Call for 40-days of prayer and fasting for South Africa:
13 February to 29 March 2013
In January a group of Christian leaders, from all spheres of influence, gathered together to discuss and pray concerning the crises in South Africa. Three decisive issues emerged from the consultation: 1. Leadership. 2. The role, identity and responsibility of the Church. 3. State-Church relationship. We felt the need to call the Church to prayer and fasting for an extended period of 40 days from 13 February to 29 March, 2013. We invite and encourage congregations, prayer groups and individuals to join us in prayer for the Church, the Nation and for our fellow South Africans. The following prayer guidelines were drawn up using the different issues of discussion as they emerged during the Christian Leadership indaba.
How to Pray
· Pray with faith. God promised - therefore we believe, for God cannot lie.
· Pray with hope. Nothing is impossible for God.
· Trust in the power of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
· Trust in the power of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
· Trust the Holy Spirit to pray through you.
· Pray boldly, reminding God of his promises.
· Pray without judgment, accusation or condemnation.
PROCLAIM
· Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Head of the Church.
· Lord Jesus Christ, You are our High Priest, seated at the right hand of the Father.
· Lord Jesus Christ, You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
· Lord Jesus Christ, You will build your church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
· Lord Jesus Christ, You are worthy of all honour, glory and blessing.
A. PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH – to be moved from CONCERN to CONVICTION to COMPASSION into ACTION
1. For the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
· To empower the Church to be faithful, effective witnesses (Act.1:8).
· To guide us into all the Truth (Jn.16:13).
· For the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be restored to the Church and used for the work of the Kingdom (Heb.2:4).
· For the Holy Spirit to work in signs and wonders to confirm the preaching of the Word (Rom.15:19; Heb.2:4).
· For forgiveness for the Church who had many times quenched and grieved the Holy Spirit (Eph.4:30; 1Thess.5:19).
· For the Holy Spirit to bring revival and a time of refreshing for the people of our nation (Act.3:20).
2. For the Church to be united in love
· For the Church to have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love and to endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (1Pet.3:8; Eph.4:2-3).
· That we will not only look out for our own interests but also for the interests of others (Phil.2:2-4).
· To have equal concern for each other, and suffer together as well as rejoice when other members are honoured (1 Cor.12:24-27).
· For our love not to grow cold (Mat.24:12).
· That we will love one another so that the world will know we are the followers of Jesus (Jn.13:34-35).
· That we will love enough to lay down our lives for others (Jn.15:13).
· That we will outdo one another in showing honour (Rom.12:10).
· That our love will cover a multitude of sins (1Pe.4:8).
· That we will not destroy one another by our lack of love (Gal.5:14-15).
· That we will love our enemies and do good to those who hate us (Luk.6:27).
· That the Church will demonstrate true racial reconciliation through forgiveness and acceptance (Luk.6:37; Gal.3:28)
3. For the Church to hunger and thirst for righteousness and holiness
· For the God of peace Himself to sanctify us completely (1Th.5:23-24).
· To cleanse our hearts by faith (Act.15:9).
· To sanctify her (the Church), having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word (Eph.5:26).
· For the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, to purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Heb.9:14).
· For the Father to sanctify us in the truth; Your Word is truth (Jn.17:17).
· Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! (Ps.51:2).
· To be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ (Phil.1:11).
· That we will bear the Spirit’s fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal.5:22,23).
4. For the restoration of righteousness and justice
· For Christ to be formed in us (Gal.4:19).
· To not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds (Rom.12:2).
· For each believer to be the salt that will allow the world to taste and see Jesus in our actions (Mt.5:13; Col.4:6)
· To let the good works of the Church become a testimony to those around us (Mt.5:16)
· To not lie or bear false witness and so join in the perversion of justice (Ex.23:2)
· To not accept or give bribes (Deut.16:19)
· To not speak evil of others but to bless them (Tit.3:2)
· To not repay evil for evil, but to overcome evil with good (Rom.12:17-21)
· To ask for the blood of Jesus to cleanse our hearts and remove all evil (Mt.5:18,19)
· For the Church to remember that pure and undefiled religion is to not neglect the orphans and elderly (Jas.1:27).
5. For the authority of the Word of God to be recognized
· For the Word to bring discernment and reveal the intentions of the heart (Heb.4:12)
· For the Word to be used to bring correction and training in righteousness (2Tim.3:16)
· That the Word of God will not be twisted or used for selfish gain (2Pet.3:16)
· For every member of the Church to be born again through the Word of God (1Pet.1:23)
· For every minister of the word (5-fold ministry) to be competent and well trained in the Scriptures (Col.1:25; Act.18:24)
· For the Word of God to determine our faith (Act.18:28; 1Cor.15:3,4; Heb.11:3; 2Pet.3:5)
· For the Word of God to do its work in the heart of every member of the Church (1Thess.2:13)
· For the Word of God to be read and explained properly to the people (1Tim.4:13)
6. For the restoration of the authoritative, prophetic voice of the Church
· For the 5-fold ministry to preach Christ crucified and direct people to Him not to themselves or their ministries (1Cor.1:23-29)
· For the Church to hear God’s voice and proclaim it with truth (1Sam.3:10-20)
· For the Church to have wisdom in bringing God’s rebuke and direction to government leaders so that they will be convicted and humble themselves (2Sam.12:1-13)
· For the Church to be able to interpret the will of God to government leaders (Dan.2:26-30)
· For the Church to give sound judgment and counsel to the government and its relationship to foreign powers (2Kin.19:1-7)
· For the Church to unite in calling the nation to repentance (Joel.2:12-18)
7. For the Church to exercise authority over all principalities and powers in the demonic and occult realm
· For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil (1Jn.3:8).
· We declare Jesus had been given the name above all names, and at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord (Phil.2:10-11).
· We declare that through the death of Jesus Christ, the devil, who had the power of death, was destroyed, and those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage, are now released (Heb.2:14-15).
· That the Church will understand and use the weapons of our warfare that have divine powers to destroy strongholds, arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God (2 Co.10:5-6).
· That the Church will openly declare that Jesus Christ had disarmed the principalities and powers on the cross and therefore take authority over all spiritual opposition (worldliness, works of the flesh, demonic strongholds, worship of the spirits of the dead, etc.) (Col.2:13-15).
· That the Church will not be afraid to confront and rebuke evil spirits (1Jn.4:4).
· For the God of peace to soon crush Satan under our feet (Rom.16:20).
· For the Church to stand against the evil clothed in God’s armour: Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness, Helmet of Salvation, and Preparation for the Gospel of Peace (Eph.6:10-18).
· To take up the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God as we pray and advance into the territory of the enemy (Eph.6:17-18).
· That we will overcome because of the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony, and because we do not love our lives to the death (Rev.12:11).
· That the Church will become instruments to heal the sick and deliver people from demonic oppression (Luk.9:1-2)
A.
B. FOR SOUTH AFRICA TO BECOME A RIGHTEOUS NATION
1. For our nation to turn to Jesus Christ
· Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord! (Ps.33:12).
· Let Your Kingdom come, establish Your righteousness and justice (Luk.11:2; Isa.9:7).
· For our nation to be cleansed from idolatry, immorality, bloodshed and injustice (Lev.18:24).
· For God’s saving power to be made known in our nation (Ps.67:2).
· For our nation to respond when God disciplines us (Ps.94:10).
· For God to remove the veil of sin and ignorance over this nation (Isa.25:7).
· That God’s name will not be profaned in our nation (Ezek.20:9).
· That God will set his glory in our nation (Ezek.39:21).
· That our nation shall join herself to God and entreat His favour (Zech.2:11; 8:22).
· For repentance and forgiveness to be proclaimed to every citizen in this nation (Luk.24:47).
2. For righteous leaders
· God is in control for it is He who sets up and deposes kings. He knows what lies in darkness. (Dan.2:20-22).
· We pray for those in authority, so that that we may live peaceful and quiet lives, for God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1Tim.2:1-4).
· Our rulers’ hearts are in Your hand, Lord; direct it like a watercourse wherever You please (Prov.21:1).
· For wicked councillors to be removed from the presence of our government leaders (Prov.25:5).
· For all darkness and secret dealings to be exposed and brought into the light (Eph.5:13).
· For our leaders to listen to God’s voice and not the voice of any occult practitioners (Deut.18:14).
· That our political leaders will not set themselves against Jesus, but align themselves with the truth (Ps.2:2).
· For the stability of our government (Prov.28:2).
· For our leaders to be wise and to serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling (Ps.2:10-11).
3. For Justice
· For God’s justice to be established in our nation (Isa.9:7).
· For forgiveness and mercy for the every person who perverted justice (Ex.23:2).
· For forgiveness and mercy for those who show partiality and accepting or paying bribes (Deut.16:19).
· That justice will be restored in our nation so that evildoers will be stopped and God can deliver us (Deut.16:20; Prov.21:3; Isa.56:1).
· For God to hear our cry for justice and answer us (Luk .8:7).
· For our nation to be delivered from lying lips and deceitful tongues (Ps.120:2; Hos.4:2)
· For God to expose and silence all liars and deceptions in our nation (Jer.23:32; Ps.63:11)
· For God who is a Father of the fatherless and a Defender of widows; to bring justice (Ps.68:5; Ps.10:2;14).
· For the spirit of lawlessness to be restrained (2Thess.2:7).
· For the blood of Jesus to speak forgiveness and silence the voices that cry for revenge (Heb.12:24; Gen.4:12).
· For the awakening of the conscience of the people in our nation and for the blood of Christ to cleanse and purify the evil and defiled conscience (Heb.9:14;10:22)
4. For racial reconciliation
· For people to recognize that all races have the same origin and that no one is superior to another (Act.17:26).
· For God to heal the wounds of racial conflict through the Body of Jesus, the Church (2 Cor.5:18).
· For the grace to embrace all races, regardless of colour, background or social standing (Rom.10:12: Col.3:11).
· For forgiveness and restitution to be offered in a godly way (Ex.22:6-15).
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3. For the salvation of the lost
· That in obedience to God’s command and desire the Church will preach the gospel to all people so that they will be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1Ti.2:4).
· For the people in our nation to grasp that God is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Pet.3:9).
· For the truth to be preached about Jesus Christ, who came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
· For the Holy Spirit to convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (Jn.16:7-8).