In 1993, Andrew Brunson was asked to travel to Turkey, the largest unevangelized country in the world, to serve as a missionary. Though hesitant because of the daunting and dangerous task that lay ahead, Andrew and his wife, Norine, believed this was God's plan for them.

What followed was a string of threats and attacks, but also successes in starting new churches in a place where many people had never met a Christian. As their work with refugees from Syria, including Kurds, gained attention and suspicion, Andrew and Norine acknowledged the threat but accepted the risk, determining to stay unless God told them to leave.

In 2016, they were arrested. Though the State eventually released Norine, who remained in Turkey, Andrew was imprisoned. Accused of being a spy and being among the plotters of the attempted coup, he became a political pawn whose story soon became known around the world.

God's Hostage is the incredible true story of his imprisonment, his brokenness, and his eventual freedom. Anyone with a heart for missions, especially to the Muslim world, will love this tension-laden and faith-laced book.

Watch a video of Andrew and his wife, Noreen on Fox News: https://video.foxnews.com/v/6094662239001

Buy the book from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Hostage-Persecution-Imprisonment-Perseverance/dp/0801094879/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=gods+hostage&qid=1574951175&sr=8-1

Thank you for your partnership in bringing God’s eternal Word to the Bibleless. We are excited to share the third volume of the Pray for Zero Guide with you.

The new guide will help you pray for:

Translators - The People
Translation - The Work
Transformation - The Impact

This guide is packed with resources to equip you in your prayers.

Specific prayer points for the 12 key areas
Scripture-based prayers to recite
Stories of life transformation from around the world

Each page was crafted to empower you as a prayer partner and to invite the presence of God into your prayer time.

Download the new Pray for Zero guide, and unite with us in prayer for the Bibleless.

When we pray Scripture back to God, we can be confident we are praying His will. His Word never returns without fulfilling His purposes.

“It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”

— Isaiah 55:11 NLT

DOWNLOAD THE NEW PRAYER GUIDE HERE - https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9747aaed806a398f98dee7604/files/e6692113-81fd-4566-bc78-1f179ea43945/Prayer_Giode_2019_Digital_Version.pdf

Would you like a great way to encourage united, corporate prayer in your church and throughout your city and community? We know we should pray and be people of prayer, but when prayer only becomes another “wish list”, we can find our hearts distracted and unsure if we are even “getting through” to God. You can be assured He hears and answers us. Take a look at the article, “Be Assured That You are Heard,” by Steve Hawthorne.
 
God loves to hear the prayers of His people, and He is faithful to fulfill His word. The Seek God for the City prayers spring directly from scripture. Praying about the desires and longings of God’s heart will amplify and enlarge your own expectations about what God is doing and has promised He will do. You won’t be praying alone – you and your church will be praying with thousands of people during this 40-day season.
 
Don’t delay in ordering your Seek God prayer guides. Seek God begins on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, and continues through Palm Sunday, April 5. Check our website for ordering information and other helpful prayer resources.   Place your order today.
 
Be encouraged in these days. God is fulfilling His purposes and will be faithful to His Word.  Let’s find our hearts freshly renewed and our hope strengthened as we call out to God together.
 
Yours in hope,
 
Barb Hawthorne | Stephanie Tucker

www.WayMakers.org
 
PS The app will be in the app stores later this month. The Spanish translation will be available in December 2019.

DR ALISTAIR PETRIE IS AN INTERNATIONAL MINISTER AND TEACHER ON THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF TRANSFORMING REVIVAL. ALISTAIR PETRIE SHARES SOME INSIGHTS FOR THOSE WHO ARE PRAYING FOR REVIVAL IN THEIR NATIONS.

 He suggests that though there is a place for persevering prayer and heartfelt repentance, Scripture suggests seven different heart characteristics that God is looking for when determining where and when to pour out His Spirit. As we pray individually and corporately for our nations, these attributes of righteousness are keys to unlocking our breakthrough.

Petrie challenges us to consider these seven qualifiers if we want to “attract” God’s heart and prepare a holy place for Him to dwell. It always starts with us individually assessing our own heart condition. Then, as each individual gets aligned with God’s heart and purpose, the corporate testimony will be impacted and our joint intercession will have power and authority.

Here are the seven characteristics in order of progression, starting personally, then overflowing to the corporate:

1.HUMILITY – Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. (James 4:10)

This is the starting place for all prayer. We must surrender our own agenda to His and submit to His methods and timing, taking a posture of serving and not striving.

2.HOLINESS – Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

We must walk in the fear of the Lord and esteem holiness and righteousness as the foundation of His throne, not allowing any compromise or double-standard to weaken our authority.

3.RELATIONAL UNITY – I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. (1 Corinthians 1:10)

Our unity is based on the work of the cross and our corporate commission to declare the Kingdom of God in our midst.

4.INTEGRITY – The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. (Proverbs 11:3)

We must become trustworthy stewards who are shown to be people of His Word, able to guard, keep, and occupy what He wants to give us.

5.TRANSPARENCY – For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man. (2 Corinthians 8:21)

We must admit when we are wrong and be authentic in our journey of sanctification.

6.BEING VERTICALLY INFORMED AND HORIZONTALLY ACCOUNTABLE – Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)

We are stronger together than we are apart. Our mutual accountability has great impact as each part does its work.

7.GIVEN TO CORPORATE PRAYER (leading to tangible results) – All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer…When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. (Acts 1:14, 2:1-2)

If we want to see a corporate shift, it requires corporate agreement. Heaven listens for the unified voice of the Church and will respond to our corporate cry for His presence.

Prayerfully consider these seven qualifiers and share them with those you pray with. Assess your heart condition, both personally and corporately. Are you seeing these characteristics displayed in your corporate testimony? If not, address the adjustments needed and ask the Holy Spirit to empower you in preparing a place for Him to come and pour out a greater measure of His Spirit and His glory.

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. (Psalms 133:1-3)

Rev. Dr. Alistair P. Petrie
Executive Director
www.partnershipministries.org

“When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  2 Chronicles 7:13-14

God is calling us, the Body of Christ, to come together, fall on our knees and confess the sin of our nation, repenting corporately, with ONE VOICE before Him.  Once that is done, God says He will hear us, forgive us and heal our land! In order to do that, we must be convicted of our sin, and be willing to repent, not  just give lip service.

“These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” Matthew 15:8

God is asking us if we are willing to receive the burden of “conviction of the sin of this nation” in our hearts. As we agree, we will be empowered to pray effectively in repentance for our nation!

We are engaged in a spiritual battle...a warfare of love! Many in the Body of Christ are deeply concerned about the extreme danger being posed by the anti-Christ spirit, which is operating against not only our President but the United States of America at this very hour, trying to undermine and destroy our very foundations. Americans are distracted by a never-ending stream of “urgent” matters, while the media floods the airwaves 24/7 with “fake news” in an attempt to control our minds and instill fear in our hearts! What is taking place is a battle, against not only our Government but against individuals, families, churches and communities. It is an all-out war against the American way of life...and it has already been launched! “We, The People” are under attack!

Unless the Body of Christ repents and then rises up in prayer, the United States will have no future.

“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate. Joel 2:12-13

Nothing is too far out of reach that God cannot revive it. Repentance does not happen spontaneously. It first takes place in individual hearts, is nurtured by prayer and fasting, and is then birthed into the larger arena, often through solemn assemblies. In Scripture, these solemn assemblies were often called by priests, prophets or kings, for the entire nation. Prior to every national awakening in the United States, there was an emphasis on repentance, with fasting and prayer. Throughout our history, 788 solemn assemblies for national repentance took place!

The blessing of national repentance is not only that God heals and blesses the nation, but also that a passion for His Presence is stirred up in the Body of Christ.

During the Civil War, as President Abraham Lincoln struggled to mend a divided and war-torn nation and re-center Americans around God and prayer, he issued a proclamation on March 30, 1863, calling for a “Day of National Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer.” The text of Lincoln’s proclamation has pointed lessons for today, as our nation is once again deeply divided. It repeatedly references God, calls on Americans to turn back to prayer and acknowledges the importance that God plays in human affairs. It was indeed a “call to repent before God” which is appropriate for us today.  (CLICK HERE for the full text)

Today, October 3, 2019, we, the undersigned, call the Body of Christ to a DAY OF CORPORATE REPENTANCE for the United States of America, to take place on Sunday, November 3, 2019, as a step toward a NATIONAL DAY OF REPENTANCE!

More info on the Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/395409681133569/

John Robb, Founder, National Prayer Assembly (USA),
Chairman, International Prayer Council,
International Coordinator, World Prayer Assembly (2012)
(Co-signed by 121 others

Pray for Syria, Turkey and the Kurds

Turkey views the Kurds as terrorists. A couple of weeks ago, they pushed into Syria to displace the Kurds from the border area, to create a 'safe-zone'.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, the United States’ main ally in the fight against ISIS, has been in talks with both Russia and the US to protect the Kurdish people against the Turkish assault. The Turkish incursion has killed scores of people on both sides of the border and nearly 180,000 people inside Syria have been displaced.

The commander of the SDF is now holding discussions with the US government on keeping US forces in the region, as well as regaining control over territory they have lost since the Turkish military invasion began. Pray for the hostile actors in this volatile situation- the Turkish government and military, the Kurdish leaders and their militia, as well as the Syrian, Russian and US governments that a good and peaceful diplomatic solution can be worked out.

Pray for the tens of thousands of civilians whose lives have been uprooted and for effective and well- coordinated humanitarian relief to pour in to meet their critical needs.

Pray that the military operation by Turkey and all fighting would stop immediately.

Pray that God would intervene in a special way to resolve the current conflicts in His peaceful way.

We pray, Your Kingdom come on Turkey, Syria, and all Middle East regions!

Northeast Syria is home to a range of diverse ethnic and religious communities. The principal Kurdish region of Syria, it also hosts sizeable Syriac and Assyrian Christians communities. There are also Christian converts, especially among the Kurdish communities.

The stated objectives of Turkey’s military action in Syria are, firstly, to create a ‘safe-zone’ along the border by combatting Kurdish-led forces, and, secondly, to facilitate the repatriation of Syrian refugees from Turkey. The campaign does not seem to be motivated by a specific religious agenda, and there is little evidence to suggest that Christians are being specifically targeted. But Christians are deeply affected, along with other communities in the region. Shelling has led to multiple casualties, more than twenty villages have so far been seized and tens of thousands have fled the region.

Although not specifically a campaign against Christians, there are concerns Christian communities face particular vulnerabilities. Christian leaders are concerned that elements within Turkey’s forces and their Syrian opposition allies are pursuing Islamist agendas that are hostile not just to Kurds but also to any communities that are not Sunni Muslim. This fear would be compounded if the security of prisons holding extremists is compromised. They also fear that Turkey’s refugee repatriation plans, whereby Syrians who fled from other areas would be resettled in northeast Syria, constitute an intentional programme of ‘demographic engineering’ in the region, intended to boost the Arab Sunni presence to the detriment of Kurds and other communities such as Christians.

Syrian Christians request prayer that:

Political and military leaders, of parties involved and in the wider international community, will act with restraint and hope peace will be restored, human dignity respected and pluralism preserved and strengthened, in northeast Syria and the rest of the country, for the benefit of all ethnic and religious communities. Pray that Christian communities will not be intimidated but will find opportunity to be agents of reconciliation, wisdom and compassion for those bereaved or injured, together with all who have fled. Pray those suffering will find comfort, healing, peace and hope all and that all who are intent on violence will know the Spirit’s conviction of sin and respond to the Father’s offer of new life through the Son.

More at: http://meconcern.org/2019/10/11/syria-christians-request-prayer-for-northeast-syria/

Iraq protests:

There has been an upsurge of violence in Iraq as anti-government protests enter a fifth day, amid reports of bloodshed in the holy city of Karbala.

Reports say up to 18 people were shot dead by security forces there. However, officials denied anyone was killed.

In the capital, Baghdad, thousands of protesters have defied a curfew to demand jobs, better public services and an end to corruption.

Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi is under growing pressure to resign.

On Tuesday the influential Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr said he would join forces with another powerful politician, Hadi al-Ameri, to bring Mr Abdul Mahdi down through a vote of no confidence.

More than 220 people have died across the country since anti-government demonstrations broke out at the beginning of the month. A first wave of protests gave way to a brief lull, but fresh unrest began five days ago.

What happened in Karbala?

In Karbala - a major centre for Shia Islam - the situation remains unclear, but a number of medical sources and eyewitnesses, backed up by video footage, suggest at least 18 people were killed and hundreds wounded in clashes with the security forces.

Rupert Colville, the spokesman for the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said they were trying to get more information about the situation.

"We have received particularly disturbing reports on what has been going on in Karbala... In both those reports [United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (Unami) and an Iraqi government committee], they recognise that excessive force has been used."

He called on local authorities in the city to ensure security forces acted with restraint and investigate the shootings.

The local governor and the police chief in Karbala have denied any protesters were killed, saying that videos circulating widely that show protesters running away from gunfire have been fabricated.

What about Baghdad?

Thousands of demonstrators vowed to continue their protests in the city, filling up the Iraqi capital's central Tahrir Square on Tuesday.

At least 74 people were killed and 3,500 others were injured over the weekend as the protests resumed in Baghdad and elsewhere following a two-week pause that organisers said was designed to give Iraq's leaders time to respond to their demands.

Mr Abdul Mahdi has promised to introduce reforms but protesters remain determined to try to sweep away his government.

On Monday, security forces fired tear gas to deter any attempting to cross a bridge to the fortified Green Zone, which houses government offices and foreign embassies.

After the first wave of protests earlier this month, the prime minister promised to carry out a cabinet reshuffle and cut the salaries of high-ranking officials. He also said he would allocate $66m ($51m) to support the unemployed, set up training programmes for youths, and build 100,000 homes in poor areas.

Will the government survive?

The prime minister has consistently rejected demands by Moqtada Sadr, who leads parliament's largest bloc, to resign and hold snap elections.

Mr Ameri, who heads the second largest group in parliament, has previously backed the government. But on Tuesday he announced that he and Mr Sadr would "work together to achieve the people's demands".

Mr Sadr had earlier issued a public invitation to Mr Ameri to co-ordinate on a no-confidence vote in parliament.

More at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50225055

Pray: for a speedy resolution and that the politicians react positively in the best interest of the Iraqi people.
Pray: for restraint on both sides and an end to the excessive force being used by the authorities.
Pray: for the families and loved ones of the deceased.
Pray: for an end to the corruption that pervades the government and public services in Iraq.

Lebanon's prime minister, Saad Hariri, has announced he is resigning following almost two weeks of anti-government protests.

Mr Hariri said he had hit a "dead end" and would tender his resignation to President Michel Aoun.

Demonstrations across the country have brought it to a standstill. Banks, schools and universities have been shut as a cross-section of society called for the whole government to go.

Hundreds of thousands of people have set aside religious differences and political affiliations and taken to the streets to demand an end to government corruption, inequality and sectarianism.

There have been demonstrations from the northern and traditionally conservative city of Tripoli, through the capital Beirut and all the way to the southern city of Tyre.

Those taking part want the political class that has dominated the country since its 1975-1990 civil war to be overthrown.

Its current economic crisis is the worst since that period, with a black market for US dollars developing in the last month or so.

More at: https://news.sky.com/story/lebanons-pm-al-hariri-to-resign-after-anti-government-protests-11848399

Pray: that the issues of corruption, inequality and sectarianism can be peacefully resolved.
Pray: that the more militant organisations will not take advantage of this unrest.
Pray: for a just and representative government to be democratically elected.
Pray: that Lebanon shall be saved.

Chinese Christians in Anhui are said to be ‘outraged’ after their state-registered megachurch was demolished and their pastors arrested.

Demolition work (pictured) began at Funan County Christian Church on Friday, partway through a worship service. (More information and short video clip of the demolition here.)

Elderly church members knelt down in front of the church, begging officials not to destroy the building, says Release partner ChinaAid. Several fainted and required hospital treatment.

Pastors Geng Yimin and Sun Yongyao were arrested the next day on suspicion of ‘gathering a crowd to disturb social order’. Their church could seat up to 3,000 people.

ChinaAid Director Bob Fu says believers are ‘outraged’.

‘The Chinese Government is now ordering believers to worship in a remote endangered building which can only host a few hundred people,’ he said. Yet, ChinaAid says many Christians, including those in Funan, are too afraid to speak out for fear of more persecution.

Pray: that God will bless His people in Funan and provide a new building for them. Pray that they will grow in unity and faith through this ordeal.

Pray: for the immediate release without charge of Funan pastors Geng Yimin and Sun Yongyao. Ask God to comfort those who were distressed by the demolition.

Praise: God that Christianity is growing fast in China, despite intense persecution. Sources quoted by ChinaAid estimate that there are now more than 100 million Christians in China.

(Source: China Aid)

Israel’s sitting prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, for the second time since April 2019, has been unable to form a coalition government. He returned his mandate to do so to President Reuven Rivlin on Monday 21 Oct. 2019.

Rivlin has since called on Netanyahu’s rival, Benny Gantz, who heads the Blue and White bloc, to try and form a coalition of at least 61 seats in parliament over the next 28 days. It is widely held that Gantz will be unlikely to fare any better than Netanyahu. If he does fail to form a government, an unprecedented third election in one year will take place in 2020. 

The prime minister claimed in a video statement that he tried to bring Gantz to the negotiating table to “prevent another election,” but said Gantz “refused time after time.” (JNN)

PRAYER REMINDER: INTERCEDE FOR ISRAEL’S NEW GOVERNMENT TO BE EFFECTIVELY FORMED SOON:

Once again, the call goes out for intercessors and prayer groups to intercede in this vitally important issue. Pray that Israel's leaders will be able to form a strong and stable government and that a third national election, will be avoided. The damage to Israel as a result of soon repeated elections would be immense.

The direct cost alone would be approximately 700 million shekels, a sum that equals the entire annual budget of the Science Ministry. The indirect price-tag for going back to the polls again would cost the Israeli economy more than 2 billion shekels. This would only be part of the consequences of such an outcome lengthening the current political impasse.

For close to a year now Israel has been unable to carry out important procedures. Senior officials in the various ministries have said the government is “treading water.” They report that new programs cannot be approved, serious processes cannot be conducted and long-term plans cannot be adopted.

The Ministry of the Economy cannot progress with reforms to lower the cost of living. The Interior Ministry is holding back major projects needed by local authorities. The appointments of senior officials – judges, the police chief – are frozen. Diplomatic processes with a direct impact on Israeli security, such as President Trump’s peace plan, have been deferred. Everything is on hold. (JNN)

Source: www.visionforisrael.com

More at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50167387