PRAYER POINTS FOR THE 24/7 PRAYER CHAIN FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST AND NIGERIA, AUG 9 - 15, 2020

(A) PRAISE, WORSHIP & GIVE THANKS TO GOD
(B)  CONFESS ALL SINS(talk) & REPENT (Act; change; obey)

You can pray each prayer below for yourself, family, the Church...especially Kaduna etc, and Nigeria

Psalm 21.1,5,13 “The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in Thy salvation how greatly shall herejoice!.... Be Thou exalted, LORD, in Thine own strength: so will we sing and praiseThy power”

1. We simply have no strength against the adversaries arrayed against us. Please fight for us
2. Please be our strength, that NOTHING can push us down just as nothing can push You down
3. By Your own strength, work such mighty deliverance for Your children that You will be exalted by ALL in Nigeria and beyond

Psalm 21:2  “Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not with withheld the request of his lips....He asked life ofThee, and Thou gavest it him, even length of days forever.... For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall notbe moved”

1. Lord, we trust in You. Revive, renew and reinforce our trust in You. Help our unbelief
2. Amidst COVID-19, rampaging herdsmen, killer Jihadists etc, we ask life of Thee, Lord
3. Save innocent children, save pregnant and nursing mothers, deliver and save unarmed Christians in Southern Kaduna, the North East and elsewhere.Please grant length of days; let Your children not be moved again; and let those in IDPs be restored to their homes

Psa 21:8-10  “Thine hand shall find out all Thine enemies: Thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. Thou shaltmake them as a fiery oven in the time of Thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them. Their fruitshalt Thou destroy from the earth...”

1. Concerning all killers who hate you & will not repent and relent, let Your hand find them out
2. Please swallow up those who insist on swallowing up Your children and the Church; plus their fruit i.e. anything and anyone that can replace themto unleash terror on Your children

Psa 21:11-12  “For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able toperform. Therefore shalt Thou make them turn their back, when Thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face ofthem”

1. Render Your enemies unable henceforth to perform their evil schemes or kill Your children
   Cause the adversaries of Your children in Nigeria and mercenaries from outside to turn back

Psa 21:3,6  “For Thou meet him with the blessings of goodness: Thou settest a crown of pure gold on hishead.... Thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance”

1. Please pour out Your goodness Lord, crown Your children in ALL areas where evil men have been systematically uprooting Your children, that men mayknow that You alone are God
2. As Nigeria approaches the 60th anniversary of Independence, please uplift and crown Your children in all sectors that adversaries have oppressedYour children, that ALL in and outside Nigeria may know that You alone are God. Lord, cause us and the nation to Arise and shine.

Pray any other prayers as the Holy Spirit leads and as you see need. Thank God for answered prayers. Rejoice and praise the Lord in faith formighty deliverance in this season.

REGISTER & INVITE OTHERS: Be part of this 24x7 prayer chain. Please choose your day and time in the week topray for 30 mins; then register at http://repent.csmnigeria.org/ You will receive prayer points regularly and tohelp us track coverage of each day and week. Share and invite others too, please. Thank you.

25th July, 2020

To: The President
Thro: The General Secretary
Christian Association of Nigeria
National Christian Center
Abuja

Dear Sirs,

LAY FAITHFUL TRUST FUND

NCEF wishes to notify the leadership of CAN that in view of the moribund CAN Trust Fund, National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) has called on Christian Social Movement of Nigeria (CSMN) to establish a Lay Faithful Trust Fund.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PAPER:

1. The Negro race has had to endure the indignity of organized slavery from the 15th until the 17th Century when the Europeans sanctioned it. Even after it ended, the Arabs kept at it. The attitude and arrogance of slave traders is behind much of the acts of inconsideration and disrespect of the Fulanis in the 21st Century. During the period of Amalgamation, Lugard was the “man on the spot” for the British Crown. After Independence in 1960, the Fulanis became the “man on the spot” representing British interest with the arrogance of a slave master.

‘The incessant killing is more dangerous than coronavirus’, said a community leader in central Nigeria recently. His reaction is one of several testimonies - frequently harrowing to read, let alone to have experienced - which feature in an Inquiry into the scale of death and destruction caused by conflict occurring along the Christian-Muslim fault line running across the ‘Middle Belt’ of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. The inquiry, published on 15 June by the UK parliament, had been taking evidence since autumn 2018. Since the coronavirus pandemic, violence appears to have grown even as international media have been otherwise occupied. The report, Nigeria: Unfolding Genocide, said, ‘Violence has claimed the lives of thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands more, causing untold human and economic devastation and heightening existing ethno-religious tensions.’

Pray: for this parliamentary inquiry to lead to action that ends deadly attacks that have escalated in recent weeks. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

More: www.worldwatchmonitor.org/2020/06/incessant-killing-is-more-dangerous-than-coronavirus-report-on-nigeria-to-uk-parliament/

George Floyd’s death sparked protests against racial inequality and police abuse around the world. Black Americans are three times more likely to be killed by police than white Americans. Transparency International reports that police abuse takes many shapes and forms, and is not unique to the US. In the first two weeks of lockdown in Nigeria extrajudicial killings enforcing the regulations claimed more lives than the virus itself. Across Africa, people think the police are the most corrupt group in their country, 47% of Africans believe that most or all police are corrupt, with 28% having paid a bribe to a police officer in the previous year. Pray for improved tools for citizens to report abuses by law enforcement officers. The police also earned the highest bribery rates in Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa. Innocent people should never have to fear for their life or their livelihood when they encounter a police officer. See

Pray: for anti-corruption reforms that prevent police abuse, hold offenders liable, and deliver justice for the victims. (Proverbs 21:15)

More: www.transparency.org/en/news/citizens-speak-out-about-corruption-in-africa

As attacks on Christians continue in northern Nigeria, we can pray for Christians there, asking the Lord to end the killing and suffering for being a believer. ‘Father, may their witness be vibrant, as a lamp set on a hill. May their lives and actions demonstrate Your goodness. Give them hearts for reconciliation and forgiveness instead of revenge. Heal the broken-hearted. Comfort the mourning. Bind up the wounded. Be a father to the fatherless. Let our brothers and sisters know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge, that they may be filled with all the fullness of You. May they be rooted and established in Your love. O Lord, empower those who minister in the most difficult areas with new strength. Refresh their spirits and fill their cups to overflowing. May the gospel of Your peace that they share bring peace to this place of turmoil.’

Pray: for God to soften the hearts of every Islamist leader and fighter in northern Nigeria, impressing them with His love so that they, too, will long to know and serve Christ. (Proverbs 4:4)

More: etools.vomusa.org/a/vombm/viewasweb/vom_bulk_email_202006_03_web.html

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) wants India, Nigeria, Russia, Syria and Vietnam to be put on a religious freedom blacklist and join the ranks of ‘countries of particular concern’. That would make them subject to sanctions if they do not improve their records. Countries already on this list include China, Iran, and North Korea. The commission noted that India’s nationalist government ‘allowed violence against minorities and their houses of worship to continue with impunity and tolerated hate speech and incitement to violence.’ Minority Christians have been among those targeted. It remained unclear whether the state department would follow the USCIRF's advice because India is an increasingly close US ally. The USCIRF's annual report is watched worldwide as an independent

Pray: for decisions around religious freedom to be free of politics or trade concerns. (Amos 5:15a)

More: www.worthynews.com/49824-india-condemns-u-s-religious-rights-report

During the coronavirus lockdown, Nigerian Fulani militants have murdered a five-year-old child they snatched from a pregnant mother, another nine Christians including two children, and a second pregnant woman In Egypt, seven Islamist terrorists, suspected of plotting to attack Christians under cover of the nightly coronavirus curfew, were shot dead. In West Africa, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau declared coronavirus a ‘product of evil’ while he mocked health measures and stepped up attacks. In East Africa the arrival of a second invasion of ravenous young locusts, spawned in Ethiopia, is feared to be twenty times more severe than the plague that devastated crops in January. Iran is facing major challenges. Its slow response to the pandemic, lack of transparency, and absence of an exit strategy, together with the US sanctions and the fall of oil prices, have compromised its healthcare system, its economic situation, and the daily lives of its people.

Pray: for God to bring powerful protection and Holy Spirit comfort to those living with persecution, sickness, fear, pestilence, and hunger. (Psalm 142:3a)

More: http://mailchi.mp/barnabasfund/five-year-old-murdered-snatched-from-pregnant-mother-as-fulani-militant-attacks-more-dangerous-than-coronavirus-in-nigeria-lockdown

Among two million people who fled Islamic extremist violence in northern Nigeria are hundreds being denied help because they are Christians. Displaced Muslims receive government-built homes, land, and financial support for resettlement, but 347 Christians are denied help because of their faith. ‘We cannot watch them die because they are unwilling to turn to Islam for support. We want to start something, no matter how small’, said a Christian leader of a small organisation (name withheld for security reasons). He wants to free land on the organisation’s properties to build homes for Christian converts denied entry into camps for the displaced. Many are left to die on their own, as no food or shelter is made available to them. The leader said, ‘We had tried within our little resources to help these ones, but the rejected people without external help to survive are too many.’ The organisation is now seeking support and funding.

Pray: for all organisations helping those impacted by discrimination and violence. (Psalm 121:1,2)

More: www.christianaid.org/missions-insider/2020-displaced-christians-in-nigeria-denied-aid/

On 1 March, despite heavy rain, many Catholics took a stand against a surge of Islamist extremist violence. The faithful marched the streets of Abuja against the rising wave of insecurity and killings in every part of Nigeria. They carried placards demanding a better and safer society. Some have reported that the numbers of protesters were in their thousands. The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference slammed the government for not doing enough to bring those behind these crimes to book. He said, ‘May we once again remind all the arms of government in Nigeria and all whose responsibility it is to protect Nigerians that without security there can be no peace.’

Pray: for God to strengthen the government and give it the ability to end religiously-motivated violence. (Isaiah 35:3)

More: saharareporters.com/2020/03/01/breaking-catholic-bishops-parishioners-protest-killing-nigerians-abuja

On 15 February WHO prioritised support for thirteen African countries whose fragile health systems are already overwhelmed. It is critical to detect coronavirus early to prevent spreading within communities without the treatment capacity. Since 3 February African countries have been receiving technical guidance and advice on how to limit human-to-human transmission, so that they isolate and provide appropriate treatment to affected people. An Africa task force has been working with the WHO, screening points of entry, controlling in health-care facilities, advising on infection prevention and clinical management of people, laboratory diagnosis and community engagement. On 5 March five African countries had coronavirus - Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Senegal, and Algeria. See

Pray: for the preparation and training to be applied to contain the virus in vulnerable communities. (Job 4:4)

More: www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30355-X/fulltext

On 2 January, Rev Lawan Andimi was abducted by Boko Haram. He pleaded with the government and the leadership of CAN (Christian Association of Nigeria) to come to his rescue, adding that his captors were taking good care of him and ‘hoped he would return home safely if it was the will of God’. The insurgents demanded two million euros for his release, but then went ahead and beheaded him. Bishop Mamza, of CAN, said that another pastor had been abducted and killed almost at the same time. Stating that Boko Haram had not been defeated or suppressed, he urged the government to tell Nigerians the truth. President Buhari expressed sadness and sympathy, but another CAN spokesman described the unabated kidnappings and killings as ‘shameful’ to the government. Pray for God’s comfort to embrace those living in sorrow and fear.

Pray: for Church security to be improved, ans for northern regions to be free of terrorism. (Psalm 17:8)

More: www.ipcprayer.org/ipc-connections/item/12631-nigeria-boko-haram-kills-can-chairman.html