Pray for Greece

Week of  Nov. 26 - Dec. 2, 2012

 

IN THE NEWS:

Greek commerce sector report paints bleak picture - Bradenton Herald

ATHENS, Greece — Employment in the Greek commerce sector shrank by over 12 percent in the past year and there is going to be no improvement in 2013, a report by the sector's main association claims.  

CNN: Greece’s Disappearing Middle Class

… Greece’s disappearing middle class is included among October’s most popular videos, which show how the financial crisis and the austerity measures are turning Greece’s middle class into newly-poor.

The video shows the everyday life of Greeks who used to be well-off, but within two years had their lives ruined. An example is a widow, former nurse, struggling to live on a 200 euro allowance. The reporter also shows the 7-member family trying to get through the daily agony of putting food in their empty refrigerator.  According to recent research, over 900,000 families are facing poverty. In total, 2,341,400 people are living below poverty line.

Malaria makes a comeback in southern Greece - Aljazeera.com 

Forty-years since the last recorded case of malaria in Greece, the disease everyone thought was a thing of the past is back. There have been 28 cases among the Greek population in the southern agricultural land of Laconia in the last year alone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V8IA8e33Xw

After reading all that bad news, I thought of the following scriptures:

Psalms 25: 12-15.
Who is the man that fears the Lord?
Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.
He himself shall dwell in prosperity,
And his descendants shall inherit the earth.
The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him,
And He will show them His covenant.
 My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
For He shall pluck my feet out of the net. 

1.       May the Fear of the Lord come upon Greece and have their feet plucked out of the net.

2.       Their government is so messed up, corruption has been a curse, men are giving up because of a lack of hope and there is a demand for sacrifice from the people. Truly Greece is a government that needs divine intervention. We pray for a healthy humility to come upon the people of Greece.

3.       We ask You Lord, to prepare the people of Greece to receive tough love. As they go through this time of breaking, may they call upon the Lord for help.

4.       Lord, Greece needs Your help. Greece needs a move of God, a revival. When the Gospel was first brought to Greece by the Apostle Paul, the Greeks and Macedonians had an open mind. Paul talked about how that the people of Athens spent their time seeking out new philosophies (Acts 17:21).  Lord, open their minds and hearts once again.

5.       There are many evangelical churches in the country. Lord, show these churches that this is the critical hour for them to reach out to the hurting of Greece.  Since the government can no longer guaranty support in hard times may the churches bring relief, house to house.

6.       We ask for a coming forth of evangelist in Greece. May the Lord stir up a fire and passion for the lost. May they be sent to the lost sheep of Greece.

7.       Let us pray for the release of money into the churches. May Greeks throughout the world see an opportunity to help their countrymen financially. Let the money come from Greek Christians worldwide.

8.       Lord, we ask for You to stop this malaria outbreak.

9.       I have heard of a House-of Prayer in Athens but have not made contact. Let us pray for the protection and the blessing on it. Lord, draw your intercessors there to pray and grow in intimacy.  As the depth of the convent is reveled may they understand the secrets of the Lord and His plans for the Greek people. We pray for an open heaven of revelation as they confront the sins of their nation.

Good News: 

150,000 Bulgarians in Greece for Christmas Holidays

Thousands of vehicles from Bulgaria are expected to flood the Greek roads as our neighbors are visiting Greece to celebrate Christmas. The massive tourism wave is expected on Christmas and New Year’s Day according to the Bulgarian newspaper Telegraph <READ MORE>

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Pray for Croatia

Former General Ante Gotovina (L), 

President Josipovic (center) 

and Former General Mladen Markac (R)

Week of Nov. 19-25. 2012

 IN THE NEWS: In 2011, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia sentenced Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac to 24 years and 18 years for crimes including murder and deportation. Judges ruled both men had been part of a criminal conspiracy to expel Serbs.

TWO Croatian generals cleared of war crimes have received a hero's welcome after flying back to Zagreb.
The decision by a 3-2 majority on Friday in the United Nations court's five-judge appeals chamber is one of the most significant reversals in the court's 18-year history and overturns a verdict that dealt a blow to Croatia's self-image as a victim of atrocities, rather than a perpetrator, during the Balkan wars in the 1990s.
The ruling was hailed in Croatia as vindicating its war of independence but the President of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolic, deemed it ''scandalous''.

The appeal judges also overturned the verdict that Croatia's Operation Storm involved a criminal enterprise to expel ethnic Serbs from Croatia's Krajina region.

1)    Let us pray for peace between Croats and Serbs. This action has stirred up old wounds between the two people groups that have been struggling to live together for centuries.
2)    The good news is that the evangelical Christians on both sides are starting to come into communion. Lord, we ask that in Your house the Christian Croats and Serbs would forgive one another and build relationships.
3)    Croatia is culturally Catholic and Serbia is culturally Orthodox. Let us pray that the hierarchies of each church would reach out to the other.
4)    Let us pray for a generation to rise above this ancestral bitterness and work for co-operation. We come against the hatred and mistrust that Satan has fermented all these years, in the name of Jesus.

Let’s pray for the president of Croatia, President Ivo Josipovic.
In 1980 Ivo Josipović became a member of the League of Communists of Croatia. He played a key role in the democratic transformation of this party…  Josipović entered the 2009–2010 presidential election … and won the second round of voting by over 60%.

5)    First of all we ask that President Josipovic would be dramatically touched by the love of God. Lord, reach him at the point where he will listen to You whether it be a cabinet member, family member or someone else. Direct his heart to look to You, Lord, for wisdom to lead Croatia.
6)    National leaders are influenced by the counsellors and adviser around they. We pray for godly, God chosen men to be placed strategically around President Josipovic.

Let us pray for the city of Zagreb, capitol of Croatia. The main plaza in the city is Ban Jelačić Square, named after a hero that united the city.

7)    Let us first pray for unity among the churches in Zagreb. May the pastors give up their own kingdoms to serve the Lord’s Kingdom.
8)    Zagreb and the surrounding suburbs have a population of over 1 million. Although there are catholic traditions there, very few are born again Christians and very few have seen the love of Jesus. Let us pray for active evangelism to out from the churches into the neighbourhoods, marketplaces and the squares.
9)    Let us pray for street evangelism in the squares, especially Jelacic Square.

Personal View: First of all I was against the UNs Criminal Tribunal in the first place. In war the victor pronounces the verdict on the conquered. Since there was no victor then the criminal accusations and convictions are an internal affair that the soul of each nation has to deal with. (Over time God judges nations)

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Pray for Bulgaria

Week of Nov. 12-18, 2012

I met a man recently here in Dallas who is from Varsa, Bulgaria. He is here studying to earn a degree so he can return and help others like himself to secede in life. This really thrills me because I often pray for Balkan nationals to return to their country of origins to give back to that country. Svitlin is a gypsy and was an orphan. His mother left him at the hospital when he was born. He grew up in an orphanage in Bulgaria. He had every reason not to succeed. He determined to come to America and get an education. He was blessed to find a sponsor. His plans are to return to Bulgaria and work with orphans. After talking with him many times, I am amazed at hearing his heart.

As you can see, this young man has touched me. Many times over the years I have been praying for the “brain drain” of the Balkans; Many success-minded individuals who are discouraged by the lack of opportunity in the Balkans are immigrating.

1)    Although we are mainly praying for Bulgaria, let us pray for these immigrates from the Balkan countries. First of all may they be surrounded by Christians and see the love of Jesus lived out through them. Second, they would decide to let Jesus captivate their hearts. Third, they would get a burden for their home land.
2)    Let us pray for Bulgarian immigrates wherever they are in the world. Lord, bring them to You and then bring them back to Bulgaria.
3)    Let us pray for Svitlin. Lord, protect him here in America and help him all along the way to acquire his skills and credentials. I know Svitlin is a chosen vessel for Bulgaria. Even here in America he is leading others to Jesus.

Bulgarians are responding more and more to the Gospel. People are coming to the evangelical churches and giving their lives to Jesus. It is positive to even see a great percent of parents favoring religious teaching in the public schools.

4)    First of all let us thank the Lord, for many Bulgarians coming to Jesus. Lord, Give them teachers that are anointed to expound upon the uncompromising Word.
5)    Pray that Christians would want to go into teaching. Pray they would stand firm in their faith through their time in the universities.
6)    Let us pray for teachers in the public schools to teach scripture in the religion classes and not church dogma.
7)    Let us pray for the Evangelical churches. Pray that they would continue to be a light upon a hill shining God’s love out to the Bulgarian people.

Isaiah 55:12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

8)    Let us pray for abundant joy in the Bulgarian Christians. A joy that overflows to their families, friends, work place and in the market place. Lord, show them how You desire to walk with them daily wherever they go. May they be known as the people of joy.
9)    Let us pray for the Orthodox church in Bulgaria. If only they would seek the power and freedom Jesus desires for them to walk in.





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Pray for Bosnia Herzegovina

Week of Nov. 5-11, 2012

I just got through watching a video that someone took while walking through the markets of Sarajevo. You can watch it if you want. Here is the link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt7uYuFYboI. It is boring if you are not listening to the Spirit. All the shops’ doors were open with items neatly laid out on tables in front to tempt passersby; every once in awhile you could see elderly women begging. Most of the people’s faces were empty or sad, maybe tired. As I watched I kept thinking, why not a Christian coffee house or at least Christians on the streets passing out tracts, bottles of water or singing and sharing Jesus.

1)    Where ever this marketplace is in Sarajevo, Lord, send someone, send many to tell the good news.
2)    Let us pray for street evangelist to go to the marketplaces of Bosnia.
3)    Lord, we ask for a church in Bosnia Herzegovina that will have a burden for these marketplaces.
4)    Let us pray for finances and provisions for these street evangelist to go to the streets of Bosnia.

5)    Bosnia Herzegovina has about 4 million people and there are less than 1,000 evangelical believers. Oh, Lord we pray for labors. We ask You, Lord, send many.

6)    Let us pray for intercessors that will burn for Bosnia. Lord, help me to be serious in my intentions to pray for this very needy land.

7)    Let us pray for the Christians in B-H. May the Lord hold them in the faith and encourage their hearts. Lord, we ask for Your presence to be in their small gatherings.
8)    Lord, send missionaries into Bosnia Herzegovina. Give them a strategy to plant churches throughout the country. Break their hearts for this unevangelized land. Help them to learn the language.
9)    There are different levels of missionaries; Let us pray for those that will renounce their present life and its comforts to truly go live with the people.
10)    Lord, we pray that finances would be raised for the churches in B-H and the pastors and elders would know how to properly apply these monies toward the kingdom.

Think on this: Hidden Valleys turn Shepherds to Kings. 

Prayer Request: From Nesa and Goca, Belgrade, Serbia
[Concerning a couple in Podgorica, Montenegro, I do not have the liberty to give their names at this time, but let us Pray] They want to start ministry to married couples in Montenegro. In the best hotel in Podgorica, they organize promotion of marriage and family values, and we are the speakers. At this conference will be some of very important people, political leaders, journalist, professors of various university, minister of police, people from UNICEF and probably president of Montenegro, Filip Vujanovic. We will have interviews on several television [stations]. In this country they do not have any martial counseling center.

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