NIGHTWATCH FOR EUROPE week beginning Sunday 16th September 2007
‘Could you not watch with me for one hour?’ (Mtt26: 40)
WELCOME TO THE NIGHT WATCH FOR EUROPE
The Trier worship and prayer initiative is coming to its conclusion as these watch guidelines are being sent out. Some of you will have received the daily updates from Rusty Richards. Today’s update included the following “So thank you to the NIGHTWATCH team … Please know that your prayers are having an effect.” So a BIG ‘thank-you’ to all watchers. I have personally had the opportunity to sense the shift taking place as we have prayed. This last ten days has been an important time in my academic research, and it ‘so happens’ that my current work is on the impact of empire on the early formation of the church up to and including the time of Constantine. I sensed the spiritual warfare in my studies of course and have experienced some real breakthrough, thank God. This week we will consolidate our prayers in resistance to the past and present powers of empire in Europe. The European Union of prayer has also been meeting this week in Lisbon (remember we prayed towards this in August) so we will pray for their future developments too. We will also take up the current situation in Turkey and finally pray for direction for the prayers of this Nightwatch in the coming new season for forerunners. If you know of anyone who would also like to receive this night watch prayer bulletin each week, they can subscribe by going to www.passion.org.uk/announcemail and submitting their details on the web form. Alternatively they can email us at admin@passion.org.uk
IF YOU ARE A REGULAR YOU CAN SKIP THE NEXT 2 PARAGRAPHS
If you are receiving this material unexpectedly it is because someone has suggested that you may be interested to join in. If you do not want to keep receiving it please inform us immediately and we will stop sending it to you. We want to let those of you who are newcomers know that we are very pleased to have your partnership in this watch. We are simply asking for a commitment of an hour a week some time between 9pm and 6am whatever time zone you are in.
We will send you a brief outline for prayer each week according to the prophetic direction coming from the contemporary prophetic movement in Europe. You will not always agree with everything in the watch material. Go with what you can and trust the Lord to help you with the rest. This Nightwatch began in November 2003 and we are looking to carry on for another year and two months, while realising that some can’t commit right now for as long as that, we are pleased for you to enlist for as long as you can. If you have to miss an occasional watch it’s OK as the rest of us will carry it. A six-month commitment is probably a good start.
THE CONTENT OF THE WATCH FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING SUNDAY 16th SEPTEMBER 2007
Once again this week we will pray into the prayer and worship initiative in Trier that is taking place from September 5th- 13th.
This initiative has been put together by Rusty and Janet Richards of PrayBig. Rusty’s details are available from rustyjanet@earthlink.net
1. A FEW MORE PRAYERS TO SHIFT EMPIRE SPIRITS! (30 minutes)
Last week we prayed over the legend of Trier’s founder, Trebeta, on the run from Queen Semiramis, otherwise known as Shinar, or Babylon. In the Biblical account of the enthroning of Shinar two female spirits empowered her, as there are only two other feminine spirits in scripture, Jezebel and the Queen of heaven these are likely to be the ones! (Zechariah 5:5-11)
a) Let’s repent again for all desire to rule over or dominate others in our own hearts, church expressions, towns, cities, nations and continent and pray for this Nightwatch and all the church of God to be an intercessory stronghold against empire together with all sons and daughters of peace across Europe (10 minutes)
b) Simply put, Jezebel represents the political power of empire and the use of the following to consolidate it: idolatry, sexual immorality, false prophecy, opposition to true prophesy, control, disinheritance and murder. Repent of, repudiate, resist and cast down all these things and resist Jezebel away from the European church and continent. (10 minutes)
c) The Queen of heaven represents the spiritual power of empire and the use of the following to consolidate it: worship for the purposes of securing food, finance, security and success in family, business and politics. (See Jeremiah 7:18; 44:13-25) This is very subtle, for the Lord has promised to care for us, but this is not the reason we worship him. Repent of all religious attempts to manipulate God for personal or national blessing, whether the appeal to a false Mary for help or a false view of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and ask for mercy on a church often giving place to this power of empire and resist the queen of heaven away the European Church and continent. (10 minutes)
3. PRAY FOR THE ONGOING WORK OF THE EUROPEAN UNION OF PRAYER (10 MINUTES)
a) The European Union of Prayer prays continually over the key issues that arise in and around the affairs of the European Union. They have just held an important conference in Lisbon, finishing on September 15th. Pray for Ortwin Schweitzer Ortwin.Schweitzer@t-online.de as he facilitates the ongoing work of mobilising prayer from all over the EU for the future of the union and its member nations. (5 minutes)
b) Continue to pray for wisdom for all intercessory leaders involved in this initiative that they will have understanding and boldness about how to pray for the way ahead for the EU. Pray for their protection, for open doors, for revelation and courage. (5 minutes)
3. PRAY OVER THE FUTURE OF TURKEY AS A PART EUROPEAN NATION BRIDGING EUROPE AND ASIA (10 minutes)
a) Turkey is politically a secular state, although the vast majority is Muslim. The recent election of a new president who has been part of the Islam based political party of the current prime minister has caused a political stir, fears of a shift to a religious state or a take over by the army to avoid it. Pray for a fair and just political system where peace and justice for all prevails including the body of Christ there. (5 minutes)
b) The question of Turkey’s eventual entry into the EU has been a controversial one both inside and outside the country. Turkish feelings toward the EU dropped to 26 on a 100-degree “thermometer'' scale from 45 a year ago and 52 in 2004. Turkish support for joining the European Union is plunging and barely a quarter of the population expects the nation to become a member, a survey showed. Only 40 percent of Turks think EU membership would be a “good thing,'' down from 54 percent last year and 73 percent in 2004, European support for Turkey joining the EU stayed at 21 percent. This watch has tended to pray that Turkey will enter. Pray for God’s will for Turkey and let us have your feedback. (5 minutes)
4) PRAY FOR DIRECTION FOR THE PRAYERS OF THIS NIGHTWATCH IN THE COMING NEW SEASON (10 minutes)
Last week we finished by praying into a prophetic perspective on the thirty year period from 1990 to 2020. This suggested that the period from 2004-2008 would be a period of repositioning the church into the world, and that the period from 2008-2012 would be a period of God’s intervention through the church into the world.
It is obviously imperative that as far as possible we are all repositioned for this. We noted that these periods were indicated as being from September to September coinciding with Rosh Hashanah, the new year in the Hebrew calendar which begins right now, as I write this Wednesday evening of September 12. We commented that this places us right on the shift from re-positioning to the intervention of God through the church for the world. That is, if we are forerunners, making a way for our brothers and sisters to follow on cue. This may explain any confusion of the dates for you! The rest have one more year, our job is to live and intercede in preparation. Pray for intercessors, prophetic forerunners and all of this watch, that we might make a way for the church in our towns, regions, nations and continent. Pray for direction for this watch as we humbly attempt to make a way in prayer for others to follow.
