Up to 400,000 may have been killed in the ongoing Syrian civil war. Iraq also continues to be in chaos because of the war against ISIS there. Please pray for an end to the awful war going on in these countries and that all parties to the conflict within the region and outside of it will come together to make peace. Pray especially that Russia and the USA will come to agreement about securing a cease-fire. Pray for those in the war zones, especially families and their children that they will be protected from being used as fighters and suicide bombers.
Russia-U.S. officials to meet over Syria deal.
Militarytimes.com reports the U.S. and Russia will try to reach a deal that stops the Syrian civil war and forge a new counterterrorism partnership… Officials hope to secure a cease-fire between Syria’s government and rebels and a new U.S.-Russian agreement could allow for sharing intelligence and coordinating military operations to defeat ISIS and al-Qaeda affiliates. The Geneva meeting comes as fierce fighting continues in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city and as Russian bombers continue to operate from an Iranian air base.
U.S.-Russia still don’t agree on Syria. Defense News reports the U.S. and Russia have yet to finalize an agreement on coordinated efforts in Syria, said the Pentagon spokesman. “Contrary to recent claims, we have not finalized plans with Russia on potential coordinated efforts. Serious issues must first be resolved before we can implement the steps discussed in Moscow last month,” the spokesman said.
ISIS turns more to children to kill.
The Washington Post reports there is growing evidence ISIS is turning to children to kill. The Post begins its report with the apprehension of a young boy in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk found to be wearing a suicide belt. That apprehension was broadcast Monday on Kurdish television stations showing the dramatic moments as security officials stripped the boy of his explosives-laden belt, the latest in a series of alarming reports about the use of children as suicide bombers. Most notably late Saturday in southeastern Turkey at least 50 people were killed when a child suicide bomber blew up himself and others at a wedding. Earlier this year in March a suicide bomber no older than 16 struck at a youth soccer match in the Iraqi village of Asriya, killing 43 people. Evidently as the numbers of ISIS fighters diminish the extremist group turns more to what it calls “cubs of the caliphate,” as ISIS labels its child fighters, to fill the gap. “This is a product of ISIS’s investment in children,” said Hassan Hassan, the co-author of ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror, and resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. “The second generation of ISIS is already happening. When they need them, they can call on them.”
Robert Maginnis
From some pastors in the country
A very hot summer in Turkey
The Turkish seasides and coasts are very beautiful. If you were to visit you would fall in love with them. Generally, in Turkey, the weather is very hot in summer, especially on the coasts where some of our churches are. However, this year we have been "feeling the heat" of the political situation and not just the weather. As you may know, on July 15th there was a coup attempt in Turkey. This attempt caused the death of at least 294 people and 15.000-20.000 people have been arrested so far.
It has been a complicated season for Turkey. The group that is apparently responsible for this attempt is an influential religious sect that has members within the military. If they had succeeded, the country could have been in real trouble, but the coup attempt failed. Shortly after the failed coup attempt, the president instituted a three-month state of emergency for the purpose of tracking down the other members of this sect within Turkey. Both foreign and local believers were concerned about how the state of emergency would affect the church, but it seems that the danger has passed for now.
This is an internal issue in the political and religious life of Turkey. So far the only real impact it has had in our ministries is in the new temporary rules regarding international travel for Turkish people. We have to bring extra documentation and undergo more thorough questioning at the border. We expect that all of this will return to normal within one or two months and life will continue as always. In the meantime, there are 3 important commandments to remember:
- Rejoice all the time.
- Give thanks all the time
- Pray all the time
Could you join us in prayer:
- against the fear among believers
- for wisdom and safety
- peace
- for people to draw nearer to God
Other friends who work in the country report on what life looks like after July 15. As a result of the coup, we have seen a greater openness to the Gospel.
- Pray for many to come to Christ through this
- Pray God's will to come to place here
- Pray for truth and justice to rule
Praise God for the news that of growing Christian communities and opportunities to share Jesus with the Turkish, Kurdish and other people groups. We are thankful to the Lord for the news that more people are listening to Radio Shema’s broadcast after the failed coup.
Other prayer topics
For Pastors
That pastors, their families and churches would be protected from possible threats by the local mafia, and that the authorities are able to sort things out without anyone being hurt
For the Revival of the Churches
That authorities will recognize the right of Christians to meet in a legally recognized place of worship, and provide suitable property for that purpose
For Deliverance of Middle East Refugees
That God will break into the lives of Middle East refugees with the brilliance of His love and mercy, and that with each step God will turn this dark road into the pathway to provision, with a growing sense of His loving presence
- Pray that God will give wisdom and discernment to church leaders to establish helpful relations with local authorities
- Pray that legislation will be adopted that will grant equality before the law and protection against discrimination on the grounds of religion
- Pray that the Republic of Turkey would be resettled as soon as possible, and that it will recover an air of peace and reconciliation, in which the Gospel can be proclaimed again all over the land
Pray that Christians workers, their families, and their ministries would be protected with divine supernatural power, even in the turbulent situation after the failed coup.
Joel Rosenberg in his blog recently issued a sober warning to world leaders to take seriously the intentions of the radical Islamic terror group known as ISIS based on their own very explicit writings in their magazine.
Here is some of what Rosenberg says:
“The next President of the United States -- and his or her advisors -- need to carefully study and analyze the latest issue of Dabiq, the full-color propaganda magazine of the Islamic State. So do other world leaders, Members of Congress and Middle East policy-makers. So do you.
Three reasons -- in this edition of Dabiq:
- ISIS leaders make clear they want to bring about the End of Days.
- ISIS leaders vow to "break the cross" -- that is, to slaughter Christians in the Middle East, in the West, and around the world, and to annihilate Christianity from the Earth.
- ISIS leaders lay out the six reasons they hate us, they state their ultimate objective, and they explain why they will never stop killing until they achieve total victory.
Far too many leaders in Washington believe the West is winning the war against ISIS. That is a dangerous fallacy. The sober truth is that we are not winning. ISIS is winning. Yes, ISIS is losing large tracts of territory in Iraq. They are also losing ground in Syria. But their forces are growing. The global reach of their attacks is spreading. Their blood-thirsty version of Apocalyptic Islam is metastasizing.
At the same time, far too few leaders in Washington and other capitals truly understand the theology, eschatology and objectives motivating the men and women running ISIS.
This is not Al Qaeda 2.0. The Islamic State and their pursuit of the caliphate is something far, far more dangerous. Those who misunderstand the nature and threat of this especially pernicious form of evil are at risk of allowing the country to be repeatedly blindsided by it with catastrophic results…
As I have been arguing repeatedly again in recent years (see here, here, here, here,here, and here), it is critically important that leaders in Washington and in capitals around the world read and study carefully what the leaders of ISIS are saying.
ISIS leaders are not hiding their genocidal End Times objectives. Nor are they hiding their hatred of the world's two billion Christians, plus all other "infidels" who don't see God and the world and the future the way they do. Rather, they are being as explicit as they can. They want to be heard. They want to be understood. They do not fear being "found out." To the contrary, they are absolutely certain they are on the winning side of history.
Admittedly, eschatology is not the language of the West's historic enemies. Most world leaders and their advisor have interest in -- and certainly little if any desire to talk about -- varying interpretations of Jewish, Christian and/or Islamic End Times theology. But we are living in very different times. These are the cards we've been dealt. This enemy is unlike most others we have ever faced. Their motivations are different. Their strategies are different. So are their tactics.
We'd better understand the game, and how its stakes really are, before it's too late.”
For the rest of this significant article, please see it here:
https://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2016/08/11
- Please pray for the leaders of our nations not to under-estimate the threat that ISIS poses for the world now that it has metasticized into 18 nations.
- Pray that many of ISIS own leaders and followers will experience a revelation of who Jesus really is as God incarnate and of their horrendous crimes against humanity.
- Pray that ISIS as a movement will be overthrown and vanish from the earth.
Dear Friends and Partners,
August 16, 2016
It has been three weeks since the UPRISING (United Prayer Rising) in Korea, and we are still lingering on all that God has done in the gathering, much more in the journey that led to it. He has been so, so good.
It was such a blessing to see “Davids” from different nations rise up and come against their generation’s “Goliaths.” It was a delight to see a Psalm 110:3 army of young volunteers lock arms and stand together, united in fighting for the destiny of their generation. Many of those who came were teenagers and the experience of God’s touch and a global exposure of other young people also hungry for God was a formula for a spiritual explosion.
We have email and reports from UK, Germany, Malaysia and other nations of personal and ministry breakthroughs. One said, “I will reach England for Jesus and turn it upside down!” from Germany, “the presence of the Lord was touchable, and after UPRISING, doors for my ministry have opened.” From Hong Kong, “The fire of God kept on spreading in our church after UPRISING.”
The “NEW WAVE” has just started rolling, the UPRISING has only just begun, and what He has started, we know that He will be faithful to complete until we see “the knowledge of the glory of the Lord cover the earth like waters cover the seas.” So, I request for you to please keep us in prayers as we seek Gods heart for what’s next and where’s next (UPRISING 2017?)
THANK YOU FOR MOBILIZING. Over 41 countries were registered, and though only 32 were represented in Korea (many were denied visas to go, even though they already registered online) the others were with us in prayer still and some even tuned in via live streaming. Literally a whole generation was connected for a moment in praying for their Generation and the UNIFICATION of North and South Korea. Many prayed in the US, Asia and Europe via the live streaming we did… Even they felt the presence of God through the streaming and had encounters with God as well.
THANK YOU FOR INTERCEDING. We cannot overemphasize on the value your intercession has played in the journey toward seeing this world youth prayer assembly happen. It has not been the easiest undertaking, but your prayers kept us going, your prayers kept us believing, your prayers kept us moving.
THANK YOU FOR SOWING. We started dreaming for this gathering with zero finances, only a vision, and God was so faithful to provide. We have seen Him come through for every need, and we praise Him that after the gathering there was even a surplus! Oh, indeed, He is still in the business of multiplying our “five loaves and two fish!”.
We would like to thank you for your prayers and support. Thank you for believing in the vision to see a generation from across nations mobilized for UNITED PRAYER. Thank you for standing with us, too, in believing for the reunification of North and South Korea. We have never gone this way before; we never have done anything on this global scale before, but your heartfelt prayers, encouragement, and support has given us the boost we needed along the way, and especially when we needed them the most. So, thank you.
Again, thank you. We love you. We appreciate you.
For God and this generation,
Jerome and Annabelle Ocampo
Conveners, UPRISING 2016 Korea
UPRISING Videos and Website
Short video summaries from each of the four days of the UPRISING youth prayer assembly that occurred, July 26-30, in Seoul, South Korea are now available for viewing. The Lord used this assembly to impact about 1000 youth who came from all around the world.
Who among the gods is like you, Lord?
Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? (Exodus 15:11)
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12)
Dr. Charles Kraft, a former professor of mine who has also become a dear friend and mentor is in his eighties and still going strong in a ministry of healing and deliverance. He has equipped many others to minister in a similar way and has written extensively about the spiritual authority we have in Christ. His writing, and especially his book, I Give You Authority, touches deeply on transformational prayer. I have been rereading this seminal book and recommend it to you if you can get a copy to read it all. Here I just wanted to share a few of his wise comments based on decades of ministry experience. The issue of our identity in Christ and the authority that flows to us through that all-important relationship impacts how we pray and how far we go in our expectations of how that all-powerful authority will flow through us.
Here are a few of his salient comments about the authority we have been given that I hope will encourage you as much as they have me:
“It is as if God has deposited a million dollars in a bank for us and either we do not know it or we cannot find the checkbook.”
“If we do not assert our authority over Satan he will assert his authority over us.”
“By virtue of our position, and the fact that God the Holy Spirit lives within us, we carry infinitely more power and authority than the whole satanic kingdom.”
“Jesus’ power came from being filled with the Holy Spirit. The source of his authority, however, was His intimacy with the Father. He spent hours and hours in prayer along with the Father, keeping in close contact with Him and cultivating that most precious relationship. As Jesus ministered, His ears were always open to the voice of the Father… Because He listened, He could take authority confidently, knowing He was acting in God’s purposes. Jesus’ intimacy with the Father enabled him both to maintain his authority and to get God’s instructions concerning what the Father wanted Him to do each day.”
“I have become convinced, through working in inner healing and deliverance, that the enemy’s primary area of attack is our self-image. He does not want us to discover who we are.”
Some important points relative to our identity in Christ that Kraft has identified are:
- We are created “only a little lower than God” (Psalm 8:5) and in the image of God Himself (Genesis 1:26)…
- As family members, we get to carry infinitely more power than all the satanic kingdom put together!
- We are children of the King. This is our true identity, giving us special rights and privileges with our famous Father. We have among other things special permission as his princes and princesses to come into the King’ mans presence at any time…
- By His grace God actually trusts us! … In the spiritual realm we carry the same authority as God’s princes and princesses. When we understand that identity and use the power of Jesus’ name appropriately, the spiritual realm has to obey. We have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world available to us (Ephesians 1: 3)… we must never forget who we are, even when we do not feel like it.
- Spiritual authority, then, is part of who we are. It is recognized by God and by the enemy world as flowing from our very beings… as Christians we have no choice as to whether or not we possess this authority. It comes in the package when the Holy Spirit is given to us. Like a credit card.”
“Our task is to get our wills lined up with the will of Jesus and the Father, and on that basis to exercise the authority they have given us. This comes for us, as it did with Jesus, from spending time in prayer and fellowship with God in private, listening to Him to get his instructions and to line up our wills with His. Then we receive from God the necessary power and authority for the specific task ahead of us. Our aim in our relationship with God should be nothing short of total intimacy. Again, Jesus is our model.”
Charles H. Kraft, I Give You Authority: Practicing the Authority Jesus Gave Us (Chosen Books, 1997)
John Robb
IPC Chairman
Inspiring testimonies from Olympians
26 Aug 2016
David Boudia and Steele Johnson won silver in the men’s synchronised diving and told NBC they both know their identity is in Christ and not competition results. Swimmer Madeline Dirado won gold in the women’s freestyle relay, silver in the women’s 400m individual medley and bronze in the women’s 200m individual medley. She said, ‘Knowing that I’m a child of God and that His love for me is determined by nothing I can achieve or do on my own has given me a quiet confidence.’ New Zealander Nick Willis told the Bible Society that becoming a Christian had changed his whole motivation for sport. Christine Ohuruogu won three global titles and said, 'It’s obvious I want to win, but I never pray to win. I just pray, “Help me do my best”.’ Gabby Douglas, one of the US gold-winning gymnastics team, said, ‘I love sharing my story and my faith. God has given me this amazing talent, so I'm going out to glorify His name.’
Soul Survivor: 1,500+ new Christians
26 Aug 2016
Over the past four weeks, 1,527 young people have made commitments to follow Jesus at the Soul Survivor summer festivals. Organisers say 26,000 attended the five different events, which took place in Scotland, Staffordshire and Somerset. Those gathered at the conferences heard speakers such as Tim Ross from Texas, Mike Hands from Australia, Miriam Swaffield, and Archbishop Justin Welby. Each week thousands took part in a giant pulled-pork picnic, silent discos, UV parties, a huge ceilidh (sing-along dance), and Colour Chaos dry paint parties. But most importantly young people stepped out and prayed for one another, heard from God and received the Holy Spirit passion to see God moving in power in churches throughout the UK and beyond. They gave their lives to serve God, fulfilling His purposes for them to grow and serve in everyday life.
Trumpet Call
26 Aug 2016
Excitement and expectation are growing. We hear of deeper praise, more healings, authoritative prayer, words of prophecy and the gospel taking to the streets. Many believe it is time to invite awakening into our land, into where we live, our church, our workplace. It is time to seek God, spend more time with Him, desiring to come into a deeper relationship with Him. Many are excited about Trumpet Call but we do not want to get transfixed on an event. It is what the trumpet is calling into being that should excite us. We believe God is going to reveal greater depths, colour and vibrancy to the Gospel. This Trumpet Call announces good news to our nation and the nations. Prayer Alert readers are invited to join in a day of prayer and worship that will release God’s purposes on Saturday 15 October at the International Convention Centre in central Birmingham.