Tag Archives: Fasting

November 25, 2014 · 9:42 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for America (11/25/2014)

What’s the main difference between believers in America and the believers in North Korea, China, India, and Somalia?

We have options.

For instance, when American believers are sick, we pray and ask the Lord to heal us. Then, if we aren’t healed right away, we go to a doctor or a hospital. This is true for when we’re hungry, need rent money, or whatever. We have numerous avenues of hope to consider, besides just waiting on the Lord and His answers.

Let’s now consider the believers in North Korea. They have one option: God. If God does not show up, the North Korean believers might die or starve or be thrown into prison. God is their only hope.

Okay, who has the greater level of faith and trust in God? We believers in America or those in North Korea/China/India/Somalia?

Actually, it’s a no-brainer, right?

Somehow, we American believers have to develop our faith and trust levels in God now…before the bad times hit our communities.

Today, I prayed:

Lord, help us American believers to actually trust in You with all our hearts, to not lean on our own understanding, and to acknowledge You in all our ways so that You will make our paths straight. (Based on Proverbs 3:5-6)

What do you think and did the Lord speak to you today?

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for America.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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November 21, 2014 · 9:19 am

Friday’s Prayers for Prisoners (11/21/2014)

Each Friday I pray and fast for nations where Christians suffer the worst persecution around the world. This week I am praying and fasting for:

Eritrea. 5.9 million people with 2.7 million Christians.

The repeated tragedy of migrant boats capsizing in 2013 has drawn attention to the repressive circumstances for Christians in Eritrea. Those in the Coptic Church enjoy relative freedom, but Christians of other denominations suffer house raids, arrests and systematic torture. Gabriella is an influential Christian in the underground church who was interrogated, tortured and kept in solitary confinement – but she never denied Christ. She describes her time in prison as ‘a honeymoon with Jesus’. (Open Doors, World Watch List)

The Eritrean government has banned all Christian groups except the Orthodox Church of Eritrea, the country’s largest Christian group; the Roman Catholic Church; and the Evangelical Church of Eritrea, a Lutheran-affiliated denomination. With the exception of Sunni Islam, all other public religious practice has been banned. Security forces continue to disrupt private worship, conduct mass arrests at prayer meetings and other gatherings, and detain those arrested for indefinite periods without charge. Between 2,000 and 3,000 Christians are imprisoned in Eritrea because of their faith, and most of those have never received a court hearing or been formally charged. Prisoners are tortured and subjected to extremely poor living conditions, often locked in metal shipping containers or underground bunkers. Several who have refused to renounce their beliefs have died in custody. (The Voice of Martyrs)

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray that You send Your light and Your truth into the nation of Eritrea and that You open up the hearts of the Eritrean people to receive the love of the truth. (Based on Psalm 43:3 and 2 Thessalonians 2:10)

Join with me on Fridays to fast and pray for prisoners, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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November 18, 2014 · 10:03 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for America (11/18/2014)

Ferguson, Missouri, is a powder keg waiting for a spark to set it off. If that happens, many lives could be ruined or destroyed. When will we learn that we can’t win spiritual battles with acts of the flesh?

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray that Your spirit of wisdom and revelation will enlighten our understanding so that Satan does not take advantage of our emotions in Ferguson and other inner cities of America. Open our eyes to the power of forgiveness. (Based on Ephesians 1:17-18 and 2 Corinthians 2:10-11)

What do you think and did the Lord speak to you today?

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for America.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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November 14, 2014 · 9:26 am

Friday’s Prayers for Prisoners (11/14/2014)

Each Friday I pray and fast for nations where Christians suffer the worst persecution around the world. This week I am praying and fasting for:

Sudan. 45.7 million people with Christians being 3% of population.

Sudan is a poverty-stricken Muslim country that lost many of its Christians to South Sudan when it became independent in 2011. The regime’s leaders are mainly radical Islamist, and the ruling National Congress Party a means to further an Islamic agenda. Incidents against Christians include faith-related killings, damaging Christian properties and forced marriage as well as arrests, deportations and raids on church offices. Sudanese Muslim-background believers suffer particularly: one believer’s family burned his house down when they discovered he had turned to Christ. (Open Doors, World Watch List)

The civil war, which ended in 2005, claimed the lives of 2 million people. A continuing conflict in Darfur has driven 2 million more from their homes and killed over 200,000. Sudan and South Sudan split into two separate countries in 2011…In Sudan, Christians face poverty, war and genocide. Arab-Sudanese are trying to eradicate black Sudanese in the Nuba Mountains, where Christian villages face daily bombings by the Sudanese military. The government is trying to eliminate all Christian villages, churches, hospitals and schools in an effort to Islamize the country. Although the constitution guarantees religious freedom, Islam remains the de facto state religion, and apostasy is punishable by death under the government’s Shariah law. Muslims are given preferential treatment, and non-Islamic proselytism is prohibited. It is difficult for Christians to obtain permission to build churches. Converts face social pressure and harassment from security services. They typically do not stay in Sudan, but leave everything. (Voice of the Martyrs)

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray that the Sudanese believers are zealous, fervent in spirit, serving You; and that they rejoice in hope, are patient in tribulation and constant in prayer; so that they overcome evil with good. (Based on Romans 12:11, 12, 21)

Join with me on Fridays to fast and pray for prisoners, according to Hebrews 13:3.

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November 11, 2014 · 12:04 pm

Tuesday’s Prayers for America (11/11/2014)

A pastor friend of mine was so upset with some members of his congregation that he paced back and forth in the empty church. He voiced his disagreements aloud as he walked, quoting scriptures to back up his opinions. As he sounded off, the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit spoke to his heart, “Be careful about what you say because I live in them, too.”

My pastor friend fell on his knees, realizing he had wandered onto shaky ground. He repented and changed his attitudes from that moment forward.

“Do not touch My chosen people, and do not hurt my prophets.” (Psalm 105:15 NLT)

Scripture states that the archangel Michael did not dare to speak a reproachful judgment against Satan because of Michael’s reverence of God who had delegated power to Satan. If that scripture is true, then why are we so willing to slam other believers who disagree with our doctrines?

Today I prayed:

Lord, I pray that we American believers become united as one so that the world will know the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom He sent to give life to those that believe in Him. (Based on John 17: 2, 3, 23)

What do you think and did the Lord speak to you today?

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for America.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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November 7, 2014 · 11:49 am

Friday’s Prayers for Prisoners (11/7/2014)

Each Friday I pray and fast for nations where Christians suffer the worst persecution around the world. This week I am praying and fasting for:

Yemen. 27.2 million people with a few thousand Christians (.1 %).

There is some religious freedom for foreigners here, but evangelism is prohibited, and Yemenis who leave Islam may face the death penalty. Muslim-background believers are forced to meet in secret. If their faith is discovered, they face severe persecution from authorities, family, and extremist groups who threaten ‘apostates’ with death if they do not recant. Insecurity caused by Islamist movements makes Yemen very unstable. Christians are believed to be under surveillance by extremists, and ex-pat Christians can be a specific target for these extremist groups. (Open Doors, World Watch List)

Yemen is the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, making it susceptible to infiltration by extremist groups. The country is a haven for Islamic militants, who have kidnapped and held foreigners for ransom…Expressing faith in Jesus is dangerous for Yemenis. It is illegal for non- Muslims to proselytize and for Muslims to convert to Christianity, but expatriates may privately practice religions other than Islam. Yemeni Christian converts from Islam face the death penalty if discovered, and family culture is extremely opposed to conversion. Mosque leaders openly preach an anti-Western message of hate. (Voice of the Martyrs)

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray for a thousand Stephens to be raised up in Yemen who are full of grace, power, wisdom, and the Spirit, who do great wonders and signs among the people, and who are willing to debate crowds of Muslims to their faces, not worrying about their lives even unto their deaths. (Based on Acts 6:8-10 and Revelation 12:11)

Join with me on Fridays to fast and pray for prisoners, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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November 4, 2014 · 9:38 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for America (November 4, 2014)

On June 16, 1858, the Illinois Republican Party chose Abraham Lincoln as their candidate for the U. S. Senate to run against Democrat Stephen A. Douglas. That evening Lincoln addressed his Republican colleagues and stated the following:

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.

I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided.

It will become all one thing or all the other. (House Divided Speech)

Lincoln’s speech was considered too radical at the time, but Lincoln justified it by saying, “I will deliver it as written. I want to use some universally known figure, expressed in simple language as universally known, that it may strike home to the minds of men in order to rouse them to the peril of the times.”

Although Lincoln lost his senate race with Douglas, his words soon proved to be an accurate prophecy.

Today, I prayed:

Lord, whether our nation remains divided or not after today’s election is in Your hands, so I pray that we believers walk in such perfect unity that our communities will know that we are Your disciples because of our love for one another. (Based on John 17:23 and John 13:35)

What do you think and did the Lord speak to you today?

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for America.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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October 31, 2014 · 9:27 am

Friday’s Prayers for Prisoners (10/31/2014)

Each Friday I pray and fast for nations where Christians suffer the worst persecution around the world. This week I am praying and fasting for:

Iran. 77.2 million people with 450,000 Christians (o.6%).

Since Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s warning in 2010 of the ever-expanding influence and numbers of house churches, the treatment of Christians has rapidly worsened. The regime tries to destroy those who reach out to converts and seekers by monitoring services, arresting converts, banning Farsi language services and closing some churches. Attacks against Christian communities have increased, and the prohibition of house church activities is enforced more strictly. Yet the regime’s harsh treatment of Christians only further fuels the flames of church growth. (Open Doors, World Watch List)

Iran is a constitutional, theocratic republic that discriminates against its citizens on the basis of religion and belief. Attempts to force political reform in 2011 were quashed by the government, but discontent remains. Young Iranians, who make up a majority of the population, are dissatisfied with both their religion and government. They are very open to the gospel… The evangelical church in Iran is the fastest growing church in the world, according to Operation World. Conservative estimates place the number of Christian Iranian nationals at more than 100,000. Persecution has intensified since 2005. Iran’s state religion is Shiite Islam, and the followers of all other faiths are treated harshly. Protestant pastors are forbidden to preach in Farsi (the official language), restricting them to the Armenian or Assyrian language. Mission organizations are not allowed to enter Iran, and witnessing to Muslims is forbidden. Believers are discriminated against in education, employment and property ownership. Apostates from Islam face the death sentence. Authorities raid house church services, detain worshipers and threaten church members. The publishing, importation or reprinting of Bibles or Christian literature is illegal. But technology is aiding the spread of the gospel. God’s Word is being shared via Internet chat rooms and Christian satellite TV. (Voice of the Martyrs)

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray when my brothers and sisters in Iran pass through the waters, that You are with them; that when they walk through the fire, they shall not be burned and the flame shall not consume them. I pray that my brothers and sisters in Iran know that they are precious in Your eyes and are loved and honored by You. (Based on Isaiah 43:2, 4)

Join with me on Fridays to fast and pray for prisoners, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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October 28, 2014 · 8:23 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for America (10/28/2014)

Once a week, a simple-minded Christian friend dropped by a particular used car dealership where I was employed. He walked onto the sales lot and I went out to greet him. He asked questions about each car. I did my best to tell him what I knew about the vehicles. He had no money to buy one, but even so, he didn’t have a driver’s license. It was just a fun game of make-believe for him.

One morning, after my friend left, I walked back inside the dealership just in time to hear a salesmen make fun of my friend. The other salesmen guffawed along with the jokester.

The Holy Spirit came upon me at that moment. “Don’t you ever make fun of my brother again,” I proclaimed in a loud voice.

“What? He’s your brother?” asked the jokester.

“Yes! He’s my Christian brother and don’t you ever make fun of one of my Christian brothers again!”

“Even Jerry Falwell and Jimmy Swaggart?”

“Yes, they’re my brothers, too. Don’t you ever make fun of them again. Do you hear me?” I proclaimed.

Every salesman turned around and walked into his office. No one ever made fun of a Christian around me again at that dealership.

Today, I prayed:

Lord, help us American believers to be patient with our brothers and sisters in Christ, to make allowances for each other’s faults because of Your love, and to make every effort to keep ourselves united in the Spirit. (Ephesians 4:2)

What do you think and did the Lord speak to you today?

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for America.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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October 24, 2014 · 9:49 am

Friday’s Prayers for Prisoners (10/24/2014)

Each Friday I pray and fast for nations where Christians suffer the worst persecution around the world. This week I am praying and fasting for:

Pakistan. 186.4 million people with 5.3 million Christians (2.8%).

Pakistan’s Christians are caught in the crossfire between Islamic militant organizations that routinely target Christians, and an Islamizing culture that leaves Christians isolated from the rest of the population. The notorious blasphemy laws continue to have devastating consequences for minorities, including Christians. Women and girls from minority groups are particularly vulnerable, and sexual assaults against underage Christian girls by Muslim men continue to be reported. In September 2013, a twin bomb attack on Anglican All Saints Church in Peshawar left 89 people dead. (Open Doors, World Watch List)

This Sunni majority country is one of the most corrupt countries in the world… Though the constitution guarantees religious freedom, Christians increasingly suffer under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. One law stipulates that any person who defiles the name of the prophet Muhammad or the Quran may be punished by life in prison or death. Churches in Pakistan are frequently vandalized, and Christians are beaten, raped, abducted and murdered with impunity. Christians also face discrimination in employment and education, keeping them entrenched in the lower classes. (Voice of the Martyrs)

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I ask You to set apart the believers in Pakistan as You did Your people in Goshen. Make a clear distinction between the Pakistani believers and the unbelievers so all will know that You are the Lord in the midst of the earth. (Based on Exodus 8:22-23)

Join with me on Fridays to fast and pray for prisoners, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

4 Comments

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