We said at the end of last year, 2017 would be a year of the extraordinary; Extraordinary good, extraordinary bad and extraordinary unusual at local, national and global level.

Within our own nations political unrest and division is an everyday headline. The uncertainty and challenges coming out of the Brexit vote for both the UK and Europe, together with the constant threat of terrorism on our doorstep. As we look further afield, the continuing persecution and killing of followers of Jesus in a number of countries, (90,000 in 2016); increasing hostility amongst and between nations in Asia, the Middle East and Europe; increased hostility to Israel and the Jews, millions starving whilst nations, radical ideologies and so called religions spend billions on bombs and bullets. We could go on; we are living in extraordinary times.

Extraordinary Faith

In the midst of all that the kingdom of darkness is releasing, our strong belief is that God is ruler of the nations; that He had the first word and He will have the last word. As we go through 2017 we shall celebrate events and prophetic statements that have a significant time line. We celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, 70 years since Smith Wigglesworth prophesied the coming together of Word and Spirit that would herald a great spiritual awakening in the nation, 50 years since Jean Darnall prophesied that the light of the gospel would spread from Scotland across the UK and into Europe, 50 years since the birth of the Catholic charismatic movement. Malcolm Duncan stated that he saw in 2017 across the Church, a renewed confidence in the gospel, a deeper yearning for prayer, a fresh openness to the Holy Spirit, a revived church taking the gospel to Europe.

This year we will see an increased synergy of prayer and mission, synergy being the combined power of a group when they are working together, that is greater than the total power achieved by each working separately. That synergy or unity, will release God’s commanded blessing even life for evermore - extraordinary faith in extraordinary times.

Through Extraordinary Prayer

Prayer is the lungs of the Church. Prayer attracts the presence of God. Prayer changes spiritual climates. Faith filled prayer, persistent prayer, believing prayer, warfare prayer, prayers of thanksgiving and prayers of agreement. Prayers based on the sovereignty of Jesus, the perfectness of God and the truth of His Word releases His power and nullifies the works of the kingdom of darkness. As we pray, “Thy Kingdom come,” that darkness has to shift.

In these extraordinary times our prayer, along with yours, is that God’s breath would fill our lungs as we pour out our praise, worship, thanksgiving and requests. What an extraordinary privilege.

Ian Cole

Founder of World Prayer Centre

Let us keep up the prayer shield for our nations and take time to thank God for every plot and scheme of the enemy that has been uncovered and stopped.

Let us never take for granted the Lord's mighty hand of protection over our nations. Sky news reported that there has been 13 terror attacks prevented over the last 4 years. They are the ones we know about - how many times has the Lord intervened on our behalf that we will never know about.

http://news.sky.com/story/thirteen-terror-attacks-foiled-in-under-four-years-10791804

STAY VIGILANT

We are looking to continue to mobilise effective informed united prayer across our nations by praying for God’s wisdom, revelation, insight and protection for:
1) Government and World Leaders.
2) Emergency Services
3) Armed forces
4) Intelligence Services
5) Media and communications
6) ISIS and others who may wish to cause danger.
7) Angelic protection for our gates, airports, ferries and ports, tunnels including the Euro tunnel, rail networks and stations, shopping centres, schools, colleges, football stadiums and other vulnerable places where many people gather together.
8) Closing of spiritual gates to violence and premature death.
9) An unprecedented move of God across our communities and nations.

Why?
1) To provide mercy and protection to reduce the danger to life and limb from attacks for our communities and nations.
2) To release a clear trumpet call to those in the valley of decision.
3) To reduce fear and hopelessness - The aim of terror is to bring fear, confusion, hatred – we stand against that in the name of Jesus because his perfect love casts out fear.
4) To bring any plots into the light before they are actioned.
5) To see the Church arise and stand united around Jesus love.

Who can pray?
1) Churches, Groups and individuals – anyone, anywhere general prayer.

How can we pray?
1) This is bigger than one network so we need to stand united to release a clear sound across all of the networks and denominations.
2) Use social media – Twitter, Facebook eg 3 simple prayer points:
a. Lord have mercy across the UK today.
b. Fill us with your love and protect us.
c. May Jesus be revealed across this land.
3) Train and equip people to pray effectively.
4) Provide prayer resources with regular updates as circumstances demand.
6) Coastlands and Gateways
7) Encourage faith and not fear by declaring Jesus victory.

Here are some scriptures you can use:
“Stand therefore...praying at all times in the spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keeping alert with perseverance.” Ephesians 6
“He neither slumbers nor sleeps ....my help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” He is the Lord of Hosts
“He is the head of all rule and authority” Colossians 2.16
“He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” 1 John 4:4
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” Luke 4:18
Habakkuk 3:2 “Oh Lord. Revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.”
Jeremiah 29:7 “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."
2 Timothy 2:1-2 “I urge, then, first of all that requests, prayer, intersession and thanksgiving be made FOR everyone FOR kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
Psalm 18:2-3 “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.”
Isaiah 53:5 “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us PEACE was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. “

Source: Coastlands & Gateways

International Justice Mission is a global organisation that protects the poor from violence in the developing world. Their global team includes more than 750 lawyers, investigators, social workers, community activists and other professionals at work through 17 field offices.

Pray for IJM as they fight a new but devastating form of slavery in the Philippines: the cybersex trafficking of children. It involves the live sexual abuse of children, most under the age of 10. Before the internet, predators had to physically go to into a bar or a brothel to purchase sex. Now, paedophiles can abuse children without ever leaving their home. For this, reason, cybersex trafficking is harder to track down than traditional trafficking, as the abuse can happen anywhere there is an internet connection and a webcam, or simple a mobile phone. Find out more here.

• Pray for the IJM investigators as they work with police to locate the abuse, and that they would be able to successfully rescue and protect these children.
• Pray for the physical and emotional healing of those who’ve already been rescued, and for specialised aftercare facilities that can meet the long-term needs of both these young girls and boys.
• Pray that we would be able to catch not only the traffickers in the Philippines, but the paedophiles around the world (including from the UK), who are paying to direct the abuse.

NEW BOOK BY ROY GODWIN FROM FFALD-Y-BRENIN

In The Way of Blessing you are invited into a spiritual pilgrimage to the windswept hills of Wales, and to the small praying community of Ffald y Brenin, where the deaf hear, the blind see, the lost are found and the broken receive healing.

Roy reveals how God longs to bless us and has given believers the authority to bless others, and teaches how to do it. He shares how this ministry began, stories of miraculous healings, and ways you can usher God’s manifest presence into your community.

Buy online

Richard's Library is a library of prophecies and visions that have been given from 1909 to 2017. www.richards-watch.org

In a recent operation in Ghana, 24 young boys were rescued from slavery and finally set free. The boys, the youngest only 7-years-old, had been forced to work on fishing boats on Lake Volta, diving into the deep water to untangle nets for their masters. The dangerous and exhausting work was made worse by violent abuse, starvation and sleep deprivation. IJM and the Ghanaian authorities worked together to free the boys and arrest 16 suspected boat masters. The boys received urgent medical attention, with three needing to go to hospital to be treated for malaria. IJM staff are now working to settle the boys into aftercare homes and start the journey of healing. Find out more here.

• Praise God for the successful rescue of the boys and arrest of the slave owners, and pray that this would be the first of many more, with God’s favour for our investigative team as they seek to find more boys to be rescued.
• Pray for continued healing for the boys - both physically from their injuries and emotionally from the abuse they have suffered. Pray that they would know God’s love and comfort as they move into aftercare homes.
• Pray that IJM’s relationship with the Ghanaian authorities would continue to strengthen and develop, as we work together to stop child slavery in Ghana.
• Pray for our legal teams as they begin legal proceedings against the 16 suspects. Pray that God’s justice would be done and that those who freely abuse and exploit young boys would no longer be able to continue.

Source: International Justice Mission

Each week the Christian Enquiry Agency (CEA) receives prayer requests from people of all ages and circumstances in life. Could you join the CEA e-mail prayer team?

CEA coordinator Peter Graystone says: ‘Some people ask us to pray in heartbreaking circumstances. Some know so little about Christianity that they barely know what to ask. Some just want to type an anonymous insult. But we have been astonished at what people who would never go through the door of a church, share of their lives from the safety of their computer.’

Enquiries and prayer requests come to the Christian Enquiry Agency mainly from people who visit the website www.christianity.org.uk - 1,000 people visit the site each week.

The Christian Enquiry Agency prayer team receives weekly emails, which pass on the prayer requests from people who visit Christianity.org.uk. (Names are disguised for privacy.) If you would like to join the Christian Enquiry Agency prayer team, please email Peter Graystone: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Find out more at www.christianenquiryagency.co.uk

Read about the 17:21 vision.

The vision statement is that from March to October 2017, evangelicals of all backgrounds and traditions will be affirming their commitment to unity for mission at events, festivals and conferences.
The prayer of Jesus in John 17 verse 21 encourages and challenges us “May they all be one that the world might believe”.
With shared prayer, readings, songs and an artistic symbol of unity, tens of thousands of Christians across the UK will have the opportunity to celebrate unity for mission in 2017.

Gather Festival will be holding two days of worship and prayer in rural Northumberland from 4th - 5th August. The festival is the vision of two guys in their 20's who are part of a church in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Jonny Anderson and Jonny Tuck. The Lord has placed a holy dissatisfaction in their hearts where they've been longing to experience more of God's presence in their lives and experience a personal awakening. A key scripture for them has been Ephesians 5:14, 'Awake O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

From a place of personal conviction, they've given themselves to seek the Lord and felt a real burden to see the church awakened across the UK.

They've began hosting worship and prayer meetings once a month in Newcastle City Centre, drawing people from various churches. The festival is an outworking of these meetings; a place where people can consecrate time to come and encounter the Lord. The purpose of this festival is not to attract attendees with big name speakers/artists (not that we have anything against 'big names') - rather it's simply a gathering for people who are hungry to worship Jesus, meet Him in a place of consecrated prayer and be inspired and equipped by meeting others who are doing the same. As a result of the event, they hope to see people in the local church resourced to live lifestyles of worship and prayer on a daily basis.

The event will consist of elongated times of worship, interspersed with times of intercession and teaching. There'll be onsite refreshments, a children's work and a networking tent (for strangers to become friends and share dreams/visions of what the Lord has been saying in their context.) They'd love new kingdom relationships and ventures to spring forth from this event. You can also camp on site and enjoy worship that will be going on through the night.

They're keen to speak to anyone who feels able to offer their gifts to help make this event as fruitful as possible.

Jonny Anderson can be contacted on 07877116675 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For further details about their story/aims/location etc, please visit www.gatherfestival.co.uk
Tickets can be purchased from Eventbrite.

Trypraying season:  April and May

PRISONS.
Just today I saw the first draft of a new additon to the trypraying suite of materials - a booklet for use in prisons. It is excellent and will soon be available.

HOMES.
We are developing a leaflet that can be used in every home distribution which will encourage people to request a trypraying booklet to be sent to them. It will be a great help for churches wanting to contact every home in their area.

BUSES.
We have been working with a leading advertising agency to develop an advertising campaign. The skills and time of an advertisng executive have been donated to us. This is huge gift. However trypraying is not about advertising. It's about us sharing the message of Jesus with people. Nevertheless bus advertising creates awareness, speaks to people in the public space and generates personal interest.

CHURCHES.
Currently there are five places where churches are working together in multi-church trypraying projects in their town/city. Other places are considering this (you?) If you want that for your town or city do contact us to start the ball rolling. Most churches and groups of churches will use the April/May period for activities.

MONEY.
We need some generous donations in the next 2 - 3 weeks. We have obtained an amazing deal for bus adverts: T-shaped side panels at approximately £150 per week / £550 a month. If you wish to donate click the link here: Bus ads. (Alternatively cheques can be sent to trypraying, 3 Orchardhead Loan, Edinburgh, EH16 6HW.)

FORTY.
For a useful 40-day prayer guide order copies of Catching the Wave.

FINALLY.
This comment came about the trypraying app: "Five stars. Great little app. Used it for seven days. It helped me work out a problem in my life (no job). Prayer works!"

Nice.

Source: Trypraying