Prayer Points - December 2017

DECEMBER PRAYER POINTS

from the

National House of Prayer

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'"- Isaiah 52:7

PRAYING FOR THE VOICES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS ON PARLIAMENT HILL

At the National House of Prayer we are activating strategic prayer for Canada and its leaders.

Prayer teams from across the nation come to Ottawa to be trained in effective prayer and to intercede for our nation.
Intercessors attend the daily Question Period, sit in Senate sessions, position themselves in Committee meetings and make appointments with individual Parliamentarians.
We intercede in the official Prayer Chapel, prayer-walk the grounds of Parliament Hill, visit the Supreme Court, and the Governor General's residence.
We travel throughout Canada teaching our weekend Schools of Prayer, or week-long National Schools of Intercession.

VOICES ON THE HILL

But while our voices are being heard in the halls of heaven, there are others whose voices are being heard in the halls of Parliament. These are organizations that are standing and speaking for righteousness and good government.

They make presentations to committees, meet with Parliamentarians, intervene in Supreme Court cases, do research into the issues, c ommunicate with churches in Canada, speak to the media and show up on Parliament Hill regularly and they speak up on your behalf.

We believe that these organizations are an answer to prayer. They are an essential voice in the nation and do excellent work. NHOP is praying for them and we invite you to join us.

PRAYING EFFECTIVELY

Here's how you can pray:

Pray for strategic wisdom, as they plan their research, communications and advocacy.
Pray for God-given insights that will effectively counter the lies of darkness.
Pray for favour, that they would continue to have open doors to speak and they would find ears open to hear.
Pray for financial blessings, that they would be well equipped with the resources necessary to carry out their mandates.
Pray that God would powerfully anoint them to be irrefutable voices of truth in the public square.
Pray that strategies of darkness which come against them would be foiled and confused and come to nothing.
Pray that their teams would be strong and united in the Spirit.

MANY VOICES, ONE HEART

The following organizations are just a sample of some of the many voices that need your prayer support. There are many more. And while their missions are all very different, their heart is the same: To see God be glorified in the nation of Canada.

Learn more about these voices and cover them in prayer during the month of December.

1. Association for Reformed Political Action - Founded in 2007

The mission of ARPA Canada is to educate, equip, and encourage Reformed Christians to political action and to bring a biblical perspective to our civil authorities. They have a staff of 13, and are very active on numerous issues such as pre-born human rights, doctor-assisted suicide, parental rights, religious freedom, freedom of conscience and more.

Learn more about them and how you can pray for them at www.arpacanada.ca .

2. Cardus - Founded in 2008

Cardus is a think tank dedicated to the renewal of North American social architecture. And while that sounds pretty academic, it is also very practical. Cardus draws on more than 2000 years of Christian social thought, working to enrich and challenge public debate through research, events, and publications, for the common good. They examine issues to do with education, family, health, law, work, economics and more, putting out excellent research and publications on all of these issues from a Christian vantage point.Learn more about them and how you can pray for them at www.cardus.ca .

3. Christian Legal Fellowship - Founded in 1978

Christian Legal Fellowship (CLF) exists to serve the legal profession by deepening and strengthening the spiritual life of its members, and to encourage and facilitate among Christians in the vocation of law the integration of a Biblical faith with contemporary legal, moral, social and political issues. CLF also seeks to advance the public good by articulating legal and moral principles that are consistent with, and illuminated by, our Christian faith through court interventions and parliamentary consultations. Over nearly two decades, CLF has intervened in 19 separate proceedings, seeking to advance justice, protect the vulnerable, and advocate for freedom of religion, conscience, and expression.

Learn more about the CLF and how you can pray for them at www.christianlegalfellowship.org .

4. Evangelical Fellowship of Canada - Founded in 1964

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada is the national association of evangelical Christians in Canada. It gathers Evangelicals together for impact, influence and identity in ministry and public witness. Since 1964 the EFC has provided a national forum for Evangelicals and a constructive voice for biblical principles in life and society. The EFC is regularly on Parliament Hill speaking up on issues which impact the church and Christians. Learn more about them and how you can pray for them at www.evangelicalfellowship.ca .

5. My Canada Association - Founded in 2005

Since 2005, the MY Canada Association has been motivating Canadians who are young, and young in spirit, to impact Canada for the sake of future generations. Since then, My Canada has taken 16 delegations of young people to Parliament to meet with parliamentarians, has mobilized thousands of Canadians to be a voice on important issues, and has sent out hundreds of national action alerts. At election time they work with like-minded candidates from any party to vote, donate and volunteer their time. Their list of issues is long, and includes abortion, assisted suicide, freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, human trafficking, pornography, transgenderism, and much more.

Learn more about them and how you can pray for them at www.4mycanada.ca .

GIVING THANKS FOR ANSWERED PRAYER

Protections for religious services will remain in the Criminal Code

On November 8th, the Honourable Rob Nicholson, the Conservative Justice Shadow Minister and Member of Parliament for Niagara Falls, released the following statement regarding the Liberal Government's plan to repeal section 176 of the Criminal Code pertaining to the protection of religious officials and the freedom to worship peacefully without disturbance: "I am pleased that the Government has heard the calls of Canadians from across our nation and has agreed to keep section 176 in place. Conservatives have always supported religious freedom and the protection of those freedoms. The disruption of a religious service is serious and should not be treated as a mere mischief charge. It is a fundamental right that greatly affects all Canadians regardless of whether or not you attend religious services. Today is a victory for all faith communities in Canada," stated Mr. Nicholson.

The government had been inundated with emails and phone calls from coast to coast asking that they not diminish protections for the protection of religious officials and the freedom to worship peacefully without disturbance. Many of the organizations above spoke out at the House of Commons committee studying this issue, and the church was praying! The result: The government changed its mind and decided not to remove section 176 of the Criminal Code, but to leave it in place!

Thank you to everyone who has been praying about this important issue!

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap,

if we do not give up." - Galatians 6:9