“O little town of Bethlehem

How still we see thee lie

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by

Yet in thy dark streets shineth

The everlasting Light

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight”

- Lyrics by Rector Phillips Brooks (1835-1903)

Greetings Canada’s Kneeling Army,

“Knock knock. Who’s there? Oh my goodness, it’s you again – Christmas!” Friends, to all of you who labour by day and by night in the house of the One True Living God, and to your families and all those who are dear in your hearts, I declare supernatural blessings during this Christmas season and in 2010!

We all acknowledge that Jesus is the reason for the season. May He lead, steer and watch over all of your paths that He has established in the heavens for the coming year. I am so excited about what Almighty God has in store for each of us in our individual corners of this our great Canadian vineyard. Blessings and favour be unto all the congregation that makes up Canada In Prayer, and may we continue to press in 2010 to see the flames of revival spread from sea to sea to sea, for the glory of Almighty God!

Warriors, please be encouraged as you go into your prayer closets for this last First Friday of 2009, that His will is being done here on earth as it is in heaven. Believe that, beginning in your heart and in your home today, the power of Almighty God is being manifested as it was so miraculously on that night in Bethlehem. With a flint-like determination, let nothing set itself up against His truth! Determine even now, like the Magi before they set out to see the King that was prophesied about so many centuries earlier, that when revival comes in all its power, you and yours will not miss its glorious beginning!

In closing, let me once again thank you all for your hard work and dedication in the trenches. It has been a privilege and an honor to labour with you. A special thank you to those who have sacrificially stood on the wall financially in these trying economic times. Your support means more than words can ever express. It is your prayers and giving that have sustained this work and, by God’s grace, your gifts of love will allow this ministry of prayer to continue to be a clear and legible sound on the trumpet for years to come. May God bless you and keep you, and may He make His face shine upon you during this season of “the Light”!

Celebrating in the Light,

 

---

 

FROM THE TRENCH:

Dear Friends,

Amidst the world’s clanging chorus of non-offensive “Happy Holidays!” please let me wish you a very big MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Boy does that feel good! I don’t know about you, but in this season of celebrating the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who saved the world and changed my life forever, I refuse to be “politically correct”! GLORY to Almighty God for sending His only Son to free me from the bondage of sin and death!

As we look back on a year gone by, I can truly say it has been one of growth, new experiences, and a closer walk with my Best Friend. I get teary even as I’m writing this, because I just want to say a big thank you to my Lord. Father, you’ve been amazing! Jesus, you’ve loved me through it all! Holy Spirit, you’ve worked hard and you’ve done a great job! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Friends, I pray that you too are able to recognize in this season the incredible things that have taken place in your life and around you in this past year that only God could have done. It had to be Him! So let’s be sure to give Him the praise He deserves as we celebrate a holiday that only exists because of His incredible love, power, compassion, mercy, and saving grace. Let’s not ask Him for anything else. Let’s just express to Him, if we can possibly put it into words, how grateful we are and how near and dear to our hearts He truly is. Let’s not miss the opportunity to love Him up as we are reminded of His great love that He has shown us in 2009. We love you, Jesus!

Now, some of you might be calingl me crazy right now, or even looking at me with disgust like King David’s wife Michal when he danced naked before the Lord. But I declare, like David did, that “I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this…!” (2 Samuel 6:21-22)

Fellow prayer warriors, as we move into 2010 the cry of my heart is to give God my ALL – to offer myself fully to be used as an instrument for His glory – no holds barred! No more fear of man, no more self to stand in the way, no more distractions of life or letting fleshly desires become more important than His will. As we close out 2009 and take time over the holidays to rest, reflect, and refuel for a new leg of our journey with Christ, let’s ask God to give us a greater desire to be His servants and His lovers, and to pursue Him with complete abandon. “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14) “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Undignified for Him,

Karen Warankie
News Director, CIP

 

---

PRAISE REPORTS:

- Praise God for the salvations, and healings that are continuing to take place at Scott Mission in Toronto, ON. Many men have given their lives to the Lord, and 13 street men requested bibles! Reports are coming in of healings, even of cancer! Approximately 100 people attended a DVD showing of the video “From the Ends of the Earth” and many hearts were stirred to respond to the Holy Spirit as they celebrated what He is doing across Canada!

- Celebrate with believers at a church in Toronto who have experienced inner healing and salvations as they meet for prayer and intercession. God, the Great Physician, continues to heal and mend the broken hearted!

- Praise God for the breakthroughs that intercessors and pastors have witnessed as they gathered together to pray in Winnipeg, MB last month. Many were encouraged to continue to press through and cry out, with fervor and passion, for the Lord to revive the province of Manitoba. One believer reported that Manitoba has only sporadic activity of flu attacks reported throughout the province. Give thanks for answered prayer. God is the God of breakthroughs!

- Celebrate the great things that Almighty God did at a National Marriage Conference outside Edmonton, AB. There were several couples in attendance who were considering divorce or separation, but made a decision to stay together! Please pray that God will continue to raise up and train couples to minister in their own churches across Canada, thereby strengthening marriages and families, and the body of Christ.

 

---

Prayer Driven Evangelism

- Cry out for a comic book outreach in Calgary, AB, that many homeless will be reached with the gospel. Pray that the message of the hope of Jesus Christ will go forth unhindered and many lives will be saved. Pray that God will provide artists and creative ideas to help share the gospel through this unique project.

- Please pray for Christmas outreaches throughout Winnipeg, MB, that they will impact the province and draw people into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Intercede for the leaders and helpers that they will not grow weary, but that they will draw upon the Lord for strength and press through.

- Lift up in prayer Canada In Prayer’s Facebook page, that it will draw believers together and bring unity in the Spirit. Pray that God will use this tool to further the advancement of the gospel by drawing people to the love of Christ.

 

---

Prayer Requests

Prince Edward Island

- Cry out to God for those attending a service with a guest speaker on December 11 - 13, that the body of Christ will be renewed with a fresh anointing and a passion to seek God’s face to bring their communities to Christ.

New Brunswick

- Please pray for the annual performance of the Living Christmas Tree in Moncton on December 2 – 6. Pray for God’s light to shine over the city, drawing those who have never heard the message of Christ to attend and receive Jesus as their Saviour.

Nova Scotia

- Pray for the Christmas concerts and musicals being held in Halifax, Sydney, and across the province, that Christians will have the boldness to invite unbelievers in their communities to the events. Pray that hearts will be receptive to the Holy Spirit and that many will be saved and brought to the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

- Please agree in prayer with an international student ministry in Halifax that God will bring someone to fill the position of prayer coordinator. Stand in the gap for the students and colleagues, mainly Chinese, that they will hear and receive the message of the gospel. Pray for divine opportunities for the tutors to witness their faith. Pray that God will stir a hunger in these young people for the truth, and that they will thirst after Him (Matthew 5:6). Lift up in prayer the many prayer groups in the area, that God will bring them direction and revelation as they cry out for their community.

- Call upon the Lord and petition Him to train and raise up Christians to listen with a keen ear for the Holy Spirit’s direction, and give them a boldness to share the gospel, as they complete a course called “Perspectives”, which gives guidance for witnessing to different ethnic groups. Cry out that there will many salvations across Nova Scotia, bringing glory to Jesus Christ.

Newfoundland & Labrador

- Pray for the Holy Spirit to draw the lost to the various Christmas outreaches throughout the province. Pray that their hearts will receive the gospel message of Jesus Christ, and that many will find peace, comfort, and joy in knowing the Father. Lift up in prayer a Christmas banquet outreach for single moms on December 8, that generous hearts will sponsor many mothers to attend. Cry out that the Holy Spirit will be free to minister, and to heal and mend hearts.

Quebec

- Cry out for the cities and communities across the province of Quebec. Pray for those that are labouring in these fields, that God will strengthen them. Ask the Lord to send forth more labourers. Intercede that God will stir hearts to seek Him with a passionate heart, and turn from the enticements of the world.

Ontario

- Intercede for an outreach in Hamilton as they prepare to minister to several group homes in the area by providing a complete Christmas dinner on December 9^th. Cry out that the residents will be reached with the power of God’s love and that they will receive Christ into their hearts. Pray for this ministry that God will provide the funds and volunteers they need.

- Intercede for God to move powerfully at the Siege Toronto National Reformation Conference being held in Toronto from December 9^th to 12^th. Pray that those attending will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to rise up and be a generation that will influence society. Pray that God will be glorified at the special banquet on December 9^th, held to honour God with thanksgiving for what He has done across the nation of Canada over the past four years with The Cry.

- Pray for an urban mission in Toronto; agree in pray that they will have a breakthrough in their finances. Cry out to God that they will bear much fruit as the workers abide in Jesus, and that they will be strengthened in body, mind, and spirit as they prepare to minister in many programs this Christmas season. (John 15:5) Pray for the growth of their cultural churches ministering to the Spanish, and Chinese, and also the growth of their “soaking program” to street men.

- Please pray for a new messianic centre being built in Toronto, that they will receive helpers and volunteers as they complete a new building in a Jewish community. Cry out for the light of the Gospel to shine into the community and that the scales from their eyes will be removed so that they will see the true Messiah. Cry out to God that the flow of visitors from the community, coming to view the renovations, will continue, and that the staff will have opportunities to minister by the Holy Spirit.

Manitoba

- Please pray for a gathering of pastors and intercessors as they meet on December 1^st in Winnipeg. Agree in prayer that they will press on and continue to walk in step with the Holy Spirit as they seek His leading and continue to lift up the province, crying out for breakthroughs and to see God glorified.

Saskatchewan

- Pray for God to strengthen the faith of believers in Saskatoon. Ask the Lord to bind discouragement and unbelief, and pray that faith will rise up and they will continue to press in, believing and expecting miracles of healing.

Alberta

- Cry out for God’s will to be done on Dec. 7^th as a court decides on a ruling to allow a street church to feed the homeless on the streets of Calgary. Ask God for His favor so that the plans to continue helping those in need will not be blocked, but that they will bring honor to God. (Psalm 44:3, Proverbs 14:31)

- Call upon the Lord for His mercy upon Alberta, that the number of flu cases of H1N1 will decrease. Believe in pray, with confidence, that as we approach God and ask according to His will, He will hear us. (1 John 5:14-15)

British Columbia

- Stand in the gap and intercede for the city of Nanaimo; declare that God’s light will shine through the darkness that is keeping some in bondage to drugs and occult activities (John 1:5). Pray for youth, that they will be delivered and choose life over death. Cry out for the lost, that they will find the way, the truth and the life in Jesus Christ, and that the things of this world will not entice them any longer. Pray for the body of Christ, that they will be led by the Holy Spirit to minister and preach the gospel to the lost and hurting.

Nunavut

- Cry out to God that the stronghold of suicide will be broken over the community of Pangnirtung. Intercede with believers as they gather together for prayer, that God will hear their prayers and answer their cry to deliver these young people from bondages and help them find freedom in Jesus Christ. Pray for the workers to be strengthened in their faith and not grow weary in doing good. (Galatians 6:9)

- Pray for families in Nunavut, that they will obey God’s commandments, love God, and earnestly seek Him with all their heart and all their soul. (Deuteronomy 11:13)

North West Territories

- Stand in the gap for the community of Fort Good Hope, that God will tear down strongholds of alcohol, drugs, and suicide. Cry out for those suffering relationship breakups, that they will find the hope to carry on. Pray that the Holy Spirit will help the body of Christ utilize the tools He’s given them to reach out and help those in need.

Yukon Territories

- Lift in prayer the communities across the Yukon. Pray for a hunger and a thirst for God’s word of truth. Cry out that God will send forth His servants to reach those in isolated areas. Pray for signs and wonders and powerful encounters with the Holy Spirit that will shake off unbelief and despair and turn people to Christ.

Canada

- Cry out to God that, in His mercy, He will deliver those considering suicide and those who are victims of abuse during the Christmas season. Pray that in their suffering they will find comfort and peace in Jesus, and be delivered from loneliness.

- Pray for the many Christmas services and performances across the nation, that they will draw multitudes to seek the deeper spiritual meaning of Christmas.

- Intercede that Jesus Christ will be glorified this Christmas throughout our nation.

- Cry out that people will be discontented with the superficiality of the world’s interpretation of Christmas, and seek the Truth.