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 will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin,
and heal their land.
- 2 Chronicles 7:14
Today I attended the Global Day of Prayer here in Metro Manila.
It was a concerted effort of many churches here, united for the single purpose of praying for our nation, the Philippines.
There are 220 nations who have registered for this global event, and these nations are crying out to God to hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
Translated to numbers, 220 nations praying with one voice and purpose amount to millions of people storming the gates of heaven with one plea: "Have mercy on Your people, O God!"
I have begun to understand why I am still in Manila.
These past weeks, God has been re-uniting me to my friends with whom I have a "kingdom connection." I have also recently met people who have a burning passion to pray for our nation and for Israel.
God has made it clear in His word that we as His people, the ones who are called by His name, are the ones given the mandate to humble ourselves, to pray, to seek His face, and to turn from our wicked ways.
There is something so beautiful when a group of people who love God and who love their nation band together to seek God's face.
Righteous governance, unity of the Body of believers, Godly stewardship, world missions, Israel, and the Muslims were among the points that we prayed for.
I can't share everything that transpired during the day, as every prayer point was valuable! But here are some of them:
Righteous Governance
Not only the Philippines, but every country in this world, is in dire need of righteous leaders.
But these are crucial months for us. Next year 2010 we will elect the next president of our nation.
We need to be in constant prayer against greed, corruption, abuse of power, and mis-use of authority.
We prayed according to these beautiful words from Psalm 78:70-72
Praying for Israel
God promised the heartland and surrounding areas of Israel to Abraham in Genesis 13:14-17
It is interesting how this very place is now the center of focus of world leaders who think they have a say as to how this land is to divided, when it was clearly promised by God to be given to Abraham and his descendants forever.
It is a hotly-contested area because its former name is the city of Luz, or the city of light. Lucifer, the fallen angel of light obviously thinks he has a right to it.
And so there is a widespread attempt to divide this nation into two states, but nowhere in God's word is that stated.
In medieval times, city gates were very crucial, because it has been said that whoever controls the gates wins the war.
Jesus Himself promised to Peter in Matthew 16:18 that on the rock of his faith, Jesus will build His church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
This declaration points to yet another gate mentioned in God's promise to Abraham after he offered the ram in place of Isaac.
...your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
Intercessors for Israel, we have to stand with Israel these days as there has been a Satanic plan to wipe them out from the face of the earth, laying claim to the land promised to Israel by God Himself.
The war is at the gate, and the promise is that Israel, both the physical Israel and the new Israel which has been grafted into the olive tree, shall possess the gate of their enemies.
However, we have to stand ready to contend for the destiny of Israel!
And Scripture is clear. Where the nations of the world are not aligning with God's purposes for Israel, there is judgment in store. God is a consuming fire, and when He rises up to be the man of war fighting for His nation, there will be no mercy.
Praying for the Philippines
As I listened to the various prayer leaders for this day of prayer, my heart was gripped anew by how God was positioning the intercessors who have been committed to praying for this nation.
God is bringing us up to a higher level still, revealing new insights, giving us fresh glimpses into His end time agenda for Israel, for our nation, and for the world.
It was mentioned that our nation is entering the seventieth and last year of a curse that we have been under because of wrong blood covenants that our forefathers have entered into.
Part of the destiny of the Philippines as the only Christian nation in the Far East is to manifest God's presence to a lost and dying world.
It is not a mere coincidence that we were under the rule of two major colonial powers for centuries! Spain ruled our islands for nearly 400 years, and we were under the United States for more than half a century. Both of these nations left a lasting imprint upon our land and people, but it did not happen by chance! God has a purpose even in the historical events of our nation.
History is actually His Story being lived out in the life of a nation!
One passionate prayer that brought tears to our eyes was the prayer for godly stewardship of our God-given resources.
No longer will we accept the curse of poverty over our islands, for we are a nation rich in natural resources, from the seas, to the mountains, to the mines. Our soil is fertile, our valleys are verdant, our rivers and lakes are teeming with life! There is natural gas, and there are initial findings of oil in several parts of our country.
Yet repeatedly foreigners have greedily used up our resources for their own benefit and gain.
No more, no more, enough is enough, we all cried out to God. Let there be no longer any confusion about the ownership of our land, wealth, and resources!
Corporately we broke the curse of poverty that has held captive our people. In the midst of plenty, our people think and believe they are poor.
We called an end to murder, violence, oppression, and we declared that we will be able to steward our resources in a godly way that we might leave a good inheritance to the next generation.
We decreed that the only blood covenant we recognize is the one we have with Jesus, who shed His precious blood on the cross to redeem us from the grip and stranglehold of the enemy.
Our forefathers had entered into wrong blood covenants, such as the blood compact between Ferdinand Magellan of Spain and a local chieftain Rajah Humabon, and many others.
Historical records show that anyone wishing to join the secret society called the Katipunan formed by Filipinos in hopes of breaking free from Spanish domination had to go through rigid tests specifically designed for the would-be-Katipunero. The final test was the sandugo or "blood compact".
The recruit was asked to make a small cut on his left forearm with a sharp knife. He then signed the Katipunan oath in his own blood. Afterward, the new member chose a symbolic name for himself. For example, Bonifacio was called "Maypag-asa"(Hopeful).
We negated and broke the agreement that our nation unknowingly entered into with the kingdom of darkness through these wrong blood covenants.
We repented of wrong alliances with foreign nations for economic gain, thus giving power to the spirit of mammon to rule over our nation, and causing us to be blinded by greed. We asked God to remove the veil over our eyes, that we will no more worship our own version of golden calves, Baals, and Asherah poles!
Oh, how we cried for God to bring us back to our own homeland, living in exile right within our own land!
How we cried out to God to bring back home the fathers and mothers of our fatherless and motherless youth, working as overseas workers in foreign lands. We recognized that this was possible only when there were already enough jobs for them in this nation.
We prayed for righteousness and integrity that will open up the wealth and riches of our land to us!
We asked God to bring back our sons and daughters back from self-imposed exile, bringing with them the wealth of the nations.
We also asked God to send us out into the world, bringing with us the wealth of our faith, our servant spirit, our compassion, and our creativity!
Oh, how we cried to Jesus our Redeemer to remove the shame and the reproach over our people!
Lord, how we want to clothe ourselves with our true identity, and to represent You and manifest You to the world as our Majestic Lord and Glorious King, with righteous pride!
Lord, we receive a true apostolic calling from You.
Help us dear Father to be stewards of a new heart, and a new spirit, no longer a self will, but a God-will.
Give us prosperity and progress, Your way.
Cleanse us from the contempt of the neighboring nations! Help us to rebuild the ancient ruins and the waste places of our nation!
We declare that dead dreams, dreams that we have lost hope for, will come to life again.
Restore hope, purpose, peace, passion, order, and dignity to our people!
We ask You dear God that Your presence will go with us, and grant us Your power to spoil the enemy, to reclaim what the enemy has stolen.
Help us to be righteous stewards of our divine call.
Help us to live up to our true destiny as a Filipino people!
Ninety Days of Blessing Prayer Guide
will humble themselves and pray
and seek My face
and turn from their wicked ways,
then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin,
and heal their land.
- 2 Chronicles 7:14
Today I attended the Global Day of Prayer here in Metro Manila.
It was a concerted effort of many churches here, united for the single purpose of praying for our nation, the Philippines.
There are 220 nations who have registered for this global event, and these nations are crying out to God to hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
Translated to numbers, 220 nations praying with one voice and purpose amount to millions of people storming the gates of heaven with one plea: "Have mercy on Your people, O God!"
I have begun to understand why I am still in Manila.
These past weeks, God has been re-uniting me to my friends with whom I have a "kingdom connection." I have also recently met people who have a burning passion to pray for our nation and for Israel.
God has made it clear in His word that we as His people, the ones who are called by His name, are the ones given the mandate to humble ourselves, to pray, to seek His face, and to turn from our wicked ways.
There is something so beautiful when a group of people who love God and who love their nation band together to seek God's face.
Righteous governance, unity of the Body of believers, Godly stewardship, world missions, Israel, and the Muslims were among the points that we prayed for.
I can't share everything that transpired during the day, as every prayer point was valuable! But here are some of them:
Righteous Governance
Not only the Philippines, but every country in this world, is in dire need of righteous leaders.
But these are crucial months for us. Next year 2010 we will elect the next president of our nation.
We need to be in constant prayer against greed, corruption, abuse of power, and mis-use of authority.
We prayed according to these beautiful words from Psalm 78:70-72
He also chose David His servant,
And took him from the sheepfolds,
From following the ewes that had young
He brought him,
To shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel His inheritance.
So he shepherded them
according to the integrity of his heart,
And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
And took him from the sheepfolds,
From following the ewes that had young
He brought him,
To shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel His inheritance.
So he shepherded them
according to the integrity of his heart,
And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
We cried out to God Almighty to raise up the Davids that will rule in the humility and meekness of Godly wisdom, to shepherd this nation with integrity and with skill.
Praying for Israel
God promised the heartland and surrounding areas of Israel to Abraham in Genesis 13:14-17
Lift your eyes now and look
from the place where you are --
northward, southward, eastward, and westward;
for all the land which you see I give to you
and your descendants forever.
This promise was given while Abraham was standing on Beth El, a high point at the heart of Canaan, and in this point one can see all around quite clearly.
In Genesis 28:12-15, we read that Beth El is also the place where Jacob was given a dream of a ladder going up to heaven, with angels ascending and descending on it. It was the point of heavenly connection. Jacob called it "the gate of heaven," and re-named it Bethel, which literally means the house of God.
In this place God re-affirmed to Jacob the promise that He originally gave to Abraham.
from the place where you are --
northward, southward, eastward, and westward;
for all the land which you see I give to you
and your descendants forever.
This promise was given while Abraham was standing on Beth El, a high point at the heart of Canaan, and in this point one can see all around quite clearly.
In Genesis 28:12-15, we read that Beth El is also the place where Jacob was given a dream of a ladder going up to heaven, with angels ascending and descending on it. It was the point of heavenly connection. Jacob called it "the gate of heaven," and re-named it Bethel, which literally means the house of God.
In this place God re-affirmed to Jacob the promise that He originally gave to Abraham.
It is interesting how this very place is now the center of focus of world leaders who think they have a say as to how this land is to divided, when it was clearly promised by God to be given to Abraham and his descendants forever.
It is a hotly-contested area because its former name is the city of Luz, or the city of light. Lucifer, the fallen angel of light obviously thinks he has a right to it.
And so there is a widespread attempt to divide this nation into two states, but nowhere in God's word is that stated.
In medieval times, city gates were very crucial, because it has been said that whoever controls the gates wins the war.
Jesus Himself promised to Peter in Matthew 16:18 that on the rock of his faith, Jesus will build His church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
This declaration points to yet another gate mentioned in God's promise to Abraham after he offered the ram in place of Isaac.
...your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
- Genesis 22:16
Intercessors for Israel, we have to stand with Israel these days as there has been a Satanic plan to wipe them out from the face of the earth, laying claim to the land promised to Israel by God Himself.
The war is at the gate, and the promise is that Israel, both the physical Israel and the new Israel which has been grafted into the olive tree, shall possess the gate of their enemies.
However, we have to stand ready to contend for the destiny of Israel!
And Scripture is clear. Where the nations of the world are not aligning with God's purposes for Israel, there is judgment in store. God is a consuming fire, and when He rises up to be the man of war fighting for His nation, there will be no mercy.
Praying for the Philippines
As I listened to the various prayer leaders for this day of prayer, my heart was gripped anew by how God was positioning the intercessors who have been committed to praying for this nation.
God is bringing us up to a higher level still, revealing new insights, giving us fresh glimpses into His end time agenda for Israel, for our nation, and for the world.
It was mentioned that our nation is entering the seventieth and last year of a curse that we have been under because of wrong blood covenants that our forefathers have entered into.
Part of the destiny of the Philippines as the only Christian nation in the Far East is to manifest God's presence to a lost and dying world.
It is not a mere coincidence that we were under the rule of two major colonial powers for centuries! Spain ruled our islands for nearly 400 years, and we were under the United States for more than half a century. Both of these nations left a lasting imprint upon our land and people, but it did not happen by chance! God has a purpose even in the historical events of our nation.
History is actually His Story being lived out in the life of a nation!
One passionate prayer that brought tears to our eyes was the prayer for godly stewardship of our God-given resources.
No longer will we accept the curse of poverty over our islands, for we are a nation rich in natural resources, from the seas, to the mountains, to the mines. Our soil is fertile, our valleys are verdant, our rivers and lakes are teeming with life! There is natural gas, and there are initial findings of oil in several parts of our country.
Yet repeatedly foreigners have greedily used up our resources for their own benefit and gain.
No more, no more, enough is enough, we all cried out to God. Let there be no longer any confusion about the ownership of our land, wealth, and resources!
Corporately we broke the curse of poverty that has held captive our people. In the midst of plenty, our people think and believe they are poor.
We called an end to murder, violence, oppression, and we declared that we will be able to steward our resources in a godly way that we might leave a good inheritance to the next generation.
We decreed that the only blood covenant we recognize is the one we have with Jesus, who shed His precious blood on the cross to redeem us from the grip and stranglehold of the enemy.
Our forefathers had entered into wrong blood covenants, such as the blood compact between Ferdinand Magellan of Spain and a local chieftain Rajah Humabon, and many others.
Historical records show that anyone wishing to join the secret society called the Katipunan formed by Filipinos in hopes of breaking free from Spanish domination had to go through rigid tests specifically designed for the would-be-Katipunero. The final test was the sandugo or "blood compact".
The recruit was asked to make a small cut on his left forearm with a sharp knife. He then signed the Katipunan oath in his own blood. Afterward, the new member chose a symbolic name for himself. For example, Bonifacio was called "Maypag-asa"(Hopeful).
We negated and broke the agreement that our nation unknowingly entered into with the kingdom of darkness through these wrong blood covenants.
We repented of wrong alliances with foreign nations for economic gain, thus giving power to the spirit of mammon to rule over our nation, and causing us to be blinded by greed. We asked God to remove the veil over our eyes, that we will no more worship our own version of golden calves, Baals, and Asherah poles!
Oh, how we cried for God to bring us back to our own homeland, living in exile right within our own land!
How we cried out to God to bring back home the fathers and mothers of our fatherless and motherless youth, working as overseas workers in foreign lands. We recognized that this was possible only when there were already enough jobs for them in this nation.
We prayed for righteousness and integrity that will open up the wealth and riches of our land to us!
We asked God to bring back our sons and daughters back from self-imposed exile, bringing with them the wealth of the nations.
We also asked God to send us out into the world, bringing with us the wealth of our faith, our servant spirit, our compassion, and our creativity!
Oh, how we cried to Jesus our Redeemer to remove the shame and the reproach over our people!
Lord, how we want to clothe ourselves with our true identity, and to represent You and manifest You to the world as our Majestic Lord and Glorious King, with righteous pride!
Lord, we receive a true apostolic calling from You.
Help us dear Father to be stewards of a new heart, and a new spirit, no longer a self will, but a God-will.
Give us prosperity and progress, Your way.
Cleanse us from the contempt of the neighboring nations! Help us to rebuild the ancient ruins and the waste places of our nation!
We declare that dead dreams, dreams that we have lost hope for, will come to life again.
Restore hope, purpose, peace, passion, order, and dignity to our people!
We ask You dear God that Your presence will go with us, and grant us Your power to spoil the enemy, to reclaim what the enemy has stolen.
Help us to be righteous stewards of our divine call.
Help us to live up to our true destiny as a Filipino people!
Ninety Days of Blessing Prayer Guide
14 comments:
Not only the Philippines, but every country in this world, is in dire need of righteous leaders.
Amen, Lidj, Amen! Love ya and may you have a God filled day today!!!
Oh God hear our prayers for the Philippines and for our world. Like David, may you raise up leaders with integrity of heart.
Blessings ~ Lisa
well said
may all the countries of the world cry out...knowing their dependence on His providence
Dear Lidj,
I will also remember the state of Philippines in my prayers. You are right in using the strongest power there is gathering in praying.
God will listen to your prayers. What didn't he say about Sodoma in his time If there are more than three righteous men, I will save the country.
In the Philippines are so many gathered., and I'll add my voice too.
Expecting wonders and good times for your country.
I always pray for God's our people, Israel.
That's part of my upbringing.
I knew I had come to the right place when I saw your "Shalom crystal" with "Pray for Israel."
I'm so glad you are my sister.
From Felisol
Lidj, how awesome and powerful! An amazing proclamation of God's moving in your country!
Your faith is strong, and the weapons of your warfare are certainly not carnal. Yes, indeed, they are mighty through God, and strongholds will be broken in Jesus' name!
May God bless you and many others who have prayed so faithfully for your dear country. You will be rewarded for your faith and diligence.
Thank you for your recent comments regarding my anniversary and the tribute to my husband's uncle. I will read the post to which you referred me, and I know I will be blessed.
I so appreciate your kind thoughts. Your friendship and kinship are very valuable to me. To have a sister so many thousands of miles away encouraging me and praying for me is such a blessing! I am amazed at the goodness of God!
Many blessings to you this weekend. I pray your Sunday be filled with joy and peace in the name of our Lord.
Love,
Andrea
Lidj, I have just read your "Homesick" post. My, how it blessed me. It cut right into my heart!
No, this world is not my home! My dreams, my plans, my needs, wants, desires, problems are all so temporal. And God has been dealing with me about this very issue. That is, not to be so focused on this world.
I love that beautiful thought at the end of your piece, where you said you had heard that our entering heaven will be like going home. I so believe that!
Thank you for referring to the post.
Blessings, again.
Andrea
P.S. My tiny laundry room has louvered doors that you pass through to enter my kitchen. The doors swing open when pushed.
One day, after doing laundry, I walked through the doors, having nothing on my mind but housework, or whatever. After passing through them, it seemed a voice spoke within me and said, "Death will be as easy as passing through those doors. Very quickly you will be in your earthly state, and immediately transformed to a heavenly place."
Dear Lidj,
Thank you for praying for Israel.
God will not forget those who care for His Chosen People.
We pray for peace and righteousness both for Israel, the Philippines and Norway.
May God lead us, and may we be willing to be lead.
Amen.
From Felisol
Lidj this is needed in our country USA too. We have turned out back on his ways and truths like I have never seen before.
Bless you and your country and prayer warriors. Prayer changes things & I know there are many of us here in America praying for not only us but the whole world to turn back to God.
Love in Jesus Christ,
Elsie <><
Beautiful blog. I found you b/c you made a comment on Heart 2 Heart. I hope you will check out both my blogs.
http://arise2write.blogspot.com
http://andrealuvsallgodscreatures.blogspot.com
Lidj,
Thanks for your comment on my blog. I will be adding you to my favorites because I believe you have a calling from God. I felt it when I read your post today. I felt divinely inspired!
I stand with you in prayer for a complete turning back to God in our hearts in both of our countries.
How funny when I got my word verification, it was Joyes! I saw it as joyous!
Love and Hugs ~ Kat
Lidg - I have so appreciated this post. It is both informative and touching. I love to think of Christians all over the world, lifting up their voices in prayer!
Hi, Thank you for the reminder to pray for Israel-your blog is divinely inspired. Dee
dear crown of beauty.. i have been so busy the last couple of days and although i have read your post a couple of times, i have not been able to comment.
now that i am back to driving again, life sure has become busy as it was before i got my pace maker.
i kind of enjoyed taking a few months off to tell you the truth..
busy busy busy!!!
i think that the world day of prayer is a good thing.
i really do think that the christians in every denomination care!
and of the joy to know that they are praying for the peace of israel!
they are god's own chosen people so how thankful we that even though we are gentile dogs we were welcomed to the lord's salvation and to his great feating table, eh crown of beauty?
i always feel so privileged when ever i meet a jewish person...just to think that jesus was a jew!
isn't it something crown of beauty that abraham gave lot the choice as to what land he wanted and lot chose the east and then god tells abraham after lot leaves to look to the north, south, east and the west ...all of it would be given to him!
even the best lands that lot had chosen!
and god will surely keep his promise.!
god bless the philippines and cause that the new president will allow the liberty to worship god!
god bless you crown of beauty.
i will come back tomorrow to read your new post because i do not want to speed read it as it looks so interesting!...love terry
This is inspiring, Lidj. To hear a true note for a nation of the world - really inspiring. I have not known much about the Philippines - but I just learned much through your prayers! :D Thank you!
Post a Comment