi with IPC invited me to the West Africa IPC gathering in 2007 in Sierra Leone, to share about praying for the unreached peoples, and God used that in a pivotal way to draw our family to move to Africa in 2008, where we lived and ministered for several years.
I’ve participated in a number of IPC-sponsored prayer gatherings such as the meetings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a special gathering in Cypus, and the Highway 19 gathering in Dubai. I worked with Dr. Jason Hubbard, Jonathan Friz and other in launching the Global Family 24-7 Prayer community on Zoom January 1, 2021. Children in Prayer meetings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Dark Places and Powers gathering in Cypus, and the Highway 19 gathering in Dubai. I worked with Dr. Jason Hubbard, Jonathan Friz and other in launching the Global Family 24-7 Prayer community on Zoom January 1, 2021.
For your encouragement, please let me share that, over the past 30 days, there were 12,079 individual participants across all our host’s, The Aqueduct Project’s, prayer rooms, with the majority gathering in the Global Family and Prayer Force prayer rooms. There were over half a million minutes of individual participant time logged in the prayer rooms over the past 30 days. God is allowing us together to discover ways to structure global prayer networks in a way that I have never seen nor read about.
Since Jenny Oliphant and I both focus on mobilizing and training the Body of Christ in praying for the unreached people groups, it seems a natural fit to collaborate with others in International Prayer Connect. We’re excited about encouraging other IPC members to grow in their partnering skills and focusing on those not yet in the Kingdom of God in prayer.
May God bless our joint efforts and continue developing this network of networks for His glory!
Tell us about one or two areas you believe God is highlighting for growth in prayer right now for the Body of Christ?
I believe God is highlighting cultivating our intimacy with Him, and in that, our skills at listening to Him, not only individually but also corporately. I see more and more being written on listening to God, but the Body of Christ is still growing on hearing His voice corporately. I’m excited to see the Holy Spirit drawing more and more into a corporate listening time for discerning the Lord’s direction, hearing His heart and accomplishing His purposes.
Liz Adleta – Council Member
International Prayer Connect
A mid – June prayer report looking at the opportunities and challenges of vaccinations, Covid-19 Hot Spots and some suggested Prayer Pointers with links to resources:
As of 13th June, the total global figure for people infected by Covid-19 stood at 175.7 million according to Johns Hopkins University. In addition to this, the recorded number who have died totalled 3,796,642. From a peak of worldwide daily cases in early January, numbers declined steadily until mid-February when they started to rise again, more recently exceeding the January peak.
Covid-19 hot spots
Here are those countries / regions which are currently showing high levels of infection.
The devastating wave of infections that overwhelmed India does appear to be slowing. India is the second worst-hit country in the world by the pandemic after the United States. The overall case count officially now stands at 29,439,989 cases, and 370,407 deaths although many fear it may be 5 or 6 times higher than this. The devastating second wave that engulfed India, one of the worst experienced by any nation, may finally have abated, but trauma and death has been left in its wake. There was barely a family in India left untouched by the virus, and with Covid hitting adults much worse than children, it has resulted in thousands becoming orphans in the past few weeks.
Brazil continues to see great suffering in 2021. Cases have increased since early February, peaking at the start of April at over 100,000 per day. The current daily average of 75,778 cases per day is slowly declining, but still exceeds that of the first wave in July 2020. Total cases have exceeded 17.3 million with 486.358 deaths. Having peaked at 4249 daily deaths on 8th April, the figure still remains high with over 2008 daily deaths still being reported. Whereas many countries have seen sharp declines following a peak, Brazil has been much slower at reducing cases and deaths over time.
South America continues to experience some of the highest levels of death due to COVID. Over the week 6th-13th June, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Colombia have all experienced some of the highest levels of death relative to population size, although thankfully cases are declining in all of these countries.
The US continues to be the country with the highest number of confirmed cases and deaths related to Covid-19 with figures at around 34,315,873 and 614,955 respectively. Thankfully the daily infection rate has fallen dramatically from a 7 day rolling average high point of nearly 250,000 cases in early January to just over 16,000 cases mid-June (John Hopkins) and daily deaths were reported as 308 on 13 June .
Cases in European countries are relatively stable, having declined over the last 6 weeks in most countries. There are signs of small rises in Russia and the UK amidst debates about the speed of easing restrictions and the possible impact of new variants.
New waves and Variants
New variants of COVID 19 continue to be the source of discussion and focus, not least as their interaction with the vaccination programmes and new waves of infection become a greater priority. The World Health Organisation have recently introduced a new naming convention for variants of Interest (VOI) and variants of concerns (VOC). "No country should be stigmatized for detecting and reporting variants," Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's technical lead for Covid-19 response, wrote in a Twitter post. Rather, a WHO expert panel recommends using Greek alphabet letters to refer to variants, "which will be easier and more practical to discussed by non-scientific audiences," WHO says on a new webpage on its website.
The P.1 variant, first detected in Brazil and designated a variant of concern in January, has been labelled "Gamma." The B.1.617.2 variant, first found in India and recently reclassified from a variant of interest to variant of concern, is "Delta." Variants of interest have been given labels from "Epsilon" to "Kappa."
This New York Times article provides a useful and detailed analysis of the nature and scientific understanding of variants. Some countries, like the USA have been fortunate in avoiding the rapid spread of variants whereas others, such as the UK, have been affected more significantly. Thankfully, current variants do seem to be suppressed by effective vaccine rollouts, particularly when 2 doses have been administered. Dr Anthony Fauci urged everyone who has received the first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to make sure to sign up for a second. "And for those who have still not been vaccinated yet, please get vaccinated.” He said vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and to stop this variant from spreading and becoming dominant in the U.S.
There has been much recent focus on the ‘Delta’ variant B.1.617 that was first detected in India in October. This is a concern because there is evidence that the risk of hospital admission is higher in people with the delta variant. Data also indicate that the variant is spreading rapidly through England’s schools. Public Health England has said the Delta (Indian) variant is 64% more transmissible than the Alpha (Kent) variant indoors and vaccines are less effective against it.
Vaccines
The vaccination programme remains the most likely vehicle for ending the pandemic. As of late April, more than 2.36 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, with 12.2% of the world population having received at least one vaccine dose. Vaccines have now been administered in approximately 180 countries. Vaccines remain concentrated in high income countries - about 51% of people who have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine were from high income countries, and at least 48% were from Europe and North America, yet these countries only represent 16% of the world’s population. Because of the limited availability of vaccines, most countries are prioritizing certain groups of people to receive their shots before others. People who are older or more likely to become very ill or die from COVID-19 are usually prioritized over those who are young and healthy. Some groups are prioritized because they are more likely to come into contact with an infected person based on what they do or where they live and, in turn, infect others.
Vaccine inequality remains a serious and potentially worsening problem. From Africa to Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean, the same issues have been replicated. On top of finding enough doses, there have been logistical difficulties with delivery, problems over healthcare infrastructure and, in some countries, public hesitancy towards vaccines.
Africa’s lack of vaccines – and the erratic supply of those that are eventually delivered – remains a major challenge. Only 28 million doses have been delivered on the continent so far – that’s less than 2% of the continent’s population – at a time when some wealthier countries have vaccinated well in excess of half their populations.
In terms of approved vaccines, the RAPS website provides a good overview of the current situation. There are currently 16 vaccines with some form of regulatory approval, of which 7 are being used widely across the world. 9 new vaccines are currently in Phase 3 trials, with a further 7651 in earlier stages of development. This is unprecedented and something we should all give thanks for, not least when considering the partnership work between scientists, public and private organisations, which is a source of great optimism.
Moderna and Pfizer have released data suggesting that their vaccines are well tolerated in adolescents and highly effective in preventing COVID-19. Canada, the US and the EU have already authorised the Pfizer vaccine in children as young as 12, and the UK has just approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine in children aged 12 to 15. However, there is a much debate as to the benefit of vaccinating children in rich countries, particularly when so many more vulnerable people in the world remain unvaccinated.
Political Leadership
The G7 summit of world leaders has just finished and placed COVID at the centre of its discussions. In particular they focused on worldwide vaccination supply, but also economic recovery from the pandemic. The group agreed to donate 1 billion doses to poorer nations, something welcomed by UNICEF who said “We welcome the commitment this week by leaders of G7 nations to accelerate the rollout of safe, effective, accessible and affordable vaccines for the poorest countries, with a goal toward ending the pandemic in 2022. Equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines represents the clearest pathway out of this pandemic for all of us — children included, and commitments announced by G7 members last week are an important step in this direction.” Others however have said that the group lacked ambition, highlighting that 12 billion vaccines would be needed worldwide, and a lack of clarity as to how the promised vaccines would be delivered.
Let’s Pray… Let us continue to declare that the novel coronavirus is defeated by the blood of Jesus.
We pray for divine intervention and for God's name to be glorified even as each nation and government tries its best to prevent or control the emergence of new waves of infection and finally arrest this epidemic.
We pray that individuals, leaders and nations focus on the needs of others rather than themselves, and that cooperation and compassion lie at the heart of the world’s response to the crisis.
We pray for our scientists. In particular we pray for those assessing and communicating risks associated with vaccines, that they be filled with wisdom and understanding. We pray too for those investigating, sequencing and analysing new variants.
We pray especially for the nation of India. We stand with our brothers and sisters who are living amidst this uncertainty. We pray comfort for those who suffer and their families, and resilience for those providing medical support in the most difficult of times.
We release wisdom, skill, and integrity upon our leaders, particularly as they grapple with the complexities, challenges and many voices that seek to influence them.
We pray that leaders and nations will see their moral duty to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people and back this up with action not just words.
We pray for protection, wisdom and strength, for those working to bring treatment and comfort to the sick and their families.
We pray for individuals struggling to decide whether to receive the vaccine. We ask that their fears be settled and that the information they receive be truthful and honest.
We pray special grace and help for the vulnerable and lesser-developed nations.
We pray for a safe, effective, and affordable vaccine to be released soonest and the continued development of a range of vaccines to supply the whole world
We continue to release faith, hope, and love over the peoples of the world. May the Church seize this opportune time to manifest Jesus our Lord and Savior to those who are seeking answers and peace.
The Olympic games would normally draw Christians from across the world to support and lead mission work alongside the games. This would be of particular importance to Japan, one of the least reached countries with the gospel of Jesus in the world, with only 0.5% of the population professing to be Christian.
However the COVID pandemic has hindered many plans, and the question still remains as to whether the games should proceed at all.
Current polls in Japan show nearly 70% of the population do not want the Olympics to go ahead, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) remains steadfast that the spectacle will take place. Japan has long insisted there was no question the Olympics, which should have taken place last summer, would be held and will be safe and this was reaffirmed by the Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the recent G7 conference.
Any decision to cancel the games can only be taken by the IOC and not the host city. The Olympic charter also stipulates that the IOC should ensure "the health of the athletes" and promote "safe sports", Despite all this, the IOC seems determined to go ahead.
There are also serious commercial risks to consider: "Under various clauses within this host city agreement, if Japan was to unilaterally cancel the contract, then by and large, the risks and losses would fall with the local organising committee," Professor Jack Anderson at the University of Melbourne told the BBC.
Some missionary work will continue in Japan, for example IMB missionaries in Tokyo have developed evangelism and outreach plans utilizing both volunteers and Japanese churches and believers. These plans required adapting, first with the postponement of the 2020 Olympics and second with the news that international spectators would not be permitted to attend the games in 2021. IMB missionaries shifted their efforts from being event-oriented to strategy-oriented with a focus on utilizing events to enhance their outreach. Their strategy is two-fold, Bradford said. They will be planting churches and supporting Japanese believers and churches.
There are many Christian athletes competing in the Olympics to follow and pray for. 5 of these are discussed here.
Pray: for the safety of all those involved in the Olympic Games however they may or may not proceed.
Pray: for those making decisions about the event, that compassion and love will feature instead of greed and commercial interest.
Pray: for those sportsmen and sportswomen who use their skills and talents as witnesses for Christ (1 Peter 4:10)
Pray: for those involved in mission work around the Olympics, that they will be led by the Spirit in all they do (Matthew 28:19-20)
Pray: for the people of Japan, who are divided in their support for the games, for a peaceful and gracious spirit.
More / Sources: BBC news, Baptist Press – International Mission Board
IPC will be providing some more detailed prayer briefings in partnership with Japan International Sports Partnership and Japanese Evangelical Missionary Association (JEMA) to guide our prayers for Japan and the Olympics in next month’s IPC Connections email and on our website.
Latin America continues to be a continent enduring profound suffering.
Alongside some background articles about current affairs in parts of the continent, IPC’s Latin America Director – Yanira Gonzalez – has drawn together some prayer points to focus our hearts and minds on the needs of the people of Latin America.
The effects of the pandemic after a year on the continent have been devastating: deaths, unemployment, increased poverty, depression, domestic violence. Pray that the church will be a prophetic voice in this crisis announcing hope, grace and forgiveness. Latin America needs to hear God’s voice.
During the course of 2021, nine Latin American countries will hold elections, with five—Chile, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Peru—selecting presidents. In particular, the Chilean and Peruvian elections will be taking place during the coming weeks.
The Chilean elections have already demonstrated the turmoil that 18 months of the pandemic have brought to many nations as Chile's centre-right ruling coalition failed to secure a critical one-third of seats in the body that will draft the country's new constitution.
With 90% of the votes counted, candidates backed by President Sebastian Pinera's centre-right Chile Vamos coalition had won only a fifth while independents picked up the most votes. New proposals will require two-thirds approval and without a third of the delegates, the government will struggle to block radical changes to the constitution unless it can forge new alliances.
At the time of writing this article, the result of Peru’s election remains unclear. Peru’s left wing candidate Pedro Castillo, a relative newcomer to the political scene, has claimed victory in the after clinging on to a narrow lead as the lengthy vote count ended, although his right-wing rival has pledged to fight the result and has yet to concede.
Castillo ended the count 44,058 votes ahead of Keiko Fujimori, who has made allegations of fraud with little proof and has tried to get some votes annulled.
The result of the ballot held on 6 June has not been formally announced by electoral authorities, but Castillo hailed the win on Twitter.
As tensions increase, United Nations Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet expressed her concern.
"Electoral institutions and the decisions they make must be respected and accepted," she tweeted.
"If the rules of democracy are not accepted before, during and after the elections, it can create dangerous cracks in social cohesion."
Please pray for deeply divided Peru.
Pray: for Colombia’s ongoing protests against increased taxes, corruption, inequality, lack of opportunity and health care reform, proposed by the government of President Ivan Duque Marquez to stop. The protests have claimed dozens of lives since the end of April, 2021 in Bogota and other main cities. Pray that God will touch the heart of government and demonstrators with peace.
Pray: for a continental movement of repentance from the shedding of innocent blood supported for many abortion laws approved by governments in Latin America. Pray for mercy! (Psalm 106:38 And shed innocent blood, even blood of their sons and of their daughters,/; and polluted the land with blood. Proverbs 6:16, 17... These six things the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.)
Please pray for a practical solution for the USA – Mexico Southern Border Crisis.
Pray: for the welfare of 21,000+ children incarcerated in US-run shelters awaiting immigration clearance, and for their families facing stressful processes and uncertainties.
Pray: for protection and rescue of trafficked children whose freedom and innocence have been betrayed (Matthew 18:10)
“Unauthorized immigrants are now running head over heels toward the Border Patrol in a most unlikely pattern of controlled anarchy.” The San Diego Union Tribune May 7, 2021)
In Venezuela, a meeting of the National spiritist council, sorcerers, federation of ancestral religions, shamans, yatiris and governmental leaders of the continent is being summoned for a strategic proclamation of the Bolivarian* movement in Latin America. They want to establish not only a more leftist agenda, but spiritism as an endorsement of popular socialism to activate a revolution in our nations. We invite you to pray against all witchcraft and invocation of ancestral spirits that want to take over Latin America.
*Bolivarianism is a mix of pan-hispanic, socialist and national-patriotic ideals fixed against injustices of imperialism, inequality and corruption named after Simón Bolívar, the 19th-century Venezuelan general and liberator from the Spanish monarchy then in abeyance, who led the struggle for independence throughout much of South America.
The Bolivarian Revolution is a political process in Venezuela that was led by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, the founder of the Fifth Republic Movement and later the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). According to Chávez and other supporters, the Bolivarian Revolution seeks to build an inter-American coalition to implement Bolivarianism, nationalism and a state-led economy. (Attribution: Wikipedia)
Please pray for the spirits of darkness, ideological, political and occult, to be bound along with their human actors who want to destabilize and destroy Latin America and all freedom-loving nations.
Pray: that God would raise up leaders with integrity, godly inspired to bring transformation to their nations.
More / Sources: AS / COA, Reuters, The Guardian
Psalm 122:6 tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Currently Israel is undergoing significant upheaval whilst still facing threats from Palestinians in Gaza.
Having seen 11 days of relative peace following a ceasefire agreed between Israeli and Palestinian forces, the Israeli military confirmed an aircraft attack in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday 16th June, retaliating against incendiary balloons deployed by Hamas.
The attack comes barely two days after the ousting of Israel's former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The attack reportedly targeted Hamas armed compounds in response to incendiary balloons that were deployed from the area. The balloons caused 10 fires in fields of southern Israel, Reuters reported.
An unwieldy coalition calling itself “Change” has removed Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, after his most recent 12-year run. The eight-party coalition ranges from ultra-right religious nationalists to the secular hard-right, through the centre-right and residue of Israel’s left, to ally for the first time with an Arab Islamist party.
The new government will be led initially by Naftali Bennett, a champion of Jewish settlement. He is opposed to any Palestinian state and wants to annex most of the occupied West Bank and stands to the right of Netanyahu.
Yair Lapid, a former TV anchor and voice of liberal secular Israelis, whose party came second to Netanyahu’s Likud, is supposed to take over from Bennett as premier in 2023 and has provided what glue the coalition has.
Netanyahu’s removal from office has been met with dismay by some evangelical Christian groups whilst others have reaffirmed their support for Israel and a desire to stay out of day-to-day politics.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu continues to challenge the legitimacy a the newly formed Israeli coalition, calling it the result of “the greatest election fraud” in the history of democracy.
Pray: that His peace may reign over the land of Israel (Psalm 122:6)
Pray: for Naftali Bennett as the new leader of the Israeli Government. Pray@ that God will Provide him and the Government with the knowledge needed during these most difficult of times.
Pray: that the ceasefire may endure and that a peaceful resolution to this complex conflict may still be found.
Sources / More: The Financial Times, USA Today,
The outcome of Iran’s presidential election on Friday could reshape the country’s political balance of power – and Tehran’s relations with its allies and rivals.
Conservative candidate Ebrahim Raisi is widely seen as the frontrunner to succeed Hassan Rouhani, the reformist president whose second term is ending. Two low-profile reformist candidates are also vying for Iran’s highest political office.
A win for Raisi, or any of the other conservative candidates, would signal a break from the reform agenda headed by Rouhani and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif since 2013.
Raisi was quoted in local media as saying, “I have come as an independent to the stage to make changes in the executive management of the country and to fight poverty, corruption, humiliation and discrimination.” Yet under his guidance as judiciary chief, more than 620 executions have taken place, the majority originating in unfair trials and minority groups.
That, in turn, could have significant consequences for countries keen to engage Tehran on a range of issues, including the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement, a series of regional conflicts and the detention of dual-nationals.
The Christian church continues to operate with incredible courage at this time, whilst facing ongoing persecution, threats and violence.
Pray: with thanks for the witness of Christians in Iran, their courage and perseverance. Pray that they will know heavenly love and protection.
More /Sources: Persecution.org - International Christian Concern, Open Doors