“Pray without ceasing.” [1 Thess 5:17]

The second horrific attack during this election campaign should make it abundantly clear, if we didn’t know already, that there is a mighty battle going on in the spiritual realms for the future of the UK – what we see ‘on the ground’ is but a reflection of what is happening beyond our natural sight. As the political parties have been campaigning for our votes the cry ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ has been resounding throughout the land – and as that prayer is answered the ‘kingdoms’ that do not acknowledge Jesus as Lord are being dislodged – but they will not leave quietly!

There is a ‘shift in the atmosphere’ taking place over the UK, with many places reporting an openness to the Gospel that has not been experienced for a long time. It is early days, but as we press in with continued prayer and intercession, we will see change coming.

After the Manchester attack the terrorist threat level was raised from ‘severe’ to ‘critical’, then reduced again. As we saw on Saturday night – the ‘severe’ level means that the Police are still at a very high state of readiness to respond swiftly to any incident.

Church – we need to raise the prayer level from ‘severe’ to ‘critical’! Our prayers for the safety and security of our communities and the nation are crucial in the ongoing battle to defeat the enemy’s plans to disrupt, not only this election, but our whole way of life.

As never before in recent history, we need to ‘stand in the gap’ for our families, neighbourhoods, communities, towns and cities – for all of society, but especially for those who would form our new Westminster Parliament and Government, and for all those at Holyrood.

This is the new ‘Battle for Britain’ – the Church responded ‘As One’ during World War II – may we do so with even greater energy and fervour in these days!

Please pray for:
• for the safety, security and protection of every community, especially for places where large numbers gather for sport or social events, and for transport systems;
• our political leaders – that they would have God’s wisdom to know what to say and do in these days, and for the protection of all in public office, their staff and their families;
• the safety and protection of the Police and security services, and of any Army personnel involved, who are on the ‘front line’ and face the prospect of giving their lives to ensure our safety;
• that every single plan of the enemy would be uncovered and foiled before it can be implemented;
• the Church, that we would, like that mighty army, be mobilised to ‘rise up and pray’ as never before until victory is achieved;
• the Muslims in our towns and cities – that they would have dreams, visions and other divine encounters with Jesus, revealing to them just who He is and transforming their lives;
• that, while those planning evil need to be ‘rooted out’, there would be no violent backlash against Muslim communities in general, but instead that we would show them the Father’s love, His grace and his mercy – drawing them to Christ through our words and actions.

Source:  Pray for Scotland

These are important days for God’s plans and purposes for our nation. Pentecost 2017 will be a special celebration. Its roots are from the time the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples on the Jewish feast of Pentecost. In the Jewish calendar, it celebrates the word of God and the Ten Commandments so Pentecost is a celebration of the Word and Spirit. Seventy years on from Smith Wigglesworth’s prophecy about a great outpouring of the Word and Spirit we should approach this time with high expectation. God’s sovereign timing ensures this Pentecost comes at the end of ten days of prayer for Thy Kingdom Come and four days before we have a General Election.

We have said in previous issues of The Pulse that things are changing in the spiritual climate of our nation but there would be contention. We have been savagely attacked with children targeted by terrorists in Manchester and with an unprecedented cyber-attack. We are seeing a rise in broken families, child abuse, addictions and poverty. We are in a time of growing uncertainty. Brexit will cause more uncertainty, around jobs, governance, immigration and the complex impact on our health service, businesses, farming etc. Behind all this we have an economic system that is built on a fragile mound of debt with growing costs for pensions and care.

Terrorists create fear, grief and uncertainty. We live in a society with a fear of man; we frighten ourselves with a continuous diet of violent or distressing films, TV shows and books. We are frightened by other people’s unpredictability– have we upset someone as we drive, by email, by a mistake – and how will they react?

In this uncertainty, as Moses proclaimed, we stand on a rock – and His works are perfect (Deuteronomy: 32.4), David goes further and says God is His rock and His fortress (Psalm 31:2 -3). Psalm 25 adds another dimension “Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land.

The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He makes known to them His covenant.” Psalm 25 12 – 14. The fear of the Lord is mentioned in scripture 365 times – it is an important concept to grasp. It is a fear like that of a child who does not want to let go of Father’s hand, it is the fear of not being aligned with God’s will and purpose, of missing His blessing. It is a deep hunger for God. In these days of uncertainty we are not to have our eyes turned towards the mayhem in the world and the fear of men, we fear the Lord. He is all we need.

Pentecost reminds us of God’s abundance. It also celebrates Shavuot a day of rest when the Jewish people celebrated the bringing in of the grain harvest. Abundance comes from prayer. “God is able to bless you abundantly so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8.

This an historical time for the United Kingdom. God has stirred up a deep desire for more. Across the country we see town after town and city after city where people are being stirred to pray and bring blessing. In May, we met a young Iranian man with the fire of Jesus in his life who has led five hundred people to Christ; we met a pastor who has covenanted with God that he will not have his lunch until he has led two people to Christ .....and he has not gone hungry! We came across the story of a group training in Reading taking Jesus onto the streets who offered to pray with a Nepalese man who cried and cried and eventually gave his life to Jesus. He then showed the suicide note he had in his pocket because he had come into town to throw himself off a building. This is the mercy of God, the love of God bursting out where anyone will be a channel for Him.

We have been taking Alastair and Marie Petrie around England in May on a Healing the Land tour. They travel globally looking at places where revival has come. They believe we have entered a time of shift, Alastair says all the precursors for a move of God are in place. We heal the land by praying for it to be cleansed of previous sin – idolatry, shed blood, immorality, and disunity. We clear the ground. Then we invite Jesus in, we ask him to touch our hearts deeply and fill us with His spirit. We build our own humility, and strengthen unity, we are transparent and open. Finally, we put all our good ideas and capabilities to one side and ask God to intervene. We depend on Jesus. Indeed this is underpinned and sustained by deep hunger for Him.

So this Pentecost is a special Pentecost to pray “Come Holy Spirit” – fill us to overflowing. Four days later we select a Government that will be overseeing a great move of God in our nation. So we pray for this new government to be open to God and for MPs who will speak up for His Kingdom at a time when so many Kingdom principles are under attack.

These next few days we must all be God chasers. Pray for a Government open to God, and for MPs hungry for Jesus. Pray for a Pentecost of abundance and the fire of the spirit to fall on our churches and towns. Lord stir us up; shift us from prayer apathy to prayer passion. Even so come Lord Jesus.