News Update 12th September 2013

Good News Update 77                  12 September 2013

You are a History-Maker! 

  God continues to orchestrate and answer prayer in wonderful ways. Yes, history has been made. 

Thank you for contacting your local politicians by email, letter, phone or personal visit. Thank you for praying for the 2013 federal election. We thank God that the Senate will no longer be controlled by anti-family forces but ordinary Australians many of whom appear to have pro-family views. This was not predicted by the experts and we believe is a direct answer to prayer. We thank God for the Australian Prayer Network mobilising prayer throughout Australia. We believe your actions and prayers have made a difference.

Please read the following Media Release of 10 September.

Miracle of Prayer – Australia Rejects Homosexual ‘Marriage’. 

What is recorded in this media release is only part of the story. And so we join Paul in declaring, 

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments, 

and his paths beyond tracing out!

(Romans 11:33) 

Thank you too for praying the four prayer points of Billion Souls Revival Prayer Call. Listen to Warwick Marsh declare these four points in this 1 min clip. 

We are seeing ‘a multiplication of prayer to God across the world’ (Point 4). One prayer ministry leader in the USA posted on the Facebook page, “God is definitely working behind the scenes in a mighty way. Every day I learn of a new prayer initiative and am contacted by people doing whatever they can in their sphere of influence. It really is exciting.” Here are two examples.

1. The International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City, USA, have dedicated two of their 2-hour prayer sets each day to focus on the Billion Souls Revival Prayer Call points. These take place in the 24/7 Prayer Room and go out in a live webstream to intercessors around the world. Sam Cerny of IHOP, who visited Brisbane two weeks ago, said the IHOP community is really running with the Billion Souls Revival Prayer Call.

2. Pope Francis calling the world to pray and fast for Syria, and other conflict situations, on Saturday 7th September was so timely. As we continue to pray for the situation in Syria, let us be encouraged that so many Christians around the world are also praying. Let us continue to watch in the news for God’s answers.

We are fast approaching the culmination of the 40 days of prayer, fasting and repentance.  Day 40, which is this Saturday 14 September, is the International Day of Repentance. Because it is also Yom Kippur, this special day will be observed beginning at nightfall on Friday 13th and going until nightfall on Saturday 14th September. Below is an email from Pastor Jeff Daly of the National Day of Repentance encouraging us to prepare and participate in this day.

We want to give opportunity to all Christians to write prayers of repentance regarding anything God has been challenging you to repent about in these past 40 days or in this time of preparation. Please post your prayer in the comments at the bottom of the Billion Souls Revival Prayer Call webpage and/or on the Facebook page.  

Others around the world can join you in using these prayers as we cry out to God together.

It seems to us that this is one way of conducting a ‘solemnly gathering’ through the internet, a tool God has given us in this technological age. Read Joel Chapter 1 and 2 about a Sacred Assembly in Judah’s national life. Such assemblies were urgent calls from the LORD to the elders, priests and the people to gather in confession and repentance in response to what was happening in their land. 

Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. 

Summon the elders and all who live in the land 

to the house of the LORD your God, 

and cry out to the LORD.

 (Joel 1:14) 

Please distribute this Good News Update through your networks, Facebook pages, websites, blogs and word of mouth?  This is God’s challenge to us all, His Church, at this unique time in history.

Looking forward to what God will do next through your prayers,

David & Marilyn Rowsome and Warwick Marsh

Preparation for Saturday 14 September 2013

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF REPENTANCE

This is a special week, part of the “ten days of awe” in the Hebrew tradition. It leads up to the next International Day of Repentance, now in thirty or more nations, beginning at sunset September 13 through nightfall Saturday September 14. That day,

Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, is a Biblical mandated day to fast, pray and repent. We encourage you to do no usual profit-making work but to simply spend time praying and interceding for yourself, your family, your friends and your nation.

I’m writing to encourage you to take advantage of this key time in the next several days for serious soul reflection. Spend extra time alone with the Lord – praying, fasting, and repenting as the Holy Spirit mentors you in the process. Invite Him in to “dine” with you. [Revelation 3:20]. Be zealous to repent, seeing His love for you in the process. [Revelation 3:19]. The Lord wishes each of us to turn from the world and from the flesh, to renounce the recurring ways in which we miss the mark, and to choose instead His narrow path of purity for His Name’s sake. He’s urging each of us in the Body of Christ to fill our vessels with His oil, to be ready to be His Bride, ready for His very soon return as the Bridegroom.

It’s time to become a voice for repentance in your community. Include your family, other believers, and other churches. Yom Kippur is doubly powerful this year as it also coincides with the Jewish Sabbath or Shabbat. Many members have reported an “open heaven” on previous prayer, fasting and repentance dates.

There are many of you who have also participated since August 6 in a key “40 days of prayer, fasting and repentance” initiative called the Billion Souls Revival Prayer Call. This ends with a “day of repentance in all nations” on September 14. One of the purposes of this initiative is to bring a billion souls into His Kingdom. But even if you only begin today, there will be great value in seeking the Lord and “afflicting your soul” – doing a spiritual inventory with Him – in these next several days including the Day of Atonement. He forgives our sins when we repent. We become closer to Him. His Joy flows into us after repentance. 

There can be no revival until repentance occurs first.

In the Hebrew tradition, Yom Kippur is believed to be a final accounting, a time to atone for the sins of the past year. It’s the last chance to change God’s judgment by demonstrating repentance and making amends. On that day God “closes the book” on nations and peoples. Thus it’s a perfect time to repent personally and nationally, and to “turn from our wicked ways”. Many nations are at a tipping point. Your prayers, fasting and repentance can make a difference as evidenced by the many heroes in the Bible who “stood in the gap” for their people. They were very ordinary people just like you and me.

Through repentance in the Body of Christ across nations we activate the powerful truths of Scripture and bring forth His blessings to heal our nations. This is clearly set forth in 2 Chronicles 7:13-15.

“When I shut up heaven and there is no rain,
or command the locusts to devour the land,
or send pestilence among My people,
if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves,
and pray and seek My face,
and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.”

As the world seems to be spinning out of control, now more than ever we need to seek God’s providential intervention. God does not require large numbers, but like Gideon’s rag-tag army of just 300, He requires humility. Will you be one of the faithful willing to be obedient and loyal?

Be blessed this wonderful holy week,

Pastor Jeff Daly
National Day of Repentance

jdalylaw@aol

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www.canberradeclaration.org.au

Protecting Our Australian Values 

P.O. Box 378, Unanderra NSW 2526     info@canberradeclaration.org.au

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The Canberra Declaration is the work of many people and organisations.
The administration of the initiative is being supported by the Australian Christian Values Institute and Australian Heart Ministries.

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