INTRODUCTION
This week, we continue to press in during WEEK ELEVEN of the 40 Weeks of Prayer and Fasting, to offer prayers of repentance for the sin in the church, the sin in the nation, and the blessing of Israel.
We now address these areas: REPENTANCE FOR SIN IN THE CHURCH: The Cry For Reconciliation TO THE BLACK CHURCH: Not only did I, as a son of God, surrender my restricted identity as an Italian, but I found my true identity in Christ. As a member of the black race, you have been on a quest to find your true identity as well. As you sought to regain what the white man took, your identity has subtly changed from being a colored person to a Negro, then a black and now an AfricanAmerican. Now that you have found it, Jesus says you must lose it again to Him. As Christians, we have new "roots:" our life is planted in Christ. Together, we all are "firmly rooted and now being built up in [Christl' (Col 2:7). Additionally, as a new creation, myoid nature lost all its rights. The one right I retain is the right to become a son of God. As it is written, ''But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." (John 1:12) From now on, you must not let self-pity or any excuse, however legitimate, trap you in a fleshly reaction to racism. You must not absorb rejection into your soul, no matter what another man does to you. God has sent you to bring Jesus into the church and the city; this present trouble is your opportunity to do so. It is vital for you, the black church, to forgive the whites for their ignorance and rejection. You must learn to love like Christ, forgive like Christ, see mankind like Christ. Simply to survive, you must see society around you through Christ's redemptive purpose. Therefore, we are going to deal with any bitterness you may have toward the white church. You may have done this a hundred times already, and you may have to do it many times again, but we must disarm this principality of racism. By forgiving, you are going to take the weapon out of Satan's hand and release grace to your white brethren in Christ. The promise of the Holy Spirit is this: even as Satan has sought to destroy the black man, so God in this hour is seeking to manifest Himself in glory through the black race, and especially through the young black man. For where sin abounds, the grace of God abounds all the more. The Lord has promised a generation of blacks who shall persevere in Christ until they are walking blamelessly. They shall be examples of Jesus, armed with His truth and anointed to bring healing to their generation. · Heavenly Father, I thank You for the River of Life that brings healing. Thank You, Lord, for making me a new creation and for the blood of Christ which delivers me from every curse of death. (Source: Francis Frangipane, "RACISM AND THE SPIRIT OF DEATH," taken from his series THE SPIRIT OF GOD'S KINGDOM: "Preparing Hearts For The Lord Jesus Christ," Vol. 5, No. 3, June 1991. Published by Francis Frangipane, Box 10102. Cedar Rapids. lA, 52410) · [Additional prayer from CHPP] · "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)
1. SIN IN THE CHURCH: RACISM AMONG BLACKS
2. SIN IN THE NATION: A CALL TO PRAYER
3. THE BLESSING OF ISRAEL: PRAYERS FOR THE MEDIA
SIN IN THE CHURCH: RACISM (Part Four)
RACISM AMONG BLACKS
(Ezekiel 8:3-5)
Part Two: Repentance on Behalf of "The Black Church"
People often ask me what my ethnic background is. I tell them, "I used to be Italian." We laugh, but I am very serious. While myoid nature is, of course, still Italian, in my spirit I am a new creature in God, a living member of His new creation.
In Jesus Christ, God brought forth a second genesis. The Father's purpose was to complete His original mandate, which was to make man in the image of God. When you were born-again, you too entered that new creation. You have a new Father, a new nature, a new heart and a new spirit. As I "used to be" Italian, so you also are no longer limited by the confinements of your natural heritage.
This means we do not have a right to be bitter, unforgiving or unbelieving. Our "one right" is this: that in every dimension of life, whether pleasant or unpleasant, just or unjust, we have a right to expect that God will use all things to transform us into the likeness of Christ. It is our right, as we go through life's adversities, to emerge with greater love and stronger faith. When we are tempted, it is our heritage as sons and daughters of God that we will become more pure, not impure.
Even though I still look Italian, my spirit is filled with Jesus and I am a new creation. Likewise, because your skin is still black, you can reach with understanding to those who have been hurt by racism. Yet, because you have Christ, you can bring God's Answer to the wound of their soul.
And you must see that your real enemy is spiritual, not natural. Col 2:13-15 tells us that Jesus disarmed the principalities and powers by forgiving us all our transgressions. He disarmed them by forgiving us. These spiritual rulers of darkness are your enemies. Even as Christ disarmed them through forgiveness, so also shall the enemies' weapons be rendered powerless as you repeat Christ's prayer: ''Father, forgive them."
This is your right, your inheritance in Christ.
While civil rights shall still be a focus of prayer, the most compelling issue of your life will be the divine right you have to become a son of God who reveals the character and power of the Lord Jesus.
Now Father, I forgive the sins of the whiteswhere they have hurt me, tried to oppress me or were racist. I submit to the love of Christ. I submit to Your plan for Your church and this city. In Jesus' Name I disarm and take out of the hand of the enemy these weapons that could be used against the body of Christ. I forgive my white brethren. For Jesus' sake, amen.
"Father, we ask You to forgive those in the black community who are using racism to divide us and to bring hatred to our land. We ask You to forgive: Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr.; Malcolm X; Louis Farrakan; the Nation of Islam; and the Black Panthers, specifically, and we ask that You would move in their hearts to bring grace to each one, and deliverance from the bands of anger, revenge, and hatred in which they are ensnared. May we all, instead, walk as Christ walked, when He was with us upon the earth. In Your Name we pray, amen!
SIN IN THE NATION: A CALL TO PRAYER
REPENTANCE FOR THE SINS OF THE NATION:
A CALL TO PRAYER AGAINST RACISM
Below is a call to prayer from Dr. Alemu Beeftu, President and Founder of Gospel of Glory an international ministry which trains and equips emerging Christian leaders. Dr. Beeftu also serves on Dutch Sheets' Apostolic Counsel.
This Call to Prayer was sent to us by the National Governmental Prayer Alliance, and we stand in alignment with this call.
Please consider setting aside THURSDAY, APRIL 10, as a time of prayer and of fasting to repent for our national sin of racism, and to seek the LORD for healing of these wounds.
The Civil Rights Act of 1960 was a United States Federal Law that established federal inspection of local voter registration polls and introduced penalties for anyone who obstructed someone's attempt to register to vote or actually vote.
The Senate's debate over the passage of this bill actually started on February 29, 1960. However, a group of 18 Southern Democrats divided into three teams of six in order to be able to create a continuous filibuster wherein each member would only have to speak for four hours every three days. This system resulted in the longest filibuster in history, lasting over 43 hours from February 29 to March 2. On the morning of March 2nd, only a fifteen-minute break was allowed before the Senate sat for another 82 hours. By the time the 24- hour sessions were called off by majority leader Lyndon Johnson the Senate had sat for 125 hours and 31 minutes, minus a fifteen- minute break.
The result: April 10, 1960 - the US Senate passes the Civil Rights Bill.
The act was signed into law by President Dwight Eisenhower on May 6, 1960.
If we want to go forward and enter into the new, we have to get rid of the past. This is the season. If the church really wants to enter into the plan and the purpose of God, we need to deal with the issue of race. Not only race, but racism. Racism has nothing to do with color. It is the attitude of heart! It is not the issue of black; it is not the issue of white; it is an issue of heart.
In order to deal with this issue of the heart as a church, as sons and daughters of the most High God, and as a nation, we need to provide strong, moral, and courageous leadership for a situation that cannot continue to be evaded. As men and woman in the forefront of our local congregations and representatives of the government of the Kingdom, we must acknowledge that the issue of racism is not a fleeting or evanescent domestic issue that can be kicked about by reactionary guardians of the status quo; it is rather an eternal moral issue which may well determine the destiny of our nation. The hour is late. The clock of destiny is ticking out. We must act now, before it is too late.
Call to Prayer - 04/10/08
"The Lord said, What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground." (Genesis 4:10)
This is a call to action! A call to mobilize prayer teams across this nation on April 10, 2008.
***Here at Gospel of Glory (headquartered in Colorado Springs) we will be opening our offices for 24-hour prayer and worship beginning at 12:01AM on 4/10/08. For those who are in the area, all are welcome to come and join us as we pray and intercede according to the mandate we have been given from God to "reconstruct nations." For more information, please contact us at 719-487-7644 or visit our website at www.goglory.org. We invite you to join us in prayer from wherever you are on 4/10/08, but please sign in on our website so that we know all who are mobilized together in prayer across the nation on that day.
Dr. Alemu Beeftu
President and Founder
Gospel of Glory
THE BLESSING OF ISRAEL: THE MEDIA
THE BLESSING OF ISRAEL:
PRAYER FOR THE MEDIA
(TRUTH TO BE RELEASED)
UN Secretary General Ban, speaking to an Islamic gathering joined the chorus of the "blamers of Israel" - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Israel on Thursday, March 13, to halt attacks using "disproportionate and excessive force" against Palestinians. He did not mention the rockets falling on Israel or the murderous attack on children studying the Bible that killed 8 last week in Jerusalem.
Israel itself is being criminally negligent in presenting the truth of the fight we are in to the world. Our ability and skill in reaching the world with the truth of what is happening here is in the minus.
We need to realize that the media is a weapon of war and in the battle we are in it can be more decisive than a tank or a plane.
We know too that the media (the airwaves and print) has come under the control and influence of the evil one.
" . . . in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience . . ." (Eph. 2::2)
"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." (Rev. 16:13-14)
God Himself is the Spirit of Truth and at war with the lying spirits of the evil one.
Dear Lord, we are at war with an enemy who is animated by the spirit of Islam, a spirit at war with you. They are being assisted by those under the influence of the evil one who are influential in molding public opinion against Israel's right to defend itself. We are being demonized and demoralized by this unending attack. Abba would you please intervene - even in part.
Raise up journalists who have the courage and anointing to speak the truth.
Overrule editors who have an anti Israel agenda.
May Your Spirit fight against this flood of lies we are drowning in.
"So shall they fear The name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him." (Isa. 59:19)
(Source: Intercessors for Israel)
A Closing Thought . . .
Giving Honor to Whom Honor is Due
This week we wish to thank the thousands of wonderful, African-American pastors and leaders who have worked diligently, on their part, to help bring healing to those who have been ensnared by the vicious cords of racism. There are too many to name here by name, but we thank GOD for each and every one!
We also wish to thank the thousands of "Africans who live in America" -- men and women who have come here from the nations of Africa, in our generation, and who have, themselves, offered prayers of repentance. They have cried out to the LORD that their own ancestors, who sold their people into slavery on their own continent, be forgiven, and that a new day of spiritual freedom be released for their people in America today.
· Thank You, Lord, for those who have laid a foundation of righteousness in our land. Please help us to continue to walk in truth, love, honor and integrity, and to continually love our neighbors, as ourselves, in Jesus' Name, amen.
· "Render to all what is due them . . . honor to whom honor." (Romans 13:7)
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