Displaying items by tag: Intercessor Focus

The Financial times recently asked what Sajid Javid’s becoming home secretary means for Brexit. Some suggest that his appointment on Monday, Tuesday’s Lords vote preventing a ‘no deal walk away’, and Wednesday’s customs union defeat (see next article) create additional challenges for our Prime Minister and her government at this strategic time. Pray for God to strengthen, clarify and bless every communication, written and spoken, between London, Ireland and Europe. May confusion in departments be replaced with precise fact finding, mistrust replaced with confident expectations, turmoil replaced with peace, and God to strengthen all who are weary from heavy workloads. Ask God to exchange blame strategies for honest appraisal where it’s due and inaccuracies for wise revisions, and inject integrity into current circumstances.

Easter is a great opportunity for evangelism. Pray for the body of Christ across our nations to recognise every opportunity to talk to the people they meet regularly about Easter’s actual meaning. Pray for each church denomination to be anointed by God to go where He sends them. Pray for a fresh Holy Spirit enabling so that God’s people do all that He has called them to do, and for the Church to use all its resources to impact with power the lives of those who do not yet realise the price Jesus paid for them. May each Easter service be an occasion of supernatural discovery of biblical truths. Pray also for church-based courses and initiatives like Alpha to explode onto the social scene, building influential life-changing bridges in communities not yet touched by Holy Spirit-led evangelism. May the Church see prayer and mission powerfully united, achieving amazing results.

Downing Street said there was ‘some distance’ between what the UK wants for the Brexit transition and what the EU wants. Pray for grace and strength for all our politicians who are involved in the negotiations, both now and in the weeks to come. When the EU Bill was debated in the House of Lords it was said to be 'constitutionally unacceptable'. Pray for clarity of thought to replace confusion and God-inspired debate to replace controlling attitudes that dominate debate; also that the doubts about Theresa May’s leadership which have been expressed this week do not adversely affect the Brexit negotiations.

In 2017 anti-Putin rallies attracted thousands in remote regions where people opposed Kremlin-run politics and called for credible opposition to be allowed to stand in elections. Alexei Navalny planned to face President Putin in March’s Presidential election, but was banned after dubious fraud accusations. On 28 January he was freed from a twenty-day jail term for organising anti-Putin protests, but was re-arrested the same day. Thousands protested against government corruption outside the Kremlin and across Russia, calling the election a farce and urging people not to vote. Kremlin-controlled media are not covering the protests. Putin is expected to win, but his main concern is getting enough people voting to make the election appear credible. For INSIGHTS into unethical, corrupt elections due in 2018 click the ‘More’ button.

Lunchtime services are held every Tuesday in a chapel at the Houses of Parliament. These are times created to give our politicians an opportunity for Christian reflection in the midst of a challenging and busy parliamentary life. We can pray for a powerful outpouring of God's Holy Spirit to envelop all who attend these meetings. May the guest speakers deliver timely, inspired encouragement in these days of political change and challenges. The next meeting, on 16 January, will have as its theme, ‘Who is welcome in the Kingdom of God?’ May many who are with or without faith hear this message and perceive God’s personal call on their lives. The theme on 23 January is ‘What is the key to intimacy with God?’ Pray for our parliamentarians to be freed up and enabled to create space to hear God’s whisper designed exclusively for them.

Jesus said that nations will war against each other and there will be national disasters. He also told us not to panic or give in to our fears, for these things are destined to happen. In the midst of the shaking, and in the knowledge that God has strategies for every nation, let us pray this year especially for the following: a) the Holy Land will enter into constructive interactions that lead to God's perfect policies; b) Asians made homeless last year will meet Christians who will introduce them to Jesus; c) corrupt or inept African leaders will be replaced with men and women of integrity, able to initiate peaceful prosperity; d) Europe, and the UK’s connection with it, will progress positively during significant meetings; e) North American political posturing will be replaced by Godly wisdom; and f) the South American and Caribbean nations which experienced violence, political instability and natural disasters last year will know God’s oasis of hope and peace.

This week, as we look forward to Christmas, we remember our Saviour who was born in a stable to parents who were forced to flee their home country. This week in the United Kingdom there are an estimated 118,995 refugees who were born on a different continent and forced to flee their home country. They are experiencing uncertainty about their future, and many have no knowledge of the true meaning of Christmas. In the festive buzz leading up to the 25th, we can pray that many will have divine appointments with Christ, and will hear about and believe in the Father who loved them so much he sent His Son to earth just for them. May these ‘foreigners’ living in an unfamiliar culture find hope and a future living in God’s family, growing and flourishing as Jesus leads them.

At the second of eight late-night Commons sittings on the EU Withdrawal Bill, on 15 November, proposals were put forward for transposing EU law onto the UK statute book after Brexit. The expected backbench rebellion did not happen, but similar issues will be debated again in coming weeks. It appears that the problems arise from the same challenge (how Government approaches and drafts legislation). Pray for the Prime Minister, ministers, civil servants, and advisors to have supernatural support and strength to complete the task ahead in God’s timing, and not go in ever-decreasing circles to achieve answers and agreements. Pray for the ministers to follow God’s template for the transition. May all government departments have Kingdom answers and God’s approval as they face the depth and scope of the task ahead.

(Linda Digby, Prayer Alert)

At the time of writing, ambassadors from the 27 other EU member states have been discussing how to negotiate the transition that will start when Britain parts with Brussels in 17 months’ time. Insiders say the opinion is that London will fail to meet the EU conditions for opening further talks on 14 December, with Germany and France insisting Theresa May must first agree in principle to pay a multi-billion-euro exit bill to Brussels. We can pray for clarity in all decision-making, and for Godly decisions which will turn the situation around. We pray for those who work in government, finance and the law to work towards practical solutions according to God’s instructions ‘to acknowledge bills that need payment, to fulfil all financial commitments and use honest scales and weights’ (Proverbs 16:11).

(Linda Digby, Prayer Alert)

On 22 September Theresa May gave the EU the UK's strategy for Brexit, but by the end of the fourth round of Brexit talks a week later there was little sign of compromise on either side. Pray for agreement on broad-minded non-disruptive changeover arrangements which will benefit both the EU and the UK. The Prime Minister said a transition period could be around two years, during which time access to the single market would continue on current terms. Pray for negotiators to move forward positively and speedily to construct workable EU-UK relationships during and after Brexit. She also proposed a ‘bold new security agreement’ between the UK and the EU. Pray for a withdrawal that continues to honour the peace process in Ireland and avoids a hard border. On trade, the PM said there was no need to impose tariffs where there are none now. Pray for a transition that doesn’t adopt existing models, but rather provides better stability for businesses and workers.