'Just Stay Calm' – Dr Leslie Keegel
I am sharing with you the Word of Encouragement the Lord gave me.
Exodus 14: 5 - 18
Just Stay Calm
The children of Israel had just experienced the great deliverance from the enslaving arm of Pharaoh. As they were about to cross the Red Sea 600 chariots of Pharaoh’s army overtook them. The Israelites panicked and complained against Moses - “why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? It's better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness." But Moses told the people, “don’t be afraid, just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm."
The covid-19 we are presently fighting against is like the armies of Egypt. Pharaoh’s armies overtook the children of Israel right at the brink of them crossing the Red Sea. The Israelites response to this major attack of intimidation was complaining against the man of God.
As we face death at the hands of our enemy, we stand hopeless and absolutely incapable of providing a resistance strong enough to defeat covid-19, I hear the Lord, say to us, "Don’t be afraid, Just stand still and watch me rescue you today. I will fight for you, just stay calm”
Just as the Lord admonished Moses to pick his staff and raise his hand over the Red Sea and commanded the Israelites “to get moving". Moses exerted his authority against the Red Sea, the Lord gave victory over Pharaoh’s army. Let’s rise up in our God given authority and claim our victory over covid-19.
Along with the word the Lord gave me a vivid Vision last night; I saw a storm of locusts coming down in the skies to cripple everything which had life, human life, animal life, the fauna and the flora. The sight was very depressing, nothing refreshing remained in the air or atmosphere. These locusts were coming down in terrible devastating intention to destroy life and everything which represented life.
As I kept watching this horrible sight helplessly, breathing prayers of life and refreshing, I saw a beautiful cloud of angels surround the skies. The cloud of angels are the armies of the Lord. They began to push back the deadly locusts out of our skies and tormented atmosphere. I saw the dark sight of locusts disintegrate with great urgency. As soon as the locusts disappeared the angels covered our skies and atmosphere with a beautiful white refreshing sheet, it indeed was a huge net. The net kept the devastating locusts from entering the human domain. I saw certain parts of the net having holes, which the angels quickly patched beautifully. The present devastation will soon be gone and the fields will be prepared for the great harvest.
What we are experiencing presently are the hot winds blowing on the fields. The hot winds are preparing the harvest to ripen. The harvest will soon be gathered in.
The harvesting angels are ready to gather in the harvest.
Dr Leslie Keegel
Four Square Church | IPC Senior Advisor
‘Faith in Times of Adversity’ – Pastor Austen Ukachi
Faith is one weapon we must use against the fear of COVID-19. Many ask, can faith in God work at this time when COVID-19 is devastating the world? The answer is a big, Yes. Faith in God can make a difference whether we survive this time of adversity or not. Fear kills, but faith keeps alive. The well known Biblical adage, “the just shall live by faith” is very much relevant now. Faith can make a difference between matters of life and death, between our ability to survive or not. In times of adversity, like we face presently, faith distinguishes those who inherit the promises of God and those who do not. Faith in God gives us strength in the inner man. Like Proverb 18:14 state, “The will to live sustains you when you’re sick, but depression crushes courage and leaves you unable to cope” (TPT).
The most extreme conditions of COVID-19 is not above God’s power and control, therefore trusting God who knows all things, and has all power to control all things, strengthens us. Faith in God, however, does not preclude us from complying with the rules of social distancing and personal hygiene that is being recommended by medical experts. Times of adversity like COVID-19 don’t last, but those who have faith in God, outlive adversities.
Faith is the assurance that what God says in his word shall come to pass in any situation of adversity. For instance, Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you” (Isaiah 43:2 NKJV). Again in Ephesians 6:16, Paul commands us to use the shield of faith to quench the fiery darts of Satan. This means, that when Satan assails us with coronavirus, by faith we can reject it from harming us.
Exercising faith against the destructive power of COVID-19 may seem stupid to the carnal mind, but let us not forget that even from Bible times, faith in God has always worked for those who believe in Him. Think of those who don’t have access to medical facilities, or those who face extreme situations between life and death. All they can do is cling on to God in faith. In this time of COVID-19, we are seeing the best of medical practices inadequate, and in some cases fail outrightly. So, why doubt the intervention of God; why doubt the ability of faith in God to rescue man?
Speaking about the importance of faith, Jesus said, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:22-24 NKJV). The key word is in verse 24, which states that whatever things you ask when you pray to God, we can receive them, provided we believe.
David’s attitude in time of adversity is one of persevering faith, “Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord” (Psalms 27:13-14 NLT). We cannot afford to do otherwise now that we face COVID-19.
Pastor Austen Ukachi
IPC Leadership Team / IPC West Africa Coordinator
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Covid-19 Pandemic 1 million cases on 2 April
Global case counts of COVID-19 quietly clicked past 1 million 2nd April afternoon on the Johns Hopkins tracking map, revealing the disease’s startling speed and reach since it emerged 4 months ago.
The pandemic is afflicting countries unevenly as the US muffed its early response, while China acted with strong-armed efficiency, and many others are yet to be tested.
Global Highlights
The US: Though the novel coronavirus has emerged in all 50 states, the media focus has zeroed in on New York, which has more than 92,000 cases. That will likely change in the coming days as new hotspots emerge, according to Scientific American.
The American South is at special risk with high numbers of cases per capita. Albany, Georgia has 13 per 10,000 people, for example. And, as Bloomberg News points out, the region already has some of the poorest health indicators in the country (4 of 5 states with highest diabetes rates) and a lack of health care access that includes shuttered rural hospitals. Of the 239 coronavirus deaths in New Orleans, “40% had diabetes, 25% were obese and 21% had heart problems,” Bloomberg reports.
Africa: WHO has announced that new COVID-19 cases are being reported in Africa at a dramatically accelerating pace as the number topped this week, according to The Citizen (Tanzania). Another worrying sign: Cases are beginning to emerge outside capitals and other large cities. The coronavirus has been detected across South Africa, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Senegal.
Also: Very few of the more than 300 clinical trials that are underway to seek a COVID-19 treatment are in Africa, Nature reports. The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative is part of the new COVID-19 Clinical Research Coalition seeking to remedy this.
More:
South Africa: Though the country has the most cases (1,462) on the continent, President Cyril Ramaphosa and Health Minister Zweli Mkhize are being lauded for leading an effective and efficient battle against COVID-19, according to the BBC. However, the response also has included rounding up 1,000 homeless men and forcing them into a sports stadium in Pretoria, CNN International reports.
Ecuador: Officials in Guayaquil report more than 400 deaths in recent days as morgues have been overwhelmed and some bodies have been wrapped in plastic and left on street. UPI
Indonesia: The 170 COVID-19 deaths reported in recent weeks have surpassed nearly 2 decades of bird flu deaths. The Jakarta Post
North Korea: Assertions that the country is coronavirus-free has been viewed skeptically. The Guardian
Reporting from Johns Hopkins University: https://www.globalhealthnow.org/2020-04/1-million
Further data on Europe and the world: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical-distribution-2019-ncov-cases
BBC news article about the 18 countries who don’t have Covid-19 at the time of writing: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-52120439
Pray: Lord God, the One who has Almighty power, we agree according to your promise in Matthew 18:18-20 that this virus will be stopped in its tracks. That the medical researchers will get a download from Heaven on how to quickly develop a vaccine to counteract COVID-19 and a cure for those who have become infected.
We also agree in prayer, asking that the Body of Christ worldwide will rise up in love and boldness, trusting in your blood to cover and protect us and throwing off fear, so that we can be available to serve, bless, and bear witness to those around us who are terrified and depressed at being infected.
Let us seize this unprecedented opportunity to make you known to those without hope in Christ!
Thank you for your promise that surely, you will be with us "always, even to the very end of the age” so that we can carry on with the mission you have given us for our world (Matthew 28:20).
Join in Online Prayers:
Praying for Unreached People Groups (UPGs) wholistically and in light of Covid-19 - Since 2018, The Extraordinary Prayer Task Force has focused on increasing prayer for UPGs through collaboration amongst leaders of church movements, mission movements & prayer movements. We meet on Zoom every two months, with our next global call April 20th from 9-11am US Central daylight time focused on praying wholistically for UPGs from the perspective of discipling nations. We will pray in light of Covid-19 outbreak, and also considering major spheres including healthcare, government, education, media and family as we pray for specific UPGs. If you're a leader of a prayer network and interested in joining the discussion, please contact David Sengupta (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) for more information on how to connect to the April 20th call. Mention IPC.
Additional Prayer Resources for Coronavirus
A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON COVID-19 By Dr Ruth Valerio and Gideon Heugh (Tear Fund)
A coronavirus prayer from Pete Greig
19 Things to Do in response to Coronavirus
Prophecy Today UK’s Responses to Coronavirus
PrayerCast Video and Prayer Briefing
Operation World's Covid-19 Prayers for the Nations and Prayer Calendar
Latin American Presidential Calls to Prayer over Covid-19
Certainly our good Lord is using Covid -19 to bring great outcomes in the Latin American nations.
As the epicentre of the corona virus pandemic moved from China to the USA, Europe, Latin American countries started to prepare for an outbreak. In a context of global emergency, not only the Body of Christ have called and cried out to God for help, but many presidents and politicians in our continent have also been outspoken about the need to “Pray and Fast“ as the only/ultimate hope against the deadly pandemic.
After President Donald Trump called for a National Day of prayer for the United States on March 15th, a wave for National Prayer & Fasting had been convoked by the Presidents of our nations on the following dates:
- March 18th President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele.
- March 18th President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández.
- March 20th President of Paraguay Mario Abdo Benitez.
- March 21th President of Guatemala Alejandro Giammattei.
- March 21th President of Bolivia Janine Añez.
- March 21st President of Argentina Alberto Fernandez.
- March 23rd President of Panamá Laurentino Cortizo.
Suddenly we have started listening on the TV news & radio from the mouth of the State leaders : “May God bless Guatemala" (Giammattei) “May God bless Brazil” (Bolsanaro). Hallelujah!
Former Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales expressed publicly “In these moments, we people of Guatemala should be united, leaving aside the eternal political division, we should pray continually. I confess that, during my government, the prayers of millions gave us strength and victory in times of crisis”. Morales shared the Bible verse from Ephesians 6:18: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people”.
The President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, “This is a secular state that allows freedom of worship, but there are many believers. I want to ask them to pray and together ask God that he helps us to overcome this virus”. “We are going to face a tribulation, but I am sure that with the help of God we will be able to go ahead. Those who don’t believe in God, feel released of this”, the President said, “but for those who believe, I ask you to bow our heads and let’s pray and ask God for our country”. After these words, all members of the government and the Republic in the room prayed together. (Enfoque Evangélico Marzo 18,2020)
PARAGUAY: “TOGETHER IN PRAYER” In Paraguay, the highest political authority also called to pray for protection. “I hope the whole people can spend time in family, in unity. We should not forget the spiritual field. One family together in prayer”, said the President of the nation, Mario Abdo Benítez. “The power of prayer, I am sure, will protect the nation. God will protect Paraguay and will continue to bless this country”. (March 18,2020 / Enfoque evangélico)
2 Chronicles 7:13-14 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
In the midst of the shaken of the nations, we say THANK YOU LORD for giving us the opportunity to return our hearts to you, to prayer, fasting, for going back to your word, experiencing revival in our living rooms, experience what family was supposed to be .. Mathew 12:21 “In his name the nations will put their hope”. We surrender to you Jesus!
Rev 11:15 NLT “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” Amen
Judith Yanira González - Executive Team
International Prayer Council
CLAMOR
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