Pakistan and Afghanistan are two different countries today. In the past it was one area of the world with many of the same people groups and people speaking the same language. Even today, it is a very fluid often non-defined border. We have referred to this area as under the spiritual principality of the “Prince of death.” When it comes to terrorism these two physical countries need to be seen as one. What happens in one affects the other and vice versa. To bring terrorism down it will have to be dealt with in both countries. To accomplish
anything, both countries are going to have to deal on the physical level with the issue of terrorism at the same time; and stop terrorists from going across this fluid border and then blaming the other country. But to accomplish this the “Prince of death” must be dealt with in the spiritual realm. It is a spiritual battle. And this is why we come to you again and again asking for your prayers.
Afghanistan
Pray for President Ashraf Ghani. Even his enemies say "he is incorruptible" and "he wants to transform the country." This is very important for the future development of this country plagued by corruption. Yet he has few admirers. He suffers from cancer and many experts don't expect Ghani to complete his term which ends in 2019. So let us pray that in spite of all opposition he will have the strength and support to lead the country. Also, pray for the unity of the president Ghani and his CEO Abdulah-Abdulah. The strong division between the president and his followers and the CEO and his supporters in the parliament has paralysed the government. They often oppose each others decisions which paralyses the country’s development
Pray for Christian Workers and local believers in the country during the fasting month of Ramadan and for protection and extra strength as often increased attacks have happened during this time. Many are being threatened at this time.
Muslims are especially open to the spiritual realm as they seek God in a special way during the Fasting Month. Pray for visions and dreams and supernatural encounters with Jesus so that they may come to know him as their Saviour. May the Lord also move in special ways among many Afghans, also influential people in government, religious and tribal leaders and even Taliban.
We pray for the leaders of the Taliban and their allies that the Lord would touch their hearts and change them. But if they want to continue to cause death and destruction, we also pray that God would judge and overthrow them. Many have been either captured by the government or killed. Please continue to pray specifically for these leaders who hold a lot of power and control in these demonic and violent movements that their influence would be broken:
Here are their names:
Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, Leader of the Afghan Taliban, elected a few day after a drone killed his predecessor Mullah Akhtar M Mansour.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradarr, one of the founders of the Taliban. Said to be the deputy leader of the Taliban
Mohammad Nabi Omari, Minister of Communication and listed as a member of Taliban leaders.
Mullah Haqqani and his son Sirajuddin, leaders of the Haqqani movement that works closely with the Taliban. Are considered most dangerous and cruel.
Gulbuddin Hekmaatyar, leader of this movement Hizb-i Islami, another very violent movement in alliance with the Taliban and Al Q*aida
IS or ISIS is also now fighting in Afghanistan. So far no united leadership. After it became know in July 2015 that Mullah Omar, the founder of the Taliban had died in Pakistan, a power struggle ensued among the Taliban leaders and many opposed the appointment of Mullah Mansoor. They started fighting each other. After Mullah Mansoor was killed the same happened again. Also the Taliban and their allies are in a bloody power struggle with the IS/ ISIS.
Let’s pray for the disruption and overthrow of these violent Islamic movements that seek to destroy the government of Afghanistan and enforce again a reign of terror.
Matthew 12:25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.
2 Chr 20:22 As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.
23 The men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
Pakistan- In the last couple months, God’s sent people in mission after mission have been refused visas. Even those who are medical (where this has never happened before) are being asked to leave. Christian organizations such as schools that affect the whole population are having to close down. PRAY for denials to be reversed as they are appealed. PRAY for favor in the eyes of authorities who make these decisions. Nationals say that when missionaries are thrown out, the persecution level for Christians will greatly increase. PRAY very directly for a reversal of these visa refusals and granting of visas. Visas are just one example but many other things are happening very rapidly. Pray the devil and his legions will be stopped. Prayer is the only hope for seeing reversal of evil in this country and people coming to Christ.
Several months ago it was reported that the Pakistan government had decided to go after terrorists in the central part of the country. This was a very important decision because this is where terrorism originated and many are trained. This seems to be losing momentum. The Pakistan military is carrying out a massive effort to bring down terrorists along the Afghanistan border. PRAY this might be coordinated with Afghanistan so the terrorists cannot move back and forth across the border to escape. PRAY for [ Raheel Sharif, head of the military, to push this forward. PRAY for those who would try and stop him from doing this. He is a good man.
Pray for this month of Ramadan, the month of fasting, which started June 6th. When you are living in the midst of this you can feel the presence of demonic powers rising. PRAY that people’s eyes might be opened and drawn from darkness to the one who gives light. PRAY against attacks when they get double merit for doing it this month. PRAY for visions of Christ and people to meet the one who gives true salvation.
Please pray for a massive project to reach those who live in darkness in these two countries. Pray for those who will be involved, for wisdom, contacting the right people, and interest on their part. We must look at Pakistan in a new way. One out of 13 unreached people are in Pakistan. * On the persecution scale the situation in Pakistan is becoming rapidly worse. In 2003 Pakistan was rated at # 59, a couple years ago it was rated at # 15, and this year it is rated at # 6. As an example of this, at Easter over 80 people were killed as they celebrated Easter. I would encourage us to adjust our prayers and spend more time praying for this part of the world. PRAY for each people group project that is worked on. That groups and churches might be found to pray for them. Only through prayer will it be completed, and only through prayer will people listen and accept Jesus Christ.
We are at a historical moment as a nation in the UK. We may be entering a long period of political and economic uncertainty. We also believe we are at a very significant moment spiritually. Jesus is Sovereign – 'In Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities and authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him.' Colossians 1:16.
In the WPC team some of us backed Remain, others backed Exit but all of us are united in saying we have prayed for His will to be done and we have a deep peace that it has been.
We have prayed so often for God's Spirit to break out. There have been extraordinary signs of this as God visits towns and cities, stirs up prayer and uses ordinary people to take the gospel on to the streets, into the schools, workplaces and universities. So this is a time for renewed prayer for the protection and blessing of our United Kingdom and for Europe.
Here are some prayer points – please use them so we can stand united praying to see God move in our nation and in Europe.
- Whether we voted in or out we declare, “You are Sovereign, Lord, over our nation and over the nations.
- We pray for wisdom for all our political leaders. We pray for grace, and integrity for every Christian MP that they will hear God's voice and be people of influence. We pray for people of God's appointment to lead our political parties and our nation.
- We pray for the Bank of England and City of London – protect us from people of evil intent, greed, theft and corruption and give real wisdom and integrity to those who manage our finances.
- We pray for unity in the Church. After this intense debate may we accept that people with different opinions to us are welcome and loved in the Body of Christ. We pray that the Church will be agents of reconciliation.
- We pray for Your church – that in these uncertain times it will know You are our rock in times of trouble and live and proclaim the good news of the Gospel in villages, towns and cities across the nation.
- We pray blessing on Europe, that the Gospel will flood the nations, remove the barriers and make the way for His kingdom to come to every nation on our Continent.
Ian Cole
World Prayer Centre
Birmingham, England
The Power of Prayer was written by Richard and Stephanie Coates from Weston-super-Mare, UK in the Summer of 2016. Rich felt prompted to write it after accepting an invitation to attend United Prayer Rising in Seoul, South Korea in July, 2016. Richard said, 'There are a plethora of massive issues affecting Korea. This event will be a significant gathering where we will be praying in several ways - repenting, listening to God, proclaiming blessing, worshipping, interceding and seeking solutions to real life issues affecting millions of people. We will also be seeing God at work in thousands of young peoples' lives.' 'My hope is that the song will inspire and encourage the younger generations in particular to enrich their experience of the real purpose and power of prayer. I have a heart for young people and their spiritual development. My prayer is that this song can help young people to find their unique calling and that each one of us returns from UPRISING with a renewed vision and a sense of God's direction.'
The 'Pag-asa' Band (Pag-asa means 'Hope' in Tagalog) was convened to record and lead the song. The members span 3 generations and have much talent and experience. Here are their brief bios:
Tim (15), plays drums, guitar, bass, keyboards and sings. As well as playing in his own band called 'The Baskervilles' he plays in church and town worship bands. He sees the worship band as the place where he can best express his faith and spirituality.
Ruth (16), sings and plays guitar and keyboards. Ruth has a passion for worship and worship leading and leads and also occasionally preaches in her local church. She had specialised training in dance and performing arts in London.
Steph is married to Richard and is a gifted singer and performer. She coaches the youth band in her local church and sings and leads worship. Stephanie has also acted and performed many different roles in theatre productions in London, The UK and Europe and has worked for both television and radio.
Rich plays guitar and bass. He co-coaches his church youth worship band with Steph and sings and plays with the worship group. Rich works in retail management, but spends every spare minute playing and composing. He has written a number of worship songs, one of which is The Power of Prayer.
Rob is a worship leader and musician. He plays guitar and bass. He has produced a number of worship music CD's in his own right. He is CEO of a worship and intercession ministry called Wings Prayer House. He also runs a North of England based Prayer Network called the Northern Power House.
Andy is an experienced keyboard player, accompanist, and leader / co-ordinator of church worship music. He plays for various local and national events in the UK. He serves on the leadership team of International Prayer Connect and is Director for Crosswinds Prayer Trust whose vision is to mobilise and equip prayer globally.
The Power of Prayer: Recording produced by Rob Parker. | Engineer: Tony Hobden / Supersonix. | Vocals: Stephanie Coates, Ruth Parker, Richard Coates, Rob Parker, Andy Page. | Drums: Tim Page. | Guitar / Bass: Rob Parker, Richard Coates. | Keyboards: Andy Page.
Song © 2016 Richard and Stephanie Coates. All rights reserved. Band photo: Thanks to Oli Johnson
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1u3h29qbzrtw2sh/AABdE6cc2NZxE3WNND_66Rvva?dl=0
It was August, 1995, in war-torn Bosnia. A Bosnian pastor asked me, “Are you and your ministry team willing to share our reality?” I asked what he meant by “our reality”. His reply was, “Are you willing to drive through the snipers with us?” Immediately and then later that night I had visions of the Harrison Ford movie, Clear and Present Danger, when he and his colleagues’ cars were firebombed and hardly anyone escaped. However, since my own colleagues and I knew we were in the Lord’s hand, on His mission to facilitate a peacemaking prayer initiative, and since thousands were in prayer for the nation, we decided to drive north with our Bosnian friends past the Sarajevan snipers. We sang hymns and prayed as we went, feeling the confidence, assurance and peace that come with keeping focused on the Prince of Peace and made it safely through.
Since that time, on numerous occasions for a couple decades with an international humanitarian organization and now with the International Prayer Council, I have found myself in harm’s way. Colleagues and I have had to pass through the territory of Rwanda’s murderous genocidaires in the Democratic Republic of Congo, been chased and targeted with others for death by the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as other unstable and dangerous situations of civil war or scary travel conditions. Inexplicably from a human point of view, we have again and again felt Christ’s peace and confidence in such situations and gone right through without crippling fear, knowing He was tangibly with us.
We live in an increasingly chaotic and insecure world. The recent Orlando shooting of over 100 nightclub goers by a lone wolf gunman with ideological commitments to ISIS should get our attention, along with similar attacks in Boston and San Bernardino, as well as international incidents in Paris, Brussels and now Istanbul. Many additional radical Muslim-motivated attacks in the Middle East and other parts of the world often go unreported here in the West unless they are epic in their scale. Public gathering places such as shopping malls, athletic events, and church services are likely to be targeted in the near future. How are we as believers in the Lord to respond with both faith and wisdom, not allowing such a possibility to paralyze us?
My son-in-law, a professor of history, said, “I am pretty sure that Jesus wouldn’t want us to take guns to church…I don’t want to live in fear.” That reaction probably captures what most of us think about the issue of security. What does Scripture have to say about living securely? The Psalms, of course, encourage us to remember that “God is our refuge, a very present help in trouble” and that “underneath are the everlasting arms”. “God will keep him in perfect peace” whose mind is stayed on Him, etc., etc. Still, bad things can and do happen to good people. In Charleston, South Carolina, the point-blank assassination of a African American pastor and his eight parishioners in the midst of Bible study by a white racial supremacist is a vivid illustration that in this world no one is completely safe, even devoted Christians.
A couple decades ago, while my family and I were then living in Greater Los Angeles, we heard the traumatic account of how a disgruntled man went up to the pastor of a local church as he was preaching and shot him dead. It was just mercy that an off-duty police woman who had her handgun with her was able to take the killer down with one shot fired across the heads of the congregation as he turned to begin shooting others. Such experiences are still fairly rare and probably will not happen to the great majority of us, but they can paralyze us with a sense of foreboding that may keep us from living joyously and freely. Should we go to that concert or mass prayer gathering? Could an attack happen there?
The other side of Scripture’s affirmation of the Lord’s watch-care over His people is its urging that we be watchful and alert because of the reality of rampant evil in our world. The devil is portrayed as a prowling lion ready to devour those who are unaware and fail to resist him. Jesus “did not entrust himself to any man because he knew what was in man”. He told us to watch and pray to avoid temptation with the destructive snares that come through it. Faith requires us to put our lives and future in the hands of the Lord; wisdom requires that we make practical provision for good security.
What is both a wise and faith-filled approach that we can implement day by day?
- Pray at the beginning of your day, asking for God’s guidance and protection as you go about your daily routine.
- Keep alert, listening to His voice. As Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.” Be sensitive to any inner checks about your plans and activities, God may be redirecting you to protect you from an unknown threat.
- Pray with others for God’s protection over your home, family, church, community and our nation. Pray for the authorities that they will be vigilant and careful in carrying out their duties at the federal, state and local levels, especially to guard against terrorist schemes.
- Take reasonable physical precautions when arranging public events and during usual church activities, making sure that someone is tasked with maintaining good security. It could be a security guard or off-duty policeman, or a church member who has been well trained.
- Be aware of your surroundings and be alert for any suspicious activity that could threaten you or others and report such activity to law enforcement. We are our brother’s keepers!
Finally, there is a time when all of us need to be ready to exchange our lives here for ones of eternal glory and splendor in the presence of Jesus Christ. Until that time we do not need to give way to fear, nor should we. Instead, through prayerfully living and abiding in the peace, joy and strength of His fortifying presence, we will experience the only real security possible in this world.
John Robb
IPC Chairman
Brexit: A significant spiritual moment
27 Jun 2016
We are at a historical moment as a nation. We may be entering a long period of political and economic uncertainty. We also believe we are at a very significant moment spiritually. Jesus is Sovereign – 'In Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities and authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him.' Colossians 1:16.
In the WPC team some of us backed Remain, others backed Exit but all of us are united in saying we have prayed for Your will to be done and we have a deep peace that it has been.
We have prayed so often for God's spirit to break out. There have been extraordinary signs of this as God visits towns and cities, stirs up prayer and uses ordinary people to take the gospel on to the streets, into the schools, workplaces and universities. So this is a time for renewed prayer for the protection and blessing of our United Kingdom and for Europe. Here are some prayer points – please use them this week so we can stand united praying to see God move in our nation.
- Whether we voted in or out we declare You are Sovereign Lord over our nation and over the nations.
- We pray for wisdom for all our political leaders. We pray for grace, and integrity for every Christian MP that they will hear God's voice and be people of influence. We pray for people of God's appointment to lead our political parties and our nation.
- We pray for the Bank of England and City of London – protect us from people of evil intent, greed, theft and corruption and give real wisdom and integrity to those who manage our finances.
- We pray for unity in the Church. After this intense debate may we accept that people with different opinions to us are welcome and loved in the Body of Christ. We pray that the Church will be agents of reconciliation.
- We pray for Your church – that in these uncertain times it will know You are our rock in times of trouble and live and proclaim the good news of the Gospel in villages, towns and cities across the nation.
- We pray blessing on Europe, that the Gospel will flood the nations, remove the barriers and make the way for His kingdom to come to every nation on our Continent.
Download our revised Lord's prayer to pray after the EU referendum
US football star on his faith
24 Jun 2016
When Christian football star Tim Tebow was interviewed on the Larry King Now show, he said that he goes through high and low points in his faith just like everybody else, but he believes in exercising faith so that it may grow stronger. ‘I really believe faith is like a muscle, and the more you work it, the stronger it grows. Sometimes you might strain that muscle too and take a step back, and you have to get it stronger again,’ he said. ‘I think that happens in every journey. You're not always strong, you're not always in the right position. You take highs and lows in that just like in anything else. I don't know what the future holds, but I know Who holds my future.’
Gospel for Asia's slum ministry
24 Jun 2016
Rapidly growing slums, with millions of people living in extreme poverty and struggling for survival, are a huge problem for South Asia's major cities. Up to 25% of the population of urban areas live in slums. Thousands arrive daily from rural areas in search of jobs and a better life, only to become trapped in desperation and hopelessness. Open sewage, polluted water, lack of health care, illiteracy, superstition, and diseases are some of the threats all around them. Some resort to begging, scavenging or prostitution to be able to eat. Gospel for Asia's ministry to the slums began in 1999. They bring hope by living out His sacrificial love and sharing the love of Christ. They conduct free medical clinics, teach basic hygiene, provide literacy classes for adults, tutor classes for children, and hold weekly Sunday schools. They have planted hundreds of churches, and thousands of unreached people have heard the Gospel.
After the referendum
24 Jun 2016
In the light of today’s dramatic events, with the UK voting to leave the EU and David Cameron saying that he will step down, it’s important to remember that God has a spiritual purpose for the United Kingdom and Europe. It’s time to pray for our political leaders to get up and go forward graciously, doing the job they were chosen to do, and for God to give us His peace and stability. We can declare that Jesus is Lord over the decision to leave, and ask for God's guidance for all leaders. Pray for much wisdom for our Parliament and Government as they respond to the result; for reconciliation for those on opposing sides of the debate; and for relationships not to be damaged. Pray for our leaders in government, banking and commerce to unite for national economic and political stability both in the short term and long term. Pray also that we will value the contribution that each of us has to make in the public square, and for a greater recognition of the hard work that our public servants do in a difficult and challenging role. See also http://www.worldprayer.org.uk/images/PDF/EVC-web.pdf