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SPIRITUAL WARFARE: BREAKING YOKES
To see Gods purposes for America fulfilled through sustained
prayer and Spirit-led obedience
FIRST FRIDAY PRAYERJuly 1 - August 5, 2016
We offer this publication 10 times annually (Jan / Feb, Jul /
Aug combined) for a suggested donation of $25 per year.
On the first Friday of the month, we encourage all to fast and
pray for America using the
prayer focuses below.By Cindy Jacobs
TRUTHIf you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And
you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (Jn.
8:31-32). Pray that you and fellow be-lievers in your area would
hear and obey Jesus teaching and thereby know the truth that sets
people free.
July / August 2016
PLATFORMS | ELECTIONSAffirm the sovereignty of God and the
supremacy of Jesus Christ over all U.S. political parties,
candidates, super delegates, and platforms for the July 18-21
Republican nominating conven-tion, and July 25-28 for the
Democratic nominating convention (Col. 1:9-20).
RETURNING VETSPray for an in-crease under-standing of the
traumas of war, the spiritual needs of sol-
diers on the battlefield, the strains upon their families, and
how to alleviate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
LIBERTYNow the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is liberty (2 Cor. 3:17). Pray for an increase of
spir-itual hunger and desire for the Lordship of Christ, and for a
fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers and
in local congregations across America. Pray that God grant
revelation and understanding that obedience to biblical truth is
the basis for personal liberty and national freedom.
By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother;
and it shall come to pass, when you become restless, that you shall
break his yoke from your neck. (Gen. 27:40)
Y okes are heavy loads of spiritual oppression that Satan puts
on peo-ple in order to hold them in bond-age. It is not uncommon
during interces-sory meetings to hear the term breaking a yoke. In
order to get a clear picture of the meaning, you need to know the
nature of yokes in biblical times. They were usually double yokes,
made for a team of two oxen. The stronger ox would take the larger
side with the younger, weaker ox on the opposite side. Thus, as
they worked, the weaker ox had to plow or track with the stronger
ox. This is one reason the passage in Matthew 11:29-30 is so
beautiful for us as believers: Take My yoke upon you and learn from
Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
When we are in the yoke with Christ, the burden is light because
He is pulling the weight and making the way as the stronger one.
Satan has counterfeited this principle to put heavy yokes on people
to oppress them and bring them into bondage to sin, law, oc-cult
oppressions, and wrong relationships.
Samson is a good example of one who had the yoke of Satan upon
his neck. He was a mighty man but became bound by his affair with
Delilah. This yoke brought great spiritual blindness to Samson, and
he could not free himself from her embrace. This happens to
modern-day pastors and lead-ers. The Bible is clear that we are not
to be yoked to unbelievers: Do not be unequal-ly yoked together
with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with
lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? (2 Cor.
6:14).
H ow do we pray for those who have been enslaved by Satans
yokes? There are several effec-tive weapons:
1. Fasting. Isaiah 58:6 says: Is this not the fast that I have
chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy
burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every
yoke? I usually sug-gest a 21-day fasting chain for leaders
in-volved in known sin. People sign up to fast through different
days or meals until the whole time is covered in fasting. Each
per-son needs to understand exactly why he or she is fasting in
order to have proper agree-ment.
2. Binding and loosing. Pray a binding prayer against the power
of sin, legalism,
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Connecting to others
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VICTORY THROUGH PRAYER
I s it possible to be at peace when the world is in crisis? One
man who stood in faith through both World Warsintercessor Rees
Howells demonstrates a life laid on the altar.
This strategy changed how he expe-rienced events. It also
altered the world around Rees Howells, revealing the big-ger role
God was calling him into, despite the extreme nature of current
events at that time. As Howells often said, Mans extremity is Gods
opportunity.
Heaven knows we need similar interces-sors today. Recent
incidents of terrorism have reignited fears about national
securi-ty. Demonstrations-turned-riots in U.S. cit-ies are becoming
more common. And after 11 years of praying in Washington, D.C., I
can only agree with observers who call this years election cycle
unprecedentedwith more surprises likely to come.
Living in Wales during the first half of the 20th century, Rees
Howells faced a rapidly changing world. Technology opened up new
possibilities, nations realigned, the balance of power shifted, and
tensions flared among different nationalities and people groups.
Sound familiar?
One event early in his ministry illustrates how intercession
gave Howells insights that even the most well-informed,
high-ranking leaders did not possess. In May 1915, a German U-boat
torpedoed the Lusitania,
the worlds largest passenger ship at the timean act of war that
killed 1,198 peo-ple and ultimately led to our nations enter-ing
World War I against Germany.
Called by God as missionaries to Af-rica, Rees Howells and his
wife Elizabeth were booked on a ship entering the same dangerous
waters only months after the Lusitania disaster. Some passengers
canceled their voyage, while others were
wife. Now he could stand for the protec-tion of all!
Later in their voyage, their ship captain received reports of
U-boats nearby their vessel and considered turning back. In a
meeting with the fearful captain, Howells assured him they would
have safe pas-sageknowing God was taking them to Africa to serve
Him.
They arrived safely and got to work ad-vancing the Gospel. Over
the course of six years in Africa, the Howells saw more than 10,000
people come to salvation in Christ!
The parallels to our current age can-not be ignored. In a time
of fear and global unrest, God is moving in the earth with revival
and awakening. What the Body of Christ needs in this hour is
selfless intercessors who will prevail in prayer to see Gods divine
will established in the earth.
Rees and Elizabeth Howells knew God secured specific victories
for their pivotal time. Can we not stretch out our faith and
personal sacrifice for victories in our day? I believe we can lay
hold of realities in prayer that make an impact on inter-national
situations.
A s Rees Howells so powerfully stated: People are too easily
satisfied with little time spent with God and much activity to
influence a few, rather than much time spent alone in the Divine
Presence to see the wicked strongholds of evil broken and millions
released from spiritual darkness and bondage.
Matt Lockett is a full-time mis-sionary serving as executive
director of Justice House of Prayer D.C. JHOP DC is hosting The
Howells Project, a prayer intensive this summer. Learn more at
JHOPDC.com.
By Matt Lockett
consumed with fear. The Howells knew God was sending them;
therefore, He would guard their ship. According to Howells
biographer, Richard Maton, Rees assured all who needed it that God
would protect them.
To believe that God would guard their ship from German
submarines, and to publicly declare it to those who were afraid,
was a leap of faith that few have taken, Maton continues. Here was
a man of God who had secured a victory in the heavenly realm for
himself and his
Rees Howells, Elizabeth Howells, and Samuel Howells
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This First Friday Prayer Letter, provided on request, is
published 10 times annually. IFA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry.
All Scripture refer-ences are NKJV unless otherwise noted. Contents
may be reproduced, except for items separately copyrighted; please
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gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose
determined before to be done (vv. 27-28). These verses contain
mystery, and much bibli-cal study is needed to parse out their full
meaning. Do we understand that Gods overall purposes will prevail?
We inter-cede to glorify Him in surrendered agree-ment, not to urge
Him to fulfill our plans.
T hey prayed for boldness to witness, not for personal
protection. grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may
speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that
signs and won-ders may be done through the name of Your holy
Servant Jesus (v. 29). Todays Church must seek the courage to
stand, rather than the comfort of safety.
The rest of Acts 4 reveals Gods immediate response. May we be so
guided today.
T he Churchs first intercessory prayer is recorded in Acts
4:23-31. It arose from initial perse-cution and their response
offers modern believers guidance in shaping an aggres-sive prayer
response in todays freedom-threatening culture. How then should we
intercede? Note their appeal to heaven.
They prayed in unity. they raised their voice to God with one
ac-cord (v. 24). To foster that unity, we can be inclusive in our
communities, joining
with all who will pray for our nation. God is raising up
movements of repentance and intercession across the country, and
IFAs focus is its Get Out The Prayer initiative, through which
Christians of many churches are interceding together in this
election year. (Sign up at GetOutThePrayer.com.)
They cited Scripture pronounc-ing judgment on nations gath-ered
together against the LORD and against His Christ. Read Psalm 2 to
see that Gods judgment awaits all who stand against Christ. We love
v. 8, but do we give v. 9 equal honor? To reject the Son is to
invite His rod of iron. We share Gods love, and we warn of His
wrath.
They prayed in recognition of Gods sovereign purposes, not their
own agenda. For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You
anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the
people of Israel, were
GET OUT THE PRAYER
THEN AND NOW
continued from page 1
By George Taylor, IFA Media Editor
Spiritual Warfare: Breaking Yokes
5. Praise. Praise releases captives from their captivity, as
Psalm 149 relates; it binds their kings with chains and their
nobles with fetters of iron.
6. The Anointing. One of the most powerful weapons in breaking
yokes is the anointing itself. The Holy Spirit will move through us
in intercession and tear apart the yokes of Satan. Isa. 10:27 says
in the King James Version: And it shall come to pass in that day,
that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his
yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of
the anointing.
A sample prayer concerning breaking yokes is:
In the name of Jesus I thank You, Fa-ther, that every yoke that
the enemy has put on [name] is being broken. Satan, you will no
longer cause him to partici-
pate in sin. Lord, I thank You that the blindness is falling off
his/her eyes con-cerning this sin right now and that the glorious
light and truth of Your Word is being revealed to [name].
This article is adapted from Cindy Jacobs book Possessing the
Gates of the Enemy, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Chosen Books,
1994), 98-100.
Minor edits have been made for space considerations.
occult practices, and so on in a persons life. Forbid Satan from
holding him or her in his grasp (see Matt. 18:18).
3. Spiritual Warfare. Command Satan to stop blinding his or her
eyes to the glo-rious light of the Gospel (see 2 Cor. 4:4).
4. Sexual Infidelity. In such cases, pray the tie be broken.
Pray a loosing prayer wherein you command the people involved to be
loosed from the wrong re-lationship. An interesting passage, Ezek.
13:18-23, describes women who hunt for mens souls through
witchcraft. This still happens today; and if that is the case and
the people are thoroughly deceived (as Samson was), fasting and
prayer will be needed to break the yoke from their necks.
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Publication index: BCN=Breaking Christian News; CP=Christian
Post; CPCF=Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation;
FHG=Forbes.House.Gov; WT=The Washington Times
Connecting to God
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FIRST FRIDAYPRAYER
CONFERENCE CALL
MUSLIM CONVERTS GET BAPTIZEDOver 80 Muslim refugees from Iran
and Afghanistan have converted to Christi-anity and been baptized
in Hamburg, Germany. Albert Babajan, the pas-tor who conducted the
mass baptism, said that
the converts were dissatisfied with Islam and were looking for
something more. The motive for the change of faith is the same for
many: they are disappointed with Islam. Shima, one Christian
convert who was recently baptized, shared about her conversion: Ive
been looking all my life for peace and happiness, but in Islam, I
have not found it, she said. To be a Christian means happiness to
me. Another convert, Somaz, said: In Islam, we always lived in
fear. Fear God, fear of sin, fear of punishment. However, Christ is
a God of love. In order to determine who the true converts are,
Babajan says he asks them how Christ has changed their lives. (BCN
5/18)
IN GOD WE [STILL] TRUSTThis year marks the 60th Anniversary of
President Eisenhowers signing the bill on July 30, 1956, making In
God We Trust the official motto of the United States, after a joint
resolution by the 84th Congress. Our national motto has been
referenced by presidents, inscribed on our currency, and is found
in the fourth verse of our National Anthem, The Star-Spangled
Banner. God is acknowledged in our Pledge of Allegiance, and has
been the source of Americas hope and confidence since its
incep-tion. Dependence upon God and the integration of the Divine
Creator into American life even predates our Founding documents.
Even though the courts have consistently and repeatedly upheld the
motto as constitutional and something clearly not in vio-lation of
the First Amendment rights guaranteed to all Americans, there are
still a number of anti-God groups that work relentlessly to
overturn these deci-sions. Continue to give thanks that this
freedom is still upheld. (CPCF 5/26)
FIRST FRIDAY PRAYER CONFERENCE CALLPlease plan on setting these
important 30 minutes aside to join with hundreds across the U.S. in
praying for America, its leaders, and its citizens on Friday, July
1, 2016 and August 5, 2016 from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. (ET) Call:
712-432-0075 Access Code: 1412452#
Issues for Prayer
THE INN CONFERENCE, JUNE 30-JULY 3The Christian Training Center
International (The INN) in Franklin, North Carolina has an-nounced
its summer conference. The theme is An Intercessory Prayer and
Worship Con-ference. IFAs president David Kubal will be a featured
speaker, along with worship lead-ers Bob and Kathy Fitts. For more
details, visit www.lifeisrelationships.com or call
828-524-5741.
NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE, JULY 7-9The National Right to Life
Convention will be held in Herndon, Virginia. This years theme is
Build-ing a Pro-life Future. For more information and to register,
go to www.stoptheabortionagenda.com.
IGNITE AMERICA 2016, AUGUST 4-7Registration is open for the
annual worship, prayer, and renewal conference returning to
Campbellsville U. campus (Kentucky) with the theme, Rediscover-ing
Jesus for the Third Great Awakening. Worship and celebrate with
multi-generational believers and experience transformation through
the power of Jesus. See more at www.IgniteAmericaLife.com.
TARGET STOCK PRICES TUMBLEThe Rev. Franklin Graham says Target
CEO Brian Cornell is in denial over the reason for the com-panys
plunging stock prices, insisting that the conservative boycott
against the retailers trans-gender bathroom policies is playing a
key role. Mr. Graham wrote, Target stock is tumbling after they
announced a pro-transgender restroom pol-icy allowing men to use
womens bathrooms and changing rooms. Stock value has fallen 20
percent and shareholder value has lost $10 billion since they began
promoting this dangerous policy. He then referred to a media
statement made by Cor-nell, who denied suggestions that the
conservative boycott is to blame for Targets financial decline.
Christians should note the power of a spontaneous boycott on moral
grounds. Pray for a reversal by Target. (CP 5/24)
NATIONAL POLITICAL CONVENTIONSWe will not publish The Connecter
again until September, so please pray through the summer for the
two major parties national conventions. Overall prayer is vital,
irrespective of your party affiliation or favorite candidate. The
Republican National Convention will be held in Cleveland, OH July
18-21, while the Democratic National Convention will be held in
Philadelphia, PA July 25-28. Both meetings could be divisive, and
our nation will need healing up to and beyond the November
elections.
BATHROOM PRIVACY GOES TO COURTA coalition of 11 states led by
Texas is serving as the first line of defense against President
Obamas mandate
compelling schools nationwide to permit toilet and locker room
access on the basis of gender identity, not biological sex. The
lawsuit against the Obama administration, filed on May 25,
challenges the directive as unconstitutional executive overreach
and a misinterpretation of federal anti-discrimi-nation law. The
lawsuit says the privacy and safety of children are recklessly put
at risk through the mandate, arguing that the decision of how to
accom-modate transgender students is a matter properly left to the
states. The issue is not going away and will give intercessors an
ongoing focus for prayer in coming months. (WT 5/26)
NAVAL READINESS COMPROMISEDRecently, Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-VA,
representing Virginias 4th district, including Norfolk and
Portsmouth), shared with constituents and other citizens a report
directly from some of our Navy warfightersthe men who command our
ships and our aircraft every dayabout the challenges they face
equipping, resourcing, and training our fleet. The report came from
a tour Rep. Forbes led of a bipartisan group of legislators who met
with Navy ranking personnel and viewed aging naval equipment. The
tour was preliminary to Rep. Forbes leading the subcommittee he
chairs in overall military preparedness, assisting his colleagues
in properly assessing budget recommendations. The tour meetings
disclosed alarming facts, including that fewer than half of the
demand for ships from commanders around the globe can be met
currently. Also, one in two naval aircraft is grounded due to
shortage of parts and maintenance, and only one in four Navy
fighter [planes] is ready for combat. This is part of a larger
prayer focus on the challenge to military readiness in an age of
growing threats and shrinking budgets. (FHG 5/25)
