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Sidqi’s family had strong ties to Islamic extremists and hated Christians. He harassed his Christian school friends – but they responded with love. When he beat up a boy and stole his jacket, the boy brought him another jacket the next day, saying ‘You might need this in winter’. These Christians had Sidqi’s attention, and he became friends with the people he had hated. When the father of his friend had an accident, the Christians gathered around to pray for him. Then, when his cousin had an accident, his mother prevented her father from helping someone from that side of the family. Sidqi saw the difference between Christianity and Islam and realised his community had been spreading lies about Christians. He began joining his Christian friends to read the Bible. Then when he prayed to Jesus, ‘Who are you?’ he saw a bright light. A hand touched him. A voice said, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.’
Praise: God for Sidqi’s transition from Islam to Christianity, and for the witness and prayers of his new Christian friends. (Ephesians 1:17,18)
More: htp.org/sidqis-persecution-of-christians-turned-to-love |
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Pastor Said Deeb, in Beirut, had a strange feeling on the day of the explosion. ‘ I felt something bad was going to happen,’ Deeb explained, ‘as if the Holy Spirit was saying, “Go! Go! Go!”’ He was uneasy, sent 34 staff home, and cancelled Bible classes for 200 children. ‘They thought I had lost my mind, but it was the Holy Spirit’s prompting’, he explained. Then the unthinkable happened – 200+ people dead, 7,000 injured, and 300,000 made homeless. ‘I thought this was the end, but the Lord had another plan. Despite the horror of Beirut’s deadly explosion, God is bringing something good from the ashes. I’m seeing people come to Jesus like never before, never! – and a big number of priests coming to deeper faith, priests coming for the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the signs and wonders following. So it’s the time for Lebanon.’
Praise: God for bringing spiritual restitution out of physical devastation. (John 16:13)
More: www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2021/april/something-bad-is-going-to-happen-lebanese-pastor-heeds-voice-of-the-holy-spirit-before-deadly-explosion |
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The number of Religious Studies A Level exam entries has increased 6.1 percent this year. The subject outperformed other A-level subjects as a whole, with a greater increase than most other humanities subjects. This suggests that candidates are recognising the value of RS for higher education entry and graduate employment, and as an essential life skill. Professor Trevor Cooling said, ‘Religious Studies has maintained its popularity over the past two decades at A Level, where students have a greater say in their subject choice, compared with GCSE when RS may not be offered as an examination course. Young people clearly value the importance of extending their knowledge and understanding of religious and non-religious worldviews at A-level and continue to vote with their feet.’ He urges the Government to ensure it is resourced properly and taught by professionally trained teachers.
Pray: for government funding and policy to ensure RS is a key curriculum subject. (2 Timothy 3:16)
More: www.religiouseducationcouncil.org.uk/news/religious-studies-at-a-level-in-2021/ |
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The following is based on declarations by Suzanne Ferrett, a UK-based prophetic leader: ‘Lord, we thank You that mercy triumphs over judgment. We stand in Your grace and speak Your blessing over our nation. We pray, in the Name of Jesus, for the words and thoughts of our leaders across this land to establish Your plans and will for the UK. We pray that in these significant days, the UK will be led at all times by the men and women of Your choosing. May every seat of authority be filled by the person appointed by You for tasks in commerce, industry, politics, police, NHS and all social services. We pray that they will carry, impart, and implement God-given vision. We pray for Your voice to be heard and acted upon in every influential gateway of society.’
Pray: for God’s anointing on all His men, women and children, irrespective of age or ethnicity. May they boldly step out so that salvation, healings and miracles flow as never before. (Luke 4:18)
More: https://passionforthenation.uk/leaders-2/ |
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The pandemic, and lockdown, made Adam Ellison want to help other people. Before coronavirus, he was content with his job in marketing and his own social bubble. But that changed when millions faced hardship due to disruption caused by the pandemic. ‘I’ve become more conscious of everybody else,’ he says. In October, he became a volunteer on Olio, an app that allows people to share edible food waste with others. Every Saturday he goes to Tesco at 7 am to collect unsold produce. He adds the items to the app and people living nearby request them for pickup. The food goes within a day. Olio will soon branch out with ‘Borrow’ – lending items that are only used occasionally. The big question now is whether the broader surge of app-mediated compassion will continue. Mr Ellison said, ‘If everybody did something small but meaningful, we’d live in a much better society. I think Covid’s been a catalyst for that.’
Pray: for this activity to last and grow as people form habits of giving and helping each other. (Philippians 2:4)
More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57981598 |
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David Smith, a security guard at the British Embassy in Berlin, is accused and charged with passing classified documents to a Russian spy. Smith received a bundle of cash in return for providing reports to a Kremlin agent of counter-terrorism tactics in the event of an attack, details invaluable to enemy agents seeking embassy weaknesses in a city where Russian espionage is rife. Smith may have been blackmailed by Putin agents due to his ‘extreme right-wing views’. Germany’s domestic intelligence service said Russian espionage is as active as it was during the Cold War. Questions will be raised about vetting procedures at the British embassy in Berlin, which is seen by Moscow as a prime intelligence target. Smith was hired directly by the embassy – not the Foreign Office in London. This spying case is part of growing attempts by Russian spies to infiltrate Western intelligence operations in recent months.
Pray: for Britain’s national security to be strengthened in the ongoing ‘cold war’. (Deuteronomy 20:4)
More: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9885109/Security-guard-UKs-Berlin-embassy-charged-passing-documents-Russian-agent.html |
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Rev Dr Bernard Randall lost his job for disagreeing with LGBT ideology. As Trent College’s chaplain, his job was to ‘be the particular voice and embodiment of Christian values which are at the heart of Trent’s ethos’. Educate and Celebrate, a pro-LGBT ‘inclusion’ charity, was invited to train school staff. Bernard researched the group and feared the worst but kept an open mind and went to the training. It was as bad as he feared. In line with his school role as ‘the voice of Christian values’, Bernard raised concerns to management. He was ignored. When a pupil asked him to address the issue in chapel he agreed to preach and encouraged students to respect others’ views while ‘not being obliged to accept someone else’s ideology’. And the ‘Christian’ school suspended him for gross misconduct. The Christian Legal Centre is supporting Bernard. His tribunal, due in June, was postponed because the school’s lawyers didn’t comply with court orders.
Pray: for Dr Randall to have peace, and for his lawyers to have heaven’s acumen as they wait for another year before his case is even heard. (Psalm 89:14)
More: https://christianconcern.com/cccases/rev-dr-bernard-randall/ |
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The head of the Metropolitan Police has said ‘no one is above the law’ when asked about sexual assault allegations made against Prince Andrew. Dame Cressida Dick said, ‘I am aware that currently there is a lot of comment in the media. We will of course again review our position – but at the moment there is no investigation.’ Dame Cressida added, ‘It’s been reviewed twice before; we’ve worked closely with the CPS, and we are of course open to working with authorities from overseas. We will give them every assistance if they ask us for anything within the law. As a result of what’s going on, I’ve asked my team to have another look at the material.’
Pray: for damaging gossip to fade, and for truth to emerge. (Leviticus 19:15)
More: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/prince-andrew-virginia-giuffre-epstein-b1901244.html |
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Photos and film of a police officer wearing a hijab on the front line went viral last year. But police constable Ruby Begum used Twitter to insult Jews and mock the 9/11 attacks before joining the Met. Scotland Yard faces questions over how her rants were missed during vetting. She communicated over many months with a woman who fled Europe to live under IS’s so-called caliphate. The Met has now launched an investigation, while Miss Begum has been placed on ‘restricted duties’. She works for the Met’s taskforce dealing with public order and has run a Twitter account since 2012, posting 25,000 messages. Interspersed with commonplace concerns are posts that will dismay Met Police chiefs battling longstanding accusations of institutional racism.
Pray: for a thorough investigation to establish the full circumstances behind the social media posts, and for racism in any form to be removed from our institutions and establishments. (John 7:24)
More: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9872649/Muslim-policewoman-hailed-hero-confronting-anti-lockdown-protesters-tweeted-racist-messages.html |
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Over 50% of Bosnians are Muslim. Muslims visit Christian neighbours at Christmas, and vice versa during Ramadan. It is difficult to differentiate between Muslims and Orthodox Christian women as both wear headscarves. People’s faith is more noticeable during religious months. Pray for a revival of prayer in the local church, and that Christians will come together and lift honest cries to God. May prayer become a unifying factor among local churches. Pray against timidity keeping believers from sharing Jesus with their friends, family, neighbours, and co-workers. Pray that believers will seek opportunities to love and share with Bosnians, Serbs, Croats and others from the Balkans. Ask that every believer will be equipped to make disciples who make disciples, and that they will live by God’s Spirit.
Pray: for God’s power, love, and sound judgement to flow through the Bosnian church. (2 Timothy 1:7)
More: 91ed3519-d649-403c-9830-63f80986a0ec.filesusr.com/ugd/189f0b_8b96c242260a49b79e48f6b54f8b6674.pdf |
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Latvia has declared a state of emergency at its Belarus border, authorising border guards, armed forces and police to use physical force to return migrants to the country from which they came. Latvia, like neighbouring Lithuania, has faced an influx of mostly Iraqi migrants in the past few months from Belarus. Their borders are also the EU’s external border. The state of emergency will run until 10 November and will enable the armed forces and the state police to assist the border guards. Lithuania is also erecting a four-metre metal fence topped with razor wire on its Belarus border, saying it is impossible to protect their borders. Tensions have been strained between Belarus and European nations since a disputed election last year returned President Alexander Lukashenko to power despite mass protests against his regime.
Pray: for the migrants stranded at the Latvia border to receive food aid and any other help needed after long journeys looking for freedom and a new life. (Hosea 2:1)
More: www.france24.com/en/europe/20210810-latvia-declares-state-of-emergency-over-belarus-migrant-influx |
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A UN scientific report states that human activity is changing the climate in unprecedented and sometimes irreversible ways. The landmark study warns of increasingly extreme heatwaves, droughts and flooding, and a key temperature limit being broken in just over a decade. But scientists say a catastrophe can be avoided if the world acts fast. They hope deep cuts in greenhouse gases could stabilise rising temperatures. For political leaders, the report is another in a long line of wake-up calls but, coming so close to November’s COP26 global climate summit, it carries extra weight. UN secretary general António Guterres said, ‘If we combine forces now, we can avert climate catastrophe. But, as the report makes clear, there is no time for delay and no room for excuses. I count on government leaders and all stakeholders to ensure COP26 is a success.’ China and India, two of the worst polluters, have not yet submitted updated climate plans.
Pray: for all politicians to realise how they have defiled the land and commit to making huge cuts in carbon emissions, and then consciously to act on their commitments. (Isaiah 24:5)
More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58130705 |
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19 rockets fired by Hezbollah into northern Israel on 7 August sent local residents into the towns’ shelters. These barrages, the first since the 2006 second Lebanon War, followed similar attacks the previous day. More provocations from Tehran by the new hard-line leader, Ebrahim Raisi, and his proxies increase the likelihood of Israel’s retaliation. The defence minister recently indicated that Israel is ready to counter Iran’s aggression. The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said the situation is ‘very serious’ and urged everyone to cease fire. But on 11 August rockets were fired again from Lebanon into Israel, which increases the threat of major hostilities after fifteen years. Pray for an end to these ongoing games of brinkmanship so that harmony between Israel and Hezbollah holds. May the prospect of full-scale war be a disincentive for either side to push too far.
Pray: for God to bring the regional rivals away from the brink of direct warfare. (Psalm 34:14)
More: www.timesofisrael.com/rocket-alert-sirens-sound-in-golan-heights/ |
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General Min Aung Hlaing, who led Myanmar’s coup, declared himself prime minister and said military rule and a state of emergency will continue until 2023; then the country will hold elections. This contradicts his earlier claims that political freedoms would soon be restored. People protested in Mandalay and the police shot them with no warning. Since February, security forces have killed 1,000 people and arrested 5,000. Covid-19 is rampant. Cemeteries are full and the government is not helping by blocking oxygen shipments. On 8 August fresh protests broke out against military rule, to coincide with the anniversary of 1988 pro-democracy protests. Civilians, including healthcare workers, quit working to protest the military’s overthrow of an elected government. Christians have been giving out food and water to the needy – widows who cannot get out for any kind of food. They mention they’re doing this because they’re followers of Christ. Unfortunately, that is interpreted as insurrection.
Pray: for God to protect the persecuted Myanmar Christians; may their love for each other point many to hope in Jesus during a hopeless time for the country. (Isaiah 5:20)
More: www.mnnonline.org/news/asean-appoints-special-envoy-to-myanmar/ |
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India has ramped up its coronavirus vaccine production and approved Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine for emergency use amid warnings of a third wave. The vaccine, with 85% efficacy, will be introduced through a supply agreement with homegrown vaccine maker Biological E. It is still unclear when the vaccine will be available. Daily case counts have fallen from 400,000, but they still average up to 40,000, and experts have warned that a third wave of infections is inevitable. Johnson & Johnson’s jab is the second foreign vaccine to be granted emergency use authorisation under a new policy not requiring manufacturers to conduct local clinical trials if the vaccine is approved by WHO. In June the Moderna vaccine was given Indian approval, but the company is locked in a legal tussle, and no one has yet been given Immunisation.
Pray: for God to help India bring to an end vaccine hesitancy and shortages, and for the government to accelerate vaccine production and procurement. (Jeremiah 17:14)
More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-55748124 |
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The smoke plume of California’s Dixie Fire (the largest in US history) is so thick, only the red light of the sun can pierce the smoke particles, in a scene that looks like Mars. Over a hundred other large fires are raging elsewhere in the USA. Greece has been fighting the worst blazes in Europe amid blistering temperatures, leaving dozens in hospital. Their firefighting resources are strained, exhausted, and needing help; twenty countries including the UK recently sent reinforcements. Turkey’s blazes have swept through pine forests for two weeks. Fires rage in southern Italy, with Sicily and Sardinia among the regions hardest hit and hundreds evacuated. British Columbia has seen 5,800 sq km of forest burned since spring; 279 wildfires are currently raging. Smoke from Russia’s wildfires has reached the North Pole for the first time; smoke is drifting two thousand miles from Eastern Russia. See
Pray: for good communication between governments, aid agencies and fire services to protect homes and businesses, save lives, and provide food and accommodation to the homeless. (Proverbs 11:14)
More: www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/09/fires-rage-around-the-world-where-are-the-worst-blazes |
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International Justice Mission (IJM) works globally to release captives and those suffering injustice. Their recent successes include the conviction of violent South Asian traffickers who cut off the right hands of anyone trying to escape from their brick kiln. In Bolivia justice was done for three survivors of sexual violence. In Kenya a police officer was convicted of murder after he shot an innocent man and arrested others for the crime on false charges. IJM workers in El Salvador work closely with public justice system officials, supporting responses to crimes committed against women and children. On 3 August IJM’s Anu Canjanathoppil spoke at New Wine United, sharing her remarkable experiences as she works to end slavery. She has led teams globally to bring 10,000+ people out of forced labour. For more information see
Pray: for God to powerfully advance this ministry to bring thousands more out of slavery and into hope for their future, and for His healing of survivors as they begin to live free of fear. (Romans 5:5)
More: mailchi.mp/31716b3fd421/ijm-prayer-update-pray-for-6-children-now-free-665600 |
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In 2018 the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) bombed Golden Lampstand Church, completely destroying the building. Later workers transported the broken bricks from the scene. Now the government has initiated another round of arrests of church leaders, escalating its persecution against Christians who decide to ‘hold fast’ to the faith and refuse to compromise the gospel of Jesus Christ – despite facing another round of persecution. On 7 August police arrested nine leaders from the church, including Pastor Wang Xiaoguang, formerly imprisoned for three years, and his wife, Preacher Yang Rongli, previously imprisoned for seven years. Officials also summoned Chinese leaders from other churches for questioning. CCP authorities continue to persecute this house church with an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 members.
Pray: for God to continually comfort and heal the persecuted Chinese Christians. (2 Corinthians 4.9)
More: www.chinaaid.org/2021/08/police-arrest-nine-leaders-from-golden.html |
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Prayer Alert is produced in partnership with
The World Prayer Centre, PO Box 17971, Birmingham, B2 2NY, United Kingdom.
The views expressed in Prayer Alert and on our website are those of the authors, organisations and websites named, and are not necessarily those of the Prayer Alert Editorial Team, the Prayer Alert Steering Group or the World Prayer Centre or any of its employees or trustees. While we try to ensure that the information we provide is correct, mistakes do occur and we cannot guarantee the accuracy of our material. If you do notice any mistakes then please let us know.
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