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Pastor's Message

July 2010: Pastor's Message

Wednesday, 07 July 2010 10:11

The morning thaprayer17t Canada became a nation, Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley read in his morning devotion Psalm 72.  It was Tilley’s custom to start everyday with prayer and scripture reading, and that morning was no exception.  He felt that before he attended to the business of his country, he must first attend to the business of his soul.  In his devotion that morning, he read King David’s prayer for his son, Solomon. “Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son.  He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.” (Psalm 72:8-11)



Greetings Canada’s Kneeling Army,

This First Friday, the nation finds itself hosting the Queen of England and, because with God there is no coincidence, I ask us to ponder in our hearts the following observation; the Canadian Coat of Arms which, in itself, is fascinating to me as a proud CBC’er (Canadian by Choice not by birth), has the following motto on it:  “A Mari usque ad Mare” meaning from “Sea to Sea” (see Wikipedia).  Friends, I find it profound and prophetic that we have on the Arms of Canada a lion upon a royal helmet under a crown wearing a crown holding a red maple leaf in his paw resting on the lesser quoted motto: The ribbon of the Order of Canada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Canada) inscribed Desiderantes Meliorem Patriam, Latin for "They desire a better country." Wow, isn’t that what we’ve been crying out for with fervent prayer with fasting since 1997?  I encourage you to get reacquainted with this prophetic national gem before you intercede for our beloved nation this First Friday; it is a packed treasure chest with incredible spiritual heritage!

 

Intercessors, I was also reminded that Canada Day is often referred to as "Canada's birthday," particularly in the popular press, however, this could be misleading, as our country has a unique evolutionary history.   Some of the “constituents” out of which the Canadian confederation was formed called themselves "Canada" prior to 1867, and most of the present provinces of Canada did not join the federation until well after that year.  However, the road to independence did not end there, as the country did not become a sovereign kingdom until the proclamation of the Constitution Act by Queen Elizabeth II in 1982.   Therefore, Canada Day is an anniversary of the granting of Royal Assent to the British North America Act, as opposed to a national birthday or a day marking Canada's independence.  Friends, this concept of our beginnings as a nation and the granting of a Royal Assent must not be lost on us during this First Friday in July and, like Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley – a giant in Canadian history, let us meditate on Psalm 72:8-11, “Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son.  He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment”, remembering that many over the years have taken their position to preserve our nation’s true heritage, and we will continue to do the good work, by God’s grace, that they started.

 

Royal Assent,

 

Brian Warren

Founder & Executive Director, CIP

 

June 2010: Pastor's Message

Thursday, 03 June 2010 18:53

Message from Executive Director

FURNACE FAITH

Greetings Canada’s Kneeling Army,

I pray that you are prospering in your corner of the vineyard, even as your soul prospers!  Friends, I am so grateful to each of you who continue to be a huge encouragement to my family and myself and the entire team here at CIP.  As I traveled to the southern tip of India, the city of Chennai, I certainly appreciated your intercession on my behalf and the precious orphans and lepers I had the wonderful privilege of proclaiming the liberating love of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, to.  The leaf of the tree of Canada continues to be a healing to the nations and to the ends of the earth!

During my time in Chennai, the Lord laid the following scripture on my heart, and my prayer is that it will minister to you as it did to me during one of the 90-degree nights when sleep was a distant dream!

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, "Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. But even if he doesn't, it wouldn't make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn't serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.” (Daniel 3:16-17 MSG)

As we continue on in our focus on the fire of God, I am reminded again of how the fire was released on Mt. Carmel in 30 seconds, but then it took an extended time to see the rain begin to fall.  Elijah was so sensitive that he knew the answer to his prayer, and he ran before the chariot of the king.  Little did we know that the fire that comes down is often the very tool that God uses to not only turn the heart of the people, but the heart of the king!

In this month’s text in Daniel 3, we see that the King of Babylon had captured the nation of Israel, and had stationed troops to occupy his newly acquired territory. Among the captives were three brilliant young men who were best kept near to the king, if only to keep a close eye on them.  The king hoped they would have the training and ability needed to keep the disenchanted Hebrews cool during the transitional period, and to further expand his spreading empire. King Nebuchadnezzar was indeed a masterful politician who sought to purchase the loyalty of these three key captives by appointing them positions of leadership over certain provinces.  However, the Babylonian culture did not fit into their Hebrew faith.  They had the skill to perform certain duties, but the king could discern that they were not totally oriented to Babylonian society.

The king was apprehensive and suspicious.  He had AUTHORITY, but he sensed that these men had POWER.  Authority is always at the mercy of power. No one learned this lesson better than Peter on the night of Jesus' arrest in the garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus reminded him, saying, "I have the moral and spiritual fortitude to win this fight.  Your sword will reduce my victory to a midnight brawl, and I will die at the hands of an unknown mob." (Paraphrased)   King Nebuchadnezzar was disturbed by the conduct of these three men called Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and not because they were militant insurrectionists.  It was their calm, poised mood that upset him.  Their lack of enthusiasm with Babylonian wealth and privilege haunted the king.  The king had no idea how to persuade men whose value system did not match up with his own.  One of the men said, "King, we are quite clear on your command.  We are grateful to you for your assignments to our provinces, and we have fulfilled all of the requirements of our assignments in your empire.  But your recent command is out of the realm of local government.  Your orders have invaded the domains of an Empire to which we have divine allegiance.  We are aware of the fact that your military power overwhelmed our nation, but it was done with our God's permission.  There is no point in giving us a second chance to switch our loyalties and worship you.  Our minds are made up.

The answer here is not ours alone.  It is written indelibly in our Hebrew Canon:  'I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have no other gods before me.' We had to switch our physical position for economic survival, but we cannot switch God’s, even in the most difficult crises." Then they spit out the ultimate challenge. "The God whom we serve is able to deliver us."

What a reckless statement for captives whose nation has been shattered by war!  How daring can faith become for people who are caught up in intolerable circumstances?  The whole Babylonian empire was tense as these three men defied the command of their baffled monarch. They knew the penalty for disobedience. They knew they would be cast into the fiery furnace. Listen to the spiritual logic of these three men with your spiritual ears. "We do not claim that He WILL deliver us, but we do contend that He is ABLE to deliver us.  We have explored the possibility that He may not choose to deliver us.  But we have a furnace kind of faith, and we are prepared to test the validity of our faith in your furnace.  Our faith has reached furnace proportions.  Our faith is not negotiable.  If your furnace is ready, so are we."

The FURNACE FAITH of these three men is extremely significant.  It revealed the character of their faith.  They did not doubt the Omnipotence of God, whatever position He might take in their situation. They were committed to God as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.  Their will was lost in His divine purpose.  They were determined, "If our bodies must perish in flames in this heathen land, we shall walk through the leaping flames shouting that the God whom we serve is able to deliver us!"

Many gods had been paraded through Babylon.  It was time for the real God to act.  Jesus was dispatched to fan the heat out of the flames and air-condition the furnace!  Then He waited for the arrival of the Hebrew boys.  When the king arrived, a voice from heaven shouted, "Will the real God of Israel please stand up!" and by His Omnipotent presence, Jesus replied, "I am He."

You know the rest of the story. Jesus and those three boys walked around in that furnace until the king repented.  The unimpeachable authority of the Word of God should persuade you today that God's people do not have to bow to unholy systems in order to live.  We must be prepared to take a bold and even defiant stand during times of turbulent history.  The time may be now for a minority of saints to take firm stands and affirm our faith in the Eternal God – in our personal lives, in our homes, on our jobs, in our cities and, ultimately, in our beloved Canada.  We need a furnace kind of faith that can motivate us, challenge us, feed us, heal us, satisfy us, comfort us, and deliver us. Daniel 11:32, “And such as violate the covenant he shall pervert and seduce with flatteries, but the people who know their God shall prove themselves strong and shall stand firm and do exploits [for God].”

“Can you take the heat?” is what I was challenged in Chennai.

You can take the heat!

 

Brian Warren
Founder & Executive Director, CIP

May 2010: Pastor's Message

Thursday, 13 May 2010 18:57
Message from Executive Director
“Prayer is the great, universal force to advance God’s cause; not to pray is a denial of God, a denial of his existence, a denial of his nature and a denial of his purposes toward mankind; “Praying men are the only men in which the Holy Spirit dwells, for the Holy Spirit and prayer go hand-in-hand. The Holy Spirit never descends upon prayer-less man. He never fills them, he never empowers them. There is nothing whatever in common between the Spirit of God and men who do not pray. The Spirit dwells only in a prayer atmosphere”.

- Edward McKendree Bounds (1835-1913)

 

Greetings Canada’s Kneeling Army,

I pray that this letter find you rejoicing in the timeless truth of 1 John 5:4, “For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith.”

As we prepare to lift our voices this First Friday, May 7, 2010, I want to stay focused on our theme, “Go again in 2010!”  I have heard countless times over the last month about the intensity of the battle that intercessors are going through here in Canada.  Yes, I know I’m preaching to the choir, but it begs repeating.  Like the prophet Elijah of old, praying for it to rain, you say, “I have tried to outrun it, out pray it, out give it, and out love it, but it is still there. When I try to gather enough faith, strength, and intestinal fortitude to overcome it, it’s still there”.  You know what I’m referring to – Spiritual Frustration.  We have all experienced it.  One of Satan’s greatest spiritual warfare tactics is to try to wear you down.  He says, “If I can send them away empty-handed enough times, they will quit.”  Satan is even recorded telling Almighty God, “I can discourage Job enough, cause him enough pain, and frustrate him enough that he will curse You to Your face.”  But through it all, for all eternity to see, the record states that Job “sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” Intercessors, have you ever heard people say, “I am going to quit the church because when I go, I feel nothing; I don’t see any change,” or, “I’m going to quit seeking the Holy Ghost, because I just can’t get it,” or, “I’m going to quit this or that because I have tried it and it doesn’t work.”  You know where they are?  They are on their third, fourth, fifth, or sixth trip up that mountain and that’s the drought speaking!  Remember how the devil played with Elijah’s mind?  “You went to King Ahab and told him that God was sending rain and now nothing is happening. “You didn’t really hear from God. This drought is going to continue.” But if they would only hold on, press on, climb one more time…God’s got a revelation!  God’s got an experience!  God’s got a breakthrough with your name on it!  What was being held up was nothing small by any standard.  We have the benefit of history that shows us that this account is a precedent-setting event, according to James 5:16b-17, “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have [with feelings, affections, and a constitution like ours]; and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and no rain fell on the earth for three years and six months. [I Kings 17:1.]  And [then] he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain and the land produced its crops [as usual]. [I Kings 18:42-45.]” This account provides a model for all generations of what happens when we pray fervently.

Kneeling army, I believe that the Spirit of God is once again preparing His people for a mighty end-time outpouring!  And I want to help you and I get prepared for it!  It is a little like preparing to surf.  Twenty-two years ago in Maui, Hawaii, I was on my honeymoon, and while there I spent a sizeable amount of time at the beach.  While enjoying my lessons in boogie boarding, I discovered that surfing and revival have very similar elements. There are three simple rules that you and I must master if we are ever going to “surf” well.  According to my instructor, we must:


A. Determine which wave we are going to catch – because we can’t catch them all.
B. Position ourselves to catch the wave as it crashes into the water.
C. Begin moving in the direction where the wave is going so that, when it comes, we are ready to ride it out!

 

As I wrap up my letter, I want to encourage you that Pentecost Sunday falls on May 23rd this year, and the greatest gift that we – the body of Christ – have for the spiritual transformation of our families, churches, communities and land is the Holy Spirit.  In 955 AD, the Church was in a challenging condition.  Charlemagne the Great had passed away and adversary after adversary attacked the Church, including the pagan Magyar – horsemen from Hungary who were literally the cold-blooded hand of Satan; merciless killing machines moving with reckless abandonment against Christianity.  It was the morning of August 10, 955 AD, and the battle of Lechfield was about to commence.  An army commander by the name of Otto 1 was leading a very tired army who were defending Christianity and protecting the Church.  Outnumbered by more than double his forces of twenty-five thousand, Otto gave this speech right before the battle began, which continues to echo through time: “Men, we are outnumbered but not in bravery. Our solace is? ‘Our enemy is void of the help of God.’  They are armed with boldness alone, but we have divine protection!” And Otto’s faith was not misplaced with his lance extended, baring a nail that is reported to be one of the nails that held Jesus to the cross.  He routed the Magyar army and was crowned “Otto The Great Emperor of Rome”.  Historians consider his reign to be the true beginning of the Holy Roman Empire. E.M Bounds once said, “Faith does the impossible because it brings God to undertake for us, and nothing is impossible with God. How great--without qualification or limitation--is the power of faith!  If doubt be banished from the heart, and unbelief made stranger there, what we ask of God shall surely come to pass, 
and a believer hath vouchsafed to him 'whatsoever he saith.'"  Wow!

Intercessors, we the kneeling army in Canada may be out numbered, but not in courage!  Our opposition has boldness alone on its side, but we have divine protection – the Holy Spirit (Ruach Kodesh).  Your faith is not misplaced.  This First Friday, purpose to go again!  And believe God for the victory!!!

 

Going Again in Faith,

 

Brian Warren

Executive Director, CIP

 

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Prayer Devotion

 

“God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer." - Mother Teresa

Prayer

Father, help me to listen more and do what you are requiring of me.

Canada at a Glance

 

IGNITE CANADA! CIP’s 2010 prayer initiative gathered in Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario in March for a powerful weekend of prayer, teaching and praise.  Hundreds gathered throughout the region to “unite” in prayer and pray for the “ignite” of revival across Canada. “Alleluia for the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!

Feature Photo

 

Waterloo 2010

Coming Soon!

 

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