NIGHTWATCH FOR EUROPE: week beginning Sunday January 21st 2007
‘Could you not watch with me for one hour?’ (Mtt26: 40)
WELCOME TO THE NIGHT WATCH FOR EUROPE
I write this from Kolding in Denmark where I have been spending a few days with 150 or so people praying for Denmark and Europe. 100 of these are students from Denmark, France, Wales and Africa studying at the Apostolic Bible School together with visitors from Prayerhouse Denmark, a national fellowship of Danish intercessors. Today there was a wonderful roundtable meeting of Christian leaders from all over the nation. The watch this week will include keypoints of prayer for Denmark. Also this weekend is the first of our Nightwatch for Europe prayer and training gatherings, so we will be holding a weekend watch. Expect an opening for praying at a higher level of openness and breakthrough as a result. As I was explaining about the Nightwatch here in Denmark I mentioned that the watch generally follows three particular pathways among others: prophetic leading from the European prophetic movement, new theological insights, and particular needs of nations. This will continue this week and as the year proceeds. But we also need your feedback and guidance. Thank you for those who have responded this week.
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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. We are looking to carry on for another year and ten 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 JANUARY 21st 2007
1. TAKE 15 MINUTES TO RESIST THE DEVIL
If we live our lives in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, in unity with our fellow believers through the cross and practically as far as we are able, we are in a good place to resist the devil away from our lives, towns regions and nations. The land the people and the Lord need us to do this!
Like with Matthew reports:
“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go, Satan! For it is written, 'you shall worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” (Mtt4:10)
Beginning with your own body, soul and spirit, resist the devil and tell him to leave you and then your home, family, town, region, nation and the whole continent. Will he go completely? Not from those spaces and places further from you, but your prayers of resistance will open an increasing sphere of authority for the prayers and lives of believers and men and women of peace to bring in more of the kingdom of God. Every time you feel resistance, lift up the name of Jesus and the power of his cross and resurrection in worship.
2. TAKE 15 MINUTES TO PRAY FOR DENMARK
God has an important part for the smaller nations to play in the work of his kingdom. Denmark is a prosperous country of around 5 million people. Right now there is very significant move of unity among Christian leaders across a wide diversity of backgrounds and manifesting significant signs of the kingdom of God reconciling Catholic and protestant, men and women, old and young. Their concern to see the kingdom of God coming in the community and nation is one of the primary reasons for their togetherness.
Pray that their relationships will be nurtured and protected from world, flesh and devil.
Denmark is a forerunner nation. Pray for prophetic minstrels to arise among their musicians who will bring the cry of the land, pray for Godly radicals to arise among the academics in the universities and for a real servant spirit to be strengthened among the civil servants, educators and health workers.
3. TAKE 15 MINUTES TO PRAY AND REFLECT OVER THE FOLLOWING PROPHETIC WORD FOR THE NEW SEASON FROM SUE MITCHELL:
At times of such major cultural or societal ‘step’ change in Biblical history like ours, the characters that God called for to help make the shift were marked by a 3-fold Nazarite vow. Many have picked up on the Nazarite theme prophetically, but it is important to transition from prophetic sign to lifestyle substance, influencing the way we now are as Christ in the world, rather than something we do or sign outwardly to mark a change coming. As Jesus himself fulfilled the vows of the three Old Testament Nazarites, Samson, Samuel and John, so today, we believe God is calling again for a people ready to live out the fullness of this sacrificial lifestyle.
It is our conviction that during these years there will be evidence of supernatural births. As for Samson, Samuel and John the Baptist, we expect that in calling now for a Nazarite company, God will also release conception to older and/or barren women, particularly those with intercessory or prophetic callings and marriages. We believe that this will also be marked by some children who would in the normal course of today’s society have been aborted, but whose mothers will be arrested by supernatural dreams and unusual interventions from taking this route. Others who have histories of premature births will carry to full term and we should expect that stillbirth figures will drop radically for a season particularly in particularly significant prophetic-type towns and regions.
(The full text of this word is available at www.passion.org.uk)
4. TAKE 15 MINUTES TO PRAY AND REFLECT OVER THE FOLLOWING SURPRISING BUT IMPORTANT THEOLOGICAL INSIGHTS FROM A PROPHETIC WORD FROM PAUL LEADER OF WALES
In this excerpt Paul is discussing the origins of the English word ‘church’ which was used to translate the New Testament Greek word ‘ekklesia’ from the days of the King James Bible onwards. Looking for original roots of the word church in late Greek and Latin, he concludes the following about the word church (with a little editing from me):
“The thought was always of a certain person having ruling jurisdiction, making the church their realm. This is not the New Testament Greek meaning of the ecclesia of God. There has been a lot lately about God wanting his church back. He is not looking for this kind of church, but he is certainly looking for his ecclesia. I believe we are coming to a time when the real ecclesia needs to stand up. This will not be controlled or manipulated by man. This will not be held together by denomination or statements of truth. Jesus will be the one cornerstone. Does this mean anarchy for the church because everyone does as he/she sees fit? No. Gifting, anointing, abilities will be recognised and developed, but these will become releasing gifts not gathering gifts. Gatherings will take place but to equip and release, not to get bigger gatherings next week. The sign of an apostle will not be the size of their church or ministry it will be how the people are equipped for their own service for the kingdom. It is time for the ecclesia of God to go into the world and see the signs that will follow. It is time for the real ecclesia to stand up.”
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP IN THIS WATCH,
