Displaying items by tag: North America

In the Bahamas 70,000 are homeless, a carpet of debris covers the ground, 2,500 are missing, hundreds of body bags and coolers to store human remains have been delivered. The smell of death and garbage is everywhere as ships delivering supplies become lifeboats for thousands who have lost everything but their lives. Pray for all those experiencing unimaginable suffering, needing food and clean water. Bahamians claim Christianity, though nominalism is rampant. May renewed faith in Jesus wash over these islands, bringing beauty from ashes, gladness from mourning, and praise out of despair (Isaiah 61:3). Dorian had weakened somewhat by the time it hit the eastern coast of Florida, and then moved north to Canada where 65-foot waves and 100 mph winds pounded the coast near Halifax, home to Canada’s Atlantic fleet. Canada’s military was mobilised to deliver aid and help with evacuations. Pray for God's provision for the homeless and His peace for those in mourning. See

Benny Hinn says he is done with the prosperity gospel. Since the 1980s, he has taught that God rewards active faith with health and wealth. But on 2 September, during his weekly broadcast,  he told his studio audience and those watching online, ‘I am correcting my own theology and you all need to know it. The blessings of God are not for sale; miracles are not for sale; and prosperity is not for sale.’ Hinn said he now believes ‘give-to-get theology’ is offensive to God. He specifically repudiated the practice of asking for ‘seed money’, where evangelists tell people that God will bless them if they give a specific amount. He himself has done this numerous times, promising God will give material blessings in exchange for a gift of $1,000. He said he would not do it any more. Many are praying he will be true to his word.

People crowded onto Jacob Riis Beach on a hot July afternoon to witness an unusual event - 51 people presenting a public witness for Christ through baptism. As exciting as it was, for the Journey Church, one of the city’s largest Southern Baptist churches, it wasn’t necessarily out of the ordinary. The Journey is on track toward 140 baptisms this year - close to the church’s average over its 18-year history. Since its founding in the days following 9/11, the church has baptised more than 2,750 people. On a typical weekend it draws 1,000 people for worship in three Manhattan locations. Kerrick Thomas, its lead pastor, said that New York is one of the most unreached cities in America. They see reaching people with Christ as their primary mission, focusing on training and equipping believers to talk about their faith with their friends and co-workers.

As Hurricane Dorian battered the US eastern coast on 5 September, the Bahamas reported 'total devastation' in its wake, with 'apocalyptic' scenes after being hit by one of the most powerful Atlantic storms ever recorded. The death toll is expected to be high. Pray for all who are organising food and shelter relief to deal with an unfolding humanitarian crisis. Ask God to release abundant quantities of food, water, shelter, clothing, physical help, healing and comfort to people whose lives have been torn apart. Pray for the damaged hospitals to be repaired, and for the elderly and vulnerable to be found swiftly by rescuers. Pray for the many bereaved, and those whose family and friends are missing. Pray for God to anoint agencies bringing repair to the infrastructure, and remember all those in North and South Carolina anxiously watching the oncoming hurricane.

US military suicide deaths reflect a national trend. The national suicide rate has increased by 33% since 1999, and suicide is the second leading cause of death among people 10 to 34 years old. 325 active-duty members died by suicide in 2018, the highest number since collecting data began in 2001. The defence department said suicide rates among the military population are ‘devastating, unacceptable and not going in the desired direction’. Every life lost has a deeply personal story that shatters the lives of families. The defence and veterans affairs departments are working to reduce suicide in the ranks and among veterans, who die at an average rate of twenty a day. Between January and March 2019, ninety active duty service members committed suicide - 30 soldiers, 20 sailors, 26 airmen, and 14 marines.

On 29 August Florida residents were being told they should ‘prepare now’, especially in areas along the east coast, for a growing storm currently moving in their direction. The media said they should have a plan of action, a hurricane kit ready, and ‘stay tuned for updates’ as this forecast comes further into focus. A strengthening Hurricane Dorian is a growing threat to Florida’s Labour Day weekend. As it barrelled through the Virgin Islands and scraped eastern Puerto Rico, Dorian intensified from a tropical storm to a hurricane, with even more strengthening being predicted. Dorian is now forecast to approach the Florida coast as at least a Category 3 hurricane, with 115 to 130 mph winds and 8 to 12 inches of rain.

Please Pray with us for the 2019 Federal Elections in Canada:

1) Media - We are seeing an obvious manipulation of Canadians opinion in most of our mainstream national news forums. Global warming is being almost endlessly platformed and one news commentator stated that if you were interested in our environment and the future of our children, then there is only one party that you can vote for. (Liberal Party).

It is also what we are seeing that is not being reported. For example, we are not hearing of the huge protests and lawsuits being raised by many of our First Nations People regarding their desire to see pipelines built across our nation.

In addition, our current government has recently given over 600 million to news agencies that they deem to be good for our nation. This obvious ‘by-off’ by our government needs to be countered by righteousness.

2) Freedom of Speech / Religion - Three of the four main political parties have policy so that you cannot even run for those parties if you hold to a Pro-life viewpoint. This needs to be challenged in our Supreme Court as anti-democratic.

We are also seeing huge increases in those who want to be euthanized in Canada and many of our physicians and other medical personnel are being denied their freedom of conscience who would choose to not be implicitly involved.

3) Life - Canada is only one of three countries in the world with no law concerning abortion, (China, North Korea). In a recent Parliamentary meeting, one Member of Parliament stood announcing that Canada stands for abortion at any time in pregnancy and for any reason. (We are praying that the enemy has over-played his hand!).

4) Voter Turnout - Typically, there has not been a great difference between the percentage of Christians who vote and non-Christians. We are praying for effective national communication that will help pastors and other leaders to clearly see the crisis we are in. That boldness will replace fear and unrighteous issues will be addressed from our pulpits across Canada. Pray that Christians will be encouraged to register their voice in our nation by voting. What would happen if 100% of Christians voted?

5) Our God-Given Destiny - For Canada to arise and shine to fulfil her calling of Healing to the Nations, for Righteous Government to come forward in this season. (Recently submitted by the Canberra House of Prayer for Canada).

6) A Right Perspective Regarding Government - Please pray that Canadian Christians would not put all their focus on government as the only way we can positively change our nation. When we make all our problems political, we are saying therefore, that all our answers can only be political. This raises government to a place they were never meant to be. Jesus is the right solution, and he will be seen in us as we rightly minister to those around us, changing culture to eventually change government. Yes, prayer and righteous action are needed for our government, but let’s not make government something it was never intended to be.

Pray that Canadian Christians will develop a God-given compassion for those who are lost in our nation and are doing what they believe to be right in their own eyes.

Prepared by a National Prayer Leader in Canada
More info:www.nationatprayer.ca, www.transformationcanada.ca/prayer-for-election/, and www.canadainprayer.com/prayer-for-canada

Florida’s supreme court historically backed abortion rights, but now has more conservative justices. In a victory for abortion opponents, an appeals court overturned a judge’s ruling from January 2018 stating there was no need to make a person wait 24 hours before having an abortion. They argued that the law violates privacy rights and places roadblocks in the way of women seeking abortions. The 24-hour time gap will now give the person time to consider more deeply the act of abortion and ensure they give ‘informed consent’. This case could become a key test for anti-abortion lobbyists.

Hollywood might seem like a spiritual wasteland, but faith is not absent from Tinseltown. Two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington lends his voice to ‘The Bible Experience,’ an audio Bible featuring top African-American stars. Tyler Perry, Hollywood's current golden boy writer and actor, is against filmmakers who keep their faith ‘in the closet’. Patricia Heaton, a winner of two Emmys, is not shy about making her faith or her opinions heard, including advocating on behalf of an anti-abortion group. Mel Gibson’s film ‘Passion of the Christ’ changed Hollywood attitudes, waking up producers to the box-office potential of Christian audiences. Multibillionaire oilman Philip Anschutz bankrolls some of the most critically-acclaimed and financially successful Christian ethos films of recent years, including ‘Ray’ and ‘The Chronicles of Narnia'.

Chad Robichaux, of the Mighty Oaks Foundation (a charity supporting those suffering from wartime trauma), was told he could not use the label 'Christian' to boost his advert on the Google-owned YouTube platform as it violated the site's advertising policy. When Mr Robichaux objected to their decision, YouTube said that targeting users based on their religion was in breach of their advertising policy, but adverts can include the term 'Christian' in them and still hope to reach a Christian audience. Mr Robichaux then accused the tech giant of religious discrimination, saying, ‘We ran the exact same ad with the keyword Muslim and it was approved but Christian was not. Additionally, we've run ads with the keyword Christian for years. This year alone we had 150,000 impressions on that word in our ads.’ He was told the discriminating policy was new. Google has yet to comment publicly on the matter.