Over the next two years heads of state will be informally discussing and formally negotiating Brexit now that Article 50 has been triggered. ‘The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits.’ (Pr. 16:1-2) May the EU heads of state be guarded and led by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. May all discussions be in His perfect will. Pray particularly for Theresa May to be blessed and anointed by God. May His face shine upon her continually, may He be gracious to her and uphold her in His mighty hands, giving her peace and confidence in the coming months and years.

Donald Tusk once warned, ‘UK leaving could cause destruction of not only the EU but Western political civilisation in its entirety’. He now has to keep Europe's leaders united in negotiations. He will also prepare the draft letter to the 27 states that will be the negotiating guidelines and response to Britain’s Article 50 letter. Others involved: Michel Barnier goes head-to-head with David Davis in tough negotiations. Sabine Weyand, his deputy and a formidable veteran at representing the Commission’s best interests, will not give much ground in trade talks. Didier Seeuws will head negotiating, keeping 27 governments happy and shaping EU / UK future relationships: he is modest and obliging, grasping complex technical issues and political stakes. David Davis, UK Brexit Secretary and a champion of civil liberties, helped to negotiate the Brussels agreements which he is now charged with unpicking. Oliver Robbins is a popular senior EU adviser who may put free movement of people at the heart of negotiations. Tim Barrow, UK ambassador to the EU, knows Brussels corridors and people.

What kind of veil lies over Germany that keeps most people from a living relationship with Jesus? The gospel is veiled where ‘the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ’. (2 Cor. 4:4) They don’t believe in a Creator or Redeemer - or they think everything will be fine because they belong to a church. They believe in the hollow and deceptive ‘spirit of the age’, which depends on human tradition and the principles of this world rather than on Christ. Please pray according to a German hymn, ‘O come, Spirit of truth, come and dwell in us; spread light and revelation, banish falsehood and pretence.’ Pray for many people to have supernatural encounters with Jesus and so turn to him. (Acts 9:3-5)

Last week UNHRC issued five resolutions against Israel, including accusations against its activities in the Golan Heights. The British ambassador to the UN said, ‘Israel has a population of eight million, in a world of seven billion. Yet since its foundation UNHRC has adopted 135 country-specific resolutions; 68 of them have been against Israel. Justice is blind and impartial. The selective focus on Israel is neither. So today we put the Human Rights Council on notice. If things do not change, in future we will adopt a policy of voting against all resolutions concerning Israel’s conduct in the occupied Syrian and Palestinian territories.’ He added, ‘Peace is built through trust and goodwill on all sides. Human rights violations break down that trust. By continuing an unacceptable pattern of bias, the Council discredits its voice and hardens positions on both sides.’

Exploring Mosul, RT news reporters have gathered more evidence in support of the Amnesty International report which accuses the US-led coalition and Iraqi government of indiscriminately bombing civilian homes along with IS targets. The debris of destroyed houses, schools and hospitals has turned the city into an urban graveyard. On Tuesday, with explosions and gunfire heard in the distance, RT's crew saw coalition jets heading to and from Mosul every 5–10 minutes. They heard chilling stories of how IS terrorists use civilians as human shields during airstrikes. The Iraqi government isn’t organising humanitarian corridors for civilians to leave Mosul, they’re urging them to stay inside. The perceived safety of their homes becomes their graves as bombs continue to rain down (although less intensively since a severe loss of civilian life which is being investigated).

Egyptian Christians, as security worsens, are fleeing the increasingly lawless Sinai Peninsula, some with just the clothes on their backs, after several killings and explicit calls by IS to target them. The displacement has reached a scale rarely seen outside natural disasters. Pray for God’s comfort and strength for all experiencing continued death threats, and for those who have fled from their homes and communities. Ex-president Hosni Mubarak was freed last week after six years in custody. His release comes amid an economic crisis after years of political tumult and worsening security. Egyptians complain of empty pockets and rumbling bellies as inflation exceeds 30% and the government tightens its belt in return for loans from the International Monetary Fund. A politician said that the economic crisis and high prices, plus the fear of terrorism, take priority over everything, including politics. See

On 8 March celebrations began for the centenary of the Russian revolution; they will continue for one year. Revolution brought education to those at the bottom of the social pile, while destroying the middle class. Conflicting rich v poor views continue today. Last Sunday Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption and opposition activist, called on his supporters to protest, and accused prime minister Dmitry Medvedev of personal enrichment through embezzlement. The biggest rally of 8,000 people in Moscow was unsanctioned, and 600 were detained. 3,000 demonstrated in St Petersburg (131 detained), 500 in Vladivostok (25 detained), 1,500 in Novosibirsk, and others elsewhere. Many believe that Russia and democracy are incompatible, and that 2017 will reunite Russians to a legacy of revolutions that continues to divide. See http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/russian-revolutions-1917-centenary-celebrations-2017-vladimir-putin-bolsheviks-lenin-stalin-trotsky-a7605791.html

In a referendum on 16 April, Turks will vote yes or no to constitutional amendments to shift Turkey from a system where executive powers lie with the prime minister and are checked by parliament to one giving unprecedented powers to the president. Many fear this will lead to one-person rule, with power to suspend parliament and appoint all ministers and high-ranking officials. Turkish Christians are concerned about rising nationalism, and also the random arrests since last summer’s coup attempt. American pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been in detention since October, still has no clear outline of the charges against him, although the prime minister has promised to speed up his court case. He and his family have been in Turkey for over twenty years, leading a church in Izmir. See:

Last week veteran newspaper journalist Miroslava Breach was shot eight times in front of her youngest son, in the Sierra Tarahumara region. She is the second journalist murdered in a week, and the third this month. The region is rich in precious minerals and old growth forests. It also has ample and hard-to-reach fertile land, ideal for growing illicit crops. Cartel-linked paramilitaries have for years carried out terrifying displacement campaigns against the indigenous Tarahumara residents. In January, gunmen killed the area’s most high-profile indigenous land rights defender, Goldman Prize-winner Isidro Baldenegro. One of Breach’s last reports was about the discovery of mass grave sites that were probably were used to hide the bodies of kidnapping victims and disappeared persons. Without her reporting, the region might become another journalism no-go ‘silence zone’ in Mexico’s media landscape.

Australia is dealing with the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie, which caused widespread wind damage. It is now a low-pressure system, dumping hundreds of millimetres of rain and moving slowly down the eastern coast. Queensland was expecting the worst wild weather last night. Brisbane received twice the average monthly rainfall in 24 hours. The deluge will continue to the weekend. People are preparing sandbags for protection against further flood damage. 52,000 are without power, and rivers are rising significantly. In 2013 a research facility reported increased intensity in tropical cyclones near Australia as a result of climate change. See: